Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"I... I... What is this thing?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya, with his sister's help, painstakingly pieced together the white-covered book by the roadside. Soon, he reached the most critical section.

[Power Core Drive]

"An internal energy weapon fired from the palm, driven by a system that converts Honkai Energy into usable power..."

"Sounds pretty impressive."

"Hmm? A warning says not to test it in crowded areas? And to aim for the sky instead? All weapons are driven by a neural interface... It says I need to recognize the weapon as a new part of my body. So, like turning a phantom limb into a real one, huh?"

Hachiman could already picture himself in some chuunibyou fantasy, blasting things left and right in a fight.

He decided to give it a try, aiming a hand toward the sky.

A barrel extended, and a beam of light appeared, but it fizzled out almost instantly, like a brief flash.

Hachiman was deeply disappointed. Wasn't it supposed to be a weapon powered by converting Honkai Energy?

"It's like a flashlight with dead batteries," Komachi said, a look of disdain on her face. "Don't overthink it, Onii-chan. You should go see Mom and Dad and explain what happened. And just so you know, they quit their jobs to come see you. They'll probably look for work here in Academy City to be close by and take care of you."

Hachiman froze. He never expected to receive this much affection, especially since he was usually at the bottom of the family totem pole.

"Oh... is that so..."

He was at a loss for words, feeling that anything he said would be superfluous.

"Should we go see them now, then? How are they doing?"

"I called them... I think they're still... unconscious from the shock..." Komachi thought it was a bit strange that her parents had been out for so long. Could it be because she'd passed out earlier than them?

---||---

After leaving the Hikigaya siblings, Miyuki Shirogane felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

His steps became much lighter as he walked back to the research institute.

Perhaps the most fortunate thing in the world was a false alarm. His friend in Academy City being alive and well was the greatest fortune of all.

In his cheerful mood, Miyuki couldn't help but feel an urge to laugh whenever he thought about Hachiman Hikigaya's New Body User Manual.

Hachiman probably hadn't realized the full extent of the problem yet, but Miyuki could already envision his good friend's future.

Just imagine: he's walking down the street and a hot girl passes by. It's not his original body, and she's not even his type, but RoboCop Hachiman can't help but get a boki!

A ripping sound echoes as his appendage bursts right through his pants, exposed for all to see.

Just thinking about that scene made Miyuki feel second-hand embarrassment for his friend.

"That's tragic, just too tragic!"

The irrepressible grin splitting his face betrayed his schadenfreude.

His expression made a young woman who had come looking for him stop in her tracks. She wondered if this was really the same warrior who had argued with her before.

Kaguya Shinomiya watched as Miyuki grinned sleazily while muttering, "Too tragic, so tragic," and a shiver ran down her spine.

Could it be... that everyone in the research institute has become a psycho because of the gender-swapping?!

Kaguya's intention to greet him faltered. She wasn't sure if this person was a creature she could even communicate with anymore.

"Hahahaha...!"

Miyuki finally burst out laughing. Once he was done, he felt a little guilty for being so mean to his good friend.

"This is too... well... maybe it'll be a blessing in disguise? At least he's still alive."

Miyuki shook his head, finally managing to suppress his laughter.

Just as he was about to scan his ID to enter the main gate, Kaguya Shinomiya stepped forward and stood beside him.

"Shirogane-san, hello... Do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to ask you about."

For some reason, perhaps because of her tone, Kaguya came across as somewhat aggressive.

But Miyuki was in a good mood today, and he felt that coming back to work after taking leave was a bit too soon anyway. He might as well just take the full day off.

"Oh?! Aren't you that... that girl from the Valkyrie squad the other day... what's-her-name?"

Miyuki genuinely couldn't remember who she was. Back then, he'd asked for her name and immediately launched into their argument, completely forgetting to commit it to memory.

After all, Academy City was teeming with pretty high school girls, and among a squad of Valkyries, Kaguya's looks weren't exactly top-tier.

"Kaguya Shinomiya..." Kaguya repeated her name, her face darkening.

So he hadn't even bothered to remember her.

Still, she endured it. Her powerful family name didn't hold much weight here. The most influential financial power was a corporate group called Schicksal. The other was Anti-Entropy, which masqueraded as a video game and entertainment company.

Academy City was practically mass-producing mechs, and you're telling me you're a game company?

Weren't they just treating everyone like idiots?

"Oh, Shinomiya-san. You were looking for me... for something?"

Miyuki glanced around, pointed to a bench under the shade of some trees, and said, "Let's talk over there."

Kaguya followed Miyuki and sat down on the bench.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Shirogane-san... that gender-swapping thing... are there any side effects?"

"Huh? What did you say?"

Miyuki hadn't expected her to bring up the transformation as soon as she sat down.

"Side effects. I'm asking if you've felt anything wrong after your transformation," Kaguya said, seeming desperate to know. It looked like she had her own reasons for being interested in the procedure.

"Well, there are no side effects... Ugh, I don't know how to explain it to you. It's similar to an artificial womb that restructures and re-expresses a person's genes. Then, a new being is created that's 99.9% genetically identical to you, like a family member. But your consciousness remains your own. It's a very, very... technology that doesn't seem like it should belong to humans. Even if there were side effects, I wouldn't be able to tell."

Miyuki's words left Kaguya somewhat disappointed. The sense of crisis that had been weighing on her heart hadn't been resolved.

The path of a Valkyrie was now closed to her, and she would never win Schicksal's favor that way. That meant she had to find another path.

"You... don't tell me you want to become a man?!" Miyuki thought Kaguya was incredibly bold. She was, after all, the daughter of a very traditional and powerful Japanese zaibatsu family.

"Yes. If I become a man, wouldn't I be in a much better position to inherit the family fortune?"

Kaguya's question left Miyuki stunned. His family didn't have any throne to fight over.

Does this mean all the daughters of the zaibatsu are going to turn into men now?

Miyuki remained calm, not particularly fazed by the revelation.

His bro had just become RoboCop. What else was there left to be shocked about?

A rich young lady turning into a young master? What was so strange about that? Anyone with a "throne" to inherit would probably do the same.