Shiori Novella, a member of hololive English's 'Advent,' wakes up one morning to find her body has turned male. She screams as she sees herself in the mirror. Rushing to the next room, she finds Bijou, now a girl with long flowing hair and a soft feminine figure. They point at each other and shriek in unison.
Nerissa arrives, now a boy, her cool demeanor intact but her voice deeper, and she sighs at her reflection. Fuwa appears as a girl, and even her relationship with Mococo and Abyssgard is
hololive Gender Panic! ~Shiori's Observation Diary~ - Hidden wishes and my true answer
The morning light illuminated the observation diary open on the desk.
Shiori Novella was rereading it from the first page. Their black-and-white two-tone short bob shimmered silver in the morning sun. Their large amber eyes moved slowly across the text.
*Gender Transformation Day One. Morning. I had become a man. This is a major incident. I must record it.*
*Bijou laughed. Their violet eyes sparkled, and their long black hair swayed softly.*
*Bijou held my hand. Small, warm, and trembling slightly.*
*Bijou was crying. It's my fault. I'm hurting too.*
Shiori looked at the section for writing their own emotions.
It was blank.
It had always been blank.
"…What is this?"
Their fingertips stopped on the page.
The entries about Bijou were disproportionately numerous.
The day Bijou laughed. The day Bijou cried. The day Bijou was close. The day Bijou went far away.
All of it, written down.
And yet, not a single word about their own feelings.
"…I've only ever been looking at Bijou, haven't I?"
Their voice trembled.
Deep in their chest, a warmth spread.
It hurt.
It was painful.
But it was warm.
What to call this feeling?
Shiori gripped the pen.
"…I have to record it."
The pen tip stopped above the paper.
They couldn't write.
"…I'm in love with Bijou."
Those words fell into the room.
A single tear dropped onto the diary.
It bled into the paper.
"…I finally understand."
Shiori wiped their tears.
The weight in their chest lifted.
The answer had been on the paper from the very beginning.
It had been hidden all along in the words they themselves had written.
"…I love Bijou."
They said it aloud once more.
This time, clearly.
"…I love them."
They hugged the diary to their chest.
Their heart pounded loudly.
In the corner of the desk sat the Enigma Codex.
An old tome bound like parchment. The book containing the conditions for lifting the gender transformation curse.
Shiori picked it up.
"…There's something off about the spine."
They traced a finger along the spine of the old book.
It was slightly raised.
"…Oh?"
Shiori gently peeled back the spine.
Rip.
It tore.
"…I've done it now."
Panic.
But in that moment.
From beneath the torn spine, golden letters emerged.
"…What is this?"
Shiori held their breath and read.
*This is not a curse. It is a wish.*
*May everyone become their true selves.*
*With a confession of true love, this magic shall be undone.*
*However, the confession must come from a heart without falsehood.*
*Only a confession to the correct person shall serve as the key to breaking the magic.*
*This is a trial. A trial for living without deceiving oneself.*
Shiori read it over and over.
"…Not a curse? A wish?"
Their hands trembled.
"…'May everyone become their true selves.'"
The same words embroidered on that doll.
"…So that's what it was."
Shiori exhaled deeply.
"…This was someone's gentle wish."
Their chest burned.
"…But the conditions remain strict. I have to confess to the right person, with a heart free of lies."
Shiori opened the observation diary.
Then, they stood up.
"…I have to tell everyone."
The four gathered in the living room.
Bijou and Fuwawa sat on the L-shaped sofa. Nerissa stood leaning against the wall.
Bijou's waist-length black hair swayed softly. Their violet eyes gazed at Shiori with unease.
Fuwawa's fluffy silver-white hair swayed in a side tail. Their light blue eyes blinked curiously.
Nerissa had tied their deep purple-black hair back, their left eye still hidden behind their bangs, and stared intently at Shiori with sharp reddish-brown eyes.
"…What's this about, calling us all here so suddenly?"
Nerissa's low voice echoed through the living room.
"I have something important to tell you."
Shiori placed the Enigma Codex on the table.
"…What about that book?"
"There was hidden text behind the spine. Read it."
The three peered into the book.
"…'This is not a curse, but a wish'?"
Nerissa's voice trembled faintly.
"'May everyone become their true selves'… that's the same as the words on that doll!"
Fuwawa flapped both hands.
"…Right. This gender transformation wasn't a curse. It was magic wished for by someone who cared about us."
"…Who would do such a thing?"
Bijou's violet eyes wavered.
"I don't know. But there's no malice in it. If anything, it's a gentle wish."
"…But the conditions haven't changed, have they? We still need a confession of true love."
"Yes. And to the correct person, with a heart free of lies. If we get it wrong, everyone stays like this forever."
Silence fell.
"…We only have one day left."
Fuwawa's voice grew small.
"That's right. By midnight tomorrow, someone has to confess to the right person."
"…So what do we do?"
Nerissa clenched their fist.
"…I'll confess to Bijou. Properly this time."
Nerissa stepped forward.
"Wait, Nerissa."
Shiori stood in front of Nerissa.
"…What?"
"I will confess to Bijou."
In that instant, the air in the living room froze.
"…Huh?"
Bijou's violet eyes widened.
"…What?"
Nerissa stopped moving.
"…Shiori-chan, what did you just say?"
Fuwawa stood up from the sofa.
"I'm going to confess to Bijou. A confession of true love, from my own mouth, in my own words."
Shiori's amber eyes stared straight at Bijou.
"…But Shiori-chan, you said you didn't understand your own feelings."
Bijou's voice trembled.
"I understand now. Finally, this morning."
"…Understand what?"
"My feelings. I reread my observation diary and realized. I'd only ever written about Bijou. The day Bijou laughed, the day Bijou cried—I remembered all of it. My own emotion section was blank, but about Bijou, I'd written so much."
Shiori hugged the observation diary to their chest.
"…That was the answer."
"Shiori-chan…"
The rims of Bijou's eyes reddened.
"…Are you serious?"
Nerissa said in a low voice.
"I'm serious. But not yet."
"…What?"
"Tomorrow, in the living room, in front of everyone, I'll confess. Properly, in my own words. So please wait until then."
"…Why tomorrow?"
"I'm not ready yet today. I want to put my feelings into words properly. As an archiver, I want to record my own emotions first, before I convey them."
"…As an archiver, huh."
Nerissa let out a small laugh.
"…That's just like you."
"Yes. It's very me, isn't it?"
Shiori smiled.
At that moment.
"…I'll confess to Shiori-chan too."
Bijou stood up.
Their violet eyes stared straight at Shiori.
"…Bijou."
"I'll also confess to Shiori-chan tomorrow, in front of everyone. So I won't let Shiori-chan be the only one to say it first."
Bijou's voice trembled.
But they didn't look away.
"…Bijou."
"…I've always loved Shiori-chan. Even before joining Advent, I watched Shiori-chan's streams, and I admired Shiori-chan's way of being an archiver. So now it's my turn to properly tell you."
Tears ran down Bijou's cheeks.
"…Bijou, don't cry."
Shiori took Bijou's hand.
"…I'm not crying."
Bijou wiped their tears.
"…Ahh, so this is what love is."
Fuwawa murmured quietly.
"…Fuwawa?"
"Shiori-chan had such a serious face. I'd never seen it before. So love makes you make that kind of face."
Fuwawa's light blue eyes sparkled.
"…I think I finally get it too. Love is when thinking about someone makes your chest tighten, but it's warm, and you want to see that person smile. That's what it feels like."
"…Fuwawa, you…"
Nerissa looked at Fuwawa.
"…Yeah. I love everyone. But love is something more special. Watching Shiori-chan and Bijou's faces, I understood."
Fuwawa smiled brightly.
"…I see."
Nerissa nodded quietly.
"…Nerissa, I'm sorry. I can't give up on Bijou."
"…Don't apologize. Your feelings are your own."
"…But."
"…I wish for Bijou's happiness. That's my answer."
Nerissa's voice was low, but gentle.
"…Nerissa."
"…Tomorrow, I'll watch properly. Your confessions."
"…Thank you."
Shiori bowed deeply.
Dusk.
Shiori had been invited by Bijou to Tsukimi Park.
A park eight minutes on foot from the house. About thirty cherry blossom trees, the pond's perimeter about two hundred meters. The setting sun dyed the pond's surface orange.
The two sat on a bench by the water's edge.
"…It's beautiful."
"…Yeah."
Bijou's black hair swayed in the evening breeze.
"…Hey, Shiori-chan."
"What is it?"
"…I'm going to confess to Shiori-chan now."
Bijou turned to face Shiori.
Their violet eyes, lit by the sunset, shone like jewels.
"…Wait, Bijou."
Shiori gently took Bijou's hand.
"…Shiori-chan?"
"I want to tell you my feelings first. But not now. Tomorrow, in front of everyone, I'll tell you properly. So Bijou, will you wait until tomorrow too?"
"…Why can't it be now?"
Bijou's voice trembled.
"…I still haven't been able to put my feelings into words. I haven't written them in my observation diary yet. My emotion section is still blank. So tonight, I'll write it properly. My true feelings. And tomorrow, I'll tell you those words."
"…That's so like Shiori-chan."
Bijou laughed softly.
"…Yes. I'm an archiver, after all. I can't convey my own emotions until I've properly recorded them."
"…Okay. I understand. I'll wait for tomorrow."
"…Thank you, Bijou."
Shiori squeezed Bijou's hand back.
"…It's a promise. Tomorrow, in the living room, in front of everyone, let's tell each other our feelings."
"…Yeah. Promise."
The setting sun illuminated the two of them.
The pond's surface glittered.
Night.
Nerissa sat alone on the sofa in the living room.
Fuwawa came downstairs.
"…Nerissa, you're still awake?"
"…Yeah."
Nerissa was staring at a photograph in their hand.
"…Is that a photo of Bijou?"
"…Yeah. One I took in the garden."
"…Nerissa, um."
Fuwawa sat down next to Nerissa.
"…What?"
"…There's something I have to tell you, Nerissa."
"…What's with the formality?"
"…That photo you dropped the other day—I was in it, right? I thought that meant Nerissa liked Fuwawa. But that's not it, is it?"
Fuwawa's light blue eyes looked at Nerissa.
"…No, it's not. You just happened to be in that photo. The one I like is Bijou."
Nerissa said it clearly.
"…Yeah. I knew. You've always been watching Bijou, Nerissa."
"…That's right."
"…But Bijou likes Shiori-chan, don't they?"
"…Yeah."
"…Are you okay with that, Nerissa?"
"…Of course I'm not. But if Bijou is happy, that's enough. I want to see Bijou smile. Bijou looks truly happy when they're with Shiori."
Nerissa's voice trembled just a little.
"…Nerissa, you're so cool."
"…What's this all of a sudden?"
"…I like that about you, Nerissa. Not in a romantic way, but as a comrade, I really respect you."
Fuwawa smiled.
"…Thanks, Fuwawa."
Nerissa patted Fuwawa's head.
"…I'll watch properly tomorrow too. Everyone's confessions."
"…Yeah. Right."
The two quietly smiled at each other.
Back in their room, Shiori sat at the desk.
They opened the observation diary.
The last page.
The "My Emotions" section.
Shiori gripped the pen.
Deep breath.
And then, they wrote.
*I love Bijou.*
*When Bijou laughs, I'm happy too.*
*When Bijou cries, I hurt too.*
*When I hold Bijou's hand, my chest grows warm.*
*This is love.*
*Tomorrow, I will tell Bijou these feelings.*
*In front of everyone, in my own words, with a heart free of lies.*
They finished writing the last character.
"…I did it."
Shiori set down the pen.
A single tear fell onto the diary.
"…I finally recorded my own feelings."
Shiori closed the diary.
They hugged it to their chest.
"…Tomorrow, I'll tell you properly, Bijou."
Outside the window, the moon shone quietly.
At that moment, Shiori remembered the hidden text in the Enigma Codex.
*Only a confession to the correct person shall serve as the key to breaking the magic.*
*If the confession is wrong, everyone will never return to their original forms.*
"…The correct person."
Shiori looked up at the moon.
"…Are my feelings really correct?"
Their chest tightened.
"…But
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