Seraph Squad Gender-Bender Panic! ~The Day My Girlfriend Became My Boyfriend~ - Heart-Pounding Pinch! What Do We Do About the Inspection Team!?

Thursday evening. A heavy atmosphere hung in the corridor of the training building. The events at Mirror Lake yesterday still smoldered deep in their chests. "All cadets, report to the mess hall immediately! I repeat, report immediately!" The base-wide announcement blared obnoxiously. In her dorm room, Karen had been leaning against the wall in a daze, but the voice made her jolt. (What now…) She had nothing but a bad feeling about this. When she stepped into the corridor, Ryou poked their head out from the next room too. Their waist-length black hair swayed gently in the dim evening light. "Karen." "Whoa!" Their eyes met. The warmth of their hands touching on the bench yesterday came rushing back vividly. Both of them quickly averted their gazes. "…Let's go." "Y-yeah." Dragging the awkward silence along with them, they headed for the mess hall. The cadets were already gathered in the mess hall. The buzz of hushed conversation filled the high-ceilinged space. From the kitchen, the clatter of dinner preparations and a pleasant aroma drifted out. "Silence!" A voice that seemed to rumble up from the depths of the earth. Instructor Yui stood on the platform. Their bulging muscles strained against their usual instructor's uniform. But their face was as hard as stone. "Just now, we received word from AVO 7th District Headquarters." The murmuring stopped dead. "Tomorrow, Friday, an inspection team will be coming from Headquarters. Their purpose is to investigate this base's management systems and combat readiness." An inspection team. Those words stabbed into Karen's chest like a cold blade. "You all understand what will happen if this gender-swap situation is discovered by the inspection team!" A thick vein bulged at the instructor's temple. "It will be deemed a critical failure in base management. It won't end with just my responsibility. The entire base's evaluation will drop, affecting operations themselves." Someone audibly swallowed. "The only clue to breaking the curse is: when feelings connect, a rain of kisses falls. That's all we have." At those words, Karen and Ryou's bodies both jolted simultaneously. "By tomorrow evening, find a way to break this curse, no matter what! That's an order!" The mess hall fell silent, as if doused with water. It'll work out. The words almost made it to Karen's throat. But. (Maybe… it won't work out.) A weak complaint nearly slipped from her lips. Ryou was watching Karen's profile with worry. The dismissal order was given, and the cadets dispersed with heavy steps. Karen remained standing there, rooted to the spot. "…Karen." Ryou approached softly. Their slender shoulders trembled with anxiety. "Are you okay?" "…I might not be okay." Karen said it with her head hung low. This had never happened before. Normally, she could always laugh it off with an "It'll work out!" "Me neither. I'm really scared." Ryou's voice was also on the verge of fading away. "Well now, you two are looking awfully serious, aren't you." Suddenly, a cheerful, deep voice came from behind them. Turning around, there stood Hasegawa Miki, in the form of a stout middle-aged man. Thinning, naturally permed short hair. But their narrow eyes were laughing happily, just like always. "Miki-san…" "Hey now, don't just stand there, take a seat! I'll make you some nice warm cocoa." With practiced movements, Miki slipped behind the counter and took out two large mugs. With thick, masculine fingers, they measured out the cocoa powder and poured hot water from the pot. Along with the steam, a sweet aroma wafted gently through the air. "Here you go. Drink this and calm down a little." The mugs were offered across the counter. Karen and Ryou wrapped both hands around them. The warmth seeped into their chilled fingertips. "Good grief, what's with the long faces on you youngsters. It's a waste of those cute faces you've got." Miki put their hands on their hips and laughed heartily. "I mean, I've ended up as this muscle-bound ossan, but hey, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I'm stronger than when I was a woman, and thanks to that, I can lift the big pots with ease!" At those words, the corners of Karen's mouth relaxed just a tiny bit. "Miki-san, you really don't mind it, do you." "Damn right I don't! What's a body matter, anyway? What matters is in here, and in your gut." Miki patted their own chest, and then their stomach, with a thump thump. "What are you two getting so serious about? If the curse doesn't break, it doesn't break — that's interesting in its own way, isn't it?" "But the inspection team is coming tomorrow. It could become a responsibility issue for Instructor Yui." "Ah, that's what this is about. Well, it'll work out somehow!" Miki said Karen's catchphrase, just like that. "Huh?" "That's what you always say, isn't it, Karen? Am I wrong?" "W-well, yeah, but…" Karen caught her breath. Right. That was what she always said. "So what if the curse doesn't break? No matter what you two look like right now, you're still a perfect couple, as always." Miki grinned broadly. "Wha—" "N-no, we're not, it's not like that." Both of them turned bright red at the same time. "Ahaha! Blushing like that, you're really too cute. Now that I think of it, when Ryou was buying a present for Karen, they had the exact same look on their face." Ryou's shoulders jumped. "…Huh?" Karen looked up. "A present?" "Oh? Karen didn't know? A year ago, on dorm move-in day, I happened to see Ryou in an accessory shop in Tachibana City, picking out a star earring with a dead-serious look on their face." The air stopped. "Ah…" The color drained rapidly from Ryou's face. "W-wait, Miki-san, don't say any more…!" "Oops, there I go, running my mouth. Sorry about that!" Miki covered their mouth in an exaggerated gesture. But their eyes were gleaming with amusement. "…Ryou. When you gave me this earring on move-in day, you said you 'just happened to find it in Tachibana.'" Karen's voice was strained. Her head was spinning. "Is that not true? Did you go out of your way to buy it, as a present for me?" Ryou kept their head down, biting their lip. Their long eyelashes were wet with tears that threatened to spill at any moment. "…Because." A small, hoarse voice fell into the mess hall. "Because, Karen, even though you were really nervous, you kept smiling the whole time." Tears traced down Ryou's pale cheeks. "When I saw that, somehow, I felt brave too. To Karen, who was all alone in an unfamiliar place, and still smiling… I wanted to say thank you." Karen was speechless. Something pounded fiercely deep in her chest. "So I wanted to give you a charm. I wanted you to keep smiling, always." Ryou lifted their face. Their large black eyes were a mess from crying, but they were looking straight at Karen. "I just wanted you to smile, Karen." —So it was like that, all along. It wasn't a coincidence. Karen gently touched the earring on her left ear. The metal that should have been cold felt terribly warm. (Ryou, for my sake.) (On the very first day we met.) Her mind went completely blank. And in the center of that blank world, a single fact alone stood out clearly. (Ah, I see.) (I, about Ryou—) Her heart pounded louder than it ever had before. It wasn't friendship. It wasn't feelings for a best friend. This was— "Ryou… I, about you…" It was the moment she was about to say the rest. "Karen! Ryou! There you are!" At the entrance of the mess hall, Instructor Yui shouted at the top of their lungs. "Come to the conference room immediately! We're holding the final meeting for the inspection team countermeasures!" They were pulled back to reality. Ryou hurriedly wiped their tears. "…Let's go, Karen." "…Yeah." With her heart still pounding loudly, Karen followed Ryou's retreating figure. The conference room was filled with a heavy, oppressive air. On the desk, the bundle of old notebooks was spread out. Instructor Yui stood with their thick arms crossed, a stern look on their face. "The situation is dire. We are completely out of time. The specific method for breaking the curse remains unknown." The instructor's voice was exhausted. "However, we cannot allow this to be discovered. To deceive the inspection team's eyes, tomorrow we will simulate normal training and operations. Pretend that your genders have not been swapped." "That's impossible!" Before she knew it, Karen was shouting. "How are we supposed to fake it?! My stubble! Your ridiculously muscular body, Instructor! The fact that Ryou has turned into such a girl!" "Then what do you suggest we do?!" The instructor also raised their voice. "I'll tell Headquarters the truth and apologize! I'll say it's all my fault!" Karen slammed both hands on the desk. "If I hadn't messed with that cursed box, this never would have happened! I'll take responsibility!" "No!" Ryou denied it with a sharp voice. It was a voice so hard and cold, Karen had never heard it before. "…Ryou?" "I'm probably the one who opened the cursed box." Ryou said it with their head down. Their shoulders trembled faintly. "That night, Karen said it wasn't me, but… I think I probably touched it carelessly. So." Ryou lifted their face. In their eyes was the color of resolve. "If someone has to take responsibility, I alone am enough. If I come forward and accept punishment, the base can be protected." "What are you saying?!" Karen felt like her head was going to boil over with anger. "That doesn't make any sense! Let's figure this out together! Why are you trying to carry it all by yourself?!" "…It's none of your business." It was a cold voice. A voice that had never once been directed at Karen before. "…What?" "It has nothing to do with you, Karen. It's my problem. I can't cause you any more trouble than this." Ryou averted their gaze from Karen. Their profile was shut tight, like a wall made of ice. "How could it be trouble?! We're best friends! I'm your—!" "I don't want you doing anything dangerous, Karen!" Ryou raised their voice for the first time. "If, because of me, you get expelled or sent to the front lines… just thinking about it, I'm so scared I can't stand it." "So you're just going to carry it all alone?! I hate that! If something happened to you, I would absolutely hate it!" Tears spilled from Karen's eyes. "I thought we were best friends. I thought we could figure something out, together!" "Karen… that's not it, I just—" "I don't care anymore! I hate you, Ryou!" Crying and screaming, Karen threw the conference room door open with all her might. A loud BANG echoed through the corridor. "Karen, wait!" Ryou tried to chase after her. But their legs wouldn't move. (I hurt her. I hurt Karen, again.) Ryou collapsed into a chair and hung their head. Only silence remained in the conference room. Instructor Yui could say nothing, just staring at the wall. Late at night. In her dorm room, Karen was curled up on her bed, crying. Even stifling her voice, the overflowing tears wouldn't stop. She reached for her left ear and removed the star earring. She held it tightly in her palm. The small star bit into the flesh of her hand. "…There's no way I hate you." The day they first met. When she was nervous, Ryou spoke to her kindly. They went running together, laughing like idiots. Ryou had helped her so many times. "…I love you, Ryou. I love you so much." For the first time, she put her feelings into words. It was a confession like a sob, one that wouldn't reach the other person. In the next room, Ryou sat leaning against the wall. Shoulders slumped, they covered their face with both hands. Through the wall, they could hear Karen's faint weeping, all this time. (I'm sorry, Karen.) (I only wanted to protect you.) Their chest felt like it was going to burst. They wanted to knock on Karen's door. But they felt they didn't have the right. Neither of them slept a wink as the night deepened. Outsid

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Episode 4

Name: Seraph Squad Gender-Bender Panic! ~The Day My Girlfriend Became My Boyfriend~
Author: Novelia

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