The familiar sound of the after-school bell rang once again, vibrating in Shidou's eardrums.
For Shidou, this signal usually meant freedom—but today it sounded no different from a spacequake warning siren.
Because today was Monday, September 11th.
Starting now, the regular students would remain at school to prepare for the Tengu Festival—while the executive committee members had to head to Tengu Square, the festival venue, to check the area allocations.
In other words, thanks to his identity as a committee member, Shidou would be able to directly confront the spirit he met before—Diva (the Songstress), Izayoi Miku.
As for how to avoid being chased away by her…
"All right, time's up. Go get ready."
Kotori's voice came from the earpiece in Shidou's right ear.
Normally, his cute little sister's voice sounded perfectly normal—but right now it felt unbearably piercing, like a death sentence.
"…Okay."
Shidou took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
"Hm? Shidou, where are you going? Aren't you supposed to check the Tengu Festival venue?"
Tohka, who had been observing his every move, asked this with her head tilted.
"Ah… I've got something to do. Tohka, you go ahead and get ready."
"Umu? O-okay…"
Although Tohka still looked puzzled, she nodded and watched Shidou leave.
Origami also kept staring fixedly at him.
But Shidou forced himself to walk out of the classroom, retrieved a large bag from his locker, and headed to the innermost stall of the boys' restroom in the school building.
"No one… should find me here, right?"
After locking the stall door, he opened the bag slung over his shoulder.
Inside were neatly folded girls' uniforms and various kinds of cosmetics.
These were the countermeasures Kotori and the others had prepared for Shidou to deal with Izayoi Miku.
"Kotori… my foolish little sister…"
He muttered with half-dead eyes and picked up the clothes, which felt strangely heavy.
"If anyone saw me like this, my school life… no, my whole life would be over. In that case, maybe I should just…"
Some strange thought popped up, and Shidou shook his head violently, driving those dangerous ideas away before he began changing.
Although he had already been taught step-by-step earlier, actually wearing the outfit and preparing to "capture" a spirit made him far more nervous than he expected.
Once he finished changing, Shidou took out a mirror and applied the makeup techniques he had learned to his own face.
He had thought he might never touch such things in his entire life, yet his first time using them was on himself.
Life is tough, Shidou sighed.
Finally, Shidou put on the blue wig and the voice-changer patch, completing his transformation from a boy into an adorable girl.
"That should do it…"
He packed his previous clothes into the bag and unlocked the stall door.
At that moment, he saw someone—his friend, Tonomachi.
Shidou nearly collapsed on the spot.
Why is this guy HERE?!
"H-hey, Tonomachi…"
For some reason—perhaps his brain short-circuited—Shidou greeted Tonomachi with his usual casual tone and walked past him as naturally as he could.
"Oh… huh? Wait, you're…"
Tonomachi, only just processing the situation, froze—and his face instantly turned beet red.
"W-why are you in the boys' restroom?!"
"Oh, um… I went into the wrong one, sorryyyyy!—"
Shidou yelled something random and sprinted out of the restroom.
Confirming that Tonomachi wasn't chasing him, he slowed down; running made the skirt flutter, and the sensation felt very uncomfortable—well, unfamiliar.
Fortunately, although Tonomachi saw him, he didn't seem to recognize Shidou, only shocked that a "girl" was in the boys' restroom.
If he hadn't been wearing a voice changer and Tonomachi had found out his true identity…
"Itsuka! You—so that's what this is… Oh, I get it. Heh, Itsuka, you don't want your cross-dressing to be known by the whole class—no, the whole school, do you?"
If that happened, he might as well wash himself clean and serve himself to Kurumi to end his life.
Steadying his breath, Shidou put on a look of one resigned to his fate and walked toward the staircase.
The "Pantyhose Trinity"—Ai, Mai, and Mii—were already gathered there, chatting away.
Shidou swallowed hard, pressed a hand against his chest to calm his nerves—and felt a soft, squishy sensation.
Come to think of it… these things feel a little too real. Why did Kotori go out of her way to prepare them, yet not use them herself?
"Shidou, I feel like you're thinking something very rude."
"No, I'm not…"
He said this while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Honestly… fine, whatever. Get it together and go!"
"Yeah, got it…"
Shidou shook his head to refocus, then walked toward the trio and called out to their backs.
"Um, excuse me…"
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, the three turned around and stared at Shidou.
Shidou waited anxiously for their reaction, terrified they would see through his disguise.
If that happened…
"Itsuka, I didn't expect this from you… Tohka, come here—Itsuka, you don't want the whole school to know about your cross-dressing, right?"
Not again!
Shidou nearly screamed.
"Eh?"
His strange behavior only made the trio more suspicious, so he hurriedly said:
"N-no, w-we're cousins!"
"Cousins…? Which class are you in?"
"Eh?"
Caught off-guard, Shidou forced himself to stay calm.
No matter which class he picked—so long as it wasn't his own—Ratatoskr could cover for him.
"I'm in Class 1… My name is Itsuka Shidomi—no, Shizhi, Itsuka Shizhi."
He blurted out a random fake name.
And thus, Itsuka Shizhi was born.
---
"Ara, Miss Tenqi, you came to have afternoon tea with me on your own today."
It had only been a day or two, yet Tenqi Sanluo had returned to Tengu City.
This time she deliberately controlled things so she could watch the show.
Thankfully it wasn't too late, so she decided to stop by Miku's place to gather some information first.
For example… why she hated Itsuka Shidou. They hadn't even exchanged a single word.
Tenqi Sanluo had no concept of "yuri," so she didn't think in that direction.
"It's not afternoon yet. And, Miss Miku, even though you're a spirit, you sure understand human society well."
Sanluo casually flattered her while lifting her teacup.
"By the way, why do you hate that boy, Itsuka Shidou, so much? You haven't even spoken to him."
After a bit of small talk, Sanluo got to the point.
"Him?"
The moment Miku heard the name Itsuka Shidou, her smile vanished, replaced by clear disgust.
"A filthy man, that's all. How could he compare to the cute girls around me—like you, Miss Tenqi?"
"…Eh?"
For the first time, Sanluo felt like her brain wasn't working.
How was that an answer?