Ryou peered out the window of the inn, the *Steam-Wisp Caravan*. The sky was still dim. The eastern horizon had only just begun to pale, and the city's cobblestones lay sunken in deep blue. *(Now's my chance.)* Ryou gathered their fluffy blonde hair into a single bundle. Their fingers were clumsy. Hair that had been short until yesterday now hung halfway down their back. No matter how they tied it, strands kept slipping free and falling across their face. "[angry]Dammit, this is so annoying!" Cursing under their breath, they pressed down the hem of their skirt. Skirt. This fluttering, flimsy fabric was unbearably frustrating. It tangled around their legs with every step, and the slightest breeze sent it floating up. Mud from yesterday's fall in the training yard was still caked on the hem. They dragged the greatsword. *Scrape. Scrape.* The heavy lump of iron was something Ryou's slender arms could no longer even lift. They advanced one step at a time, the blade's tip scraping along the ground. *(Don't let anyone notice.)* The city gate was just a little further. In the morning mist, the stone archway loomed as a grey silhouette. The guards weren't on duty yet. If they were going to slip out, now was the only time. *Scrape.* The greatsword scratched the cobblestones. Ryou bit down on their back teeth. *(Star-rank, revoked?)* Melvy's cold voice from yesterday echoed deep in their ears. Two years spent climbing to two stars, all reduced to zero because of this body. What a joke. Fine, then. They'd go alone. To Mount Kagaminaki. To the ancient dragon, Miravolte. They'd gather the fragments of the Reverse Scale and get their own body back. They didn't need anyone's help. Relying on others was the one thing they hated most. Ten more steps. Just ten more steps to the gate. That was when it happened. *Fwish—* The sound of air being torn. Something grazed Ryou's hair. *THUNK!!* An arrow. A single arrow was buried deep in the cobblestones right in front of Ryou. Its black fletching quivered in the morning breeze. "[scared]Wha—!?" Ryou leaped back. Their foot caught the hem of their skirt, tangling them up. They lost their balance. Their vision tilted. —*Thud.* They landed squarely on their backside. "......" The skirt fluttered open. Cold wind hit their thighs. They hurriedly pressed the hem down. That was when— *Clack. Clack. Clack.* Quiet footsteps. Someone was walking from beyond the gate. The morning sun streamed in from behind the figure. Ryou looked up. —And their breath stopped. Silver hair. It caught the morning light and gleamed dazzlingly bright. Short-cut black hair. No. That wasn't right. It wasn't right, but that stance was— Narrowed black eyes looked down coldly at Ryou. A bow in hand. A quiver on their back. A leather chest guard fitted snugly against a lean, toned body. A man. A man with an unbelievably beautiful face. "[cold]It's me. Yura." They said it without expression. A low voice. A voice that should have been higher once, but now carried a solidly masculine resonance. Ryou's chest gave a sharp *thump*. *(...Yura.)* They knew. They knew, but— Their heart was so loud. A fierce pounding they'd never felt before hammered at the center of their chest. Their face grew hot, and they had no idea what to say. "[whispers]You..." Their voice shook. Yura stood before Ryou, expressionless. The morning sun dyed the silver hair gold. The fingers gripping the bow were lean and efficient. Broad shoulders, high-set hips. A completely male body. *(That Yura.)* *(Turned into this much of a pretty boy.)* Ryou's mouth moved on its own. "[angry]It's not fair that you didn't turn into a girl!!" Even they didn't know what they were saying. Yura's eyebrow twitched. "[cold]...What?" "[angry]Because! I'm stuck in this girl's body, the skirt's annoying, the greatsword's so heavy I can only drag it, and my hair keeps getting in my face and it's infuriating!!" Still sitting on the ground, Ryou ranted and raved. "[angry]If you'd turned into a girl too, we'd match! Then I'd feel a little better about this! Why are you the only one who gets to stay a guy!" Yura let out a sigh. "[sarcastic]...Hah. Are you stupid?" "[angry]Shut up! You try it!" It was their usual bickering. But. The moment Ryou looked up and met Yura's eyes directly— *Thump.* Their heart leaped again. Black eyes, shining in the morning light. They used to be narrow, violet eyes, but now they were a sharp, piercing jet-black. *(Beautiful eyes.)* The thought slipped out. Their face instantly grew hot. Ryou hurriedly looked down. Yura fell silent too. "......" They started to say something, then stopped. Wind blew through the space between the gates. *Flutter.* The hem of Ryou's skirt floated up softly. "[angry]D-Don't look!" Bright red, Ryou pressed their skirt down. Yura's face had also turned just the slightest bit red. "[cold]...I wasn't looking." "[angry]You were! You just glanced!" "[cold]I said I wasn't looking." "[angry]You liar!" "[cold]...Enough. Stand up." Yura slung their bow across their back and extended a hand to Ryou. A rugged, masculine hand. Ryou stared at that hand intently. *(His hand's huge.)* *(Actually, this was my old hand, wasn't it.)* It was the hand of their former body, yet for some reason, it made their heart race. "[whispers]...Th-Thanks." Their voice came out so small it surprised even them. Ryou took Yura's hand. It was warm. They were pulled up. The moment they stood, the hem of their skirt fluttered again. "[angry]Ugh, I seriously hate this skirt!" Ryou clutched the skirt tightly. "[cold]I'm having trouble too, you know. This chest—no, these shoulders. They make it hard to draw the bowstring." Yura moved to touch their own chest, then stopped their hand. They turned bright red. "[sad]...You've got it easy. My body's all soft now, isn't it." "[angry]What's easy about it! These are heavy, right here!" Ryou jabbed a finger toward their own chest and yelled. "[angry]Every time I try to draw a bow, they get in the way! And they bounce when I run!" "[cold]...I really hate that insensitive side of you." "[angry]Well, I really hate that cold way you talk!" Squabbling noisily, the two of them naturally fell into step side by side. Before they knew it, they had passed through the gate and were out on the highway. The morning sun dyed the fields a golden hue. In the distance, the rugged ridgeline of the Vilgen Mountains was visible. At its northeastern edge, a solitary peak towered especially high—Mount Kagaminaki. Ryou walked, dragging the greatsword along with a *scrape, scrape*. Yura glanced sidelong at Ryou. *Flutter.* The wind lifted their skirt. *(...Far too defenseless.)* Yura hurriedly returned their gaze forward. Their heart was loud. *(Of all people, Ryou. Why does Ryou, of all people, have to be so... cute.)* Their face was hot. "[cold]Walk properly and keep your skirt held down." "[angry]I am holding it down! Actually, why are you so obsessed with my skirt!" "[cold]I'm not obsessed with it." "[angry]Liar! You've been sneaking peeks this whole time!" "[cold]I haven't been looking." "[angry]You were!" Fifty meters behind them, in the shadows. *Rustle.* The bushes shook. Melvy, the guild's tracking investigator, lowered her monocular. "...I still don't know if they're the source of the curse, but those two are definitely suspicious." Melvy pushed up her glasses. Meticulous by nature, she scribbled notes on a piece of parchment for her report. *'Suspect Ryou, Suspect Yura, clandestine meeting in front of the morning gate. Appearance of arguing. Unnatural close contact. Heading in the direction of the Torne Valley.'* Melvy tucked the parchment away and began tailing the two with light steps. —Torne Valley. A deep ravine where jagged rocks towered steeply. A tributary of the Shtral River flowed white and frothing along the valley floor. Ryou and Yura had reached the valley's entrance. The shadows of the rocks were dark, and a chill hung in the air. "[sad]...The bow feels heavy." Yura looked down at their own arms. Thicker arms. Overflowing with strength. Because of that, every time they nocked an arrow, they drew the bowstring too far and snapped it. "[cold]I don't know how you ever swung a greatsword with this body." "[angry]I couldn't swing it! I spent all day yesterday just falling over! I'm covered in bruises, you wanna see!?" Ryou grabbed the hem of their skirt. "[angry]...Actually, never mind." Even though they'd said it themselves, they turned bright red. "[cold]Are you stupid?" Yura's face grew hot too. —That was when— *Ruuuumble...* A heavy roar, as if echoing from the depths of the earth. A chill ran down Ryou's spine. The next instant— *BOOOOM!!* The rock face exploded. Stone shards flew everywhere. The impact was so great that Ryou's body was thrown into the air. "[scared]Whoa!!" They were slammed to the ground. Lifting their head, they saw— Giant fangs. Two fangs, gleaming white. A Garmfang. A colossal fanged beast, over five meters in length. Its skin was grey and rugged like rock. Four eyes swiveled wildly, glaring at Ryou and Yura. *GRAAOOOOH!!* An ear-splitting roar. Ryou frantically readied their greatsword. It was heavy. They barely managed to lift it with both hands. "[scared]Dammit...!" They tried to swing it, but their body couldn't follow through. The weight of the greatsword dragged their upper body, making them stagger. The Garmfang raised a massive foreleg. "Ryou!!" Yura drew their bow. They tried to nock an arrow—but their fingers trembled and wouldn't cooperate. *Snap.* Too much strength. They'd drawn the string too far. The arrow broke. "[scared]...!!" The Garmfang's giant fangs closed in on Ryou. Ryou held up the greatsword. *CLANG!!* Fangs met blade. Sparks scattered. —But Ryou's slender arms couldn't hold it back. *Scrrrape...* They were being dragged across the ground. "[scared]Dammiiit!!" That was when— *Fwish—* An arrow sliced through the wind. A desperate shot, loosed by Yura. The arrow flew toward one of the Garmfang's four swiveling eyes and— *Thunk.* Buried itself deep. *GRYAAAAAAAH!!!* The Garmfang let out a death roar and rampaged. Its massive body thrashed. The ground was gouged, rocks shattered. Blinded in one eye, the Garmfang thrashed about madly before— *Scrrrape...* retreating, vanishing into the depths of the valley. Silence. Still sitting on the ground, Ryou panted heavily. "[scared]W-We're saved..." They said it, then looked toward Yura— And gasped. Yura's left shoulder was seeping blood through their clothes. "Yura!!" Ryou kicked off the ground and rushed over. "[cold]...It's nothing serious." Yura was calm. But their face was pale. The Garmfang's tail had grazed Yura's left shoulder. A tail as hard as rock. Just being struck had torn the flesh. "[angry]How is that nothing serious! Let me see!" Ryou grabbed Yura's shoulder and loosened their clothes. Just moments ago, this hand had made their heart race, but now wasn't the time for that. The shoulder was exposed— Ryou's hand stopped. On the left shoulder. A large, spreading, star-shaped old scar. "...What is this?" Their voice shook. Yura's body stiffened. "[cold]...An old wound." "[angry]A wound like this isn't just any wound! How did you get it!" Ryou looked straight into Yura's eyes. The black eyes wavered with agitation. "[whispers]...This is..." Yura hesitated. They opened their mouth—then closed it. "[angry]Tell me!" "[sad]...I can't. Not yet." Silence. Wind blew through the valley. Ryou thrust out their own right arm abruptly. "[serious]Look." When Ryou rolled up their sleeve, there was an old burn scar. Red, tight, drawn skin. "[serious]I grew up in an orphanage. I get not wanting to show weakness. Same here." Yura stared at the scar. "[s