Chapter 1 – For now, let’s confirm the situation
Alright, let’s try to figure out what’s going on. What is the current situation.
I’m Seiren Shikino, who just graduated happily from high school, and I should have just returned to my home, the orphanage.
Right when I opened the door to go in, I suddenly started feeling dizzy. Then, for some reason, I woke up here in what seems to be the room of some really rich family’s house. This lady suddenly hugged me, and is calling me her daughter.
I should have had a male body, but somehow it seems to have turned female. It seems that I have b.r.e.a.s.t.s…… and I think that thing down there is gone too. Although, I don’t have the courage to check right now in front of others.
If I was a manga or anime character, I would probably be screaming right now, but instead nothing came out of my throat. Meaning I haven’t fully processed this situation yet, as if my brain wasn’t receiving enough oxygen. Well, if I don’t work on figuring out what’s going on then I would panic, but it still feels like I haven’t grasped what’s going on yet.
Alright, let’s calm down first for now.
First, let’s check out the lady in front of me. She just called me her daughter.
“Oh, Seiren…… I’m so glad……”
The lady hugging me has grey hair beginning to slightly mix with her black hair, has an elegant air to her and seems to be roughly 50 years old. She’s wearing a thick but free-flowing dress, and there’s a nice scent of some sort of perfume coming from her. While being hugged by her and smelling her scent, I said nothing.
I also noticed now, that there’s also an old man standing behind her, who seems like he’s roughly 60, and has quite the nice mustache. He looked slightly absent-minded as he had a fl.u.s.tered expression. His silver hair was tidily combed, and I thought he looked crisp and cool.
Thinking about it, I guess he’s probably this lady’s husband. He’s wearing a long…… bathrobe? It was loose-fitting, and the cloth seemed to be high quality. There was some sort of pattern embroidered into it.
Also, there was one more person in the room.
There was an even more elderly old man next to the two of them, scratching his chest. I think he was the one that said something succeeded earlier. His voice was quite hoa.r.s.e.
He had long white hair and a white beard surrounding his wrinkly face, and he was wearing black…… almost robe-like clothes that seemed slightly stiff, he reminded me of a wizard right out of a story book. He’s even holding on to a wooden staff, it couldn’t be.
“Seiren?”
“Eh, ah, yes.”
When the lady called my name, I answered reflexively. Wow, my voice is much higher. I really have become a girl.
Anyways…… Although this isn’t the most important problem right now…… But why does she know my name, I wonder. My school uniform shouldn’t have had my first name Seiren on it, only my last name Shikino.
Seeing her face from so close, she looked really happy, yet her face was also wet with tears. Having her face so close to mine, I didn’t even know how to react. I do think she seems very kind though.
Then, the old man that looked like a wizard walked closer to me, hardly making any sound. I only noticed because his robe made slight dragging sounds against the carpet.
Then, he looked directly at me, and I confirmed immediately that he had been the one that said something succeeded earlier when he spoke up and laughed with the same voice from earlier.
“Seiren-sama, please don’t worry. Madam here, is unmistakably your mother.”
“Huh?”
Mother. Even if you suddenly say so, how am I supposed to answer.
I’m an abandoned child, that the orphanage raised. Although I would have loved to have a mother as well, I gave up on that long ago in my childhood.
Of course, n.o.body ever came to school for my parent-teacher conferences, but I was fine because I had the orphanage director. I had gotten stubborn in my ways about that when I was still only 10.
Even if my mother suddenly appeared in front of me, what would that be, I’d be troubled. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I’d be troubled.
This lady that’s supposed to be my mother just kept looking at me without saying anything, all teary-eyed. No, don’t make that face at me.
“I’m so sorry, Seiren. I wasn’t able to see you until you’ve grown up so much. I even wondered if your ring had gotten lost.”
“……Ah, uh…… Eh?”
I was startled at what she just said. My ring.
“Ah, could you mean….. This, right here.”
I hurriedly dug into my jacket pocket. I noticed that my jacket seems to have gotten bigger on me.
Well, it doesn’t matter right now, and I found it in my pocket where I always keep it in its pouch. The moment I touched it, I felt some sort of gentle feeling, but I ignored it. I don’t know what’s going on right now, so I’ll think about it later.
“You mean, this?”
“……! Dear, this is!”
“Ohh, there’s no mistake. This is Seiren’s birthday ring!”
The moment I brought my ring out of its pouch, the old man and lady’s expressions became so joyous.
Ah, they were being serious. I wonder if I’m really their child then.
No wait no wait.
Rather than figuring out whose child I am, I haven’t figured out the most fundamental problem just yet. I’d gotten sidetracked.
In the first place, why do I have b.r.e.a.s.t.s now. Why, are they calling me their daughter.
“Ohh, I’m so sorry. Master, Madam, I have something I must inform you of first.”
Suddenly, the old wizard-looking man smacked his fist into his open palm as if he just remembered something. At his words, the elderly couple looked at each other, then looked at the older man. Also, I did as well.
“Before we summoned Seiren-sama over here, she had a boy’s body. When crossing worlds, it seems that the magic also changed her gender. Luckily, now that she’s back, that magic’s been dispelled.”
“Eh?”
“What?”
Magic. Dispelling.
Um, what? Old man. Also, could he be a real wizard, this person?
In the first place, he just talked about magic like it was the most natural thing in the world, is that the kind of place this is? This is bad, am I not on Earth anymore?
What’s more. What he just said, I was originally a girl to begin with?
No, even if I was a bit girlish before, still. Even if I really loved sweets. Saying that I was a girl originally to begin with………… Is that even possible, this is ridiculous.
Although I kind of wanted to go on a rampage, I couldn’t help but stop myself in front of this lady and the look in her eyes. Because I’ve always put up with so much ever since I was little, at this strange point in time I’m able to be patient.
“……Were you a, boy? Seiren.”
“Yes, um, before I came here, yes.”
“Is that how it is…… I did think your clothes didn’t seem like a girl’s.”
So. Going by what the old magician just said, the other two people seem to be my parents, and everyone seems to be a bit confused.
Well, of course. It seems that they were looking for their daughter, and they seem to think that I’m that daughter.
To hear that this daughter was a “boy” instead until just now, anyone would be confused.
Once again, I tried to check my own appearance. Although since I don’t have a mirror right now, I don’t know what my face looks like.
I’m still wearing the same thing as earlier, my high school uniform. Of course, it’s the boys’ uniform. My last name was on my uniform, and the school’s rose emblem was embroidered underneath. My graduation diploma…… doesn’t seem to be on me. I must have dropped it while coming here or something.
Anyways, it definitely seems that my chest has gotten a bit bigger, I noticed that my shirt had gotten quite tight around my chest. Also, my jacket had gotten much baggier on me, and the sleeves had gotten too long for my hands. Urgh, rather than saying the jacket changed, I think it’s because I’ve gotten smaller.
Also, my pants. It had gotten really loose around my waist, and I think that if I stand up my pants would probably fall straight off. For now, I’m going to tighten my belt a lot more.
Also, I think my hair’s gotten longer. I definitely know that during my graduation ceremony, my hair wasn’t long enough to touch the back of my neck. Mm, I confirmed it with my hands. I think it’s about shoulder length now, it’s definitely gotten longer.
If someone looked at me right now, I’m sure they would see a girl wearing a boy’s school uniform. It does seem that my body’s changed. Although, I did have a girlish face before that made me seem like I was cosplaying at wearing a boy’s school uniform, so maybe it’s not that much of a change.
“Seiren.”
The old man standing behind the lady who had remained silent for a while…… who seems to be my father, called my name. I answered him normally with a “yes,” maybe it’s because he reminded me of the orphanage director who had always treated me well and loved me as his own.
He really feels similar to the person who acted as my father, this father of mine. This person who hugged me instantly without hesitation, seems to be my mother.
Are they really my parents, I don’t know yet though.
“First, come with me. I’m sure you want to talk. I a.s.sume you also want to know what happened to yourself.”
……First, I have to gather information, although I don’t know what I’m supposed to do from now on.
That’s why I obediently nodded. Well, it’s also because the calm old magician’s words seemed gentle and nostalgic somehow, there was that as well.