Awakening to a New Reality

‘I felt… My head was so heavy…

Everything was pitch black, nothing visible—not even myself. I couldn’t tell if I was standing or lying down, as if I were plummeting into a dark abyss. Where was I now?

…

…

Huh?! The mall?!

Grandma! I had to save Grandma!

I tried to lift my invisible arm, but it felt impossibly heavy!

It wasn’t just my arm; my entire body felt as if it had been filled with lead. I couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried.

Damn it! Move! Move now! I had to save Grandma!!!

Ahhhhhh—!

“Grandma!” My body tensed, my hands clutching something tightly, and suddenly, my eyes snapped open as I sat upright.

“Hah—hah—hah—” I gasped for air, cold sweat trickling down my skin, as I tried to assess my current situation.

I was lying in a bed, my hands tightly gripping a pristine white duvet.

‘A dream?’

‘No way?! Had everything I’d just experienced been nothing but a dream?’

Just then, a lock of hair fell before my eyes, shattering my doubts.

I was certain I didn’t have hair this long; it had truly happened! I had indeed turned into a girl! And I had truly lived through the events at the mall! But how could this be now?!

“You’re awake,” a slightly familiar greeting drifted from beside me.

I looked up to see a girl sitting by my bed, dressed in a long sweater. Her face was beautiful, framed by long, light chestnut hair styled in what was known as a Hime cut (TL Note: A traditional Japanese hairstyle characterized by straight, blunt-cut bangs, sidelocks, and long hair in the back). I knew the style because some girls in my class used to wear it. The light chestnut Hime cut, paired with her slightly pale complexion, felt a little unfortunate; if her hair had been black, she would undoubtedly have been a stunning beauty.

However,

“Um… who are you?” I cautiously asked, posing my question to her.

‘With such distinctive features, I shouldn’t have forgotten her, yet I felt as though I was seeing this girl for the very first time.’

“…”

She closed her eyes and fell silent for a moment, her brow seeming to furrow. ‘Was she angry?!

Why?’

“You’re truly outrageous, you know? I’d recognize you even if you were turned to ash, but you can’t do the same for me?” Opening her eyes, she expressed her displeasure with an unhappy look.

“Uh…” ‘I was completely bewildered. Could she be someone I knew?’

“Never mind… just read the letter inside first.” She handed me an envelope.

‘I could sense the disappointment in her voice. Sorry, I’ll apologize once I remember.’

I tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter, which had been folded multiple times.

“What the f—?!”

Yes, that was me. The moment I read the contents, my face darkened, and a storm of mixed emotions churned within me. The letter was from Grandma, and it read something like this:

[Kid, my apologies. I never imagined you’d fight so desperately for your Grandma. The truth is, I wasn’t actually swallowed back then… so sorry. Also, my forty-year temporary residence permit in this world expired, so I’ve gone back first. I’m really looking forward to coming here again through the door you’ll open, so keep up the good work! Oh! If you have any questions or don’t understand anything, you can ask Leidi. And… it’s probably better not to use a suplex on those softer monsters… Actually, that move you pulled (crossed out). Hmm… on second thought, I won’t say it. Don’t want to hurt your pride.

…

…]

“Rustle, rustle—”

The letter crumpled in my grasp…

‘It was good that she was fine, but… don’t play with my feelings like that… Grandma, I really put my all into it, you know…’

I lowered my head, sinking into disappointment, feeling on the verge of tears.

‘Also… wasn’t Leidi in Japan? How was I supposed to ask him anything…’

Leidi, my friend—no, “closest friend” would be more accurate. He was a kid I met while I was still drifting, and though his name was “Leidi,” he was actually a boy. He was such a good guy, someone I preferred to call “wealthy” rather than “nouveau riche.” His mother had taken him to Japan last year, and since I didn’t have a phone back then, we kept in touch through letters.

“Finished reading?” the girl asked.

“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m finished.” I looked at her and asked again:

“Um… who are you?”

Still, no memory surfaced…

“There’s no way you shouldn’t recognize me, right? Look closer, or I’m breaking off our friendship!” She was angry again…

I furrowed my brow, scrutinizing her face. ‘If she was threatening to “break off our friendship,” then we definitely knew each other. But who could she be?’

Stare——————

…

…

‘It was as if I’d discovered something…’

‘Wait a minute…’

‘Those eyes… no, it couldn’t be?!’

“Lei-Lei-Lei-Lei-Lei-Lei-Leidi!!!” I exclaimed loudly, rudely pointing at her (or him?).

“Correct…” I was met with a disdainful look that clearly said, “Took you long enough to recognize me.”

‘It was truly unbelievable…’

“You… you also (turned into a girl)!” I repeated, still utterly shocked.

“Happy now that I’m here with you, also (turned into a girl)?” Leidi smiled… but that cute smile bore no trace of a boy.

“Wretched siblings in misfortune… that’s what we are…”

‘To think my closest friend, “he,” had also become “she”… a whirlwind of emotions surged within me.’

“How are you here… Weren’t you taken to Japan by your mother? Uh? Where exactly is this place?” Diverting from the somber topic, I asked, a little confused.

However, the answer I received was…

“This *is* Japan.”

“…”

The air suddenly grew still…

“Could you say that again?” I wondered if I had misheard.

“This *is* Japan. Alright, do you want me to say it a third time?”

‘So that’s why, of course, I met you here?’

‘I understood…’

‘As if!!!’

‘Wait a minute… I’m completely lost here. Can someone tell me what exactly happened? Shouldn’t I be in China?!’

Perhaps seeing my distress, Leidi gently patted me and began to explain:

“Actually, about two months ago, you were brought to me in a coma. You only just woke up a moment ago. Well? Surprised?”

“Is ‘surprised’ even the right word?! You mean I was really unconscious for two months?!” I couldn’t believe it; I’d been in a coma, lying here for so long! What on earth had happened to me?!

Leidi placed a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle:

“Yes, that’s right. And according to your Grandma, you knocked yourself out by performing a German suplex (TL Note: A wrestling move where one lifts an opponent and throws them backward, landing on their head or neck) with ‘0’ damage to the enemy and ‘9999’ damage to yourself. The image in my head is so absurd, I’m going to laugh; even if you try to stop me, I’ll still laugh!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Leidi, though still keeping her hand over her mouth, began to shake with laughter:

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

‘I couldn’t imitate it… that demonic laugh… Even though she had transformed into a beauty, her laughter remained just as captivatingly unhinged. I truly wished she would stop; it was such a shame to see her laugh like that in this new appearance.’

‘Speaking of which, was *this* the thing that would hurt my pride…’

‘Alright then…’

‘It *really* did hurt my pride!!! I had clearly fought with all my might! And the result was just knocking myself out?!’

‘Zero damage to the enemy?! Are you kidding me?!’

“Ahem—” Leidi finished laughing, cleared her throat, and then delivered another bombshell:

“Oh, right, since your Grandma went back, there was no one to look after you. So, at your Grandma’s request, your guardianship has been transferred to my parents. Legally, we’re now sisters.”

“Where did Grandma go back to? It couldn’t be an orphanage, could it? What she wrote in her letter sounded a bit strange.”

‘I wasn’t particularly against being sisters, as “reality” had already become so…’

‘But they even changed my nationality…?’

‘Though, with my light chestnut hair, my nationality was already somewhat ambiguous… It felt truly peculiar.’

“Ah, about that, your Grandma is in another world. Not the one for dead people, of course,” she said, half-joking, and continued:

“I suppose I’m a relevant insider, so I’ll answer whatever I can.”

“Really?!”

Before Leidi could even nod, I unleashed a barrage of questions:

“Why did I turn into a girl?”

“What are the ‘door’ and ‘world’ Grandma mentioned in her letter?”

“Why was I attacked by strange monsters?”

“Why—” (I hadn’t even finished speaking.)

“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t rush, let’s take them one by one.” Leidi held up a hand toward me, signaling me to pause. ‘Right, I had asked too many questions.’

“So… why did I turn into a girl?” I prioritized this question.

“Well… actually, you turning into a girl is probably my and my mom’s fault…” Leidi’s gaze began to drift evasively.

“You f**king did what?!”

A vulgar expletive escaped my lips, but I meant no ill will; the phrase wasn’t meant in that sense at all. It was merely the immediate crystallization of my brain’s thoughts.

“If you’re only going to speak Chinese, can’t you at least complete your sentence properly into something like, ‘Did *you* f**king turn me into this?!’ If I hadn’t known you for so many years, I would’ve misunderstood, alright!” Leidi’s face twitched, a complex blend of anger, speechlessness, and helplessness forming a truly remarkable expression.

‘She was angry, naturally, but it was just like my closest friend! Only you would understand something like that!’

“Sorry, I won’t do it again next time,” I replied timidly.

“There won’t be a next time! I mean, your appearance changed so drastically, yet your brain is still so… simple-minded?!”

‘Is there a direct connection…?’

“Don’t argue! Just listen to me! I haven’t talked to you in a year, so just let me rant.” She leaned her face closer.

“Yessss,” I replied with a prolonged drawl, smiling.

‘I’d been worried she was losing control, but it turned out she was just lonely…’

[A long while later]

“I say… aren’t you tired…?”

Leidi was already out of breath…

“Hah—hah—I’m exhausted, alright! I feel like I’ve ranted enough for a lifetime! Hah—hah—”

“Then stop already… Your throat will get sore if you keep going, won’t it?”

“Hah—hah—Thanks for your concern.”

“No… if you don’t stop, I’ll be really troubled. Let’s talk about something serious…”

“You’re right… Hah—hah—I mean, you could be a bit more direct with your concern.”

“You caught me.”

“Don’t forget how many years we’ve known each other.”

“Yes, yes, yes, so I suppose it’s about time you properly explained things to me, isn’t it?”

“Cough—cough cough—ahem—ooh—just clearing my throat.”

Teasing each other like we always did, that was our relationship—the best on Earth, in the entire universe, in the whole world!

Now, back to the main topic.

Leidi, having recovered her composure, looked at me and said:

“Xiao Bai, do you believe in things like magic?”

“Do I look like I have a choice?”

I retorted immediately. With both you and me having turned out like this, what choice did I possibly have?