I Died and Was Reincarnated as a Goth Femboy

A few days passed in relative peace. With Seraphina gone and no new A-Rank quests available, Kenjiro fell into a comfortable, if still frustrating, routine. He drank his stolen Titan's Essence, worked out until he couldn't move, and steadfastly ignored the growing pile of cosplay outfits in his closet.

One evening, seeking to escape the solitude of his room, he wandered into the main guild living room. A large crowd was gathered around the massive screen, their faces illuminated by the glow. As he got closer, he heard the sound of uproarious laughter. They were watching a highlight reel of his last livestream.

On the screen, he saw the high demon, previously a figure of absolute terror, rolling on the floor, weeping with hysterical laughter. Then the camera zoomed in on the note stuck to his own back: "I'm a cute femboy with a big butt." The guild hall erupted in a fresh wave of laughter. The video cut to a montage of memes that had already been made: the demon's laughing face photoshopped onto various backgrounds, all tagged with #BombomLaugh.

Kenjiro's face burned with a familiar, fiery shame. "C-come on, guys!" he stammered, his voice cracking. "That wasn't even funny!"

A knight sitting on a nearby couch, his armor off for the evening, turned to him with a wide grin. "Yeah, it was," he said, "but we're not laughing at you, kid."

"Yeah, right, not at me..." Bombom pouted, crossing his arms.

The knight's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration. "No, really! We love you, Bombom! Ever since you came here, this place has gotten so much better! More members, more money, more fun!" He raised his drink. "Cheers for our dear Bombom!"

"BOMBOM! BOMBOM! BOMBOM!" the entire room started chanting his name.

He felt weird, a strange warmth spreading through his chest that he immediately tried to smother. "S-shut up, guys!" he yelled, his face beet red. "You all look like a bunch of creeps, jeez!" His tsundere outburst was only met with more affectionate laughter.

Then, out of nowhere, a new figure pushed through the crowd, walking with an exaggerated, hip-swaying jiggle. He was wearing the exact same outfit as Kenjiro: a simple black shirt and a pleated purple skirt. He had the same build, the same... prominent rear assets. But his hair was a spiky brown, and his eyes were a startling green.

He sashayed right up to Kenjiro, striking a pose. "Hey, big fan~" he purred, his voice a playful imitation of the femboys Kenjiro had seen on LilyPad. "My dream is to become just like you."

Kenjiro stared at the figure in front of him, his brain struggling to process the sight. It was like looking into a funhouse mirror that had somehow gotten everything right, yet completely wrong. The same shirt, the same skirt, the same build... it was uncanny and deeply unsettling.

He jumped up from the sofa, his face flushing with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "W-what?! Stop copying me!" he stammered.

The doppelgänger didn't seem to hear him. His green eyes were wide with adoration. "Yah! I can't believe I've finally met you!" he squealed, lunging forward and wrapping Kenjiro in a surprisingly strong hug. "I'm Taguro! I'm gonna be just as strong and cute as you someday!"

The sudden physical contact sent Kenjiro's system into overdrive. "H-hey! S-stop!" he protested, trying to push the clingy fan away. "Hugging in front of everyone is cringe!"

Taguro didn't care. He just squeezed tighter, burying his face in Kenjiro's shoulder. A blush spread across the copycat's face as he whispered conspiratorially into Kenjiro's ear, "So... when are we gonna get married?"

That was the final straw. A jolt of pure, unadulterated panic shot through Kenjiro. He squirmed and twisted, finally breaking free from the hug. Without looking back, without another word, he bolted from the living room, ignoring the laughter and the calls of his name.

He didn't stop until he had slammed the door of his suite behind him, his heart hammering against his ribs. The situation was weird enough already. He didn't need another version of 'him' running around, especially one who was so... forward.

He leaned against the door, catching his breath. As his panic subsided, a strange thought surfaced. Seeing Taguro's blatant admiration, his unabashed desire to emulate him... for the first time, Kenjiro started to understand. He finally got why everyone in this bizarre world was so obsessed with him. And he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or infinitely worse.

With the drama of Seraphina and her runaway husband behind him, Kenjiro poured all his focus into the one thing that truly mattered: getting stronger. His days became a blur of sweat, pain, and the satisfying ache of overworked muscles. He was in his room, in the middle of a grueling set of squats, when a knock came at his door.

He sighed, annoyed at the interruption, and opened it to find Kaito standing there, a hopeful smile on his foxy face.

"I want to spend time with you," Kaito said simply.

"No," Kenjiro replied flatly and went to slam the door shut. But before it could close, a blur of motion zipped past him. He turned to find Kaito had already teleported inside and was now hugging him from behind.

Kenjiro went rigid, his face instantly flushing. "H-hey! Alright, fine!" he yelped, squirming out of the hug. "You can stay, but no physical contact!"

Kaito just grinned, his tail wagging happily, and sat on the bed, making himself comfortable. Kenjiro went back to his workout, trying his best to ignore the intense stare of the fox femboy, who was watching his every move with unconcealed admiration.

"Hey! Stop staring, weirdo!" Kenjiro snapped, pausing his workout. "But... I can't blame you. I'm getting stronger." To prove his point, he struck a classic bodybuilding pose and flexed his arm. The bicep that appeared was still as thin as a broken stick, but the fierce determination on his face as he strained was, against all odds, incredibly cute.

A sly smirk spread across Kaito's face. "You're strong, huh? How about we spar, then? Loser has to obey the winner for a whole day."

Kenjiro's red eyes lit up with competitive fire. "SO YOU'VE DECIDED TO LOSE? GOT IT!"

They cleared a space in the large suite. Kaito got into a low, agile stance, while Kenjiro adopted the brawling posture he knew from his old life. The spar began. Kaito was a blur of motion, easily dodging Kenjiro's clumsy but powerful punches. Kenjiro was stronger, but Kaito was faster and far more skilled. After a few minutes of Kenjiro swinging at empty air, Kaito saw his opening. He ducked under a wide hook and swept Kenjiro's legs out from under him.

As Kenjiro fell, about to lose, a familiar dark aura erupted from him. His shadow peeled from his back, catching him before he hit the floor. It moved with blinding speed, its massive fist stopping just a millimeter from Kaito's nose. The fox femboy squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for an impact that never came.

The shadow held the pose for a dramatic second before dissolving back into Kenjiro, leaving him panting and exhausted on the floor. He slowly got to his feet, walked over to the still-frozen Kaito, and gently bonked him on the head.

"Gotcha," Kenjiro said with a tired, triumphant smirk.