In the sacred royal palace of Midgrad, heroes from another world were busy training. Two weeks had passed since their arrival, yet their spirits remained undiminished. On the knight training field, the heroes prepared themselves for the upcoming battle.
Yuzuru Sasaki, who led this group of heroes, appeared particularly enthusiastic. He was known as a friendly, intelligent, and popular figure among his peers. With determination, he swung his sword earnestly.
"Look, Sasaki has been working hard since we arrived in this world. He's more dedicated than the rest," commented one of his classmates from a distance, admiring Sasaki's dedication.
"Um... He truly is an inspiration," said another with admiration.
"Wow... Does he need a drink?" another asked, noticing Sasaki still training relentlessly even as night approached.
Meanwhile, their female classmates chatted from a distance, eventually deciding to approach Sasaki, who was still immersed in his training. Without hesitation, they surrounded him after he finished his sword practice.
"Sasaki-san, you're amazing!" exclaimed one of the female classmates with a friendly smile.
"Aw, no need to exaggerate," Sasaki replied modestly, but a small smile graced his face.
He behaved like a typical handsome young man, friendly and relaxed as he interacted with all the women gathered around him. After spending some time with them, Sasaki finally broke away from the crowd and headed towards his room.
In the palace corridor, Sasaki was greeted by Riana, the first princess of the kingdom, who wore a beautiful white gown and awaited him with a sweet smile. Riana had a gentle personality, a rational thinker, and always attentive to the heroes fighting for their country. With warmth, she handed a towel to Sasaki.
"Sasaki-san, you must be tired after training. Please use this towel," Riana said softly, her eyes full of concern.
"Yes, thank you, Riana-san," Sasaki replied with a warm smile, expressing gratitude for Riana's care.
Their smiles met in the palace corridor, creating a moment filled with peace and hospitality. However, beneath that peace, Riana could sense the turmoil haunting Sasaki. The turmoil about Takeru, their friend who had been expelled from the hero group for being deemed weak.
Riana was not cruel. She didn't want to put the weak into battle against powerful demons. Therefore, despite expelling Takeru, she felt responsible for his fate. However, the situation became complicated when Takeru's friends, including Sasaki himself, mocked him when that decision was made.
"Sasaki, I've deployed knights and my people to search for Takeru's whereabouts, but he can't be found anywhere," Riana disclosed with concern.
At that moment, Sasaki jerked, and his bright expression turned dark. "Riana, can you please stop talking about that?" he said firmly, indicating the underlying tension.
Riana was surprised by Sasaki's sudden reaction. However, she could feel the anxiety enveloping her friend. "I'm sorry, Sasaki-san. I just wanted to help," she said gently, trying to calm Sasaki.
But tension lingered between them. The waves of tension hung in the air, creating unspoken sadness in their hearts.
"I'm sorry, I need some time alone for now," Sasaki said softly. Then, without waiting for Riana's response, he left the place and headed to his room.
Riana felt a void in her heart as she watched Sasaki leave. She looked at his back with sadness, her heart filled with complex emotions.
"Riana-sama?" Suddenly, someone's voice snapped Riana out of her reverie. She turned and saw Yuzu, one of Sasaki's classmates, standing behind her with a worried expression.
"Eh? Yuzu-san!" she exclaimed in surprise, taken aback by her classmate's sudden appearance.
Yuzu, known as Saint in their hero group, hurriedly approached Riana. "Is Sasaki still worried about Takeru?" she asked anxiously, her face filled with concern.
Princess Riana nodded, her hand gripping her beautiful gown tensely. "Yuzu... What actually happened between Sasaki and Takeru? I only found out about your conflict when he came here and pointed that weapon at Sasaki's head?"
Yuzu was also confused by her sister's behavior. After all, she was not as expected by many.
Yuzuru Mai, or better known as Yuzu, was the younger sister of Yuzuru Sasaki. Although Mai preferred to be called Yuzu because she thought it was funnier. Currently, she was also confused by her brother's attitude towards Sasaki, even though the three of them were supposed to be close childhood friends.
With a heart full of doubt, Yuzu decided to change the subject, not wanting to exacerbate this misunderstanding.
"Eh? What are you talking about, Riana-sama? There's nothing going on with my brother. He's just worried about his friend," Yuzu quickly said, trying to refute Riana's suspicion.
"I-is that so?" Riana still felt confused, pondering what she had seen and felt during the meeting in the summoning room.
"Yeah! Didn't we try the cream I made yesterday?" Yuzu asked, trying to divert attention from the confusing topic.
"Really? Then, let's hurry!" exclaimed Riana, with a smile returning to her face. The two of them then left the corridor, heading to another place to momentarily forget about the troubling issues on their minds.
/----/
In Sasaki's room, the late afternoon sun shone on him as he stood alone. With a feeling of anxiety, he held his chest as if burdened by an unclear weight.
"When did everything change like this, when all I wanted was to get his attention. Hah, was it wrong from the start to pretend to be a man? How do I approach Takeru, who's so cold!" he murmured, his voice struggling with deep confusion.
The masculine voice within him began to fade, replaced by a soft voice that matched his true identity as a woman.
"Ugh, it seems I have to explain this misunderstanding. Even though many things happened when I approached him, I won't give up!" he said with determination, starting to undress after removing his practice armor.
As the clothing came off, his soft skin, slender body, and alluring round buttocks were revealed. But what was equally important, his ample breasts wrapped in a Sarashi cloth to suppress their shape were also visible.
It turns out, all this time Sasaki, or more affectionately called Saki, was a woman and Takeru's childhood friend. All his seemingly disruptive actions towards Takeru were actually done just to get his attention, albeit in an extreme way that made him an enemy to many, including Takeru himself. All this she did in the hope of removing all his opponents and getting Takeru for herself.
She opened her wallet, from which she took a photo of two children hugging. "Takeru..." With a blush on her cheeks, Saki hugged the photo, imagining Takeru being there and hugging her.