The Unforeseen Inheritance

“You should move over a bit.”

“Oh.”

The Protagonist shifted her weight to the side, allowing Leidi to settle onto the bed beside her, their bodies now close.

“You know my name is typically a female name, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” The Protagonist queried Leidi.

“Actually… I have five older brothers…”

“……”

‘What an impressive mother,’ was the Protagonist’s immediate thought, followed by, ‘And she must have paid a hefty fine for all those children, surely…’

Leidi, after all, was European. He had never really spoken much about his family, and all the Protagonist knew was that they were incredibly wealthy.

“The truth is, my mother always wanted a daughter…” Leidi’s expression grew a little awkward, a reason the Protagonist could easily surmise.

“I can tell…”

Evidently, Leidi’s gender and name being entirely mismatched was an indirect consequence of his numerous older brothers.

“Although my mother had forcefully chosen my name before I was even born, I still ended up being born as a young master,” Leidi said, a wry smile touching his lips.

“Your mother must have been quite conflicted,” The Protagonist chuckled wryly as well, finding this a truly baffling and somewhat laughable piece of personal history.

“But if your mother wanted a daughter so badly, why didn’t she consider IVF? Your family is super rich, after all.” The Protagonist’s confusion was palpable.

She recalled that the technology was quite mature internationally, and the cost should have been no issue for a family of Leidi’s means.

“I actually asked my parents about that. The reason is, my father was quite resistant to it. He said if news of ‘test-tube babies’ got out to the rest of the family, things might get very unpleasant…”

“The perplexing troubles of the wealthy…”

The Protagonist suspected he feared rumors of impotence might spread.

Feeling the atmosphere grow even more strained, Leidi simply lowered his head this time, though he quickly lifted it again, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“Now for the crucial part, finally. My mother, utterly exasperated with having children, decided… to use magic.”

“Your mother can use magic?!”

What astonishing news!

“No, she can’t…”

The cold water was splashed rather quickly.

“It’s just that an old British noble family, with whom my family has deep ties, can use magic. My family, however, does possess some extraordinary things, like the ‘Great Gate’ your Grandma just mentioned in her letter.”

“Even when I first met you, I sensed your family had a profound background, but this still exceeds my expectations,” The Protagonist admitted candidly, for her encounter with Leidi could very well be described as a ‘fortuitous meeting.’

“So, what happened next?” she pressed.

“You know I was brought to Japan a year ago, right?”

“Yes… why?”

“Actually… that was my mother’s preparation for me to learn how to live as a woman…”

……

……

“Eh?!” The Protagonist failed to grasp the meaning of Leidi’s words.

“To sum up the entire process directly…” Leidi covered his face with one hand, shielding his expression from her. “It’s just… I was forcibly made to live as a femboy for a year… Yes… that’s essentially what happened.”

Wow… The Protagonist felt a dark aura practically radiating from Leidi.

“And that’s why… I’ve become like this now…”

How tragic! Compared to the Protagonist, Leidi’s plight was truly miserable!

“Leidi, listen… if you need comfort, you can always talk to me. My help might not be significant, though…”

The Protagonist knew she could only offer verbal support. She felt it would be perfectly acceptable if he were to embrace her and weep now, her dear friend.

“During that same year, people within my family intended for me to inherit the [Great Gate] and the [power to manage and protect the Great Gate].”

The Protagonist listened in silence.

“Ultimately, two months ago, the family performed the [Inheritance Ritual] on me. However… something went awry…”

Two months ago, she mused. The timing certainly aligned.

“The [Inheritance Ritual] failed, didn’t it?” The Protagonist inquired cautiously.

“The outcome, to be precise… was rather subtle…”

Subtle? What exactly happened?

“My mother was quite reluctant about me inheriting the Great Gate and its power. She merely wanted me to become a normal girl. However, she didn’t succeed in convincing the family, so I still had to undergo the ritual as planned two months ago.”

“So then, how did I get involved in all this?” Clearly, this also concerned her.

“Just listen to me first. On the day of the ritual, my mother, without permission, altered the layout of the magical tools and the composition of the magic circle. She intended to replace the inheritance ritual with a gender-changing ritual. But… how should I put it… she didn’t replace it completely. The result was…”

The result was what?

“Half a failure…”

Two types of magic?

An incomplete ritual layout?

Half?

‘Don’t tell me it’s exactly what I’m thinking…’

“…Wh-what do you mean?” The Protagonist asked tremulously.

“Two incomplete spells were activated simultaneously. As a result, I inherited the Great Gate, while you inherited the power to guard and manage it. The gender-changing magic almost entirely took effect on you; I only experienced a slight influence…”

Though there were some discrepancies, broadly speaking… she had guessed correctly.

“Wait a minute!”

“Hmm?”

“On me?!”

“Yes…”

“Why me?!”

“Well, the family is still investigating the exact reason, but your current transformation is undoubtedly our fault. I apologize for dragging you into this mess.” Leidi looked at the Protagonist with an apologetic expression, clearly wishing this hadn’t happened.

“Uh… well… how should I put it, you shouldn’t blame yourself too much. This isn’t your fault by any stretch. And you’ve had a pretty rough time yourself…” Even if she had to feign composure, the Protagonist resolved to stay calm. She couldn’t bear to see Leidi looking so dejected and self-reproachful.

“Speaking of which, what exactly is this power that came to me? And your Great Gate, for that matter.” The Protagonist attempted to forcefully change the subject.

At this, Leidi’s brow furrowed in distress, and he pressed a hand to his forehead.

“To explain this in detail, we’d have to go to the secret room in my family’s ancestral library. But there’s just too much related literature and data… and the reading difficulty is incredibly high. Many documents were written centuries ago, some even a thousand years old, and they’re recorded in multiple languages! Unfortunately, family rules dictate that only family members directly involved in the events can read those materials. What’s worse, all the relevant scholars in the family passed away not long ago! I can’t even find anyone to help me.”

“No way! The timing of their deaths is far too convenient!” The Protagonist exclaimed in shock. ‘Are you serious?!’

“So, I can’t explain it, I’m sorry. However, your Grandma did manage to help a little.”

“Oh?”

What did that mean?

“Take a look at the back of that letter; your Grandma wrote a ‘super condensed version’ there.”

Picking up the letter still in her hand, the Protagonist flipped it over, and indeed, a few sentences were scrawled there.

“See, right here.” Leidi’s right hand rested on her shoulder, as he pointed with his left.

“Ah—”

The Protagonist let out a small gasp. In their current posture, her chest, being rather ample, had been softly pressed by Leidi’s hand.

“……”

“……”

They froze in that position.

“Don’t worry about it, you didn’t do it on purpose.” The Protagonist was the first to break the awkward silence, hoping her face wasn’t flushing.

“My apologies…”

She sensed Leidi’s face reddening. ‘Honestly…’

Rearranging the letter, she read five sentences.

The first sentence:

[Gods exist in this world.]

“To be honest, I’m not surprised at all,” The Protagonist stated truthfully.

“Me neither,” Leidi echoed.

The second sentence:

[Carelessly, the gods are nearly all dead!]

“This development… should I say ‘congratulations’?” The Protagonist again spoke her mind.

“Do you have a grudge against them…?” Leidi teased.

‘Not before, but now I do!’

The third sentence:

[Gods from other worlds opened five gates, connecting two worlds, and the gods here were saved.]

“It seems Grandma isn’t from this world, then.” ‘So the ‘going back’ in the letter referred to that other world? How incredible.’

“Don’t be surprised, my mother isn’t either,” Leidi casually dropped an astonishing piece of information. ‘Not surprised at all, my foot…’

The fourth sentence:

[The gods here manage and protect these five gates.]

“So, why is it that gates which should be managed by gods are now managed by your family?”

‘Is Leidi a god? Impossible…’

“Just keep reading,” he urged.

The final sentence:

[The gods gave the power to manage and protect the Great Gates, along with the gates themselves, to five humans, then disappeared. (Those little brats!)]

“What am I supposed to say now…?”

“You can swear…”

‘What kind of bizarre turn of events is this? And Grandma, you’re truly something else!’

Having read all five sentences, the Protagonist generally understood what had happened. The gods of their world were nearly wiped out for unknown reasons. Gods from other worlds extended a helping hand, and in gratitude (she surmised), the local gods helped manage and protect the gates connecting the worlds. However, for reasons unknown, they later entrusted the power and the gates to humans. Leidi was likely a descendant of one of these humans, and the Protagonist herself had been forcibly drawn into this due to Leidi’s gender-changing predicament. Things were certainly getting complicated.

“Xiao Bai, could your Grandma also be a god? My family practically bends over backward for her, and given the tone here, it’s quite possible, isn’t it?” Leidi posed an intriguing question.

“Probably not… What kind of god needs a temporary residence permit?” The Protagonist certainly didn’t want to be at odds with her Grandma.

“While many important details are probably omitted, condensing it into just five sentences is quite impressive,” Leidi praised, somewhat questioningly.

“Very much Grandma’s style…” After a pause, the Protagonist continued.

“Speaking of which… why are you still touching me?” Almost a minute had passed since they finished reading the letter, yet they remained in the same posture, his right hand still resting on her shoulder, and his left hand still pressing against her chest.

“Can’t I take a little advantage?”

“No…”

The Protagonist decided it was best not to dwell on it too deeply.