Toshima Ward, Sawamura Residence.
Atop a sloping hill stood a Western-style mansion that instantly gave away the wealth of its owners.
"It's different now…"
Sawamura Eriri stood in front of a full-length mirror, still dressed in her Toyosaki Academy uniform. On the surface, nothing had changed—same outfit, same hairstyle—but only she knew just how different things really were.
She raised her right hand in front of the mirror, gazing at the two oval contact lenses resting on the pads of her index fingers. Ever since elementary school, she had relied on her desk lamp late into the night to draw, and as a result, she'd worn glasses from a young age. Her prescription had long since passed 400.
And yet now, when she looked at the blond twin-tailed girl reflected in the mirror, she felt like she had once again returned to the crystal-clear vision of her childhood.
"Has my prescription completely disappeared…?"
As she muttered to herself, she turned to look out the window. About ten meters from her room stood a cherry blossom tree. It was still spring, and a few petals lingered on its branches. From this distance, she could not only make out the soft color gradients of each petal but also easily count how many there were.
"Even riding my bike home just now, I hit 40 kph and barely felt tired." Her words to the mirror were filled with genuine amazement. "This really is different."
Just an ordinary school day—until she unexpectedly received a love letter. But when she went to reject it, she ended up caught in a bizarre "prank" pulled by two upperclassmen, and before she could fully process what was happening, she'd been forcibly recruited into some secret organization as a founding member.
So much had changed in a single day that even someone as deeply immersed in otaku culture as Eriri was left in a daze. And only now did she truly feel: I'm not the same as I was before.
"But there's still the most important thing… this ability…"
Eriri stared at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Slowly, her reflection began to change. Long, dark-purple hair with a slight black sheen, seductive violet eyes full of mystery, a taller frame, a curvier figure—a woman with the elegance of a noble lady appeared in the mirror.
—Sawamura Sayuri.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri's birth mother, and the woman she was most familiar with in the world.
"According to the ability breakdown shared in that forum thread by Senpai Luo Shu, this ability—called 'Shapeshift'—should be practiced starting with people you know well. Gradually ramp up the difficulty to help the mind adjust..."
'Eriri' glanced at her reflection again, then suddenly covered her cheeks, fuming with frustration.
"Damn that thirty-something old hag! Not only is she taller than me, her body's better too! And even her skin—I have to optimize it with the transformation just to match hers! You're nearly forty, woman!!"
As Eriri vented her dissatisfaction, a sudden knock came at the door.
Before she could react, the door creaked open. Sawamura Sayuri poked her head in with a bright smile, holding up a CD case.
"Eriri, I bought the latest Grand Blue Blu-ray! Want to watch it together after dinner?"
"…Oh my?" Sayuri blinked in surprise as she spotted another version of herself standing inside the room. She froze for a moment, then, before Eriri could scream, leaned in with a teasing glint in her eye.
"Eriri, that's naughty of you. Pretending to be Mommy like this—what if Daddy got confused, huh? That'd be bad, wouldn't it~?"
"?!!!" Eriri felt her brain explode. She clutched her head and shrieked, "Why didn't you knock before coming in?!"
"I did knock!" Sayuri replied cheerfully.
Her eyes lingered for a second on the silver bracelet on Eriri's wrist, then she continued, "By the way, the school won't allow just one parent at the conference, you know."
"I didn't transform into you for the parent-teacher meeting!!"
Furious, Eriri stomped her feet, then rushed forward and pushed Sayuri out of the room. "Get out! Out!"
Sayuri was shoved out helplessly, and the door slammed shut behind her with a bang.
"Aiyaa… isn't her rebellious phase supposed to be over already?" Sayuri muttered with a smile as she stood outside the room. "Still, come to think of it, when did that girl get so good at makeup? And that bracelet… was it a gift? Hmm… did a friend give it to her? Not long after starting high school, and already getting gifts? My, my, that's quite something."
"Could it be… Eriri is finally growing up? Aww, I can't wait~"
Back in the room, Eriri leaned against the door, her heart still racing. "That scared the life out of me! Thank God I was using Mom's appearance… if it had been Utaha Kasumigaoka or someone else…"
Just imagining Sayuri barging in while she was transformed into someone like Kasumigaoka made her break out in a cold sweat. She could already see herself being interrogated for every last secret under the sun. That was way too terrifying.
"From now on, I'm only doing this stuff in the Astronomy Club room," she vowed. Luo Shu's foresight had never seemed more brilliant. People like them really needed a secure space of their own.
"Never again at home," Eriri muttered with lingering dread.
————
Nerima Ward, Kasumigaoka Utaha's apartment.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was lying on her couch, her head resting against the armrest while her eyes were fixed on her phone. On the screen was a LINE chat—at the top of the screen was the name 'Luo Shu,' followed by a heart emoji.
The most recent message was from earlier that day, sent right after class ended:
Luo Shu: [After class, come to the clubroom. It's about time Eriri found out a few things. :) (Read)]
Utaha: [Going to intimidate the newbie? You really are a wicked main god~! (Read)]
Utaha: [I'll lock the door when the time comes. (Read)]
Luo Shu: [On behalf of Eriri-chan, allow me to say: "Wow, thanks so much!" (Read)]
Flipping through the messages and thinking about the strange sense of unease she felt while walking past that alley on the way home, Kasumigaoka let out a deep sigh. She set her phone down beside her and murmured, "As expected, that wooden-headed god doesn't understand a girl's need for security."
"Next time, maybe I should ask if he can relocate the 'clubhouse safehouse' entrance to somewhere near my place…"
"I wonder if that's even possible…"
She mumbled to herself as her eyelids grew heavier. Eventually, still holding her phone, her breathing slowed and evened out.
And so, the young woman on the couch slowly drifted into sleep.