Chapter 2: The Star of the Magpie (2)

I grumbled. Creak, the hospital room door closed. Soon, I was left alone in the spacious single room. Silence descended. I sat up and slipped my hand down my pants. Well, it’s a cliché, but it’s natural. A few days ago, this would have been a one-way ticket to jail for indecent assault on a minor, but now it’s my body. I own it. No one can question whether I finger myself, play with my nipples, become a masochistic pig, or suck on the
of fat, middle-aged men.

No one. Yes, no one.

There’s no
. And in its place, there’s only some kind of hole. I touched it, and the strange feeling startled me, making me pull my hand away. Give me back my friend! Spit it out,
! What kind of
swallows a
? It’s absurd. Beyond common sense. It far surpasses the realm of comprehension.

Unfortunately, the cause of TS Syndrome remains a mystery, despite years of research since the first case appeared in the US. However, it has been observed that during the transformation process, the
shrinks and shrinks until it’s sucked in and disappears. A horrifying outcome.

I offer my condolences. I closed my eyes and observed a moment of silence. He’s gone now. My companion, who, with the spirit of a loli-loving pervert, raced with me from the plains to the mountainous peaks of large breasts, like a leopard on Kilimanjaro, is nowhere in this world.

What a shameful life. I have nowhere to rest my heart, unable to die together. My irreplaceable comrade, with whom I swore to be born and die on the same day, oh, my Humbert, you will live forever in my memory.

You were a gentlemao,=p;.n in life and in death. Warrior, may you rest in peace.

…My friend died today. Or perhaps yesterday.

“Ah, the Wi-Fi is
terrible.”

The DC Inside app was loading more than twice as slow as usual, and I wanted to throw my phone. But if I break it, I won’t be able to use the internet outside, so I can’t. Self-control. My DC machine, clock, and game console is less than a year old. If I break this, my father won’t buy me a new one.

Well, he’s soft on his daughter, so he might buy me one if I act cute with this undeniably adorable face, but I absolutely don’t want to do that. I genuinely hate that man. Seeing as I still harbor resentment towards my father even though I’m well past childhood, my mind might still be at a child’s level. Therefore, making loli friends is completely ethically sound.

I suddenly let out a hollow laugh. My
is gone, and the first thing I thought after becoming a TS Syndrome patient was to post proof on DC Inside. I’m pathetic.
loser. Like I’d post proof. I don’t want to become the idol of some ugly
. I could vividly imagine the disgusting trotters of those guys rubbing their
behind the screen. There’s no reason to do something that only pleases them.

I turned off DC Inside and looked in the mirror again. Still cute. Cute no matter how I look at it. As if to prove I’m not completely unrelated to my male self, my eyes are a bit twisted, but my face is so cute that it just comes off as moe. My dead eyes are more arousing than unpleasant.

Forget
, even in manga, girls like me, or rather, girls who fit my tastes, are almost nonexistent outside of eroge, even if you search the entire subculture scene. Of course, they don’t exist in reality. You could say it’s the ultimate otaku delusion. Ah! I want to punch her stomach.

By the way, can I still see, hear, judge, and feel like I did when I was a man, even with a female body? Sexually? What if I can’t get aroused? I’ve undergone a complete body modification, and hormonal changes are a natural consequence.

Aside from the flatness of my chest, the overall sensation of my body is completely different from before. Even wiggling my fingers and toes felt awkward. I, who was a normal, if not particularly healthy, male character, found it difficult to control this uncomfortable avatar.

Give me back my body! Is this some kind of brain-scanning experiment? Is my original body being used for research somewhere to develop
abilities, or is there a chip attached to the back of my head?

Of course, that’s not happening.

“At least I won’t feel as pressured being a NEET.”

Since beggars can’t be choosers, if I’m going to be a NEET anyway, a cute hikikomori NEET girl is someone you want to protect, save, and feel sorry for. In a light novel kind of way.

Now, imagine this. If you work, you inevitably have to sacrifice many things in exchange for money. Your time, health, dreams, and even your hobbies. My theory is that working is self-harm. No, you could even call it a universal truth. Therefore, I will not work.

“Patient Ha Jinhyuk.”

Knock, knock, the sound echoed in the air. I was expecting it, but I was so startled that I almost dropped the hand mirror I was holding. Heh heh, you try to act composed, but your body is honest.

…I try to talk like the creepy old men who often appear in ero-manga, but unfortunately, it’s my body. I was so surprised I started hiccuping.

“Hic… Oh,
… hic hic.”

There was another knock, and when I didn’t answer, the door suddenly opened. My younger sister and a middle-aged man in a white coat came into view. The man was unfolding a chart and reading it, but when our eyes met, he put it away and smiled.

“It seems there are no side effects. The test results are all normal.”

My hiccups hadn’t subsided, making it difficult to respond.

“Why?”

Only a vague, open-ended question formed from my voice.

“We’re also very sorry about this. However, this… what is commonly called TS Syndrome, its cause is unknown, so we can’t really say anything.”

I know. I know that well enough, and I know it’s pointless to argue. It’s just that I couldn’t help but ask.

“There’s currently a lot of discussion throughout society regarding welfare benefits. This TS Syndrome ward is also part of that. It might be different from your previous life, but there will be comprehensive support from the government. You don’t have to worry too much.”

What I hate most is being bothered. I have no intention of starting anew, nor do I want that kind of attention. I hate it when my family, classmates, or anyone takes an interest in me. My carefully constructed position will crumble. Being looked at, receiving interest, attention… or even expectations. It’s utterly horrifying.

I’ll definitely be forgotten and go back to how things were. I need to make sure no one is interested in me, to imprint on them that I’m the most boring person ever. I can’t accept changing now, abandoning my past self just because I’ve become a girl.

But I have to adapt to and get used to this girl’s body. I have to cope smoothly. It’s just annoying. If this body is weaker than my original one, it will affect my all-night gaming, otaku activities, and DC Inside browsing. If I get anemia, frequent headaches, or if my gaming skills deteriorate… it would be a nightmare. I remembered the abysmal gaming skills of the female LoL streamers I sometimes watched. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“… Sigh.”

“Ahem, I’ve talked too much. You must be tired after just waking up, so I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. But even if what I’m saying sounds strange, I only want to help my patients.”

So, is it fascinating? That a perfectly normal man turned into a woman overnight? No matter how I look at it, your gaze seems purely observational. Of course, it might be my victim complex. I might be oversensitive. I’m tired.

“Forget it, when can I be discharged? Hic,
, my throat.”

“Your body is in perfect condition. We always do scans, but TS Syndrome isn’t a disease with frequent side effects. Especially for younger patients, there are rarely any problems. You can rest for another day, or if you prefer, you can be discharged right away.”

I love my home. Naturally, this isn’t some metaphor about loving my family. I’m talking about my house as a living space. I seriously refuse to sleep in unfamiliar places. I was honestly
nervous about how I would endure the 1 year and 6 months in the military. At least I won’t have to go now. They wouldn’t make this body go, right? A delicate girl like me as a trainee, then active duty… what would happen? It’s terrifying in a very TS way.

No matter how popular military glorification programs and webtoons featuring girls are these days, the military, as countless experiences show, is a truly
place. More than anything, the fact that I can’t enjoy my hobbies and games during that time, that I can’t sleep as much as I want… no, there are too many complaints to list. If I were to type them out, it would easily fill more than ten A4 pages.