Kaito Knight, who remained registered in Class 1-D but now attended lessons in a different classroom known as the โSpecial Class,โ visited there and once again experienced the inner turmoil he had felt since his return.
โโฆAre you saying I should change my name?โ
โYes, according to the wishes of the Hyuga family, since you have temporarily become a woman, itโs not appropriate for you to use the name โKaito.โโ
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 happenedโbut up until now, even he had forgotten about that particular skill.
(The Holy Knightโs skill, โCommanding Presenceโโฆ it was supposed to earn trust from allies. But what actually happened was differentโฆ an excessive loyalty toward me. What I was doing was more akin to charming them.)
โIt seems that youโve lost that skill. The Hyuga family has produced many with knight-related professions. You were a โHoly Knight,โ but thatโs no longer the case.โ
โWhat are you trying to say? If youโre going to mock me, just do it. Honestly, I almost want to laugh at myselfโฆ ha ha haโฆ haโฆโ
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.
โThis is absurd. My gender changes in a single day, and on top of that, my appearance tooโฆ where did the real me go?โ
โThe doctors have yet to fully understand the phenomenon that happened to you. However, what can be said is that genetically, you are still โKaito Hyuga.โ But your body has completely transformed into that of a woman.โ
โโฆWhat kind of grudge does that monster have against meโฆ?โ
โIf a humanโs life force stems from their soul, itโs possible that โLife Drainโ could cause a transformation in the soul itself. Thatโs the opinion of scholars who have seen footage of that monsterโฆ the โJoker.โโ
โScholarsโฆ speaking as if they know anything about it without even facing that monsterโฆโ
Kaito couldnโt strongly deny it. The thought crossed his mind that this might be a clue to returning to his former self.
โIf I defeat that monster, will I return to normal?โ
The teacher didnโt answer Kaitoโs question. Instead, she placed a registration form for adventurers in front of him.
โI donโt need a name for the time being. This is just a temporary form until I return.โ
โThat wonโt work.โ
The door to the classroom opened, revealing a male student with short hair who bore a resemblance to Kaitoโs former self, only more mature.
โThank you for looking after my little brother. Could I ask you to leave for a moment?โ
โBut, Lord Hyugaโฆโ
โHeโs Hyuga, and Iโm Hyuga too. Itโd help if you called me Ryudo.โ
โโฆLord Ryudo, I am tasked with guiding Kaito.โ
โStill, Iโm asking you to leave now. Donโt make me repeat myself.โ
โโฆMy apologies.โ
The female teacher bowed and left. In her place, a tall female student with the same blue second-year crest as Ryudo entered.
โSoโฆ this is Kaito, you say? Quite the harsh joke, isnโt it?โ
โโฆIwakiโฆ Why are you here?โ
โI was assigned as your bodyguard by the old man. Kaito, you had a real chance at securing โNanami,โ and yet you let it slip away.โ
In front of Ryudoโs gaze, Kaito felt overwhelmed with fear. Now that his level had dropped to 1, he couldnโt 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 levelโit felt like Ryudo could easily kill him on a whim.
โHey, hey, Iโm not here to make my dear little brother suffer any more than he already has.โ
โBrotherโฆ no matter how you look at it, sheโs a girl now. You should treat her accordingly. Isnโt that right, Naiko-chan?โ
โUghโฆโ
โOh no, is she about to cry? I was just trying to lighten the mood.โ
โKaito, itโs not right for you to walk around with the name โKaitoโ in that form. It would bring shame upon the family. You donโt want people whispering behind your back, do you? So, youโll take on the name that was chosen in case you had been born a girlโฆ the name โKurane.โโ
โIโฆ I donโt need another nameโฆโ
Kaito felt hands placed on his shouldersโthe female student named Iwaki held him down with ease, stopping his movements completely.
โIsnโt it a nice name, Kurane-chan? It suits you so well that itโs like you were meant to be called that from the start.โ
โWell, itโll take some getting used to. But, my dear sister, the name is just a formality. Thereโs something else I want to talk about.โ
โBrother, what are you planningโฆ?โ
โItโs simple. Those who tarnish the Hyuga name must be punished.โ
โโฆNo, you canโt! Brother, you canโt go near that monster, itโs something you should neverโฆ!โ
What flashed in Kaitoโs mind was the image of a grotesque monster wearing a jesterโs mask. However, the target of Ryudoโs intention was someone else entirely.
It wasnโt a monster, but a human. Ryudouโs hostility was directed at Tsukasa Fujiwara, who was said to have defeated the Joker.
โWhy are you the only one who gets into fatal situations, while someone like that โbaggage carrierโ gains achievements? Donโt you think itโs strange? I canโt accept it at all. Thereโs no way an E-rank should rank higher than me in the overall rankings.โ
โThatโs 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 blueโฆ Itโs really shocking.โ
โEeekโฆ!โ
With a crack, the pen in Iwakiriโs hand broke. It was meant for Kaito to use to fill out documents, but he accidentally broke it, and a replacement was offered.
โSorry, I put too much strength into it.โ
โThat just shows how frustrated Iwakiri is. Thatโs why weโre going to take actionโฆ Today, I came to see whether or not to bring you along.โ
โBrother, Iโฆโ
โBut, at level 1, itโs a bit harsh. I hear youโve even lost your professionโฆ Itโd be great if you could become a โHoly Knightโ again, but you might turn into something completely different. Still, even if that happens, I wonโt abandon you.โ
โโฆI will definitely get my original body back. No matter what I have to endure, Iโll regain my levelโฆโ
โIf we figure out what that monster did, we might be able to restore you. To find out, weโll just have to chase the rats sneaking into the dungeon.โ
โHowโฆ? The dungeon entrance is always under surveillance. And following after Fujiwara-kunโฆ I really canโt recommend that.โ
Kaito tried to stop his brother, but Ryudouโs eyes grew colder. Kaito understood all too well what his brother was thinking when he had that look in his eyes.
โโฆDo you think Iโll lose to Fujiwara? Anything Fujiwara can do, I can do better. In fact, I can do it more skillfully.โ
โFujiwara-kun and the others are going into Dungeon No. 2, and the supervising teacher isโฆ someone connected to the Hinata family. Whether he realizes it or not, heโll likely overlook Ryudou-sama.โ
โAre you really going to go that far to chase after him, brotherโฆ?โ
โNo one will know weโre entering the dungeon. So, whatever happens inside wonโt raise any questionsโฆ Right?โ
Ryudou joked, but there was no smile in his eyes. Kaito felt frozen, sensing that any word he said might lead to punishment.
โYouโre such a good girl, Kurane-chan. When Iโm done with work, Iโll help you level up. After all, youโre the little sister of my master.โ
โIโll let her take responsibility for that herself. Right, Kurane? In that form, if you call out to some students around here, theyโd probably party up with you.โ
โWithout a profession? Thatโs pretty cruel, dear brother. You might as well tell her outright that her only merit now is her bloodline.โ
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.
โโฆIโm not even allowed to use my real name anymore. I amโฆโ
In this academy, โHinata Kaitoโ no longer existed. What remained was a female student bearing the temporary name โKurane.โ
She lacked the power to pursue Tsukasa, who was now inside the dungeon.
โโฆI amโฆ Kurane. Iโm not Hinata Kaitoโฆโ
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.