A Sudden Change and an Uncomfortable Commute

Leaning against the wardrobe, I tilted my head back, gazing at the ceiling, my mind utterly blank.

I sat there, vacantly, for a long, long time.

……

Dazing……dazing……what in the world am I dazing for!

Is this truly the time to be dazing?

Get a grip, Protagonist!

It’s merely a matter of becoming a girl, isn’t it?

It’s just a change of gender, right?

It’s just the possibility of marrying another man, right?

……

……

Uh……

‘It’s just the possibility of marrying another man, right?’

‘The possibility of marrying another man?’

‘Marrying another man?’

“No, absolutely not!!!!!!”

Tears welled up, but none would fall!

No, that’s wrong! I truly was crying!

I absolutely refused to marry another man!

“I should talk to Grandma first; she needs to know.”

I swiftly shifted my mind away from that perilous topic, lest my brain combust.

Taking out the phone I had only recently received from Grandma, I dialed her number.

– Beep……beep……click – The call connected.

– Hello, Grandma? – I suppressed my nervous heart, asking with utmost caution.

– Hmm? Who is this, please? Isn’t this Bai Ping’s phone? – Grandma’s questioning voice came from the other end.

‘That’s right, my voice is considerably higher now……’

‘My male vocal cords have completely vanished, so it’s only natural for Grandma, who knows my original voice, to be confused……’

Thus, I decided to go straight to the point.

– I’m Bai Ping, that’s who, I just— (before I could finish) –

– Click –

In an instant, that sound echoed in my ear.

– Uh?! –

……

……

A few seconds of silence passed before I realized what had happened.

‘I had been hung up on directly!!!’

Utterly distraught, I felt tears welling up once more!

‘I mustn’t give up! Try again!’

– Beep……beep…… – I dialed the number once more, waiting in silence.

****

[POV Shift: Protagonist -> Grandma]

Gently tapping the egg twice on the rim of a ceramic bowl, I cracked the shell with one hand, carefully separating the whites and yolks into different dishes.

At this moment, I was in the kitchen, preparing my final meal here.

‘It feels a little lonely by myself……’

‘Soon, I’ll be moving out……leaving this orphanage filled with memories……’

The phone lying nearby vibrated, and a quick glance confirmed it was the same number as before.

Bringing it to my ear, I answered the call.

– Hello – I spoke first this time.

– Grandma! Calm down! Don’t hang up yet! – A highly anxious voice came from the other end, but I knew perfectly well that this voice did not belong to this number.

– It’s you again – ‘I might as well listen,’ I thought.

– Grandma! Just hear me out first! –

– Where’s Bai Ping? Tell him to answer the phone. –

– Uh……uh! – The voice on the other end hesitated.

– Uh! You might not believe it, but the person speaking to you with this voice right now is Bai Ping! –

The voice was extremely agitated, but I, of course, ignored it.

– Little girl, if you keep joking around, I’ll blacklist you. –

– Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute! It’s real! I don’t know what happened, but I woke up this morning and had turned into a girl! –

Fumbling and flustered, the voice on the other end spouted something utterly unrealistic.

– Click! –

I hung up on them again, and while I was at it, I added the number to my blacklist.

‘I always keep my word.’

‘There’s no need to keep a number that doesn’t match its user.’

– Someone must have picked up his phone, right? That Bai Ping……honestly, it’s only been a few days…… – I muttered to myself as I continued cooking.

****

[POV Shift: Grandma -> Protagonist]

– I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off. –

– I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off. –

– I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off. –

I stared helplessly at the phone in my hand, listening to the relentless message.

– She really did blacklist me! Grandma! You’re too cautious! This isn’t a scammer this time! It’s real! –

‘I desperately wanted to cry! What was happening to me?! Was it because I’d turned into a girl? My tear ducts felt incredibly loose……’

Ah……I truly was crying again.

Shaking my head, I tried to force myself to calm down.

Gazing at the phone in my hand, I pondered for a moment.

‘It makes sense……’

‘I wouldn’t believe it either, if I were her……’

‘I suppose……I’ll just have to go see Grandma in person……’

– Eh…… – I sighed.

First, I needed to change clothes; I couldn’t possibly go out in my pajamas.

Looking down—

……

……

‘What the hell!!!’

‘I couldn’t see my feet at all!!!!!’

My eyes widened into perfect circles, and my face immediately flushed with heat.

‘They’re so big……’

‘I hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but my chest is genuinely enormous now……’

‘Don’t look!! Don’t look!!’

I shook my head, attempting to clear my mind of distracting thoughts.

Slightly lifting my head, maintaining an angle where I couldn’t see, I unbuttoned my pajamas and took off my pants.

However……

‘Why did my face feel even hotter……’

Standing naked (TL Note: The original text uses a euphemism for ‘naked’ which implies being unclothed and exposed.), I rummaged through the wardrobe for suitable attire.

But……

All my clothes had become too big, and my pants were far too long……

‘How was I supposed to wear any of this……’

A hint of urgency creased my expression.

Regardless, I needed to put on underwear first; for a top, I’d try a T-shirt and see, though it felt utterly helpless.

Unlike taking clothes off, putting them on required some visual guidance, so I was currently trying to pull on a T-shirt with my arms clamped tightly to my sides, yet……

‘My gaze……why did it keep drifting downwards……’

‘Calm down! I’m a boy!’

Ah……

‘My balls have already departed from me……’

My flushed face immediately darkened with a cloud of gloom.

Though, thanks to this realization, I managed to get dressed properly afterward.

My stomach felt a little cool; I touched it and found no fabric.

‘My T-shirt had become a crop top……’

‘Was this truly the fault of my overly large chest……’

– Hmm……what about pants? – Thinking this, I lowered my head once more.

……

……

‘Holy hell……this is a huge problem!!!’

My face heated up again!

‘While I had indeed planned to add another jacket, but! But! But! Now it seemed absolutely essential!’

‘The shape of my breasts was completely visible through the fabric!!!’

‘Even those two prominent points were showing through!!!’

‘How indecent!!!’

‘Of course, I didn’t own any bras, so if I were to go out like this……’

‘I’d either be taken away by the police or snatched by a pervert, wouldn’t I……’

‘These were the only dreadful possibilities I could conjure.’

– Ugh – I shivered abruptly, hugging my body, feeling utterly uncomfortable at the thought.

‘Just in case, I should use some adhesive bandages……at least those two points need to be covered……’

‘And a jacket, a dark one! I absolutely must find a dark jacket that won’t show through easily!’

I nervously rummaged through the wardrobe.

– Oh! This one’s good! –

‘Joy! I’d found one that met the criteria! This way, I wouldn’t get caught!’

– Rustle—rustle— (the sound of putting on clothes) –

– Huh? This size…… –

‘It must be because my body had shrunk; the jacket I put on had sleeves that were too long, and it was generally too big, hanging loosely on me.’

‘I looked like a small kitten standing on its hind legs now.’

Yet, I was thoroughly satisfied.

– It seems……I might not even need to wear pants! –

‘This was the reason! The clothes were so big they already covered my buttocks down to my thighs!’

‘This way, I wouldn’t have to worry about pants!’

‘Excellent! In that case, I should hurry and leave!’

‘For shoes, I’d just wear slippers, since my original ones surely wouldn’t fit.’

Grabbing my phone and wallet, I headed out, my lower half feeling rather breezy.

‘It was probably still early, as there weren’t many people on the road.’

‘That’s great; I certainly didn’t want too many people staring at me; I’d surely die of embarrassment……’

Leaves on both sides of the road swayed gently, and every now and then, small birds darted out, twisting their heads this way and that.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, creating beautiful dappled patterns on the ground.

As I walked, observing the scene before me, a thought involuntarily crossed my mind.

‘If only I hadn’t transformed like this, I would truly love to properly enjoy life.’

‘Alas, there’s no time……’

With a bitter smile, I gently freed my light chestnut long hair, which had been tucked inside my jacket.

A light breeze swept by, causing my hair to flutter, and a few pedestrians glanced my way.

– Ugh –

‘So embarrassing!’

I lowered my head and quickly walked to the bus stop.

……

……

– Wahh – I complained softly.

‘There hadn’t been many people on the road, yet an extraordinary number of them were getting on the bus; that’s illogical, hey……’

Feeling quite terrible, I squeezed onto the bus with that thought.

– Phew –

I found a standing spot facing the window, but it wasn’t particularly easy for my current self.

I looked up, staring at the hand strap I was gripping.

‘Now, I have to stretch my arm so far to grab the strap……it’s almost fully extended……’

‘It seems I’ve shrunk considerably……Judging by not being able to reach the alarm clock this morning and my jacket being too big……’

‘I’ve probably lost more than a head’s worth of height (no, I might even be underestimating it……).’

[During the ride]

– Ugh –

Since the road wasn’t entirely straight, everyone on the bus swayed and jostled against each other.

‘Being surrounded by a crowd of people taller than me felt incredibly uncomfortable……’

– Ahh – I squinted my eyes, a trembling sound escaping my lips.

My hair had been tugged by something due to the crowding.

‘It hurt so much!’

‘Is having long hair pulled truly this painful?! Tears were practically being squeezed out of my eyes!’

Awkwardly turning my head left and right, I spoke to the people around me:

– Uh—excuse me—could you please not catch my hair? It really hurts…… –

Just then,

– Plop— –

Something felt like it had fallen from my pocket; a quick glance confirmed it was my phone.

– Excuse me, could everyone please make a little room? My phone dropped, and I need to pick it up, thank you. –

Apologizing, I bent down to retrieve my phone.

– ♪♬♪♬♪ –

– Hmm? –

I heard a whistle.

‘How carefree they sound……’

‘Even though I was currently so squashed I had no patience left.’

Just as I was about to stand up.

– Huh?! –

I froze.

‘This feeling was……’

‘A hand was touching my buttock!!!!!!’