Monday morning. The moment I opened the classroom door, I froze. "…Huh?" My own voice was way too deep. Still not used to it. Momo cleared their throat with a cough. Dad's old school uniform dug into their shoulders, stiff and unyielding. "[whispers] I knew it. Nobody's here." It wasn't even seven in the morning yet. The reason I'd come to school earlier than anyone else was simple—I didn't want a single soul to see me like this. I glanced to the side. "…Yeah." A tiny voice. Standing there was Okarun—turned into a girl. They'd borrowed their mom's white blouse, and the skirt was held up with safety pins. Their smooth black hair shimmered, translucent in the morning light. Cute. Wait, what the hell am I thinking?! "[angry] I-I wasn't looking at you or anything!" "[sad] Sorry…" Okarun shrank back. No, that's not what I meant. But I couldn't explain it. THUD THUD THUD THUD!!! Footsteps thundered down the hallway, like a freight truck barreling straight toward us. BANG!! The door flew open, and there stood a blonde twin-tail gyaru. The girls' uniform was stretched to its absolute limit, buttons looking ready to pop off any second. "[angry] Oi, you bastards! Why the hell am I stuck in this disgustingly cute body?!" The whole classroom felt like it rattled. The voice and the way they talked—that was one hundred percent Jiji, the former delinquent. But visually, they were unmistakably a gyaru, and a seriously cute one at that. Their twin-tails quivered with rage. "Jiji… you too, huh." Momo said it in their own gruff, deep voice. "[surprised] Eh, you too?!" Jiji pointed at Momo, then looked at Okarun. Their big eyes went even wider. "[scared] Momo's a guy… and Okarun's a girl… Uwaaaaah!" Jiji clutched their head and started rolling around on the floor. "[crying] Cute… too damn cute… Every time I look in the mirror, something inside me screams 'Hell yeah!'!" "[surprised] Calm down, Jiji!" "[angry] How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! I'm a tough-ass man! I never told anyone my hobby is collecting stuffed animals, but looking like this, there's no way I can hide it anymore!" Jiji yelled while yanking on their own twin-tails. Their love of cute things had now perfectly aligned with their appearance—the outside had caught up with the inside. "Stuffed animals…" "[crying] Don't say it!!" That's when it happened. The door opened quietly, almost timidly. "[whispers] Um… everyone, there's something I need you to hear…" Standing there was a tall guy with cool, composed eyes—no, a straight-up ikemen. Who is that? The thought barely formed before Momo gasped. That hesitant demeanor. The traces of those delicate features. "Aira…?" "[sad] Yeah… that's right…" Shiraishi Aira, the school's idol, had transformed into a smooth, handsome guy. Taller now, with broader shoulders. But the inside hadn't changed at all—the way they looked down in embarrassment was completely, unmistakably Aira. "[surprised] Even Aira!" Momo's voice cracked. From the hallway came the shrill, excited squeals of girls. "Shiraishi-kun! Where did you go, Shiraishi-kun!" "Too handsome! Hey, can I call you Shiraishi-kun?!" "Kyaa! He looked back!" Aira turned bright red and slammed the door shut. "[crying] H-help me… they keep chasing me…" Just then, Aira's eyes met Okarun's. Aira reflexively started to wave—then stopped mid-motion. "…Ah." They'd realized it: to anyone watching, this looked like two guys interacting. Their face got even redder. Momo watched the scene with complicated feelings. Something stirred deep in their chest, a dull, uneasy sensation. (*Why…? Seeing Aira almost wave at Okarun—it bothers me. I don't like it.*) But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. "[serious] Everyone, we're heading to the rooftop." Momo led the three of them out into the hallway. Students were still sparse. They sprinted up the stairs and stood before the rooftop door. *Click.* Momo focused their psychic power, and the lock disengaged. The rooftop was empty. Hidden behind the water tank, the four of them sat in a circle. "[serious] Yesterday, the youkai we fought in the Junk Wilds—the Shemale Collector. Its curse swapped our bodies around." Momo laid it all out in one breath. Their deep voice was carried off by the wind. "[angry] So basically, if we don't smash that doll thing, I'm stuck in this cute-ass body forever?" "[serious] That's the gist of it." "[scared] The time limit… is one week. If we don't reverse it by Friday, it's probably permanent." Aira said it, their face pale. "[whispers] Finally… the outside and inside match." The sudden voice made all four of them whip around. At some point, a beautiful girl had appeared, standing there without a sound. It was Shiratori Shota. Unlike the other four, they showed no sign of distress whatsoever. If anything, they wore a faint smile. "Shiratori… you're okay with this?" Shiratori just tilted their head. Something's off. But there's no time to dig into it now. "[serious] Anyway, we need information. After school, we're going to Yomigaeridou in the shopping district. There's someone there who knows a lot about youkai." Classes were a complete disaster. Our homeroom teacher, Todoroki-sensei, pulled all five of us in for questioning, but Momo panicked and used their spiritual power to create a smokescreen. For some reason, Todoroki-sensei just went, "Well, that's youth for you!" and accepted it. We got saved by the PE teacher's laid-back attitude. After school. Kakenuke Street was bustling with evening shoppers. The smell of steamed meat buns drifted through the air. The five of them stood in front of a conspicuously old shop. *YOMIGAERIDOU* The letters on the sign were faded and peeling. *Clink-clank.* The moment they opened the door, the smell of old paper and ink hit their noses. "[gentle] Ahh, you came after all." From the back of the counter, an old man with white hair poked his head out. The shopkeeper, Kuramae Tatsumi. A wrinkled face with sharp, gleaming eyes. A former folklorist—the person who knew more about youkai than anyone else. "[surprised] 'After all'…? Gramps, you knew?" "[serious] Aye. Last night, a strange spiritual wave spread through the whole town from the Junk Wilds. And lookin' at you lot now, it's obvious at a glance." Kuramae descended a hidden staircase behind the counter. The five of them hurried after him. The underground archive was packed wall-to-wall with books. A single bare bulb lit the room, and the air was thick with the smell of mildew. Kuramae pulled an old file from one of the shelves. "[serious] Pretty Marine—a dress-up doll manufactured by Toy Luminous in 1987. It belonged to a girl who lived in this town." He opened the file. A photo of an adorable doll was pasted inside. Blonde hair, wearing a light blue dress. "[sad] The girl's family had to move away suddenly. She cried as she threw the doll away, so the story goes. That sorrow, festering for over thirty years, gave birth to the youkai known as the Shemale Collector." "The sorrow of being thrown away…" Okarun murmured it quietly. "[serious] To break the curse, you must physically destroy the main body—the Pretty Marine doll—buried in the deepest part of the Junk Wilds, while calling out its name. The time limit is Friday." "[angry] Alright, we're going tonight!" Momo stood up. "[serious] Wait." Kuramae's voice cut through all five of them like a blade. "[cold] There are nearly two hundred Junk Bugs roaming the Junk Wilds. Going in with the bodies you have now is reckless." Kuramae pulled a map from his desk drawer. A rough map of the Junk Wilds. "[scared] I can't do it…" Jiji hung their head. "[crying] Fighting in this gyaru body… there's no way. I don't want anyone seeing me like this." Aira was looking down too. "[sad] I mean, just because I'm handsome now doesn't mean I can fight… and Okarun-kun turned into a girl, so I don't even know how to act around them…" Aira's voice trembled, and a single tear spilled over. "[sad] My sense of balance is all messed up… I might just be dead weight." Only Shiratori spoke up, quietly. "[cold] But if we don't go, we stay like this." It was a cold statement. But it was the truth. "[serious] Tonight, we'll go back to the Junk Wilds on a recon mission. We don't have to force a fight. First, let's gather information." Momo took the map and looked around at their friends. Jiji was still trembling. Aira was wiping away tears. Okarun remained curled up, small and withdrawn. The things I have to protect—they've multiplied. Before, I only had to protect Okarun. But now it's different. Jiji, Aira, Shiratori too—all of them are victims of this curse. (*I have to protect them. As the leader.*) Not because I'm in a guy's body now. As Ayase Momo, I'm going to get everyone back to normal. A heat swelled deep in their chest. "[excited] We're definitely getting our bodies back!" Their deep, rough voice echoed through the underground archive. The sky had already gone dark. When they stepped out of the old bookstore, a single star flickered faintly overhead. Tomorrow was Tuesday. Four days left until the time limit. Deep cracks still ran through the hearts of their friends, shaken and disoriented by the changes to their bodies. This wasn't going to be easy. Even so, Momo clenched their fist.