Prologue: The Morning of the Metamorphosis

Monday, October 16.

The madness of the Tenou Festival had finally subsided. The singing, the dancing, the cross-dressing, and the near-destruction of Tengu City by DEM Industries were all in the past. For Shido Itsuka, this morning was supposed to be the return to his precious, mundane daily life.

"Nnngh..."

Shido groaned as consciousness slowly seeped back into his mind. His body felt unusually heavy. Not the lethargy of exhaustion, but a strange, physical weight, particularly centered around his chest.

He tried to roll over, but his pajamas felt wrong. They were loose in the shoulders but weirdly tight around the hips. And his hair... it felt like he was lying on a bird's nest.

"Did I forget to get a haircut...?"

He muttered the words sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Huh?"

Shido froze.

The voice that had just come out of his throat wasn't his. It wasn't the low, breaking voice of a teenage boy. It was higher. Clearer. Softer. It sounded suspiciously like...

"W-What was that?"

He spoke again. The voice was undeniably feminine.

Panic flared in his chest—literally. He sat up bolt upright, his hands flying to his throat. It felt smooth. The Adam's apple that should have been there was missing.

His hands drifted lower.

"No..."

He felt soft fabric. And beneath that fabric, a softness that definitely did not belong on Shido Itsuka's body.

"No, no, no, no!"

He threw the blankets off. His legs, usually hairy and somewhat bony, were now smooth, slender, and pale. His toes were painted with a faint, clear gloss he certainly hadn't applied.

Shido scrambled out of bed, tripping over the hem of his pajama pants, which were now far too long for his legs. He crawled/ran toward the full-length mirror standing in the corner of his room.

He looked into the glass.

Staring back at him was a girl.

She had long, silky blue hair that cascaded down to her waist. Her eyes were wide and amber, framed by long lashes. Her skin was porcelain white. She looked terrified.

She looked exactly like Shiori Itsuka.

The disguise he had worn during the Tenou Festival to get close to Miku Izayoi. The fake persona he thought he had retired forever.

Except this wasn't a wig. This wasn't makeup. This wasn't a voice modulator on his throat.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!"

The scream that ripped from his throat was high-pitched enough to shatter glass.

Bam!

The door to his bedroom flew open with a violence that threatened to tear it off its hinges.

"Shido! Shut up! It’s seven in the morning! If you’re having a nightmare about Miku again, just—"

Kotori Itsuka stood in the doorway. She was wearing her white ribbons—her "imouto" (little sister) mode—and her pajamas. She looked groggy and irritated, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She stopped. She blinked once. Twice.

She looked at the empty bed. Then she looked at the girl sitting on the floor in Shido’s oversized pajamas, clutching her chest and trembling.

"..."

"..."

Silence stretched between them, heavy and awkward.

Kotori slowly lowered her hand. Her eyes narrowed. The sleepy aura vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp, analytical glint.

"Who are you?" Kotori asked, her voice dropping an octave. "And what have you done with my stupid brother?"

"K-Kotori! It's me!" Shido cried, scrambling to his feet, struggling to keep the pajama pants from falling down his now-narrower waist. "It's Shido!"

"Hah?" Kotori looked the girl up and down. "Nice try. My brother is a hapless, average-looking guy with blue hair and a dumb face. You look like... well, you look like Shiori. Did Miku send you? Is this some kind of prank?"

"It's not a prank!" Shido waved his hands frantically. "I woke up like this! I don't know what happened! Look, ask me anything! I know that you like Chupa Chups, and you pretend to be strong when you wear black ribbons, and yesterday you ate my portion of the hamburger steak when I wasn't looking!"

Kotori flinched. "I—I did not! It fell on the floor and I was cleaning it up!"

She paused, her face turning red. Then she looked closely at the girl's face. The desperation, the familiar way "she" furrowed her brows...

"Shido?" Kotori whispered, horrified.

"Yes! It's me!"

"Why..." Kotori walked over, poking Shido's cheek. It was soft. She poked his chest. It was soft. She grabbed his hair and yanked.

"Ow! That's real hair, Kotori!"

"It is real..." Kotori stepped back, covering her mouth. "Shido... you... you finally crossed the line? Did the stress of the festival break you? Did you get gender reassignment surgery while sleepwalking?"

"No! Obviously not! I just woke up and—"

Ping.

A sound echoed from the desk. Shido and Kotori both turned to look.

Sitting on Shido’s study desk, where there had been nothing the night before, was a single white postcard.

Shido rushed over, tripping over his pants again, and grabbed it.

"What is it?" Kotori asked, moving to look over his shoulder.

The handwriting on the card was childish and playful, written in colorful marker.

To the Darli—oops, I mean, Shido Itsuka!

I saw you at the festival! You looked sooooo cute in that dress. But you know what? It’s cheating to wear a wig!

So, I fixed it for you! Now you can be cute for real!

If you want to turn back, you have to find me!

Catch me if you can!

— Natsumi

"Natsumi..." Shido read the name, his voice trembling.

"The Witch," Kotori said, her expression hardening instantly. She reached into her pocket—which wasn't there because she was in pajamas—and sighed, instead grabbing a black ribbon from her dresser (she had apparently brought a spare) and tying her hair up.

In a second, she switched from 'Little Sister' to 'Commander'.

"Shido," Kotori said, her voice commanding. "Get dressed. Use... I don't know, borrow some of Mom's clothes or something. We’re going to the Fraxinus."

"W-Wait, Kotori! Can't we just fix this with a medical Realizer?"

"If this is a Spirit's Angel power, a medical machine won't do a thing," Kotori said, crossing her arms. She looked Shido up and down, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Besides... we have to verify if everything changed."

"Everything?" Shido asked, dread pooling in his stomach.

Kotori pointed downward.

"Check your status, Shido. We need to know if we're dealing with a transformation or an illusion."

Shido looked down. He swallowed hard. With trembling hands, he pulled the elastic waistband of his pajama pants forward and peeked inside.

"..."

"Well?"

Shido slowly pulled the waistband back up. He looked at Kotori, his eyes dead.

"Kotori."

"Yes?"

"It's gone."

"Pfft." Kotori turned away, her shoulders shaking. "I mean—Roger that. Emergency meeting. Five minutes."

"Don't laugh! This isn't funny!"

"It's a little funny!" Kotori burst out laughing as she walked into the hallway. "Welcome to womanhood, Big Sis!"

"Damn it!" Shido screamed, his soprano voice echoing through the Itsuka household.