In the park, a five-year-old boy was crying, and his seven-year-old sister was comforting him. How do I know they are siblings? Because the boy is a younger version of me, and I was watching the two of them from a distance.

"Were you bullied again? Your big sister will take care of them!"

“No, you shouldn’t. I don’t want to see you get hurt. They would feel pain too, right?”

His sister seemed surprised at her brother’s response, but then smiled softly.

"You're kind, Sharp. But just being kind won’t get a boy through life."

She wagged her finger playfully at him.

“Alright then, let’s go home and play a card game. I'll teach you how to play Go Fish.”

“I want to be a kind girl like you, big sister.”

"Boys can’t become girls, silly. But, hmm, if something ever happens to me, maybe you could become my body double."

"Body double?"

"In the alternate world samurai movies, there’s a thing called a 'kagemusha,' a body double. There was a fake samurai named Takeda Shingen long ago. Since you look just like me, maybe you could pull it off too. Haha, just kidding."

☆ ☆ ☆

I woke up to the sound of sparrows chirping outside.

What a dream... I dreamt about my childhood.

I checked my body and remembered—I'm in a girl's body now. If my sister were still alive, I bet she would have looked just like this. Last week was her first death anniversary. Tears welled up in my eyes.

Come to think of it, I don’t remember much about yesterday. Something must have happened on my way home from school, and now there's a gap in my memory. But somehow, I made it home. What happened to me?

I went down to the living room, but my parents weren’t around. Dad’s on a business trip, and Mom is away on a neighborhood trip. The fridge was packed with food.

Out of habit, I cast a news spell, causing holographic videos to flash briefly in the air.

Stolen story; please report.

"And now, for today's top story: Three boys and girls were attacked in the region of Laiozia. All three are currently unconscious. One of the boys was heard muttering 'glowing garnet' in his sleep. Magic police are investigating this as an assault case."

“That’s close to here… What’s happening? Garnet? Ugh, my head…”

A headache hit me, so I stopped the news spell.

“Today’s Saturday, huh…”

I checked the calendar and made my way to the vanity in the room that used to belong to my sister.

After a quick skincare routine, I applied a base coat, then foundation, carefully following the steps of a proper makeup routine. I stared intently at the reflection in the mirror.

Honestly, I’m a pretty rough person. I don't care much about appearance, I don't even bother with noise etiquette in the bathroom. But when it comes to makeup, I get serious.

Because, after all, I’m about to become her shadow.

I applied blush and eyeshadow and smiled shyly at the mirror. Then I slipped into a red dress. Makeup truly transforms a person.

No one outside the family knows my sister is dead. That was her last wish. When I confirmed that I looked exactly like her, I headed for the underworld.

The underworld lies between the shopping mall and the school. I wish it were located further out, but the mall was built after the slums, so from the residents’ perspective, the mall is the real nuisance.

As I made my way toward the organization’s hideout, one of the thugs caught a glimpse of me and gasped in shock.

“W-what the hell? Lyric, you're alive?”

“I was just on a long, soul-searching trip.”

When she was alive, my sister had infiltrated a criminal organization. Well, she pretended to be a member. She was a sleeper assassin for Edge Shadow Corp. After earning their trust with the help of an investigative journalist, she planned to expose the entire organization to the world and take them down.

But one rainy night, after a failed assassination, my sister came home gravely wounded, confessed her entire plan to the family, and then passed away.

One of the reasons I underwent feminization was to take her place and continue her mission—something my parents have no idea about.

Sure, part of me wanted to experience life as a girl and enjoy some yuri moments, but I let my parents believe that’s the only reason. They’d never let me take such a dangerous path if they knew the truth.

“Wanna see the boss?”

The boss… the leader of the organization? Am I really going to meet him this soon?

I nodded, and they blindfolded me before leading me away. Of course, it’s not like they’d trust me after being gone for a year.

There’s a saying from an ancient philosopher from alternate China: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I’ll slowly build trust, gather secrets, and eventually, crush this organization.

I was stopped in a place with smooth stone floors, like a hotel lobby.

"Don't take off the blindfold," they warned.

"Long time no see, Lyric. I heard your brother turned into a girl."

A low voice echoed. It seems I’ve successfully convinced them I’m my sister. But how did they already know about my feminization?

“I left my family behind. I don’t know anything about that.”

I decided to lie. I don’t want my family dragged into this. I’m the only one who needs to be in danger.

“I see. Family doesn't matter.”

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of a pebble rolling on the floor.

"To prove your loyalty to the organization, you'll need to sever your ties with family.”

What is he talking about? Does he want me to write a blood oath or something?

“Take out your brother Sharp’s friends, personally. There’s a girl named Lala and another named Forte that he's close with."

What?