Editing Kämpfer:Volume 2 Chapter 4 (section)

==Part 2: A Tumultuous School Entrance and Interrogation==
Running outside and transforming into a woman happened almost simultaneously.

The sailor uniform of the girls' club, coupled with my long hair, was a good thing I was on my way to school. If I were wearing my own clothes now, I'd be in big trouble.

But the situation was already troublesome enough. Let me sort it out —while I was watching a girl, Sakura Kaede showed up, and then I transformed into a girl. What the hell was going on?

It was terrible, but I managed to stop before it got any worse. Thinking about it, I was lucky.

I made up my mind. Somehow, after transforming into Kämpfer, I became more courageous.

I caught my breath and slowly walked back to the cafe.

I didn't plan to go inside, but instead walked past the window, keeping my gaze visible from inside.

I could sense Kondou Mikoto starting to get nervous inside the shop.

"Auntie, I'm coming."

"Kondou Mikoto... your voice..."

"Where did that idiot Natsuru go? That woman finally showed up!"

I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, but Kondou Mikoto's loud voice was reaching me. She really wasn't suited to following this.
[[File:23755.jpg|thumb|Mikoto suspect female Natsuru to steal her childhood friend]]
I pretended not to notice and headed towards the girls' school gate. 

All eyes darted towards me, and everyone started to get agitated. I'd only been away from school for a few days, and yet I'd already attracted so much attention. Masumi Nishino's penmanship was truly formidable.

No one approached me to talk. It looked like they were the "Guardian" girls. As soon as I walked forward, the students in front of me automatically split into two lines, standing in a row, just like Moses. After I left, the students formed another long line behind me, a true Moses.

I even heard people whispering, "Is that Lily's...?" or "She's forcing younger people into sisterhood pacts..." or "She ate 10 nurses and 16 female patients while she was in the hospital..." The idea that getting close to her would get you pregnant was ridiculous. That last pregnancy rumor was just absurd.

I tried my best to pretend I wasn't paying attention and walked on, but it seemed impossible. The road from here to the school building was already packed with people, at least a hundred of them staring at me. I deliberately slowed down my pace to let her catch up, and sure enough, she came up to me and spoke.

"Wait a moment,"

someone said to me in a challenging tone.

The girl who caught up with me was Kondou Mikoto, and a rather embarrassed-looking Akane.

"You must be Natsuru, right?"

"..."

I nodded silently.

We were together until just now, but after my transformation, she seemed completely unrecognizable. Humans probably recognize people not by appearance, but by how they feel (if not, how could you tell who's who just by looking at their backs?). Could it be that after becoming Kämpfer, even my demeanor changes?

"I need to talk to you, is that okay?"

Kondou Mikoto walked on without waiting for my response. I followed her silently. It looked like she was going to blackmail me, so she wouldn't do anything so rude to me.

We walked through the middle of the school building and arrived behind the gymnasium... well, no, to the club building.

I was taken to one of the cultural department club rooms. The space was cramped, and there were machines lined up side by side. I felt like I'd seen them there before. Wasn't this the news club?

"Excuse me,"

I asked, trying my best to change my voice.

"News club member...?"

"No, I'm just borrowing it."

The person who lent it to her must be Masumi Nishino; she must have had something to do with this.

"Sit down,"

she said, pointing somewhere casually, and I took my seat.

Kondou Mikoto and I sat across from each other, while Akane was in the corner.

It felt very similar to when Masumi Nishino was interviewing me, but the atmosphere back then had been more friendly. Now, it was completely different. Kondou Mikoto was staring at me.

There wasn't a hint of friendliness; instead, it was more like a murderous aura. No matter where I looked, there was no hint of friendliness.

"Natsuru,"

Kondou Mikoto began.

"You're quite popular with the girls, aren't you?" Was that popular? The first time my breasts were touched, I thought my life was over.

"I have something to ask you."

"...What?"

"I heard you like girls. Is that true?"

I shook my head. Of course I do, but that's only for me as a boy. I still have a man's heart, so the answer is yes. But given the atmosphere, I should say no. If I admit it here, it will get really troublesome later.

Her eyes were still full of doubt.

"Really? —I heard from the news department that you're always preying on cute girls."

"That's not the case..."

That's not the case. I guess I was just being fooled.

"Probably,"

Kondou Mikoto agreed with me straightforwardly.

"Masumi Nishino always writes fake reports. I've thought they were probably fabricated, but I have something else to ask you about today —other rumors about you."

What the hell? It seems Akane said something similar yesterday.

Kondou Mikoto stared at me.

"You actually have a crush on a guy, and that guy is Natsuru from the men's club, right?"

What did you say —?

My mind went blank in shock. To be more precise, there were little angels with the Morinaga logo flying around on a white background, and it was the old packaging.

What the hell is this rumor? I was already scared to death when Shizuku asked me to join the women's club, and this one is even more outrageous. It's beyond my imagination. Why would a girl like me have to like a boy like me? There's no such narcissist in the world.

In the corner of the classroom, Akane fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Hey! You know about this, too, right?"

"It's...it's a lie..."

"This rumor is much more believable because I heard it from the student council president."

Ah—it's Shizuku! I sensed something was amiss in the student cafeteria. So that's what she was up to. That cold-blooded girl actually took advantage of me not being in the girls' club to spread such a ridiculous rumor. (A narcissist!?)

"This is the president's information, so it can't be wrong."

No, it couldn't be wrong.

"What's going on?"

Kondou Mikoto pressed me. My head felt like it was being hammered with a hammer, and I couldn't answer.

"Really? Is this also a lie?"

"..."

My lips were trembling, and only a small part of my brain was working, while the rest of my brain was in a state of suspension, as if a large typhoon had hit.

"Hmph - are you trying to act stupid?"

She said this with disdain. Maybe because she is a girl who likes to say everything clearly, she must be very annoyed by my ambiguous attitude.

"It doesn't matter if I say you like Natsuru, but if that's really the case, then just say it clearly! If you don't say anything and are mistaken for a yuri, wouldn't those girls be too pitiful? It would not be good for you either."

What she said was true, but the person who spread the rumor was Masumi Nishino.

"How about it?"

"..."

"Then let's just assume that you like Natsuru?"

"..."

I'm in a state where I can neither confirm nor deny. No, no, I should deny it now.

Just as I was about to shake my head in denial, Kondou Mikoto spoke first.

"...Honestly, who you like is none of my business. It has nothing to do with me. But Natsuru already has someone he likes. Did you know that?"

I know. It's Sakura Kaede.

"I can't tell you who he likes. That person is very beautiful. You are pretty too, probably as beautiful as her or even prettier. But do you still dare to say you like Natsuru?"

"..."

"And... there are many other girls who like Natsuru."

What are you stuttering about, you idiot? Even if you want to bully someone, you should do it more cleverly. There has never been a girl who likes the male version of me. It would be very strange if one appeared in the future.

"Well... that girl is his childhood sweetheart... let's not worry about that for now..."

Kondou Mikoto's face turned red, probably because she was doing something she was not used to. She looked like she had a fever.

"Anyway, you have a lot of rivals who like Natsuru. Is that okay with you?"

"..."

What's the deal? Where are the rivals? It's just the rumor that I, a girl, like me, a boy.

"If you say yes... I... I'll support you, but Natsuru's feelings are what's most important. Even if that guy isn't very reliable, he'll probably be more motivated if he has a girlfriend."

Kondou Mikoto said this to herself, as if speaking to herself.

"So, do you like him or not?"

"..."

"Do you?"

"..."

Kondou Mikoto's face suddenly moved closer to me.

Forced by her presence, I nodded.

"...I understand."

She stood up.

"I'm sorry to have brought you here. I won't bother you again."

Kondou Mikoto walked out of the news club classroom.

For a long time after that, I was frozen in place.