Kaito Knight, who remained registered in Class 1-D but now attended lessons in a different classroom known as the “Special Class,” visited there and once again experienced the inner turmoil he had felt since his return.
“…Are you saying I should change my name?”
“Yes, according to the wishes of the Hyuga family, since you have temporarily become a woman, it’s not appropriate for you to use the name ‘Kaito.’”
The female teacher Kaito met for the first time here, unlike Igarnio-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-D, showed no signs of consideration.
Kaito had a suspicion as to why this had happened—but up until now, even he had forgotten about that particular skill.
(The Holy Knight’s skill, ‘Commanding Presence’… it was supposed to earn trust from allies. But what actually happened was different… an excessive loyalty toward me. What I was doing was more akin to charming them.)
“It seems that you’ve lost that skill. The Hyuga family has produced many with knight-related professions. You were a ‘Holy Knight,’ but that’s no longer the case.”
“What are you trying to say? If you’re going to mock me, just do it. Honestly, I almost want to laugh at myself… ha ha ha… ha…”
Just as Kaito was about to fall into despair, the teacher placed her finger on his forehead, calming him down. He clenched his hand on the skirt resting on his lap.
“This is absurd. My gender changes in a single day, and on top of that, my appearance too… where did the real me go?”
“The doctors have yet to fully understand the phenomenon that happened to you. However, what can be said is that genetically, you are still ‘Kaito Hyuga.’ But your body has completely transformed into that of a woman.”
“…What kind of grudge does that monster have against me…?”
“If a human’s life force stems from their soul, it’s possible that ‘Life Drain’ could cause a transformation in the soul itself. That’s the opinion of scholars who have seen footage of that monster… the ‘Joker.’”
“Scholars… speaking as if they know anything about it without even facing that monster…”
Kaito couldn’t strongly deny it. The thought crossed his mind that this might be a clue to returning to his former self.
“If I defeat that monster, will I return to normal?”
The teacher didn’t answer Kaito’s question. Instead, she placed a registration form for adventurers in front of him.
“I don’t need a name for the time being. This is just a temporary form until I return.”
“That won’t work.”
The door to the classroom opened, revealing a male student with short hair who bore a resemblance to Kaito’s former self, only more mature.
“Thank you for looking after my little brother. Could I ask you to leave for a moment?”
“But, Lord Hyuga…”
“He’s Hyuga, and I’m Hyuga too. It’d help if you called me Ryudo.”
“…Lord Ryudo, I am tasked with guiding Kaito.”
“Still, I’m asking you to leave now. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“…My apologies.”
The female teacher bowed and left. In her place, a tall female student with the same blue second-year crest as Ryudo entered.
“So… this is Kaito, you say? Quite the harsh joke, isn’t it?”
“…Iwaki… Why are you here?”
“I was assigned as your bodyguard by the old man. Kaito, you had a real chance at securing ‘Nanami,’ and yet you let it slip away.”
In front of Ryudo’s gaze, Kaito felt overwhelmed with fear. Now that his level had dropped to 1, he couldn’t stand face-to-face with someone of a much higher level.
The world looked different from when he was level 15. Let alone Ryudo, who was his brother and had far surpassed that level—it felt like Ryudo could easily kill him on a whim.
“Hey, hey, I’m not here to make my dear little brother suffer any more than he already has.”
“Brother… no matter how you look at it, she’s a girl now. You should treat her accordingly. Isn’t that right, Naiko-chan?”
“Ugh…”
“Oh no, is she about to cry? I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Kaito, it’s not right for you to walk around with the name ‘Kaito’ in that form. It would bring shame upon the family. You don’t want people whispering behind your back, do you? So, you’ll take on the name that was chosen in case you had been born a girl… the name ‘Kurane.’”
“I… I don’t need another name…”
Kaito felt hands placed on his shoulders—the female student named Iwaki held him down with ease, stopping his movements completely.
“Isn’t it a nice name, Kurane-chan? It suits you so well that it’s like you were meant to be called that from the start.”
“Well, it’ll take some getting used to. But, my dear sister, the name is just a formality. There’s something else I want to talk about.”
“Brother, what are you planning…?”
“It’s simple. Those who tarnish the Hyuga name must be punished.”
“…No, you can’t! Brother, you can’t go near that monster, it’s something you should never…!”
What flashed in Kaito’s mind was the image of a grotesque monster wearing a jester’s mask. However, the target of Ryudo’s intention was someone else entirely.
It wasn’t a monster, but a human. Ryudou’s hostility was directed at Tsukasa Fujiwara, who was said to have defeated the Joker.
“Why are you the only one who gets into fatal situations, while someone like that ‘baggage carrier’ gains achievements? Don’t you think it’s strange? I can’t accept it at all. There’s no way an E-rank should rank higher than me in the overall rankings.”
“That’s true. Just when I was about to climb to third place at the end of the year, being overtaken by a rookie was like a bolt out of the blue… It’s really shocking.”
“Eeek…!”
With a crack, the pen in Iwakiri’s hand broke. It was meant for Kaito to use to fill out documents, but he accidentally broke it, and a replacement was offered.
“Sorry, I put too much strength into it.”
“That just shows how frustrated Iwakiri is. That’s why we’re going to take action… Today, I came to see whether or not to bring you along.”
“Brother, I…”
“But, at level 1, it’s a bit harsh. I hear you’ve even lost your profession… It’d be great if you could become a ‘Holy Knight’ again, but you might turn into something completely different. Still, even if that happens, I won’t abandon you.”
“…I will definitely get my original body back. No matter what I have to endure, I’ll regain my level…”
“If we figure out what that monster did, we might be able to restore you. To find out, we’ll just have to chase the rats sneaking into the dungeon.”
“How…? The dungeon entrance is always under surveillance. And following after Fujiwara-kun… I really can’t recommend that.”
Kaito tried to stop his brother, but Ryudou’s eyes grew colder. Kaito understood all too well what his brother was thinking when he had that look in his eyes.
“…Do you think I’ll lose to Fujiwara? Anything Fujiwara can do, I can do better. In fact, I can do it more skillfully.”
“Fujiwara-kun and the others are going into Dungeon No. 2, and the supervising teacher is… someone connected to the Hinata family. Whether he realizes it or not, he’ll likely overlook Ryudou-sama.”
“Are you really going to go that far to chase after him, brother…?”
“No one will know we’re entering the dungeon. So, whatever happens inside won’t raise any questions… Right?”
Ryudou joked, but there was no smile in his eyes. Kaito felt frozen, sensing that any word he said might lead to punishment.
“You’re such a good girl, Kurane-chan. When I’m done with work, I’ll help you level up. After all, you’re the little sister of my master.”
“I’ll let her take responsibility for that herself. Right, Kurane? In that form, if you call out to some students around here, they’d probably party up with you.”
“Without a profession? That’s pretty cruel, dear brother. You might as well tell her outright that her only merit now is her bloodline.”
Ryudou and Iwakiri left the classroom. Left alone, Kaito sat in front of the registration paper, trying to grasp it with trembling hands, only to stop.
“…I’m not even allowed to use my real name anymore. I am…”
In this academy, “Hinata Kaito” no longer existed. What remained was a female student bearing the temporary name “Kurane.”
She lacked the power to pursue Tsukasa, who was now inside the dungeon.
“…I am… Kurane. I’m not Hinata Kaito…”
In the empty classroom, she picked up the pen that had fallen on the desk. With a trembling hand, she wrote down the name she would now have to use.
