Knock! Knock!
"Sweetie, come down for breakfast! I made your favorite porridge~"
..."Sweetie?"..."Airi?"
Hi. I'm Airi.
My mornings always start with Mom gently calling me down for breakfast. She's the kindest soul I know, always soft, always patient. But I've always felt like a burden to her. Why? Because I was born with a heart condition. A weak one. Since I was a kid, she never let me do anything too tiring—not even sweeping the floor.
Like usual, Mom placed the porridge on the table and looked at me with that worried face. But behind her warm smile, I could tell—she was exhausted. Tired of taking care of everything while still working herself to the bone. That look made me feel even worse.
"Sweetie..." she called again, and I turned to her.
"Yeah, Mom?"
"Your aunt's coming over today. She's bringing your cousin with her," she said cheerfully. I just nodded with a straight face.
"I'm really happy," she added. "Maybe your cousin can hang out with you for a while, so be nice to her, okay?"
I nodded again like a good boy.
The truth is—I've always been alone. No friends, no social life. I mean, who'd wanna be friends with a sickly, introverted kid like me? I just spend my time watching dramas or reading manga to escape the boredom. Books are my escape. Even if I don't have friends, manga somehow makes the loneliness go away.
---
Later that afternoon...
DING! DING! – the front door bell rang. My aunt and her daughter finally arrived.
Mom called me to the living room, and I sat with them quietly. I didn't say much—just nodded when asked something, then fell silent again. But her daughter? Oh, she was loud. Talkative. Wild even. She acted like we were best friends already.
"You know, Airi, you're kinda good-looking... even if you look more like a girl than a guy!" she laughed, teasing me.
I forced a smile, though it kinda pissed me off.
"Why don't you show your cousin around?" Mom said.
I sighed and nodded again.
So, I brought her upstairs for a little tour. She was oddly excited about everything and then suddenly asked—
"You like manga, right?" she giggled mischievously.
Her way of speaking was weird, but I just nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Well, as a fellow manga lover, I gotta recommend my all-time favorite," she said with an awkward smile.
"Oh yeah? What's it about?" I asked, a bit curious.
She dug through her small bag and pulled out a manga that actually looked kinda cool.
"Here, read it later. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't!"
I just nodded flatly and took it. Later, they left. Before walking out, she gave me a weird, mischievous smirk.
---
That night, around 8 PM, I went to my room like usual. I got curious about the manga she gave me and lay on the bed to read it.
To my surprise—it was a BL manga. Boys Love.
Oh.
So that's why she was laughing weirdly earlier. She wanted to drag me into the BL world.
"Freakin' fujoshi..." I muttered to myself. (A fujoshi = girl obsessed with BL stuff)
But I didn't stop reading. Curiosity got the better of me.
Page after page... it was kinda weird. I felt nervous reading it. But I couldn't stop.
And then I hit a chapter where the two guys were... doing it.
I turned red. Real red. This was my first time seeing something like that.
And... wait, what the hell?
Why do I feel hot down there?
And kind of... wet?
"Damn it, no way. I'm not gay! What the hell is wrong with me?! I should be disgusted, but why the hell am I turned on?!"
I threw the book aside and forced myself to sleep.
But even in my sleep... those scenes kept flashing in my mind.
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
---
The Next Morning
I felt heavy—like something was off. My chest hurt way more than usual. I tried to sit up... but I couldn't. My body wouldn't respond.
I tried calling for Mom, but my voice barely came out.
I twisted a bit to move—but the pain in my heart shot up.
THUD!
I fell off the bed. My vision blurred. I couldn't scream, couldn't even breathe.
But just before I passed out, I saw Mom rushing into the room, screaming in panic.
"Am I... gonna die?" I thought, fading into darkness.
Suddenly, a blinding white light filled everything.
The world disappeared. I couldn't hear Mom anymore.
Everything turned silent. Empty.
Where... where the hell am I?
---
"AIRIIII!! GET UP!!!"
Huh? Who's yelling?
I opened my eyes and saw an older, chubby man with a thick mustache wearing an apron... with flowers on it.
"W-Who are you? Where am I?" My head throbbed. Everything was blurry.
Without warning, the man grabbed my ear and yanked me up hard.
"Quit whining, brat! You've been napping like a log all day and now you're spouting nonsense?! Get up!"
I rubbed my aching cheek and looked around in confusion.
Wait... what is this place?
My bedroom was gone. I was in a flower shop. A real one. Full of fresh blooms.
I looked out the window.
There were no cars. Just horse-drawn carriages and people in old-school outfits.
Everything was... old. Like, ancient.
Traditional clothing, no phones, no tech—what the hell?
Have I been... reincarnated?!
"This place is kinda beautiful," I whispered. "Mom would've loved it here…"
But then I remembered her face. The moment I collapsed.
She was crying.
I didn't just leave her behind—I broke her heart.
Even in death, I became her pain.
Maybe... maybe dying was for the best. At least I wouldn't burden her anymore.
---
Now I work here, in this flower shop.
I try to accept this new life as best as I can.
But this morning, something weird happened...
I saw a mirror.
I walked up to it... and nearly screamed.
"WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. F*CK?!"
That's... me?!
I'm still a guy, but my skin's pale and flawless, my waist is small, my body curvy—
And my face?
Pretty. Like, girl-level pretty.
People are gonna think I'm a girl at first glance!!
I tried to calm down.
Tried to breathe.
Tried to tell myself "It's fine. Just roll with it."
But I just stood there... staring at my own reflection, spiraling again.
Until—
DING-A-LING! (doorbell chime)
I jolted and turned around quickly.
"Welco—...me..."