I Died and Was Reincarnated as a Goth Femboy

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Kenjiro demanded, leaning over the captured cult leader, trying to project an aura of intimidation that was somewhat undermined by his bunny suit.

The leader just chuckled, a low, gurgling sound. "You're too late, little Lily," he rasped. "The beacon has been lit. He will know where to find us."

Despite being tied up, the leader's hand lifted, a faint silver light glowing from a hidden ring on his finger. The light shot upwards, breaking through the church's crumbling ceiling and into the stormy sky. For a moment, there was silence. Then, a brilliant flash illuminated the world, and a wave of energy pulsed outwards, vaporizing the rain.

Through the broken ceiling, they could see the sky, which had been a churning black, was now, for a few breathtaking seconds, a perfectly clear, star-filled night. Then, just as quickly, the oppressive darkness and cold rain returned.

"W-what?" Bombom looked up, confused. "You changed the weather for a few seconds?" He started to laugh, but the laugh died in his throat. A presence, cold and immense, descended upon the room. It was the same paralyzing fear from the bell tower, but a hundred times stronger. He trembled, scrambling behind Gluteus for cover.

A shadow, darker than the gloom of the church, seeped in through the broken window. It coalesced in front of the captured cult members, manifesting into a figure. A young man emerged from the darkness. He had messy black hair, piercing red eyes that seemed to absorb the light, and a face so beautiful it was almost painful to look at. On his left arm, the number 03 glowed with a soft, crimson light, like a living tattoo.

The newcomer, 03, ignored Bombom's party completely. He crossed his arms, his red eyes scanning the pathetic, tied-up cultists. "Where is he?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with a terrifying power.

The cult members trembled in fear, unable to speak.

03 sighed, a sound of pure disappointment. "I told you to find him, not to make a scene."

A second shadow, this one feminine and graceful, detached itself from his back. "Oh~ they are so weak, don't you think?" the shadow woman purred, her voice echoing in their minds. "Couldn't even find the other you."

"Shut up," 03 commanded, and the shadow woman dissipated.

Kenjiro recognized that laugh. It was the same one he'd heard in his mind when Lyrielle read the story on the wall. Despite the fear that locked his limbs, an even stronger, more confusing emotion pushed him forward. He took a shaky step.

"H-hey," he stammered, blushing furiously as the beautiful man's red eyes finally turned to him. "Who a-are y-you?" Why is my heart beating so fast?

03 looked Kenjiro up and down, his expression a mixture of confusion and mild disgust. "Aren't you a guy? Why are you wearing... that?"

"U-uh, a-about that..." Kenjiro's brain failed him.

The man sighed again, clearly annoyed. "Alright. One question," he said, his gaze turning serious and intense.

Kenjiro, completely flustered, could only manage to ask the one thing on his mind. "W-who are you?"

A flicker of something—sadness, perhaps—crossed the man's perfect face. "I'm no one without him," he said, looking away as if seeing something far beyond the walls of the church.

And then, he and the shadows simply vanished, leaving nothing behind. The oppressive, fear-inducing aura was gone. Everyone could move again.

Kenjiro's heart was aching with a strange, new longing to see him again. They gathered the now-catatonic cultists and sent a message to the guild authorities to come and pick them up. The quest was over, but a much bigger mystery had just begun.

The party trudged back to the guild hall, exhausted but victorious. Kenjiro immediately went to Ryo's office, his team in tow, to report what had happened.

"...and then this guy shows up! Out of nowhere!" Kenjiro explained animatedly. "Black hair, red eyes, so beautiful it was actually annoying. Even I... uh... kinda felt for him." He recounted the whole story—the cult, the shadow woman, the fear aura, and the cryptic warning. "I got it all on the stream. Here, I'll show you."

He pulled up the VOD from the mission on Ryo's large wall-mounted screen. They watched the footage from the church. They saw the cultists, the fight, and then... nothing. The video showed Kenjiro, terrified, taking a step forward and talking to what looked like empty air.

Ryo looked at him, a suspicious eyebrow raised. "Bombom... there's no one there. You're just talking to yourself."

"What?! No! He was right there!" Kenjiro insisted, pointing at the screen. "You guys saw him, right?!"

"He's right, CEO Ryo," Lyrielle chimed in, her voice soft but firm. "We all saw him. His aura... it was terrifying." Gluteus and the others all nodded in solemn agreement.

Ryo leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "So, he can't be recorded or captured on video. That's interesting," he mused. "We've never encountered a being like that. Our universe is quite big, he could be from another planet, perhaps? But more importantly..." He paused, thinking. "...he's looking for a 'part of him.' How are we supposed to find a 'part' of some mysterious, invisible pretty boy?"

They all stood in silence. They had no leads.

"I'm going to search for more information," Ryo finally said, his expression serious. "I'll talk to more influential people. See what my contacts know. For now, you all did well. Disband and rest."

The party filed out of the office. As they entered the main hall, DragonSlayer69 pulled Kenjiro aside.

"Y-you're not actually falling for that guy, right?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Kenjiro smirked. "Why do you care? Jealous?"

DragonSlayer scoffed, shaking his head. "As if! You know... if you're attracted to him, that just means... more women for me!"

"As if!" Kenjiro shot back instinctively. "They are both mine!" He froze, realizing what he'd just said. "W-wait, that's not what I meant! Uh, forget it!" Flustered, he turned and stormed off toward his room.

He slammed the door behind him, his mind a whirlwind of confusion. He needed to clear his head. He changed into workout clothes, his default method for dealing with... well, everything. But as he started his first push-up, the image of 03 filled his mind. The intense red eyes, the handsome face, the cryptic words... I'm no one without him.

He grunted, pushing through another rep, but he couldn't shake the image. He was trying to train, but his thoughts were completely occupied by the mysterious man.

Kenjiro's mind was a battlefield. He spent the rest of the day in a haze, his thoughts constantly drifting back to the beautiful, mysterious man with the glowing 03 on his hand. He worked out with a ferocity born of pure confusion, trying to sweat out the strange new feelings, but it was no use. He eventually collapsed into bed, his body aching and his mind a total mess.

The next morning, his door creaked open. It was Ryo, holding his scanner with a cheerful grin. "Time for your morning check-up, my precious Lily."

Kenjiro just grunted, too tired to argue. Ryo pointed the device at him, and the familiar holographic panel appeared.

Level 14 - Kenjiro "Bombom" Tanaka

--------------------------------

Strength: 40

Intelligence: 5

Agility: 5

Dexterity: 12

Charisma: 8

Luck: 12

Perception: 7

Ryo let out an impressed whistle. "Look at you, all strong, damn."

A flicker of the old Bombom returned. He sat up and flexed his arm, striking a pose. "Of course I'm strong! Look at my descending trapezius!"

Ryo laughed. "I don't know why, but it is so funny when you say those things."

"YOU KNOW WHAT?! I DON'T CARE!" Kenjiro yelled, his face turning red. "YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!" He paused dramatically, then pointed at Ryo. "Don't answer. I know exactly what you were about to say."

He got out of bed and went to his hidden stash of Titan's Essence, pulling out a vial and drinking it.

"So," Ryo said, his eyes twinkling. "I found where the rest of the juice went."

Kenjiro froze, then looked from the empty vial in his hand to Ryo's smug face. "Not me," he said weakly.

"You can keep it," Ryo laughed. "But... let's take a picture together." Before Kenjiro could protest, Ryo pulled out his own phone, got closer, and snapped a picture of them, hugging Kenjiro tightly. "I'm gonna tell everyone we're dating now," he said with a wink as he walked out of the room.

Kenjiro was left standing there, screaming nonsense at the empty doorway.

A moment later, his LilyPad started vibrating uncontrollably. He picked it up. Ryo had already made a new post. It was the picture they had just taken, with the caption: My dear Bombom~ ❤️ The comments were a firestorm.

Kenjiro's face burned. He thought of the picture, of Ryo's teasing, and then his mind flashed to the image of the beautiful man from the church, making him blush even harder. Just then, a knock came at his door. It was Kaito.

He was holding the sexy bunny suit Kenjiro had made him wear, now neatly folded. "As promised," he said, placing it on the bed. He then noticed Kenjiro, who was standing in the corner of the room, red as a tomato.

"Why are you so red, cutie?" Kaito asked.

Kenjiro jumped, startled. "O-oh! H-hey! I was... you know, thinking and all."

"Oh?" Kaito's grin was foxy and sharp. "So you were thinking about me? Or that handsome mystery man from yesterday?"

"Both," Kenjiro blurted out before he could stop himself. No one! his mind screamed. Why did I say that?! He could almost hear his own shadow laughing at him.

Kaito's laugh was real. "Well, you better wear that new bunny suit I bought you. I'm going to have to do so many jobs to pay it off," he said, a single, dramatic tear rolling down his cheek.

"Yes!" Kenjiro said, latching onto the idea. "Let's do another job! That will make me... forget about him!" He paused, his face flushing again. "I mean... it will make me forget how cute I am!"

He rushed out of the room and headed for the main hall, desperate for a distraction.