Ethan stood before the coffin. Half a minute passed, yet there was no response from within. Since the occupant refused to cooperate, he decided to use a more forceful approach.
The blonde femboy, Gasper Vladi, was harmless enough now, but thirty years down the line, who knew what he'd become? Unless, of course, the boy's "little brother" failed to grow alongside his frame. If that happened, Ethan wouldn't mind helping him down the path of "forced feminization." Not that Ethan would do the deed himself—helping just meant introducing him to a few "good friends," like Issei Hyoudou and the other two members of the Pervert Trio.
Feminization was fun to watch from the sidelines, but as for personally experiencing the slender, delicate body of a boy-girl… Ethan preferred to take a pass.
Shaking off those stray thoughts, Ethan stepped forward and forced open the coffin lid. He met a bit of resistance—likely Gasper desperately holding it shut from the inside—but that pathetic strength was nothing compared to Ethan's power.
The lid flew back. Nestled on a plush, crimson cushion was a flat-chested, blonde "beauty."
Gasper turned his head, looking up at the intruder with teary eyes, looking every bit the pitiful, adorable damsel in distress.
"Hiss..."
Even though he had prepared himself, Ethan couldn't help but be startled. Only a man truly understands a man; from the facial expressions to the posture of his limbs, everything about Gasper was designed to be cute and seductive.
Perhaps it was because Ethan spent every day surrounded by naked girls, but he had developed a sort of "gender intuition." Even though Gasper looked incredibly fuckable, a lingering sense of dissonance remained in Ethan's gut, similar to when he first encountered the female Kiba Yuuto.
While Ethan observed Gasper, Gasper was cautiously studying Ethan. Seeing a handsome young man with a refined, gentle aura, the boy felt slightly relieved. It seemed all sentient beings were visual creatures at heart. Ethan's high charisma prevented the situation from turning immediately hostile.
"I... I really am a girl, sir..." Gasper whispered, his voice soft and melodic. His eyes shimmered like pools of water as he looked timidly at Ethan, trying his best to play the part.
For a split second, Ethan wavered. If it weren't for his prior knowledge and his honed instincts, he might have actually believed it.
"Take off your skirt and panties. I need to see for myself," Ethan commanded. His gaze dropped to the "girl's" slender legs clad in black thigh-high stockings, lingering on the snowy-white "absolute territory" between the skirt and the socks.
Gasper blushed under Ethan's intense stare. "P-pervert... asking to see there the first time we meet..."
Ethan's lip twitched. You're a cross-dressing freak; you have no right to call me a pervert.
If Gasper were actually a girl, Ethan would indeed be a criminal. But the more Gasper acted coy, the more it proved he was hiding something. Under Ethan's unwavering gaze, the blonde femboy began to crack. But Gasper wasn't about to give up his secret that easily. He had disguised himself so well; how had he been caught?
Facing Gasper's stubbornness, Ethan decided to take matters into his own hands. While he didn't want to "use" a femboy, he was very interested in "inspecting" one. He had seen so many "traps" and "femboys" on the internet in his past life; now that the opportunity was here, he wasn't going to let it slip by.
Ethan didn't back down. He squatted, pinning Gasper's weak waist down with one hand while the other grabbed the hem of the skirt, reaching for the pale pink cotton panties. Because Gasper was lying on his stomach, Ethan couldn't see the bulge yet, but the moment those panties came down, the truth would be undeniable.
Ethan's sudden assault caught Gasper completely off guard. By the time he realized what was happening, his panties were halfway down his thighs.
"EEEEEKKKK!"
As he screamed, the Forbidden Balor View—the Evil Eye that stops time—suddenly activated.
While Ethan was frozen in time, Gasper scrambled away from his clutches and dove into a cardboard box in the corner of the room. He wanted to run out of the house, but his shut-in nature made the idea of going outside even more terrifying than staying with Ethan.
Ethan felt a momentary blur, and then the blonde femboy was gone.
Truly a cheat-level ability, Ethan thought. From their brief contact, Gasper was only A-rank at best, while Ethan was SS+, nearly SSS. Yet, against time-stop, he had almost no way to resist. It was only because his soul was so powerful that he felt a "blur" instead of just thinking Gasper had teleported.
Fortunately, while the ability was broken, it had many limits. Given Gasper's timid personality, Ethan wasn't in any real danger. He turned around, determined to catch the blonde boy again for a full "evidence" collection.
The moment Ethan opened the box, Gasper used his power again. He teleported back into the coffin and slammed the lid shut.
Ethan wasn't in a rush. If the boy wanted to play hide-and-seek, Ethan would play until the boy's magic ran out. The game ended faster than expected. Gasper couldn't control his Sacred Gear well, and every time he stopped time, it drained a massive amount of mana. Because Ethan was so much stronger, the mana cost to "freeze" him was astronomical.
After five rounds of jumping around, Ethan finally caught him in the corner box. Gasper was pale, panting, and crouched down while holding his head in despair.
...
"Don't worry. If you don't want anyone to know, I'll keep your secret," Ethan said as he tossed Gasper's clothes and skirt back into the coffin.
Gasper had recovered a bit of mana. His face wasn't pale anymore; instead, it was flushed bright red. He was currently completely naked except for his black thigh-high stockings. He scrambled to grab his cute clothes to cover his chest and crotch.
Ethan rolled his eyes. He's played the role so much he actually thinks he's a girl. Besides, Ethan had already seen everything.
There was a difference between a femboy and a real girl. Aside from the flat chest, the waist was different. Girls had a certain inward curve, a soft, wonderful arc. The femboy's waist was straight, more rectangular. But the most obvious proof was down below—the difference between a hole and a pole was unmistakable.
Small, hairless, and surprisingly cute... Ethan thought. No wonder adults in his old world liked to flick children's "little birds." He had almost been tempted to flick Gasper's little member just now. Luckily, he held back, fearing it might lead to a very "scary" situation.
Curiosity satisfied, Ethan sealed away the memories of the "Trap" and the "Gender-bending" and refocused his mind on the glorious path of his harem.
"Sob... sob..." Gasper whimpered while putting his clothes back on. He hadn't talked to anyone in so long, and the one time he did, he got forcibly stripped naked. The world was scary, and the people in it were even scarier.
Listening to the boy's crying, Ethan felt a twinge of guilt. Now that his curiosity was sated, he realized he had been a bit excessive.
"Why do you dress as a girl?" Ethan asked, trying to find a way to compensate him.
"B-because it's more cute-pya..."
"Pya?" Ethan blinked. The kid had even developed a verbal tic. He didn't plan on changing Gasper, so he skipped the judgment. "I'm not talking about the clothes. I mean, why are you so desperate for people to think you're female?"
Gasper hesitated but eventually spilled the truth. Although Ethan was a bit of a brute, Gasper could sense no malice from him. Being a shut-in was lonely, and deep down, he craved connection. Humans are social animals; even the most introverted person eventually wants to talk to someone.
In this world, Gasper hadn't met Rias or become her Pawn. Because his mother was human, he was cast out by his family. In the human world, his vampire blood made him an outcast. He realized that girls received help more easily. Combined with his love for cute things, he began cross-dressing. It started as a hobby and turned into a full-time identity.
When his Sacred Gear awakened, the Kuoh Academy board invited him to school. The altered records and his permission to stay home were all part of the deal.