I Died and Was Reincarnated as a Goth Femboy

Kenjiro collapsed into bed, his mind a whirlwind of pyramids, deserts, and the irritatingly smug face of his copycat rival. He pulled the covers up to his chin, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him. Just as his eyes began to close, a deep cold seeped into the room, a chill that had nothing to do with the night air.

An aura of pure dread washed over him, paralyzing his limbs. His eyes snapped open, frightened. He was awake, but he couldn't move, couldn't even scream. A shadow, darker than any natural darkness, formed in the corner of his room, stretching and coalescing until a figure stepped out of it.

It was 03.

The handsome man stood there, his arms crossed, his piercing red eyes scanning the room before landing on Kenjiro's paralyzed form. He moved with a silent, fluid grace, approaching the bed.

"You have something I might want," 03 said, his voice a calm, low murmur that sent a shiver down Kenjiro's spine.

Before Kenjiro could even process the words, 03 extended a hand. His cool fingers began to search, patting down Kenjiro's body over the thin blanket. He touched his shoulders, his chest, his waist. Kenjiro's mind went into total meltdown. A furious, uncontrollable blush spread across his entire body. He was being touched by the most handsome man he had ever seen, and he was completely helpless to stop it.

03's hand stopped at his chest, his fingers closing around the faint lump of the pearl replica tucked inside Kenjiro's shirt. He pulled it out, holding the icy sphere in his palm. As he did, the pearl pulsed with a faint light, and the vision of the desert pyramid and the chained prisoner reflected in his red eyes.

He let out a dismissive "tsk."

"I've already been there," he said, his voice laced with a bitter disappointment. The pearl's light faded. He looked down at Kenjiro, his handsome face twisting into a look of faint disgust as he noticed the purple skirt tossed over a nearby chair.

"Still wearing these clothes?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "I could tell you were a boy when I touched you."

Kenjiro couldn't reply, his throat locked by fear and his face burning with humiliation. He was still blushing all over.

A second, more feminine shadow detached itself from 03's back, forming into the graceful, blue-haired woman from Kenjiro's vision. It was Tsukuyomi.

"Ooh~" she purred, her voice echoing in the room. "This should be the perfect opportunity for you to touch him all over~"

03 sighed, not even turning to look at her. "Shut up, you weirdo," he commanded.

Tsukuyomi pouted. "You're no fun," she said, before melting back into his shadow and vanishing.

03 looked at Kenjiro one last time, his expression unreadable. He placed a small, sleek black card on the nightstand. It had a single, silver button in its center. Then, without another word, he dissolved back into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared.

The moment he was gone, the oppressive aura lifted. Kenjiro could move again. He gasped for air, his heart hammering against his ribs. At the same time, a piercing siren began to blare from a security panel on his wall, triggered by the unauthorized magical presence.

Seconds later, his door burst open. Ryo rushed in, followed by two heavily armed guild security guards.

"What happened?!" Ryo demanded, his eyes wide as he took in Kenjiro's pale, terrified face.

Kenjiro, still trembling, pointed a shaky finger at the corner of the room. "He... he was here," he stammered, recounting the entire terrifying, mortifying encounter.

Kenjiro recounted the entire terrifying ordeal to Ryo, his voice still trembling slightly as he described the paralyzing fear and the handsome man who had appeared from the shadows. He finished by pointing to the sleek black card on his nightstand.

"And then he just... left this," he said.

Ryo picked up the card, examining the single silver button with a thoughtful expression. The guild's security team had swept the room and found no trace of the intruder, no lingering magical energy, nothing. It was as if he had never been there at all.

"Keep it," Ryo said, handing the card back to Kenjiro. "Don't press it, obviously. But it could be useful someday. A direct line to a being that powerful is a rare thing."

Kenjiro nodded, taking the card and placing it carefully in a drawer. The adrenaline was finally fading, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion. Ryo, seeing the state he was in, shooed the guards out and gently pushed Kenjiro back toward his bed. "Get some sleep," he said, his voice unusually soft.

The moment his head hit the pillow, Kenjiro was out.

He awoke the next morning with a familiar fire in his belly. He pushed the strange events of the previous night to the back of his mind and focused on the one thing he could control: his workout. He was in the middle of a set of push-ups when a knock came at the door.

With a groan, he opened it. It was Taguro.

"Bombom~" his copycat began, a look of faux concern on his face. "What happened? Ryo told me some evil guy touched you all over~" He paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Wish it could be me~" He reached his hands out toward Kenjiro.

Kenjiro's face went scarlet. He slapped Taguro's hands away. "I-I couldn't do a-anything!" he stammered, his tsundere defenses kicking into high gear. "I-if I could, I w-would have slapped his face..." He looked away, his cheeks burning. "Y-yeah... I wouldn't let him t-toy me around." He glared back at Taguro. "S-SHUT UP, YOU, BEFORE I SHOW YOU MY DESCENDING TRAPEZIUS!"

Taguro just laughed. "Help the homie, he's sick," he said with a knowing smirk.

"S-shut up!" Kenjiro yelled, his face getting even redder. "Stop finishing my sentences, weirdo!"

He turned his back on the copycat and furiously resumed his workout, trying to ignore the feeling of Taguro's eyes watching him from behind.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. It was DragonSlayer69, and he did not look happy.

"You know what, Bombom," he began, gesturing around the opulent suite. "Why do you have this big room with all the fancy things, while we have a common room?"

Kenjiro stopped his workout and walked over to him, a teasing smirk on his face. "It's because I'm super useful around here," he said, puffing out his chest. "Or maybe 'cause I'm better than you."

DragonSlayer's face darkened with anger. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU DWERP?!"

"If the boot fits," Kenjiro replied coolly.

"Oh, yeah? Repeat that," the warrior challenged.

"If the boot," Kenjiro said, pausing for dramatic effect, "fits."

Just as DragonSlayer was about to lunge, Taguro stepped between them. "Stop fighting, guys."

"Yeah, he's right," DragonSlayer grumbled, backing down. "I would win easi—" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locking onto Taguro. His angry expression melted into one of pure confusion, his heart giving a loud, traitorous thump. "W-wait," he stammered. "I forgot how similar you two were."

Kenjiro's smirk returned. "So what? Came to declare your love for me?"

"You wish," DragonSlayer shot back, though his face was still flushed. He pulled a folded note from his pocket and shoved it at Kenjiro. "This is from Gluteus. He says he's got a quest and is waiting for us in the hall."