Chapter 5

I look into the mirror.

A black-haired girl stares back. She seems younger than I was.

There’s nothing of my former self in her face. Her crimson, catlike eyes stand out against her pale, almost translucent skin.

As Rex said, she’s pretty flat-chested. Maybe that’s why I didn’t notice right away that I’d ended up in a woman’s body.

Her overall presence is dignified—serious, even stiff. If I furrow my brow just a little, yeah, out of ten people, all ten would think: "If you get caught by her, she’ll lecture you for hours."

I lower my hand and gently touch between my legs. Hm. Nothing. Just a hole.

Yeah. This is a woman’s body.

—Why the hell did they make me a woman?

…Maybe it wasn’t on purpose. Maybe they didn’t "make" me one. What if my brain was just transplanted into a body that was already female?

It would make more sense. Maybe this girl was an adventurer too. Killed by the Demon Lord’s army like me.

If that’s the case, Jaliba—who's said to modify corpses—probably didn’t bother rebuilding my body from scratch. More likely, she stitched together parts from different corpses. This girl’s body became the base. My brain got slotted in. And now... I’m still me, just in her shell.

If that’s true, someday someone who knew her might see me. They might rush over, crying, hugging me, asking, "Where have you been?"

The thought makes my stomach turn.

What does Jaliba think death is?

One day, she’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.

I glare into the mirror. My reflection twists with anger. I clench my fist and growl low in my throat.

“…Flache? Why are you stark naked?”

"Mei." I turn calmly. "I was examining my body. I wanted to see what had changed since they captured me."

"I-I see… Still, even if it’s your room, you should lock the door if you're going to be, uh, naked..."

...Crap. I let my guard down.

Got too caught up in my thoughts—too angry at Jaliba to notice anything else.

Mei had entered without me realizing.

"And what brings you here?" I ask.

"Ah, um, Lord Rex wants to spar with you. He said he wants to gauge your current strength."

So that’s why she barged in. Rex sent her. She’s such a reliable kid.

"Where is he?"

"There’s a clearing behind the hideout. He’s waiting there."

"Got it. I’ll get ready right away."

I nod, staying composed. Still naked, I fold my arms casually to cover my chest.

…Yeah. If I’m not careful, she might think I’m the kind of weirdo who stares at themselves naked in the mirror and groans.

This body once belonged to someone real. If I act carelessly, it’s like disrespecting her. I need to be more mindful.

"I’ll head out soon. Tell Rex to wait a bit."

"Understood!"

Without changing my expression, I step away from the mirror and start getting dressed. And yeah... I probably should have locked the door.

At least it was just Mei—

"Hey Flache, what’s taking so long? Hurry up and—"

Ah.

"Waah! Lord Rex, don’t come in now!"

"Uwaah! S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to!!"

"Then please get out of the room right now!!"

Just as Mei was leaving, Rex pushed his way in, almost switching places with her.

Impatient as ever. Though as a swordsman, I get it—he's always eager to fight, even seconds sooner.

"U-uh, I came to invite you to spar! That’s it! I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear!"

"Lord Rex! Just leave already!!"

But he wasn’t leaving.

He stared.

Hard.

...Still into women, huh. Weren’t you all about big boobs before? And now you're blushing at this flat chest?

Guess it doesn’t matter to you anymore.

"Well, at least let me say sorry before I go. I’m really sorry, Flache!"

"You don’t say that while staring straight at me!!"

Clinging to the doorway, pretending to apologize... classic pervert Rex.

I personally don’t care, but this body once belonged to someone else. If she’s watching from somewhere, she’d probably be furious.

...Fine. Let’s handle this properly.

"Uh...?"

"Flache...?"

I walk over to Rex, calm, covering only the essentials with the clothes in my hand.

"O-Oh... I can see—"

Smack.

"Get. Out. Now."

I glare down at him, expression cold as I slap him hard across the cheek.

Feels like the right reaction for a woman in this kind of situation.

Cheek red, Rex shrinks away and finally leaves. Mei, face unreadable, guides him out and closes the door behind them.

---

...Why the hell is that idiot stronger than me?

"...Yeah, you've really got talent. Hell of a find, you are."

"Shut up, you idiot..."

It’d been a while since I last sparred with Rex. Not that it was anything fancy—we just went at each other with swords after a quick warm-up.

His blade was huge. Heavy, fast, and stupidly precise. How is that even fair? How can that massive thing move as fast as my light, slender sword?

Whenever our blades locked, I lost. His weight, his power—he overwhelmed me. My only shot was to parry and slip into whatever gap opened afterward.

But with Rex, there were no gaps. Even after a heavy swing, he flowed right into the next move, clean and seamless.

And this body... it’s not what it used to be. I’ve gotten weaker since becoming a woman. I used to be able to muscle Rex down if he lost balance. Now? Even if I catch him off-guard, I can’t pin him—he just turns it around.

I couldn’t mount him once today. That used to be my win condition—throw him off and keep him down. Now I can’t even imagine how I’d pull it off.

“…You’re tight on your fundamentals. Clean technique. You’re good, Flatche. Feels reliable having you around.”

“You’re the one who ditched the basics. You’ve got your own weird style now.”

“I’m a genius, after all. You shouldn’t copy me—just get stronger your way. The fundamentals suit you.”

“I didn’t ask for your advice... Dammit.”

A swordsmanship prodigy. The strongest swordsman in history, and he forged his own style to match. Even with a greatsword, he’s flawless. He doesn’t give you an opening. It’s like getting ground down, slow and sure, until you lose.

His form is so refined, it might as well be a school of its own. But there’s only one person alive who can actually use it—Rex.

A style by Rex, for Rex. That’s what makes him the strongest.

“Come on, don’t sulk. Get up. Training’s over. Time to head back, Flatche.”

“…Shut up. Go away. I don’t want to see your smug face right now.”

“Yeah, yeah. You really hate losing, huh?”

He walked off, leaving me lying there in the dirt.

I didn’t land a hit. Not one. We used to be equals—rivals. But now, no matter what I tried, he shut me down.

After he left, I cried a little.

—

A few minutes later, I got up.

No point sitting around crying about it. This is my body now. I lost. That’s all.

What matters is winning next time. To do that, I have to stand back up.

I’m Rex’s rival. And one day, I’m going to beat him so badly he won’t even remember what winning feels like.

This loss won’t break me.

So I walked down the path he took, back toward the hideout.

—

“Oh, Flatche-san, you’re back too. Welcome home!”

“Hey, Mei. …I’m back.”

Rex was already inside, apparently. As I came in through the garden, I caught Mei in the middle of sweeping. She looked cheerful.

“Good job with training. Rex-sama said you were amazing.”

“Yeah? Well, next time I’ll push him so hard he won’t have time to say that.”

“Are there even any swordsmen in this country who can push Rex-sama that hard…?”

I bluffed about getting revenge, but Mei gave me this amused little look—like she thought I was joking. Not that I blame her. To most people, Rex probably looks invincible.

She’s never seen him lose.

“Eventually, I’ll be the one to beat him.”

“…G-Good luck with that.”

Mei laughed, kind of like she was watching a talking animal. Stung a little. I used to win sometimes, you know.

Back when I had my old body, I had a shot. Today’s loss was just because this one’s weaker.

…Still, something was off.

“By the way... you’ve been sweeping the same spot for a while. You planning to clean the rest of the yard?”

“Eh!? Ah—well, that is, um…”

She was sweeping alright—just not moving. Her feet hadn’t shifted at all, and the ground around her was already spotless.

What the hell’s she doing?

“You don’t have to stand still just because we’re talking, y’know. You can move.”

“Ah, um, yes… right?”

“…”

She fidgeted, eyes flicking left and right like she was hiding something.

Then I noticed—she wasn’t looking at me. Not once. Her gaze kept drifting off to the side.

So I followed it and saw...

...A naked man rinsing off with a bucket of well water.

"...Huh? Rex?"

"Wait, no, it’s not what it looks like! I was just cleaning and happened to see him, or no, the problem is Rex-sama bathing like that in the open, and he didn’t even try to hide, and maybe—"

"You wanted to watch him, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t want to watch!"

"That sounded pretty honest."

So, my sweet angel Mei had been pretending to clean while secretly peeping on Rex.

...Why do I feel so betrayed? Mei, you like him?

Sure, she calls him "Rex-sama" and everything, but come on. She’s that into him?

"...Well, it’s fine. I won’t tell anyone."

"I’m not even sure what you’re not telling, but Rex-sama is just... so strong and dependable, so the issue is clearly Rex-sama himself—"

"Yeah, no doubt. That muscle of his is something else..."

I gently patted her head, trying to calm her flustered rambling, while glancing over at Rex.

Now that he wasn’t in armor, I could see it. That body’s no joke. The strength he showed in sparring—it’s all built from that frame. Makes sense now.

I’ve always struggled with muscle, no matter how hard I trained.

If I had a body like that… could I be strong like him?

...No. No point thinking like that.

"Anyway, Mei. I’ll leave the yard to you. Sweep to your heart’s content."

"Cleaning? Oh, yes! Cleaning. Flatche-san, are you heading back to your room?"

"Nah, I’m drenched in sweat and caked in mud. Thought I’d wash up a bit."

With that, I waved Mei off.

And then, without really thinking...

I walked up to the well where Rex was rinsing off and started undressing.

"—Wha!!? Eh, ehhhhh!?"

A shriek rang out behind me. Mei?

What now?

"What’s wrong, Mei? Couldn’t resist just watching from afar anymore? Peeking from this close—pretty bold—"

Rex turned toward me mid-scrub, cloth in hand. Judging by the look on his face, he thought I was Mei walking up.

Honestly, Mei, you were so busted. There’s no way someone like Rex—literally a sword-obsessed combat freak—wouldn’t notice being watched, even while bathing.

"It’s me. I’m borrowing the spot—just here to rinse off some sweat."

I waved him off and started pouring water over myself.

Cold, sharp, and invigorating. After a rough spar, there’s nothing better than a splash of freezing water. Clears your head and numbs the ache.

I shook out my hair, blinked the water from my eyes—

—and locked eyes with Rex.

"...Gulp."

There he was. A lusty monkey. Eyes glued to me. And very audibly swallowing.

...Oh no.

"What do you think you’re doing, Flatche-san!? Th-that’s—just plain indecent behavior!!"

"...Gulp."

"Ahhh..."

Right. Forgot. I’m a girl now.

In hindsight, this really looks like I wanted to be seen. And considering he’s still gawking and still swallowing, I can’t exactly slap him for it now, can I?

"Hey, Rex?"

"What is it, Flatche?"

He didn’t even blink. Still staring. Still hopeless. Honestly, is he for real?

…Wait. Is he actually inexperienced with women? I always assumed he was too obsessed with swords to bother. But if that's true...

This might sting.

"...You've got the muscles, but your ●●● looks like a child's."

The most magical, soul-crushing sentence known to mankind.

And, well, I wasn’t lying. It was tiny. Honestly, I used to joke it looked like he had a spare finger growing down there.

Rex froze. Then, wordlessly, he dove headfirst into the well.

And he didn’t come out.

Supposedly, you could hear him sobbing in there straight through until sunset.

As for me?

Mei really chewed me out afterward.

And Sister Karin?

She laughed so hard she had to sit down.