Epilogue: The White Devil’s Disguise Situation – Part I

Light spilled into the darkness. Warmth spread through my body. Something soft and fluffy wrapped around me—comforting, gentle.

“…Hm?”

Bright… Morning already?

“Oh. You’re awake, Suou.”

“Saori… Good morning…”

Rubbing my heavy eyelids, I wiped away the tears that always came when I woke up.

“Looks like you slept a little better this time.”

“Yes… thanks to you…”

Saori leaned closer to check my face. When I tried to rub my eyes again, she gently caught my hand, her fingers brushing lightly beneath them instead.

When I glanced at the clock, the thick hand was nearing seven. The last time I’d looked, it had been around five. I’d woken up a few times in between, but it seemed I’d finally managed to sleep a little longer than before.

“Want to rest a bit more?”

“No, I’ll get up.”

All things considered, I’d slept enough. Any more would be overdoing it.

“I see. That’s perfect timing, then.”

“Perfect timing…? Hm?”

Just as I tilted my head, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted in, teasing deep inside my nose.

“Misaki’s making breakfast. Come on, let’s go.”

“My little sister’s homemade cooking…!”

“Unwavering as ever, even first thing in the morning.”

It had been a week since our new life at Millennium began.

---

The place Mayumi had arranged for us was a large communal building. There weren’t enough rooms for everyone to have their own, so we shared dorm-style quarters in small groups. I shared mine with my squadmates.

Mayumi had apologized for not being able to provide private rooms, but honestly, she’d already given us so much—food, shelter, clothing—that it felt like we were taking too much already.

Everyone was still adjusting to this new way of life, confused and uncertain about many things. So for now, we’d decided to accept their generosity. Once things settled down, we planned to take on day jobs to at least cover our own expenses.

Fortunately, Millennium was developing rapidly. There were plenty of public works projects—and no shortage of part-time work.

“Good morning, Suou.”

Each pair of squads shared a kitchen, so there were four in total. Everyone brought their own utensils and rations to share. Eventually, we’d have to start providing our own food, but for now, it was communal.

“Good morning, Atsuko!”

“Misaki’s finished breakfast. Go grab yours.”

She was holding a plate in her hands.

On the pure white dish sat bread and eggs, with a few sausages on the side—a breakfast fit for royalty. There was even soup to go with it. The presentation was perfect, almost restaurant-level.

“That looks amazing… I’ll go get mine at top speed!”

“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”

Waving to Atsuko, I hurried toward the shared kitchen. Misaki was already tidying up the cookware.

“Good morning, Misaki!”

“Oh, Suou… you’re up.”

“Yep! Oh, don’t pour water into the pan yet—it’s still hot. You’ll ruin the coating.”

“I know, I know…”

It reminded me of one of those little memories from my past life—being scolded by family for the same thing.

“Still, you’re really good at this, Misaki.”

“Think so? Well, I’m not bad at it. Here, this one’s yours, Suou.”

As skilled with her hands as ever—wait.

“Isn’t there one extra sausage on this plate?”

“There was one left over. You never eat enough, Suou.”

“Ehh…”

Not that I minded, but Misaki wasn’t exactly one to talk either. I opened my mouth to protest—and she shoved the sausage right in.

“Hot—mmph!”

“You were gonna give it to Hiyori anyway. Just eat it.”

“F-fine…”

Not scalding, just warm. The crisp, taut skin popped pleasantly as I bit down—she must’ve parboiled them first. So careful. So… Misaki.

The juices spread over my tongue, rich with salt and savory fat—flavors I hadn’t tasted in ages back at Arius. It would go perfectly with bread and egg.

“Oh, right. Mayumi left a message for you.”

“Mmmph wuhf wha?”

“Swallow before you talk.”

“…mm… A message?”

She probably came by while I was asleep. Our dorm was connected to Mayumi—and the Student Life Support Division—through the communication network.

“It was kind of sudden, so maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. But apparently, it’s important.”

“Huh…? I have no idea what it could be, but let’s finish breakfast first, okay?”

“…That’s fair.”

Thinking could wait. For now, I wanted to enjoy my sister’s full-course breakfast.

“Here, this one’s yours.”

“Thank you!”

I stretched up—she was a little taller than me—and took the large plate and soup bowl. The bottom was hot, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

“Where are Hiyori and Azusa?”

“They’re already at the table.”

“Got it.”

Chatting idly, we headed toward the shared dining area near the kitchen—it was closer than returning to our room.

“So, Suou finally woke up?”

“Yeah, went to get breakfast from Misaki—speak of the devil.”

Balancing a plate on my head, I pushed open the door. Inside were Saori, Atsuko, Azusa, and Hiyori—all waiting for me before eating.

“Good morning, Azusa! Hiyori!”

“G-good morning… You’re awfully lively for this early, hehe…”

“I’d be more worried if you weren’t. That energy’s just right.”

“What kind of impression do you all even have of me…?”

Well, they weren’t wrong. Back at Arius, Misaki always used to tell me, “You’re too noisy in the morning.”

“Anyway, let’s eat.”

“Yeah. Misaki, thanks for the meal. Itadakimasu.”

“…Itadakimasu.”

Saori’s pre-meal greeting was as proper as ever—back straight, voice calm. Ever since I’d taught her the custom, she’d done it every single time. She really was serious to the core.

“…”

As I reached for my instant soup, my fingers wandered to my pocket out of habit. Some habits just didn’t fade in a week.

Still, I’d recovered a lot. My appetite had returned, even if my weight hadn’t caught up yet.

Breaking off a piece of bread, I let my faint past-life memory guide my hands. The crust gave way with a soft tear, scattering a few crumbs as the fibers stretched apart.

From the golden-brown surface rose thin wisps of white steam. I savored the warmth between my fingers, then dipped the piece into the soup. After a short soak, the line between bread and broth blurred into one.

Maybe it’d burn my tongue, I thought—though I knew it wouldn’t—and blew gently to cool it. I brought it to my lips carefully, not too messily, and took a bite. Happiness filled my mouth.

“Haa…”

I exhaled the heat, steam drifting upward. A meal that engaged all five senses—something we’d never had back at Arius Branch. But it wasn’t just that.

"……"

The sound of dishes clinking, the rhythm of breathing, the faint sip of soup. Even without words, I could feel it—someone was there. I wasn’t alone. We were sharing a meal together.

Back then, eating had been nothing more than a chore, just refueling. But now… it was different.

"…Heh."

It wasn’t that I was especially happy or anything, but somehow, a small laugh escaped me.

"Speaking of which, Suou. There was a message from Mayumi."

"Huh? Oh—right, Misaki mentioned that."

I’d been too focused on eating and completely forgot. Sorry, Mayumi.

"So, what did she say?"

I apologized silently in my mind for forgetting and asked about the message. Misaki swallowed her bite of bread, washed it down with some water, and continued.

"Something about a new machine she’s working on."

"A new machine? What kind?"

"Who knows… She sounded like she’d been up all night, so her words didn’t really make sense. Probably took her forever to finish whatever it was."

"I… see."

Mayumi really might be more of a development junkie than I thought.

"Oh, and she had a question, too."

"A question?"

"She wanted to know if you liked Gehenna or Trinity better. I didn’t get it."

"…Huh?"

Gehenna or Trinity? Depending on how I answered, some princess might come flying over here herself. I really didn’t want to pick sides, but… what was she even talking about?

"Trinity… ah, right. The day after tomorrow, Hifumi’s introducing me to a part-time job."

"A part-time job? What kind?"

"Listen to this! It’s an event staff job for Momo Friends!"

Azusa’s eyes sparkled as she pulled out her phone and opened a file from Hifumi. Her wings fluttered with excitement. Watching her, I couldn’t help but smile as I went back to my meal.

---

After eating and taking a short rest, I decided to visit Mayumi. I didn’t have a license or a car, so walking was my only option.

Thankfully, the uniform Mayumi had given me for travel helped me blend in. Still, with my distinctive hair and eyes, I kept my hood up and stayed close to Saori and the others as we moved together.

“Hiyori, not that way.”

“Eh? Ah—! S-sorry!”

We continued carefully, slipping through the blind spots of security cameras. Just in case Valkyrie’s investigation ever reached Millennium’s district, I couldn’t afford to let our base be discovered. If that happened, things would become much harder for Mayumi—and for us.

“All right, we should be close now…”

After taking every precaution, we arrived at a small, two-story building—unusually modest by Millennium standards.

A sign covered the window: “Student Life Support Department.” Beneath it, a phone number was even listed. Honestly, it looked…

“Like a detective agency!”

“Y-yeah! I’ve seen something like this in the Leap Detective series!”

Ah, right. Hiyori had been reading that book recently—one of the few still left in the old Arius dorms. Maybe I should borrow it later.

“I don’t know if it’s a detective office, but it sure makes a statement.”

“Sounds like her, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… it does.”

Apparently, Mayumi had spent some time with them while I wasn’t around. I wondered what had happened then. The only thing that came to mind was that noisy robot I’d seen earlier.

“Anyway, let’s head inside.”

『Do you have business here?』

Just as we were about to step in, a machine blocked our way. Wait… did that thing just talk?

『Do you have business here?』

“Yup, definitely talking…”

Its voice was flat and synthetic—classic speech synthesis. When I muttered in surprise, the upper-body robot suddenly stopped moving.

『Voiceprint recognized. Welcome, Kirihana Suou.』

“...Looks like it’s letting us through.”

It rubbed its mechanical hands together and opened the inner door. Mayumi must’ve set it up for me in advance.

“...Wait.”

Just as we stepped forward, Misaki suddenly spoke, like something had just clicked for her.

“What is it?”

“That robot… it reacted to your voice, right?”

“Eh? Probably?”

Leave it to Millennium—they really went all out with voiceprint recognition tech.

But Misaki didn’t look convinced. Her expression stiffened as she hesitated, then said quietly:

“When did it even get Suou’s voice data?”

“Eh? …Oh.”

Now that she mentioned it… I didn’t remember ever recording it anywhere.

So… eavesdropping?

“...Just to be safe, don’t let your guard down.”

“R-right…”

“Let’s keep Suou in the center, just in case.”

At Azusa’s suggestion, everyone gathered protectively around me. Even though we all used the same shampoo and conditioner, each of them still had their own faintly sweet scent.

“Kind of a nice bonus, huh?”

“...You’re just like her sometimes.”

Saori sighed ahead of me.

“Excuse me? I’m not sneaky like that!”

“That’s exactly why you’re trouble!!”

I tried to defend myself, but it didn’t help much.

And with that light banter still lingering in the air, we found the staircase leading underground—where Mayumi was waiting.

“...I’ll… wait upstairs.”

Misaki’s face was pale, her expression twitching slightly as she spoke.

“Okay. We’ll have Mayumi come up, then.”

“...Yeah. Thanks.”

Claustrophobia… quite the nuisance. It wasn’t unbearable, but it clearly wasn’t something she wanted to face head-on either. I could understand that feeling—at least a little.

“This is the way down.”

The musty, damp smell of the basement hit my nose, mixed with the sharp tang of metal and oil. Even though a ventilation fan was running, it barely made a difference. Empty energy drink cans were stacked haphazardly around. It was the smell of carelessness—and overwork.

“Suou, step back a little.”

As I reached for the door, Atsuko raised her hand to stop me. I stepped back—and bumped into something soft.

“Pl-please watch the rear…!”

Hiyori stood a step above me on the stairs, her height difference making her voice sound flustered. I barely had time to apologize before a sudden knocking sound from behind the door made my shoulders jump.

“Mayumi!! Are you there!?”

Saori called out, but there was no reply.

“Wasn’t there something you needed to tell her?”

No matter how many times we tried, nothing changed. Once, twice… even a fourth time.

“Hey, Mayu—!?”

Instead of a response, something crashed inside. Definitely not normal. A burglar? A robbery? Saori drew in a sharp breath.

“...Sorry, I’ll have to force it open.”

“Step back!”

“Suou, what are you—!?”

I stepped in front of Saori, who was about to set a small explosive, and pressed my fingers against the door gap.

“Huh… HMPH!!”

“Ah!?”

With a single push, I forced the door open. I reached through the gap, pressed the open/close button on the inside, and turned back.

“This is faster. And the door stays intact.”

“Still reckless as ever…”

“I’d forgotten just how strong you are,” came a resigned voice as everyone cautiously followed me inside.

“Hey!? That was loud!?”

“It’s fine!!”

Misaki’s worried voice came faintly from above, but there was no turning back. We continued deeper into the basement.

The corridor was dark and cluttered with half-finished figures, toys that looked like they were for children, heavy machinery, and switches that looked way too dangerous to touch.

“Quite a mess.”

“Yeah… hard to walk.”

“Atsuko, piggyback me.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Waaah…!”

Azusa used her phone light to guide the way through the dim space. As we went on, a faint sound reached our ears.

“Snore… snore…”

Specifically—snoring.

“Looks like Mayumi’s asleep.”

A shiny blue bundle of hair rested on the desk, rising and falling with each breath. I nudged it gently aside and found Mayumi drooling happily in her sleep. Around her, unopened energy drink cans lay toppled across the floor. That must have been the crash we’d heard earlier.

“...Hiyori. Lend me your handgun.”

“E-eh…!? I-I mean, she’s one of ours, so…!”

“Just kidding. Mayumi, wake up.”

Saori shook her shoulder, and she groaned.

“I… I can’t drink anymore… I’ve already had over ten grams of caffeine… ha!?”

Her final mutter was half-sleep talk—until her eyes shot open. Did she just say what I think she said?

“Good morning, Mayumi.”

“S-Suou! Stop with the formalities! Just call me by my name… Ah, right. I remember now—I did ask you to deliver a message…”

Still a little groggy, with dark circles under her eyes, she looked every bit the overworked scientist.

“Mayumi, are you okay? You should really get some proper rest.”

“Oh, are you worried about me? I’m fine. But first, I want to show you something!”

Clearly not fine, she wobbled as she rummaged through a nearby box, then triumphantly held up something small enough to fit in her arms.

“Fufufu… Ta-da! My very own disguise kit!!”

She announced it in a rough, theatrical voice, as if unveiling some great invention.

---

I took Mayumi with me up to the first floor of the building. As she began laying out the things she’d brought on the desk, I leaned in for a closer look.

"Man, I might’ve gone too hard this time! Five all-nighters in a row—what was I even thinking!?"

"Are you insane!?"

I get that she probably had her own plans during the day, but still—five days straight without sleep!?

"You really shouldn’t skip sleep like that."

"You’re one to talk… Anyway, what did you even make, staying up that long?"

It looked like some kind of machine—or rather, something more like a body part. Saori picked one up and examined it carefully. One was a white, birdlike wing. The other, a black, batlike wing with a pointed tail attached.

"Can’t you tell just by looking? …They’re wings!!"

Yeah, no kidding.

Everyone present, myself included, silently swallowed that thought. It was obvious they were wings—and a tail too—but the real question was why Mayumi had gone and made something like this in the first place.

"Well, just watch."

With that, Mayumi picked up another piece and strapped it to her head. It looked like the face shield of a visor, stripped of its darkened lens—an inorganic plastic surface that was probably packed with electronics.

"…Nothing’s happening."

"Just wait for it… Mmmnnn… Haaaah—hiyaah!"

At her exaggerated shout—

"Huh? Wha—whoa!?"

The tail that had been motionless up to now suddenly started twitching and wriggling about.

"I–It worked!! Finally, it actually moved!!"

"That’s… creepy—no, seriously creepy! What is that!?"

"Y-Yeah, that’s… gross…"

Ah. The tail just drooped. Seems like it’s somehow synced with Mayumi’s emotions.

"This is…"

"…W–Well, never mind how it looks! This is my personal invention, built with my tech skills and the lab budget combined! Behold—the Disguise-kun Prototype: Type Gehenna and Type Trinity!!"

Names aside, I got the idea. A disguise device, huh?

"…Though with names like that, it still needs a bit of fine-tuning."

Mayumi gave a sheepish laugh. Apparently, she’d passed out before finishing the final adjustments. But still, why the rush?

"Azusa Shirasu, mind putting this on for a bit?"

Before I could even ask what she meant, Mayumi had already pulled out another visor-like gadget—probably a neural interface.

"…Sure, but why me?"

"You’ve already got wings of your own, right? You’d know how to move them. Perfect for a test run."

As she explained, Mayumi crouched slightly and attached the device to Azusa’s head. Then, right on cue, the artificial wings on the desk began to move—almost indistinguishably from Azusa’s real ones.

"Mm, good, good. How’s it feel?"

"Strange… I don’t actually feel anything, but watching something move just as I will it to… that’s uncanny."

"Yeah, some people get that reaction. I’ll work on that later. Anyway—it’s finished! Now then, Suou-san, pick one!"

"Eh?"

That came out of nowhere. Pick one?

"Pick… what?"

"Oh, didn’t I say? One of these is going to be for your disguise."

"…Are you sure?"

Honestly, that’d be a lifesaver. I’d been worrying about this for a while.

It’s been a week since I moved into Millennium, and I’ve barely been able to leave the premises. Can’t really blame anyone—I did kind of show my face to all of Kivotos, after all. The real problem is work. I refuse to just freeload, but it’s not like I can sneak around the black market either. Lately, I’d even been seriously considering growing my own vegetables.

But with this… I wouldn’t be recognizable at first glance. Maybe they wouldn’t even think I was some monster sprouting body parts. …Hopefully. Then again, people did call me a “demon,” so who knows where that line really is. Either way, this would help a lot.

"But really, I can’t—"

"It’s fine. Think of it as my way of returning the favor. Besides, I made these for you, Suou-san. If you don’t use them, I’ll be the one who’s disappointed."

…It’s not like I plan to rely on her forever. One day, I’ll manage without Mayumi’s help. But for now… maybe just this once, I’ll lean on her a little.

"…Thank you."

That said—now I’m torn. Wings? Feathers? Or the tail? The last two… I’d be terrified to run into Mika like that. But still… that wing design is cool. White demon wings. Kind of suits me, actually. …Wow, that’s not a joke I should be making about myself.

"…Suou?"

I glanced over at Azusa. She noticed and quickly folded her wings close, her reaction almost childishly cute. There’s really no other way to describe it.

"…"

Yeah. Cute. Definitely the cute type. Not the cool kind.

"What’s wrong?"

As I kept looking at her, she shifted slightly, like she was getting nervous under my gaze. No, focus—this is supposed to be for disguises. There’s no need to think about how cute it looks. Functionality. Functionality first.

"Suou…? You’re zoning out again."

"…"

…Wings really are cute, though.

---

"All right, that’s the installation done. Suou-san, try moving your wings."

"R-Right…"

They were surprisingly heavy—heavier than I expected. And deep within the feathers, I could feel warmth. I hadn’t thought she’d go so far as to recreate that detail.

"Um… like this, maybe…?"

Azusa had described it as being like moving an arm that sprouted from your waist. Following her advice, I tried a few times.

"I–It moved! It actually moved!"

On the fourth attempt, I finally managed to get them to respond. The shift in balance pulled my center of gravity backward, but it wasn’t unmanageable.

"As expected… I suppose it depends a bit on the user’s coordination. It might take some time before this can be mass-produced… but if there’s no problem, that’s good enough for now!"

"Wow, this is fun to move! Look, Azusa—we match! Matching wings!"

I spun around once in front of everyone to show off the full effect. The wings caught the air, making it a little harder to turn. I thought briefly about how impractical they’d be in a fight—then realized I didn’t really need to fight anymore.

"Compared to Azusa’s, yours feels… more feral, somehow."

"If it came down to a fight, she’d totally smack someone with those."

"Yeah… Suou probably would."

"One wrong hit and your HP would be gone in an instant…"

"What do you people think I am?"

Apparently, my little sisters didn’t find this particularly awe-inspiring. Why do they always say stuff like that? …Ah, maybe I just answered my own question.

"…Yeah. I think it really suits you."

Only Azusa offered a genuine compliment about how it looked. Well, either way—

"Mayumi, thank you. Really. Because of you… I might actually be able to go outside again."

I followed through on that thought and voiced my gratitude plainly.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

She blinked in surprise for just a moment, then broke into a bright, mischievous grin.

"The disguise fashion revolution has only just begun!"

"…Huh?"

That was her dramatic declaration.