The moment they stepped back into the Femboy Adventuring Guild, the familiar, chaotic energy of the place washed over Kenjiro. It was a comforting, almost nostalgic sensation. The script was back on track, the world was playing by his rules, and he was, for the moment, in complete control. But the encounter with Seraphina had left a deep, unsettling crack in his confidence. A single, unexpected splash of holy water had proven that this timeline was not a perfect carbon copy of the last. It was volatile, unpredictable. He needed data. He needed to know if anything else had changed.

He stormed through the main hall, ignoring the curious stares of the other adventurers, and made a beeline for Ryo, who was leaning against the reception counter, a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he watched the new Lily make a scene. Kenjiro snatched a guild-issued scanner from a nearby table.

"Go," he commanded, shoving the device into Ryo's hands. "Analyze my status."

Ryo laughed, a confused but amused sound. "Why? You're already the strongest femboy around," he said, his eyes twinkling with a familiar, teasing light.

"JUST DO IT!" Bombom stomped his feet, his face flushing with a calculated, theatrical rage. The tsundere persona was a comfortable mask, a role he could slip into with an ease that was both a blessing and a curse.

Ryo, shocked by the sudden outburst, fumbled with the scanner and pointed it at him. "Alright, alright, sheesh." The familiar holographic panel shimmered into existence. "Yeah," Ryo said with a shrug. "Your stats are the same."

Bombom let out a small, internal sigh of relief. His own stats were unchanged. That was one variable he could count on. "How do these stats even work?" he asked, the question a deliberate, carefully placed breadcrumb to guide the conversation back to the familiar path.

Ryo's face went blank for a moment, as if he were genuinely surprised by the question. "No one else told you? It's simple," he began, launching into the explanation Kenjiro already knew by heart. "You get three points to distribute every time you level up, but you also gain small amounts of points based on your daily activities. So, if you, for example... started taking more pictures for your LilyPad, you could become much more charismatic," he said, before mumbling under his breath, "...and all that gym work is definitely doing wonders for your... other assets."

Bombom blushed, a genuine, hot wave of embarrassment washing over him. "W-whatever," he stammered, turning away.

"Well," Ryo said, clapping his hands together, his part in the scene complete. "I think it's time you tried to get your own party together. You can't rely on me forever! Don't worry, I'll put in a good word for you."

"H-hey, let me do it," Bombom said, cutting him off. He knew what came next. Ryo would make a grand, embarrassing announcement, and he would be forced to awkwardly recruit his team from the ensuing chaos. But this was a small, manageable deviation. He could speed things up. He scanned the crowded room and saw her: a beautiful elf girl with long, fiery blonde hair and startlingly green eyes, standing nervously by a pillar, trying her best to be invisible. Lyrielle.

He walked straight up to her, his movements full of a confidence that was completely at odds with his delicate appearance. "Wanna join my team?" he asked, his voice a clear, firm command.

The elf looked at him, and her face, which had been pale with a shy anxiety, exploded in a blush of such intensity it was a wonder she didn't faint on the spot. Her emerald eyes widened, and her mouth opened, but only a series of small, stuttering sounds came out. "Y-y-y-yees i-i-i..."

Bombom smiled, a genuine, warm expression that only served to deepen her blush. "Good. I'm Kenjiro," he said, deliberately using his real name, a small, personal gesture that he hadn't made the first time. "That one giant," he continued, pointing across the room to the mountain of a man who was meticulously polishing his armor, "is Gluteus."

He walked over to the giant knight. "I'm forming a team," he announced, his voice ringing with an authority that left no room for argument. "And you're coming with me." He paused, a wicked, knowing smirk on his face. "Yes, I know you'll join to protect my assets."

Gluteus looked up, his expression one of stoic, unwavering loyalty. He gave a small, solemn nod. "Anything to protect you and your magnificent... spirit."

With his tank and healer secured, he saw a flash of pink hair and a swish of a fluffy tail passing by. Kaito. He reached out and, with a speed that surprised even himself, grabbed the fox femboy's arm. "You're on the team," he declared, pulling the startled Kaito closer. "Sit and listen."

Kaito, completely bewildered but also deeply intrigued by this strange, forceful, and impossibly beautiful Lily, just smiled a foxy, compliant grin and sat down.

The party was formed. Faster, cleaner, and with a fraction of the public humiliation of the first time. A small, satisfying victory. But the nagging doubt, the tremor from the butterfly's wing, still lingered. He needed to be sure. He grabbed the scanner from a nearby cat girl, ignoring her indignant squeak of protest, and pointed it at Lyrielle.

Level 53 - Lyrielle Dawnshade

Strength: 2

Intelligence: 65

Agility: 20

Dexterity: 10

Charisma: 5

Luck: 21

Perception: 50

Kenjiro blinked. He blinked again. It wasn't a mistake. She was stronger. Considerably stronger than she had been the first time around. His blood ran cold. Maybe I messed something up, he thought, a single bead of sweat trickling down his temple. The timeline was already changing, in ways he couldn't predict or control. He felt a flash of pure, unadulterated panic. He quickly masked it, sticking his tongue out in a gesture of childish frustration as the cat girl snatched her scanner back. "Rude..." she huffed.

He had to keep going. He had to trust the path. He turned to his new, slightly more powerful team. "Alright," he said, his voice a little shakier than he would have liked. "Get your gear. We're moving out."

He retreated to his room, his mind a maelstrom of anxious calculations. He had to get back on script. He rummaged through his wardrobe and pulled out the costume: the green, curly wig and the tight, black, and deeply humiliating dress. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the inevitable, and snapped a picture, uploading it to LilyPad with the familiar caption: 'Going on a quest. Watch me. #TsundereCosplay #LiveStreamLinkInBio'

His phone immediately exploded. The comments were a familiar, comforting flood of adoration and weirdness.

Can't believe you are cosplaying as my favorite character!

You're my waifu, Bombom! Step on me!

OMG

I'm making a fanfic of us Bombom

He scrolled through the comments, his heart aching with a strange, nostalgic sadness. And then he saw it. The catalyst. The comment that had once been a source of pure, unadulterated rage.

DragonSlayer69: you're wearing goth makeup it doesn't fit the cosplay

Kenjiro saw red, a familiar, hot wave of anger washing over him. But this time, it was different. It was a hollow anger, a phantom limb of an emotion that was now tinged with a profound, heartbreaking grief. He remembered the warrior's final, bloody smile, the quiet dignity of his sacrifice on the red shore. He remembered the friend he had lost. "T-this guy," he whispered, his voice cracking, "he really makes my blood boil, even though..." He paused, the words catching in his throat. "...it already happened... and he died in the end..."

A sharp, mental slap, cold and grounding, echoed in the back of his mind. 'Move,' his shadow commanded.

Bombom took a shaky breath and furiously typed back his reply in all caps: "I CAN'T TAKE THIS MAKE UP OFF, SO DEAL WITH IT!"

He stormed out of his room, the familiar, nonsensical mantra a comforting shield against the storm in his own heart. "It's not water with fiber... I'm a big monster..."

He met his party in the lobby. Gluteus dropped to one knee, his voice booming with a reverence that was both ridiculous and deeply touching. "My lady Tornado of Terror! You are even more magnificent than the legends! I shall wait for your sitting skins i will be your loyal Genos!"

Bombom blushed, a genuine, hot wave of embarrassment and a strange, unexpected affection washing over him. The journey to the Abandoned Sunstone Mine was an exercise in pure, nostalgic agony. The livestream was active, the comments a familiar, comforting chorus of adoration and absurdity. They reached the mine, and the fight began. The kobolds were even weaker than he remembered, pathetic little lizards that dissolved into loot at the slightest touch.

Lyrielle and Gluteus delivered their lines, their praise a warm, reassuring balm on his frayed nerves. He turned his back, let out his familiar "humpf," and delivered his own, perfect tsundere retort. "I-it's not like I did it for you guys." He held his breath, a silent, desperate prayer on his lips. Please, let this be enough. Let the timeline hold.

The chat, at least, was playing its part.

He's the strongest lily we've seen

Make the Kobolds submit, I'm next

Our tsundere is so cute

"I'm not a tsundere!" he yelled at the hovering drone, the familiar words a comforting, well-worn script. "And stop calling me that! It's Lady... Tornado! Or... something! Just shut up!"

They ventured deeper, and the Kobold Champion appeared, its guttural roar a perfect echo of his memory. Gluteus charged, his shield a wall of steel. And Bombom, knowing exactly what came next, pressed the hidden button on his dress.

He floated into the air, the comments a familiar, humiliating chorus.

HE CAN FLY?!

LOL THE VIEW

CLIP THAT ANGLE

The camera, as if guided by the hand of fate itself, drifted into that same, perfect, deeply mortifying angle. Bombom blushed, but he ignored it. It was part of the show. He was an actor, and this was his stage. He kicked, he punched, he screamed his familiar, nonsensical battle cry. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT? YOU LIZARD BRAIN!"

And then, it was time for the final act. He pressed the button again. He fell. And he landed, with a perfect, practiced grace, in that same, ridiculous, butt-upwards pose.

The chat went nuclear.

GOONERS ATTACK

PRAISE THE CAMERA DRONE

I'VE DIED AND REINCARNATED AS A SIMP

MY SOUL BELONGS TO YOU BOMBOM

Kenjiro pushed himself up, his entire face a shade of red that clashed violently with his green wig. He was rich. He was humiliated. And for the first time since he had returned, he felt a flicker of genuine, unadulterated hope. The script was holding. The timeline was stable. And maybe, just maybe, he could actually pull this off.

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