In Beika Town, the sharp, rhythmic chime of the dismissal bell echoed across the grounds of Teitan High School.
Tōhō Getsukai leaned casually against the brick wall near the main gate.
The late afternoon breeze caught the tips of his silver hair, sending it fluttering gently around his shoulders.
His slender fingers swiped rhythmically across his phone screen, scrolling past the usual mundane updates until a certain social platform pushed a trending topic to the top of his feed: Japan’s Most Beautiful High School Student Selection.
He tapped the link, his eyes sweeping over the photo of the girl currently sitting comfortably in first place.
A second later, he exited the app, his expression entirely unperturbed.
‘Not as beautiful as me.’
With a fluid motion, he slipped the phone into the pocket of a Sobu High School girls’ uniform skirt.
Yes, a girls’ uniform.
It wasn’t that he harbored some strange, perverted hobby.
It was a simple matter of aesthetics.
The Sobu High School girls’ uniform skirt was a hundred times better looking than the stiff, ugly-as-hell boys’ suit they handed out.
Paired with knee-high black socks, small brown leather shoes, and his striking silver hair, the outfit was an absolute killer.
Aesthetics knew no gender.
Tōhō Getsukai felt his logic was perfectly sound and entirely unassailable.
“Sister Tōhō—!!”
A clear, bright voice shattered his thoughts, ringing out from the school gate.
It was immediately followed by the rapid, heavy thud of hurried footsteps.
Tōhō Getsukai looked up just in time to see Ran Mouri sprinting toward him.
Her schoolbag bounced against her hip, her dark ponytail whipping through the air behind her.
She had the posture of an Olympic hundred-meter sprinter and the full, unstoppable momentum of a Karate Club ace.
Before his brain could even process a command, Tōhō Getsukai’s body moved.
It wasn’t a conscious choice; it was pure muscle memory.
Having been pounced on by this exact girl thousands of times since he was five years old, the conditioned reflex was practically etched into his DNA.
Seeing Ran barrel toward him like a runaway train, he automatically spread his arms, shifting his stance to absorb the impact.
Thump.
Ran crashed perfectly into his embrace.
Her head buried itself snugly beneath his collarbone, her arms wrapping tight around his waist.
She rubbed her cheek against his uniform twice, applying a surprising amount of force.
“Sister Tōhō smells so good~ You smell so good today too~”
Tōhō Getsukai looked down at the girl in his arms, who stood about half a head shorter than him.
The Karate Club’s strongest contender, a girl capable of shattering concrete pillars, was currently completely harmless.
She clung to him like a playful, affectionate puppy.
“Sister Tōhō, you really came to pick me up!” Ran’s voice was muffled against his chest, dripping with sweet coquetry.
“If I said I’d come, I’d come.”
His response flowed out in a perfectly natural older sister’s voice.
Gentle, considerate, and endlessly reliable.
The standard “good older sister” trio, effortlessly delivered without a single missed beat.
But inwardly, Tōhō Getsukai was sweating.
‘This softness!
This fragrance!
A beautiful girl’s hug is truly unfair!’
Just a month ago, when he first awakened the memories of his past life, he had spent days sitting by his window, deeply pondering the deep meaning of his existence.
Then, without warning, a system had crashed directly into his brain.
[Contrast Bonding System]
The rules were simple, brutal, and highly specific.
As long as he engaged in intimate interactions with beautiful girls from various anime worlds while maintaining his persona as their “confidante bestie,” he would receive rewards.
At the time, his very first reaction had been: This system understands me.
His second reaction had been: Wait, ‘bestie’?
He had quickly brushed the concern aside.
Everyone already thought he was a girl anyway, so there was really no loss to be had.
“Sister Tōhō, this outfit you’re wearing today is also so pretty!”
Ran finally let go of his waist and took a step back.
She tilted her head, her bright eyes scanning his attire from top to bottom, before clapping her hands together in pure admiration.
He wore a black sailor uniform top paired with a dark blue pleated skirt.
Over-the-knee black stockings hugged his legs, leading down to polished brown leather shoes.
His silver hair was loosely gathered at the nape of his neck, tied off with a simple ribbon.
The entire look overflowed with an obvious girlish charm.
“Thank you, this is Sobu High School’s girls’—”
“Uniform, right!
You look good in anything!” Ran interrupted, her eyes practically sparkling with little stars.
In her heart, she was already screaming her evaluation: Even prettier than when we last met!!!
“Ran also looks very pretty.” Tōhō Getsukai smiled, reaching out to gently ruffle her dark hair.
“Sister Tōhō!
Ran is here too!
That’s great!”
Another voice cut through the afternoon air.
Sonoko Suzuki jogged out from the school gate, a wide grin on her face.
She was carrying two large, premium-looking paper shopping bags.
“Sonoko?” Ran turned her head, blinking in surprise.
“Hehehe.”
Sonoko’s smile shifted into something distinctly dangerous.
It was the standard, unmistakable expression of the Suzuki Zaibatsu’s second young lady right before she stirred up absolute chaos.
She raised the paper bags, shaking them teasingly in front of the two.
“Guess what these are?”
“…New limited-edition desserts?” Ran guessed, eyeing the bags.
“Swimsuits!”
Sonoko lunged forward, grabbing Tōhō Getsukai’s arm with one hand and snatching Ran’s wrist with the other.
Without waiting for a response, she pivoted and began dragging them both directly toward the massive shopping center located next to the station.
“Aren’t we going to the beach this weekend!
I bought new swimsuits for all three of us!
Sister Tōhō, for you I picked a silver-white bikini, it’ll definitely match your hair perfectly!”
Tōhō Getsukai’s steps, clad in those delicate women’s leather shoes, ground to an immediate halt.
“Wait a moment.”
“Hmm?” Sonoko paused, looking back at him.
“Swimsuits?”
“Yeah!
Summer’s almost here, so we three should prepare in advance for our trip to the beach—”
“Sonoko.”
“What’s wrong?”
Tōhō Getsukai raised a single finger, his expression shifting into one of deep, righteous seriousness.
“I’ll emphasize it again.
I, Tōhō Getsukai, am a completely normal boy, both physiologically and psychologically—a boy—!”
Silence descended over the sidewalk for two full seconds.
Sonoko tilted her head to the left.
Ran tilted her head to the right.
“So?” they asked in perfect, terrifying unison.
Tōhō Getsukai’s jaw locked.
‘What do you mean, “So?”??’
They were dragging a biological guy to watch them try on swimsuits.
In any normal manga, this exact scenario would end with the male lead getting beaten to a pulp.
If Shinichi Kudo even dared to suggest such a thing, Ran would have long since punched him straight into the Pacific Ocean.
“Sister Tōhō, you’re overthinking it.” Ran stepped close, taking his arm again and leaning her head comfortably against his shoulder.
“We’ve been bathing together since we were little, what does it matter?”
Tōhō Getsukai remained noncommittal, his internal screaming reaching new heights.
‘That was when we were kids!
Now everyone’s grown up!
All the parts that should develop have developed!
In a very physical sense!’
Despite his internal protests, his body betrayed no resistance.
He was quickly flanked by the two girls, trapped with one on each side.
“Let’s go, let’s go~ Help us decide, okay~”
“Your taste is the best!”
…
The fitting room inside the shopping center’s high-end boutique was spacious, brightly lit, and currently suffocatingly tense for one specific occupant.
Sonoko shoved the three swimsuits directly into Tōhō Getsukai’s hands, immediately turning her back to unbutton her school uniform.
Beside her, Ran was already loosening her tie, humming a happy little tune.
Tōhō Getsukai stood perfectly still in the center of the room.
He stared down at the pitifully small scraps of silver-white fabric resting in his palms, entirely lost in deep philosophical thought.
While he could wear standard women’s clothing without a shred of psychological burden, a bikini was an entirely different battlefield.
“Sister Tōhō, why are you spacing out?
Hurry and change!”
Ran had already finished.
She stepped into the light, wearing a blue and white striped one-piece swimsuit.
Her waistline, honed by years of rigorous karate training, was smooth, firm, and beautiful.
She even did a active little spin to show it off.
“Does it look good?”
It looked good.
Very good.
Tōhō Getsukai’s expression management remained flawless.
A gentle, affectionate smile graced his lips as he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing her shoulder to adjust a slightly twisted strap.
“This color complements your skin tone perfectly.”
“Hehe.” Ran ducked her head, the tips of her ears turning a bright, happy red.
Sonoko had also finished changing into a bright red two-piece.
There was absolutely nothing to fault with the Suzuki family’s second young lady’s figure; she carried herself with absolute confidence.
She walked over, her arms naturally wrapping around Tōhō Getsukai’s waist from behind.
“Sister Tōhō, why haven’t you changed yet!
Come, come, I’ll help you!”
“No need—”
“Hands up!”
Sonoko’s hand had already grabbed the hem of his Sobu High school skirt, threatening to pull it upward.
Tōhō Getsukai looked over his shoulder at Sonoko’s incredibly sincere, eager expression.
He sighed softly, surrendering to his fate.
Fine.
It didn’t matter anyway.
He was wearing safety shorts and a tight sports bra underneath his uniform.
His defenses were physically impenetrable.
He turned around, faced the mirrored wall, and completed the change of clothes with a fluid, practiced speed.
The rustle of fabric filled the small space for a few seconds.
When he finally turned back around—
The room went dead quiet.
Ran and Sonoko both froze, their eyes slightly widened.
The silver-white bikini clung to his frame, perfectly outlining his slender but well-defined figure.
Large expanses of fair, flawless skin were exposed under the bright overhead lights, and the delicate curve of his collarbone looked unreasonably exquisite.
His long silver hair cascaded down his back, framing a face that held not a single trace of masculine aggression.
Lethality, as it turned out, truly had nothing to do with gender.
Aside from the obvious flat chest, he was perfect in every conceivable aspect.
“Sister Tōhō,” Sonoko murmured, swallowing hard.
“Hmm?”
“If you entered a beauty pageant, the other contestants could just pack up and withdraw.”
Ran nodded vigorously in agreement.
She stepped forward, leaning in to link her arm through his, resting her warm cheek against his bare shoulder.
“Sister Tōhō is the most beautiful.”
Ding—
[Ding!
Congratulations to the Host for completing the first bestie-level intimate interaction!]
[Trigger condition: As a close best friend, complete a fitting room interaction with two beautiful girls, with emotional fluctuation values reaching the standard.]
[First Kill Reward has been issued—]
[Acquired Skill: Hamon Breathing!]