The Day the Sunset Fell Upside Down ~Everyone's Gender-Swapped~ - My sister's bullying and my vanished best friend—a resonating mirror nightmare

The three of them left the old school building and walked through the streets of Shibuya. The evening air brushed coolly against their skin. "Hey, Ruri-chan. Do you have time after this today?" Sendou Yuuhi turned around and spoke. Long brown hair with yellow highlights. Their eyes—a gradient like a sunset, purple on top and orange below—smiled softly. Even in a boy's body, that smile was still bright as the sun. "Eh? Ah, yes. I'm free, but…" Kagurazaka Ruri shook their fluffy milk-tea-brown hair and gave a small nod. Their large, round amber eyes wavered with just a touch of unease. They used to be a boy, but a curse had turned them into a girl's body. Even though they're a girl now, they still say "boku," so people meeting them for the first time are always surprised. "There's something I want to talk about. Neon, you too, okay?" "If you say so, I don't mind." Hoshimiya Neon had platinum blonde short hair with only one side braided, pinned with a silver hairclip. Eyes the deep blue of the night sky. Having become a boy's body, their height and shoulder width had both grown. But their way of speaking was still the same tsundere as always. "Then let's go to Café Rafflesia. They have private rooms there, so we can talk without being disturbed." "…Fine." The three headed for Café Rafflesia, a five-minute walk from Shibuya Station. Café Rafflesia was a shop the Vspo! members frequented. The owner, Tanaka-san, was a woman in her forties who understood the members' circumstances well. There were three private rooms, perfect for meetings or casual chats. "Welcome. Oh my, Yuuhi-chan and the others. Just the three of you today?" "Hello! Is a private room available?" "Yes, it's open. Use the one furthest in the back." The three entered the private room at the very back. A wooden table and a soft sofa. A small potted plant decorated the wall. It was a room with a calm atmosphere. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Neon said while sitting down on the sofa. "Yeah. There's something I want to ask Ruri-chan." Yuuhi sat down next to Ruri. "Me…?" "Yeah. I've been wondering—why is Ruri-chan so kind? I've been curious about it for a while." "Eh… I'm not kind or anything. I'm just clumsy and always messing up…" Ruri looked down, embarrassed. Even their ears were bright red. "Being clumsy and being kind are different things. Ruri-chan, you're always thinking about someone else. I know that much." "…Yuuhi-san." Ruri raised their head. "…Is it okay if I tell you?" "Yeah. I won't force you, but I'd like to hear it." Ruri hesitated for just a moment, then slowly opened their mouth. "I have a little sister three years younger than me." "You have a little sister." "Yes. Her name is Sumire. She's in her third year of middle school now… When she was in her first year, she was being bullied." "Bullied…" Yuuhi's expression tightened. "At first, it was her belongings being hidden, her shoes being hidden. It gradually escalated—graffiti on her desk, textbooks torn up. …But she couldn't tell anyone. Not our parents, not her teachers, not even me." Ruri's voice was trembling slightly. "One day, I found a torn textbook in my sister's trash can. That's when I finally realized. What was being done to her at school." "…Ruri-chan." "After that, I started going to pick her up at her classroom every day. In the mornings, we'd walk to school together. After school, I'd always go pick her up. So she wouldn't be alone." Ruri clenched their fist tightly. "I kept saying every day—I'll protect you. You're not alone, your big brother is with you. …But honestly, I was scared too. That the kids bullying her might say something to me. But it was still way better than seeing my sister's crying face." "Ruri-chan…" "My sister gradually started being able to smile again. The bullying faded away little by little. She's going to school happily now. …But what happened back then is my starting point. It's when I strongly felt that I wanted to become someone who could protect others." Ruri raised their head and looked at Yuuhi. "And now, having become a girl's body, I understand the feelings of those in weaker positions better than before. I realized how hard it is to be a girl. …So this time, I want to protect you and the others, Yuuhi-san." "Ruri-chan…" Yuuhi gently took Ruri's hand. "Ruri-chan, you're really strong." "Eh…?" "Because even though you were scared, you fought every day for your sister's sake, right? That's an incredibly strong thing to do. I really admire you, Ruri-chan." Yuuhi's eyes were moist with tears. "Yuuhi-san… Admiring me, that's…" Ruri's eyes were red too. "…You two cry way too much." Neon said, looking away. But their voice was softer than usual. "Ehehe. But Ruri-chan's story was so moving." "…Well, I get how you feel." Neon glanced at Ruri. "Ruri. You really care about your little sister, huh." "Eh… Ah, thank you." "I'm not complimenting you. I just stated a fact." "Neon, that's the same as complimenting." "Shut up! You be quiet!" "Ehehe." Yuuhi laughed and squeezed Ruri's hand back. "Ruri-chan. I'm really glad that someone as kind as you is my comrade." "…Me too. I'm really glad I met you all." The two smiled at each other. Seeing those smiles, Neon let out a small breath. "…Well then, let's get to the main topic." "Main topic?" "Satsuki-san contacted us, right? Telling us to come to the old school building's waiting room." "Ah, yeah. That's right. I got a message on the way home yesterday." Yuuhi took out their phone. 'There's something I need to talk about regarding the Reflect Mirror. Come to the old school building's waiting room tomorrow. Everyone come together.' "It says everyone come together." "…Did something happen?" Neon's expression turned serious. "I don't know. But if Satsuki-san is speaking this forcefully, it must be something serious." "…You're right. Let's go. Tomorrow, to the old school building's waiting room." "Yeah. Ruri-chan, come with us too." "Yes. I'll go too." The three left the café. Outside, it was already dark. "Then, see you tomorrow." "Yeah. Get home safely." "Yes. Yuuhi-san, Neon-san, see you tomorrow." The three headed their separate ways home. Yuuhi, walking alone through the streets of Shibuya, looked up at the sky. (I'm glad I got to hear Ruri-chan's story.) The depths of their chest felt gently warm. (I want to become someone who can protect others, too.) Yuuhi clenched their fist tightly. —The next day. After school, Yuuhi and the others headed to the old school building's waiting room. "…To think we'd come here again." "Of course. Satsuki-san called us." "But somehow, the air feels heavy today…" Ruri said uneasily. "…It's not your imagination. I feel it too." The three passed through the entrance of the old school building. Inside, it was as dark and dusty as ever. "Is Satsuki-san here?" "The waiting room, right? Let's go." The three walked down the hallway. When they reached the waiting room, the door was slightly ajar. "Satsuki-san?" "Come in." A low voice came from inside. The three entered the waiting room. Kirishima Satsuki stood in the center of the room. A cool style with black hair slicked back. Sharp jade-green eyes. A small scar on the left cheek. Having gender-swapped, they now had a girl's body. But their way of speaking was still the same as a man's, so people meeting them for the first time got confused. "You came. …Everyone's here." "Satsuki-san, what did you want to talk about?" "…First, sit down. This will be a long story." The three sat on the old chairs. Satsuki looked out the window. "I'm going to talk about what happened five years ago." "Five years ago… The Reflect Mirror incident?" "Yeah. It's about when I was still a high school student." Satsuki began to speak slowly. "I had a best friend named Shiori. Bright, kind, someone everyone liked—that kind of girl." "Shiori-san…" "One day, Shiori found the Reflect Mirror. The place was this old school building's waiting room. …Yes, this very room we're in now." "In this room…" Yuuhi looked around the room. "Shiori read the spell written on the paper stuck to the mirror, lightheartedly. Then, from the next day on, abnormalities started happening to Shiori's body. …Their sex was reversed." "Shiori-san also went through gender reversal…" "Yeah. Back then, I had no knowledge about curses at all. I could only watch as Shiori suffered in a boy's body." Satsuki's voice trembled just slightly. "Shiori couldn't ask for help. Couldn't tell anyone their true feelings. …I could only say 'it's okay.' 'It's okay, you'll definitely go back to normal.' But that was wrong. The curse kept progressing." "…Satsuki-san." "And then, one night. Shiori disappeared in this room, as if melting into the mirror's light. …Right before my eyes." "Eh…" The color drained from Yuuhi's face. "Shiori disappeared without ever being able to convey their true feelings. All that remained was this scar carved into my left cheek." Satsuki gently touched the scar on their left cheek. "This scar is a resonance scar. The moment Shiori disappeared, the curse's power reached me too, and this scar was carved. …Since then, I've continued investigating the Reflect Mirror. So that this time, I can hear the words I couldn't hear back then." "Satsuki-san…" "This time, I absolutely will not repeat the same mistake. I swore that." Satsuki clenched their fist tightly. "That's why I absolutely don't want any of you to disappear. …I will definitely draw out your true feelings. That is my mission." "…Satsuki-san, thank you. I will definitely break the curse." Yuuhi looked straight at Satsuki. "…Yeah. I'm counting on you, Yuuhi." At that moment— Gogogogogo… From the back of the room, a sound like rumbling earth echoed. "What!?" "The mirror… The Reflect Mirror!" The old full-length mirror placed at the back of the room was shaking. The mirror's surface was rippling. The air in the room turned ice-cold all at once. "It's coming! Everyone, get back!" The moment Satsuki shouted— CRASH!!! The mirror's surface shattered violently. No, that wasn't it. Something was flying out from the mirror's surface. "…What, is this." Yuuhi was at a loss for words. What came out of the mirror were four figures. Gender-reversed versions of Yuuhi, Neon, Ruri, and Satsuki—exact duplicates of themselves. "You're hiding your true feelings." Duplicate Yuuhi said with a blank expression. "You're hiding your true feelings." Duplicate Neon repeated the same words. "You're hiding your true feelings." The four duplicates all looked at them at once. Their eyes were pitch black. "W-what are these things…" "Duplicates. The curse has entered its next stage. …Until now, the curse was passive. But now, the curse has created active enemies." "Enemies…?" "Yeah. Those things are trying to expose our 'hidden true feelings.' …And if we can't expose them, they intend to erase us." "Erase…?" "What are you hiding?" Duplicate Neon approached Neon. "I-I'm not hiding anything!" "Liar. You are hiding something. You, toward Yuuhi, actually—" "Shut up!!" Neon lunged at Duplicate Neon. "Yuuhi didn't do anything wrong! Why are you blaming Yuuhi!" "You're the one who has something you want to say to Yuuhi." Duplicate Neon caught Neon's attack with one hand. "What…" "You're weak." Duplicate Neon grabbed Neon's arm and threw them against the wall. THUD!! "Gah!!" Neon's body slammed into the wall. "Neon!" "Next, it's your turn." Duplicate Yuuhi approached Yuuhi. "S-stop!" Ruri stood in front of Yuuhi. "Ruri-chan, no!" "You're hiding something too." Duplicate Ruri grabbed Ruri's shoulder. "You actually want to go back to being a boy. Isn't that right?" "Eh…" "You're trying to get used to a girl's body. But deep in your heart, you wish to return to your original body. That is your true feeling." "…That's wrong.

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Episode 4

Name: The Day the Sunset Fell Upside Down ~Everyone's Gender-Swapped~
Author: Novelia

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