It was a bright morning. Birds chirped. The wind blew gently. But Rai's heart? A confused mess, like trying to mix salad with soy sauce and calling it gourmet.
Today was a big day—Rai was officially entering the top boarding school on Earth (and maybe Mars too, but no one's confirmed that yet). Her mom had been busy since sunrise, packing like she was sending Rai off to the Hunger Games.
"Got your underwear? Towel? Soap? Skincare? Moisturizer to keep your glow?" her mom asked while stuffing a full skincare routine into Rai's bag.
"Mom… I'm going to school, not joining a beauty pageant," Rai muttered helplessly.
Before she left, her mom hugged her tightly outside the house, eyes staring at the sky. Or more precisely… at Mars.
"I hope they never notice you," her mom whispered ominously.
"Who? Aliens?" Rai asked, confused.
Her mom just smiled like a K-drama villain and said, "I just hope you never meet them."
And boom. The vibe shifted from 'happy schoolgirl' to 'opening scene of a psychological thriller.'
---
When Rai arrived at the academy, she registered herself without issue. Now that she was officially a girl, and her face and body fully supported the claim (thanks, transformation), no one questioned her identity.
She was assigned to a shared dorm with five other girls. Apparently, the school was really into forcing social interaction. Even dorm rooms were designed like chaotic group projects.
Luckily, Diana—her long-time friend—was also there. Her bestie. Her ride or die. Witness to Rai's voice-crack era.
The other roommates?
Rara: A stylish city girl from Jakarta. Petite, adorable, and somehow had the aura of a girl who'd steal your boyfriend just by walking past.
Anna and Unna: Russian twins. Tall, fair-skinned, and… well, genetically blessed in the upper body department.
Houyi: A quiet girl from China. So calm and still, people sometimes checked if she was breathing.
Their room was pretty decent: 3 bunk beds, 2 bathrooms, 6 small closets, and a long table with 6 chairs by the window. Like a budget hotel room... if the hotel was run by drill sergeants.
Then they saw the daily schedule posted inside the room:
05:00 – Wake up > Morning exercise > Swimming
06:00 – GROUP SHOWER (bolded, capitalized, and emotionally disturbing)
07:00 – Get dressed and prep for class
21:00 – Bedtime (strictly enforced, or risk detention with a side of trauma)
Rai read the "group shower" part three times.
"Wait, we… shower together? Like… actually together?" she stammered.
Rara snorted. "What, you thought it was a metaphor?"
"I mean… I thought we'd at least have some privacy! This isn't prison!" Rai looked at the ceiling, praying to any god that would listen.
"They said too many girls used to 'fake shower.' Splash water, rub a towel, and pretend they're done. So now we all shower together—properly. They teach us how to use soap correctly, how to wash gently, even how to dry our skin to keep it smooth," Anna explained like she was quoting a skincare commercial.
"What next? 'How to lovingly scrub your roommate's back 101'?" Rai muttered.
"There might be a foamy soap usage exam too," Unna joked.
Houyi calmly looked up and said softly, "You're all so noisy. It's just a shower."
"IT'S NOT JUST A SHOWER TO ME!" Rai shouted dramatically, like a shoujo anime protagonist discovering she's the reincarnation of a goddess.
Everyone burst out laughing. Maybe dorm life wouldn't be so bad after all. As long as they kept laughing… and didn't fight over soap.
The next day, the dorm girls (Rai, Diana, Rara, Anna, Unna, and Houyi) began exploring the massive school grounds together. It was like Hogwarts… if Hogwarts had a swimming pool, a Starbucks-style cafeteria, and a headmaster who looked like he practiced black magic on weekends.
They saw the sports field, swimming pool, science labs, and even peeked into the principal's office—where Master Rosso, a robed man with a suspiciously wizardy aura, was snoring so loudly, a nearby potted plant was shaking.
As evening approached, a warning bell rang 30 minutes before 9 PM. Every student was required to change into pajamas, lie on their beds, and pretend to sleep. No whispering, no chatting. You breathe, blink, and that's it. Anything else? Detention.
Rai lay in bed staring at the ceiling. "So this is prison. But with prettier uniforms," she muttered in her head.
---
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
The school's ungodly alarm rang at 5 AM sharp. The girls groaned like zombies but managed to crawl out of bed and change into their workout clothes.
That's when Rai saw it.
Anna and Unna's chests.
In their tight gym outfits, they looked like walking airbags. Rara was close behind, her petite frame somehow still packing a visual punch. Diana was modestly balanced. Houyi, well... her hoodie hid everything like a secret agent.
Rai looked down at herself. Flat. A lonely hill in a land of mountains.
She clenched her fists. "No… I won't lose like this."
With a dramatic whisper, she summoned her khodam—a spiritual companion—and asked it to, well… compare chest sizes.
To Rai's immense relief, her khodam whispered back: "Yours are the biggest... spiritually speaking."
Rai stood taller. "Hah! I may be small on the outside… but inside? I'm an overflowing cup of destiny!"
The others were confused by Rai's smug smile during stretching. But no one questioned it. Better not to poke the mysterious girl who talks to spirits before coffee.
Then came jogging time. And here, being a girl had perks.
The guys had to run 10 laps. Girls? Just 2. Rai watched the boys with an evil grin. Alfin, the poor soul from her past, was barely surviving his final lap—sweating, wobbling like a drunk scarecrow.
"Equality who?" Rai thought.
---
After the jog came swimming. Everyone changed into swimwear. The girls wore sleek swimsuits showing off their legs and curves. The guys? Tight black shorts. Not exactly flattering.
Rai, finally used to her female form, was grateful nothing "awkward" poked through the fabric anymore.
Curiosity got the better of her though—she sneakily peeked at the boys' swimsuits and did a mental comparison chart.
Unfortunately, her friends caught her mid-squint.
"Rai, are you staring at crotches?" Rara teased.
"N-no! I was looking at the water… reflections… physics…" Rai stammered.
"Haha! She's never seen one before," Anna laughed.
Rai wanted to shout, "I used to HAVE one!" but swallowed her pride. That was a conversation she would save for therapy.
So instead, she just laughed awkwardly and said, "Yeah, I'm just… uh, curious."
---
Rai had never learned to swim, so the female instructor patiently helped her through it.
But the real horror came after.
Communal showers.
It wasn't just a line of girls casually washing up. No.
There were three instructors watching, clipboard in hand like they were judging a skincare competition. "Scrub behind your ears! Circular motion! Use the soft sponge!"
And worst of all?
They made the girls scrub each other.
"To build sisterly bonding," they said. "And clean backs."
Rai hesitated, standing at the edge of the showers like she was about to enter war.
But no one looked at her weird. She had the same body now. She belonged.
Yet... her mind felt off.
She didn't feel lust or attraction anymore. Just envy. And admiration.
"Her waist is so small…" she thought, staring at Unna. "And that glow! What skincare does she use?!"
Rai sighed. She wasn't a boy admiring girls anymore. She was a girl, desperately trying to catch up.
---
After the shower, the girls got dressed in a makeup room, fixing their hair and skin like celebrities before a red carpet event.
Meanwhile, Houyi slipped into the bathroom and secretly made a call.
"Hello… Madam Sharlie?" she whispered.
"Yes. Report."
"I investigated Anomaly 999," Houyi said. "I bathed with her."
"And? Was she the rumored man who awakened a female khodam?"
"No. She's a girl," Houyi replied flatly. "I saw everything."
"Pity," Madam Sharlie sighed on the other end. "We can't register her as an anomaly then."
She hung up and silently drew a thick red X over a file… a photo of Rai's previous androgynous face still attached.