The Gender-Swap Curse and the Fact That I Still Like You
Fushi has a secret: an ancient power of regeneration that's kept them alive through things that should've killed them. But when they touch a strange pale-pink flower at the edge of the Kazamidori Forest, they pick up something new—a curse that swaps the sex of anyone it touches. And it's spreading. Fast.
Now the whole city of Takunaha is flipping, and Fushi's best friend Gugu—a burly seventeen-year-old boy—wakes up as a petite girl with the same mask and the same hopeless crush on the beautiful
The Gender-Swap Curse and the Fact That I Still Like You - Episode 7: When the Flowers Bloom, I'll Tell You I Like You — My Original Form and Unchanging Feelings
The pale pink light faded from the streets of Takunaha.
The translucent tentacles that had littered the cobblestones were gone. The evening sky slowly regained its blue. A breeze carried the scent of flowers.
Fushi stood in the middle of the market street.
Silver hair. Golden eyes. The form of a boy. The flower-shaped mark on the back of their left hand still flickered, just barely.
(It's over.)
They looked at their own hands. Bent the fingers. Clenched. Opened. Deep inside their body, the power of the Tententengusa and Nokker's memories remained, quiet and still. The sensation of being able to change gender at will.
But right now, they wanted to stay like this.
In the form of the silver-haired boy.
"Fushi...!"
A voice.
Before they could turn, something slammed into them.
"You... you reckless idiot...!"
A large frame. Short black hair. A mask covering his face. Muscular arms wrapped around Fushi with all their strength.
"Gugu... you made it back."
Fushi's voice trembled slightly.
"Of course I did! Whose fault do you think this was?!"
He was angry. But his voice was wet with tears. Drops fell from beneath the mask. His big body shook in small tremors.
"If you hadn't... if you hadn't taken that flower, all of us would've stayed like that forever...!"
"Yeah. But you were the one who told me. That the only way to turn everyone back was to take the flower."
"That doesn't mean you had to go and do something that insane...! Getting stabbed all over by Nokker, screaming, glowing... try watching that from the sidelines sometime!"
Gugu's arms tightened. His tears fell onto Fushi's back. Fushi received the weight of them, straight on.
"...Sorry. I worried you."
Fushi gently placed a hand on Gugu's back.
"But I wanted to protect everyone. Not because I dragged them into it. I took the flower because I wanted to protect them."
Gugu's shoulders went still.
"...Geez. Can't argue with that."
Gugu gave Fushi's shoulder a light pat. Beneath the mask, his voice was smiling.
"You've always been like this. Always putting yourself last."
"You think so?"
"I know so. ...But thanks, Fushi."
That voice was so kind.
——
Passing through the noren of the tavern "Gugu-tei," they heard a clamor of voices from inside.
"Lord Fushi—!"
A small body flung itself at Fushi's arm. Her original girl form. Her round eyes were full of tears.
"Lord Fushi, Lord Fushi, thank goodness you're safe...! I, I thought it was all over...!"
"Hisame. Sorry for worrying you. It's all right now."
When Fushi gave a wry smile, Hisame clung even tighter.
"Um, um, may I stay close to you...? I've wanted, I've wanted to be close to you this whole time...!"
"Do whatever you want."
When Fushi said that, Hisame's face lit up and she rubbed her cheek against Fushi's arm.
"Ehehe... Lord Fushi, you're so warm...!"
"...You're quite something yourself, Hisame."
A quiet voice. Turning around, Kahaku stood leaning against a pillar. Lightly holding their left arm.
"Kahaku. And Nokker?"
"Yeah. It's calmed down. Must be because you took the flower. This one won't make a fuss anymore either."
Kahaku looked down at their left arm. The Nokker parasitizing it merely pulsed quietly.
"Good."
"...Fushi."
Kahaku opened their mouth, looking a little awkward.
"That thing where you looked like Parona was... well, it was foul play."
"Huh?"
"No, never mind. Forget it."
Kahaku turned their face away. Their ears were just slightly red.
"Kahaku, are you embarrassed?"
"I'm not embarrassed."
"Your face is red."
"You're imagining things."
Hisame, still clinging to Fushi's arm, giggled.
"Lady Kahaku, even your ears are bright red."
"Hisame, you be quiet."
From the back of the tavern, the proprietress Miranda poked her head out.
"Oh my, everyone's back to normal, aren't they. Good, good."
"Miranda. How's the town?"
"I went to look. The whole market street crowd is back to their old selves, hugging and crying. 'Thank goodness,' 'Now we can do business again,' they said."
Miranda spoke while quickly wiping the wooden cups lined up on the counter.
"It's all thanks to you, Fushi. The whole town is grateful to you."
"Even though it was my fault the town got caught up in it."
As Fushi looked down, Gugu put an arm around their shoulder.
"If you hadn't taken that flower, everyone would've been finished. I guarantee it."
"Gugu..."
"So stop apologizing. You're the hero of this town."
Gugu's hand ruffled Fushi's head.
——
Sunset streamed into the tavern's back garden.
A small garden. A single well. Cloths hung on the drying pole swayed in the breeze.
Fushi hid in the shadows, watching the two of them.
Gugu and Rean.
Rean was in her original girl form. Her long blonde hair, braided, swayed against her back. Her blue eyes looked straight up at Gugu.
"Gugu."
Rean's voice trembled slightly.
"I ran away from home."
"Huh?"
"My parents tried to lock me in my room again. But I've had enough. My life is mine to decide."
Rean clutched a small box against her chest.
"Gugu. Now that I'm back in my girl's body, let me say it properly this time."
Rean opened the box.
From inside, a silver ring emerged.
"Wha— wait, Rean, what are you—"
Gugu faltered.
Rean knelt on the spot.
"Gugu. I want you to marry me."
Gugu's movement stopped.
"When I was in a man's body, I proposed to you. Back then, my body was male, so I could be bold. But now, it's me as a woman, saying it in my own words."
Rean's blue eyes wavered with tears.
"The face under the mask, the times you were a woman—none of that is Gugu. The one I love is Gugu. Only you."
Gugu was silent.
The expression beneath the mask was invisible. But his fists were clenched tight.
"...I'm—"
Gugu's voice was hoarse.
"This is my face. If I take off the mask, I might frighten you."
"I've seen it. The scars from when you shielded me from that log. Those are proof of your courage."
Rean stood up.
"Gugu. Your scars, your body, your voice—all of it belongs to the person I love. So please. Marry me."
Silence.
The wind stirred the leaves in the garden.
"...Geez. Can't argue with that."
Beneath the mask, Gugu smiled.
"If you'll have someone like me, I'd be glad to."
Gugu took Rean's hand.
Rean's fingers slid the silver ring onto Gugu's ring finger.
It fit perfectly.
"...Thank you, Gugu."
Rean smiled through her tears.
Gugu embraced her.
In the shadows, Fushi smiled softly.
(Good. I'm really glad.)
A warmth spread through the center of their chest. They were happy as if it were their own joy.
——
Returning from the back garden, this time March and Parona were waiting.
"Fushi!"
Her original child form. Bright brown short hair. Big amber eyes. Her small body—barely four and a half feet tall—bounced as she ran to Fushi.
"Look, look! I got my kid body back! Ehehe, pretty amazing, right!"
"March. I'm glad."
"Yeah! But maybe just a little bit disappointing."
March lowered her gaze, just slightly.
"The adult body was kind of fun. Being tall, having long legs. But you know—"
March lifted her face.
"If I can be by your side, Fushi, then being the way I am now is fine. Even if I can't grow up, it's fine."
Fushi's chest tightened.
"March..."
"Back then, in my adult body, I confessed to you, right? That was a little embarrassing. But I meant it."
March's cheeks were red.
"But for now, I'll keep my feelings for you tucked away in my heart—as love for a precious friend."
March laughed, ehehe.
"You're strong, March."
"Ehehe, pretty amazing, right!"
"...March."
From behind, Parona embraced March. Her original girl form. Black hair tied back. Her narrow black eyes were gently narrowed.
"You're fine just the way you are. Even if you don't grow up, you're still you."
"Parona..."
"I'll protect you, always. So you don't have to force yourself to become an adult."
Parona's arms tightened.
March buried her face in Parona's chest.
"Parona, thank you."
Fushi looked at the two of them and said,
"What makes me happiest is seeing everyone smiling in their original forms."
The three of them laughed together.
The sunset stretched their shadows long.
——
At the tavern's eaves, Tonari and Sandel sat side by side.
Tonari in her original girl form. Brown skin. In her hands, a well-worn diary.
Sandel in his original boy form. The same brown skin. He watched Tonari's hands with a serious expression.
"What are you writing?"
When Fushi approached, Tonari looked up.
"A diary. A record of this whole uproar."
Tonari smoothly added more words to the diary.
"Gender was never the real problem. The problem was not being able to say it."
Tonari quietly read aloud the words she'd finished writing.
"...Those are good words."
"You think so? It's just a fact."
Tonari shrugged.
"But thanks to you, everyone got to say what they wanted to say. Gugu, Rean, March, Parona. Without the curse, they might never have said it their whole lives."
Tonari looked at Fushi.
"Thank you, Fushi. Because you took the flower, everyone could face their true feelings."
"I just wanted to turn everyone back. That's all."
"And that's enough."
Sandel spoke up.
"Tonari, you were a fine doctor even in your woman's form. I was helped by that version of you so many times."
"Oh, and you did well in your girl's form too. You used your medical knowledge to tend to the wounded, didn't you."
Sandel scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"And you, Tonari, were so composed even in your young man's form."
"That's because even with a man's body, I'm still me inside. Just because my gender changes doesn't mean my personality does."
Tonari laughed.
"...Did you hear about Gugu and Rean's rings?"
"Yeah. Just now, in the back garden."
"Those two—without the curse, they might never have said it their whole lives, right? Whether she became a woman or he became a man, they just couldn't be honest."
Tonari said it with half exasperation.
"But now those two can finally settle down."
"Yeah. I'm glad."
When Fushi smiled, Tonari and Sandel smiled too.
——
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from the tavern entrance.
"Fushi! Behold my true form!"
Turning around, Prince Bon stood with arms akimbo. His original prince form. His imperious attitude. But his face looked somehow happy.
"Bon. You're back to normal."
"Naturally! There's no way I would go on cross-dressing forever!"
Bon puffed out his chest.
"Hear me, spirits! I shall cross-dress no more! This is the true form of the first prince of the Kingdom of Uralis—Bonshen Nikoli La Teastypichi Uralis!"
Bon declared to the empty air.
Then—though Fushi couldn't see them—Bon seemed to hear the voices of the surrounding spirits.
"What? 'Aww, but that form was so nice'? How rude! I am a man!"
Bon began arguing with something invisible.
"'The cross-dressing suited you better'? Silence! Even with my medium abilities, I could not overcome the wall of gender! Frustrating as it is, that is reality!"
Bon clenched his fist in frustration.
Fushi let out a small laugh.
"Bon, you're amazing even without being a medium. I mean, you can talk with spirits this easily."
Bon froze.
"...I see. So I am amazing."
"Yeah. Amazing."
Bon looked rather pleased.
"Fu, fuhahaha! Of course, of course! I am amazing!"
Bon laughed heartily.
His laughter was joined by everyone's laughter from inside the tavern.
——
Night came.
The moon was visible through the second-floor window of the tavern.
Fushi stood alone by the window.
(Everyone's back to normal.)
(Gugu and Rean exchanged rings.)
(March and Parona were laughing together.)
(Tonari and Sandel were putting their diary in order.)
(Bon was making a racket with the spirits.)
(Hisame was clinging to my arm.)
(Kahaku was embarrassed.)
Fushi looked at the flower mark on the back of their left hand.
(The power to change gender still remains in my body.)
(But I want to stay like this.)
In th
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