Chapter 1: The TS Girl Meets the Protagonist

I look into the mirror.

Black hair. Pale skin. A small, delicate—almost fragile—beautiful girl stands there.

Yeah—peace sign! I flash one on a whim. It actually suits me. No matter how many times I look… she’s undeniably a beauty. To be reborn with a face like this… honestly, it’s a bit much.

"Hey there, I’m just some middle-aged guy—"

I feel like joking like that.

Well, I was a middle-aged guy in my past life. A pitiful one, really—drank too much, wrecked his body, and died.

And yet… here I am, reborn.

As a girl.

A beautiful girl, at that. A winning life, right? …Or so I thought. There’s just one problem.

This world is a social game.

"Last Inheritance"—better known as Ranheri.

One day, monsters suddenly appeared all over the world. Conventional weapons didn’t work on them, and cities were reduced to rubble. Then, out of nowhere, certain boys and girls awakened to special powers and began fighting back.

Humanity now sends these awakened youths into battle against the monsters.

Yeah… something like that.

In short, it’s a pretty harsh and dangerous setting.

Modern-day inspired, with a system where you pull beautiful girls from a gacha and control them. I actually played it quite a bit back then. Nostalgic.

And so—here I am.

My name is Akegami Yuri.

Reincarnated as a TS social game heroine.

I wash my face, fix my messy hair, and slip into my uniform. I’ve gotten pretty used to living as a girl now. Teehee.

…Though sometimes—like when putting on underwear—I still feel a bit of discomfort. Ugh… this weird sense of guilt.

"Still pretty small, huh…"

I didn’t grow much in height. Not exactly loli-level, but… yeah. And my chest isn’t much either.

Out of curiosity, I place a hand on it. It’s soft, definitely there… just compact.

Not that I’m upset about it or anything… but still… I kind of wanted to experience having a bigger one.

Lately, fashion’s been fun too. A hassle, though.

The awareness of being a “former guy” has sunk deep into the bottom of my mind… slipping further and further away. Turns out, people can change pretty easily with the right trigger.

Even in my own thoughts, I’ve stopped using “I” as ore… now it’s just watashi.

…At this point, can you even call this TS anymore? I mean, this is basically after the “full transformation,” right?

…………Anyway, enough of that.

There’s something I want to do—because I don’t resist being a girl anymore.

—I want to mess with the protagonist!

This is a social game world, so of course the protagonist exists. And me? I’m one of the heroines, so I’ll definitely have plenty of chances to interact with him.

Which means—I have to tease him! I want to mess with that pure-hearted boy to my heart’s content. Heh… maybe I’ll break his emotions just a little.

After all, I’m one of those heroines who dies early in the game—so at least in the beginning, I’ll get plenty of chances to see him.

…Wait, was that something I should’ve revealed just now? Eh, whatever.

I look into the mirror again. I consciously put on a smile.

"Hehe."

A cute, smiling girl stares back at me.

Yeah… this should work.

…Normally, I’d probably think about avoiding my doomed fate, but honestly… I’d rather prioritize my desires. This is my second life, after all. That should be allowed, right?

For the record, I’m in high school now. …Back in middle school, I still tried a bit harder to cling to being a guy. Getting sentimental about that now feels kind of gross.

Ranheri starts a few months after the protagonist enters high school.

And that means…

Today’s the day.

I finally get to meet him. I can’t wait.

I finish getting ready and step out of the house. In this world, because of the monsters running rampant, it’s not uncommon for students to live alone.

I’m one of them.

Deep Curse—

The monsters that appeared one day and turned cities into mountains of rubble. No one knows what they really are. Because of them, countless children have been left orphaned.

It’s a cruel world.

I’m one of the survivors myself. That’s why I live alone.

…Though it’s not like I didn’t have friends.

Oh, and the high school we attend? It’s a training institution for fighting Deep Curses.

As a fan of the game, it’s kind of moving.

The protagonist acts as the leader, and we heroines form a team as combat members. Together, we sortie to fight.

But Deep Curses can’t be fought by ordinary means. Conventional weapons don’t work.

And since there aren’t many people who can fight them… even students are sent to the battlefield.

Yeah… it’s that kind of world.

"~♪"

Humming to myself as I walk to school—

And then I see him, passing by in the hallway.

The protagonist.

Shinozaki Nagisa.

My heart skips.

He’s really here… the protagonist.

First, I need to meet him.

The team assignments will be decided after school today. And I’ll be on the same team as him.

That part is already decided by fate.

Hehe… I can’t wait for after school.

During class, I can’t focus at all.

I feel like an elementary school kid excited for a field trip.

And finally—

After school.

Like I said before, Deep Curses can only be defeated by special individuals.

That’s us.

Girls gain the ability to attack using mysterious, almost magical powers. Meanwhile, boys gain abilities that support them.

Not everyone gets these powers—they awaken suddenly. Often during a Deep Curse attack.

Honestly, I don’t even remember when I first got mine.

The boys are called Connectors.

The girls are called Curse Seekers.

Yeah… kind of weird names.

"Connector" is pretty literal—they link with us and enhance our abilities.

As for "Curse Seeker"… it sounds grand, like “those who hunt curses,” but in the end, we’re just girls who happened to gain power.

The expectations are heavy.

So basically, teams are formed with one support-type boy and several combat-capable girls.

A pretty standard setup, really.

We’re about to gather as a team.

It seems each team has its own assigned room.

Finally… the moment’s here.

I stand in front of the designated room and open the door.

The first thing that catches my eye is a girl with red hair tied back. She’s beautiful, but there’s still a trace of innocence—she looks a little young.

Kurokawa Kisa.

One of the heroines. Bright, energetic, and cheerful… though sometimes, there’s a faint shadow in her expression.

Next—

A sharp-eyed beauty. Long blue hair flows down her back, carrying an air of elegance.

Kotozuka Reina.

Of course, she’s another heroine. She gives off a cold impression, but really, she’s just bad at socializing.

—And finally.

The boy standing at the center of the room.

Black hair like mine. Plain, almost unremarkable at first glance… though with a little effort, he’d probably clean up nicely.

Shinozaki Nagisa.

The protagonist.

My heartbeat quickens—thump, thump.

I step closer. He blinks in surprise, his eyes fluttering.

"Nagisa-kun."

The words slip out before I can stop them—my voice sounding oddly sweet.

Nagisa’s eyes widen even more.

…It’s not like I said anything that strange.

"Let’s get along."

I quickly follow up, trying to cover it up. He returns the greeting in kind.

Hehehe.

Nice to meet you, my hero.

…Okay, I got a little carried away.

But there’s more I need to do.

The two heroines I mentioned earlier—Kurokawa Kisa and Kotozuka Reina.

Right now, neither of them is particularly close to the protagonist. Which means… it’s up to me to bring them together.

What I leave behind… will eventually shape this team.

Even if it means helping the guy I adore get closer to other girls…

Well, the “me” from the original probably didn’t feel anything about that.

So, I need to get along with them too.

I got too excited and only greeted the protagonist, so I should fix that.

"Nice to meet you two as well. I’m Akegami Yuri."

I step back slightly from Nagisa and turn to the other two, smiling warmly.

"…Nice to meet you."

Kotozuka Reina doesn’t even introduce herself. She just mutters a greeting from the corner, like she’s forcing the words out.

"I’m Kurokawa Kisa—nice to meet you!"

In contrast, Kurokawa responds brightly, just like I did.

…Though she’s smiling, her eyes aren’t.

Hmm. Guess I’m not exactly liked either.

This is going to be tough… but I’ve got to make it work.

So—I push forward, a little forcefully.

"Alright, Kotozuka-san!"

"…You’re pushy, aren’t you?"

I grab Reina’s hand without warning. She tries to pull away, startled, but I don’t let go.

"And Kurokawa-san too!"

"Eh? Me too?"

Then I grab Kisa’s hand as well. She doesn’t resist much.

"Let’s all do our best together! Go, team!"

I raise my voice, rallying everyone with enthusiasm.

And just like that—

The protagonist’s team is formed.

…Ah.

Oops. I kind of left the protagonist out of that.

Sorry, Nagisa-kun.

I’ll fix that later—after I’ve gotten closer with everyone.