October 29th, 7:00 a.m.
Early in the morning, Shido and Mikoto ca to Natsumi's room together.
The girl reluctantly ate breakfast with the two of them. Although she looked like she might retreat back under her blanket at any mont, being able to eat with others could probably be considered progress.
"Natsumi…"
After breakfast, Mikoto looked at Natsumi and spoke.
"Wha… what is it…"
Perhaps intimidated by the atmosphere Mikoto was giving off, Natsumi looked sowhat timid.
"I really think the current Natsumi is cute. Even without makeup, you're very cute."
Mikoto said it plainly.
"Eh? Wh-what are you saying? You're trying to mock , right? I won't fall for it!"
Natsumi had not expected such a direct straight ball to be thrown at her and instantly fell into confusion.
"It isn't mockery, and it isn't a lie. I just want to say that Natsumi is really, truly cute. So, could you please have just a little confidence?"
Mikoto did not give Natsumi a chance to misunderstand and continued.
"Shut up! I know better than anyone that I'm an ugly freak! After all, whenever I appear as I am now, no one has ever even looked at !"
Yet Natsumi still stubbornly shook her head.
"A girl like you couldn't possibly understand how I feel!"
The girl looked as if she was about to go berserk and unleash her loli kitty punch.
"A girl like ? You an , who was still a man just a few years ago, only to suddenly beco a Spirit and turn into a woman?"
Mikoto took a deep breath and slowly revealed her secret.
It was a secret she absolutely did not want anyone to know. A secret that was far too painful. However, Mikoto thought that no matter how ugly Natsumi believed herself to be, she would at least not think she was worse than a woman who had changed from male to female.
"Wh… what does that an?"
For a mont, Natsumi froze.
"It ans exactly what it sounds like—I was a boy until several years ago, before I beca a Spirit."
Mikoto spoke in a seemingly calm voice. But beneath the dining table, only Shido could feel it—the girl's hand was tightly gripping his own.
"You're… lying, right?"
Natsumi was so shocked that her mouth hung open.
"I'm not lying. So I think that no matter how unconfident Natsumi is, at the very least, you're better than soone like , who can't even be considered a pure girl."
Mikoto said.
"But… why would you tell sothing like that?"
Natsumi felt her mind growing confused.
"Mm, the main reason is that I hope Natsumi can beco more confident."
"Are you stupid? What if I tell everyone about this? Your place in society will be completely ruined! Or is everyone here already aware of it?"
Natsumi shouted loudly.
"Ah… that would trouble quite a lot, so please do not spread it around."
Mikoto smiled helplessly.
"I don't get it. Just to make more confident? You're willing to tell even sothing like this?"
Natsumi grabbed at her ssy hair, looking extrely confused.
"Mm. Besides hoping that Natsumi can beco more confident, I also hope Natsumi can trust Shido a little more because of it."
Mikoto thought for a mont, then said that.
"Shido?"
"Mm. Because Shido accepted like this. So I hope Natsumi can believe that no matter how terrible you think you are, Shido will never hate you."
Looking at Shido, Mikoto showed a warm smile.
"Yeah! That's right. No matter how many pranks you've played on , I won't hate you, Natsumi! Even if Natsumi herself denies it, I'll still say this—Natsumi really is cute!"
Since Mikoto had already gone so far, Shido felt he had to take action as well. With all his strength, he spoke to Natsumi in his most sincere voice, then stretched out his hand toward the girl.
"I… I… really… am cute…?"
For a mont, Natsumi beca hesitant. The boy before her had been the target of her many, many terrible pranks, yet he had still saved her at the most critical mont. He had also put makeup on her and dressed her up so beautifully that even she herself had been shocked.
"Yeah! Of course!"
Shido nodded.
And so, the girl's hand slowly reached toward Shido's hand…
However, the instant their two hands overlapped, Natsumi suddenly flipped her hand over and fiercely raised her middle finger.
"You think I'm stupid!? Mikoto was a boy? Even as an April Fool's joke, that's way too unfunny! I get it now. This is your nastiest idea yet. The mont I believe it, soone is definitely going to rush in holding a banner that says 'Prank successful' and laugh at in every possible way, right?"
In the end, Natsumi still did not choose to believe them.
"Wait, that's not it…"
Mikoto hurriedly tried to explain.
"Get—out—!"
However, Natsumi could no longer hear anything.
_____________
Five minutes later, Mikoto and Shido stood outside Natsumi's room. The door was now tightly shut. Under the force of the girl's explosive anger and loli kitty punches, several new scratches had been added to Shido's face, and even Mikoto had been scratched a few tis.
"Ahuhu… it failed."
Mikoto sighed.
"Is this really okay, senpai?"
Shido asked. Right now, more than Natsumi's emotions, he was more concerned about Mikoto herself.
"Mm? What do you an?"
Mikoto tilted her head.
"That you were originally a boy… You actually don't want anyone to know about that, right?"
Shido glanced around, lowered his voice, and whispered.
"Mm, I really don't want to tell anyone about it at all."
Mikoto gave a bitter smile. Just the thought that the fact she had transford from male to female might beco known to everyone made her feel as if her heart was being squeezed.
"Then why…"
"But Shido won't hate , right?"
Seeing how anxious Shido looked, Mikoto felt warmth spread through her chest. Even after learning her secret, Shido was still worried about her.
"Of course! I would never hate you, senpai! But…"
"Then that's enough."
Mikoto closed her eyes and gently hugged Shido.
"Eh?"
Shido, who did not react for a mont, felt the warmth in his arms and froze.
"Even if everyone else ends up hating because of it, as long as Shido doesn't, then that's enough."
Mikoto buried her head in Shido's chest and gently rubbed against him. She wanted to help Shido. Even if that ant exposing her most important secret, it did not matter. (TL:if only a certain railgun user can be this honest~)
"Senpai…"
Seeing the girl obediently and weakly leaning on him, Shido could not help but hold Mikoto in his arms.
"Yeah. I will absolutely never hate you, senpai. Absolutely."
He said firmly.
________________
On the other side, Natsumi, curled up under her blanket, was still in chaos.
"What even is with that person…"
Yakumo Mikoto. In Natsumi's investigation, she was definitely a girl who could compete for a top three spot in feminine charm among the Spirits around Itsuka Shido. And that kind of girl had once been a man…
"There's no way I'd believe sothing like that."
However, if that were true, then Shido—Shido, who was willing to accept even Mikoto, who had originally been male—maybe… maybe… he really did think she was cute?
The mont she thought that, a strange sense of expectation welled up in Natsumi's heart.
"I'm not going to believe it!"
But then she shook her head again. Under the blanket, she opened her hand, and Haniel transford into a small mirror in Natsumi's palm.
Kotori and the others had miscalculated. Natsumi had recovered her power earlier than expected.
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