A Rude Awakening

“Clang—”

With a resounding crash, I slammed headfirst into the mirror.

Thankfully, the mirror remained intact.

‘Hey! That’s hardly the point!’

“What in the world is going on?”

Lifting my gaze to the mirror once more, I confirmed that the reflection staring back was indeed not my original appearance.

There was no doubt about my male gender; I had lived as a man for over a decade!

Yet, pondering this, ‘Who exactly is in the mirror?’

“I… I don’t think I’m a girl,” I murmured to myself, my brow furrowing as I stared at the female reflection.

The “me” in the mirror possessed an exquisitely delicate face, along with a clearly ample bosom and exceptionally long, light chestnut hair.

So, the heavy sensation in my head earlier hadn’t been an illusion after all. Of course, hair this long would feel heavy.

My chest too – the swaying I felt when I lost my balance just now… that was my breasts. I’d initially thought it was low blood pressure. And seriously, they were huge.

“No, no, this is not the time for such thoughts,” I admonished myself, patting my cheeks to dispel the jumbled ideas.

“I need to properly sort through my memories…”

I, a male, presumably fifteen years old, was once a wandering orphan, later taken in and raised by an orphanage. I considered myself a good child. With the orphanage’s assistance, I was currently enrolled in a public art school.

Normally, I was kind-hearted, and being rather good-looking, I was quite popular among girls. Although this led to some ostracization from other boys, I never had a girlfriend. My lifestyle habits were exemplary: I didn’t smoke, drink, or pick fights casually. Naturally, I also avoided inviting trouble. Just last week, I had moved out of the orphanage.

From childhood to the present, I had lived a largely earnest and uneventful life, save for one incident that led me to befriend a super-rich magnate (TL Note: ‘Tuhao’ is a Chinese slang term referring to a wealthy, often uncultured, person, or ‘nouveau riche’.).

‘Hmm—’

“It feels like there’s nothing particularly special about me, other than being an orphan…”

As I pondered earnestly, a sudden realization struck me!

Had I been dreaming just now?!

Could it be?

“Conclusion reached! This is merely a dream; no need to overthink it!”

A joyful smile spread across my face.

Continuing to brush my teeth, I reasoned that if this was a dream, everything made sense and would be much simpler. All I had to do was live through this dream until “I” woke up.

‘Speaking of which, it’s been ages since I had such a vivid dream.’

****

Twisting the faucet shut and hanging the towel, I glanced back at the mirror as I prepared to leave the bathroom after completing my ablutions.

‘She’s quite pretty. What kind of dream will this turn out to be?’

‘I’m actually a little excited~’

‘I’m probably wearing a slightly mischievous expression right now, but what does it matter? It’s just a dream,’ I mused.

Turning the doorknob, I stepped out.

‘If only it were that simple…’

“Thump—”

The sound, accompanied by a jolt akin to an electric current, coursed from my right pinky toe throughout my entire body.

My expression froze; or rather, it was compelled to freeze.

Trembling, I slowly crouched down, gently pressing my right pinky toe with my hand.

No human on earth could possibly endure the agony of stubbing their pinky toe.

“I… I’m gonna…”

Tears welled up in my eyes. It hurt so much!!!

‘Oh my god… Why did I stub my pinky toe even while wearing slippers?! This is agonizing!!!’

****

‘Uh?!’

‘Pain?!’

‘A dream…’

‘Dreams aren’t supposed to hurt, are they?’

****

Thinking of something ominous, an indescribable unease assailed me.

“Wait… could it be…” I stammered, my hands trembling as I forcefully squeezed my own chest.

‘So big…’

‘No, the feeling!’

‘It’s really there! A distinct, tangible sensation!’

Closing my eyes, I then reached my hand towards my crotch.

‘Grab!’

‘…’

‘Nothing there…’

My gaze unfocused, my expression blank. My face right now must have been the textbook definition of utter despair.

‘That… it’s gone…’

‘It disappeared…’

‘Even if it just got smaller, that would have been fine! But you completely removed it?!’

“At any rate, I need to get up first…”

Bracing myself against the wall with my right hand, I endured the searing pain in my pinky toe, hopping on one foot all the way back to the bedroom.

“Thump—”

Without much thought, I collapsed backward onto the bed, my long hair fanning out around me.

‘My hair is really long… Ah, I’m pressing down on it a bit, but that’s not what I should be thinking about right now.’

I stared blankly at the ceiling, silent for quite some time.

‘What exactly is going on?’

Though I knew no one would answer me.

I turned my head, spotting the wardrobe where my alarm clock had been just minutes before.

‘Seriously, am I really not dreaming?’

****

****

‘Alright… I suppose I have to accept my fate.’

Even if I was unwilling, there was nothing to be done; that thing was gone… simply gone.

‘I’ve probably offended a god at some point without knowing it.’

‘They should just stay put in the heavens.’

‘Why bother messing with things?’

Now, I could only pray that the gods wouldn’t make my life any worse… though it was already pretty terrible.

‘I should check the clothes. Maybe they’ve all turned into women’s attire? Hope they look good…’

‘Could I possibly be any more pessimistic?’

Approaching the wardrobe, I nervously swallowed, then pulled open the cabinet I usually used.

“Ding—”

With a sound like a non-existent dinner bell, I stood frozen in place, like a bronze statue.

Shaking my head, I widened my eyes and swiftly pulled open the remaining cabinets.

****

****

“Thud!”

The cruel sight before me made me brace my hands on the ground, kneeling.

“It’s all men’s clothing… Are you effing with me?!” I hissed, the words trembling through gritted teeth.

“That’s just unfair, isn’t it? You turn me into a girl, but you don’t even provide clothes!”

My face was filled with helplessness, and helplessness was all I could feel.

‘My student ID…’

‘Right! The student ID! Quickly, I need to check it! I hope… my premonition isn’t true.’

‘Dumbfounded…’

‘My expression now must be utterly comical, probably good enough to be an emoji if posted online.’

On the student ID in my hand, a smiling boy with short, light chestnut hair was clearly printed, and next to it, “Gender: Male” was distinctly written.

****

“What the f*ck, you old bastard…”

I could feel veins throbbing on my forehead.

‘At least change my social identity, you scumbag!’

‘My ID card… I probably shouldn’t look at it.’

Furthermore, I had come to a conclusion.

This god… was incredibly irresponsible!!!

If I ever had the chance to meet this irresponsible god… I would definitely…

“Beat him to a pulp!”

My expression right now must be…

‘Terrifying…’