Kämpfer

When I woke up early in the morning, there was a strange woman in the mirror.

Everything was the same as usual, or so I thought. I had opened my eyes upon awakening in the morning. Twisting the faucet to wash my face before breakfast, I looked up and saw a woman peering back at me.

She was probably sixteen or seventeen year old. She had pitch black hair and neat firm lips. Her face was split by a straight nose with white skin typical of a j.a.panese person. Judging from her age it would be appropriate to describe her as a beautiful girl on the brink of becoming a beautiful woman, such was the reality of the beauty in front of me. Were she to be published in a graveur Shonen Manga magazine, her appearance would have it reaching the top of the charts without a hitch.

However even that face was displaying a perplexed expression.

I guess it was only natural to be perplexed. At any rate even I was astonished at this situation.

In the first place it was currently early morning. Moreover it was a weekday. Given that I was just an uninteresting high school student, it is unexpected that something like that would take place after school. Nevertheless, I am having a close encounter with a girl through the mirror. This is something like a miracle.

While not on the level of a wild rose bush, since I have unruly bed hair that stands up, my hair is generally ridiculous looking in the morning. My parents would point at me, openly laughing loudly at me. Even if they were my birth parents they, without allowing for any opportunity to object, had moved far away for job relocation, leaving me at home alone. My hairstyle that had become an object of ridicule for all mankind, that was what I was accustomed to seeing in the mirror. This morning in the washroom, I had been on the verge of affirming that it was still the same as always.

(What had happened……)

Given that it was still morning my mind wasn"t fully functional. That this beautiful girl being before my eyes was part of reality, this is something I still can"t believe.

(Is the world reflected by the mirror real……?)

Foolishly, I pondered such a thing. It is certainly something doubtful, but somehow it must be real. Otherwise I would never have expected a woman to suddenly appear like this.

Presumably, this would seem to be the "Awakening in the morning to find a cute girl beside your pillow" situation that people dream about. One possibility. Some time ago, while exchanging jokes with my friends we had spoken of "One day a beautiful girl will appear from inside of your desk”, I hadn"t imagined that I"d encounter it in reality.

As one would expect of j.a.pan[1]. The country of Kotodama[2].

Nevertheless, encountering such a sight in reality, as expected it is quite surprising. I do prefer girls who look quite pretty, but for one to appear without any warning.Quite possibly, this could be considered trespa.s.sing.

The girl wasn’t saying anything. Since she was an intruder, she probably wouldn’t be able to speak j.a.panese. She seemed reserved or rather surprised. Her eyes had been opened wide for some time now.

It was not unreasonable though. To encounter a man in the morning, anyone would be surprised. Sympathizing with her to some extent, I somehow managed to compose myself and reached to my hands towards the running water. I was planning to splash some water on my face to calm down.

"Ha?"

What was with this chick? That she would wash her face at the same time as me. Was this merely a coincidence, or is this hara.s.sment?

Looking in the mirror, I was surprised once again. It seemed the girl"s mouth was also open as though saying “Ha”.

A bad premonition filled my mind.

Occasionally I have a sharp intuition. I had experienced this feeling before. When my baby spotted turtle "Takkun" had died, it had been right before I received a failing grade in four consecutive subjects. I was naturally very sad afterwards. Could the turtle have sensed something?

Remaining completely motionless, I timidly reached my hand towards my cheek.

The girl was also reaching her hand towards her cheek.

In spite of my heart being overcome by panic, at that moment I pinched my cheek with my right hand.

As before the girl was also pinching her cheek.

My premonition was forming dark clouds, which enveloped my mind. Maybe, just maybe. That was me, could that really be?

While trying to calm my mind, still pinching my face as though with a vice, I breathed deeply.Once, twice. At once, my heart feeling like it was being violently stepped on, I became depressed to the point I began to stagger around like a drunk.

At this point I held my breath for the sake of suppressing a scream. Then, with all my strength, I twisted my index finger and thumb.

My cheek was inflicted with unthinkable pain.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ouch!!”

I rolled around while screaming. The girl on the other side of the mirror was similarly rolling around.

By now there was no doubt. Standing up, I looked down at my own chest in the mirror.

What existed there was a beautiful pair of abundant mounds one would hardly expect to find on a man.

“UWAA!!”

I raised what was probably the largest scream of my life.

“……Why did I become a woman?!!”

Myself who was in the mirror as well was likewise screaming the same thing.

Shouldn"t I call down first? For what reason did such a thing happen?

I am Senou Natsuru, a seventeen year old second year student in high school. Slender and of medium height. As for my grades, at one point my grades were really good, and then there was another time when my grades were really bad. In other words, I am right in them middle. My reflexes are also average. Even if I am describing myself, I really am just average guy that you can find anywhere. The only thing I take pride in is that my eyesight in both eyes exceeds 1.2. Or to put it the other way, there was nothing else I could take pride in. That"s quite sad.

Speaking of things I lack I"ve never had a girlfriend either. Both my elementary and middle school had been coed, yet when it came to girls they would all pa.s.s ahead of me without getting any closer than "friend". In regards to this it might as well say "Never had a relationship with a girl" written across my chest.

Even though that"s what one would expect.

To be able to have had a relationship with a girl. That would have been nice. You can say it would likely be delightful. However, while I have been "wishing for a girlfriend", that was no reason for me to "give up on being a man".

“UWAAAA!”

I scream one more time, though it"s not as though that did anything to change the situation.

Calm, be calm. I earnestly try to persuade myself.

Since I had already screamed twice, I put forth a great effort to restrain my mind going forward. My throat was sore. It seemed like my mind had been going through this agony for a number of hours, but in reality it had been just under ten minutes. But for the current me, that was the time it had taken for me to start to comprehend what had happened.

To start with for what reason have I turned into a woman?

I have absolutely no idea how this happened. I’ve neither received hormone injections, nor have I even been to Morocco. Nowadays by doing a search on the internet, it"s simple to find doctors who can turn you into a woman through plastic surgery, but even with all the benefits of IT something to this extent isn"t possible[3].

Well then what is this? The comeback of candid camera?

I peered into the mirror. The beautiful looking girl that was myself had very gloomy expression.

“……Showing such an expression, it spoils a beautiful person.“

I let slip something profound immediately after. Fool. What am I saying to myself?

She is pretty nevertheless. Attentively, I pondered such things. When it comes to the type of girl men like, if one were to paint a vague image in one"s mind, you could say confidently that it would resemble her more or less. In fact, with her being right there at the moment, there"s just reason to say that "spot on resemblance" is more accurate than "more or less".

If I were to encounter her in town, it goes without saying that I might fall in love as soon as I began conversing with her. If it wasn"t myself that is.

I had been looking down at what my body had become. For some time I had been looking at those extremely large b.r.e.a.s.t.s. However, it was something else that captivated me.

“……A sailor uniform!?”

Worn by girls, those who wear the sailor uniform often induce dark delusions among the men of the maturing generation.

Immediately after I wake up, I have a habit of changing into my uniform. This was because I would forget something if I waited until after breakfast since I"d be in a hurry. Since I usually oversleep, it goes more smoothly if I do it first thing in the morning. However I don’t remember putting on clothes intended for girls. Naturally I didn"t even own such things. Regarding those that have a pa.s.sion for the sailor uniform, they make up about ten percent of those over the age of thirty.

“This is our school’s uniform……”

It was exactly like the uniform of those who attended his school, to the point you could say it was the very thing itself.

At any rate it"s quite mysterious. Having become female, while that itself wasn"t a good thing, I am relieved that I am at least wearing clothes. Does that mean some shin.o.bu[4] changed my clothes? If that"s the case already, I"d like him to show up right now and return my male clothes. That uniform wasn"t cheap.

At any rate it was a sailor uniform. Like what young men wear, it included an unfashionable blazer. Furthermore there was a skirt.

“……Skirt……”

An unpleasant premonition, or perhaps a strange feeling of antic.i.p.ation, stirred within my mind.

I realized that there was n.o.body around, yet I still restlessly checked the vicinity. Confirming I was the only one around, I slowly put my hands to the hem of my skirt.

I flipped it up, and peeked under.

“……It’s a woman’s!”

What the h.e.l.l. The outcome was just as I feared. What I had purchased during the Ito-Yokado sale the other day, the briefs I bought with three 1000 yen bills, they had become girl"s underpants. The ones called panties that middle-aged men are said to sniff. They"re firmly wrapped around my thighs. On top of that they have light blue stripes. Why are they striped of all things?

I considered looking at my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but I ceased such mischievous thoughts. It"s absolutely certain that I am wearing a bra.

In spite of the despair I felt over the excessive results, I slowly returned to my room. Not just myself but my clothes as well had become those of a woman. I seem to recall an old saying that went "The body is no more than the clothes[5]", but the result is the same either way.

Having entered the room, I dropped onto my rear end with a *petan*[6].

A pretty girl was squatting with her legs in the shape of the character ハ. From an objective point of view this was quite an interesting spectacle, but I was currently by myself. It was unthinkable for me to be objective about such a thing.

Slowly, I gazed over at the clock on top of the desk. The digital numbers were informing me “If you don’t go to school soon, won’t you be late?”

"Of course I realize that," I replied to the clock. To go to school in this situation. To go as a female. When the entire world believed Senou Natsuru to be a young man. If I were to attend school looking like this my homeroom teacher would have a heart attack. As thrilling as that would be, I"d be a murderer after three seconds.

That’s not all. My cla.s.smates would be horrified as well. No, it wouldn"t be surprising even if they even sprouted hair from their hearts[7]. It"s possible that to make up for it that I"d be sold off of. It"d definitely be something like a hostess bar or a country of foam[8]. There is the issue of human rights on account of me being a minor, but then again do human rights apply to men who metamorphose into women.

I was at my wits end. Nothing decent was coming to mind. What would I do from now on.

Suddenly, I felt something uncomfortable.

(……?)

I looked at my right arm. There was a blue bracelet on it. It was emitting a pale blue light. I had no memory of possessing such a thing.

Trying to touch it, I found it cool to the touch. It was made of metal. However, as to which type of metal it was I cannot guess.

"What"s this……"

"It is proof."

"EEK!"

Hearing a voice coming from somewhere, I jumped up from my squatting position.

Turning my head I looked around the room. Even though I ought to be living alone, could there be someone here?

"Over here. Here."

In the direction of the voice, there was a plush toy.

A man who keeps plush toys in his has reprehensible taste, though in this case it couldn"t be helped. Moreover this one was extremely unusual.

There are scars here and there on its face like that of a Yakuza[9], with one eye covered with an eye patch. There were fangs sprouting from its mouth like those of a saber tooth tiger, which were quite stiff. Jutting out from its abdomen were realistically reproduced intestines.

This is the “Entrail Animal” character merchandise. It was something that was part of a commercial line of products for a certain company, the entirety of whose product line was constructed along the concept of poor looking animals with their guts gushing out.

The manufacturer who produced the merchandise had their stock prices take a nosedive immediately following its release, and to this day there is still no sign of recovery. They received a lot of pushback from the shareholders, yet they continued to be stubborn in spite of this. I honestly don"t want it either, but since it is something important, I can"t bring myself to throw it out.

The plush toy "Harakiri Tora"[10], the fifth in the entrail animal series, had been opening its mouth with a *pakapaka* since some time ago.

"You finally became aware of me huh."

It was a woman’s voice. It was somewhat Shizuka-chan-ish. Moreover it"s the new version[11]. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable as a result of the entrail animal"s appearance.

"What is on your arm is a Pledge Bracelet[12]."

[……Pledge?]

"Due to this being attached to your arm, your power is a.s.sured. It will allow you to demonstrate the greatest power in battle."

“Wait, wait a minute, wait!”

I hurriedly waved my hands. Harakiri Tora was saying some cryptic words.

"It"s incomprehensible. Why am I talking to a plush toy? For what is it that I"m pledging? In the first place why am I a woman?"

With the shock of having become a woman, I was barely able to form the words to reply to the plush toy. Think about this a little more. Aren"t I talking to a plush toy?

Harakiri Tora scratched its eyepatch.

"Is it not clear to you?"

“It"s clear to you?”

“Should I explain starting from the creation of the world?”

“I"m not interested in the Bible. What on earth is this?”

“Err, this is”

Harakiri Tora continued speaking with Shizuka-chan’s voice.

“you are now a Kämpfer[13].”

“Haa?”

Is that all this plush toy has to say.

“Kämpfer are elites for the purpose of combat. With the mighty power a.s.sured by the Pledge Bracelet, you will decimate your opponents. It"s that sort of feeling.”

“……I don"t understand it all that well.”

It felt like something I had read in the manual for a game I once played.

“So theses Kämpfer, they are people whose purpose is to fight?”

“That is correct.”

“I"ve become one of these Kämpfer?”

"Yes."

“And I fight with an enemy?”

"Of course."

"Without knowing the reason?"

"That"s right."

Without saying a word, I grabbed Harakiri Tora and threw her into the trash can.

“Waa, what did you do that for?”

“Shaddup! Such an explanation, I can"t possibly understand when all you say is "of course" and "yes"! Just go to sleep!”

It was all much too sudden. It was as though I"d been given 100 yen and ordered, "Go save the world with this."

Having turned into a woman, speaking with a plush toy, if only all of this would turn out to be a bad dream. Then this time spent as a Kämpfer would be something that never happened.

"In any case it cannot be helped."

A voice was coming from the garbage can.

“Since after all you have been chosen.”

“Is that believable?”

Even on the edge of consciousness, I was replying.

“It ought to be believable. Right now, wouldn"t you agree that you are a girl?”

Being told this, I once again looked over myself. It was a woman"s body in a sailor suit.

“Look look. That should make you understand.”

“……Not yet.”

I crossed my arms while facing the trash can.

“This woman"s body, in what way is this connected to the agreement?”

“There is no way to be a Kämpfer without becoming a woman.”

“I was a man!”

“And therefore your body became that of a girl. When they are selected, boys become girls.”

“Can"t you have an alternative be selected instead?”

“Of course not."

The trash can (that Harakiri Tora was inside of), spoke as though it was someone else"s problem.

I reached into the trash and retrieved the plush doll. In any case, I can"t afford to throw it out. I put it back on the desk

“Thanks. It is quite cramped in that trash can.”

It was really quite becoming of you though.

"That aside, what"s the deal with this bracelet?"

“The Pledge Bracelet is the sign that identifies you as a Kämpfer. When it shines, you will become a Kämpfer.”

I began examining the bracelet once again. There was no seam on it, so I had no idea how exactly they"d gone about putting it on.

“Oh, you cannot take it off.”

Harakiri Tora spoke as though it had seen through my thoughts.

“It cannot be removed except under extreme circ.u.mstances. In that case you"d completely stop being a Kämpfer.”

“How would I remove it?”

“Dying for example.”

“OI!”

Saying something like that is worthless.

“Please think of it as an accessory. It"s not that heavy.”

For certain, it was so light that that I didn"t feel any additional burden on my wrist.

“Why is it blue?”

“Are you not pleased with it?"

"Red would be good. It"s possible I could become three times as fast[14].”

“That is significant. However I wasn"t taught that.”

It let out a suppressed laugh. To be speaking like that with Shizuka-chan"s voice, it made me especially angry.

“Back to the previous discussion. Why do Kämpfer fight? And who?”

“It is because they exist for the sake of fighting. That is reality.”

Sensing I was about to toss it into the trash again, Harakiri Torashe hurriedly added one more thing.

“For Kämpfer fighting is their only raison d"être. They have been specialized explicitly for combat. You were the optimal person for this. Therefore you were selected.”

“……Even though I"m saying this about myself, anyone who say me would agree that I"m just a simple human being. In what way am I the most suitable for this?"

“Could you ask the one that to the person who chose you?"

“You didn"t chose me?”

“You were chosen by a Moderator.”

Moderator. Who is that?

“It is the one whose duty is to pick out people with the right qualities. You were perfectly suited.”

“What are you supposed to be then?”

“I am a Messenger of the Moderator. Like the messengers still spoken of in legend. An angel so to speak.”

“Something can be an angel while showing off its entrails?”

Such awful taste. Devout Christians would probably get angry if they saw this.

This is what the story appears to be. That is to say, I was chosen by the Moderators to be a Kämpfer. There"s a bracelet as proof, and I take on the form of a woman to fight.

“It seems you understand, right.”

The plush doll’s tone had become like that of a teacher"s. I was staring at it with absolute hatred.

“So, although I’ve been asking for a while, you haven"t explained for what purpose I"d be fighting for.”

“……”

“Are you trying to imitate a plush doll?”

I was rummaging inside the desk. There should be a one hundred yen lighter somewhere. I don"t smoke tobacco, but it a.s.suredly is something useful to have. Such as setting fire to synthetic fibers.

“Fire is not alright. Vinyl gives off a terrible smell when it burns.”

“Weren"t you not speaking?”

I produced the lighter from within. There was also gas.

“Therefore can you please stop.”

“Why don"t you also beg in the voice of Shizuka-chan like before?”[15]

I can"t say it out loud, but the present manner was quite pleasing.

“As a matter of fact even I do not know. Why do they fight?”

“You"re speaking like that now?”[16]

“Since the Moderators are stingy, they haven"t informed me of that. I wasn"t that curious either.”

"You serve no purpose. None other than having your entrails gushing out of your stomach."

“It is because I am a plush toy.”

I put the lighter away in my skirt pocket. It doesn"t matter to me if it"s the worst for the skirt. I let out a deep sigh.

“But hey, since I am am going to be fighting, then I would a.s.sume there"s an opponent to fight, right?”

“That is so.”

“Who is it?”

“That"s confidential.”

“This motherf.u.c.ker.”

I do not know whether this is manly, but for the moment I cursed like this.

“By now you should understand. Since you a.s.suredly are a Kämpfer.”

The only thing I could understand was that there didn"t seem to be any reason to fight.

I once again grabbed my head. What one earth is this? All of a sudden I"m being told I have to fight as this thing called a Kämpfer, or something like that. In what way can I possibly agree to something like!?

“Hahhahha. Looks like you cannot accept this reality.”

That"s obvious. You dare to laugh in such a carefree way about this. In the first place I"ve never before believed that the things this plush doll was explaining existed as part of reality.

“However this is indeed reality. You are a Kämpfer just as I told you. It is all true without any falsehood.”

“…………”

“Can you not accept this?”

Well I must admit.

“It seems you are beginning to understand at any rate. Since after all you a.s.suredly are a Kämpfer.”

I gazed into Harakiri Tora’s eyes.This guy"s talk seems completely bogus no matter how you look at it. However it didn"t seem likely that she had some outrageous ulterior motive.

If I were to believe the words of this guy, I had been selected to become this kind of existence. The fact I had become a woman was proof of this. Moreover I was told that this form is for fighting.

Even so the idea of fighting gives me an unpleasant feeling. Is this guy"s intention to to insist upon me engaging in battle without even knowing the reason?

“This is what you become when it is time to fight.”

Said Harakiri Tora.

“Having been chosen as a Kämpfer, that you must fight is unconditional.”

“Why is it that I must fight?”

"It will be clear soon enough.”

Only at times like this does the plush doll become full of self-confidence. It"s a tendency of Shizuka-chan.

Feeling that any more questions would be pointless, I stopped talking. Since even if I were to continue asking, it wouldn"t say much more than that. Also it would probably just pretend to be a plush toy again.

I gazed over at the clock. I was on the verge of being late."

“Oh, that"s the most important thing!”

“That"s enough, please withhold any further questions?”

“I"ll burn you. Do I have to remain as a woman?!”

I have to go to school already. Now that"s it"s come to this, I’ll have to run without eating breakfast, so why don"t you finally answer my question. Having to attend school as a girl + a sailor uniform, that was like a punishment game.

"Is it painful being a woman?"

“That"s a misunderstanding!"

"Although it is possible to revert you to being a man.”

Immediately the world before my eyes became brighter. Minamoto Shizuka-sama, can I revert to being a boy as usual?

“Oi get on with it already.”

“In order do this you absolutely must fight.”

“What"s up with that?”

“It is a simple reason. If you continue to win fights successively, you will have no more enemies, and hence you will have no reason to turn into a female. In that case you can remain a man permanently.”

“I see……wait, isn"t that a considerably long way off!”

“But your wish would come true in that case.”

“You complete idiot! This is something of immediate importance. I can"t go to school like this!”

“Hmm”

Harakiri Tora had been contemplating for a short while.

“There is no other way. I will teach you a way to return to your original form instantly.”

“That’s it, teach me. No, please teach me!”

I had grabbed ahold of the plush toy. The present me was prepared to bow my head as many times as it takes towards the Shizuka-voiced Harakiri Tora.

“You are quite impatient.”

“What do you expect of an Edokko[17]. Teach me immediately. Hurry up already!”

“Well then please close your eyes.”

“Alright.”

As I was told, I closed both eyes. Only Harakiri Tora’s voice could be heard.

“Well then, here I go.”

Go? What is she doing?

An instant after I began to experience doubt, I suffered a severe blow to my abdominal region.

A throbbing pain came from the base of my abdomen. This d.a.m.n plush doll, it had struck me. Next time I"m going to burn her for sure. With those final thoughts, the inside of my head became pitch black.

“HAH!”

My eyes awakened.

I jumped up on reflex. Overenthusiastically kicking aside the futon, I ended up falling back onto the bed.

Bed? I looked around the inside of the room. It was the room I was familiar with. The usual morning scenery.

I timidly gaze at myself. My b.r.e.a.s.t.s weren"t large.

Hurriedly getting out of bed, and peered into the television that was not receiving electricity. Since my room has no mirror, I use this as a subst.i.tute.

There was no mistaking that it was myself, as there was a man"s face there.

A great joy surged from the depths of my heart.

“Ah… I did it!”

I raised a shout of ten-thousand year old quality[18] I am a man that didn"t become a woman. Everything was as it had been. There exists no such beings as Kämpfer.

While jumping up and down I approached the front of the desk.

"You, it was all a lie huh. That you were returning me to normal."

I said this to Harakiri Tora. However there was no reply.

“Hey……?”

I brought my face in close. It was motionless without so much as twitching. I grabbed it and shook it, but there was no reaction. Even when seizing the tusks growing from its mouth, they were sown on perfectly and hadn"t moved all day. Despite its looks it was just an ordinary plush toy.

Ideas were swirling around my mind. Harakiri Tora the plush toy continued sleeping. Apparently the events that had been happening up until a short while ago didn"t actually happen. Perhaps, all of it had just been a dream.

“I see……what a dream.”

I steadily began to rejoice.

“YEAH! It was a dream, it was only a dream!”

I don"t care that I have started talking to myself. I was jumping for joy. Turning into a woman to be a Kämpfer, as well as being forced to fight under circ.u.mstances I don"t understand, such outrageous things were no longer happening.

“Hurray, hurray, with this I’m just an ordinary person. I am unrelated to things like combat!”

I was running around the room while jumping for joy. Even compared to having a year"s worth of holidays, it couldn"t compare to the joy I was experiencing. After have finished thoroughly jumping for joy, thinking that I should probably go to school, I suddenly looked at my arm.

I doubted my own eyes. There was a pale blue bracelet. Could this possibly be……?

“You would agree that it is not a dream, right?”

Harakiri Tora shook her head while saying that with a sigh.

Given tat it was the cruel time for attending school, I went outside in a gloomy mood. When I raised my eyes the sky was cloudy. It was the the worst for improving my mood. and while I looked up outside I saw cloudy weather. This good feeling was the worst.

"This isn"t a dream by any means. This is all reality," Harakari Tiger told me point blank. I wish I heard such a thing, but it seems there"s no good in denying it. I asked the question that came to mind "Why were you being silent?", but it had pitifully answered "Since you seemed really delighted."

“But is this not good? It seems you returned to your male form.”

Hearing Harakiri Tora making something like an argument with that manner of speaking was raising my blood pressure.

"It"s not fine. Having to suffer such a severe blow to change back is the worst. Isn"t there a much more preferable means?"

“In truth you would change back automatically. I just wanted to do it in a mischievous manner.”

“Don"t ever do that.”

The area around my abdomen was still painfully throbbing.

“Right right. It would be good idea to buy clothes.”

“I have no interest in fashion.”

I in no way understood the idea of spending money on clothes. Even when I browse fashion magazines, all the clothes appear to resemble one another. After all what is fashionable changes frequently.

“I was not talking about menswear. I was talking about women"s clothing. Would those not be necessary for when you have transformed.”

Huh? Why would I ever need to purchase women"s clothes?

To my doubts, Harakiri Tora nodded as though it was natural.

“When you metamorphose, your male school uniform transforms into the female one. However that is the only one. Therefore other clothes will not transform.”

“Shouldn"t it be okay with whatever I happen to be wearing at the time?”

“Most likely the size wouldn"t match.”

Come to think of it, my b.r.e.a.s.t.s among other things become huge.

But how would I go about getting such things like women’s clothes? If a man were to enter such a shop alone, wouldn"t he immediately get treated as a pervert? Moreover when it comes to underwear……I"d rather not think about such topics.

“Then, in that case why don"t I just turn into a woman?”

“So it has come to this just as expected.”

“Don"t be so delighted about it. I was only asking.”

“It was not me who made you transform just now, that was something that happens automatically. For the time being.”

“And the conditions are?”

"That is something you will become clear from now on."

This plush toy, it seems that it"s going to put on airs of superiority until the bitter end. d.a.m.n it. I won"t forget this.

Time is up at this point. I was stuck with going to school without any breakfast. Harakiri Tora was saying “Buy some rice to eat on the way, then you can finish it while your walking. Please don"t care about getting anything for me.” That was obvious. Who would care about you?

I was on the verge of being late, but I did stop by a convenience store on the way. In a hurry I purchased onigiri[19]. As I was previously told, I considered eating it while I was walking, but I gave up on that idea because it was just shameful. It will okay to wait until the first break.

In order to make up for being late, I began to run in earnest. I rounded a certain corner.

“Uwah！”

“Kyah!”

Having collided with someone, I stumbled. The other person turned around.

“S……sorry. Huh?”

After apologizing on reflex, I saw the person"s face. Oh snap, it was a person I know.

“I’m so sorry. I was looking the other way……no way, Natsuru-san?”

The other person I had collided with was a girl.

"Thank goodness……that"s not what I should be saying. But I felt somewhat relieved that it was someone I know."

Sakura Kaede was laughing to hide her embarra.s.sment.

She has an invigorating face topped by l.u.s.trous hair. She was somewhat short of stature with graceful body lines. Sakura-chan is the idol of the school. Simply put, she was among the top five beautiful gives at our school, and with her personality she was easily at the top. If I who turned into a girl were to be thought of as only "more or less", it would be due to her.

She is an object of many high school boys at our school, and naturally I also admired her. Moreover I have been her cla.s.smate since middle school. Speaking on my own behalf, I have been a hardcore admirer.

I waved my hand saying “Don"t worry about it” to Sakura-san.

“It"s fine it"s fine. Since it"s not as though I fell over.”

“Is that so? Natsuru-san is very kind.”

This is unbearable. As a benefit of having been in the same cla.s.s back in middle school, she addresses me by my first name. While being struck by my heart"s rapid beating, I feigned calmness.

“Why don"t we go to school together?”

“That"s fine. Since I’m already late.”

Sakura-san consented while smiling at me.

I was so overcome with joy I was able to forget the events from this morning. To be able to go to school with Sakura-san when it"s just the two of us, that is a tale of incredible luck. For the boys aiming to become acquainted with her, they"d be willing to pay by the minute for this. Though it was unexpected, since it’s like using up a lifetime of good luck, as of today winning the lottery will likely be impossible.

The two of us were walking to school side by side. The mood feels much like a date.

“You seem to be cheerful Natsuru-san. Did something good happen?”

“It certainly did. I got to meet Sakura-san.”

The line I let slip out could be said to be uncool, but Sakura-san didn"t find it foolish at all.

“Aha. I also think it"s nice to have met Natsuru-san. It"s a good thing to oversleep on occasion.”

Replying with such a quality smile, that"s one of her favorable points. But Sakura-san, in this situation that can make a man misunderstand.

Sorry but I did not misunderstand. It would be expected for her that she"d be going out with someone, yet there are no rumors of such a thing. However many good boys spoke up without wavering, the legend was that, “Even if you pa.s.sed the exam for Toudai[20] you would fail when it came to Kaede.” Even for myself when there was this and that opportunity to be with Sakura-san, it is my belief that even if I were to express my feelings it would only end with me being completely rejected. Therefore I should just enjoy the present state of affairs.

“Since I"ve had some unpleasant things happening since this morning. It was nice to have met Sakura-san.”

“Is that so?”

I am listening anxiously.

"Just a second. Whatever, it"s fine...or rather, I"ve given up." (!)

I recall a profoundly heavy feeling; I cannot forget the unforgettable, and I decide to push the matter into the farthest corner of my mind.

“That’s right. How is the plush doll I gave you?”

“I-it’s there, decorating the top of my desk.”

“Good, I love that series, I’ve already acc.u.mulated the complete collection; I’ve even been fostering any that have been discarded.”

Sakura-san was innocently delighted at this.

Yes, the Entrails Animal Series stuffed animal was given to me by Sakura-san; so he cannot trash or abandon it.

He had a different sense of taste, it was “cute” but it also fit other criterion such as “cute and grotesque,” in all sincerity I also thought it was cute. So, the glo-series one I have, I had loved it without hesitation. No, of course, my comic taste is also out of admiration for her.

According to rumors, Sakura-san’s room is even like stepping into a world of Entrails Animal Goods.

“Do you think Harakiri Tora is cute?”

What a difficult question to answer.

“Ye-yeah, distinctly.”

“I’m happy to hear you say so.”

“I bet it would have a voice like Shizuka-chan.”

That pained me; Sakura-san had a mystified look on her face.

The school road has no one else on it; we have plenty of time, the only other people here are jobless and tardy students. Sakura-san and I are obviously of the latter group.

We were talking silly while we continued along. Or rather, the topic was about Entrails Animals with Sakura-san, while I was trying to desperately continue the deflected conversation. She must have remembered the frustration and cleverly doctored conversation skills, following every morning to bring more to light.

While Sakura-san was talking, my sight kept flickering to my right arm.

“…What is that bracelet?”

An example is the bracelet, while I touch it,

“No, well I often wear this bracelet.”

“What brand is it?”

“Come now, how should I say this, Kämpfer?”

“…A German brand?”

It is not a brand at all. To begin with it’s not even a fashion accessory.

Obviously, since I can remember, I cannot leave this bracelet and its pledge. There is no seam, so I cannot resist or take it off. Not that I care anymore, but when asked to explain like now, it is troublesome.

What do I say, considering the moment?

“Ooh, its shining.”

Quickly checking, as Sakura-san said the bracelet is, in fact, shining.

A thin blue light was shining, flickering at regular intervals. This is the first time for this reaction; a sign of transformation maybe or…?

“do… do you need to do something?”(!)

The worst thing that can happen is becoming a woman here, outside next to Sakura-san. Once she’s seen me transform, she may call out; even better still, I could become a test specimen in someplace-somewhere.

“Uuh hey, Sakura-san. I’m sorry but I have to go on ahead.”

“Ah, how unfair Natsuru-san. Didn’t you say we could go together?”

Her cheeks are adoringly inflated. The Infatuation meter has risen; I cannot afford this absentmindedness. While striving to be calm,

“For I remembered. Well, For what we have. And anyways I have to leave here soon.” (!)

“I will also run if you do.”

Sorry, sorry. Please let me go alone somehow.

The bracelet’s blinking is speeding up. This horrible childish feeling is rapidly becoming reality. An earnestly dangerous situation.

Abruptly I saw a protruding gun’s muzzle.

“…A gun?”

I was speechless.

I watched keenly. Humans are not funny, and jokes about how nothing unexpected happens, strangely seemingly settled down my mind. At gunpoint that was now the case.

“What’s this? A woman and my enemy chattering, do you have eyes now?”

The primary gun, that the talking woman has, is enormous, but looks like a dummy.

She was slightly lower than my height; her tone of voice was terrible. Her skin was white and stylish, but no matter how “Beautiful” you cla.s.sified the appearance, just as beautiful were sharp eyes profusely saying, “Caution Vicious Dog” as a poster would, and I would not be surprised with the poster having her picture on it.

“This sleepy man is the enemy blocking the story of innovation. He is a man and failed to hear me, what you are fancifully last?”

She wore a bored expression, and then pulled the trigger.

“Just a, please wait!”

Since we were about to be killed, we hurriedly raised out hands.

“What’s this all of the sudden! A mugging?!”

“Idiot, what are you f.u.c.king saying? A mugger as beautiful as this exists?”

She also referred to herself as a rare beauty.

“Apparently not!”

“What’s you name then? Mine is Mishima Akane [Beautiful Island of Crimson Noise]”

“I am Senou[Torrent of skill] Natsuru… Isn’t that a gun!”

“What, this?”

She was dangling the muzzle a bit.

“This guy is mai~ weapon. The trigger can blow bullets out of you; one can even open some breathing holes, if it hits your skull, literary don’t you think?”

Where is the literature, what!?

The girl was, as usual, staring with eyes like a dog on the verge of pouncing. Come one! Come all! Less hostile, murderous satisfaction.

“So what’s the hold up here!?”

“Shut up man! Stop talking!”[21]

It is not such a hard question and my life is on the line here!

“When suddenly everybody is about to be killed?!”

Wishing to ignore my appeal, her line of sight shifted. There, failing to understand the situation, is the figure of Sakura-san.

“Huh? You guy is that your girl?”[22]

I would be very glad if that was the case, but unfortunately it is not. There is no red; okay there are no others.

She stared at Sakura-san and watched her.

“What Sakura-san isn’t it? Aren"t we Cla.s.smates?”

Now that you mention it, this girl is wearing our school uniform. But it has been customized with a shorter short sleeve hem. At any rate this is Sakura-san’s cla.s.smate, so that means, I am in the same high school as her?

“Hey, we go to the same f.u.c.king school”

“Really?”

Akane put returned the muzzle.

“Hey I can’t do without battling as I am expected to. Such as what I troubled to have said. To go against, come on! Instead of scratching my crotch at home, so I should do something a little constructive.”

What’s Constructive huh? It is being destructive me. Furthermore, prospects of reconstruction are zero.

“What good is that! Since you are my enemy, I will beat you to death.”

Enemy? “Enemy trouble,” perhaps?

Suddenly, my bracelet is flickering at the speed of lightning. My body started to move involuntarily.

“Dowaa!?”

“Oh, this motherf.u.c.ker!”

Like I was being pulled into something like that. I’m running, not much however, the distance past one corner.

The vicious dog woman, I understand, is chasing me while holding a gun, but I wasn’t that much better.

Flashing emissions from the bracelet continued. A pale light envelops my entire body. A little glow was spreading; my whole body feels like it was washed away.

The light suddenly disappeared.

“Ahh…”

Looking down at my body. Sailor uniform with large b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and a short-skirt; the woman I had changed into this morning.

No light relieved him, but at the same time he wanted to hang his neck. Son of a b.i.t.c.h, this morning was also reality? As a bonus I met with Sakura-san if it continued, but there was the hold up by the foul-mouthed woman. However it is complicated with the transformation into a woman. Is it blessing in disguise to be hidden away from Sakura-san, but what am I now?

“Haa… Ahahahahaa…!”

I heard wild laughter; unnoticed for some time, the woman with the gun in one hand was laughing.

“Great I say! As I had thought you were also a Kämpfer!”

I was frightened.

She was proudly pointing at him. If you look closely there was also a bracelet fitted on her right arm.

“It is as such because there wasn’t many motherf.u.c.kers [to fight] there.”

I see the gunpoint coming at me.

“Haa!? Why are you expected to fight me?”

“Why come on you don’t know? Kämpfer fight for the sake of existing. I will blow your head off to Jupiter!”

“I heard. Even so you…”

“Kämpfer are enemies to Kämpfer a.s.suredly.”

This is the first time hearing this. Harakiri Tora had mentioned a fight against [Secret], did she mean this?

However, how am I expected to fight? This woman has a weapon in her hand pointed in my direction. My opponent won’t go easy on me just because I don’t have a weapon. Rather she opened fire, while abhorrently laughing.

“Do it soon! If you don’t run away I’m going to shoot you.”

“If I escape you won’t shoot!?”

“Well, shooting.”

She squeezed the trigger.

A bullet flew out from the muzzle on the brink of me, and my body moved.

Akane after looking right… She carried the gun outside towards me, naturally when that happened I jumped from where I was, literally without any regards to my intent.

Although a bullet just pa.s.sed through where I had just been standing.

Akane, now provoked, narrowly glance around murmuring “this motherf.u.c.ker” overlooked me, when she was suddenly embraced.

The vicious dog-woman drew the trigger in quick succession.

And how, her fingers cramped up suddenly from bring her index finger back and forth continuously, like drunkards on New Year’s Eve spitting out lead bullets.

Already off of the route to school and onto a noisy construction site; certainly her firearm had to be loaded again and again, but it should be limited, whereas Akane had been shooting indefinitely.

For this reason I have no margin of error.

I dodged all the bullets flying at me. I also was, and without regard to the difficulty, moving my whole body, automatically, to escape past fences and telephone poles.

Timidly take a quick look while unseen, Akane’s facial expression had become incessantly stern.

“Very well done, isn’t it.”[23]

Thank you for the praise. I’m just going to run away now.

“However, Hey! Know this, my Gewehr[gun] can, infact, blow a wall to the stars. How many bullets, however, can your a.s.s receive like shots from National Health Insurance.

It’s no joke. Yes! Pierce this wall with your tool, try to do something to my beautiful a.s.s. What, there is nothing like it over there. I expect this is unfair.[24]

“Nothing is expected is it not.”

Hear me hated one[25], putting my thought into words is a bad habit that’s not going to change.

However, whether or not there will be time to change that, this vicious dog woman is earnestly trying to kill me.

Its time.

Instead Sakura-san unexpectedly made an appearance.

“Natsuru… san?”

After hearing that I became stiff. I abruptly ran because, maybe, I can visit these circ.u.mstances.

“Ehh… Natsuru-san… haa…?”

Fierce dog woman quickly turned the gun towards her.

“As yet hated[26], obediently continue on to school like a good-Samaritan.

Those eyes have a look like an actual hound detecting its prey. Or, possibly like the look my father gives to the spectator rapid-fire sneezing in a movie theater.

s.h.i.t girl, no intruding!”

The trigger finger connected.[27]That’s dangerous Sakura-san!! I spoke out at once.

“Hey!”

Simultaneously, the palm of my hand became hotter.

Surprisingly, considering the moment, a crimson flame came twisting from my fingers.

The large flaming fireball next plunged forward to Akane. Without change it stole the fence on the opposite side with a direct hit.

The explosion smashed into the brick wall, shattering it into pieces.

“…!?”

Words of astonishment came from Sakura-san.

The Handgun carrying girl however, did not receive any shock.

“b.a.s.t.a.r.d…Zauber[Sorcery]?"

“Hee? Zauber…?”

“Don’t play innocent. And I thought it was funny you were empty handed. Hey! Invoking items from your hand requires considerable refinement.”

More importantly I had a sensation of being hit by a steel frame being place on my head.

This morning I have met various things like a woman entwined in a plush doll that had talked, but the final blow had been the fireball exiting my hand. “Perhaps the whole of what Harakiri Tora was saying had been a lie, that I would be only a high school student,” clinging, but I had no grounds for hope, and it is tragically extinct. Kämpfer’s t.i.tle had now become Katakana[ケンプファー ] .[28]Mother, father; life sure is an irrational thing, that can be a.s.sured.

“What! The fact is I am hanging at the point of death.”

“…Preetenssee”

“Well good! After all this time you can feel free, the killing will finally be done!”[29]

“Wait! To that extent, wait up!"

“I’m exhausted from your omissions!”

The gun is being prepared to come piercing through me. Filling the distance in order to certainly intending to kill. In good order the face and its fierce dog like emotions, was rapidly closing in.

When seeing that face, about to be dead like an ant lion being blown away. The person is a.s.suredly serious. I have to be on guard, but from the fire ball from a while ago already, it seems, had not brought this to an end. A jet engine in my brain, flying around like a revolving lantern.[30]

Unpredictably, the fierce dog woman’s movement stopped.

The muzzle pointed in this direction as it was bore, I noticed what I was looking at.

Her gaze is being filled by the bracelet on my right arm.

“…tchi”

Clicking her tongue while swinging her right hand. To the extent the handgun had went in order to kill and erase me.

“Dear it is not it.”

Akane said and spit out, turned herself around, the handgun quickly followed suit.

Afterwards the woman left leaving me and Sakura-san.

“…Umm…”

Sakura-san coming to speak. It is troubling as to how I should reply to her, gently smile and run away silently.

Just as that woman here had, I will follow her plan however.