Chapter 5: Glitching Scramble
Chapter 5: Glitching Scramble
> Chapter 6: Love BrainThe next day.
Early morning.
I arrived at school while it was still quiet, with only a few students scattered around.
“…………”
I peeked into the classroom next door.
The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, casting long shadows across the empty room.
Mori-kun’s seat… should be here.
Before coming to school, I had borrowed a next-gen analysis kit from the Army’s supply division and used it to collect a skin sample from his desk.
The next steps would take time. But if anyone saw me using such high-tech equipment here, it’d be a disaster.
I left the classroom before more students arrived and hid in the restroom.
There, I took out the analysis kit and compared Mori-kun’s skin sample with the protagonist’s blood—the blood that had splattered onto my combat dress yesterday.
“(…Just as I thought…)”
A perfect match.
This confirms it.
He—Mori Sabaki—is the protagonist of this world. This game.
As I waited for the analysis, I started hearing the morning commotion outside. More students had arrived than I expected.
Girls were gathering in front of the mirrors, chatting away. …Why do high school girls always do that?
I quickly stashed the analysis kit in my bag and slipped out of the restroom.
For a brief moment, I caught my reflection in the mirror—a gloomy, unremarkable girl with dark circles under her eyes.
…But what do I do now?
If Mori-kun is the protagonist, I need to talk to him. I need his cooperation.
But—
“—Ah.”
“Oh… hey. Morning, Arishiro.”
“G-good morning…”
I barely managed to return his greeting as he casually raised a hand.
I should’ve said something more, but the sudden encounter caught me off guard. I couldn’t think of anything.
While I hesitated, he walked past me down the hallway and into his classroom.
“…………”
…Does he not realize?
In the game’s story, the protagonist spends most of the early to mid-game gathering allies.
His ultimate goal is to unite multiple factions—the Army, the Corporations, the Syndicates—to take down the final boss.
The more allies he had, the better his chances. The more connections, the more options.
And yet—he had just casually walked past me.
If he had recognized me as an agent of the Army—the Mass-Production Cutter—he would’ve approached me without hesitation. But from the way he acted, he didn’t seem to have a clue.
The facial recognition-blocking equipment must have worked. He didn’t remember my face.
Well, in the game, he first encounters Misora-sama and Nijisaki-san as mysterious agents before later realizing they attend the same school. That’s when he actively starts looking for them.
In that sense, things might actually be going according to plan.
That meant I should be the one to approach him.
Thinking that, I was about to step into his classroom—when I suddenly remembered.
Yesterday… I didn’t pick up the flyer that fell.
“Ah…”
I recalled my own reflection in the mirror earlier this morning. Then, the moment when he had first lent me his gym clothes.
And then… the words he had spoken to me yesterday.
"You’re the only one who can take her down."
No.
I didn’t want him to know.
I didn’t want him to find out that the person behind those words—the true identity of the Mass-Production Cutter—was someone like me.
I hesitated.
But this wasn’t the time to be indecisive.
I needed his help to save Misora-sama. I didn’t have the luxury of clinging to some misplaced pride.
As I stood there, fumbling in front of the classroom, a girl suddenly stepped in front of me.
“—Morning, Arishiro-chan. Got a minute?”
Medium-length blue hair. A casual, boyish tone.
Nijisaki-san.
“Eh, ah… y-yes…”
“Oh, don’t worry.” She tapped her temple with a knowing smile. “I’ve set up a sound-dampening field. You can talk about the Army or the Corporations without anyone hearing. As long as you stay within a meter of me, nothing will leak out. …Though, if someone gets too close, it might be a problem. Let’s move to the corner.”
She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for secrecy, and led me toward the edge of the hallway.
I wasn’t sure whether to speak in my mission tone or my normal voice. But since she already knew both, I decided to stick with my natural tone.
“…Uh, about yesterday… I’m sorry, but, um…”
“No, it’s fine.” She waved it off like it was nothing. “We’re even, right? If it were just me yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to take down that Illegal Stimulant Black Dope… and even in regular missions, you’ve been holding back while I go all out. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.”
“N-no, that’s… I mean, we’re both just doing our jobs…”
“Sure, there are things we can’t compromise on, but we don’t have to bring that into school, right? If we did, we’d have to start fighting right here, right now.”
“Well, that’s… true, but…”
“So, I think it’s fine for us to be friends here—at least during school. Don’t you think so, Arishiro-chan?”
“I… I do…”
I couldn’t meet her eyes.
But with my head lowered, I mustered what little courage I had and replied in a faint voice.
“I… I also want to be friends with Nijisaki-san… at school…”
Nijisaki-san’s face lit up instantly. She grabbed my hand and leaned in closer. Her personal space, which already felt small, seemed even narrower now.
My face burned. Of course it did. Any guy would be flustered around a girl this cute.
In my past life as an unpopular guy—and even now as a socially awkward girl—I’d never had a girl get this close to me. She was so close that I could smell her sweet scent. Not that I don’t smell like a girl too, but mine carries the faint metallic tang of blood.
“I’m glad. Yeah, I thought it was wrong to try and stop you without knowing the full story. If there are people like that, then maybe I should take the time to get to know you better too.”
…Somehow, this was embarrassing. Even though my mind was that of a grown man, I was being treated with such consideration by a younger girl.
“By the way, that black-masked guy… he’s not part of the Army, right? I know all the Corporation’s Materializer users, and he didn’t seem like a formal agent from the Syndicate sent to purge extremists either…”
“Ah, um… Nijisaki-san, you don’t know who he really is?”
“Nope. Is he unaffiliated? Like a freelancer or something?”
“Well, he’s not part of any organization, but… it’s not like that. He helps a lot of people, like… a hero, I guess?”
“Wow…! That’s amazing! I mean, I can’t exactly praise him as a Corporation agent, but in this industry, that’s not something you see every day! And his gear looked pretty cool too!”
“Y-yeah…!”
Feeling a sense of camaraderie, I nodded with flushed cheeks. It almost felt like I was the one being praised, and that made me happy.
“Hmm? Wait, isn’t that black-masked guy the one Mori-kun was handing out flyers to find?”
“Ah, yes. I asked him to help me look for him…”
Now that I think about it, I was literally asking him to look for himself. No wonder he looked so awkward back then.
“I see. Well, it’s good that you found him, right?”
“No, well… he ran away after that…”
“Eh, really? Huh. Then maybe I should help look for him too?”
“Ah, well, about that—”
I stopped mid-sentence as a thought struck me.
“…Um, if Nijisaki-san were to find him, what would you do?”
“I’d at least want to make a connection with him. Someone like that might be hard to recruit, but maybe the Corporation could scout him.”
…It’s true. In the game, he never joined any one organization.
But it wasn’t like he didn’t have the option. If he wanted support or resources, joining an organization would’ve made things easier.
However, that would mean earning trust, establishing his position, and climbing the ranks before he could act freely.
It would take at least a year.
And with the little time left, it was better for him to move independently.
In the game, he starts taking action to save the world in his second year of high school.
Right now, it’s the beginning of his first year.
—There’s still time.
But if he were to join the Corporation… what would happen to me, a member of the Army?
No. It’s fine. He’s not the type to be bound by an organization.
But… even if he’s fine, what about the Army?
It’s one thing to seek help from a rogue mercenary, but would they ever allow someone affiliated with an enemy organization to get involved?
No. That’s impossible.
If that happens, I won’t be able to get the universal cure.
And if I don’t—
Misora-sama… won’t be saved.
“…!”
My heart tightened.
“Huh? What’s wrong? Should I not help…?”
“N-no, it’s not that, but…”
Before I could find the right words, the warning bell rang. We started heading back to the classroom together.
“Oh, hey, Arishiro-chan, why don’t you push your bangs up? During missions, you show your face, right?”
“No, that’s just because they get in the way during combat… At school, it’s fine…”
“Aw, what a waste. You’ve got such a cute face—”
“No, really, it’s fine—”
Then, in the middle of our conversation—
“Oh, hey, it’s Mori-kun.”
We ran into Mori-kun on his way to another classroom.
“Hey, hey, how did the flyer thing go yesterday? Did you find anything?”
“…Nah, nothing… Wait, you two are already getting along?”
“We’ve been friends since yesterday. Oh, by the way, about my search, I actually found the person yesterday. So, I was thinking of helping out.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry… You already handed out flyers. Besides, if someone as extreme as you gets involved, it’ll just make things harder to find.”
“Huh? That’s not fair! Come on, it’s not like I’ll cause any trouble, so it’s fine, right?”
Nijisaki-san stepped closer, closing the distance between them as she spoke.
Mori-kun leaned back slightly, trying to keep some space between them—but he couldn’t quite manage it. His words were dismissive, but his flustered expression gave him away.
…Well, of course. Any guy would be flustered if a girl that cute got that close.
It’s only natural.
But if Nijisaki-san were to find out Mori-kun’s true identity… and asked him to join the Corporation… what would he do?
“…………”
I couldn’t imagine him refusing.
“Huh? Oh, uh, Arishiro-chan?”
Before I even realized it, I had grabbed Mori-kun’s arm and pulled him away from Nijisaki-san.
“Ah… Um, well, Mori-kun seemed a bit uncomfortable, so…”
“Huh? But—”
“W-we can handle the search ourselves… Nijisaki-san, you don’t need to help, um, it’s fine…”
My breath came unevenly.
For some reason, I felt like I was about to cry.
I tugged on his arm again, desperate to put more distance between them.
But even so, he was trying to shake off my hand—
“Hey, Arishiro… you’re too close too…”
“Huh?”
His words caught me off guard, and I instinctively looked up at him.
—He was flustered.
“Huh…?”
Was he… embarrassed?
Him?
…Because of me?
“Ah—”
Heat rushed to my face.
It felt different from when Nijisaki-san had gotten close to him. Hotter. Sharper. I couldn’t make sense of it.
While I stood there, stunned, he shook off my hand and muttered something like, “We’ll be late if we don’t hurry,” before jogging toward his classroom.
“Huh… oh… hmm…”
Behind me, Nijisaki-san hummed curiously.
When I turned, she was still smiling—just like before. But something was different. The quality of her smile had shifted, ever so slightly.
And then—
“—Do you like him?”
“Eh, wh-what…? What do you mean…?”
I blinked.
What was she talking about?
I genuinely didn’t understand, so I tilted my head in confusion.
Nijisaki-san grinned, eyes glinting playfully. It was an expression I hadn’t seen often—a rare, teasing smile that contrasted sharply with her usual boyish demeanor. There was something captivating about it.
“I think he’s a good guy, Mori-kun.”
“A… good guy…?”
Wait—did she figure out he’s the protagonist? The black-masked man?
No. If she had, she wouldn’t phrase it like this…
“He might seem rough around the edges, but he’s actually really kind and thoughtful, you know?” she continued. “Not flashy or anything, so he doesn’t stand out much, but he’s good at most things and gets stuff done efficiently. He doesn’t care about fashion or anything, but he’s got a nice face too. Honestly, I’d rather date a guy like him than someone who’s all showy and over-the-top, you know?”
“Eh, ah, huh?”
W-wait.
Does Nijisaki-san… like Mori-kun?
Huh?
Wait, but why?
At this point in the story, there shouldn’t be any romantic flags raised yet. She doesn’t even know he’s the protagonist.
But… is that really strange?
In reality, attraction doesn’t follow neat, scripted events. Maybe the game never mentioned it, but had Nijisaki Airo always been subconsciously drawn to the protagonist’s goodness? Had she noticed it before anyone else?
That wouldn’t be strange at all.
That’s right. Because she, like Misora-sama, is a main heroine.
A character destined to be connected to the protagonist from the very beginning.
A girl blessed by the world itself to be with him.
So with Misora-sama gone, it’s only natural that…
He and she would grow closer. That they would fall for each other, share their secrets, and—
“Ah…!”
No. That can’t happen.
That can’t happen.
If it does, he’ll go to the Corporation, and I… I’ll—
“Ah, but from the way things look now, Arishiro-chan, you might have a pretty good chance too.”
“Eh, wha—”
“Well, even so, I don’t think I’d lose to the current Arishiro-chan.”
“Ugh…”
That’s… probably true.
I know I’m considered beautiful, but Nijisaki-san is on a whole different level—genuine, heroine-tier beauty.
Unlike me.
She’s radiant, full of life, the embodiment of the ideal high school girl. While my petite, slender frame could maybe be called “delicate” at best, hers is effortlessly model-like, as expected of a main heroine.
Her short, sporty hair might seem low-maintenance, but it’s obvious she puts care into styling it. Not like my messy, unkempt hair. And she doesn’t have dark circles under her eyes like I do.
It’s not just about looks.
While I have nothing but surface-level charm, she’s perfect, flawless—someone truly fit to stand beside the protagonist.
Even the way we speak is similar, but while her casual tone feels natural, mine is just an act. And Mori-kun… already knows my real way of speaking.
In the end, she’s a complete upgrade.
There’s no way I could ever win.
Besides… I was originally a guy.
No matter how hard I try, I could never exude the effortless charm of a girl. No matter how much I act, I know, deep down, it will never feel right.
And even if—somehow—I managed to pull it off, the idea of a guy falling for me would just be… awkward.
I like girls. That’s never changed. There’s no way I’d ever want to date a guy.
“It’s a shame, though. If Arishiro-chan put a bit more effort into her appearance, it might be a different story, but as it is… Maybe I’ll suggest we try dating for fun or something.”
“Ugh, ugh, ughhh…!!”
No.
I can’t let her take him.
Even if it’s Nijisaki-san.
Not yet… There’s still time.
As long as she isn’t serious, even someone like me can still do something.
That’s right.
This isn’t about me wanting the protagonist to like me or anything creepy like that.
It’s about saving Misora-sama.
That’s why I have to do this.
If it’s for that cause—then I can do anything.
I have to.
During class, an indescribable urgency churned inside me.
And under my desk, I kept searching for the best beauty salon in town, adjusting my schedule to make time for it.
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