A Wolf Warrior Never Takes Off His Helmet

(Bai Ziye)

Faced with three magical girls and a dog at the same time, the Mechanical Werewolf actually behaved itself.

In this clearing halfway up the mountain, despite being covered in dust, it still knelt on the ground like a daimyo samurai, its posture dignified and polite.

The wolf-shaped helmet's visor was opaque, so I couldn't see his eyes, but perhaps it was a woman's intuition, I felt his gaze constantly shifting between me and Antarctic Star, which instinctively disgusted me.

I asked, "You... can you understand us?"

He nodded.

Unlike other Monster, this guy had a bit more humanity, which ironically made him annoying.

Are our swimsuits really that good-looking?

He nodded honestly.

I couldn't help but kick it, the iron sole of my boot clanging against the armor made of that unknown metal.

Antarctic Star didn't mind at all, and even leaned closer to examine the Mechanical Werewolf.

"It's strong and fast. Even if the Tactical Division wants us to capture it alive, we can't restrict its movements unless we keep touching it to maintain the Quality Magic, but that's not a long-term solution."

Melissa then said, "Ultimately, is it really Monster? Don't you think it looks more like someone wearing armor?"

"Oh, really!"

Antarctic Star suddenly became interested and chimed in, "This armor looks like the suits worn by tokusatsu heroes in those Past TV shows..."

Tokusatsu heroes.

Those were the kinds of films and TV shows with fantastical hero themes that we often saw before the arrival of the magical girl era. But as real heroes came into being, the fictional heroes disappeared from the stage of history. These kinds of works disappeared more than ten years ago, and even I only have a vague impression of them.

"They really do look like characters from tokusatsu shows. I'm a little surprised you know about something from that era."

Antarctic Star replied seriously, "The Joint Research Station's archives have many old videotapes, which were brought Past by scientists in the Past to pass the time. I sometimes borrow them to watch."

This penguin girl has quite a colorful life outside of work.

"So, can you take off this armor?" I asked again.

I asked rather casually, but UI-31 shook its head vigorously, which only deepened my suspicions.

I reached out and tapped the back of its helmet, but I couldn't tell if it was solid or hollow.

"Awoooooo!"

UI-31 pointed at me and then barked a few times.

"Woof woof!"

Perhaps thinking it had encountered someone of its own kind, the Golden beside it also started to call out.

I naturally couldn't understand the wolf's howl, but Melissa said, "Hmm, it seems it wants Miss Miluno to deactivate her transformation first."

The Werewolf nodded in affirmation of the head maid's statement.

"Huh? How could I let you see that?"

"Awooooo--"

Melissa rubbed her forehead and translated again, "It says... Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you."

Why can howling sounds be translated into idioms?

I couldn't help but complain, and then questioned UI-31 again, "Do you understand your position? You are our prisoner now."

It shook its head.

"Ugh!"

Both Antarctic Star and I looked at Melissa, wondering why she could understand those wolf howls and ghostly cries.

"It said it wasn't a prisoner, but rather came to talk to us with magnanimous goodwill."

Wow, so arrogant?

"Mmm!"

UI-31 nodded in agreement.

I really want to punch it. As Miluno, I have a boost in rationality, yet this makes me so angry. This Werewolf is no ordinary creature.

It roared again, "Awooo!"

"It says... it needs a strand of Miss Miluno's hair."

Melissa has completely become a translator.

"Is it perverted?"

Why would he need my hair? Is he the type to stay in the classroom after school and smell the hair of the girl he likes?

"Awooo, awooo."

"It said... give it some hair and it will remove this armor."

"No way! Who knows what you'll do with my hair—hey!"

It actually picked up a soft, long black hair from the grass. Melissa's hair was fiery red, while Antarctic Star's wasn't that long.

If the story unfolds correctly, this must be my hair.

But why am I losing my hair?

This is a worrying sign.

Awoo--

UI-31 actually grabbed my hair and put it in its mouth like it was eating Simulacrum Factor... to be precise, in the mouth of the wolf helmet.

"... Does eating you somehow grant me control over my magic?"

The Werewolf stopped howling and instead lowered its head, seemingly contemplating something.

Fearing it might cause any more trouble, Antarctic Star hunched over in a fighting stance, while Melissa remained still, simply standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for something...

"What's wrong with this guy?"

No one answered me, but the Werewolf's body changed. The tokusatsu-style mechanical armor transformed into black and red lightning, which quickly converged on the fingernail-sized metal pyramid on its chest.

At this point, the UI-31 finally revealed its true colors... what a load of crap!

It actually transformed into my male form.

He's even better in shape than me. He's lean and muscular, but his muscles are clearly defined, and he's bursting with masculine hormones. He's a real man among men. Even though his skin is a bit dark, he doesn't look out of place in Hawaii.

This muscular physique is clearly not for me; it seems he can only resort to changing his expression.

He was wearing only a pair of yellow floral beach shorts, revealing his rather fit upper body. However, he quickly changed into a white tank top, which, despite being the kind of old man's style, he managed to make look handsome.

I lost. Even though I'm pretty handsome, I still feel resentful.

Furthermore, the ability to trace my original appearance through my hair greatly increases the risk of my identity being exposed. Although Sirius can also sense the Star Crystal, she disagrees with SpiCa's political views and has agreed to keep my identity a secret, but UI-31 is an unstable factor.

"Awoo~?"

But he still couldn't speak.

Melissa translated, "It said... he thought he would become like you."

That looks so weird, a lightweight bodybuilder Barbie?

"Eating hair can transform you into someone else? Too bad, that hair isn't mine. It's a friend of Ceruno's; he probably dropped it when he passed by... right, Miss Melissa?"

I asked Melissa for help.

As the head maid of Sirius, she knew my identity and understood the meaning behind my words, so she also began to cover for me.

"Yes, before we set off today, I took Bai Ziye for a walk around this area. It's probably a hair that fell out then."

I breathed a sigh of relief when she said that.

But UI-31 seemed confused; he tilted his head and looked at me with my face tilted to the side, which was really irritating.

I wasn't going to give him time to think, and pressed on, "So, what exactly is this mimicry-like ability of yours?"

"Aww--"

He took a notebook out of his pocket and presented it respectfully.

Melissa: "She wants you to take a look."

I looked at Antarctic Star and asked, then reached out and took the notebook.

The cover of the journal reads "Diary," and the characters are fairly neat. Luckily, it's in Chinese characters; otherwise, it would be troublesome if it were in a less common language.

I am a human being.

The first page contained only these three words, as if to remind me, and they were intentionally written in large characters. I looked up at UI-31, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside me.

You said... you are human?

It gestured for me to continue reading, and then reached out to stroke the Golden's head.

The second page records his "model number".

He is a prototype of an infiltration weapon created using "humans" as the raw material...

Infiltration weapons, as the name the Other Side, are special units that can infiltrate human society and wait for an opportunity to strike. Therefore, they are designed to transform into humans they can eat in order to replace their social identities.

Because it was a prototype made without regard to cost, its combat ability far surpassed that of ordinary Monster, reaching the level of a witch.

However, things went wrong during the transformation process, and the most crucial brainwashing step failed. He then pretended to have been brainwashed and was thrown into the wormhole along with the "Stump".

"You're quite something, aren't you?"

That concludes the self-introduction; what follows is the actual diary entry.

[While attempting to seize the Simulacrum Factor, I was attacked by several magical girls. The one with long, straight black hair was very powerful; fortunately, her old injuries hadn't healed, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to escape successfully.]

[Although her legs are beautiful, tucking a tulle skirt under her short skirt is still too much; I really hope she can remove it.]

I stomped my foot.

I stepped on that familiar face.