Leona and the Cursed Gender-Swap Chaos: The Lion Songstress Becomes a Man!? - Shishigami Reona Becomes a Man — The Encounter with the Golden Glowing Stone

"Wait... that's weird. There's no sound." Shishigami Reona tilted their head in the middle of the soundproof studio. Their long blonde hair swayed softly. The ends curled in loose waves, like a real lion's mane. On top of that, fluffy golden ears twitched and flicked. "Maybe the mic cable's unplugged?" An exasperated voice called out from the corner of the studio. It was Erika, their manager. She pushed up her glasses and looked down at Reona, who was sprawled on the floor. "Oh, you're right. Sorry, sorry." Reona plugged the cable back in and stuck out their tongue. When they smiled, a small canine peeked through. "Honestly, Reona. Today's the debut stream for your new song — get it together." "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll nail it when it counts." Reona dusted off their white hoodie and stood up. Behind them, a golden tail swayed through the hole in their ripped jeans. This was a quiet residential neighborhood, twenty minutes by train from Shibuya. Reona's home studio was the pride of their life — an entire apartment unit fully soundproofed. Rent was 250,000 Rivols a month. Not cheap. But for the dream of cheering people up with song, it was worth every coin. "Okay, I'm gonna do my vocal warm-ups." Reona stood in front of the microphone. Straightened their back. They were slender, but when they sang, they stood as tall and proud as if they were on a stage. "Ahh, ahh, ahh... ♪" Their golden eyes sparkled. Vocal practice, every single day without fail. Open the throat, sing from the belly. Reona still remembered clearly the day they sang at a small local event when they were fifteen. That day, Reona's legs had trembled with nerves. Only about twenty people in the audience. And yet their mind went completely blank, and they nearly forgot the lyrics. But when the song ended, an old woman in the front row said: "Thank you. That cheered me up." Just that. Just those few words — and they changed everything for Reona. You can lift people's spirits with song. That's an amazing thing. When that thought hit, something warm bloomed deep in their chest. Five years later, Reona became a VTuber — a Rivolz, one of the sub-races with werewolf or beastfolk traits. Signed to a big streaming platform called Vild Connect, performing in a trio group called Luna Hollow. Top VTubers supposedly pulled in over five million Rivols a month, but Reona wasn't there yet. Still, the fans were growing, bit by bit. Today's new song stream would surely make them happy. "Reona, equipment check done?" "Yep, all good. Just waiting for showtime." Reona grinned and gave a thumbs-up. In the process, their foot caught on a cable. "Whoa—" They lost their balance and smacked their head hard against the equipment rack. A dull thud echoed through the room. "Owww!" "Not again! Are you okay?" "I'm... not sure I am. I think I got a bump." Reona clutched their head and crouched down. Their golden ears drooped sadly. Erika heaved a huge sigh. "Reona, your clumsiness is honestly a talent at this point." "Ehehe. Right?" "I wasn't complimenting you." The two looked at each other and giggled. "Okay, I'm gonna run to the convenience store. I want to grab some throat lozenges." Reona shoved their phone and wallet into their pocket and left the studio. It was already evening outside. The sky was starting to stain orange. The residential streets were quiet, and the faint sound of a train echoed in the distance. Twenty minutes to Shibuya by train. The convenience store was near the station. Reona hummed as they walked. What kind of reactions would the new song get today? They couldn't wait. Lost in those thoughts, Reona turned into the back alley — the shortcut to the station. "...Hm?" Deep in the alley, near the garbage collection spot, something was glowing. A pale golden light. It flickered slowly, as if floating in midair. "What is that? It's pretty..." Reona was drawn toward it like a magnet. Their tail stood straight up, on alert. But curiosity won out. It was a stone, about the size of a clenched fist. The surface was smooth, and golden light leaked from within. Like a gemstone. "Wow. Did someone drop this?" Reona crouched down and picked up the stone. The instant they did— "—!?" Their entire body blazed as if on fire. The stone clung to their palm, wouldn't let go. Their vision warped and twisted. They couldn't stand. "Wha—what is this...!" A searing pain shot through them. They heard their bones creak. Their muscles felt like they were being torn apart. They couldn't breathe. Their heart thrashed wildly. (No, no, no!) They screamed inside their head. But no sound came out. Consciousness faded. How much time passed? Suddenly, the pain was gone. "Hah... hah..." Reona pressed their hands against the ground, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped from their forehead. "What... was that..." They spoke — and froze. Low. That wasn't their voice. It was a man's voice. "...Huh?" They tried again. "A... ahh..." Still low. Something felt wrong deep in their throat. They touched it with their fingers — a bump. An Adam's apple. "You've gotta be kidding me..." They looked at their palms. Big. Fingers long. Their sleeves felt strangely short. The hoodie was tight all over. They tried to stand and lost their balance. Their legs were long. The ground felt farther away. "What is this, what is this, what is this—" With trembling hands, Reona pulled out their phone. Opened the camera, switched to front-facing. What appeared on the screen— "—!!" The golden mane and golden eyes were the same. But the jawline was unmistakably male, the shoulders broad, the neck thick. And between their legs, something unfamiliar. "GYAAAAAAAAAH!" Reona screamed. Nearly dropped the phone. "Why!? Why am I a guy!?" The stone. That stone. Reona frantically searched the ground. But it was nowhere. It had been right there a moment ago. The glowing stone had vanished without a trace. "W-what do I do... what do I do, what do I do..." Panic scrambled their thoughts. They checked the time. Ten minutes until the stream. "Ten minutes!? No, no, no!" Reona bolted out of the alley. Running in a man's body felt incredibly strange. The center of gravity was different. Their chest was light. (I have to get home. What about the stream? Cancel? But today's the debut of the new song...) Head in chaos, Reona sprinted home. "Reona, welcome ba— wait, who are you!?" Erika shrieked at the entryway. Of course she did. A strange man had just walked in. "Erika, it's me! It's Reona!" "Huh... HUH!?" Erika's eyes went wide. Her glasses nearly slid off her face. "No time to explain! The stream's about to start!" Reona dove into the studio. Launched the streaming software. Adjusted the camera angle. What showed was a man. But the listeners probably wouldn't realize it was Reona. If they did, it was over. "H-here goes..." With trembling fingers, Reona pressed the start button. "Good evening! It's Shishigami Reona!" Comments began flooding in. 'She's here!' 'Reona, good evening!' 'Can't wait for the new song!' The usual warm comments. But today, they stung. "Um, hey everyone. Today my throat's a little..." Their voice cracked. Trying to force the low voice higher produced a weird noise. 'Huh? Reona, what's wrong with your voice?' 'Are you sick?' 'Something feels different...' 'Did that sound like a guy's voice to anyone else?' The comments grew restless. Reona's heart pounded wildly. "N-no! I just messed up my throat... coming down with a cold." 'Ohh, a cold?' 'Don't push yourself!' 'But the new song's today, right? Can you sing?' "I-I'll sing! I'll sing, so please listen." Reona played the karaoke track. The intro flowed. Their own song, as always. They'd sung it hundreds of times. (It's okay. Even if my body changed, I can still sing.) Repeating that to themselves, they began. —No sound came. More precisely, sound came. But the vocal cords were different. They couldn't grasp the timing for breaths at all. When they tried to hit notes above their natural range, their throat constricted and their voice flipped. 'Huh...?' 'The pitch is kind of...' 'Reona, are you really okay?' The comments filled with worry. Reona was on the verge of tears. But they couldn't stop singing. (I want to cheer people up with my song. That doesn't change, even in a man's body.) Reona closed their eyes. Put strength into their core. Relaxed their throat, imagined the sound resonating. And then, just a little, the singing stabilized. The pitch wasn't perfect yet. But the core of their voice came through. '...Huh, this is actually kind of nice.' 'It's different from usual, but it really hits.' 'I feel kind of energized.' Singing Empathy — a power some Rivolz possessed, to heal people's hearts through song. Reona's was especially strong. Even in a man's body, that power hadn't disappeared. When the song ended, the chat was full of applause and gratitude. 'Today's Reona is different, but the song really touched my heart.' Reading that comment, Reona exhaled for the first time. "Thank you... everyone, thank you." Their voice trembled, just slightly. The moment the stream ended, Reona collapsed into the chair. Sweat plastered the hoodie to their body. "It's over... it's over..." "Reona, are you okay?" Erika brought cold tea. Reona downed it in one gulp. "Thanks. Yeah, I'm... not sure I'm okay." "So what's going on with that body?" "I don't know. I picked up a glowing stone, and this happened." Reona told Erika everything that had happened in the alley. Erika furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "Anima Sigil... maybe." "Anima Sigil?" "I've heard rumors. A cursed stone that reverses the sex of whoever touches it. Vild Connect has a mandatory reporting rule — it's in the Anima Sigil Handling Regulations." "A curse... I see." Reona looked at their own hands. Large, male hands. "But is there a way to turn back?" "...I don't know. The regulations only say you have to report it if you find one. Nothing about how to break it." Silence filled the studio. "For now, just rest today. Tomorrow, we'll go to Vild Tower and report it." "...Okay." After Erika left, Reona picked up their phone with trembling hands. They needed to call Ruka and Mio. "...Hello, Reona?" Ruka's voice over the phone was cool as always, but with steel underneath. "Ruka... something terrible happened." "What happened? Calm down and tell me." "Um, I... turned into a guy." "............What?" Silence. Then, in a low voice: "...Are you joking?" "I'm not joking! I picked up a glowing stone, and my body turned male, and my voice got low, and—" "I got it. I got it, so just calm down for now. Tomorrow, we'll talk in detail. Okay?" "Yeah..." "The place is Vild Tower, Luna Hollow's private studio. Ten AM. Got it?" "Yeah, got it." Hung up. Next, called Mio. "Hello!? Reona!?" Mio's voice was desperate, almost tearful. "Mio, um..." "What's wrong!? Did something happen!?" "I turned into a guy." "...Huh?" "I picked up a glowing stone, and my body turned male." "EEEEEEK!? Wait, Reona's a guy!? What does that even mean!?" Mio's shriek echoed through the receiver. Reona instinctively pulled the phone away from their ear. "So, tomorrow, we'll talk at Vild Tower. Ten AM, Luna Hollow's studio." "Okay, got it! I'll definitely be there! Reona, don't cry alone, okay!?" "I'm not crying. ...Probably." Hung up. Reona set the phone on the floor and let out a long breath. "I need to use the bathroom..." Right. Life in a man's body was just beginning. First, the bathroom. "...How do I do this?" Reona froze in front of the toilet. They knew, intellectually, that you did it standing up. But actually doing it was another matter. "Um... aim carefully..." The result was a spectacular failure. Made a huge mess on the floor, and ended up wiping it with a rag. "Guys do this every single time...? That's incredible..." Next, the bath. S

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Name: Leona and the Cursed Gender-Swap Chaos: The Lion Songstress Becomes a Man!?
Author: Novelia

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