A false alarm.
After some fiddling around, I finally confirmed that my male functions are still normal. Although it feels a bit off, at least it's normal—truly a cause for celebration, a cause for celebration.
But why is it that when I faced that lovely girl just now, I couldn't even pitch a little tent? This is simply a lifelong humiliation. It might be an illusion, but I vaguely feel a deep instinctive rejection towards that girl—I find it truly unbelievable, as it doesn't align with my usual style.
Looking around, I see a well-decorated room with a hint of British style. From the window by the bed, I can tell it's nighttime. This should be the home of that girl named Matou Sakura. This isn't the first time something like this has happened; waking up in a stranger's house after getting drunk has become a familiar situation for me.
But as soon as I got out of bed, I realized something was wrong.
My height has decreased, and I've lost weight. I can't say much else, but as someone who regularly participates in physical exercise, I used to stand out among my friends. Now, I look frail and emaciated, as if my body has been hollowed out. I gestured a bit and realized I'm probably just over 1.7 meters tall now.
What is going on?
I stood in front of the mirror on the wardrobe, and the reflection showed a young man with curly blue hair and delicate features, completely different from the me I used to know.
… I was plunged into confusion.
What on earth is happening? But at least I managed to force myself to calm down and carefully recall the details that happened before I woke up.
Could it be that the dream I just had was real? Had my real self already been killed by that yandere girlfriend, Kono? Is this a reincarnation? I've always thought that the girl who liked to stalk me was a bit off, all thanks to hormones, and now I'm tasting the bitter fruit of that.
Influenced by those widely circulated web novels about reincarnation, I surprisingly accepted this reality quickly and was astonished by my adaptability. I began to try to recall something.
My mind was still blank, with no memory of this body. Who am I now? And who is that Matou Sakura who calls me "brother"? But why was she lying next to me completely naked?
All kinds of questions swirled around in my head, but I couldn't find any answers. According to the tropes of novels, there should be some kind of memory fusion happening at this point, but there isn't—it's truly a case of being in the dark.
Noticing the books on the desk next to me, I tried to open one of the textbooks. On the title page, there was a writing style resembling Chinese characters, and to my surprise, I understood it.
[Matou Shinji].
Is this my name now?