That Time Everyone on Rhodes Island Got Gender-Swapped - Mirror, mirror, who's the fairest? The budding of love and rivalry

Ever since stepping out of the command office, her heart had been pounding nonstop. As Amiya walked down the corridor, they kept staring at their left hand. The same hand that, just moments ago, had been turning pages of documents alongside the Doctor's small hand. *(The Doctor got so small...)* A gentle warmth spread through their chest. But at the same time, a strange, restless feeling welled up inside them too. *(But why am I so nervous?)* Ever since their body had turned into a boy's, this feeling had only grown stronger. Whenever they thought about the Doctor, something deep in their chest would tighten. It made them happy, but it also hurt a little. " ...The cargo bay, huh." Their destination was the cargo bay on the lowest level of the ship. According to the Doctor's hastily scribbled notes, the copy of *Mirror's Heim* had been found in an unsorted recovery container there. There might still be clues left behind. Their mind kept drifting back to what had happened in the command office earlier. The image of the Doctor, face bright red, desperately trying to regain their usual composure, wouldn't leave Amiya's head. Those small hands trembling as they clutched the tablet. The oversized white coat. And yet, the voice that came from them was still unmistakably the Doctor's... " ...I have to protect them." Their rabbit ears stood straight up. —That was when. " Eek!" A small yelp came from behind. Amiya turned to see the Doctor, arms full of a mountain of documents, stumbling after catching their foot on a seam in the corridor floor. " Ah, crap—" Amiya's body moved before they could think. They reached out in an instant and pulled the Doctor's slender shoulders close. Documents fluttered noisily to the floor. " Are you all right, Doctor?" " ..." The Doctor in their arms went completely rigid. The Doctor's shoulder was pressed against Amiya's chest. It was so much thinner than usual, so small, so fragile it felt like it might break. Amiya's arms—now a boy's arms—wrapped around the Doctor entirely. *(Ah...)* Their heart gave a massive thud. A faint scent of research chemicals drifted from the Doctor's hair. And the smell of paper. And that ever-present scent of ink. A scent Amiya had known for so long. The Doctor's scent. " ...A-Amiya." The Doctor looked up. Gray eyes stared straight into Amiya's. Their cheeks were flushed red all the way to their ears. " S-Sorry! I—I mean, I—" " I-I'm sorry too! I just moved without thinking..." They hurriedly let go. But the moment they did—a strange loneliness washed over them. *(They were so warm...)* Wait, what am I thinking?! Both of them stood frozen in place for a moment, faces bright red. " ...Let's pick up the documents. We're heading to the cargo bay, aren't we?" " Y-Yes! Let's investigate together." As they gathered the scattered papers from the floor, Amiya sighed inwardly. *(This is bad... I can't keep it together at all when I'm in front of the Doctor.)* The corridor leading to the cargo bay grew narrower and narrower. The lights became sparser, and the pipes along the walls lay exposed. This was the lowest level of the ship: Deck 8. A place no one ever came to except for supply deliveries. " It's just around this corner. Unsorted Recovery Container R-47." The Doctor spoke while checking the map on their tablet. Even standing on tiptoe with their shrunken body, they barely reached Amiya's shoulder. " Doctor, isn't that tablet heavy?" " It's fine. The weight is optimized." But their arms were trembling. *(So cute...)* Amiya's heart started pounding again. They hurriedly faced forward. The passage grew even tighter. It was barely wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Pipes snaked across the walls, and piles of cardboard boxes cluttered the floor. " I'll go first. Follow me." The Doctor ducked down, trying to slip under a pipe—and that's when it happened. *CLANG!* " Whoa!" The Doctor's shoulder bumped into the pipe, and a small equipment case came tumbling down from above. " Doctor!" Amiya yanked the Doctor toward them on reflex. They wedged themself between the wall and the Doctor, shielding them with their own body. The case struck Amiya's back and fell to the floor. " ...A-Are you okay?" Before they knew it, their faces were right next to each other. The Doctor's gray eyes gazed up at Amiya. Long eyelashes. Pale skin. Black hair that fell to their shoulders brushed softly against Amiya's arm. *(T-Too close...!)* Their mind went completely blank. The Doctor was frozen too, their mouth opening and closing wordlessly. " Uh... um..." " S-Sorry! I'll move right—" Just as they tried to pull away, they tripped on a cardboard box at their feet. Losing their balance, both of them slumped against the wall. " Eek!" The Doctor's small hands clung tightly to Amiya's chest. *Thud. Thud.* The sound of their heartbeat echoed through their entire body. It was so loud, they were sure the Doctor could hear it too. " ..." Silence. In the narrow passage, only the sound of their breathing could be heard. *(I have to let go. But... I don't want to.)* Their head was a mess of conflicting emotions. " ...Let's go. Our destination is right there." The Doctor was the one who spoke first. Their voice trembled slightly. But their eyes were trying to regain their usual calm light. " ...Okay." Amiya slowly released their hold. Their fingertips lingered reluctantly as they pulled away from the Doctor's shoulder. Container R-47 was at the very back of the cargo bay. It was a large metal box, with an "Unsorted Recovery" label stuck to its side. Several similar containers were lined up around it, and the air was thick with dust. " This is it. It contains relics an operator recovered the other day while on a mission." The Doctor operated their tablet and unlocked the container. An electronic *beep* sounded. The heavy door slowly swung open. It was dim inside, with wooden crates and metal cases piled up haphazardly. The air was stagnant, smelling of old paper and metal. " The mirror fragment should be... around here." The Doctor stretched up on their toes, trying to reach a box on a shelf. But their fingertips could barely reach it. They wobbled, about to lose their balance. " I'll get it." Amiya reached up and effortlessly brought the box down. " ...Sorry. I'm not much use like this." " That's not true! You're just as reliable as always, Doctor." " ..." The Doctor looked down. Their ears were faintly red. *(Ah... I said too much again, didn't I?)* Amiya's face grew hot too. When they opened the box, inside was a mirror fragment wrapped in black cloth. The surface was cracked, and the silver film was starting to peel away. But looking closely, a faint blue light still lingered within it. " So this is... the copy of Mirror's Heim." The Doctor put on gloves and carefully picked up the fragment. The sight of them lifting it so cautiously with their small hands was somehow endearing. *(The Doctor really is beautiful when they're focused.)* Amiya shook their head, as if to shake off their own feelings. " I'll begin the analysis. Amiya, check those documents over there." " Yes!" They picked up a bundle of old documents stacked in the corner of the container. As they dusted them off and flipped through the pages, a recovery report dated a few days ago came out. " Doctor, look at this." " What is it?" " This mirror fragment was recovered three days ago. But it activated last night. Which means..." " Which means the culprit—no, the one who made the wish—is someone inside Rhodes Island. And they accessed this container late last night." The two of them looked at each other. " ...Who would do this?" " That's not all. This mirror has the property of 'showing its owner what they want to see.' In other words, someone wished from the bottom of their heart to see a version of themselves that was different from normal—" The Doctor looked up. Their gray eyes stared straight at Amiya. " That wish was so strong, it affected the entire ship." " ..." Someone had wanted to be a different version of themselves. That wish had dragged everyone else into it. *(A wish like that... I can kind of understand it.)* Amiya looked down at their own hands. A boy's hands. But right now, a part of them felt that if these hands could protect the Doctor, then maybe this wasn't so bad. *(Wait, what am I thinking?! We have to get everyone back to normal!)* " I'll contact all departments. Let's make an emergency ship-wide broadcast." ──────── *—The cause is highly likely to be an internal actor. Did anyone access the cargo bay container late last night? Anyone with information, report to the command office immediately—* As the ship-wide broadcast played, a stir of murmurs rose everywhere. " Whose fault is this?!" " Don't screw with me! I want to go back to normal!" " Ugh... When will my body go back...?" In the corridors, operators gathered, talking anxiously. But— From beyond that commotion, another sound could be heard. —*THUD! THUD!* A heavy, rhythmic sound. —*THUD!* A sound like something being slammed down, growing steadily closer. " ...What's that?" They walked toward the source of the noise and found the training room door open. Peeking inside, Amiya's eyes went wide. "Ha ha ha! Behold, this power!" There stood a giant of a man, muscles bulging—it was Nearl. Long golden hair tied back in a single tail, sharp golden eyes gleaming fiercely. A towering 192-centimeter frame packed with rippling muscle. A massive shield in their right hand, a hammer in their left. They looked just like a legendary warrior. Right now, Nearl was at the bench press—and they were lifting the entire bench, stand and all. " Thirty-two reps! Easy!" *THUD!* The ground shook as they lowered the bench to the floor. " A-Amazing..." " I wanna try that too!" Several other masculinized operators were gathered around, staring at Nearl with sparkling eyes. " Nearl...?" " Hey, if it isn't Amiya! What do you think of this body?! Power is everything!" Noticing Amiya, Nearl approached with a huge grin. They clapped Amiya on the shoulder, making them stagger. " Um, Nearl... We're looking for a way to turn everyone back—" " Turn back? Why would you?! This power is the best! Look at these arms!" Nearl rolled up their jacket sleeve and showed off their bulging biceps. " But everyone's having trouble—" " Don't worry, Amiya! I'll protect you! I'm way stronger than before. You, the Doctor, everyone on Rhodes Island—" " I want to stay like this too!" " Me too! With this power, we can protect everyone!" The surrounding masculinized operators began shouting in agreement. " Wait, please! Don't just decide on your own—" But they were overwhelmed by Nearl's momentum, and their voice couldn't reach them. *(This is bad... The conversation isn't going anywhere.)* Amiya held their head in their hands. ──── When they returned to the command office, the Doctor was frowning at their tablet. " It seems the ship is starting to split into two factions." " ...Yes. Those who want to go back to normal, and those who want to stay this way. Especially Nearl and the others in the training room..." " Nearl, huh. She—no, he was always strong, but now he's brimming with even more confidence. I can't say I don't understand not wanting to lose that." " But if this keeps up, Rhodes Island will fall apart..." Amiya clenched their fists tightly. As a leader, they had to bring everyone together. They knew that in their head. But— " Amiya, give me your hand." " ...Huh?" The Doctor suddenly said that. " Your hand. For observation." " O-Okay..." Not understanding what this was about, Amiya held out their hand. The Doctor's small hands wrapped around Amiya's hand from both sides. *(Ah...)* Cool fingertips. So

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 3

Name: That Time Everyone on Rhodes Island Got Gender-Swapped
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt