Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game

The next day.

“Matsudaira, I heard something…”

His foster sister, Ayaka, approached Matsudaira Inomaro, hesitant and whispering, “I heard that Lord Hyakusuke of the lower ninja group went to a rendezvous teahouse outside and even took a courtesan with him, not returning all night yesterday. I wonder what he's been doing?”

“Is that so?”

Old man Matsudaira was grooming his beloved horse with a bristle brush.

“Well, there’s nothing strange about that… Lord Hyakusuke is a man, after all.”

The old samurai asked without looking up, “Ayaka-dono, where did you hear such strange news?”

Questioned, Ayaka looked uneasy, twirling her fingers in front of her chest.

“Th-this is what the servants in this encampment are secretly saying…”

She overheard them.

“Ayaka.”

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind her, and as the girl turned around, something gently tapped her forehead.

“Ouch.”

“Gossiping behind people’s backs isn’t a good thing, you know~~”

Tsukigara Yoake appeared behind her unnoticed, wearing a crimson kimono, holding a delicate bamboo flute, and playing with its tassel.

“Lord Hyakusuke didn’t do anything like that. It’s just a misunderstanding and a rumor… Besides, if such rumors reach the Kurohimeyama family, he might be punished.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Ayaka apologized timidly.

“Saying it to me won’t do any good.”

Yoake reached out and gently stroked her cheek, continuing, “Just be more careful next time.”

“Are you done chatting?”

Old man Matsudaira interrupted the two.

“It’s about time… Let’s get ready to get in the oxcart. Are we heading straight to Lake Yukiyasha this time?”

The old man sighed softly, “But who knows if the ‘Sword Saint Kyouunsai’ is still at Lake Yukiyasha.”

“Eh? Who is that?”

Ayaka hadn’t heard of the name.

“He is Sword Saint, one of the Four Sages.”

Yoake explained, “Sword Saint's origin is from Ezo, his real name is unknown, but he calls himself ‘Kifune Kyouunsai’. He is the great hero who ended the demon disturbances of 150 years ago… Besides him, there were also the Spear Saint, Bow Saint, and Fist Saint, all strong warriors who fought against the five Demon Lords.”

“Old man Kyouunsai also had some involvement in the founding of the Oborozuki Ingetsu style by the Tsukigara clan’s ancestor.”

Old man Matsudaira explained, “The first founder of the Oborozuki Ingetsu style was inspired by old man Kyouunsai and created his own swordsmanship. In a way, he can be called an ancestor.”

“Is that so?”

Ayaka was quite surprised.

“Because something happened in the Mutsu territory, it might involve the land of Ezo (Hokkaido) across the strait. We hope to get some information from the old master.”

Old man Matsudaira continued, “Also, Lord Kyouunsai has lived a long life and has extensive knowledge. We also want to ask about lifting the curse on the young lord…”

“After all, the Ezo people are a long-lived race, unlike us short-lived ones. They live very long lives, and it is said that the elders of the clan can live up to a thousand years.”

Yoake explained briefly.

The Ezo people refer to the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido. However, in 'Oborozuki no Akari,' the Ezo people are not a human race but belong to a subhuman race.

Humans only live for a few decades, but the Ezo people can live for hundreds or even thousands of years.

It is said that their ancestors are related to the black dwarves of Norse mythology. Outwardly, the Ezo people have light brown skin, pointed ears, and are generally not very tall, but their physical strength is excellent.

Furthermore, the Ezo people are skilled in ironworking, smelting, and crafting cursed tools and weapons. They are very powerful craftsmen who possess special secret techniques and can create powerful divine weapons.

Of the Four Sages ennobled by the Imperial Court after the end of the great rebellion, the Bow Saint and Spear Saint had long passed away after 150 years, leaving only the Sword Saint Kyouunsai and the Fist Saint still alive.

“Speaking of which, the eldest princess of the Kurohimeyama family is also a disciple of old man Kyouunsai. She spent four years serving by his side, learning swordsmanship and the technique of forging demon swords.”

Old man Matsudaira also recalled this event.

“Eh… but if Miss Ohagi is a disciple of Kyouunsai, shouldn’t we just ask her to introduce us to the Sword Saint?”

Ayaka asked this question.

“We asked… but Miss Ohagi also claimed that she doesn’t know the old man’s whereabouts. This Sword Saint is accustomed to traveling the world, his footprints are all over the sixty-six provinces, and no one knows where he is now…”

Old man Matsudaira smiled wryly, “According to that young lady, there is a hut near Lake Yukiyasha where he occasionally stays. She told us to try our luck there.”

Hearing this, Ayaka nodded as if she understood. She wasn’t an exorcist and lacked the qualities, so she rarely came into contact with this kind of information.

“Excuse me, everyone.”

Suddenly, someone coughed softly from behind the three, interrupting their conversation.

Ayaka was startled because she noticed it was Hyakusuke, not wearing his black fox mask.

“The oxcart is ready. Miss Akira and Miss Ayaka, please get in the cart?”

Hyakusuke squeezed out these words in a hoarse voice.

Yoake didn’t say anything. Her long-lashed eyes looked at Hyakusuke, and from a distance, her black pupils met Hyakusuke’s eyes.

Suddenly, in the next second, the two of them averted their gazes in perfect unison.

The atmosphere became awkward…

…Eh? What’s going on?

Ayaka’s mouth opened slightly, and she keenly noticed the strange atmosphere between Yoake and Hyakusuke.

Gulp.

The foster sister swallowed, her dry and tense throat swallowing a lump of sticky air.

‘Wh-what? Did something happen between my brother and Lord Hyakusuke?’

A strange silence permeated between the two, and they stood still, almost motionless.

—Silence, a silence that seemed to oppress the body, filled the air.

Everything was unclear.

Cold sweat broke out on Ayaka’s skin, tense with nervousness, and a ridiculous feeling welled up in her heart.

In a place she didn’t understand at all, in a place her hands couldn’t reach—something unexpected seemed to have happened to her “brother,” which caused something to happen between her and Hyakusuke.

‘No… no, this is very bad.’

Ayaka was often thought to have a straightforward personality, but in reality, she was just emotionally expressive, so she could directly get to the heart of the matter with something akin to a woman’s intuition.

She vaguely had a feeling that Tsukigara Yoake, whom she knew, her “brother,” was drifting further and further away from her, and was no longer her brother, but turning into something else.

‘No, absolutely not…’

A hint of panic arose in Ayaka’s heart… No, no, she desperately shook her head inwardly because she thought of a possibility—

‘Only this must never happen, brother, you must never fall from grace!’

“Let’s get going.”

Old man Matsudaira Inomaro clearly didn’t have the profound ability to read the atmosphere, and he interrupted the silence at just the right time.

“We better hurry in the morning, and hope it doesn’t rain today or anything…”

“That’s right, we should get going…”

Yoake suddenly reached out and grabbed her foster sister’s hand.

“Ayaka, let’s go.”

“Y-yes.”

Ayaka was almost dragged along, pulled forward by Tsukigara Yoake.

‘Bro-brother… what exactly are you?’

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

However, in the moment when Tsukigara Yoake brushed past Hyakusuke, the corner of her lips curled up and let out a cold snort.

The moment he heard this snort, Hyakusuke couldn’t help but straighten his back, and all the pores on his body contracted.

After Yoake left, he sighed deeply in his heart. At the same time, an indescribable intense fatigue pressed down on him, causing him to involuntarily slump his shoulders.

“…It fell apart.”

This was something Hyakusuke hadn’t expected either—to explain the reason, everything had to go back to last night.

…Showdown.

The cards must be laid on the table.

Hyakusuke thought that Tsukigara Yoake was a reasonable person in the game.

…As long as he could convince her, he would definitely be able to get her help.

‘If I can move her with my words, then I can get the help of this protagonist chosen by fate. I can also tell her the information I have and speed up her awakening and strengthening…’

Even if she becomes a woman, it doesn’t hinder her from becoming stronger.

Moreover, as long as he used the information he had to avoid various plot landmines, wouldn’t he be able to easily resolve the world-destroying crisis?

Hyakusuke even started imagining that after Tsukigara Yoake became stronger with his help, the two of them could wreak havoc together.

This protagonist chosen by fate would be responsible for “wreaking havoc” in the front, and he, the player, would be responsible for “cackling” in the back.

We could become the most powerful combination in this game.

—A bright future prospect appeared before his eyes.

“You… Miss Akira?”

He stared at the girl again.

The evening breeze parted the clouds, and moonlight gradually fell on the earth.

In the thin moonlight, she wore a purple kimono, her black hair tied in a bundle behind her, and her rather large breasts were hidden under the kimono. Even the posture of standing made her shoulders outline a gentle slope, exuding a delicate beauty.

Bathed in the moonlight, anyone would be attracted to this girl who exuded a calm and gentle aura.

“No, I should call you Yoake-sama.”

Hyakusuke’s eyes didn’t leave her. He opened his mouth slightly and directly revealed the other party’s identity.

“Eh… Miya?”

Tsukigara Yoake, whose true identity was revealed, shrunk her neck in fright. She fell into a panic and involuntarily made a strange sound like a small animal.

“Uwa… N-not me.”

Her eyes darted around, looking panicked, and her feet moved backward.

Hyakusuke boldly grabbed her wrist.

“Please wait, Yoake-sama.”

He said in a deep voice, “Just now, you must have been the one who helped. Without your flute music, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the vengeful spirit in the cemetery… I must thank you.”