Chapter 137

“Did she send you off well?”

After returning home, I barely remember how I managed to shower and collapse onto the bed.

I know very well that pondering over the topic of the Former Queen’s cryptic mention of ‘Eun-gwang’ is currently the most important task, but my mind was preoccupied not with Eun-gwang, but with what the System had implied by the letter ‘H.’

“Now that she’s not around, does this mean I can sleep here too? You did imply consent with the silence last time, right? Thank you.”

While lying face-down, I immediately pulled out my phone to search for the meaning of ‘H.’

Some answers came up saying it was an abbreviation for “hard,” and there were even absurd replies claiming it was just a capital H, but none of them explained the meaning I was seeking.

Of course, it’s understandable. Terms like these are often coded language—without prior knowledge of the exact meaning or context, it’s nearly impossible to understand.

“Maybe you want to do something… risqué? No, it’s not that. You’re probably just studying hard. It’s the first letter of what they call perverts in Japan, ‘Hentai.'”

Even I knew that ‘H’ was sometimes used for something risqué, but I never knew which specific word it originated from.

How can someone be so innocent and pure?

This world seems to mock my naivety and ignorance.

No matter how much I searched on my phone, I couldn’t find the meaning of ‘H,’ and I sat there in frustration, leaning against the wall beside my bed.

“Hey, you’re hugging me…? Oh, is it my birthday today? This is a surprise gift, then?”

For some odd reason, the wall felt soft, but I didn’t have the time to think much about it. The probability was high that Kang Yu-ri had messed with it as a prank before leaving.

“Ugh.”

If there had been no one around, I would’ve screamed loudly to relieve myself of this tangled emotion. However, I didn’t want to wake up Inna, who was likely asleep in the room below.

I thought nothing had happened with Kang Yu-ri, but who would have thought she’d stab me in the back like this? I had been feeling mixed emotions about her leaving my place, but now those feelings were gone.

Indeed, this incident has made me realize why Kang Yu-ri is such an effective boss. However, there’s something more important now than being mad at her for escaping my house.

Namely…

“Should I check anyway?”

“Hey…? Where are you going? Wasn’t today my birthday?”

I must have been in serious emotional shock, because getting up from the bed felt several times harder than usual, as if an invisible force was holding me down. Nevertheless, I managed to get up and stand in front of the full-length mirror.

[Heroine Erica]

[Sub-Heroine (Temporary)]

The words floating above my head,

And the numerous letters covering my body, preventing me from identifying any details.

My intuition is pretty sharp; if I had been able to see my body, I would’ve noticed immediately on the same day if the Former Queen had tampered with something.

In other words, Kang Yu-ri brought the issue to light. While I might’ve not noticed immediately, it was the System that, in many ways, set the stage for Kang Yu-ri’s actions—not me, not her.

“System, how much longer do you plan to obscure my view? Can you just clear the mirror entirely?”

There must be a reason. Even a murderer has a rationale for taking someone’s life, and the System, which seems to transcend normal existence, must have its own reasoning for obscuring my vision.

“Suddenly getting close to the mirror and making eye contact…! Come here. I’ll provide more fun than the mirror ever could.”

Until now, I hadn’t particularly felt inconvenienced by the obfuscation, but after this incident, the discomfort is clear, and I’ve gained a justification for lifting the restrictions. There’s no reason for me to keep enduring this state.

[The service preventing Heroine Erica from checking her own body condition can be considered as a safety mechanism installed for her protection. Would you like to disable it? Once disabled, the protection cannot be reinstated.]

“Even if it’s for ‘protection,’ I don’t believe it anymore. Release it. Sure, protection is good, but I need to understand what’s happening to my body to take appropriate actions.”

[Since there was a request from the party involved, we shall proceed with the activation. However, we recommend taking a look around the room before the deactivation. If you proceed without this recommendation, all consequences will rest on the involved party. We inform you of this prior to the activation.]

Look around the room?

Following the system message, I took a quick survey of my room. Most of Kang Yu-ri’s belongings seemed to have been removed, and the white space retained its tidy, quiet atmosphere.

The only noticeable change was a slight bulge in the blanket on the bed, which explained the softness I’d felt against the wall earlier. There were no other anomalies.

Perhaps the suggestion to check the room was just to lift my mood. Despite my efforts to seem indifferent, the message was surprisingly considerate in its own way.

Even though looking around the room wouldn’t dissolve my complicated feelings, I did feel a little calmer, thanks to the system’s odd consideration.

[…Upon the request of the individual, we will partially disable the protection service. From now on, Heroine Erica can inspect her own appearance. However, be aware that the chances of being affected by abilities like mind control will increase. Be cautious.]

After the message window disappeared, I looked at the mirror and saw that ‘Erica’ was now perfectly reflected, identical down to the lively expression in her eyes, unlike the empty gaze I’d always seen before.

Aside from noticing this small difference, everything seemed the same. However, I still had to confirm certain details, especially the likelihood of being more susceptible to mind-control after this.

Concluding the conversation with the System, I locked the door before checking my body for any marks.

If Inna walked in while I was n*ked, that would be disastrous.

If you lose cash on the ground and someone else picks it up, you can’t complain unless you first ensure you don’t leave money lying around in the first place.

Although unlikely, I wouldn’t put it past Inna to visit in her sleep, especially given how unexpected Kang Yu-ri’s actions were. It’s best to prepare for all possibilities.

“Huh…? Are you locking the door too? Does this mean you really intend to… do something? Is it?”

If this were the case, I should’ve been undressing and checking my body by now, but I hesitated.

Thinking about seeing someone else’s n*ked body made me feel oddly guilty. Although the original owner of this body might think, ‘Do as you please,’ I couldn’t be that relaxed about it.

“Should I just skip the check?”

“Are you not going to undress? Then come here. Let’s just cuddle. I’m perfectly content with this much. Just the two of us, hugging in peace, without any disruption.”

Since the evidence from before confirmed that I couldn’t return this body to its original owner, I technically have full control over it. But as someone who still holds onto his male identity, I feel an uncomfortable resistance toward freely examining a woman’s body.

Right, even setting aside the matter of the original owner, there’s the issue of why I, personally, don’t want to confirm the female transformation of this body.

Perhaps the System intentionally prevented me from checking my body in the mirror to protect my sanity by keeping me from realizing fully that I am now female.

When viewed this way, even the suggestion to look around the room earlier seems like a thoughtful gesture by the System. However, since I recently endured an unexpected H-scene, the mental blow has been quite severe.

Considering my personality—when I focus on one thing, I overlook everything else—it feels like the System might be pushing me to quickly confirm there are no marks on this body, disregarding everything else.

The desire to confirm that this body has not been violated stems from the knowledge that the Former Queen perhaps held my hand gently, rather than engaging in anything more. Yet, the System categorized that action as part of the ‘H’ incident, reinforcing my innocence.

At the same time, I’m also afraid of finding proof of despair or helplessness if I examine this body closely, and I feel a strong urge to avoid it altogether.

However, the reason I want to check my status today instead of finishing this at the time when Kang Yu-ri left is that there’s no guarantee I’ll have time alone going forward.

Will Inna continue using a separate room from me?

If she had always intended to use a separate room, she wouldn’t have bothered making breakfast for me or even decided to live here in the first place.

During vacations, Inna might be busy, giving me some time, but then my older sister would visit around then.

The only chance I have to check for any marks the Former Queen might’ve left is now, right after she’s just departed.

I grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt, preparing to remove it.

“Th-thump thump.”

The sound of my heartbeat was so loud it seemed to reach my ears. Perhaps it’s because I feel guilty about this action, but I also get the sense that someone might be watching me.

Since tomorrow is the weekend, I could’ve checked more leisurely, but after steeling myself, I finally resolved to inspect my condition.

—

(End of translation)