A Sudden Descent and an Unexpected Transformation

The wind howled past their ears. A figure with long black hair plummeted rapidly, their delicate face offering no clue to their gender. Yet, the tears streaking from the corners of their eyes clearly betrayed the turmoil within. Jiu Hui felt their body in freefall, harboring not a trace of fear towards the ground rushing up to meet them.

‘What did death matter? It was merely an earlier end.’

Just as Jiu Hui resigned themselves to a peaceful demise, a line of text materialized before them.

[Name: Jiu Hui (玖会)]

[Age: Seventeen]

[Gender Transformation: Yes]

[…]

[Logging in. We wish you a pleasant journey.]

Jiu Hui opened their eyes, a mixture of confusion and surprise on their face. The world before them was a canvas of grey, the line of text still hovering in their vision, and their body continued its precipitous descent. Suddenly, Jiu Hui’s vision went black, and they lost consciousness.

****

In a dense jungle, Jiu Hui slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where am I?”

“How did jumping off a building land me in a forest?”

“Wait, my voice sounds… different! Ow! My butt hurts so much~”

Jiu Hui stood up, rubbing her backside. Two strands of long hair fell from the sides, resting on her chest. The moment Jiu Hui rose, she felt a sudden disequilibrium in her body and stumbled forward. Instinctively, she braced herself with her hands on the ground, and it was then that she noticed the weight on her chest.

“What is this??”

Jiu Hui sat on the ground, hands cupping the two extra mounds of flesh on her chest, utterly bewildered.

“These are… the legendary ‘oppai,’ aren’t they? Why are they on me??”

‘And my Adam’s apple is gone!’

‘Could it be?’

Jiu Hui’s heart sank. Clinging to a final shred of hope, she reached down. Her mind crashed instantly.

‘It’s gone. My most important thing is gone. Even though I always looked like a girl, I still had that one last thing to prove my gender. Now, even that final safeguard is gone.’

Jiu Hui sat on the ground, feeling utterly drained and grey.

‘Heh, if my sister knew, she’d be thrilled, wouldn’t she? That girl’s a serious brother-complex case, but also a yuri fan. Well, now we can just be together.’

‘Heh, if my buddies knew, they’d be ecstatic too, wouldn’t they? Their long-standing wish has come true: the ‘femboy’ has finally become a ‘real girl.’ They can go all out now.’

‘Heh, if my parents knew, they’d be happy too, wouldn’t they? Their eldest son has finally become their daughter. They were always dissatisfied with my gender, raising me as a girl. Now their wish has been granted.’

‘Heh, it seems like the whole world wants me to be a girl. Only I don’t.’

‘Sigh~’

Jiu Hui let out a heavy sigh, then glanced at the clothes on her body, a small measure of relief washing over her.

‘Thankfully, my clothes are still on. Which means my seventeen years of chastity are still intact.’

‘Eh? Something feels off, though?’

‘Never mind, it’s no longer important.’ Jiu Hui stood up and began to survey her surroundings. ‘First, I need to figure out where I am. Since I didn’t die, I might as well try to survive.’ All around her were dense trees, and aside from the occasional birdsong, it was utterly silent. It didn’t seem like a place people frequented.

As Jiu Hui surveyed her surroundings, a sudden whoosh of air came from behind her. Instinctively, she tilted her head, and an arrow whizzed past her ear, embedding itself in the ground. The trembling fletching indicated the immense force behind the shot.

Jiu Hui blinked, a thin sheen of sweat rapidly forming on her forehead. A wave of lingering fear washed over her. ‘Did I just take a stroll on the edge of the underworld?’ Taking a deep breath, Jiu Hui turned her head towards the direction the arrow had come from. Her gaze fell upon a horse galloping swiftly towards her.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The tall grass rapidly parted as the horse reached Jiu Hui’s front in an instant. Jiu Hui instinctively recoiled at the sight of the steed charging towards her, but the horse reared on its hind legs, stopping abruptly right before her. At that moment, the rider on horseback revealed herself. It was a young woman with long, fiery red hair, clad in soft armor. She sat astride the horse, her hands gripping the reins tightly, her slender yet powerful legs clamped against the horse’s flanks. Her ruby-red eyes, filled with sharp intensity, were fixed on Jiu Hui.

‘What a beautiful and dashing girl!’ Jiu Hui thought.

“Who are you? Why are you in my hunting grounds?” the girl asked, her voice clear and imbued with authority.

“I…”

Hearing the girl’s words, Jiu Hui instinctively began to speak, but found herself at a loss for what to say.

“You’re not an enemy spy, are you?” The girl’s delicate brows furrowed, and a chilling aura of killing intent flared in her eyes.

Jiu Hui’s heart trembled. ‘A… a spy??’ ‘I… I’ll be killed, won’t I??’ As these thoughts raced through her mind, Jiu Hui hastily tried to explain herself. But then, the girl shook her head.

“No, probably not. You’re human, and a very weak one at that. As a spy, you’re utterly unqualified. Those old geezers wouldn’t be so foolish.”

Hearing this, Jiu Hui’s mouth twitched involuntarily. ‘I’m so sorry for being weak.’

Just as Jiu Hui thought she had narrowly escaped, the girl suddenly drew her sword, its chilling gleam aimed directly at Jiu Hui’s slender, pale neck! *Gasp!* Startled, Jiu Hui immediately squeezed her eyes shut, her long eyelashes trembling. However, the imagined fate did not befall her. Instead, she merely felt a cool sensation on her chin.

The girl used the tip of her sword to lift Jiu Hui’s face, studying her large, innocent eyes, delicate nose, and small, cupid’s bow mouth. After observing for a moment, the girl’s lips curved into a slight smile.

“You’re quite pretty, I’ll admit. How about becoming my personal maid?”

‘Huh??’

Jiu Hui froze, opening her eyes wide in astonishment. ‘What kind of development is this? Personal maid?’

‘I’m a man… well, okay, I’m a woman now, but a personal maid…’ Jiu Hui carefully scrutinized the girl’s beautiful and imposing figure, her face flushing slightly. ‘Seems pretty good, actually??’

“It seems you’ve agreed.” The girl chuckled at Jiu Hui’s expression, then withdrew her sword. “What’s your name?”

‘Hey, hey, when did I agree to that?’ Despite her thoughts, Jiu Hui still uttered her name.

“My name is Jiu Hui.”

“Jiu Hui?” the girl repeated. “And your surname?”

“Huh?” Jiu Hui blinked, confused. ‘Surname? It’s Jiu!’

“No surname? A commoner, then.” The girl, misunderstanding something from Jiu Hui’s expression, said this, and a hint of delight appeared in her ruby-like eyes.

Seeing the girl’s reaction, Jiu Hui offered no explanation. ‘If you can make sense of it, that’s fine. I’m new here and unfamiliar with the place, so it’s best not to say too much. The more I say, the more mistakes I might make.’

“My name is Lisa Kael, Queen of the Kael Kingdom. From now on, you are my personal maid.”

As the girl stated her name, she subtly lifted her chin, her pride evident in her demeanor. Jiu Hui, however, showed no reaction. At that moment, she was utterly dumbfounded. ‘Lisa Kael? Kael Kingdom? What the hell is this? A different world?’

Aside from the already bewildered Jiu Hui, Lisa, upon seeing Jiu Hui’s lack of reaction after hearing her name and title, showed a hint of appreciation in her eyes, and her delight grew even stronger.

“Since you are now my personal maid, I’ll take you back with me. Your clothes are very strange, and rather ugly.”

As she spoke, the girl extended a hand towards Jiu Hui. Her hand was slender, and soft armor extended across its back. Jiu Hui looked down at her own clothes: faded white jeans, a white T-shirt, and sneakers. Then she looked at the soft armor the girl wore. She shook her head. ‘Never mind, there’s no comparison.’

Seeing the girl’s outstretched hand, Jiu Hui extended her own. The girl firmly grasped Jiu Hui’s hand, and a surge of immense strength came through the grip. Then, Jiu Hui felt herself lifted into the air.

“Ah!”

The sudden weightlessness made Jiu Hui cry out in surprise, but soon she felt herself settle onto something soft.

“Haha, Jiu Hui, you’re quite a scaredy-cat.” A teasing voice came from behind Jiu Hui.

Jiu Hui puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and turned her head, only to be met with the girl’s thin, pink, alluring lips. Seeing this, Jiu Hui couldn’t help but blush. Just as she was about to turn back, a pair of slightly cool hands cupped her face.

“You’re so cute, Jiu Hui.”

The teasing voice sounded again, and a flash of anger flickered in Jiu Hui’s beautiful large eyes.

“Hmph!”

Jiu Hui immediately turned her head away, ignoring the girl.

“Haha, she’s angry, she’s angry.”

The girl wasn’t angered by Jiu Hui’s reaction; on the contrary, she seemed rather pleased.

“Well then~ let’s head back.”

Chuckling, the girl, seeing Jiu Hui ignoring her, reached an arm around Jiu Hui’s waist to grasp the reins.

“Ah!”

The sudden ticklish sensation made Jiu Hui cry out, her body trembling, her face flushed. ‘This body seems quite sensitive.’

“What’s wrong?” the girl asked, feigning confusion. However, if Jiu Hui had turned around, she would have seen the girl’s subtly upturned, playful smile.

“Nothing,” Jiu Hui mumbled, her head slightly bowed. But her flushed ears were clearly visible to the girl, deepening the curve of the girl’s smile.

“Hup!”

A crisp shout suddenly rang out. The horse suddenly galloped off before Jiu Hui was prepared.

“Ah!”

Startled, Jiu Hui shrieked, her face paling as the scenery blurred past them at high speed. At that moment, an arm encircled Jiu Hui’s slender waist.

“It’s alright, you scaredy-cat.”

The soft words entered Jiu Hui’s ears, reassuring her slightly, yet she retorted,

“Hmph! I wasn’t scared at all!”

“Haha, yes, yes, my Jiu Hui wasn’t scared!”

“Who’s your Jiu Hui!!”

“You’re already mine, you know. There’s no backing out now.”

“I’m just a personal maid, not your property!”

“But my personal maid *is* my property!”

“Hmph!”

[…]

The horse galloped onward. Jiu Hui felt the arm around her waist and the soft, trembling sensation from behind her, her face turning crimson. The girl behind her, watching Jiu Hui, had an inscrutable glint in her eyes.