Chapter 1: A Pretty Girl, Formerly a Boy

"U…nn…"

I, Ayumu Sakura—having graduated from Mikawa Municipal Junior High School just days prior—was running at full speed.

Something was chasing me. I didn't know what that "something" was.

The details were terribly vague, impossible to make out. All I could recognize was an overwhelming sense of terror.

I ran and ran through a place I couldn't even identify. My heart pounded so violently I thought it would burst.

And then, finally, in that unknown place, the unknown something caught me.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

I jolted upright.

…Huh? Wait. If I just "got up," then…?

"A dream…?"

My whole body was drenched in sweat, my heart still racing. My pajamas and hair were plastered to my skin. There wasn't really a stink of sweat, but it was disgusting all the same.

That was way too vivid, I thought as I sluggishly climbed out of bed and took my first step of the day.

And immediately tripped for no reason.

"What… the hell?"

I’ve never been athletic, sure. But I’m not so clumsy that I’d trip on flat ground.

So why? Because I had stepped on the hem of my pants.

My pajamas must have gotten twisted up while I slept. Not that I ever thought my morning would start with me diving headfirst into the floor, but at least it woke me up.

I slowly stood and tugged my pajama pants up to my waist—

Wait a sec… even pulled all the way up, the cuffs were still dragging. Since when?

That’s when I noticed: the whole set of pajamas was hanging off me.

Now that I was properly awake, all sorts of weird little sensations started piling up.

First, my head felt heavier than yesterday. Reaching back, my hand brushed against… hair. Yesterday it was cropped short, but now…!? This wasn’t short hair at all—it was long enough to fall against my back!

I patted down my body.

Something soft was there. A chest. And it wasn’t muscle—I’d never been buff. No, what I felt was something round and soft that fit right in my hand. Something that absolutely hadn’t been there yesterday.

But the biggest, most impossible change was what was supposed to be tucked away in my boxers.

Gone.

"My balls are gone…"

Not just those—everything was gone. I pulled down my pants, yanked at my boxers, and checked directly. No mistake.

Boxers are like shorts, right? When you’ve got your stuff tucked inside, it feels normal, kind of grounding. But when there’s nothing there? The empty, drafty feeling is insane.

Ahaha… ahahahahaha…

A dry laugh escaped me, a chill creeping down my spine. This was bad. I didn’t know how or why, but it was bad.

Before I knew it, I was bolting for the bathroom, wearing nothing but my boxers.

I slammed my hands on the sink and looked up at the mirror.

And there, staring back at me, was a girl.

A breathtakingly pretty girl, looking panicked and desperate.

Who…?

But this was a mirror. Meaning it had to be the person standing in front of it. And the only person in front of it was me.

But I hadn’t lived as a girl for fifteen years. Until yesterday, I’d been a boy.

So who the hell was this!?

I raised my right hand. The girl in the mirror raised hers.

I pinched my cheek with that hand. She pinched hers.

Who… is this supposed to be…?

The truth was, I already knew.

My guy parts were gone. There was no way the mirror would show anyone except me. And if it did? That’d be a horror story I wasn’t ready for.

The girl with the big, round eyes and long black hair in the mirror—that was unmistakably my reflection.

Even when I was a boy, people sometimes said my face looked kind of girlish. But the girl staring back at me now… it was like someone had taken that “girlish” face and cranked the cuteness and beauty all the way up.

There was still a trace of the old me in her features. Maybe someone who knew me as a boy would recognize me… maybe.

Huge black eyes, wide and sparkling. A tiny nose. A small mouth with soft, light-pink lips. The kind of face that wasn’t refined so much as overwhelmingly cute.

And here I was, just two days out of junior high graduation—yet the girl in the mirror looked like she could still be an incoming middle schooler. Honestly, she could’ve passed for an elementary schooler.

What the hell am I staring so hard for… What am I supposed to do about this…?

I buried my head in my hands.

This was hopeless. What the hell was I supposed to do? If I showed up in front of Mom and Dad like this and they said, "Who the heck are you?"—that would be the end of me.

I should just hole up in my room. Yeah, that’s it! I’ll become the modern-day Amaterasu!

I knew it was just escapism, but all I wanted in that moment was to run away from reality.

Just as I stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway, I ran into something.

"Wahp!"

A weird noise slipped out as I fell flat on my butt.

I looked up at what I’d collided with.

It was Mom—looking oddly delighted.

"My, my, and who’s this adorable little thing~?"

She offered me her hand and helped me back to my feet.

"Kaede-chan, check~!"

And with that, Kaede Sakura—my mom—started examining me head to toe with ridiculous intensity.

Lick. "…Yep, that’s the taste of Ayumu!"

"What the hell does ‘my taste’ even mean!?"

"My, what’s gotten into you, Ayumu-kun? You’ve become sooo cute! Oh wait—don’t tell me you’re trying to seduce your own mother? That won’t do, I already have your father, you know."

She was clearly going off the rails, but at least she still recognized me as Ayumu. That was something.

So, while she drifted further into her own delusions, I tried to explain everything. Which, honestly, boiled down to: I woke up and I was a girl!

"I see. I don’t get it."

That was her entire reaction. Fair enough. I didn’t get it either.

I never thought those stories about waking up to find your body had shrunk would actually come true. And in my case, it wasn’t just smaller—I’d flipped genders, bonus included.

"But you’re still my son… or rather, you’re still Ayumu, right?"

"…Yeah."

My reply was weak, drained. If she had said, "No way, that’s impossible," then my life would have been over. Not just hard mode—straight-up game over.

"Hehe… hehehe…"

Mom gave a weird little chuckle. Had she snapped? Honestly, if my kid suddenly turned into a girl, I’d probably lose it too.

"Ayumu. Don’t think about anything right now. Just repeat the words I’m about to say. Got it?"

"Uh? O-okay…"

"Alright, here we go. …‘Mama.’"

"Huh?"

"No ‘huh?’ Repeat after me! ‘Mama!’"

"…Mama?"

Tilting my head in confusion, I said it.

"Zukyuuun! Ayumu goes for the home run! It’s outta here!"

"Mom’s broken!!"

I couldn’t help but feel creeped out by her sudden, nonsensical shouting. Maybe the psychological damage of having your son suddenly turn into a girl was too much for her.

"Ayumu, listen."

"Huh?"

Her face suddenly turned serious.

"I always wanted a daughter, you know."

"…Excuse me?"

A dumb sound slipped out of me.

"My goodness, you’re just too cute! You’re exactly the ideal little girl I dreamed up before you were even born! Ayumu, this is a perfect play!"

She rubbed her cheek against mine, hugging me tight.

I was relieved she didn’t reject me—but seeing her enjoying herself so much actually irritated me. Was she really that happy I’d become a girl? Did that mean the me who was a boy wasn’t… wanted? No—no, let’s not go down that road.

"Mom! Forget that! What am I supposed to do? How do I turn back into a guy!?"

"Eh? How would I know that?"

…Of course not.