"Haaah~"

Moyu Manatsu had just dominated the entire arcade, earning awestruck stares from her useless teammates. After collecting today’s rewards, she marveled at how fulfilling her day had been.

Only when she snapped back to reality did she notice it was already noon. From waking at six AM till now, she’d even skipped breakfast.

Thinking of combining breakfast and lunch, Moyu Manatsu spotted a missed call on her phone. Curious, she dialed back—it was Yuki Shiki.

"Kiddo, why didn’t you pick up?" Yuki’s voice crackled with irritation from the other end. She seemed fond of calling her "kiddo," though Moyu never knew why.

"Uh… I was busy saving my subjects."

Her nonsense would’ve made anyone want to strangle her. But Yuki, who knew her too well, just sighed without scolding.

"Kiddo, it’s a holiday. Want to catch a movie together?"

A perfectly normal invitation between friends—but Moyu’s heart hammered like a drum.

*This is practically a date!*

Moyu Manatsu, who’d only been a girl for a month, faced a crisis: her classmate had just asked her out! And not just any classmate—the class rep! Who clearly had feelings for her!

This was heading straight toward a boyfriend-girlfriend situation!

"Yuki, I actually—"

She almost blurted out *I’ve liked you for so long*, but Yuki’s merciless words shattered her fantasy.

"First off, I’m not into girls. No yuri for me. If you confess, I won’t be moved."

What a brutal blow.

Nothing cut deeper than Yuki’s words. Moyu Manatsu had been a perfectly normal high school boy—but that was the past. Now, she was a girl with a boy’s heart. And the class rep? Straight as an arrow.

As a girl, Moyu could never spark romantic feelings in Yuki Shiki.

What a cruel twist of fate!

"Yuki, I—"

Moyu wanted to cry but couldn’t.

"I hate losers. If you weren’t a girl, I’d totally ditch you. Get it?"

"Stop! My heart’s breaking!"

"Good. So… still up for that movie?"

Only the class rep could reject a confession like this.

"Sorry, I can’t. I need some alone time." Crushed, Moyu just wanted solitude.

"Hmm."

Yuki’s voice stayed calm, utterly indifferent to Moyu’s pain.

"Listen, kiddo."

Suddenly, her tone turned serious.

"You’re hiding something, aren’t you?"

Moyu froze.

*She noticed.*

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Denial was pointless, yet she refused to reveal the truth.

"Lately… you’ve changed. I can’t explain it, but it’s like looking at a stranger. Tell me what’s really going on."

"I…"

"You hate crowds. You’d never rock out on dance machines. I know you. So talk. What happened to you?"

Moyu choked up. She didn’t want to lie, but this secret wasn’t hers alone to share.

"Won’t tell me?" Yuki’s voice dipped, laced with quiet disappointment.

"I have no secrets from you, Yuki."

Moyu finally said it.

"No secrets? Well… you already know the only one I have."

Her sole secret: a month ago, she’d been a boy. And Yuki was the only one who knew.

*Or so it seemed.*

"You’re lying."

"I’m not."

"Then why were you playing dance machines with *them*? Since when do you like crowds?"

Yuki’s words stabbed deep. For once, sadness flickered across Moyu’s face.

"Yeah. I hate crowds. I’d rather stay home gaming than watch some romance flick. I don’t get why people obsess over love stories."

"Then why—"

"Hear me out, Yuki. I may hate crowds, but hanging with classmates once in a while? No big deal. You’re making mountains out of molehills. Even a loner like me can’t shut everyone out."

After speaking, Moyu collapsed onto the floor.

She’d said all she could.

*Yuki, you don’t know me. You don’t know what’s in my heart. You just judge based on your own assumptions.*

"You still won’t tell me the truth."

Yuki’s final words hung in the air.

*Of course she saw through me.* Moyu almost laughed.

"Yuki, I appreciate you caring. But this is my problem. No one else’s."

She’d told Yuki this before—after becoming a girl, this was her burden alone.

Today, she repeated it.

"Understood."

The call ended with a click.

Moyu let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She pocketed her phone and shuffled to the kitchen to boil water for instant noodles.

Moyu Manatsu would guard her secret with Lunorette. She’d never tell anyone—not even her closest friend. Reality meant nothing to her. The virtual world was her sanctuary. Even if that other world was just a game, she’d protect it.

Suddenly, her phone rang again. Sighing, she set down the kettle and answered.

"Hey, Xiao Mo?"

A woman’s voice.

Moyu stiffened. For a split second, she froze—then snapped back.

"...How did you get my number?"

She forced her voice low, trying to sound masculine.

"Got a cold? ...Never mind. Xiao Mo, I asked your dad for it. Let’s grab lunch. The place is—"

The woman rambled on, not giving Moyu a chance to speak.

"I can’t. I’m busy that day."

Moyu refused instantly. No hesitation.

"Xiao Mo."

Her mother’s displeasure crackled through the line.

"Don’t be childish."

"I’m not being childish, Mom."

"Then behave. Your sister will be there too—she’s at a prestigious university now. I want you to learn from her."

"Mom, I—"

"Xiao Mo, the past is past. Focus on your studies. Your teacher’s complained about your grades. If you don’t shape up, you’ll end up at some no-name college. I’m doing this for you."

"...I’m not coming."

Moyu hung up, blocked her mother’s number, and tossed the phone aside.

*Do what you want. I don’t need parents controlling my life.*

By 3:50 PM, Moyu had spent the afternoon gaming and binge-watching anime. Shut in her room, she ignored the outside world. Three meals of instant noodles. Piles of dirty laundry. A true shut-in. She saw nothing wrong with it. The virtual world was her everything—there, she could have anything she wanted.

Time flew. Before she knew it, midnight arrived.

Reluctantly, she powered off her console and collapsed into bed.

She knew tomorrow would bring another transformation—back into Lunorette…

*But it doesn’t matter anymore…*

---

"Huh?"

The girl woke to an unfamiliar bed—not her dorm room, not her usual sheets.

The space was empty. No dresser, no mirror. Just a thin mat on the floor. Sunlight poured in, thick and hot despite the early hour.

"You’re awake? Wash up. We move out soon."

Saria pulled back the tent flap.

"Eh? What happened?"

*Why am I sleeping outdoors?*

No—*why is Lunorette sleeping outdoors?*

She’d been safe at the academy. Why was she in the middle of nowhere? Stepping outside the tent, she saw no academy towers—only endless forest.

*What’s going on?*

Her gaze swept the campsite. Dozens of students packed tents. Her roommate, Caina, chatted with classmates. Theos—the academy’s eternal runner-up—sat cross-legged, face like ice. Others cooked breakfast, their expressions grim, not vacationers.

"Uh… Caina?"

"Hmm? What is it, Luno-chan?"

"Why are we camping out here?"

"Oh dear, amnesia again? We joined the search party after the princess went missing, remember?"

"...Of course I remember! Just joking, haha…"

*Holy crap!*

*The princess is MISSING?!*

Moyu Manatsu had no idea what nightmare she’d just stepped into…