Detective Shellin and the Curse of the Gender Swap: Tulip Squad's Mystery is Smelling Like Panic
Shellin Burgundy is a detective VTuber who chases mysteries around the world. Today, as always, he has zero clients. He's lazing around with his Tulip Squad buddies when a mysterious letter arrives at the office: 'Find the cursed flower.' No sender, but the reward is a hundred gold coins. Shellin's eyes light up. 'This might be the work of a phantom thief,' he says, and jumps at the case.
The letter leads to the Nocturne Garden on the edge of town, where a strange flower blooms only at night. S
Detective Shellin and the Curse of the Gender Swap: Tulip Squad's Mystery is Smelling Like Panic - The Person I Believed In ~Were You the One Who Cast the Curse?~
"…They're back."
Shellin Burgundy stopped in their tracks, staring at the girl standing across the alley.
Wine-red hair tied back in a single bundle, amber eyes narrowing. The tear mole beneath their left eye floated faintly in the morning light.
"The flower shop's poster girl… She was supposed to be in a big man's body."
"Bro! The innkeeper over there is back too, nya! Until yesterday she had a young lady's body, but today she's properly back to being an old man, nya!"
The gray cat pointed down the street with a front paw from atop Shellin's shoulder. Large golden eyes wide open with curiosity. A long tail swaying restlessly with excitement.
Luca Stone. An 18-year-old beastfolk warrior. A cheerful boy with brown hair and dog ears—but due to the curse, now trapped in the body of a cat covered entirely in gray fur. Even so, the brightness never faded.
"…Strange. Until yesterday, swaps were happening all over the place."
Shellin crossed their arms. A girl's slender fingers pressed into their upper arm.
It had been days since that night in Nocturne Garden, when they touched the black rose. Shellin had become a girl, Elise had become a boy, Luca had become a cat. Across the city, body swaps had caused chaos.
And now, this morning, people were returning to normal one after another.
"Hey hey, bro! Does this mean the curse is starting to break?! Then maybe I'll get my old body back soon too, nya!"
"…Who knows. Something's off. It's too sudden."
Shellin approached the flower shop's poster girl.
"Hey, you. I heard your body's back to normal? That's good. By the way—do you remember anything from when you were cursed?"
The poster girl tilted her head with a blank look.
"Huh? Cursed? Me? …What are you talking about?"
"Come on, you had a big man's body starting three days ago. You were causing a scene in the market, almost got caught by the guards."
"A big man? Me? …I'm sorry, I don't remember any of that. Before I knew it, I was back in my normal body. I think I've just been sleeping at home since that day…"
The poster girl furrowed her brows in confusion.
Shellin stared at her face. No sign of lying. She genuinely remembered nothing.
"…I see. Thanks."
After parting with the poster girl, Shellin headed to the inn.
The innkeeper was the same.
"I was a young girl? Hahaha, that's a funny one. But I've got no memory of that. Before I knew it, I woke up in my usual body."
The elder knight was the same.
"I was a small child? Nonsense. How could such a thing happen? …However, it's true that my memory has gaps these past few days. I feel unwell."
By the third and fourth person, the smile had vanished from Shellin's face.
"…Something's wrong. Every single one of them says the same thing—'I don't remember.'"
"Bro, the regular at the bakery over there is back too, nya! Let's ask that person too, nya!"
Luca leaped down from Shellin's shoulder. The gray body dashed lightly across the cobblestones.
"Luca, wait. You're a cat—how are you going to talk to people?"
"Nyahaha! Everyone knows I'm a cat, nya! And if they look at my eyes, they can tell I'm Luca, nya!"
Luca ran up to a female regular at the bakery.
"Miss! Your body's back, nya! That's great, nya! By the way, do you remember anything from when you were cursed, nya?"
"Cursed? What are you talking about? Oh my, what a cute cat. Are you lost?"
"…Nya. She doesn't remember, nya."
Luca drooped their ears dejectedly.
Shellin picked Luca up.
"…Hey, Luca. One person could be coincidence. Two, still coincidence. But five or six people all saying the same thing—no matter how you look at it, that's wrong."
"Bro, what do you mean, nya?"
"Someone is deliberately erasing their memories."
Shellin's amber eyes flashed sharply.
A girl's body. A detective's heart.
The mystery was beginning to take shape, one piece at a time.
"…I see. Traces of memory manipulation."
When they returned to the office, Elise Nocturne was glaring at flower petals spread across the desk.
Silver short hair swept back with one hand, narrow purple eyes narrowing. A silver flower earring on the left ear. Wearing a man's shirt, yet still carrying a somehow androgynous air.
Elise Nocturne. 22 years old. A flower-song mage, and the Tulip Squad's strategist. A cool woman who once prided herself on long silver braids—but due to the curse, now in a boy's body.
"Elise, did you find something?"
"Yes. I examined the residual magical traces left on the bodies of those who returned to normal. And I found not just traces of the curse, but traces of a different magic as well."
Elise picked up a small vial from the desk. Inside, a pale purple liquid glowed.
"This is the residual magic I extracted using flower-song magecraft. The curse flower's magic and one other—a magic from the memory-manipulation school—are layered together perfectly. Someone is undoing the curse and erasing memories at the same time."
"…So it's a double-layer spell."
"Yes. And quite an advanced technique. Layering another school of magic on top of a high-order flower-song magecraft formula—no ordinary mage could do it."
Elise touched the silver flower earring. A habit when thinking.
"…So someone really is doing this deliberately. Breaking the curse, erasing memories. As if making sure no one ever notices what was done to them."
"Exactly. And whoever it is, they're well-versed in flower-song magecraft. Perhaps a flower-song mage, or someone even beyond that…"
Elise trailed off and closed their mouth.
"…Hey, Elise. Have you figured out how to break this curse?"
"…That's the thing. Not yet."
Elise shook their head.
"I understand the curse's structure now. But I don't know how to break it. The curse flower swaps the vessels of souls. To undo it, the swapped souls need to be swapped back again. But the method for that is…"
"…I see. Then let's dig through old texts. There should be a book somewhere with detailed writings on the curse flower."
Shellin picked up a stack of papers from the desk.
"You have a place in mind?"
"Yeah. My aunt's bakery."
The bakery district in the lower town of Velkrain.
The fragrant smell of freshly baked bread spread through the streets. The bustle of the morning market echoed from afar.
"Auntie Mari—! I'm here, nya—!"
Luca pushed open the bakery door with a front paw.
"Oh my, Luca-chan. You're energetic as always."
A plump woman peeked out from behind the counter. Her wheat-colored apron dusted with white flour. A gentle smile. 52 years old. Owner of the bakery "Song of Wheat," and Shellin's aunt.
"Auntie, hello. Smells great today too."
"Oh, Shellin. Welcome. …You've gotten pretty used to that girl's body, haven't you?"
"…Well, I still can't get used to handling skirts. I almost trip on stairs, and the wind makes it drafty."
Shellin tugged at the hem of their skirt.
"Fufu, no matter what happens, you're still you. Come, come inside. I just baked flower-song bread."
Marie led the three of them to the back of the shop.
In the back parlor, there was an old wooden table and a bookshelf covering an entire wall. The shelf was packed with books bound in faded leather covers.
"Auntie, you had this many books?"
"Yes. Your grandfather left them to me. There are many old texts on flower-song magecraft."
Marie pulled a single book from the shelf.
"This one's about night-blooming flowers. It might be useful."
Shellin and Elise spread the book open on the table.
With every page turn, the scent of old paper rose up.
"…Found it. Here, Shellin."
Elise pointed to a page.
"'To break the curse of the night-blooming flower, one must offer the soul of the one who cast the curse to the flower, and let the flower wither.' …It says."
"…It says what?"
Shellin peered into the book.
There, in old script, it was written.
"…So to break the curse, someone has to die?"
"…That's what it comes down to. Offer the soul of the one who cast the curse to the flower. Then the flower withers and the curse breaks. But that person would…"
"That's—nobody would be happy with that!"
Shellin slammed the book shut.
"…Sacrificing someone to break a curse—that's just wrong. Absolutely wrong."
"Shellin. You don't have to carry this."
Marie placed a hand on Shellin's shoulder.
"You're not the one who cast the curse. You just got caught up in it."
"…But I—no, I started investigating this curse. Because I stuck my nose in, the people of this city…"
"The curse didn't spread because you started investigating. If anything, it's because you started investigating that so many things came to light."
Marie stroked Shellin's head.
"…But Auntie. For the way to break the curse to be something so cruel…"
"That's not necessarily true yet. What's written in old texts isn't always the whole truth. There might be another way."
Marie held out warm flower-song bread to the three of them.
"Here, fill your stomachs first. Thinking can wait until after."
Shellin took a bite of the flower-song bread.
The sweetness of flower nectar spread through their mouth.
"…It's good. But somehow, I can't taste it."
"That's how tired your heart is. It's all right. If it's you, you'll find the answer."
Marie's words sank deep into Shellin's chest.
That night.
Elise spread a map across the office desk.
"Shellin, look. This is the magical energy distribution map I analyzed."
The map showed the entire city of Velkrain, with purple marks scattered across it.
"The source of the curse is where multiple strong magical energies intersect. That intersection is here."
Elise pointed to a single spot on the map.
"…That's…"
The color drained from Shellin's face.
"Yes. The district where you lived as a child. And it's right near Nocturne Garden."
"…No way."
Shellin stared at the map.
Memories from childhood came flooding back.
Getting lost in Nocturne Garden. It was night. Touching the black rose, collapsing. And then—
"…That person."
"Shellin? What's wrong? You know something?"
"…Yeah. There's one person. When I was little, someone saved me when I collapsed in Nocturne Garden. A friend of my great-grandfather, who taught me the basics of flower-song magecraft. Their name is…"
Shellin bit their lip.
"…Luca. Sorry, there's somewhere I need to go alone."
"Bro? Alone? That's dangerous, nya!"
"I'll be fine. I'll be right back."
"…Wait, Shellin. I'm coming too. You're hiding something. You haven't told me anything about that letter either."
Elise grabbed Shellin's arm.
"…Sorry, Elise. But this is my problem. Let me go alone."
Shellin shook off Elise's hand.
"Shellin…!"
Shellin ran out of the office without looking back.
Shellin ran through the night streets.
A girl's body was so much lighter than when they'd been a man. But their heart was heavy as lead.
(It can't be that person.)
(There's no way that person cast the curse.)
(But someone who lives in that district, knows flower-song magecraft, and knows my secret—there's no one else.)
Shellin stood before an old house.
A house they'd visited countless times as a child. A garden bursting with flowers. White walls.
Now the garden flowers had withered away, and ivy crawled up the walls.
"…Here it is."
Shellin knocked on the door with trembling hands.
"…Who is it?"
A hoarse voice came from inside.
"…It's me. Shellin."
"…Oh, Shellin. You've grown. …No, you've become quite the lovely figure."
The door opened.
Standing there was a small old man with white hair tied back. Deep wrinkles. A calm smile.
A friend of Shellin's great-grandfather, and the one who taught Shellin the basics of flower-song magecraft.
"…Um, I have something I need to ask."
"Ah, come in. I'll put on some tea."
The old man led Shellin inside.
The room was unchanged from long ago. An old wooden table. A bookshelf covering the wall. By the window, a pot of withered flowers.
"…Um, I'll ask directly. The curse spreading through the city. Did you cast it?"
Shellin looked straight into the old man's eyes.
The old man took a sip of tea.
"…Yes.
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