Mao Mao woke before dawn, bothered by the ash residue recovered from Reihua's room the night before. Opening the shelf in the medicine room, three small bottles lined up. Yesterday's powder, the ash residue, and a third—backup licorice root. It was the morning of Mao Mao's second day in a man's body. They greeted it quietly there. The habit of muttering in a low voice hadn't gone away yet. Even with a changed body, the work remained the same. "[serious]……Transex grass. I'll examine it properly this time" They pulled out a magnifying glass—an old tool inherited from their adoptive father, Ramon. Dropping reagent while examining the details through the lens. The pale purple powder shifted color the moment it touched the reagent. A greenish reaction. Mao Mao's mental catalog spun. (A pigment reaction unique to southern plants. Not in any official herbal texts. But——) They pulled an old book from the back of the shelf. Ramon's handwritten herbal compendium. The cover was sun-faded, the page edges browned. Flipping. Flipping. Flipping. There. Scrawled notes in the margin. Ramon's handwriting was hard to read, but Mao Mao had spent years deciphering it. "Transex grass. Nankai region, deep jungle. Forbidden. Tribal coming-of-age ritual? Body changes in one night——" The text cut off there. The page was torn, mid-sentence. Mao Mao opened their notebook and wrote: ・Grows only in the deep jungles of Nankai region. Approximately 1500km south of Linka. ・Not recorded in official herbal texts. ・Officially taught as non-existent in proper pharmacist education. ・Accidental contamination impossible. Someone deliberately brought it from the distant south. They set down the pen. (This was a planned crime.) Just as they confirmed that much, the medicine room outside grew suddenly loud. "Pharmacist——!!" The door burst open. A maid in a man's body flew in. The face was familiar, but the shoulders were broad and the voice low. Still, the way she spoke was unmistakably her. "[scared]Why are you the only one staying so calm!? I've been crying since yesterday! Why are you just normally examining medicine today!?" "[cold]……Crying won't return your body" "[crying]That's not the point——!!" She left, sniffling and closing the door behind her. Crying could still be heard from the hallway. Mao Mao capped the small bottle and tucked the notebook into their robe. (I'll continue questioning with Jinshi. If I investigate Reihua a bit more, something should come up.) --- When they went to pick up Jinshi at the Gekka Palace, they were already waiting in the hallway. Long black hair caught the morning light. A refined face, pale skin. Perhaps slightly more adjusted than yesterday—there was no sign of burrowing into bedding. But when Mao Mao approached, their gaze shifted just slightly. "[cold]You're late" "[serious]The analysis took time. I've confirmed the identity of the transex grass" "……" Jinshi turned their face slightly. Black eyes looked at Mao Mao. "[cold]Tell me" They spoke while walking. About Nankai region, about the forbidden plant not in official texts, about the conclusion that someone deliberately brought it. Jinshi listened silently. The corridors of the Emerald Forbidden City stretched with vermillion-painted pillars. Morning light streamed in, casting long shadows on the floor. "[cold]……From the south. That means" "[serious]There's a possibility that someone with connections to the south was inside the Emerald Forbidden City, or still is" Jinshi's brows drew together slightly. It was just as the two of them reached the concubines' residential section. --- A voice came first. "[surprised]Wait wait wait!! Jinshi, when you became a woman——you're this beautiful!?" A concubine in a man's body came flying around the corner. Her robe was wrinkled, her hair disheveled. But her eyes gleamed with intensity. She was staring intently at Jinshi's entire body. "[angry]That's unfair!! You were beautiful as a man too!! How are you still beautiful as a woman!!" Jinshi's face went pale and they froze. Then another voice. "[crying]I became just an old man!! I have a beard!! It's so unfair!!!" A second concubine came running from down the hallway. Also in a man's body, with faint stubble visible. Crying. Another door opened. "[angry]Jinshi gets the advantage whether male or female! Is your skeleton different from ours!? What's different!? Tell me!!" Stamping her feet. Three concubines assembled in the hallway. All in men's bodies, all hurling anger and envy at Jinshi. Jinshi took a small step back. Mao Mao stood to the side, observing the situation. (……Individual differences, I suppose.) "[cold]……It's individual differences" It came out of their mouth. All three concubines turned to look at Mao Mao at once. "[angry]You too!!" A finger pointed at them. "[angry]Your face is still refined even as a man!! Why do you get to be like that too!! A pharmacist of all people!!" "[cold]……I see" "[angry]Don't 'I see' me!!" The situation deteriorated further. Concubine A was shouting about unfairness and hitting the wall. Concubine B had crouched down in the hallway crying. Concubine C was pointing back and forth between Mao Mao and Jinshi, voicing complaints. Then Mao Mao's sleeve was gently pulled. Weakly, but definitely. Turning around, Jinshi was holding Mao Mao's sleeve. Gripping it tightly. Their face was slightly flushed. "[whispers]……Let's leave" It was a whisper. Close enough to be spoken directly into their ear. Mao Mao went still for a moment. (……Jinshi is holding my sleeve.) Usually it was the opposite. Jinshi would approach, and Mao Mao would flee. But now Jinshi was holding their sleeve as if relying on them. It was a strange sensation. Not an unpleasant one. Which made it all the stranger. "[serious]……Y-yes" The two of them quietly turned the corner, leaving the concubines' chaos behind. --- They emerged into the eastern corridor of the Emerald Forbidden City, where few people passed. The commotion faded. Between the vermillion pillars, the green of Bisenyen——the central garden of the inner palace——came into view. An artificial stream flowed softly. The morning air was slightly cool, carrying the scent of medicinal herbs. Jinshi finally released the sleeve. "[cold]……That helped" "[cold]You mean getting through that hellscape helped" "[cold]Obviously" Mao Mao thought for a moment. (Jinshi relying on someone……I've rarely seen that.) Without saying anything, they began walking. "[serious]I'll examine Reihua's quarters again" "[cold]We already searched yesterday" "[serious]Yesterday we only looked around the brazier. There might be oversights" Jinshi paused slightly. "[cold]……I'll come too. Can't have oversights" "[cold]I didn't think Jinshi would be useful in a search" "[angry]Rude" "[cold]Just confirming facts" "[sarcastic]……Just walk quietly" --- They arrived at Reihua's quarters. The door was closed as it had been yesterday. Inside, the scent of spices lingered. A sweet, sharp smell unique to the coastal regions of Nankai. Slightly fainter than yesterday. Mao Mao began a systematic search. Shelves, boxes, bundles of clothing. The ash from yesterday had all been collected. Jinshi stood in a position where they wouldn't be in the way, quietly observing the room. Checking each piece of clothing one by one. Nothing. Pulling out every drawer in the shelf. Dried herb fragments, a small mirror, half-used ink. Nothing. They moved the sleeping platform. It was heavy. Whether it was the strength that came with a man's body, or something else, it moved more smoothly than expected. Something was wedged in the gap beneath the platform. A thin piece of paper. Folded, discolored. It had been wedged there for quite a long time—the edges were worn. Mao Mao carefully pulled it out and unfolded it. Southern characters mixed with Liryo characters. Mao Mao couldn't read southern script completely, but the Liryo portion was enough to understand the meaning. "If you put the promised item in the medicinal bath, I'll get you out of the inner palace. If you fail, there's no deal." Mao Mao read that one line twice, standing still. (……Reihua wanted to leave.) That was all it took. Everything made sense. Reihua wanted out of the inner palace and was used by someone. In exchange for a promise of escape, she agreed to mix the transex grass into the medicinal bath. She hadn't wanted to come to the inner palace in the first place. Mao Mao understood that much. "[cold]……What does it say" Jinshi came beside them. Peering at the letter. "[serious]In exchange for a promise to get her out of the inner palace, she was asked to mix the grass into the medicinal bath" "[cold]……Perhaps the pharmacist Reihua didn't want to hurt people with medicine" They said it quietly. A calm voice. Not emotional, not accusatory. Just a simple reading of the situation. Mao Mao found that somewhat unexpected. (I didn't know Jinshi read emotions that way.) Looking at the edge of the letter. No sender's name. Only the identity of a southern merchant. Whether they were inside the Emerald Forbidden City or outside, what their purpose was——all of it remained unknown. Mao Mao folded the letter and placed it beside yesterday's small bottle. Preserving it as evidence. "[cold]Can you identify the sender" "[serious]There's no name. There might be something written in the southern characters, but I can't read all of it" "[cold]……We're at an impasse" "[serious]For now" --- The two of them left Reihua's quarters. Back in the hallway, wind came from the direction of Bisenyen. The faint sound of the garden's stream could be heard. Mao Mao repeated the letter's contents in their mind. (Reihua is a pharmacist. Someone whose job was to help people with medicine, and now she's changed everyone's body in the inner palace with medicine. That can't be forgiven. But——) But Reihua had been used by someone too. The two things wouldn't settle properly in Mao Mao's mind. As a pharmacist, she couldn't be forgiven for endangering her patients. At the same time, the fact that Reihua was also a victim was true. The emotions wouldn't settle. They fell silent. "[cold]……You" A voice. Turning around, Jinshi was looking at Mao Mao's profile. "[cold]You don't have to carry everything" The words were sparse. An awkward way of speaking. Not the smooth phrasing Jinshi usually employed. Mao Mao's eyes widened slightly. They'd never been told something like that before. "[cold]……Finding the culprit——I'm doing that too" They added it, then looked away. Walking faster down the corridor. Mao Mao watched their back. Long black hair swayed. Posture perfectly straight, footsteps silent, still an unfamiliar sight. But the way they'd just spoken——that was the same as always. (……What should I have said?) Not knowing, they followed. Who the letter's sender was, whether they were still inside the Emerald Forbidden City——that was all that remained unknown.