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“I’m sure some of you already know this, but one of our classmates who could only attend virtually will finally join us starting today.” The classroom’s homeroom teacher Asai addressed the students.

But one of them was missing, waiting just outside to be called in, a cold sweat running down Kou’s back as the excitement from the students in the classroom was made evident more than ever.

I never imagined I’d be in a situation like this.

Kou was currently wearing a slightly oversized cute blazer, fitted to give some room for Kou’s body to grow, and what felt like an unreliable skirt that did not even reach the knees.

Kou could only sigh while looking at it, as the skirt felt like it would turn over at any moment, and was something that would take longer to get used to.

A month had passed since Kou was able to return to the real world.

That time had been spent with rehabilitation and more online classes, though it felt like all that time had passed in the blink of an eye for Kou, who could only reminisce about those days now…

◇◇◇

After spending three months in-game, Kou logged out and returned to the real world.

Soon after Kou was subjected to a rather humiliating episode involving the mother of Kou’s childhood friends seeing and washing Kou’s naked body, and was only allowed to change into a hospital gown after that.

And the body Kou saw while being washed and clothed was unmistakably that of a girl.

All of the restrictions and omissions in games did not exist in the real world. So that was the first time Kou truly saw a girl’s naked body, and it was that of a cute girl one would normally not see, her delicate body feeling extremely soft to the touch.

Knowing that this was Kou’s body now made her sanity drop so much it started blinking red. But then she was sat on a wheelchair and carried around the hospital, where she underwent test after test.

On top of that her appearance stood out so much that she could feel the other patients constantly staring at her, and the nurses were so overtly kind that it was almost creepy, dealing even more blows to her sanity.

The tests were all finally done around 4pm, at which point Kou returned to the room she woke up in. The Cradle was gone and replaced with a regular bed. By then she was completely exhausted.

When she woke up again she could not move or talk, since it would take a while longer for her body to fully wake up as well, considering how long she had been asleep for.

But while she was being wheeled around from one test to another she had started to regain some of her senses, and now could at least move her hands around, and talk a bit.

But due to the many changes to her body she could not really walk on her own yet, and would need to go through a lot of rehabilitation first.

In the end, Sora came to relay the results of the tests himself.

“So…are you going to explain what happened, dad?”
“Ah, yeah, I know I should…it’s just…I’m not sure where to start…”

Kou lay reclined on the bed, too tired to get up, and asked with half closed eyes, looking at her father who sat on a chair next to the bed. He began mumbling awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

There was some awkward silence for a bit, and then…

“…Allow me to explain that.”

Another person entered the room while saying that. And that was…

“…Mom?”
“Yes, it’s been a while since we last saw each other, hasn’t it been?”

A woman with pure white hair who had a slightly antiquated way of speaking.

In a way, she looked the way Kou’s current appearance would look after a few more years, though it was hard to think that woman was past her twenties yet.

But she was Kou’s mother, Mitsuki Amari, who had seemingly vanished from their household when Kou was barely finishing elementary school due to her job as a representative of NTEC.

“No…why is she here…”

Kou felt conflicted seeing her, a part of her glad to see her again after so long, but she also felt repulsion for her mother who abandoned her for so many years, and showed up just like that now.

Amari looked slightly pained seeing the confusion in Kou’s eyes, but she marched forward, getting closer to the bed and gently placing her hand on Kou’s head.

Feeling the touch of her mother patting her head, Kou remained silent and let her do as she wanted.

Meanwhile Amari looked relieved that her daughter had not swatted her hand away.

“I regret having neglected you for so long, truly. I realize this is a selfish demand, but could you listen to what I have to say for a bit?”

Hearing all the emotion packed in her mother’s voice, Kou could not find it in herself to deny that request.

And so Amari spoke at length about a multitude of topics.

First off Amari was not human, and she had not expected Kou to be one either, but due to various reasons when she was born, things had taken a slightly unexpected turn.

But then things got even more tricky when Kou was young and bit someone else, desiring their blood, and that marked the moment Kou’s parents realized there was an issue.

To amend that, they had developed the Cradle as a way to evaluate Kou’s body in depth, and Destiny Unchain Online was built as a playground for Kou’s consciousness while her body was regenerated properly.

But neither parent had expected that the process would also turn Kou into a girl.

By the time Amari was done telling the whole story, Kou’s mind felt overwhelmed with information and could only curl up while hugging her head.

“So you’re saying…that you’ve been a vampire all along…even in this modern society…”

Kou slowly mulled and repeated what she had heard from her mother Amari, frowning and continuing to hug her own head. Everything felt so surreal that she felt dizzy just thinking about it.

But Amari had demonstrated her powers by creating ice in the palm of her hand or turning into a bat, so Kou could not deny it either.

Is magic real then?

That was the best way to sum up everything.

When Kou asked about that, they told her that not only was it real, but there was even an alternate world nearby, and that both her parents had visited it in the past. At that point Kou could only laugh despite herself.

Kou had been alive for around a decade and a half, and she felt like she had just been bombarded with more shocking revelations than she had in her entire life, following one after another like they were on discount and she was buying them in bulk. By the end of that Kou could only feel like her entire life had been a lie and she no longer cared what would happen.

But at least she could understand why her parents had done everything now.

“I understand what happened, and I understand that you did it for me. And I have no reason left to doubt that both of you always had the best for me in mind.”

No matter how they made her feel, the love Kou’s parents had for her was palpable. So no matter how much she disliked her experience, she would never bring herself to hate her parents.

“But…I still wish you would’ve told me something, you know?”

Everything had been planned and worked on behind Kou’s back. While it was true that even if Kou knew she would not have been able to help in any meaningful way, she still would have liked to know what was happening.

As Kou forced the words out, sounding desolate, Sora and Amari could only close their eyes with sorrow.

“Kou…I must apologize, it seems my actions hurt you far more than I realized.”
“…Let’s leave things here for today. I’m sure Kou is tired too, so let’s let her rest for now.”

Sora clapped a bit and interrupted their conversation.

That finally brought some heartfelt relief to Kou, who was starting to fear she might blurt out something hurtful if the conversation continued and she wasn’t given time to process her emotions.

Kou’s parents understood she could use some time alone to think about things, so they left the room, which was quickly filled with silence.

She remained on her bed, staring languidly at the ceiling, feeling like all strength had been drained from her body, when she heard some commotion in the corridor outside.

That made her wonder just what could be happening, and she turned her gaze to the door, and then…

“Kou!”
“Hugyah?!”

The door was slammed open and Hijiri stormed in, throwing herself at Kou to hug her, which made Kou let out a weird wheeze.

“I’m sorry Kou, she kept insisting on coming and she refused to listen when I told her to slow down.” Soon after Subaru caught up to them and pulled Hijiri back.

“Auntie Amari told us what happened…”
“I can’t believe you actually look identical to Crim now…”

Hijiri looked anxious at Kou, her eyes getting teary.

Subaru also watched them, sharing his sister’s concern, though also wanting to apologize for her behavior.

Still, Kou could feel their usual kindness in their behavior, which moved her to tears.

“You…you two aren’t creeped out…or anything like that..?”
“Why would we?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s never going to happen!”
“Ah…I’m…I’m sorry…”

The two instantly rejected Kou’s negative claim, and almost seemed offended that she would think that way.

Kou blinked rapidly while looking at them, taken aback by their overly serious response, until she could not hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

“Ahahah…you’re right, sorry for that. Also thanks, you two.”

Kou’s biggest worry was that her friends would be bothered by the many changes on her body, as they were really important friends to her. But when she realized that she had nothing to worry about, she instantly broke out laughing, while the twins sighed with relief.

“Anyway…I know it’s a bit sudden, but could I ask a favor from you?”

Now that Kou’s biggest worry was cleared, she asked that with a cheerful voice, and the twins tilted their heads wondering what she wanted.

The favor Kou had in mind was…

“…Are you sure about this?” Hijiri asked that for the umpteenth time, while holding a pair of hairdresser scissors she borrowed from the nurses.

Kou’s favor was for them to help her cut her hair, which currently was so long it touched the floor when she was standing. But the brown tips of her hair was also the place where the only remnants of Kou’s old body could be found, which was why Hijiri was so hesitant.

“It’s fine. It’ll just get in the way if I keep it long, and…I’m still me.” Even if her body had changed, Kou was still Kou, the proof of which were her two childhood friends standing next to her like nothing had happened.

So she had no need for a reminder of her past body. That was Kou’s decision.

“Alright…I’ll cut it then.”
“Mhm, please.”

There was a quick snap as the scissors began cutting through Kou’s long hair. The loose white strands with a brown end began to fall down from the bed, landing on a mat placed on the floor.

“You should’ve just cut it to be as short as it used to be…”

Kou fiddled with the ends of her hair, which now was slightly shorter than Crim’s, reaching slightly below her hips, and commented that.

“Nope, you need your hair to protect you from the sun as much as possible. Auntie Amari knew you’d suggest that and gave us that warning.”
“Eugh… Her instincts are always on point.”
“It just goes to show how much she cares for you, Kou, even if she’s not standing next to you…right?”
“Yeah…I guess that’s true.”

I’ll have to apologize for today next time I see her then.
And I’ll have to try talking with her properly again.

Somehow the idea of amending her relationship with her mother and having a positive outlook about it brought her indescribable joy. A warm fuzzy feeling enveloped Kou’s heart, and she just reclined back on the bed and closed her eyes, letting Hijiri finish cutting her hair however she wanted.