University was supposed to be my fresh start.
I slumped in my seat at the back of the lecture hall, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. It wasn't that hard – most people didn't notice me anyway. Being naturally quiet and, well, pretty feminine-looking meant I'd learned to blend into the background.
My shoulder-length black hair fell forward as I bent over my notes, the silky strands obscuring my face. Mom always said I got my delicate features from her side of the family, but sometimes I wished I'd inherited Dad's rugged looks instead. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so out of place in the Engineering Department.
At least here at Tohoku University, no one really cared. Sure, I got a few weird looks sometimes – the guy who looked more like a girl than half the actual girls – but mostly everyone was too busy with their studies to pay attention to me. It was peaceful, if a bit lonely.
The professor droned on about differential equations, and my mind started to wander. My eyes drifted to the window, where cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. Spring of my first year. So far, so normal.
That's when I saw her.
She was running across the courtyard, pink twin-tails bouncing with each step. Her lab coat fluttered behind her like wings, and even from this distance, I could see the determined look on her face. Something about her made my heart skip a beat – maybe it was the way she moved with such purpose, or how she seemed completely unbothered by the stares her unusual appearance drew.
I'd seen her around the science building before. She was hard to miss, with that pink hair and the frilly dresses she wore under her lab coat. Like a doll that had wandered out of a fairy tale and decided to study chemistry instead. Every time I spotted her, I couldn't help but watch, just a little.
"Matsuda-kun," the professor's voice cut through my daydreaming. "Perhaps you'd like to solve this equation?"
I jumped, face burning as I realized I'd been caught staring out the window. "S-sorry, sensei."
The class snickered, and I sank lower in my seat. So much for being invisible.
When class finally ended, I packed up quickly, ready to retreat to my small apartment for the day. The corridor was crowded with students heading to their next classes, and I kept my head down as I navigated through them.
That's when it happened.
"Coming through! Emergency!"
I looked up just in time to see a blur of pink and white barreling toward me. The girl from before – the one I'd been watching – was running full tilt, clutching what looked like lab equipment.
Time seemed to slow down. Our eyes met for a split second. Hers were a startling shade of violet, wide with panic. I opened my mouth to say something – what, I'm not sure – but then physics took over.
CRASH!
We collided in a tangle of limbs and lab coat. Something cold splashed across my chest, and I heard the distinct sound of glass breaking.
"Ow..." I winced, finding myself sprawled on the floor. The girl had somehow landed half in my lap, her face inches from mine. This close, I could see the light dusting of freckles across her nose, the way her eyelashes curved...
She blinked, and a blush spread across her cheeks. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She scrambled back, then froze as she noticed the wet patch spreading across my shirt. All the color drained from her face. "No, no, no... The formula!"
"Formula?" I looked down at my now pink-stained shirt, a strange tingling sensation spreading across my skin where it had soaked through.
She was already pulling out a tablet, fingers flying across the screen. "This is bad. This is really bad. Based on the absorption rate and your physical parameters..." She bit her lip, looking up at me with those gorgeous violet eyes now filled with worry. "Um, how do you feel about being short?"
"What?"
"Because according to these calculations, within the next week, you're going to transform into..." She swallowed hard. "Someone about my size. And, um, significantly more feminine."
I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying. "You mean..."
"You're going to become a cute loli!" She blurted out, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry! I'll take responsibility! I'm Sakura, by the way. Sakura Momose. And I think I just accidentally changed your life."
The world started spinning, and the last thing I saw before everything went black was Sakura's concerned face and those mesmerizing violet eyes.
"Please don't faint! I promise I'll fix this! Or... or at least make it up to you somehow!"
As consciousness slipped away, I had one ridiculous thought: at least the cute girl I'd been secretly watching finally noticed me. Even if it was because she'd accidentally turned me into one too.