Are the girls back?

But shouldn’t everyone be at the gym right now?

Question after question surfaced. Along with them came a guilty, thieves-caught-in-the-act sort of panic.

Wait. What was I feeling guilty about? I was a genuine beautiful girl now.

Before long, Yukieda heard voices outside the door. The corner of her mouth twitched.

A lowered voice said, “If we get caught stealing girls’ clothes, our lives are over, right?”

“If you’re that scared, then don’t come with me. And quit whining.” Perhaps he felt he’d gone too far, because he added, “That’s Oruchi’s uniform! You said it yourself—you always catch a nice scent.”

“Guh…”

So I’m still the target? You two bastards probably have no idea I’m listening right behind this door.

“Actually, I think Mai and Shizuku are both pretty great, too… You can tell at a glance that they’re athletic girls who love to sweat.”

“You womanizer.”

Could you two idiots stop arguing in front of the girls’ changing room?

Then Yukieda saw the doorknob begin to turn.

Of course, they couldn’t open it. Yukieda had locked the door from the inside long ago.

Surely they’d give up now, right?

Yukieda let out a long breath. From their voices alone, she couldn’t tell who was who.

“What do we do?”

“Don’t worry. I planned for this. I made a copy.”

“…”

Yukieda decided to strike first.

With a click, the two boys witnessed something terrifying.

The doorknob was turning by itself.

There couldn’t be any ghosts in the changing room in broad daylight. That left only one possibility.

Someone was still inside.

Cold sweat appeared on the boy’s forehead.

“Retreat!”

By the time the door opened, there wasn’t a single person outside.

Only two figures were left scrambling away at the end of the corridor, along with a key stuck in the lock.

What on earth went through students’ heads these days? Yukieda really couldn’t understand them.

When she turned around again, Mai had already changed.

He wore a red-and-white short-sleeved shirt on top and athletic shorts below. A large expanse of firm skin was exposed, making his thighs look even longer.

Were those really a man’s legs…?

Yukieda had heard that many hosiery leg models were actually men hired for the job.

They had arrived late.

It was obvious that Mai’s popularity had risen another level after this gym class.

There was only one reason: his overwhelming athletic ability. The entire gym had practically become his personal stage.

In high school, there were only three ways to become popular: looks, sports, and academics.

Mai now dominated all three.

So even with his icy personality and dislike of unnecessary conversation, nobody would gossip about him anymore.

Everyone would simply assume that the strong were naturally arrogant.

The sound of sneakers scraping across the floor reached Yukieda’s ears.

Yukieda and Mari sat at the edge of the gym with their legs hugged to their chests. They watched Mai and Shizuku play basketball.

Shizuku wore a fiercely competitive look as she blocked Mai again and again.

Both girls had neat ponytails. They swayed with every movement of their dazzlingly pale thighs.

On the basketball court, the situation was clear.

Soldier faced soldier. King faced king.

The other students were merely supporting players.

The two kings were Mai and Shizuku.

Yukieda could vaguely understand what Shizuku was thinking.

Mai was her younger sister in name, after all. Shizuku was also extremely talented at sports.

She couldn’t accept being crushed by Mai in the field she was most proud of, especially as the older sister.

But Shizuku had no chance of beating Mai.

It wasn’t only the difference in gender. The intensity of their training was completely different, too.

Mai was a professional.

Shizuku, meanwhile, had spent three months as a shut-in.

Mari’s eyes were filled with admiration. She kept murmuring, “That’s incredible!”

“Incredible?”

Yukieda thought that if she entered the game, she’d be far better than either of them.

She simply couldn’t show too much. Otherwise, she’d scare everyone.

The effect would probably be as shocking as Guo Jing’an jumping up and knocking Yao An down with one punch.

Watching my daughter work up a sweat on the court is a kind of enjoyment, too.

Yukieda twisted open her drink and took a sip.

But one thing bothered her.

She turned her head toward the boys nearby. Their eyes bounced from one girl’s legs to another like jumping balls.

Hmph. What expressions would they make if they found out Mai was a boy?

Disgust? Contempt?

Or would they get even more excited?

A close match was more entertaining to watch.

Yukieda could clearly tell that Mai was holding back.

The difference was obvious. Shizuku’s forehead was covered in sweat. Her damp hair clung together, and her breathing had grown uneven.

Mai only looked flushed, as if he’d had a little wine.

“You’re definitely going to lose, Shizuku.”

Yukieda began preparing a towel and a bottle of water.

A while later, a sharp whistle rang out.

“I lost.”

Mai looked at Shizuku with open admiration.

In the end, Shizuku had taken the victory.

Even icy Mai could make an expression like that.

Happiness was written all over Shizuku’s face. Mai had dominated the first half, but he’d clearly lacked stamina afterward, allowing her to gradually catch up.

“Next time, Mai, you’ll definitely beat me.”

Shizuku casually handed Mai the towel and the bottle she’d already taken a sip from.

Yukieda stared regretfully at her foolish daughter’s back.

Shizuku hadn’t realized that Mai had deliberately held back. She thought she’d beaten him through sheer ability.

……

That night, after leaving her café job, Yukieda suddenly remembered something.

She’d received a bonus the last time she took down a Demon. So why hadn’t anything happened this time?

Surely they weren’t going to deduct money from her again?

She felt a little guilty as she thought about how many buildings had been damaged this time.

Could it be because she hadn’t filed her report yet?

Since nobody had reminded her, Yukieda had nearly forgotten that she was supposed to write one.

Come to think of it, she still didn’t know how Mr. Kenji was doing.

Just then, a light melody rang from her pocket.

“Mr. Kenji?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Mr. Kenji gave her an address. He wanted to meet Yukieda.

……

Yukieda raised her head and looked at the colorful neon lights.

This really suits Mr. Kenji’s style, she thought.

That’s right. He’d chosen to meet her in the red-light district.

A girl in a school uniform with an exceptionally pure appearance would attract ninety-nine percent of the eyes in a place like this.

Yukieda had already turned down four men who approached her.

The fifth was a sleazy-looking thug. Words alone couldn’t drive him off. He kept trying to put his hands on her.

Yukieda was considering whether to knock him flat with one punch when Mr. Kenji finally appeared.

His arm was in a sling, and bandages wrapped around his body. He looked weak.

But his build alone was intimidating enough.

“Who the hell are you?”

The thug lifted his face and tried to keep talking.

Mr. Kenji had no interest in hearing his nonsense. He grabbed the man by the collar and threw him into a trash bin.

The surrounding crowd let out a few startled cries.

“Mr. Kenji.”

Yukieda greeted him warmly.

“Yeah. Have you eaten dinner? Let’s grab something together.”

Inside a bustling restaurant, Yukieda was still the one attracting the most attention.

The diners looked up and quietly discussed her among themselves.

Kenji exchanged greetings with the proprietress, then chose a private room.

He was clearly very familiar with her.

The beautiful proprietress gave Yukieda an envious once-over. Then she teased him in a self-pitying tone.

“Mr. Kenji finally couldn’t resist making a move on a minor. Men really do prefer the young and cute ones, don’t they?”

“No. I still prefer mature fruit, like you, Sakai.”

“Oh, Mr. Kenji, you’re too much.”

The proprietress covered her face shyly. Then she continued with a trace of concern.

“Your arm seems injured. Shall I serve you your meal? Other men don’t get opportunities like this.”

Yukieda wore a polite smile.

These were small potatoes to her. She’d seen much more risqué scenes before.

No matter what the proprietress and Mr. Kenji said, she could—

“This girl is still a virgin.”

Yukieda’s face turned bright red.

Fortunately, the room was warm. They probably hadn’t noticed.

She glared at the proprietress threateningly.

How could this woman say anything without the slightest hesitation?

More than that, Yukieda was curious how the proprietress had figured out that she was a virgin.

But she didn’t ask.

Under Yukieda’s murderous stare, the proprietress covered her mouth and chuckled.

“I should be going, then. Mr. Kenji, miss, please take your time.”

Yukieda turned her attention back to Mr. Kenji.

The carefree smile that had been on his face moments ago had vanished. In its place was an exhausted expression.

“I’m sorry.”

Yukieda shook her head.

“Mr. Kenji, have you forgotten what I used to be?”

“That’s true. How about a drink?”

He meant alcohol.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yukieda nodded.

Mr. Kenji raised his hand, then awkwardly glanced at his injured arm.

Yukieda understood. She clapped her hands, and a server quickly slid open the door.

“Two guests?”

“Alcohol.”

For ordinary customers, the server would never provide alcohol to someone wearing a school uniform.

But Mr. Kenji was seated here.

“I understand.”

The drinks soon arrived at the table.

Yukieda stood to keep her hair from falling onto the table, poured a drink for Mr. Kenji, then poured one for herself.

Once the first glass rolled down their throats, the rest of the conversation became much easier.

They chatted about a few trivial matters afterward.

Still, both Yukieda and Kenji knew that the real topic had yet to begin.

Yukieda’s cheeks had grown rosy. Under the warm, dim lighting, she looked especially alluring.

“It’s about that Witch, Borel.”

Yukieda knew the real business had arrived.

Her hazy eyes instantly cleared.

But this was obviously official business. It hardly seemed like something that required dinner and drinks.

Kenji exhaled a breath of stale air, then continued slowly.

“I want to take that Witch down.”

“You probably don’t know this, Yukieda, but she’s still alive.”

“I don’t know how she survived two missiles, but I’m certain she didn’t die.”

Yukieda knew about the connection between that Witch, Mr. Kenji, and Mai.

She nodded solemnly.

“Mr. Kenji, you’ve helped me in so many ways. If there’s anything you need from me, I’ll definitely help!”

Kenji drained his glass in one go, then raised his head.

“So I want to ask you for a favor, Yukieda.”

“Kill someone for me.”