Ren was still trying to process how he had ended up in this situation.
One minute, he had been engaging in a completely harmless, information-gathering conversation with his new roommate.
The next, she was casually dragging him toward the bathroom, chattering about how they should shower together because "that's what all roommates do."
It was a very strange way to build connections.
Then again, this world was clearly different from his last one. Maybe communal bathing was just part of the culture?
He had read about societies where this was normal. But still…
His mind flickered with intrigue. Not just because of the situation, but because, scientifically speaking, this presented an opportunity.
In his past life, he had been one of the world's greatest scientific minds, dedicating his entire life to the pursuit of knowledge, unlocking the mysteries of the universe through sheer intellect and experimentation.
However… there had been one small—tiny, really—setback.
He had been impotent!
A tragedy. A cruel joke from fate. A man of unparalleled genius, and yet his own body had failed him in the most basic of human functions.
It had been one of the driving forces behind Project Chaos—the grand experiment that had cost him everything.
In theory, it could have solved all his biological deficiencies, including that unfortunate problem. But alas, the project had failed, and he had died without ever testing his results.
But now?
Ren's lips curled slightly in anticipation. This new body was different. It was a fresh start.
He had no idea whether he was still burdened with the same defect as before, but this moment… this bizarre, unexpected moment… could very well be the first test.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost didn't realize they had arrived at the bathroom.
It was a simple space; clean, with basic amenities. Lia was still talking, completely at ease, waving a hand dismissively.
"You don't have to be so shy, you know," she said brightly. "We're all girls here!"
Ren, who was most certainly not a girl, did not correct her. Instead, he simply watched as she untied her robe with the casual confidence of someone who had absolutely no idea what kind of internal crisis she was about to cause.
And then, with a dazzling jiggle, her two bouncy, massive breasts popped free.
Ren's eyes narrowed in concentration.
Oh well. That was certainly… a scientific marvel!
Ren, ever the researcher, found himself running an involuntary mental analysis.
Objectively speaking, the proportions were… impressive, to say the least. Symmetry? Flawless. Structural integrity? Seemed quite stable. Theoretical softness? High probability of—
He was still in the middle of his calculations when Lia suddenly squinted at him.
"Why are you staring at my chest like that?" she asked suspiciously.
Ren blinked. "Ah." He had been caught!
He needed to respond. Needed to say something. Needed to—
Lia suddenly gasped, her expression shifting into one of pure sympathy.
"Ohhh, I get it," she said, nodding wisely. "You're jealous."
Ren barely had time to process this before she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving him the kind of comforting look one might offer to a grieving widow.
"You don't have to feel bad just because yours are small," she said gently. "Some girls just have different body types. And besides, you're still young! There's still time for you to grow!"
Ren's brain short-circuited.
For the first time in his life, he actually struggled to form words.
He, a man with an IQ that had once been considered inhuman, had just been pitied… for his lack of a chest.
This was fine. Everything was fine.
He forced himself to nod along, doing his absolute best to maintain the charade, but dear lord, this was a challenge.
And then she untied the rest of her robe.
Ren's analytical instincts kicked in immediately, taking in every detail with the sharpness of a supercomputer.
His first thought was simple: This level of body proportion should be biologically improbable!
In his past world, such symmetry and balance would have required very expensive surgical intervention and absurd conditioning.
But here she was, standing before him, a statistical anomaly in the most absurdly ideal way possible.
Her breasts were already a beauty to look at, but her whole body was simply a masterpiece.
Her waists were extremely narrow, leading into marvelously wide hips that flowed smoothly into soft, tender thighs.
Her legs were long and slender, with a delicate skin that even edited skincare advertisements couldn't hope to match!
When Ren saw the beautiful, pink patch peeking at him from in-between her thighs, his lips curled into a smile.
"Amazing," he muttered under his breath, still stuck in scientific awe. This body was truly a biological marvel!
Unfortunately, it seemed his whispered words were just loud enough for Lia to hear, because she suddenly turned her head, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? What's amazing?"
Ren, realizing his mistake, quickly cleared his throat and looked away, feigning indifference. "Ah, nothing. Just… pondering the mysteries of the universe."
Lia shrugged, clearly not bothered, and turned back toward the shower. Giving Ren an even more impressive view of her big, round butt.
They were plump and perky, juggling sensually with her every movement. Even Ren felt slightly hypnotized by their sinful tremors!
And that's when everything fell apart.
Because at that exact moment, Lia suddenly turned around to look at him. Then, her gaze dropped slightly lower.
And then she froze.
Ren, sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, followed her gaze.
Oh.
Oh no.
He had not accounted for this!
For a moment, the bathroom was completely silent. Lia's face was utterly blank, her brain visibly lagging as she tried to process what she was seeing.
Then, very slowly, her eyes widened in absolute horror.
"Wha—" she started, voice strangled. Then, louder: "WHAT IS THAT?!?"
Hearing Lia's shocked words, Ren instinctively sighed in resignation. He had gotten an erection!
Ah. Well. That was… unexpected.
For a brief moment, all other concerns faded from his mind as he processed the implications of what had just happened.
First and foremost—he wasn't impotent.
Unlike in his past life, where his body had utterly failed him in certain departments, this new body seemed to be in perfect working order.
This was a scientific breakthrough of personal importance!
His previous self had spent years in the pursuit of solving the mysteries of human biology and how to optimize the body's performance, and yet, all it took was reincarnation into a world of magic?
He felt a little cheated, honestly.
Still, while his mind was occupied with its analysis, reality was swiftly catching up, and before he could even begin to figure out what to do next, the room was filled with a high-pitched, horrified shriek.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Ren barely had time to react before Lia jumped back with the speed of a startled cat, pressing her small hands against her voluptuous assets and trying but failing to even cover half her enticing curves.
She looked as if she were fending off a demon!
Her face was twisted in complete terror, her large eyes practically bulging out of her head.
"Wait… WAIT—ARE YOU A BOY?!?!"
Ren exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'And just like that… the facade ends too soon.'
He had been enjoying this amusing misunderstanding far too much.
Honestly, he could have easily stretched this out for at least a week before anyone found out.
Maybe he would've had enough time to develop rapport with her to the point where he could even bath her personally.
But no, his own body had betrayed him in the worst possible way at the worst possible time. He sighed, nodding as confirmation.
"Yes," he admitted. "Yes, I am a boy."
Another ear-splitting scream. If she kept this up, someone was going to break down the door thinking a murder was taking place!
Lia backed away even further, pressing herself against the bathroom wall as though he were some kind of wild beast.
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" she shrieked. "BOYS CAN'T BE WEAVERS! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!"
Ren's eyes narrowed at her words, instantly latching onto the key information hidden within her panic.
So boys weren't supposed to be able to become Weavers? Interesting. That explained her shock.
That meant there was some fundamental rule in this world about weaving being exclusive to females.
He filed that knowledge away for later, already forming a dozen theories about why he was an exception.
But that was a concern for the future. Right now, he had a more immediate problem.
Lia still looked like she was about three seconds away from passing out or setting him on fire.
And if she ran out of the bathroom screaming about a boy taking advantage of her, Ren was fairly certain that the academy authorities wouldn't exactly be thrilled to hear about it.
He needed to calm her down. Fast!
"Look," Ren said, lifting his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner.
"Let's be reasonable here. I get that this is shocking, but I assure you, I mean no harm. In fact, I didn't even know that boys weren't supposed to be Weavers until you just said it.
"So technically, this is a surprise for both of us. We should both take a deep breath and handle this like rational adults—"
Unfortunately, his logical words were somewhat undermined by the fact that his gaze kept flickering toward her squeezed breasts against his better judgment.
It wasn't his fault! His analytical mind had a bad habit of taking in all available information in any given situation, and she just happened to be standing there, still mostly exposed, while his brain insisted on running detailed calculations on every possible biological aspect!
Lia's expression turned even more horrified. "WHY ARE YOU STILL LOOKING?!" she screamed.
Ren barely had time to react before she grabbed a nearby towel and hurled it at him with shocking force.
It hit him square in the face, momentarily blinding him. He flailed, trying to pull it off, but before he could, her voice cut through the fabric.
"GET OUT!"
"But I—"
"OUT! OUT! OUT!"
Ren finally ripped the towel off, but the moment he did, he saw something that made him instantly reconsider arguing.
A small flame had ignited in Lia's palm.
Ren blinked. Then he blinked again.
"...Oh. You can already use magic. That's... surprising."
"STAY BACK!" she warned, eyes blazing. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER OR I SWEAR I'LL—"
Ren didn't need to hear the rest. He made a split-second decision, spinning on his heel and launching himself toward the bathroom door.
In his hurry, he didn't even bother untangling his robe properly, nearly tripping over the fabric as he stumbled into the main room.
He barely managed to regain his balance before slamming the door shut behind him.
Silence.
Ren stood there for a long moment, staring at the door, wondering how exactly things had spiraled so catastrophically out of control in less than five minutes.
He had barely been awake for an hour in this academy, and already, he had unintentionally traumatized his roommate, gotten kicked out of his own bathroom, and nearly been set on fire.
This was going to be an interesting year.
With a sigh, he glanced down at himself, noticing that his… issue still hadn't resolved itself.
He tilted his head slightly, taking a moment to assess things properly now that he had the opportunity.
"Hmm," he mused aloud. "Very... impressive."
Well, at least there was one silver lining to this disastrous start. His new body was, in every measurable way, a definite upgrade.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder how in the world he was supposed to continue living in the same room as Lia after this.
Their roommate relationship was completely ruined before it had even begun. He hadn't even done anything wrong—technically!
It was the academy's fault for putting them together in the first place!
Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to assign a male student to a female dorm without any kind of warning?
He was going to have to file an official complaint!
But more importantly, he needed to make sure she didn't report him before he had a chance to figure things out.
Because if the academy found out he was a pervert, things might get… complicated.
With another sigh, Ren ran a hand through his hair and glanced back toward the bathroom door.
If only he hadn't gotten so easily distracted. If only he had been a little less curious. If only he had—
He paused.
Wait.
Now that he thought about it…
Had there been a strong chance he actually could've bathed with her?
Ren stared blankly at the wall for a few seconds as the realization slowly dawned on him.
"...Damn it," he muttered under his breath.