Teachers rushed in after hearing the commotion, and an impromptu investigation began.
The student who had been punched, and the boy who had suddenly gone berserk—both were taken away by ambulance. At that point, no one cared about the test anymore.
As for the boy's abnormal behavior, the official explanation was the painfully forced excuse of "mental confusion caused by excessive studying."Needless to say, the midterm exams were suspended on the spot, and an emergency dismissal was announced.
One could call it a blessing in disguise—but it wasn't something to celebrate wholeheartedly.
After all, Mako herself had ended up in an ambulance, too.
"H-Huh? Why am I coming along…?"
She had fallen from the second floor—but thanks to Gin-ko's transformation, she hadn't suffered a single injury.
She'd explained that over and over, yet was still loaded in "just in case."
The only other passenger was a male student—his name was Nakadami Retsu.They attended the same school, but she didn't recognize him. Like Mako, he also appeared completely unharmed.
(Please don't tell me we're going to Igawa General Hospital… I just got discharged from there…)
Her heart sank.
The thought of that hospital's peculiar smell and sterile ceiling made Mako sigh quietly.
Soon, the ambulance slowed to a stop.
The back doors opened, and at the paramedic's prompting, Mako stepped outside.
But—
"Huh…?"
The area was dimly lit, illuminated only by a few ceiling lights casting weak pools of light.This was clearly not a hospital entrance.
Bare concrete. A cold, inorganic space.
It looked like an underground parking garage.
She glanced around—but the paramedics were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Retsu stood there in silence.
His already sharp eyes had grown even colder as he stared directly at her.
Then, abruptly, he spoke.
"Let me be direct. That… cat-like entity. What is it?"
"W-What…?"
The unexpected question left Mako speechless.
Gin-ko answered in her stead.
『Ho. So you could see me after all.』
"…What are you?"
『As you might guess—shall we say I am a digital lifeform?』
Retsu didn't relax his expression. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Mako.
"Fujimiya Mako. Are you still conscious?"
"Y-Yes! I'm totally myself! W-What is this about?!"
She answered desperately, her body trembling despite herself.
"How much do you understand about that 'cat-like entity'?"
"Understand…? I mean, like it said—something like a digital lifeform? I woke up one day and it was just… there.More importantly—why can you see it too!?"
She shot the question back at him.
Retsu remained silent.
(…What is this? She's clearly being 'invaded,' but it doesn't match any case I know…)
He observed Mako closely, sharp-eyed.
Then Gin-ko spoke again.
『Boy. It is your turn to introduce yourself, is it not?Including why you can see me.』
Retsu let out a short breath and stepped forward.
"…Very well."
He raised his right arm high.
"Hraaaaaah—!"
With his growl, blue-white sparks erupted from his arm.
The limb glowed red-hot, rapidly twisting and reshaping into something unnatural.
—A powerful, sharp limb reminiscent of a reptile.
Like the arm of a dragon.
"W-What is that…?!"
Mako cried out.
"Different appearance—but the same phenomenon as your transformation, Fujimiya."
"Trans… for—?"
『Like this, you see.』
Gin-ko grinned—and possessed Mako.
In the next instant, her arm transformed into a cat's foreleg.
Retsu raised his dragon-like arm in response, but Gin-ko—now feline Mako—showed no hostility whatsoever.
"…As I thought. This isn't simple digitization or invasion."
Retsu lowered his guard, letting his arm revert.
"Fujimiya. Don't hide anything. Tell me everything—how this started, and what effects you're experiencing now."
"I'm not hiding anything!And besides—Nakadami-kun, you're the one who should explain who you are!"
Mako puffed her cheeks and pressed him.
Retsu gave a faint smile and introduced himself without hesitation.
"—I belong to Pair Corporation's Special Anti-Digitalization Task Force.First-Class B-Rank. Cybernetic Bio-Operator."
"......"
Naturally, Mako could only stare blankly—tilting her head, completely lost.