A beautiful girl who transmigrates into a Herrscher of the Void is treated like an elf and conquered

The girls immediately rushed forward, forming a human wall, and hurriedly helped Chika, who was squatting on the ground like an ostrich, to her feet. While scolding the boys, they protected her and led her into the gymnasium.

Surrounded by the girls, Chika's mind was buzzing and completely blank.

(I just... I actually... I actually let out a "yay!" like a little girl?! And I even crossed my arms and squatted down in defense?!)

(Phoenix Institute Senin! You're a real man! A pure one! How could you make those kinds of sounds?! And do those kinds of things?!)

(Is it this body's instinct?! Or is it Aha's curse?! My soul... is it beginning to be assimilated by this body?!)

The feeling of social death mixed with a slight panic about her self-identity plunged her into deep confusion and self-doubt.

The disaster of the physical education class has temporarily come to an end in the most unexpected and shameful way for her. But the extent of the psychological trauma it has left behind will probably take a long time to calculate.

Chapter 26 The Clumsy Probe

The school bell was like a hymn of salvation, yet it also sounded like the prelude to another public lesson on social suicide.

Phoenix Inu Chinatsu packed her schoolbag as quickly as possible, her ice-blue ponytail drawing a neat arc in the air, wishing she could disappear into thin air immediately.

"Um... Phoenix Inu-san!"

Shido Itsuka's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension and hesitation. Chika stiffened, maintaining her cool expression as she turned around.

"Wh...what's wrong, Itsuka-kun?" Her voice was calm and composed.

Shido took a deep breath, as if to encourage himself. Just now during the break, he was quietly called out by Kotori (Commander Mode) and Reine, and received an emergency order in the empty physics lab.

. . . . . .

A few minutes ago, on Fraxinus.

Kotori crossed her arms, her face serious: "Shido, we've investigated. 'Hououin Chika's' identity is problematic, a big problem."

Lingyin added calmly:

"The household registration system is perfect, but there are no clues to trace her adoptive family or the schools she attended. The hospital's electronic records exist, but the physical paper files for the corresponding year contain no record of 'Hououin Chika's' birth or medical treatment. Her existence... is illogical."

Kotori pointed at Shido with a lollipop:

"She is very likely an elf! Sending her back this time is a perfect opportunity. We should try to get information out of her, focusing on what her relationship with Chiin is, how they met, and... what her purpose is!"

Lingyin, holding the organized documents in her arms, added, "The only good news is that, for some reason..."

Chinatsu has a very high level of affection for Shido, almost to the point of being a close friend. With a little more effort, I should be able to win her over.

......

Thinking of Kotori's words, Shido's feelings became even more complicated. He looked at the "friend's sister" in front of him, who looked beautiful yet somewhat aloof.

It's hard to associate her with words like "dangerous elf" or "fake identity." But Kotori's orders must be carried out.

Shido scratched his slightly flushed cheek, his gaze drifting to the cherry blossom tree outside the window, but he dared not look at her:

"You just transferred here, so you're probably not very familiar with the area yet, right? Besides... it's not convenient for Chiin to do this either. Shall I... take you back?"

His fingers unconsciously fiddled with his backpack strap, like a middle school student inviting a girl home for the first time. Shido tried to make his tone sound natural.

(…I’m being sent away?! Alone with you?! And we’re supposed to keep having awkward small talk?!)

Chika inwardly groaned.

(Ah! We've gone too far with all the fun today! No! Let me lick my wounds in peace, you bastard!)

But her persona can't be ruined; her persona is that of a "weak younger sister who is new to the area and needs to take care of her injured older brother."

“…Then I’ll have to trouble you, Itsuka-kun.” She lowered her head slightly, her voice soft and gentle, revealing just the right amount of dependence and gratitude.

Thus began an extremely awkward encounter between colleagues.

. . . . . .

Location: Fraxinus Bridge - Real-time Monitoring Room

On the huge main screen, a split-screen view shows Shido's slightly trembling first-person perspective and a drone's long-distance shot of the two full-body shots.

Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was both "serious" and "lively".

"The target has begun to move. Distance: 1.5 meters. Atmosphere level: extremely awkward."

A crew member reported meticulously.

"Tsk, this idiot brother, why are you keeping such a distance? Get closer! How are we supposed to gather useful intelligence like this!"

In her commander mode, Kotori, chewing on a lollipop, tapped the armrest with her baton in dissatisfaction.

"Ah, that's not quite right, my great commander!"

Kōhei Kannazuki immediately chimed in, cupping his hands to his heart and staring dazedly at Chinatsu's back on the screen.

"That perfect sense of distance! That unspoken, youthful atmosphere! It's the most beautiful seasoning of youth! With his virgin intuition, Itsuka Shido unintentionally stepped into the most skillful realm of ambiguity! Oh~!"

Without turning her head, Kotori slapped him to the ground again with her data tablet. "Shut up, you pervert! Use normal thinking to analyze this!"

Murasame Reine, as always, sported dark circles under her eyes and calmly watched the data stream:

"...Target 'Chika' has a stable heart rate, normal body temperature, and no obvious emotional fluctuations. Shi's heart rate is high, his skin conductance is intense, and he is in a state of high tension."

"See! He was completely overwhelmed by the other's aura! What a useless brother!" Kotori stomped her feet in anger.

. . . . . .

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two. Shido deliberately kept a half-step distance, walking on the outside, trying his best to play the role of "protector of the flower," but his tense profile and uneasy eyes made him look more like a warrior about to go to the execution ground.

Qianxia strode along, her incredibly long legs swaying gracefully in the sunset, each step like she was walking on a catwalk, attracting the attention of countless passersby.

This contrasts sharply with Shido, who is standing next to her and exudes an aura of "awkwardness so deep it could fill a three-bedroom apartment."

The air seemed to freeze; only the swaying of backpack buckles and the sound of footsteps could be clearly heard.

Chinatsu's heart:

(So ​​quiet...so awkward...say something, Phoenix Institute Senin! Aren't you the one who's always having fun?! Find something funny...oops, find something to talk about!)

(Why is he walking so slowly? Does he not want to walk with me?)

(Was he peeking at my legs just now?! Boys are all like that... Wait, I'm not in a position to say that right now... The images from PE class are attacking me again! That "Ahhh! Ahhh! Help!)

Although his heart was in turmoil, he kept his eyes straight ahead and his expression was indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything around him. Only his slightly pursed lips betrayed a hint of unease.

(Why is this guy so nervous? He doesn't know what to do with his hands and feet... Wait, that faint electronic buzzing in his ear... is that a communicator?! Fraxinus?!)

(Alright... Giving me a gift is just a pretense, isn't it? This naturally wicked Kotori brat, is she already starting her conquest?)

Shido's heart:

(What to do? Asking "Are you an elf?" directly won't work... I need to ask indirectly...)

(How do I get those lines out?!)

(She seems really unhappy... She didn't say a word... It must be because of what happened in PE class that she thinks I'm a weirdo...)

(Chiin's sister... up close, her skin is so good... her eyelashes are so long... wait! Itsuka Shido! Stop your dangerous thoughts!)

(I need to find a topic... The weather? Too cliché... Homework? She seems very smart...)

On the surface, her eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact with the person next to her, her palms slightly sweaty. "Um... Phoenix Inu, are you... getting used to the school's classes?"

"Mm," Qianxia replied succinctly.

“…Oh.” Shido shut his mouth in frustration.

. . . . . .

In the Fraxinus footage, Shido and Chinatsu maintain a subtle distance, walking in silence.

"Silence... silence! A silence that has lasted for 1 minute and 47 seconds!" another crew member shouted. "Morale continues to drop!"

"Hurry up and find me a topic, you idiot!" Kotori growled into the microphone.

"Shido, the other person has a high level of affection for you, so there's no need to be so timid. You can make a bold move. First, disrupt her thoughts. Her past is all a lie. Use these topics to disturb her mind before making your move!"

Just then, Chika's extraordinary perception (perhaps from the core of reason, or perhaps from her intuition as a keyboard warrior in her past life) caught a very subtle feeling of being watched. She abruptly turned around to look at the street corner behind her.

As the sun set, there were only a few students from the same school, and nothing seemed amiss.

It seemed to be just a flash of white reflection on the corner of the wall, like the sun playing a prank, or like a familiar strand of hair quickly disappearing.

(...Is it an illusion? Or...a paper-making master?!)

Chika's heart skipped a beat.

(Could it be that AST has become so suspicious that they've started tracking and monitoring them?)

She immediately became alert, but remained outwardly calm.

After a long, suffocating silence, Shido finally racked his brains and came up with a bombshell topic.

Chapter 27 The Prey's Fangs

"Feng... Phoenix Academy classmate..."

"You... must have been very popular in school, right? Did you... receive a lot of love letters?"

After stammering out his question, Shido felt as if he had used up all the courage he had ever had, and his cheeks burned.

Upon hearing this, Qianxia sneered inwardly.

(They came as expected! To test us!)

On the surface, however, she suddenly seemed to have some strange switch flipped, subconsciously puffing out her (already extremely eye-catching) chest, putting one hand on her hip, and showing a slightly smug and reminiscing expression on her face—this was a habitual action she used to take when bragging to her friends in her previous life.

"Hmph~ Of course!"

Her tone became much lighter (and more smug).

"Don't underestimate me, Itsuka! Back in the day, I was the envy of countless girls... oops, I mean, the envy of countless girls! I don't know how many people liked me! Love letters? They were sold by the pound!"

As soon as the words fell——

A very faint beep suddenly came from deep inside Shido's right earpiece!

"!!" Shido jolted awake, instinctively turning his head and covering his right ear with his hand, as if listening intently to a distant sound. His expression instantly became focused (even a little dazed), and his steps slowed down.

(Options! Options are here! Miss Lingyin, quickly analyze her words!)

. . . . . .

Just then, Shido's stammering voice came from the screen: "...Have you...received a lot of love letters?" The bridge fell silent for a moment, and everyone pricked up their ears.

Then, they heard Chinatsu's smug statement: "Back in the day, I was all the rage..."

"!!!!" Kotori sat bolt upright: "Love letters? By weight? Reine!"

The voice quickly responded: "...Searching the target's past settings...No relevant data found. This statement cannot be verified and is likely to be...a boastful statement."

"Just talking?" Kotori narrowed her eyes. "So, she's bragging? What kind of reaction is that?"

【—Option Triggered—!】

Just then, Phoenix Institute Chika's data fluctuated violently, and an options interface popped up on one side of the main screen.

"An option has appeared!" the crew member shouted.

【One: "Really? That's amazing! (Praise them to increase liking)"

[Two: "Oh? Are you still in contact? (Probing and probing)"]

[Three: "In my heart, Chika is the cutest. (Cheese pickup line, direct attack)"]

"Everyone! Choose quickly!"

"Option 1 is recommended! Offering a compliment is the safest option!"

"Option Two! We can only obtain information by pressing further!"

Kannazuki (just getting up from the ground): "Option three! Of course, it's option three! Melt the iceberg's disguise with a blazing straight shot! Commander! That's real romance!"

(Backend statistics are scrolling rapidly)

"Lingyin, analysis results!"

"...Based on the target's current 'arrogance' state, option one has the highest probability of increasing favorability, option two carries the risk of triggering suspicion, and option three... will most likely be seen as a pervert."

“Okay! I’ll choose number 1 then.” Kotori had just decided. However, Chinatsu on the screen didn’t give Shido a chance to choose at all! She suddenly moved closer and began her performance!