Magic, Hozuki Nozomi had discovered, possessed far more applications than he'd initially imagined. The ability to perform remote operations through attached spiritual power was sothing he'd only recently begun to master under Frieren's guidance—though "guidance" might be overstating it. The ancient elf had rely ntioned the theoretical concept, and to her genuine bewildernt, he'd actually managed to make it work.
Remote control of magic required exceptionally strong spiritual power combined with precise magical distribution. The ratio between the two couldn't be off by even a fraction. Currently, even Frieren herself couldn't achieve this level of control. Perhaps only the ancestors of her elf race from another world might have possessed such capability.
Hozuki Nozomi suspected this ability was a derived effect of his God's Hand skill. After all, he could now freely use any divine artifact at will—including the Infinite Corridor artifact docunted in his illustration book.
Returning ho to Sakura Dormitory, Hozuki Nozomi's first order of business was to tease Suigintou as she drifted past him. This earned him a near-miss with her feathers, which ca close to turning his outfit into a lacework of holes once again.
He'd learned to gauge her temperant by now—knew exactly how far he could push before she truly lashed out. After placating her with offerings of coffee and sweets (which she accepted with poorly concealed reluctance), he retreated to his room and closed his eyes.
Ti for remote viewing.
Focusing his mind, he began to manipulate the magic attached to Asada Shino. His spiritual power activated simultaneously, and instantly, his perception shifted.
He found himself in a room decorated with distinctly feminine touches—soft colors, neatly arranged items, the gentle fragrance of a girl's personal space. Sounds of movent ca from the bathroom. On the bed lay a discarded set of clothes, including what appeared to be soft pink undergarnts.
As his spiritual power swept through the room, it imdiately detected an anomaly in the ga helt resting on Asada Shino's desk.
The ga's open beta was scheduled to begin in a few days. That was why Asada Shino had asked Shinkawa Kyouji to help her purchase the helt—he was, after all, her only friend.
What Asada Shino didn't know, however, was that her isolation at school was largely orchestrated by Shinkawa Kyouji and his accomplices working behind the scenes.
The root of her trauma ran deep. As a child, Asada Shino had accompanied her mother to the bank, only to walk into an ard robbery. Her mother was taken hostage. In the chaos that followed, young Shino had accidentally picked up the robber's discarded handgun and, in a mont of desperate terror, fired—killing him in self-defense.
That single act had branded her forever. Classmates labeled her a "murderer." Teachers looked at her with pity mixed with unease. Even her own mother began to unconsciously keep her distance, finding sothing frightening in her daughter's eyes.
Poor little Shino's heart had grown cold. She developed an intensely introverted personality, finding solace only in solitude.
The ergence of full-dive virtual reality gas offered her an escape—a place where she could leave her painful reality behind.
Shinkawa Kyouji's brother worked for the ga company. During developnt of the ASO virtual world, they'd considered adding a gun combat the, which was currently in testing. Asada Shino, desperate to overco her childhood trauma with firearms, found herself irresistibly drawn to such gas. This gave Shinkawa Kyouji the perfect opportunity to insinuate himself into her life.
On the surface, Shinkawa Kyouji presented himself as gentle and warm—a kind friend in a lonely world. In reality, his heart beat with a twisted, obsessive rhythm. He viewed Asada Shino as a hero for her childhood actions and had sched ticulously to beco her only friend. Now, he'd used the ga helt delivery as an excuse to plant both a tracking device and a wiretap inside it.
Hozuki Nozomi destroyed the wiretap imdiately upon detecting it. There was no way he'd allow this deranged pervert to monitor Shino unchallenged.
After finishing her bath, Asada Shino erged wearing simple white pajamas. She toweled her short hair dry—a practical length that allowed ease of movent while accentuating her adorable face shape. With her glasses on, she possessed a unique, understated charm.
Her gaze fell upon the ga helt on her desk, and a flicker of genuine gratitude toward Shinkawa Kyouji ward her chest. Without his help, obtaining the helt would have been nearly impossible.
Her phone rang.
Shinkawa Kyouji.
"Hello, Asada? I'm terribly sorry to bother you so late, but could you bring the helt back tomorrow? I just learned it needs debugging before it can be properly used."
"It needs debugging? Is it really that complicated?"
"Yes, I only found out myself a mont ago. I'm so sorry to get your hopes up for nothing. You haven't put it on yet, have you?"
"Not yet. I'll bring it over tomorrow."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Asada Shino ended the call.
On the other end, Shinkawa Kyouji exhaled in relief. "It seems Shino hasn't discovered the bug. Well, how could she possibly notice sothing so subtle?"
He muttered to himself, a twisted smile spreading across his features. "Shino-chan, you're destined to be mine. I'll make you shine even brighter—and only I will witness it."
His words revealed the depths of his derangent.
Through his lingering magic, Hozuki Nozomi perceived this entire exchange. His mood shifted to sothing between disgust and dark amusent.
He'd seen and heard everything clearly.
Shinkawa Kyouji's plan was insidious: tomorrow, he would instruct the delinquent students who served as his tools to confront Asada Shino. They would mock her about the "murderer" incident, bully her, and rob her. Then, at the critical mont, Shinkawa himself would heroically intervene—just in ti to chase them off after they'd already accomplished their theft.
A classic hero-rescuing-beauty scenario, staged by the very villain orchestrating the attack.
It had to be said—Shinkawa Kyouji understood the ga he was playing.
Hozuki Nozomi's lips curved into a cold smile.
But a proper hero-saving-beauty scene required a genuine hero, didn't it?
And who better to play that role than Hozuki Nozomi himself?
He felt he had a natural talent for heroics.
That night, as he prepared for sleep, he deliberately set aside the soul-binding rope. This would prevent his soul from swapping with Miyamizu Mitsuha tomorrow. His actions while inhabiting her body had already created ripples of change in her life—it was ti to give her space to adapt to those changes on her own.
...
The next afternoon arrived with clear skies and a gentle breeze—perfect weather for villains to execute their sches.
Asada Shino walked along the familiar path toward her eting point with Shinkawa Kyouji, the ga helt secure in her bag. She kept her head down, as always, hoping to avoid attention.
She didn't succeed.
"Ara, isn't this the famous Miss Murderer?"
A boy nad Endo stepped into her path, flanked by two thuggish companions who grinned with practiced malice. Endo's voice dripped with cruel amusent.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? She looks so cute, but underneath that innocent face beats the heart of a twisted killer!"
"Haha, exactly!" one of the others chid in. "Who knew murderers could be so adorable?"
Asada Shino's delicate fra trembled. She instinctively lowered her head further, trying to step around them, but they moved to block her path. The word "murderer" echoed in her mind, dragging her back to that traumatic childhood mory—the gun, the robber, the shot that changed everything.
"Weak," she thought. "I'm so weak..."
"Hey, Asada! A murderer like you ignoring us? That's pretty bold!"
Endo gestured subtly, and his two companions imdiately flanked her, cutting off any escape route. His eyes raked over her with barely concealed interest, but the mory of Shinkawa Kyouji's paynt tempered his impulses. For now.
"Asada, you're coming with us. Unless you want the whole school to know every detail of your murderous past?"
He reached into his pocket and produced a realistic handgun replica, pointing it at her with theatrical nace. "Bang~! Rember this? This is what you used to kill soone, you murderer!"
The sight of the gun—even a fake—sent Asada Shino reeling. Dizziness washed over her, nausea churning in her stomach. She staggered, barely keeping her feet, teeth clenched against the rising panic.
They forced her into a deserted alley, where Endo finally revealed his true objective.
"Now then, Asada. You've got money, right? Hand over ten thousand yen, and we'll keep your little secret safe. Otherwise..." He let the threat hang. "Wouldn't want everyone at school knowing what you really are, would we?"
Trembling, Asada Shino reached for her wallet. If everyone found out, she truly wouldn't be able to face school again.
Hidden in the shadows, Shinkawa Kyouji watched with barely contained anticipation. This was his mont—the perfect hero's entrance. He'd let the bullying go just far enough, then step in and rescue her. She'd be grateful. She'd trust him completely.
He took a breath, ready to make his move—
"Hey! You over there! What do you think you're doing?"
A voice rang out, righteous and commanding.
Shinkawa Kyouji's head snapped toward the sound. His face went ashen.
It was that handso guy from the convenience store—Hozuki Nozomi—striding toward the scene with the confident bearing of a true hero.
The carefully orchestrated rescue was about to be stolen right out from under him.
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