Chapter 5
Friendship
At the front of the house, the sound of a motorcycle came to a stop — right in front of their home.
Edward had arrived.
After removing his helmet and grabbing a plastic bag full of food, he walked toward the door and paused.
A few seconds passed.
Then he knocked gently and called out,
"Excuse me... Lucius, are you there?"
'Ah, right — his sister was supposed to greet me…'
The door opened soon after, revealing a striking young woman with a gentle smile.
"You must be Edward, right? Welcome! Please come inside. Sorry for the humble place."
Edward smiled politely. "Thank you."
He slipped off his shoes and placed them neatly on the rack, stepping into the modest home.
The living room was simple but clean. A family portrait hung on the wall, a small desk stood tucked into one corner, and a round table rested atop a woven rug in the center of the room.
Snacks and a tall drink pitcher sat invitingly on the table — but there were no chairs or stools. Instead, the setup made it clear: guests sat cross-legged around the rug.
Edward didn't mind. He came from an upper-class family, but he had never let that create distance. He was used to visiting friends from all walks of life — especially those like Lucius, whose family faced hardship.
In Indonesia, families like this were everywhere. And from a young age, Edward had been taught to stay humble, to treat friends with genuine care, and to respect their circumstances.
His personality made it easy: Edward was warm, kind, and always cheerful. He never hesitated to spend money on his friends — especially Lucius, who remained his top priority after family, no matter how many people came and went in his life.
He sat down in front of the table, gave a soft greeting to the woman, and waited patiently.
That must've been Sister Sophia, he thought. She said to wait a moment. Maybe Lucius is still getting ready...
A notification buzzed from his phone.
—
Lucius: I'll come in a minute. Please be prepared.
Edward: Don't worry, dude. I'm ready.
—
Just then, the door to the bedroom opened.
A young woman stepped into view — wearing an oversized sweater and a pair of slim blue jeans. Her figure was graceful, but it was her face that caught Edward's full attention.
She was stunning.
Her long black hair shimmered slightly, tinged with streaks of silver that ran down the left side of her bangs, trailing past her ear. It framed her face in a way that felt both natural and ethereal.
Then he saw her eyes.
The left was dark with a faint red hue. The right — dark with a cool azure glint.
His heart skipped.
Edward's gaze lingered longer than he meant to. Then, embarrassed, he looked away and tried to calm himself.
He wasn't inexperienced around beautiful women — not by a long shot. His family's social standing meant he had met plenty of models, idols, and elites. And of course, he had already met Sister Sophia a few times. She was stunning, sure — but he'd always kept his cool.
But this girl…
He felt dumbfounded.
'Wait… who is she? Why is she in Lucius's house? Is she a guest of Sister Sophia or Eve?'
Flustered, he stood up awkwardly and bowed slightly.
"Ah—I'm sorry, I didn't know there was another guest here. I'm Edward, Lucius's friend. May I ask for your name, Miss?"
The young woman stiffened, her expression caught somewhere between nervous and blank. She opened her mouth to speak… then closed it. Then tried again, only to stop once more.
Instead, she reached for her phone.
A few seconds later, a notification popped up on Edward's screen.
—
Lucius: I'm standing in front of you. Yes… I'm a woman now. Sorry if this confuses you, but I'm not joking.
—
Edward blinked.
'What… what the hell does this mean?!'
He looked up, stunned. Then looked back at the screen. Then at her again.
"…Wait. You're Lucius?"
The girl nodded, her voice soft — smooth with an almost melodic sweetness.
"Yes, Edward. I'm Lucius."
Edward's jaw dropped. His face shifted rapidly between confusion, disbelief, and outright shock.
He stared in silence for several minutes.
"…For real? Like... for real for real? You're not joking?"
Lucius smiled — finally relaxing a bit.
"Yes. I'm really sorry this is all real. And… that's why I invited you here."
"I couldn't explain this over the phone — and I couldn't meet you outside either."
"I mean… look at me. If I just walked up to you like this and said 'Hey, I'm Lucius,' you'd probably run the other way."
"So here I am. Different face, different body… even a different gender."
She sighed, voice heavy.
"I know this is a lot to take in. If you don't believe me, I can call Sister Sophia. She saw everything. The transformation. Everything…"
"…Edward?"
Edward was still reeling — but he managed to speak, his expression unsure.
"Ah… okay, if you're really Lucius, then prove it."
"Who was my first crush?"
"What's the size of my 'buddy'?"
"And what was the most embarrassing thing that happened to me in high school?"
He folded his arms and waited.
'If this is some prank, she won't be able to answer these.'
Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"…Those questions? Really?"
She took a deep breath.
"Okay. Your first crush was your private homeschool teacher — the one who taught international languages."
"Your 'buddy' is 18 centimeters."
"And your most embarrassing moment was—"
Suddenly, Edward cut her off with a panicked voice and expression.
"Stop, stop, stop! For real!? Is it you, Lucius?! How?!"
Lucius, amused by Edward's reaction, decided to tease him. She made an innocent face and leaned forward with a playful, seductive tone.
"Yeaaah~ I mean, is there anyone else who knows about your 'buddy'~?"
Edward turned red and waved his hands frantically.
"Damn you! …Wait, seriously? I mean—how??"
Lucius grinned. "Alright, I'll tell you the story…"
Once they both calmed down and sat around the table, Lucius began explaining everything — the transformation, the status panel, her Nephilim race, the mana she could now feel and control, and the surreal experience of it all.
All the while, they shared snacks and drinks.
When the story ended, silence hung between them. Edward sat still, deep in thought. Then he finally spoke.
"I believe you now. Damn… so it's all because of your transformation traits. What a boon… or, well, a bane for you, dude.
"I don't even know what to say, but hey — be strong, alright? Don't give up. I'm here for you. Our friendship won't change."
His words were sincere, but even so…
Although Edward cared deeply for his friend, things weren't that simple anymore. He found himself hesitating to joke the same way he used to — no friendly shoulder slaps, no leaning in close. Not because Lucius had changed on the inside… but because her new appearance made it harder to ignore certain feelings.
He had to keep a bit of distance. For his own sanity.
Lucius smiled brightly, her body visibly relaxing. With a sigh of relief, she said,
"Huft… ahhh, it's finally done! Thanks, Edward. You really are the best."
But her face quickly shifted into a tired pout.
"Ahh… but there's still so many problems I need to deal with. Aaaa, whyyy is there so much to doooo…"
Edward watched her groan in frustration, his feelings a mess.
'This is going to take some getting used to…'
Still, he wanted to help.
"Is it… about your identity?"
Lucius nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. I don't know what to do. Should I call some government agent for help?
"But I don't really trust them, and I don't want to start a media frenzy. I can't risk dragging my family into this."
Edward folded his arms, thinking.
"Hmm… yeah, you're right about the government and the media. But maybe… I do have a suggestion."
Lucius looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Please tell me."
Edward scratched his cheek nervously.
"Uhh… what if you contacted your dad's home country for help?
"Maybe they could help create a new identity for you, like saying you're a cousin or something?
"You have dual nationality, right?"
Lucius blinked, considering the idea.
"I mean… I do. But I don't know if it'll work. I don't have any direct contacts there — only my father did. And I haven't visited since I was a kid.
"Still… I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion, dude."
In that moment, Lucius forgot everything — her appearance, her situation — and did what came naturally. She wrapped her arm around Edward's shoulder, just like old times.
Only now, Edward was a few centimeters taller than her, so she had to jump a little to pull it off.
Her chest pressed against his arm.
Edward froze. His face turned red.
Lucius blinked at him, then followed his gaze down.
Realization struck. Her face turned bright red, and she quickly backed off.
"Uhh… umm, I'm sorry! Hehe, I forgot… sorry…"
Edward took a breath and tried to reset his brain.
"Don't worry about it… I'll try not to think too hard about it.
"Anyway! How about you show me your wings? I'm really curious."
Lucius hesitated, face pink.
"The wings, huh… uhh, it's a bit complicated.
"I can't bring them out without opening my clothes — there's no slot or anything, so I have to, uh, undress a bit."
Edward's eyes widened.
"Uhh… maybe another time, then."
He glanced at the wall clock.
"Oh right — it's almost 6 PM already. I should probably get going. Don't want to overstay and take up your family's space. So… I guess we're done for today?"
Lucius looked slightly disappointed but nodded.
"Yeah… thanks again for coming. And also, thanks for the food you brought.
"Sorry I couldn't serve you dinner."
Edward smiled.
"No problem, Luci. You're my best friend — don't worry about stuff like that."
They both stood and walked toward the door. As Edward put on his shoes, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh — tell your sister thank you for welcoming me. And the snacks were great, by the way."
Lucius chuckled.
They stepped outside. Edward adjusted his helmet and turned to face her.
Lucius hesitated. A part of her wished she could go out with him, maybe grab dinner somewhere or just play games together like before. But now… things had changed.
"Be careful on your way home, dude."
Edward gave her a soft smile.
"Yeah. Thanks. See you later, Luci. Message me if anything comes up. Goodbye!"
He waved and walked toward his parked motorcycle, helmet on, keys ready.
Lucius watched him ride off with a tired sigh.
"I guess… suddenly becoming a woman really is hard for friendship.
"Hope I can keep this up… as long as I can."
She turned and closed the door behind her.