Leona and the Cursed Gender-Swap Chaos: The Lion Songstress Becomes a Man!? - Luna Hollow, Everyone Turns Into Men — The Mystery of the Soul Mark and the Vanished Curse

Morning at Vild Tower was always quiet. A glass monolith a hundred and eighty meters tall, thirty-two stories high. It stabbed up into the Shibuya sky, and there was always someone inside it — streamers, staff, managers, merch developers. Three hundred people worked there around the clock. The place was like a box packed full of Livols' dreams. Shishigami Reona stopped at the tower entrance. "…Let's do this." Their voice was low. Completely different from yesterday. The vibration deep in their throat still felt unfamiliar. (It's fine. Once I see Ruka and Mio, I'll figure something out.) Repeating that to themself, they passed through the automatic doors. The lobby was air-conditioned, cool and crisp. The receptionist looked up at Reona and tilted her head. Of course she did. Until yesterday, the person who walked through here had been a petite woman with a golden mane. Now standing here was an unfamiliar man — taller, broader in the shoulders. Except the golden eyes and golden mane were the same, which somehow made it even stranger. "Um… you're Reona-san, correct?" "Yeah. That's me." Reona smiled. Their mouth twisted awkwardly. The receptionist, still looking bewildered, gave a small bow in return. (Yeah. I figured. This is weird.) A small pang shot through their chest. But their feet didn't stop. They stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the tenth floor. The tenth floor was where Luna Hollow's private studio was. The three-member unit of Reona, Ruka, and Mio. Rooms lined the hall for their monthly group streams and their individual broadcasts. Fully soundproofed, equipped with the latest gear. Coming here always felt reassuring. The elevator doors opened. They walked down the hall. Their footsteps sounded strangely heavy. With a bigger body, every step felt different. In front of the studio door, Reona took a deep breath. (Okay.) They opened the door. "Morning, you two—" The words stopped mid-sentence. Inside the room were two men they didn't recognize. One was a tall young man with refined features. Silver short bob, narrow blue eyes. A long strand hung down the left side. Moon-shaped earrings swayed from both ears. Black-and-white mottled cat ears and a tail. The other was a small, baby-faced boy. Fluffy orange-brown hair, still messy from sleep. Big, round green eyes. Rabbit ears and a fluffy round tail. The usual headphones around his neck. "…Huh?" Reona froze. "…Reona?" The silver-haired young man spoke in a low voice. That voice was familiar. Cool, matter-of-fact, but with just a hint of surprise mixed in. "Reona-chan! Reona-chan turned into a boy too!" The small boy bounded over, hopping like a rabbit. His rabbit ears twitched. His voice was a little high, but it was definitely a boy's voice. "W-wait a second. Mio? Ruka? Both of you… why?" "Why? You're one to talk. That body of yours has been like that since last night, hasn't it?" Ruka crossed their arms and stared at Reona. Their blue eyes narrowed, sizing Reona up. "Yeah… that's true. But why are you two—" "Mio and the others touched a stone too." Mio tilted his head and looked down at his own body. He opened and closed his small hands. "Last night, after Reona-chan called me, I found a glowing stone near my house too. I thought it was pretty, so I picked it up, and then my body got hot, and then this happened." "Same for me. On my way home, I found a similar stone lying there." Ruka stared at their own palm. Long fingers. A man's hand. "The moment I touched it, my body burned like fire. When I came to, I was like this." "I see… so both of you got the same curse." Reona let out a slow breath. (Thank god. I wasn't the only one.) Relief welled up from the bottom of their heart. Last night, alone in front of the mirror, they'd nearly cried. They'd messed up in the bathroom, gotten flustered in the bath, and none of their clothes fit. They'd thought they'd have to carry this all alone. But they were wrong. Ruka and Mio were the same. "Reona-chan, you look so cool! Even as a boy, you're still Reona-chan!" Mio laughed innocently. His green eyes sparkled. "Huh… c-cool?" "Yeah! Your golden mane and your eyes are the same, but you look all sharp now! Mio likes the boy version of Reona-chan too!" "H-hey, Mio, don't say stuff like that so loud." Reona's cheeks blazed. Even in a man's body, embarrassing things were still embarrassing. "Reona, that body… it suits you." Ruka said it quietly. Their lips were just barely relaxed. Usually expressionless, but right now they were definitely smiling. "Ruka, you too… come on, stop it." Reona covered their face with both hands. Their golden tail swayed with embarrassment. "You're blushing. Cute." "You don't call a guy 'cute'!" "Oh? You're a guy right now, aren't you? What's wrong with calling a guy cute?" "Ugh… well, that's true, but—" Reona was at a loss for words. "Ehehe, Reona-chan, your face is so red! Even as a boy, you're cute!" "Not you too, Mio!" The three of them looked at each other. And then, all at once, they burst out laughing. "Ahahahahaha!" Laughter echoed through the soundproof studio. The anxiety from yesterday felt just a little lighter. (It's okay. I'm not alone. I have Ruka and Mio.) Reona murmured softly in their heart. "—So, what do we do?" Ruka's expression turned serious again. "There has to be a way to break this curse. Let's look into it." "Yeah! If the three of us work together, I'm sure we can figure something out!" Reona clenched their fist and grinned. "I want to cheer everyone up with my songs. That won't change whether I'm a man or a woman. So until we get our bodies back, let's give it everything we've got — all three of us." "Reona-chan, that's so cool…! Mio will do their best too!" "Yes. I'll be right by your side." Ruka stood next to Reona. Their silver tail gently brushed against Reona's golden one. "Whoa—" "…It's nothing. Don't mind it." Ruka turned their face away. Their ears were just slightly red. "Ehehe, Ruka-chan's embarrassed." "Mio, don't say unnecessary things." "Okaaay." Mio laughed and stood on Reona's other side. "Alright, let's go. First, we gather information." The three left the studio. Their destination was the eleventh floor of the same Vild Tower. In one corner of the Vild Connect office floor was a small library. A place with reference materials for streamers and books on the history of Livols. "The Anima Sigil Research Society is officially in session!" "Research society… well, sure, why not." "The name reflects the substance, doesn't it? Starting today, we're the Anima Sigil Research Society." "Ruka-chan, you love this kind of thing, huh." "I don't love it. I simply stated a fact." The three stepped into the elevator. The eleventh-floor library was small and cozy. Bookshelves lined one wall, and two long tables sat in the center. From the windows, you could look down over the Shibuya cityscape. Morning light painted the spines of the books white. "Good morning." The librarian sitting at the counter looked up. A Livol woman in her thirties with glasses. Her dog ears twitched. "Um, excuse me. Do you have any old documents about Livols?" "Old documents… what kind are you looking for?" "Uh, I'd like a book about a glowing stone. A golden one, about the size of a fist—" The librarian's expression changed instantly. "…You mean the Anima Sigil." The three exchanged glances. "You know about it!?" "Yes. Only a little. This way." The librarian stood and walked toward the back of the shelves. The three followed. "The Anima Sigil is a stone also known as the 'Mark of the Soul.' Old records say it carries a curse that reverses the gender of anyone who touches it." The librarian stopped in front of the farthest bookshelf. A case with glass doors. She unlocked it and pulled out an old, worn book. "This is a copy of a research notebook written about thirty years ago. There are records of the same curse occurring back then." "Thirty years… it happened that long ago too." Ruka stared at the book. "Yes. However, the records from that time end unresolved. There's no report anywhere of the curse being broken." "Unresolved…" A sharp ache pierced Reona's chest. "But there are clues. Please, read it here." The librarian placed the book on the long table. The three leaned in close, shoulders touching, peering at the book. The smell of old paper rose from it. The pages were yellowed, torn in places. Handwritten characters filled them densely. "'The Anima Sigil — the Mark of the Soul. A cursed stone that reverses the gender of anyone who touches it. Upon activation, the body becomes hot as if burning, and the transformation completes in about three seconds. A single stone can affect multiple people simultaneously.'" Ruka read it aloud quietly. "That's exactly like us." "Yeah. So, how do we break the curse…?" Mio leaned forward. Ruka turned the page. "'To break the curse, one must find their true self'… that's all it says. There's no concrete method anywhere." "Find your true self… what does that mean?" Reona tilted their head. "I don't know. This notebook doesn't say anything more than that." "No way… then are Mio and the others stuck like this forever?" Mio's voice began to tremble. Tears welled up in his big green eyes. "Mio, don't cry. We don't know that yet." Reona gently stroked Mio's head. His rabbit ears quivered. "But… but… if we can't go back, Mio doesn't know what to do…" "It's okay. There's definitely a way. If the three of us search together, we'll find it." "Reona-chan…" Mio clutched the hem of Reona's shirt tightly. "Ruka, can I take photos of this book?" "Yes. I was planning to do the same." Reona pulled out their phone and photographed the pages one by one. The old characters were captured on the screen. "Now we can look into it at home too." "Yes. Also, I'm curious about the stones' whereabouts. What happened to the stones we touched afterward?" "Now that you mention it… mine disappeared. The moment I touched it, poof." "Mine too! Before I knew it, it was gone from my hand." "Same for me. It vanished as if its role was finished." "So the stones are gone now…?" "I don't know. But there's a high chance other identical stones exist. The three of us were cursed at almost the same time. And we just read that a single stone can affect multiple people, didn't we?" "So there might still be stones out there somewhere." "Yes. It's worth searching for them." "But for now, let's read through this book properly first. We can take our time at home later." Reona slipped their phone into their pocket. "Thank you, librarian-san." "Not at all. I'm glad I could help. …Please be careful, all three of you. The Anima Sigil has both good and bad rumors attached to it." The librarian saw them off with a worried look. "Bad rumors?" "Yes. There's apparently a radical group that worships the stone. They call themselves the Shadow Sigil Cult—" "The Shadow Sigil Cult." Reona rolled the name around in their mouth. It had an unpleasant ring to it. "I don't know the details, but they're people who call the stone not a 'curse' but a 'key to evolution,' and they're trying to spread that idea." "A key to evolution…" Ruka's blue eyes narrowed sharply. "Well, it has nothing to do with us. Anyway, thank you for today." Ruka gave the librarian a brief nod. The three left the library. "Hey, Ruka-chan. The Shadow Sigil Cult sounds kind of scary." "Yes. But don't worry about it for now. Let's deal with our own situation first." "Yeah. …Oh, right. Aren't you guys hungry?" The moment Reona said it, Mio's stomach growled. "Ahaha, Mio's starving!" "Then let's eat at my place. Ruka, Mio, come over." "Are you sure?" "Of course! I'll make my special curry!" "Yay! Mio loves Reona-chan's curry!" "…Then I'll buy the ingredients. I'll stop by the supermarket." "Huh, no, I'll buy them." "No. I'll do t

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Episode 2

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

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