Volume 1 Chapter 3: Just like this, the Twin Tails is formed

Volume 1 Chapter 3: Just like this, the Twin Tails is formed.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!”

My cry of torment marked the beginning of one particular morning.

Although by now I am familiar with Ultimaguils appearing on TV, the news report today had taken a turn out of the ordinary.

Today’s news was a special investigation all about my post-transformation alter-ego.

To the side of the newscaster were displayed an unashamed slideshow of photos and videos from what happened yesterday.

Did someone actually recorded and submitted all this!?

“Your name! Please tell me your name!”

“Ah…Red, I’m Tail Red…ah, wait!”

“You’re so cute! Please allow me to call you my big sister!”

“Isn’t she more like a younger sister? Hah-hah (heavy breathing), let’s go change clothes together!”

“Wah-- I need to go back now--, please open the way!!”

I was being smothered by a mob of schoolgirls on the TV screen.

The twintailed young girl looked confused and on the verge of tears.

The chaotic scene on display was the total opposite of the serenity and peacefulness of a typical morning.

“Why would anyone record any of this…?”

Even though I only made up the name of my alter-ego yesterday, right now on the TV were displayed the words ‘Tail Red’.

Aika, who already had her breakfast at home but still ran to our cafe for toast, had her expression noticeably darken as she watched the report.

“…Souji, so that happened to you yesterday…having your face cushioned in girls’ bosoms…offering no resistance whatsoever…aren’t you happy!?”

“That’s what happens when you get hugged with that height difference! It’s not like I should use the TailGear to shake them off by force, right!? What is this, why are both guys and girls so fond of me anyways…”

“Breasts here…breasts there…you’re kidding me, there isn’t a single flat chest anywhere! Is this the Ultimaguil’s fault too!?”

Aika radiated an anger that I couldn’t hope to understand, as a man.

But because of this, I should act like a man and encourage her.

“Don’t get so riled up at what other people have! You should be bravely confronting your own assets instead!!”

“Eat my fist!”

“Gah!”

Of course, she couldn’t understand at all, so I ended up vomiting blood for my trouble.

Coincidentally, what was displayed on the TV right now could also make one cough up blood.

While there was a bit of friendly petting involved, the expressions of those schoolgirls were downright terrifying. Even through the TV screen I could remember that feeling akin to being held close in a vice grip.

Even if it’s a girls’ school, it’s not good to reveal such an expression in front of what appears to be a young elementary school girl, right?

It seems the videos were taken with ordinary cell phones, by the way. Even though there was some amateur camera shake going on, the picture quality was surprisingly good. I felt like I’ve been underestimating the features built into phones nowadays.

I thought then if I could just finish the battle in a flash there should be no trouble, even if there was an audience watching. Of course, reality proved my optimism flawed.

By allowing this post-battle scene where I was messed around by a bunch of schoolgirls to occur, the public eye was now fixated on “Tail Red” the mysterious hero, for good or ill.

“I really respect that young girl.”

A man with sunglasses and wavy hair in a suit was receiving an interview. He says he’s someone related to that school.

That guy wasn’t even there yesterday, please at least interview someone who looked like they were on the scene!

“We intend to ask the Police for further information with regards to that mysterious girl—“

“What, don’t go bother me, go investigate the Ultimaguil!”

Even ignoring investigating the global broadcast by the alien invaders yesterday, how frivolous can you guys actually be?

“How wonderfully cute, this little Tail Red-chan ♪”

“Be quiet-----!”

Mom was sipping tea while relaxing on the sofa.

It’s her child they’re talking about on the news. As a mother, she should show a bit more concern.

My teenage rebelliousness meter rose up by yet another tick.

“Souji-sama, Souji-sama, look! This here is a Tail Red blog and a Tail Red wiki and a Tail Red fansite and a Tail Red observation site! The whole internet is talking about you!”

Twoearle happily ran over with her laptop in hand.

“But I’ve only transformed twice now, what’s with all this stuff--!!”

How much do they even have on me, even going so far to having a wiki.

I could only shed tears of despair.

I thought I could get this done quietly, but now all of Japan, all of the world is buzzing on about me in my ‘girl form’.

Even on foreign websites it’s become a hot topic.

Some dedicated individual even translated what was said back into Japanese, with a passage reading something like ‘Japanese people really are living in the future.’ …If at all possible I would like to go back to the past, then.

Twoearle was now kneeling respectfully in front of Mom, who was wearing her apron like a cape.

“…Twoearle-chan, it seems So-chan is still a virgin…”

“It’s my regrettable and shameful failure.”

“Magnanimous though I may be, I would not extend my mercy just to hear your failures for a third or a fourth time though…?”

“Yes…! Tonight I will definitely succeed!”

What are they doing? Although I couldn’t hear them very well, are they roleplaying as an evil organization?

It’s great to see you living your dreams all these years later, Mom.

The two tearfully embrace. Tears more like those shed by men than women wetted their cheeks.

“Ah…”

“Wh, what’s the matter? Souji?”

Due to several aforementioned reasons, usually by the time I arrived at school I would already be utterly exhausted.

“Although I was somewhat mentally prepared for this, I didn’t actually think things would turn out this way…What should I do from now on?”

I felt uneasy in a way that was wholly unlike what I felt yesterday.

“Well, it is something that affects the whole world. Just look on the bright side, at least it’s not news about something more worth worrying over like something politicians did or someone being arrested.”

“Even so, the news reporters were way too obsessed with Tail Red weren’t they?”

I completely couldn’t understand why everyone focused on the hero rather than the alien invaders.

And that hero is just a little girl. …No, it’s because the hero is a little girl, isn’t it…

Although the invasion method being relatively gentle is a blessing in disguise, isn’t acting like this being a little too peaceful?

“Anyways, the secret base made by that person sure feels awfully chuuni. Even though it was really some super-technological marvel, there’re loads of unnecessary gauges all over the walls.”

“Ah, yes. I’m not exactly sure why there was an escalator entrance installed in the back of the cafe.”

Yesterday night was the grand opening of that newly finished secret base.

Mom of course was loudly excited about everything, but even the usually foul-mouthed Aika was surprised by how the base turned out.

The main battle station was connected to the satellite control room.

There was even a long-range space jump catapult for rapid deployment. Unlike the teleportation pen earlier with its maximum range of several kilometers, this catapult lets me go across the planet in a blink. Is this something that could really be done in a single night…?

“Oh well, at least Twoearle last night was fairly upfront about it, and this is a secret base constructed to protect humanity, so it can’t be helped.”

As an aside, in the furthest end of the secret base was a room which, although Aika didn’t see, the contents therein gave me the shivers.

Designs lay scattered around the desk inside that particular room. And there were also plenty of half-constructed machinery within. It was likely a weapons development room.

On a wall-mounted display one can barely make out amongst the constantly changing letters the terrifying words “Anti-Aika System”---

Aika, it appears that the resentment you’ve caused is gradually building up…

==

After another mentally exhausting day at school, just when I thought I could go take a good rest back at home…

“-----Why are you guys following this routine of coming in one at a time every single dayyyyy!!”

In the instant I arrived at home the alarm which signified an Elemerian sighting went off, which meant another trip to the secret base for me.

This was so well-timed I felt like I was being monitored.

The fact that this happened for three days in a row is a little scary.

If this is really how they fight, they should be seeing results pretty soon.

“Aaah…I finally get to meet you, Tail Red!!”

Right now in front of me appears a new monster, and this one was doing a particularly sickeningly pose too.

Although I was prepared to face multiple guildies popping up in different places at once, this sort of regular interval yet piecemeal appearances was more exhausting than I previously thought.

No matter what, the actual quantity of the enemy remains unknown. This type of marathon with no end in sight is the most mentally torturous of all.

“Ugh, I’m going to do you in.”

As I activated my blazer blade, the monster happily introduced himself.

“I am one who had his soul stolen by ribbons, also known as Fox Guildy. I hope this count as making acquaintances, my beautiful goddess.”

“Who would want to remember you!”

This monster had an appearance obviously similar to that of a fox, a slim figure unlike the bulky musclebound Elemerians faced previously.

“Fuu…that cute appearance combined with that pair of beautiful and powerful ribbons, just by looking I feel flushed with emotion.”

The melodious voice of his like a professional voice actor just makes one even more riled up than usual.

It is fortunate that he appeared in a deserted place, and there was no audience today. Judging from what happened in yesterday’s battle, it appears they might want to quickly determine the winner.

But this time, the Ultimaguils didn’t try to announce their presence, but chose to show up in a deserted location. This means the last two battles weren’t in vain after all. They’ve taken my power into account, and perhaps adapted a more reserved strategy instead.

With nothing else to say, I began powering up my blazer blade.

However, it seems like Fox Guildy remained unperturbed even in the face of my instant death flame sword.

“Although this sword was the one that slayed my perverse compatriots, you also drew this out from your ribbons. It feels like as if it’s fate at work.”

Fox Guildy drew a ribbon out of nowhere, and flashed a flirtatious smile. After pretending to do something with it for a while, he tossed his ribbon into the air.

As if it was performing gymnastics, the ribbon twirled and danced towards me. But before I could swing at it with my sword, the ribbon lapped a few times around me and returned to Fox Guildy’s side.

“…What are you doing?”

“Oooh…turning out like this to such an extent…fufu.”

Fox Guildy vomited blood and knelt down in what appears to be an overreaction similar to those found in shoujo manga.

What is this fellow doing? Can I chop him up now?

“Haah, haah…be crystalized-----my love!!”

Fox Guildy injects his element into the ribbon.

The free-floating ribbon suddenly stopped, and then like magnetic fluid begun to change shape.

“…Oh!?”

When I was at the limits of my patience, the ribbon suddenly split into two distinct shapes, reminiscent of my TailGear’s force rivons, letting my curiosity suddenly overtake my cautiousness.

Just then, a pair of twintails sprouted from those force rivons just like a dove from a magician’s hat.

“Ohh!!”

I couldn’t stop myself from immediately applauding, which lost me my best chance to interrupt the guildy’s magic spell.

From twintails to the head, from head to the body, the ribbon transforms into the parts in question. Finally, with the legs transformed as well, a full sized doll is the result.

“This is…wait, on closer look doesn’t this look like me!!”

That thing is me…looks exactly like Tail Red from head to toe.

“A ribbon is something that links two ends together…while also being the ultimate accessory to highlight twintails themselves. I must apologize for overstepping my place in combining your most holy twintails element with my own element.”

“This, this replicated my power?”

“No way. This is nothing more than a mirror image. This is nothing but a simple copy, a mere puppet. I don’t even have Lizard Guildy’s powerful doll element, so I’m unable to make this puppet move.”

According to Twoearle, every human holds within themselves more than one element…so what was just said means that even for Elemerians who were born from single Elemera Orbs, are also capable of wielding multiple elements together?

Although this guy only has his ribbon element, he can borrow doll element from someone else to combine with his own…!

“However…if we only look at appearances, as you can see, it’s almost exactly like the original.”

Fox Guildy, as if handling something that could easily crumble in careless hands, delicately fondles the puppet’s twintails.

His expression was like that of a kindly old man looking at his grandchildren playing in the courtyard.

It was so very gentle, so even though I was the subject of...

“Eh, eh, eh…”

Due to the scene unfolding before me, goose bumps appeared all over my skin, and I involuntarily took a couple steps back.

However, this atrocity continued uninterrupted.

“Hah!”

A brilliant flash, which made me believe was precluding a sneak attack, was actually his prompt to hold the model’s hands gentlemanly and dance together.

Like I said in my first impression of the student council president, twintails are very compatible with dancing. Although this was in reality a dance between a monster and a puppet, the power of imagination made it seem more than an illusion, and looked as if a real dance was taking place.

“Uuuuarrrraggh!!”

The twintails bounced in time to my cry of torment.

It’s just a puppet, it’s only just a puppet…

Even though I forced myself to say this again and again, it was useless. After all, it was a puppet that looked exactly like me dancing with a pervert. I started cold sweating all over.

“Fuu…”

Although the dance was over, the nightmare was not.

Right in this moment of tension, Fox Guildy crossed his arms and exhaled.

It’s as if he’s trying to make this look as normal as possible.

But.

“Fuu…don’t run away. I didn’t clean you up yet, so let’s wait for the bathwater to cool a bit first okay?”

He was trying to mix something that was utterly deviant into normality. It was a delusional version of what was normal.

“What are you doing to me in your head you bastard-----!”

In his delusion I was stark naked. As I imagined this I felt utterly disgusted.

This was the first time in my life I almost wetted myself due to something other than terror.

…Eh, I could faintly remember there’s a feature in the TailGear that could help with that, although I’ve tried to forget all about it.

“Ah, wait a moment!”

Fox Guildy continued talking to the puppet.

“Right after your bath, you got yourself all sticky eating a popsicle, what a bad child, fufu… (In a singing voice)”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh-----!!”

I rolled around the ground while holding my head.

“Souji-sama, for someone like this, just charge straight at him and crush him!!”

Twoearle interjects in a tone that was filled with jealousy.

In the back I can hear Aika crying out something like “Disgusting”. That’s Fox Guildy’s doing, not mine.

“Ah, ah, you’re right…I could just do that…”

“Now is the time to employ your TailGear’s Elemera Orb Conversion Device: Elemeletion!”

“Elemeletion…huh, you mean that thing that uses Elemera Orbs…?”

“That puppet is made from Elemera energy. So, using that doll element you collected should be effective against it!”

True, if only I can destroy that thing that was at the center of the delusion, I would be released from this hell. That guy said so himself, if it’s Lizard Guildy’s doll element, it could be effectively used on things like puppets.

“…Des, destroy…”

That fellow was still going on and on about his delusion. It’s not like I’m grabbing an opportune moment, he was just completely unsuspecting.

However, if I don’t destroy that puppet with the doll element right now, and strip him of his powers, I can only look at that scenario unfold and have my sanity rot away.

“Hah, hah….”

My breathing started becoming a bit messy.

That puppet’s appearance sure is perfect as advertised, especially the replication of those twintails.

Although it was still lacking that spark of life that makes an actual person, it was a still a very real-looking puppet.

Fox Guildy’s vindictive roleplay scene was being imprinted across my retinas.

“Guh….”

My legs were shaking, and as if they were glued to the floor I was unable to move them.

A puppet like that would easily be destroyed by a flick of my fingers, what am I even hesitating for?

If I don’t destroy that puppet, I’m the one that’s going to be defeated…

“Oooarghhhh I can’t do it! I can’t destroy anything with twintails like that, arghhhhhhhhhh!”

Even if it’s like this, I couldn’t do it.

Even if it’s a fake, or filled with evil, the twintails are innocent!

To personally destroy someone’s magnum opus, could I really be forgiven…!?

“You are really the genuine article.”

“Huh!?”

“You are correct, this is just a mere puppet. But even though it is, you still couldn’t bear to destroy it. As a lover of twintails…as the owner of the strongest twintails element it is impossible for you to harm any twintails!”

“Guah…”

“Souji-sama!?”

As if my body was moving on its own, my raised arms now flop powerlessly on my side. Finally, I knelt on the ground.

Then, as the consequence of losing my will to fight, those fatal delusions began to attack me without mercy.

==

In the secret base below Souji’s house the two watching the screen started fretting about.

“That idiot, even if you like twintails all that much, losing to a puppet is just...!!”

Aika runs around holding her head.

“Ooooarghhhh, stop, stop it, at least let her wear something!”

Loudspeakers echoed something (in a variety of meanings) that makes one want to cover their ears and scream.

“What should we do, Souji is, Souji is in danger! Can we shoot a missile from here!?”

“…At this point, it’s…”

Twoearle relaxes her grip from the main control panel.

As if she was a protector of works of art, she bit her lips so hard they bled.

“Two…Twoearle…”

Twoearle was in the process of making a difficult decision. Even Aika could realize this.

“-----Aika-san…I have a request.”

“Is it something I can do!? If it’s for Souji I’ll do anything it takes!”

“Well then, can you transform?”

“Okay, I’ll just transform!”

Although Aika replied immediately, she began to think over the significance of what was said, and quickly reacted. Anyone would’ve done this if they were in Aika’s position.

“-----Huh?”

“As I said before, there’s another candidate.”

“No, eh…what…!?”

“So, that is you Aika-san…Aika-san is the only other person in this world…who can wear the TailGear.”

Aika stared at Twoearle with her mouth agape.

“…You’re kidding me.”

“I’m not lying to you.”

It doesn’t seem like she’s joking as per usual.

“But surely there must be more than two in this world!? …This is too much…”

“I believe it’s because the two of you had twintails elements were mutually attracted to each other.”

“…Twintails element…”

Fate.

Aika felt like this was the first time she could truly believe in this word.

“…Souji”

Not only just childhood friends-----but also a pair matched by fate.

Aika blushes hard enough for her ears to turn red, and held her hands to her chest.

“No, wait a minute.”

Unfortunately, Tsube Aika is biologically incapable of being enamoured for more than 30 seconds.

“…I remember you saying earlier, that because the other candidate is a barbarian, so if we were to give them the TailGear the world would be destroyed…”

“Eh, but isn’t that true!?”

After Twoearle’s immediate admission, a relentless assault on her white cheeks occurred, each blow from a style that was developed in that moment and not seen before in history.

“Ooooaaaahhhh…”

“You’re right, perhaps I am a barbarian…but I can also help Souji.”

Aika declared this as she held her clenched fist in the air.

“Ai, Aika-san…for someone who is so heinous and vicious to say something so noble…”

“Of course, I don’t want to fight that pervert either. But isn’t it much better if there’s more people fighting out there!? Why do you continue to refuse me so stubbornly?”

Twoearle lowered her hands from her face, and hesitated telling what she kept inside her.

“I don’t want, I don’t want Aika-san to be endangered…even though I was almost murdered every day here…but Aika-san is a very important friend that I’ve made in this world…!!”

Twoearle cried tears of grief as she lifted this burden from her heart, even to the extent of messing up her hair.

“…So what’s the real reason?”

“Well I was thinking of making up something like, to keep the TailGear in top shape, I’ll need to take Souji-sama’s DNA by doing this and that ufufu…but if I gave you a TailGear too then I’ll have to do the same with Aika-san to maintain the lie.”

“You perverted woman-----!”

“Oops, I accidentally said the truth, damn it!”

“How do you think of lewd things from day to night like this!!”

“Is it wrong for a female to be in heat towards a male?”

“You go choose your words more carefully!”

While it’s true that humans are an animal that are sexually active throughout the year, the frequency of Twoearle being ‘in heat’ terrifyingly outpace any known animal. In an age of declining birthrates, perhaps Twoearle should really be welcomed as a wonderful asset.

As the two continue to muck about, Tail Red’s screams continues.

“Stoppppp don’t hold start hopping and skipping about while holding her twintails arghhhhh-----stop humming that melody urghhhhh-----ahhhhh!”

Hearing those anguished cries from Tail Red, Aika became rather anxious and flustered.

“I realize that you hate me! But right now, I’m only concerned about saving Souji! Please, please let me fight too! If you need me to kneel or beg, I’ll do anything!”

Twoearle smiled wryly at Aika and stared her straight in the eye.

“…I don’t hate you. You really are one of my important friends-----this wasn’t a lie.”

“…What are you saying”

Aika started blushing again.

It was a statement filled with gentleness and calmness.

What is she planning now? Is she acting up for something again…Aika tries to desperately convince herself…but find herself happy to feel a bit of remorse for this.

“Although I’ve said this was to protect the world, at the center of it it’s also my ploy for revenge. To involve the innocent Souji-sama to fight on my behalf already pains me deeply. If my important friend was to be embroiled into this as well…”

Aika felt the same could be said of her. She’s done nothing but to tease Souji who was working hard on behalf of the world, yet couldn’t do anything herself.

“If Aika-san enters the fray as well, Souji-sama surely will hate me…because that person really is gentle.”

…Perhaps this is really what she honestly thought.

“I also have twintails. That makes me a target as well…if it’s like this wouldn’t I be much safer? Although unlike Souji I’m not the type to throw myself into danger to protect everyone…”

“You’re different from Souji-sama…your twintails element is for yourself right…? You’re willing to gamble that pair of twintails which was equally as important to you as life itself? You do realize you can’t back out on this afterwards?”

Aika simply grunted in response, if a bit clumsily, to this first time showing of concern with regards to herself.

“I’m not a child who can’t choose and be responsible for herself, Twoearle.”

Twoearle nodded clearly, and from her pocket she pulls out a glowing blue bracelet.

A match predetermined by fate. Twoearle appeared finally convinced.

“Aika-san, promise me this. No matter what-----“

Aika nods seriously.

“-----Please let me be the woman for Souji-sama’s first time.”

“Hey!”

“There’s no time left! Please just say yes! If not, I’m not going to give this to you! Unless someone like you, who are on the verge of becoming a hero, is willing to use force to take this bracelet from me?”

“…”

“Aika-san isn’t that type of person, right…?”

Aika smiles slightly-----

What is a hero?

A hero is someone who challenges evil on behalf of the weak and in the name of justice.

A hero surely is someone who fights on behalf of the weak.

A hero certainly won’t, when faced with a defenseless young woman, employ the use of several techniques banned in modern MMA.

People clearly cannot survive falling headfirst into the earth, it’s simply not something humans can do.

What is a hero?

Twoearle asked of the void with a childlike curiosity a philosophical question that was difficult to answer. At this time, her chest had finally stopped vibrating.

Her head was buried into the ground, and although it could be called the void, it was more like under the floorboards instead.

“Wait for me, Souji….”

Aika ran inside the corridors, the twintails she had grown for herself fluttering in the air.

Then, she put on her right hand the bracelet that Twoearle had entrusted to her.

“-----Tail…On!”

Aika without a hint of hesitation shouted the abbreviated transformation phrase which, if others were present, would’ve felt embarrassed for her.

As if in response to her confidence, Aika’s body was surrounded by ribbons of blue light.

This all occurred in a space separated from the flow of time, as well as its proof.

The light forms into a cocoon, while giving off particles of light in all directions, and Aika’s limbs began to glow.

When she opened those eyes full of determination, Aika was already fully suited with her TailGear.

Although it was much more revealing than Red’s, the aggressive warrior-like design suits Aika very well.

In the room at the very forefront of the underground base was located the space jump catapult, through which Aika was launched out like a cannonball.

After experiencing the teleportation pen previously, this kind of equipment for Aika is simply a matter of course.

Her field of vision was surrounded by a rainbow of colours.

“Hah…”

Aika arrives on top of a roof not far from where the battle was taking place.

At the instant her feet reached the ground, she stomped hard against the concrete of the roof.

“Wow, that’s really impressive. I can fly up so high with this.”

It was not so much a leap as a vertical takeoff.

As if to make up for lost time spent quarreling with Twoearle, Aika prays to fly faster, hopes to fly faster.

“And so I joined the ranks of the deviants…oh well, can’t be helped.”

Aika cuts across the sky with the same speed as that of a fighter jet.

Her twintails that flutters in the wind were now her wings with which to dominate the skies.

“He’s getting in danger all the time…it’s not good if I’m not around!”

Let’s put aside the minor question of whether or not this constitutes flight aside-----a comet streaks across the sky in a flash.

==

“Let’s read a picture book together….oh dear oh dear, you really love to be spoiled don’t you-----“

With a voice like an angel to put the fairer sex into delirium, the mental assault has reached a new climax.

Fox Guildy, truly a frightening foe.

Although that was just a fake…even though I tried saying this countless times to myself, with the strength of this guy’s willpower as support this pair of twintails had long since crossed the line of simple mimicry.

Also, this guy’s self-control is too great. To be delusional to this point towards a puppet of a little girl, it’s impossible not to suffer total mental collapse, yet he unwaveringly continued to disgust with his expressions.

This must be the power of the heart.

Compared to my erroneous ways of turning violence into power, he truly is an existence beyond that of ordinary people.

“Is, is this it for me…my twintails, to be lost to this fellow...!!”

Exhausted, I could not stand back up from my knees on the ground.

It was at this moment, a thunderous roar interrupted the battle.

“Stop right now, pervert!”

“Hmm!?”

“Eh!?”

No good, I thought they were referring to me back there, I turned my head around as well.

A blue light struck down from the sky and landed between me and Fox Guildy.

“…Could it be…”

Each device comes with its advantages and disadvantages, and the method to disrupt each device differs. For instance, the Imagine Chaff used by Twirl long ago can serve as whole-body camouflage, but, once someone tries to actively look for it would be very easy to be discovered.

And installed in the TailGear is a more powerful version of Imagine Chaff to protect the secret identity of the wielder. Although it could not be used to turn invisible, the device allows others to be unable to recognize yourself…so, it’s unnecessary to put on further disguises…however, it appears to not work for those who know the person’s true identity.

This is to say that, when others look, they would be unable to recognize the identity of this new warrior, but if I were to look-----

“Ai…ka…?”

I muttered in a hoarse voice.

The warrior clad in blue, this is my familiar childhood friend, Tsube Aika.

“Who are you!?”

“I am…”

“Found them! There they are!”

“!”

The battle had dragged on too long.

Without prior warning, and not sure where they heard the sounds of battle, a TV reporter and crew surrounded the area, with their cameras already rolling.

However, Aika did not sway her glance away from the enemy, and with a voice that was deliberate clear for everyone listening said:

“I am-----Tail Blue!”

Towards me, towards the enemy, towards the entire world, Aika loudly proclaims her adaptation of the code name I still haven’t fully came to terms with yet.

In high spirits,

As if she was a warrior in a coming-of-age ceremony.

There wasn’t a trace of hesitation on her face.

An overpowering presence radiated out from her body.

She seemed to have become a demi god [TL: Asura], who without hesitation could ram a person they’ve met just a few days ago headfirst straight into the earth-----

“Oooooh…this can’t be, it’s brilliant-----I can’t believe you have allies as well…! Aaah, even though this is a huge crisis...even now I’m forced onto the brink between life and death, I cannot stop this intense excitement I’m feeling up inside!!”

“…Truly, this is a disgusting little puppet that looks exactly like Tail Red…but!”

Aika took a shining green crystal from a slot on her left gauntlet.

“Elemeletion!!”

On the ground appeared a glowing blue pit, which the free-floating Elemera Orb automatically falls in.  When the lid closes, Aika’s body began to glow green in colour.

“Elemera Orb ----- Doll Element.”

As she spoke, the TailGear’s Elemera Orb Conversion Device activates.

That specialized device is used to control the crystalized power held within Elemera Orbs.

As Elemera Orbs are all stored within a shared space usable by all TailGears, so even those orbs I’ve collected could be accessed by the other TailGear.

But…as someone who was resolved to fighting alone this feature was useless to me, so I’ve only forgotten it until now.

Yes, it was a feature that was supposed to be useless.

“That’s…Lizard Guildy’s!!”

“Okay, now disappear like a good little puppet you are.”

 The puppet shaped like me was wrapped up in the light of the doll element, and it begins rapidly degrading.

Originally that puppet looked almost lifelike, but now it felt wholly unnatural like sticking a photograph on the face of a full-sized dress-up doll. Fox Guildy’s delusions, which were previously so powerful they could be seen with the naked eye, were finally extinguished.

“Hmm!?”

“Isn’t this your loss?  If you really wanted to use puppetry to confuse your opponent, it doesn’t make sense to go up against the more powerful doll element we have here.”

No, these guildies probably doesn’t know they can use the Elemera Orbs we recovered. If so, they would’ve made multiple autonomous puppets as a trump card against me. If anyone is to be mistaken-----it’s their fault for not considering this rather illogical possibility. [TL: Bad Trans?]

To succeed on the first time even before me when I’ve been the one who’s been receiving direct instructions, Aika had proven herself a great listener to the various features and limits of the TailGear.

“Damn.”

Aika shouted and, aiming at the defenseless puppet’s nose, let fly a heavyweight punch straight into its face. Her momentum was unimpeded by the puppet’s body, and it shattered on impact as if it was made of shaped sugar.

“Look what you’ve done!?”

My face disintegrating on impact in slow motion was burned onto my retinas, and deeply engraved into my mind-----looks like I’ll be having nightmares for the next few nights.

“How is this possible? How can you just destroy it without any hesitation? This puppet looked exactly like your comrade!!”

“Hah, isn’t my comrade over here?”

With a fearless smile, Aika winked at me.

“…Comrade…”

My mind is still blank after seeing my important childhood friend involving herself in battle.

But, it appears I’ve been worrying too much.

As if a curse on me was lifted, I stood up unsteadily.

There’s nothing more that needs be said.

There’s not the slightest hint of doubt, the iron bond between us from being together so long could not be described in a thousand words.

And now, with Aika at my back, defeated enemies (and friend) at our feet, and a mirage of Twoearle with a stern expression staring down at us from heaven above, we can’t possibly lose.

Wait a minute, I just had a strange premonition right now.

It shouldn’t be a problem.

Twoearle is probably still alive.

“You, you bastard…but up close I see that your twintails element is probably weaker than Tail Red’s…! If so, allow me to collect your element then! I’ll start with that nice-looking ribbon of yours!!”

“Stop joking!”

Aika flicked her twintails back behind her, and held her fists up to those sharp antenna-like ribbons of hers. The air suddenly shimmered with a light shaped like a water droplet.

The light extends into a spear shape, which Aika gripped in her hand.

Aika had always listened to every word by that loudmouth Twoearle, and now faithfully put them into practice. As such, there was no hesitation in her movements.

The TailGear responds to its owner’s intent.

It doesn’t need a manual, and acts as if it was an extension of the body.

“Oooh…!”

This was a weapon that contained a star’s brilliance within it.

It was coloured a blue as concentrated as that of earth’s seas, a blue as dense as that of a striking piece of sapphire.

Modelled after Poseidon’s trident, the blue ‘Wave Lance’-----

That was Aika’s weapon. That’s great, it’s fortunately not something like a hammer or an axe or that type of thing.

 “Although this is my first time joining the fight…”

Brake release.

Fox Guildy was struck by a pillar of water ----- a blue Aura Pillar that extended into the sky.

“Mugugugugu…!!”

“In terms of twintails…I’m your senior by far...!!”

A powerful thrust to leap across dimensions. ‘Execute Wave’ spears right through Fox Guildy.

“Muaaahhhhh…! One, one last….one last dream…! -----I say, don’t go around without clothes on…you’ll catch a cold…I, I see! So ribbons could be used like this toooooo!!”

Fox Guildy laughed as he exploded. I guess, even until the end he was looking forward to stripping my clothes off.

“…Twoearle…I, I did it.”

The smile of the self-satisfied Tail Blue appeared to be suddenly sucked away into the cloudless blue sky.

Please don’t let others mishear you as, Twoearle I’ll do you in…

The aura pillar vanishes into the air, as the empty-handed Tail Blue lazily stretched out her waist.

“Okay, time for an interview! Tail Red…wait, there’s another!?”

Right after the battle concluded, the reporters rushed over.

Tail Blue jumped instinctively in front of me and adapted a defense posture, and against the cameras she made a sign and smiled, saying:

 “From now on I’m joining in the fight, please take care of me. The two of us form a team, let’s call it the ‘Twin Tails’ then.”

Finished, Aika picked me up, and jumped straight into the sky.

“Hey, hey!!”

“It’s okay, I’ve given them a headline.”

Tail Blue’s Elemeletion activates again.

Elemera Orb ----- Ribbon Element.

Aika adapted immediately to the newfound powers she got from the last battle.

Her TailGear’s ribbons exposed a sharp piece on both ends. These formed into giant wings that freed us from the pull of gravity.

“Oooh, this is pretty useful-----it’s like we’re flying.”

At an altitude higher than that of the clouds, Aika revealed to me a smile different from what the artificial one she gave to the rolling cameras.

I stared at her unconsciously.

The twintails I’ve been in close proximity for so long to, under the blue sky, looks even more brilliant than ever.

“Hey, what is it?”

“No…it’s nothing.”

I’m really, kind of an idiot.

Aika escaped the scene like a pro actor. Even if it was just an instant it was enough for cameras and snap photos and capture videos. However, with Aika at my side, it’s really not an issue worth mulling over.

It was because she wanted to shield me from those curious eyes that she did this for me. It’s because she still remembered what I said to her this morning…

“Sorry…Aika, I’m too useless.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I decided to do this entirely on my own…watching those perverts any longer would’ve caused me stress. Also, if I did this with my own two hands we could finish up faster.”

My childhood friend’s thoughtfulness makes my chest feel hot for a moment.

-----Chest.

The word sailed across my mind, making me turn to look, and my heart sank again in a deep sense of guilt.

Tail Blue’s suit, was really revealing when it comes to her chest area.

And unlike me who changes both gender and size after transformation, Aika maintains her appearance.

A modest chest, a flat chest, the most unsuitable body type, as if there was a punishment game involved in making her wear something that was designed for big breasts.

Although she didn’t have a cleavage, the design was made to reveal that something she had not. I feel a sort of pity.

Sorry, Aika-----

It’s my fault that you had to wear something so shameful…

“…Oh.”

Perhaps she realized that I was staring at her chest, Tail Blue suddenly relaxed her firm grip on me.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

It was a jump without a parachute on.

This was a very exciting and interesting experience-----

I do fancy the old comedic cartoons, where someone fall limbs outstretched whose impact made a hole in the asphalt. However, upon my return home, I discovered a half-dead woman who looked as if she survived exactly such a fall.

“…Ooowahhh.”

I trembled in fear.

Although human life could not really be represented by points, but if you insist on asking what HP 1/99999 would look like, Twoearle right now would be the best example.

“What happened!? Twoearle! Could it be…Souji, maybe it’s the doing of Ultimaguil’s assassins!! Twoearle…we’ll definitely avenge you!!”

Even Aika…even Aika whose only two selling points were her physical dexterity and a honesty which made her bad at lying has started learning Seek Time=Zero, huh…

“So, Souji-sama…please be careful, on this world…there exists a bandit who can even deceive their own childhood friend…who does not hesitate to say a bunch of cool words, luring out a tear-jerking scene, and then steal utterly everything from them including their underwear, truly…a monster…”

Boom, a blunt object rang. Twoearle showed the white of her eyes and fell silent.

After brutally silencing the witness, Aika thoughtfully started looking at our wrists…comparing our red and blue bracers, Aika smiled shyly, as gentle as a dandelion’s feathers.

And I followed her, comparing mine and Aika’s wrists…and returned a smile as frozen as that which could be found imprinted in the floorboards underneath the body of Twoearle.

What is this situation…perhaps the earth really would be destroyed.

The greatest technology that exceeded anything the world had ever seen had fallen into the hands of the one person who most definitely do not deserve it.

The world…believed it gained a new saviour, but in reality, it was the coming of a new god of destruction…

==

“What the hell is thisssss!!”

At the start of the morning the god of destruction roared.

 Without even so much of a greeting Aika had entered my house, and was now currently transfixed in front of the television in the living room.

“I don’t know anything…ugh, it looks like they’re reporting on all this weird stuff again…”

TV news, websites, almost all kinds of media sources and headlines were dominated by a monster bullying a lethargic little girl.

Across the world there was a consensus in which heads of states each proclaim “We will do anything to support this young girl.”

As for the new fighter, the Tail Blue who actually slew the monster, has been completely treated as bonus material.

It wasn’t for lack of material. Compared to me who tried to avoid having my pictures taken, and Blue who willingly walked up to the cameras, they certainly should’ve more material to report.

However-----

“I see…so right now it’s still unclear whether this blue girl is an ally or not?”

“Well, right now it’s still too early to judge. Even though she smiles, that ultra-violent stare of hers makes people very concerned.”

Even the occasional report goes on like this. Is that something that is even worth talking about?

Although I thought that this guest was just a man from the general public, his observations sure are sharp.

Their analysis of Tail Blue is completely and utterly accurate.

As I thought this, the silver screen was suddenly changed to a teary-eyed picture of Tail Red, and on the corner one can see the live studio audience smiling as the giant picture appeared.

“Wah!”

I stared straight at the picture of Tail Red who occupied the entire screen.

…It was really a wonderful pair of twintails.

Although there wasn’t nothing remarkable about my own body, and I don’t really mind, but the transformed me…especially those twintails, even though I know they were mine, I still can’t be helped but be attracted by.

 Of course Tail Blue’s twintails also look great too.

If it were me, just those twintails would make up for every single one of her flaws, but most people don’t really see it that way.

“Oh my, but, this time Tail Red is still very cute, huh.”

This was said by what appears to be a very prestigious and influential middle-aged man, according to the name plate on his desk.

Hey, please be careful of what you’re saying.

I casually changed the channel a few times…but no matter which channel, all of them was broadcasting the news about Tail Red.

As if it was a special about the elections, every channel was occupied by Tail Red. I held my head depressed.

“Ah…”

This must be what they mean about the line between love and hate.

It seems I’m not far from having a nervous breakdown now.

However, there was someone who was having the exact opposite of my problems.

“I’m the one having headaches. Why is it all about Red? Both of them are allies of justice, why is Blue rated so terribly!! No matter if it’s the TV or the internet, everyone dislikes Blue.”

“…Internet? You checked the internet?”

No wonder Aika had dark circles under her eyes, she must have spent the night surfing the internet.

If it was me, I would’ve feared stuff like this morning’s news appearing, and naturally shy away from the computer.

What courage she had, looking up her own evaluations online in this situation.

“I thought that since online reviews were so bad…TV reports should’ve better! Anyways, there’re a lot of terrible comments on the internet…yet the results are like this!!”

“I thought the TV comments went a bit too far…it’s even worse on the internet?”

“It’s really too much. I just wrote on a forum praising Tail Blue, and then immediately not even seconds later someone replied ‘Self introduction’, huh!?”

“What kind of forum did you get yourself mixed up in…”

“And another one said ‘Hello, Tail Blue’…”

“Well isn’t that true though…”

“And then they blocked my ID with their spam filter! It’s too much, right!?”

What kind of fierce battle did you went through last night?

“You don’t really need to do all this you know, it’s not like you joined the battle to be famous.”

“You say that easily because you’re so popular! I’m…I finally got on TV for the first time but everyone ignored me, so I just felt unhappy about it!!”

 “I feel like I understand but also not quite.”

Looking at the red-eyed Aika, I smiled silently. I guess everyone has their own worries to deal with.

“Oh my oh my, Aika-san, did you thought for a moment ‘I’m cute and pretty, why don’t anyone care about me-----‘ or something similar?”

Wearing a painful looking neck brace, Twoearle entered the living room smiling evilly.

Holding her laptop like the grip of the dead, the maximized screen displayed a heroic pose by Tail Blue.

“Tail Blue actually has quite the following, take a look.”

Swiping the screen with her finger, another window replaced the current one.

On this other window were numerous tiny profile pictures of Blue, followed by massive paragraphs of text.

“…”

- A chest as flat as a horse track yet wearing something that reveals so much of her chest, is this masochism? Is she a masochist?

- I thought for a moment she looked quite sexy. I was wrong.

- To wear such sexy clothing despite the fact that she’s a flat chest, Tail Blue utterly shameless lololol

…On the internet was filled with messages of warm solidarity like this.

There seems to be no end in sight to messages like this no matter how far you pull down the page.

It’s like twenty-four hour relay run.

“Immediately find me everyone who wrote any of this Twoearle…you can definitely do it! Find them out for me! I’ll go visit them right now.”

“Personal information should be protected!”

“Well my issues should be protected too! Why is it that when Souji transforms he turns into a young girl, whereas I don’t change at all when I transform! Since the suit reveals the chest, shouldn’t it also provide the wearer with big breasts as well!?”

“…Well, Aika-san’s ‘flat chest’ element might have exceeded the capabilities of the TailGear’s power core…pu, fufu.”

“Flat chest is an element too?”

“As long as you wish it Aika-san, anything can be an element.”

Although clothes and accessories can be used as elements, it’s surprising to think even parts of the body a woman dislikes could also be elements. There’s really a lot to learn.

“…Seriously, this is…”

“Ah--! It’s because Aika-san you get so angry easily! That’s why everyone says your eyes look so vicious!!”

“Ugh.”

Aika’s fists began trembling on top of her head.

As if to placate her rage, Twoearle continued to ramble.

“The fact that Aika-san doesn’t have any spirit of justice in her heart, is easily seen by the world at large. If you’re unhappy about it, you should really try changing your habit of beating people up. After you’ve changed, everyone will surely recognize you. …Of course only as a co-star to Red, ohoh.”

Aika smiled and presented Twoearle with a cute victory sign.

…As I was thinking this, Aika without a shred of hesitation stabbed Twoearle right in her cute eyes with her two fingers.

“Ah-----!!”

“Hey! Don’t start doing what other people just told you not to do!!”

“Well…after listening to Twoearle, my limbs starting acting on their own by way of a chemical reaction before the electric signal reached my brain.”

“Electric signals and chemical reactions, are you sure you’re alive?”

“…May, maybe Aika-san is a robot assassin from the future. Her purpose must be to travel to the present to remove me from Souji-sama’s side as we protect the world together.”

What rubbish are you saying, is what I thought, but really in this household nobody stops Twoearle from going on about anything she likes.

“…Hey, about that PC-----“

As if by revelation, Aika suddenly seized Twoearle’s laptop.

“Ah.”

With her right hand holding off Twoearle desperately trying to get her computer back, Aika’s free left hand is free to dextrously operate the keyboard and mouse.

The browser search bar revealed at first a certain curious pronunciation.

After clicking on the white space, the autocomplete function revealed the words ----- ‘Self-introduction.’

…Ack.

“…”

“…”

I leaned towards the computer unconsciously.

Aika minimized the browser, and then opened a document on the desktop called ‘blue.txt’. Then, a message addressed to Tail Blue neatly appeared on the screen.

Even the line ‘Is she a masochist?’ was written within.

“…So it’s you-----!!”

“Ayy-- discovered so quickly!?”

“If you can invent super technology far exceeding anything the world can currently come up with, stop wasting your time scraping and trolling on the internet!!”

“Aika-san you don’t understand!! Even to the point of interfering with the powerless’ last refuge, that’s why we hate normies!!” [TL: “normies” people who are satisfied by real life.]

Well no, there’re too many wrong things about the above statement, Aika isn’t exactly a ‘normie’, and in fact her wrist strength right now defies any normality.

“Don’t build your refuge off hurting other people through slander!!”

“But I get physically hurt afterwards?!”

What a pointless quarrel.

The two’s battle are linked by too many petty chains of negativity, and simply can’t be called an intelligence war. It’s meaningless, purely meaningless.

Gulp, I thought I heard a dull noise, but I was too scared to look.

“…I seem to realize, Souji-sama, although you do your part in rebuking Aika-san after the fact, but in reality you don’t lift a finger to help me, right…”

Twoearle looked at me with lifeless eyes that were terrifying enough to induce nightmares, as if accusing me of something.

“Eh!? No, I just think you two look like you’re enjoying yourself, so I don’t know where to chip in…”

 “Ah, aaah, so Souji-sama is the type that enjoys looking at me suffer then…so you actually possess this element huh!!”

“No!!”

“If so, then I will, face this torture every day with clenched teeth that would’ve killed ordinary people many times over, and persevere.”

Although Twoearle wanted to say this line in a fearless and somewhat flirtatious manner, halfway through she was interrupted by unbearable pain which made her scream out, sounding like a piece of cloth being torn in half.

“Okay, okay I get it! Put a stop to it Aika! There’s a limit to everything!”

“I was slandered on the internet, even if I break both her arms I’ll still be innocent!!”

“If this was really what goes for justice, Japan would be destroyed by tomorrow…”

==

Under a bit more appeasement work, Aika finally got out of her bad mood, so we spent the walk to school discussing our plans for the future.

“Hey…is it really necessary to shout out ‘Brake Release’ and ‘Aura Pillar’ special move names like that?”

“Well if 	these cute animal encounters escalate even further I’ll be troubled. So I would like us to play more like the part of the hero a bit. Even if it requires us to exaggerate a little bit.”

“Is that really effective…”

Of course, it’s effective. Not counting posing or acting like a hero, simply shouting out the name of your special moves would be really helpful for the mind-powered TailGear.

Help with timing of the move. Judge how much power to put into it. Using words as the key, one can increase the effectiveness of their actions.

 “But Aika didn’t you enjoy doing all that stuff back in your first debut, why are you mentioning this now?”

“Well, well at that time, I was kind of hypnotising myself, kind of shouting out the moves desperately. I just wanted to match what you had going on as much as possible.”

Her voice fading away for a moment, Aika suddenly turned her head away and said:

“Well fighting isn’t the problem for me. It’s been my decision all along. But, isn’t it good to be a little calmer about it? Play the role of an aloof hero and all that, wouldn’t that be cool too?”

“Ah…”

Our conversation gradually winded down as we continued walking.

It was then, I suddenly noticed a change.

There were a lot more twintailed girls about.

“What are you doing, staring at all the girls.”

Taking all that effort to calm her down, and now she’s immediately upset about something else again, Aika sure is unreasonable at times.

“No that’s not it…it’s just too strange. Maybe because of the Twin Tails’ influence, there’s a lot more twintailed girls around now. Maybe this was triggered by the news today?”

“…I’m getting anxious too now. Why are there suddenly so many…”

“Eh, anxious? Why anxious?”

“Nothing. But, isn’t this a bit you know? It’s like following an underground band and then feeling a bit disappointed when they became popular and mainstream.”

“No-- I can’t say it feels that way. Although I agree that it feels wrong.”

Zoning back in, I realized I’ve been holding onto Aika’s twintails again.

I wonder what this is, this uneasiness in my chest.

Certainly the amount of twintails increased. Normally, I would be completely overjoyed. But, I wonder.

“Speaking of which, did president Shindou tie her twintails recently?”

“Why did you mention the president out of the blue like that?”

“Well, if there were twintails as beautiful as hers, I believe I would’ve noticed her in my first year in middle school.”

“President transferred in during high school. It only took her less than half a year before becoming president, though.”

“Huh--"

That’s how things are. With a pair of twintails as beautiful as that, she should’ve been elected student council president the moment she joined our school.

“Oh I wonder. The nicer people look on the outside, the more things they hide in their closet. Those twintails are no exception, maybe she is either sly or greedy too.  Of course, I really love young girl-type bodies like that.”

“What do you mean sly, you think she wears twintails just to be popular?”

“Hhhhhow is that possible!!”

“Pupupu. Your face is so red, Aika-san.”

Because she slipped into our conversation so naturally, we didn’t notice-----

“I, from today onwards I’ll be joining Souji-sama’s class! So Aika-san you can bark anything like the loser dog you are. I won’t listen to the teacher too and I’ll sit right besides Souji-sama, and then I’ll say ‘Souji-sama, from today onwards we’ll be together at school too’. And then every guy in the class would whisper ‘What, what’s the relationship between those two’ and then-----“

“Go home you dog bastard-----!!”

With a single kick from Aika, she sent the school-uniform-wearing, blending-in-student Twoearle flying. Aaaaaah…Twoearle’s screams illustrates the Doppler Effect as she drifted away.

And as she sailed in the direction of our house her flight path drew out a beautiful parabola. I didn’t expect to witness the laws of physics in our world being replaced in favour of those more at home in cartoon comedies.

“Good morning – Today looks rather refreshing too.”

Suddenly spoke a lively voice, making me look back in a hurry.

Speak of the devil…behind me was the smiling president Shindou. Hopefully she didn’t see that action movie female star sail past just now.

Even going all this way to greet those students she’s only brushed shoulders with…it’s not difficult to see why everyone likes her so much.

My mood suddenly brightened up, and I said:

“Good morning president, you look like you’re in a good mood today.”

“Yes, after knowing that Tail Red has a comrade, I’ve become rather happy for her.”

“-----Yes, yes, speaking of Blue…”

It appears what she said had gone unheard by a certain someone, nonetheless I’ve started cold sweating, and shut my mouth before I did anything else.

But, the president’s eyes were glowing; she had found someone to talk to about this.

It looks like the certain someone noticed too. How troublesome.

“-----How wonderful. Tail Red no longer has to fight alone.”

“…Eh?”

Not expecting the president to say such a thing, Aika stopped in her tracks.

“No matter how strong, to fight alone like that, it must have been painful. But if there were comrades, then they could support each other. Even though we all root for her, it’s doesn’t really count as direct support…so, Tail Red having comrades, really makes me glad for her.”

“…Hmm.”

I nodded hard. On behalf of the silent Aika with her head down I said:

“President sure does support the Twin Tails, huh.”

Hearing me say that, president Shindou shyly held her own twintails, and lowered her head.

“Although I’m at this age already…but I really admire heroes. I still watch those live-action hero shows for kids, as well as buying the toys.”

“Really…”

I wanted to say bluntly, that since the president already looked young it doesn’t feel weird at all, but it’ll certainly make her angry. Nonetheless I feel like I know a little more about the president now.

“Actually on the other day, I left my maids behind to sneak onto the live-action hero venue, which was where I was attacked by the monsters.”

I also figured out afterwards, that venue from the other day was where they shoot live-action videos about heroes and heroines. Although surely it’s for kids, but…the president certainly won’t look out of place there either.

“So, I thought it was fate. Meeting with Tail Red like that, and being rescued by her.”

“Fate, huh…”

“Aaah, sorry…why did I start talking about that again…”

For an instant, my heart stopped. The president was in a close proximity with Tail Red. And we exchanged words too.

Is it possible, that she found out the real identity of Tail Red…?

But, I dismissed my suspicions temporarily and thanked her properly.

Thank her for her pure-hearted support for us, our very first fan, president Shindou.

“President. Tail Red…and Tail Blue, they certainly would be thankful that someone like the president is rooting for them. I’m pretty sure your support will reach their hearts.”

“Thank you, you are…First Year Class A, Mitsuka Souji-kun…ah.”

The president blinked, and stepped closer towards me.

We were close enough for a kiss.

“Pres, president?”

Watching my panicked expression, the president was finally satisfied and shook her head, skipped back a couple of steps. Her twintails bounced and shook with her, echoing the bouncing and shaking of my heart.

“Maybe I’m just seeing things…I’m certain…aaah, well good bye.”

The president feverishly muttered as she walked away.

“Amazing. That fellow, do you think she knows everyone’s names in our school?”

Aika who had been restless and silent all this time, sighed deeply.

“…The president sure is a good person. I feel like an idiot now for caring so much about what people say on the internet.”

“Ah, well she certainly is a good-natured ordinary person. Twoearle seems to misunderstand her though.”

“That’s why I’m anxious. Idiot.”

“Eh? Did you say something?”

“Shut up, let’s just go.”

Aika prodded my stomach with her bag, before breaking into a trot towards the school.

To have such pure-hearted fans supporting our team. Even so despite our fans reliably watching our backs I still can’t shake off that uneasy feeling… However, in the face of the lion’s den, all the confidence and good feelings I’ve built up were suddenly washed away.

“Ah, just now Tail Red smiled at me!!”

“Hmph, you’re still doing those low-level things…as for me, I’ve printed pictures of Tail Red onto my underwear! Without her by my side, I couldn’t care less about studying or schoolwork!!”

“You bastard, you’ve made a Tail Red bot too! I clearly made one first!!”

“Shut up, I’ve been supporting far longer than you! Also, there’s like 3000 Tail Red bots already, what are you boasting about!!”

“Mm, okay. Well let’s watch a movie after work, Tail Red-tan--" (speaking to himself on the phone)

This is the road to our high school. Right by the school entrance this was the type of conversation that was said.

“Aika. I don’t mean much by this. But if we could exchange bracelets please change with me…seriously, I can take being called a masochist or tooting my own horn, that level of critique I can take.”

The two of us stood in front of that school entrance which felt more like a bottomless abyss, and Aika quietly said:

“…I, I’ll go cool my head down a little.”

For different reasons, we walked into school with our heads hung low.

==

The moonlight revealed a woman-shaped hole in the ground.

Right on the road in front of the Mitsuka family home, laid a hole on the road that was most likely created when something heavy fell on it.

Despite her failure to sneak into the brilliant garden of youth, this young woman had not given up hope.

In the middle of the night-----

Souji’s room, which in the Mitsuka household meant the third room on the second floor, was the innermost room.

A shadow crept slowly towards that room, touching the walls as it moved.

The soft contours tells us that it was female-----a young woman’s shadow.

No matter how light the woman’s body could be, creeping up the wooden stairs certainly would’ve made a sound. However, whether as a fundamental stalker technique or an amazing display of the light body martial arts technique, the young girl was completely silent as she took each step.

Without any noise she slipped through the hallway, stopping right in front of Souji’s room.

“…Hehe.”

She slipped what appears to be a knife into the narrow gap between the door and the frame.

If one was to take a closer look at that knife as thin as a shaving razor, they would find it to be vibrating slightly. However, it still did not make a sound.

Inserting the blade about 5 milometers into the gap, the girl moved the blade downwards, towards what should be the location of the door latch. In the instant that blade made contact with the latch, a very quiet ‘clink’ could be heard if ears were strained, as the door latch was cut in half without any resistance whatsoever.

Please note that this was not a wooden latch, but a fully metal one that was cut in half like it was made of butter, so clearly this intruder wasn’t anyone that was ordinary.

The suspicious person walks into the room uninvited.

Through the window a sliver of moonlight reveals…Twoearle’s face.

But, is that really her? Twoearle’s eyes lost her usual glimmer and appear as if without consciousness.

Twoearle had held her breath since entering the room.

Well, holding her breath wasn’t exactly the most accurate expression.

It was more like she was not breathing at all as if she didn’t need to, like a robot.

Calmly, yet quickly, every movement carefully calculated and without excess, just like a ninja.

Twoearle was wearing a full-body leotard.

Ignoring her behaviour, and just judging by the way her movement blended perfectly in the dark without losing that hint of that gorgeous figure, she appeared to be less like a ninja----and more precisely like a phantom thief.

Of course, this is what we say if we’re hyping it up, if we’re trying to belittle this attempt, it could be described like that of a physical comedy act.

The girl’s waist was tied a belt, upon which were secured a variety of tools of the trade.

The girl pulled out a roller brush.

“Hehe.”

With utmost care she swiped the ground with the brush, and then from the rubbish collected she pulled out-----a single strand of body hair.

In a practiced motion, her tweezers placed this strand of hair into a previously marked plastic bag out of many.

Each of the bags seemed to be labelled. One was just labeled ‘hair’, while another was blurry and hidden under the shadow of a finger, but seem to read ‘-ic hair’.

The plastic bags were sealed between thumb and forefinger, and placed into the butt pocket.

Looking at that smooth motion, nobody would believe her if she said this was her first time.

Judging by her performance, one could say it was more like a finished product.

Twoearle’s next objective was the wardrobe.

With fingers delicately gripping onto the handles, it appears the sliding noise would be relatively loud.

What to do?

Without hesitation the young woman slid out the doors at once.

This was her most practiced technique, requiring no time to think at all. Sliding the door allowed a ‘squeak’ to escape, but only for a split second.

Twoearle quickly checked on Souji, who showed no sign of being woken.

Twoearle smiled satisfied, and from the wardrobe retrieved Souji’s school uniform’s coat.

“Huff…hah…snifffff-----“

As if searching for the warmth or the taste of a man, Twoearle took Souji’s coat to her face…this certainly was not anything like a meeting between old friends under the yellow light of sunset.

Twoearle replaces all the air inside her body with one that was filtered through this coat, employing a lung capacity that was on another level to the typical female, and without even exhaling to maximize her intake of the coat’s smell.

This scene makes one reminiscent of a certain lively pink spherical creature.

Twoearle’s expression becomes gradually intoxicated.

However, those eyes were still unlike that of an ordinary person, and in fact became even scarier than before.

“Hah, hah.”

Although she had been silent all this time, Twoearle finally could not resist, and began panting heavily.

“Muhehe.”

Really, what kind of girl could ever sound so thirsty?

“Mm…mm.”

“!”

Twoearle was immediately snapped back from her heavenly state by Souji’s voice.

She stretched her neck back and tried again.

She crept closer and closer to the bed, while checking up on Souji.

Seeing that Souji is still fast asleep, Twoearle relaxed a little.

“…Souji-sama.”

She smiled, and it was filled with motherly affection.

“Mufufu.”

But just as quickly as it appeared, it reverted back its original evil and obscene smile.

A moist and warm feeling touched his cheek.

Due to this feeling, Souji began to stir awake.

“Mm…”

He slowly opened his eyes.

(A Dream…?)

Gradually gaining consciousness, his eyesight returns to normal.

Looks like someone, is smiling at me…

(-----An angel…)

…An angel, wearing a demon’s…smile…no, this is just a smiling demon.

“Wuhehe…ah!”

“Mmaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!!”

What landed on Souji’s cheek was Twoearle’s drool.

At this moment she was still heavily drooling, as if she was practicing the role of an evil alien from outer space.

Someone probably needs to bash her face in with the turbine and throw her out the airlock.

“It looks like…the time has finally come-----“

In the downstairs bedroom a sleeping mother awoke to hear her son’s anguished cries, Ohohoho, and smiled-----

==

“Uuuuuuuaahh, so, sorry, for an evil woman like me to suddenly appear on your bed, of course you’ll feel disgusted.”

Inside that lit room, sat one Twoearle who knelt on the ground without daring to raise her head.

“Whether it was disgusting or not isn’t the issue! It’s more like…”

It’s more a problem with behaviour than appearance, is what came right to his lips, but I swallowed them back down.

I know I was not qualified to judge others.

“Speaking of which, why did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night!”

“We, well, gulp…because there’s a minor error with the TailGear’s compatibility, so I wanted to measure the size of your face…but, I unfortunately woke you up by accident.”

 “Doing it this late…is it that urgent? You could’ve came in normally, and just wake me up. This method is also way better on my mental health.

Eh, wait a moment the TailGear doesn’t have a facial portion, the fact that hot liquid fell onto my cheek was proof enough.

“Anyway…”

“-----! Mm, no, don’t, right now it’s still…”

Suddenly, Twoearle held her chest with both arms.

“Twoearle?”

“Hah, hah, ah…ugh, ah…”

Suddenly, Twoearle started making all these feminine noises, so I don’t know exactly how to respond.

“Hey, are you feeling alright?”

“No. Souji-sama, don’t come any closer…”

It looks serious. …Perhaps…

“Twoearle…the whole fixing the TailGear thing is a lie isn’t it!? What did you want?”

With one hand around her shoulder, letting her head rest on my chest, I lifted her up from the ground.

“My, my body feels hot…help, help me…Souji-sama…”

Our eyes met, and when I saw her dilated eyes my heart started beating a lot faster.

Why did I do that, she doesn’t even have twintails and yet she’s acting so sexually.

“You, you wanted my help…but how can I help you…”

“…”

Twoearle was blushing furiously, yet hesitantly said nothing.

It seemed completely unreal that Twoearle could be hesitant over anything, so clearly it must be serious.

“…If it’s something that I could do I’ll do it! Don’t hesitate, just tell me quickly!!”

Twoearle is the world’s benefactor, and twintails’ benefactor. No matter what she wanted I would be willing to do for her.

…In an instant I saw her flash a smile, but it might have been an illusion. Even in TV shows, if you count down a scene where an actor was shown suffering into single frames, you may find one that looks like he’s smiling.

“…If I must stay for the long haul in an alternate universe, there’s something I must have.”

“Something you must have?”

“Normally when it comes to visitors from alternate worlds…ah, mm…will be purged from that world eventually…it’ll be like in the form of a human disease…like this, torturous, physically…! Hah, hah…in order to prevent this purge…I’ll need humans from the native world to give me their genetic material… (Seek Time=Zero)”

“Genetic material…”

“Although Souji-sama might think of me as an indecent woman…but, I’ve always had a reason for my actions…because, because I am a woman…”

So this is why she acted so strangely all this time, because of a reason like this?

I’m not naive enough to not realize what Twoearle meant by genetic material.

I felt my face…blushing up to my ears.

“Please, Souji-sama…please give me…the energy to continue living in this world.”

It’s true, I’ve already decided I’ll do anything for her.

But, this-----

“Aura Pillar!”

“Eh!”

Underneath Twoearle’s legs…no, it should be the bed itself from which sprang a flow of water, knocking me into the air as well.

“Aaahh!!”

“Aaayyyyy it’s cold!!”

“You chunni sufferer, using such deplorable acting to seduce Souji…! Before I was holding back, but now let me transform into Tail Blue and take this fight to the next level!!”

Tail Blue’s spear shot straight through my window, with Tail Blue jumping in right after.

Why do you two so casually start to wreck my room?

And treat breaking the lock on my door the same as knocking.

“Act, acting…Twoearle you were pretending!? Were you tricking me!?”

“No! So, so painful…ah, ahmm.”

Maybe due to her panicking, Twoearle’s breathing sounded extremely forced.

“…You called for me?”

Perhaps because of an instinctive reaction at the word ‘chunni’, even Mom came over to my room.

“What are you doing!!”

My protest was left to a deaf ear, as Mom slide like a hovercraft right to Aika’s side.

“Well! Well well well! So you are the rumoured Tail Blue!? Is that you Aika-chan!? Finally I get to see you in the third dimension.”

“We’ve been seen by someone who absolutely shouldn’t be allowed to!!”

Unlike the anxious me, the rumoured infamous and bloodthirsty person bared her canines and snarled:

“Auntie Miharu, let’s bury this woman under the ground and never let her out again!!”

“…Well then Aika-chan would you take responsibility for that instead?”

“…Eh?”

“You running in to obstruct things…it’s because of that isn’t it? Can I interpret this as ‘don’t sneak off before me’?”

Mufufufufu, Mom’s indecent smile slowly floated to the surface, apparently my chuuni mom appears to have been watching for a good while now.

“No, that’s not it…I just…”

What’s with Aika anyways, suddenly started flailing her arms about while her face reddens noticeably.

“Hey, stop swinging your spear around-----“

If you don’t stop, my room’s going to be torn to pieces like the ingredients of a hot pot.

What is even going on? I tried to think things through, but my mind keeps giving up halfway, as if it was better not to think at all, and although my mind still has lots of questions, I’m just going to ignore them now.

“By the way, I’m going to be torn to pieces any time now, how long are you guys going to stand here…”

“Looks like you need to be torn to pieces at least once! ! It’ll be good medicine for you!!”

“There won’t be a second time…this medicine will put me to my final rest…gulp.”

Although she did hold back, still it was an Aura Pillar designed to restrain Ultimaguil monsters.

With her body curling up into the shape of a C, this time she looks on the brink of death for real.

Character List 005

Shindou Erina

DATA

Sex: Female

Age: 16

Birthday: 21 December

Height: 143cm

Weight: 40kg

B69-W53-H72

Yougetsu Private Academy’s Student Council President, and also a 1-year senior to Souji and others.

Enrolled up to middle school at famous academies for young ladies, starting from high school she was enrolled into Yougetsu Private Academy. The student body cheers on the little president and showers her in affection.

Have a strong love for superheroes, and is the very first fan of the Twin Tails. Although because of this reason, she appears almost completely unaffected by the Imagine Chaff and could see right through to Tail Red, but…?

Character List 006

Drag Guildy

DATA

Height: 282cm

Weight: 322kg

An Elemerian leader who led his forces to Souji’s world, he is an officer class of the Ultimaguil. Not only both wise and brave, but also deeply respected by his men, and due to his vision many come to him seeking tutorage.

He passed the ‘Five Great Trials’ of the Ultimaguils, a test widespread amongst the warriors.  Although he possessed the strength to overwhelm the strongest of foes, he still hides a secret-----