The Secret Room

After finding the answer to the question that had always haunted him, Kouro didn't feel happy at all he even felt scared, he didn't know how he should describe this fear. .... But the point is that he feels afraid of himself now. 

The reason was simple because he reincarnated into the body of someone who was completely innocent and now, he was being told that the person who reincarnated himself was 'himself'? 

Seeing as how the person who has the same name as him, no, himself from the previous era... It seems like his reincarnation was a planned thing. 

But... If that was the case, why did he don't have memories of his life in the previous era and only had memories of his previous life? 

Moreover, what was the reason behind his reincarnation into the current era? According to Kouro himself, the changed future was better than his original future. 

He remembered the Herrscher of the End core fragment in his inventory which meant that the Herrscher had been sealed and then again almost all the MANTIS who were supposed to die were still alive.

After all, Kouro knows that every MANTIS has a power equal to a Herrscher and can even defeat them easily, so if there is no mistake, the MANTIS should be able to protect the earth without having to do Project S.A.V.E.S.

Wait... He finally remembered that there was a new project codenamed "Shadow" ... Although he didn't know what the purpose of this project was but from the code name... Is this project directly related to his reincarnation into the current era?

Kouro also didn't know how his relationship with the MANTIS was in his previous life, but judging from how Vill-V acted towards his existence... It seemed like his relationship with the MANTIS was quite close.

There was just one more question that was stuck in his mind, why was the future that had changed still largely the same as the original? Did the MANTIS not know that the Herrscher of the End had been sealed?

Kouro thought the MANTIS must have realized how important this was, right? That's why they must have collected the remaining Herrscsher core fragments. 

Wait, Kouro remembered that he now had one of the Herrscsher core shards, did the person who gave him this core shard know that he was KOURO? 

(KOURO: Kouro PE. 

Kouro: MC. 

Hanagami Kouro: the owner of the original body 'Kouro'). 

Then there was a possibility that Fu Hua knew the person considering she was the intermediary of the person who gave the Herrscsher shard core to him.

He also recalled the information he had gathered from Vill-V's diary, that countless people in the 'Bubble Universe' on the 'Imaginary Tree' had died either from assassination, accidents, or even disease. 

It was as if the world did not want him to exist... Kouro recalled the memories of 'Hanagami Kouro' and he learned that the owner of this body also had a strange incurable disease... Was this the intervention of the Will of Honkai? 

If he didn't reincarnate in 'Hanagami Kouro's' body does that mean 'Hanagami Kouro' will die following his destiny? Did it mean that his very existence was something very special? 

Kouro recalled his encounter with the Will of Honkai who gave him a faint sense of friendship... Did that mean that the Will of Honkai had learned that he was KOURO? 

Wait a minute... What relationship did he have with the Will of Honkai? Kouro's scalp was tingling at the thought of this... He didn't dare to imagine further, fearing that he would be cursed directly by the gods.

(E/D: Sorry brother your fate has already been decided. The Will of Honkai will become Waifu! A delicious Waifu)

Well... Even so, he had to admit it, without the Will of Honkai, he would not have met himself from the previous era and he would not have the fragmented memories of himself in the previous era. 

But... If, if his memories of the previous era returned... Would he still be himself? 

Kouro did not know this answer. 

If not for the black mask, we would have been able to see Kouro's face wearing a complicated expression. 

After a few moments of standing still, he finally raised his head and kept all these thoughts in the depths of his heart. 

'Well... I now don't have to think too far, at least now I know that I once lived in the previous era and befriended the MANTIS, by the way...'

Kouro turned his head right and left, after seeing no one, he then removed the mask, revealing a very serious expression. 

He raised his hands high before slapping himself in the face. 

*SLAP! *

[HP: 25,969/26,600] 

One side of his cheek looked red and swollen slightly, but even so, he did not stop and continued slapping. 

If Ragna and the others saw Kouro's current actions, they would definitely think that he had gone crazy. 

Well... The reason Kouro slapped himself was because he had vowed to slap his 'senior' to death who turned out to be himself. 

After all, he had sworn, and as a man who never goes back on his word, he would definitely fulfill his vow! 

.... 

After an unknown amount of time. 

*SLAP! *

[HP: 800/26,600] 

Kouro looked down with his face swollen blue like a wasp sting and even bleeding that had filled the floor. 

"...Not yet..."

His hand that had bled from slapping his own face was shaking stiffly. 

*SLAP! *

[HP: 200/26,600] 

Kouro then fell to the floor with his face turned to the side, "I... Succeeded... [Recovery Status]."

After saying that, Kouro's face which was swollen, like a video with the rewind button pressed quickly returned to normal. 

[HP: 26,600/26,600] 

Kouro quickly stood up and spread his arms like a person who had just been released from prison. 

"Finally!"

Although fulfilling his own vow was rather stupid, but somehow, he felt he had to do it, hence why he did it earlier. 

And now that he had done so, he felt refreshed and calm including from his previous thoughts, perhaps due to the effects of [Status Recovery]? 

"Kouro-kun, I heard your scream are you alright!?" Ragna was seen entering with Lin and Ana carrying each other, they then looked at the floor which was full of blood. 

"Oh, it's fine, don't mind me." He replied quickly. 

"...Really...? Then what about the blood on the floor?" said Ragna, she previously remembered that the floor in this room was not stained with blood. 

"Oh, that's my blood, I just slapped myself to death. " Kouro said with a calm expression. 

".... You're joking, right Kouro-kun?" Ragna thought there was no way anyone in their right mind would slap themselves to death, especially when she looked at Kouro's face which didn't look hurt at all. 

"..." Kouro just gave his 'normal' look, before smiling normally, "I was joking."

Seeing Kouro who had returned to normal, Ragna finally smiled, she felt scared by the aura that Kouro gave off earlier, that aura... It was the same as the man who saved her back then... But now it seemed like he was fine. 

Lin and Ana looked around, they found nothing of value, other than the strange gadgets lying on the ground and the work table. 

Their expressions then looked disappointed, like they thought there would be something like treasure. 

Seeing that Ragna just smiled, she wasn't too disappointed because from the start she didn't have high expectations from this place. 

Kouro looked at the two of them and as if he knew what they were thinking, he then said, "You feel that this place is too shabby to be called 'Treasure', right? Because of that, I think there's some kind of secret door leading to the real treasure here. "

He actually said that just to cheer Lin and Ana up, but the two of them seemed to take his words seriously. 

The two of them immediately stood up straight and with serious expressions looked around the place suspected of having a button to the secret room. 

They couldn't have found the secret room, right? 

... 

A few minutes later. 

"Captain! Leader! I found a suspicious button!" Lin shouted; she was under the workbench with her butt facing towards the three of them. 

Kouro stared at the butt- no, stared at Lin before approaching her, he looked down and stared at a small red button hidden between the legs of the desk. 

"Good job, Lin!"

After saying that, he then stared at the button for a moment before quickly pressing the button and then taking a few steps back. 

Suddenly, there was the sound of a jagged machine rumbling above their heads before the floor of the workbench slowly shifted to reveal a dark staircase leading to the bottom. 

The four of them looked at each other before they finally descended the stairs. 

The stairs only led straight before they came across a door that was locked. 

Kouro stared at the door before finding a fingerprint mechanism near the door. 

"It's a shame that we're so close but this door seems to have to be opened using a fingerprint..." Ragna said after following Kouro's gaze. 

Kouro approached the fingerprint holder, after thinking for a moment he then placed his finger into the fingerprint holder. 

[Access granted]

The door then opened under the surprised gazes of Ragna, Lin, and Ana. 

"How did you do that!?"

Kouro showed his hands which had gloves on, "I used some fingerprints left in the room earlier. "

"Woah... As expected from the captain!" said Lin and Ana simultaneously. 

Only Ragna herself was looking at Kouro's gloves strangely because from what she knew this room was over two thousand years old, for something like fingerprints to have disappeared, and even if it still existed it would definitely not be as easy to copy and use as Kouro did. 

Did that mean he was using his own fingerprints? 

"Ragna-san, what's wrong?" asked Kouro seeing her looking at him. 

Ragna shook her head then together with Lin and Ana, she entered the room. 

Kouro who was in the last position did not leave immediately but stared at his palm with an interested expression. 

"...I didn't think it would actually work... " 

What Kouro did was exactly what he said, he used Vill-V's fingerprints left on the diary he destroyed. 

But as Ragna thought, it was impossible to use a fingerprint that was over two thousand years old, so he used the Authority [Death and Life] to create a new Vill-V fingerprint. 

After that, he entered following the three of them in front. 

"Woah...! " x4 

Inside the room was not something like gold or even some other precious metals, but something more than that. 

It was a blueprint. 

As someone from a large organization like Schicksal, they did not need treasures of gold and so on that were useless in the battle against Honkai. 

What they needed was something that could be used against Honkai and the blueprints in this room were exactly what they would call 'treasures'. 

They looked at the neatly lined shelves full of blueprints. 

Was this Vill-V's accumulated knowledge? As expected, the title 'The greatest inventor' was not just for display. 

Ragna and the others were then seen taking the blueprints carefully and storing them in their respective bags. 

Kouro also took some things that were useful to him, such as 'See-through glasses', 'portable stove', and so on, of course, all these blueprints he kept in his 'Inventory'.

For the use of the first blueprint, you know what it's for... 

After that, he then walked to a deeper place and a moment later he found a dead end with a... 'Sphere' placed in a display case. 

The display case not only had that object but there were other strange objects such as... 

"Whose underwear is this??"

Kouro stared at the black man's underwear on the screen with a speechless expression. 

A display object? 

Thinking of something, Kouro's expression suddenly changed. 

'Don't tell me this underwear on display belongs to Kevin!?'

Hmm... If this underwear belonged to Kevin, it seemed only natural that it should be put on display.

If Kevin knew what Kouro was thinking, then he should be prepared for the burning heat of the Judgement of Shamash. 

"Oh, captain, what did you find here?" Lin and Ana seemed to have finished collecting the blueprints and now they stood beside Kouro staring at the Boxer underwear on display. 

"Mhn? What is this?" they both asked. 

"Men's Underwear." Kouro replied. 

"We know that! But why is this underwear on display? "

Kouro scratched his jaw for a moment before answering in an uncertain tone, "Maybe because it's a Pharaoh's underwear?" 

"Hoo... Unbelievable... This is the first time I've seen a Pharaoh's underwear." They both immediately believed Kouro's words. 

Lin then wore a puzzled expression while rubbing her chin and asked innocently, "But... Since when did the Pharaoh wear a boxer's underwear?"

Kouro seemed to cover his mouth and held back the laughter that was about to come out of his mouth. 

He hadn't expected that the two of them would take his words seriously. 

Seeing him like that, Lin put on a confused expression before quickly realizing, "Eh? Wait! Are you kidding me?!"  

"Hahahaha~" Kouro laughed while holding his stomach. 

Ragna who had just finished collecting the blueprints then saw Lin who was complaining to the laughing Kouro.

Ana quickly calmed Lin down and after calming down she then looked at Kouro while glancing at the Boxer's underwear. 

"Captain, is it possible that the underwear on display is yours?"

"No way. " Kouro said quickly. 

"After all, what sane person would proudly display their underwear?"

Ragna, Ana, and Lin looked at Kouro with unconvinced expressions.

They somehow felt confident that Kouro could do this...

(E/D: I just got inspired by @Potatochu, he writes, "Genderbend Rito and add him to harem." on the other FF that I edit. So, why don't we do it here, "Genderbend Shadow and add him to harem." *Yujiro's laughter of happiness.*)