The moment I opened my eyes, something was wrong. The pillow felt the same as always. The morning light streaming through the window, the white ceiling, my room on the second floor west wing of Roswaal's mansion—everything was exactly as it should be. And yet. With my drowsy head still foggy, I sat up. My arms felt... different. I looked down at them. The arms extending from the white shirt sleeves were thin. No muscle definition. The forearms I'd been a little proud of yesterday were completely gone. (…Am I still half-asleep?) I stood up, tilting my head. My feet felt oddly close to the ground. Even without shoes, the floor seemed farther away than usual. I turned toward the mirror in the corner of the room. —There was a girl I didn't recognize. "…Huh?" I let out a sound. My voice was high. Not my voice. But it definitely came from my mouth. Black short hair. Deep brown eyes. A round face with a childish impression. Height around 168cm—lower than yesterday. White shirt, black pants. A red scarf around my neck. A small scar on my left temple. All of it was my features. But it was a girl. "…No way." "[scared]No way no way no way no way no way!!!!!" The scream was loud enough to probably echo down the hallway. I lunged at the mirror, grabbed my head, and pulled. It hurt. Not a dream. I pinched my cheek. It hurt. This is real. "[scared]Wait wait wait wait!?" I checked my entire body again. The moment I nervously peeked inside my clothes, I let out a shriek and slammed my shirt shut. My face burned hot. "[scared]No way… This can't be real…!" My voice cracked. Even screaming in this high pitch, everything felt so wrong that I just stood in front of the mirror for a while. Outside the window, mist hung over the mansion's garden. It was early morning. A bird crossed the roof. Like nothing was happening. (Calm down. Calm down, me… myself? Which is it now?) Deep breath. I looked in the mirror again. The black-haired girl was looking back at me. Her cheeks were red. Her eyes were a little wet. (This is… what I look like now?) Thinking about it wouldn't help. But hiding in my room wouldn't solve anything either. I made a decision. Go into the hallway. Assess the situation. The moment I opened the door, there were two figures in the hallway. "[surprised]Wait, who are you!?" "[cold]…Who are you?" A low voice came back. Standing in the hallway were two unfamiliar men. One was tall with short pale pink hair and thick arms, a low voice—but there was something familiar about his bearing. The other was crouched beside him. Also a man, with sky-blue hair. He was looking down, staring intently at his own hands. "[serious]Tell me your name. What are you?" The pink-haired man said that. His voice was low and intimidating, but he seemed somehow off-balance. He kept glancing at his thick arms. I tilted my head. "[surprised]Um… I'm Subaru. Natsuki Subaru." "…Huh?" Silence. "[surprised]Subaru?" The sky-blue-haired man who'd been crouching looked up. "[sad]Am I also… Am I also Subaru? Um, I'm Rem…" "[cold]I am Ram." The pink-haired man crossed his arms. "[cold]…My arms are thick. My voice is low. Far from the appearance of an idiot like myself, but there's no doubt I'm an idiot." "[angry]Ram!?" It was definitely Ram. The way he spoke was completely Ram. That distinctive cold tone with a hint of poison. I almost laughed. Even though this wasn't a laughing situation. "[sad]Sister has… become a man." Rem muttered quietly. Opening and closing his own hands. Long fingers. Strong. Not the delicate hands he usually had. The three of us stood in the middle of the hallway, staring at each other for a moment. Eight windows lined the south side of the mansion's hallway, and morning light streamed in at an angle. I heard servants' voices in the distance. "[serious]…Is everyone like this?" "[serious]Presumably," Rem answered quietly. "[serious]The others as well." "[serious]We're gathering in the great hall." I said it. I still wasn't used to my high voice, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. There was one thing I needed to do. Account for everyone. Organize the situation. "[serious]Can you both move?" "[cold]I don't need an idiot's concern." "[serious]I'm fine." Ram started walking first. Rem followed. I walked too. —Right after that, I completely lost my balance. "[scared]Whoa!?" My center of gravity was completely different from usual. It was lower, and my stride felt off. The hallway floor was flat with no steps, but my body swayed. I quickly put my hand on the wall. It wasn't fast enough, and as I started to fall forward—someone grabbed my arm. "[cold]…You really are an idiot." It was Ram. He pulled up my thin arm with his thick one. The strength was surprisingly normal, and I was pathetically helped up. "[serious]Thanks…" "[cold]Don't thank me. Don't fall." As I started walking again, I happened to look down. The hem of my skirt fluttered. "[scared]…Why am I wearing a skirt!?" "[cold]Who knows." "[cold]I don't know either." "[serious]Don't both answer at the same time like that!?" Partway down the hallway, we ran into servants. Three unfamiliar-looking men pointed at us and spoke over each other. "Who are you?" "No, who are you?" "I'm Klaus!?" "I'm Klaus too!!" "[laughing]Hahahaha!" I laughed even though I shouldn't have. I was surprised at my own high-pitched laugh. Ram gave me a cold look. Suppressing my laughter as best I could, we headed to the great hall. Located in the center of the first floor—the great hall with three magical chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their mana-lit glow softly illuminating the space. This Roswaal mansion, on the frontier of Mezzas territory, usually greeted the morning in quiet. But today was clearly different. As I pushed open the doors, I saw a figure already there. Standing with his back against the wall, arms crossed. He was tall. At least 182cm. Crimson short hair with black streaks mixed in. The contrast was striking in the light. His build was masculine, broad shoulders, his stance without openings. But what caught my eye most was his eyes—red. Red and vertically narrow, like a dragon's vertical slit pupils. Those eyes caught me as I opened the door. "[serious]…You came." A low voice. A familiar voice. "[surprised]Leon…?" "[serious]Yeah." Leon Cardina. My escort knight, originally a female oni—a presence that's been by my side since coming to Roswaal's mansion. Oni have horns as the source of their magical power, a pair growing on the forehead. Leon's horns were still there, and they fit naturally even on a man's face. Leon walked straight toward me. "[serious]I'll continue as your escort." "[surprised]Well, yeah, I mean…" "[serious]If my charge has become a girl, I can't leave your side even more." As he spoke, Leon came to my side. Or rather, close enough that our shoulders were almost touching. Less than 10 centimeters between us. "[surprised]Too close too close too close!!" "[serious]It's escort distance." "[surprised]Escort distance is way too close!!" I stepped back. One step, and Leon stepped forward. I stepped back again. He stepped forward again. I was cornered until my back hit the wall. Leon looked down at me. Those red vertical slit eyes didn't waver. Serious, direct, with zero hint of joking. (…Why does he look like that?) Something pulsed in my chest. My heart was racing. I'd been with Leon for a long time and trusted him. That hadn't changed. But this feeling I was having now—it felt a little different from trust. (It's just because my body changed to a girl. Let's go with that.) "[serious]…Could you give me some space?" "[serious]No." "[angry]Immediate refusal!?" Ram and Rem came in. Ram glanced at Leon and me, then sighed. "[cold]Your escort is annoying, idiot." "[cold]That's the idiot's fault." "[serious]Why are you agreeing with him, Leon!?" Rem crouched down, looking at his hands again. Large hands. Not Rem's usual hands. After staring for a while, he looked up. "[serious]…First, let's confirm everyone's situation." His voice was quiet. Lower than usual Rem, but his calm tone remained. "[serious]Right." I nodded. "[serious]We need to know if everyone in the mansion is like this. We still don't know what caused it." "[cold]The cause is in the basement." Ram said that. Everyone looked at Ram. "[cold]I saw light coming from the basement earlier. I was about to check alone when I was stopped." That's when it happened. A low rumble came from beneath our feet. The entire mansion shook slightly. The chandelier light wavered, and vibrations from the floor resonated through my soles. Everyone silently looked at the floor. Leon stepped in front of me. Reflexively, positioning himself as a shield. From a crack in the wall—a blue-white light seeped out thinly. Coming from the basement. "[serious]…Let's go." No one objected. As I descended the stairs to the basement, I saw my reflection in the hallway window glass. A black-haired girl walking. 168cm tall, wearing a red scarf. A small scar on her left temple. (…This really is me, huh?) It felt strange. Unfamiliar. But strangely, the panic had settled a little. Even if my body changed, my mind was the same. My way of thinking, my drive—unchanged. I gave a wry smile. (First, I guess I need to get used to this new self.) The blue-white light grew stronger from below the stairs. The sealing chamber on the second basement level—something was there. The cause was there. Everyone in the mansion had woken up confused this morning, and we were going to find the answer. "[serious]Be careful when we arrive." Leon said right behind me. "[serious]Don't leave my side." "[serious]I know." "[serious]Don't leave my side." "[serious]You just said that." "[serious]I said it again." Behind us, Rem quietly murmured, "Just like always." Ram said, "Two idiots in one place." Beyond the stairs, in the blue-white light, the answer waited. This chaos was only just beginning.