The timeline is between chapters 158 and 159.
The perspective is from Tsuge.
It’s a temporary gender swap. It’s mostly pointless, but those who are uncomfortable, please be cautious.
“Since it’s a rare opportunity to be in another world, I’d like to become a man at least once.”
It all started when Maito-san said something like that.
“It’s possible.”
Her face when I said that was quite unique.
“We need ingredients, though.”
There’s a medicine for that in the “Poison Dictionary.”
It’s called “Gender Change Medicine.” Quite straightforward, isn’t it? The method to make it isn’t too complicated, so it should be easy to prepare once we have the ingredients.
“…Eh, really?”
“Seriously. Not only can Maito-san become a man, but we can also become women.”
Everyone’s faces were unique when I said that.
“…Once, yeah, I might want to try it… Hmm, no, ah…”
“If I could become a beautiful girl, then maybe…”
“Well, maybe it’s worth trying once since we have the chance.”
And so, “Since we have the chance,” became our guiding principle, and during our journey in another world, we started looking for ingredients.
“Ah, that fruit, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
When we appraised it, it turned out to be a “Mitarashi Apple.” Indeed, it’s one of the ingredients.
“I’ll go get it.”
Hariu jumped onto a branch of a tree growing on a cliff and harvested some fruits before returning.
I’ve seen him move like this many times, but he’s fast.
He may lack precision, but Hariu is good at covering for that, so it all works out.
I guess being a ninja isn’t just for show.
“Could it be that we’ve gathered all the ingredients?”
“We have. ‘Mochi Moss,’ ‘Shiratama Fish Fins,’ ‘Udon Dragonfly Wings’…”
“Listening to it again, the ingredients sound like they’re all carbohydrates…”
Indeed, we were able to confirm that all the ingredients were gathered.
“Shall we start making it?”
“How long will it take?”
Asked by Maito-san, I checked the process in the “Poison Dictionary.”
“About 90 minutes, I guess.”
“Got it. Then, I’ll make dinner in the meantime. Is it okay to take it after dinner? Is it?”
Maito-san’s eyes were shining.
Well, wondering what it would be like to be the opposite gender is something every human being has thought about at least once, so it’s natural to be curious.
“Then, shall we disband until dinner?”
Suzumoto confirmed, and everyone dispersed.
Now, let’s start making it.
“Here you go, today’s dinner is chicken meatball soup, mushroom rice omelet, vegetable salad, and fruit jelly for dessert.”
After enjoying the usual delicious dinner, we placed the freshly made medicine on the table.
“Wow.”
“So this is it.”
“It has a chaotic color.”
After observing the mysteriously color-changing liquid for a while, it was finally time to take it.
“Let me state the precautions first. First, a single sip has an effect lasting about three hours. Drinking it again during the effect cancels it out and returns you to normal. Also, drinking too much might prevent you from returning to normal even after the effect wears off, so please be careful.”
After going over and confirming there were no other precautions, I finished the explanation.
“Shall we do rock-paper-scissors to decide?”
“That sounds fine.”
And then, it was time for rock-paper-scissors.
…Of course, it was to decide the order of drinking.
“First is—”
“Mom’s flavor!”
“Jackal!”
“The promised day.”
“Ah, wait a moment, the Thirteen Secret Techniques are not allowed.”
…After several rounds of normal rock-paper-scissors, we finally decided.
Maito-san created shot glasses from wood using “Cleaning” for each person, and poured about 5ml of the medicine into each as a trial.
“Then, the lead-off batter is Kadomi-kun. Please go ahead.”
“…Um, okay, here I go.”
Kadomi-kun took a glass and gulped down its contents.
“Ah, wait… it hurts.”
Then, with sounds that could be described as creaking or grinding, along with Kadomi-kun’s groans, the transformation was completed in about a minute.
“…Um… ah.”
The first thing Kadomi-kun seemed to notice was the change in his voice, which had become slightly higher. He appeared to be puzzled by it.
“Wow, you’ve become a girl—wow, wow.”
It was no wonder that Hariu was circling around Kadomi-kun, examining him closely.
Indeed, there was a change, accompanied by creaking and grinding sounds.
“…I might be weaker.”
While saying that, Kadomi-kun crushed a white apple that was on the dining table.
Yes, the time it took to crush was about a second longer. It must be true that he’s weaker.
“Hey, does it hurt? Does this hurt?”
“Yes… it hurts quite a bit.”
Maito-san looked anxious, but I suppose changing one’s bodily structure is supposed to be like that.
“Okay, let’s move on to the next, Hagasaki-kun.”
When Hariu pushed the shot glass towards Hagasaki-kun, he eventually accepted his fate and emptied the glass.
“…This isn’t just a little painful, it’s… on a whole different level!?”
Since Hagasaki-kun is more of a rear-guard, he’s not used to dealing with pain.
And again, the transformation was completed in about a minute.
“Wow.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah, I kind of expected that.”
Compared to Kadomi-kun, the difference was clear.
“Flat as a board.”
“Bald as a cue ball.”
“Shut up! What!? Got a problem with that!?”
Perhaps due to his originally slim build, well, that’s how it turned out.
“Hagasaki-kun, even as a girl, you’re still tall.”
Observing Maito-san comparing their heights, it seems he might be close to 160 cm tall.
Well, it seems the original body’s characteristics are reflected.
“Then, here I go.”
Despite being warned by Hagasaki-kun about the considerable pain, Maito-san emptied her glass without concern.
“…Yeah. I see—, it might be quite painful. It’s like having muscle pain the day after a sports festival, but five times worse.”
“Whaaaat!? How much pain tolerance do you have!?”
Judging by Hagasaki-kun’s reaction, Maito-san’s “pain tolerance” seems to be quite high.
…Well, being dissolved by acid must feel like that, I suppose.
“Wow, my clothes feel tight.”
And when the transformation was completed.
“Wow, handsome.”
Due to some feminine aspects remaining on her face, she has transformed into quite a beauty.
It seems that in the West, masculine features are considered attractive, while in Japan, feminine features are often associated with beauty, so maybe it’s something like that.
“I should have realized it by looking at how baggy the clothes of Kadomi-kun and Hagasaki-kun became.”
She had changed out of the maid outfit, but the dress seemed tight.
“I’ll go change… Oh, right, I don’t need to go to a separate room since I’m a guy now.”
“That’s not the point. Go to another room.”
It seems she was ushered away by Suzumoto.
After that, it was everyone else’s turn to drink.
“Behold, this breast disparity.”
“Toriumi probably shouldn’t stand next to Hagasaki-kun, huh?”
“Hey, what’s with that since earlier!? It’s fine, isn’t it!?”
Aside from Maito, everyone turned into women, and the differences in their body types became apparent.
“Looking at it this way, Suzumoto really is handsome.”
“Stop it. Don’t stare at me like that.”
Suzumoto might be the most successful transformation. Not feminine beauty, but a unique, non-conventional beauty.
“…Do women’s shoulders not get sore?”
“They do.”
Kadomi-kun is resting his chest on the table, claiming it’s heavy.
“Apart from Hagasaki-kun and Hariu, it looks like everyone else is likely to have shoulder pain.”
“Shut up.”
“I mean, I’m not as bad as Hagasaki-kun, but…”
I’m not particularly interested in women’s breast sizes, so it’s a strange concept to me, but perhaps larger is considered better?
For reference, when Maito measured me, I was a “D70.”
After a bout of arm wrestling and being surprised at the increased flexibility, and some groping, we decided to go to sleep.
The effect has worn off. The effective time for 5ml seems to be about an hour. I’ll note that down.
“So, we’re all going to drink it again, right?”
“Hmm, well, it is something I’m curious about.”
“Don’t you feel guilty?”
…I’m not interested, so I’ll just go to sleep normally.
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
When we woke up, not only was breakfast prepared, but also clothes.
“If you’re going to be a girl, wouldn’t you want to try on some clothes?”
…It seems Maito can now accurately understand someone’s height and body type just by looking at them.
That’s probably why women’s clothing was all set out.
“You guys, with the beauty adjustment of this world, should be able to become beautiful girls.”
“Oh, right. We’re considered handsome in this world, aren’t we?”
Whether the beauty adjustment remains after turning into women is a question.
“Then, since we have the chance, let’s go on a town tour today.”
“I want to visit the food stalls again.”
As repeated, our guiding principle is “Since we have the chance.”
…I see.
After everyone drank the medicine and changed (it took a while, really), we went on a tour of Aegis’s food stalls.
The gazes directed at us were different.
Until now, we were considered handsome due to the beauty adjustment.
However, the quality of gazes directed at handsome men and beautiful women is clearly different.
Is it the difference in gender? I wonder if Maito is always exposed to these desire-laden gazes.
…No, that’s not the case.
Usually, we are around her.
“It’s crazy. The looks I’m getting are intense. It’s jealousy. I’m being very jealously looked at. I’m in a Nishikino-kun situation. Crazy. Fun.”
Maito seems oddly happy about it. It’s a fresh experience for us too.
“Maito-san, I ran out of money. Can I get some more?”
Katori, having transformed into a woman, assumed she’d eat less.
It was the opposite.
“Sure, but how many black holes are you keeping in your stomach?”
It’s said that women are skilled at creating separate stomachs for different foods. Biologically, it makes sense—without the ability to store food, survival would have been difficult. The reduction in abdominal muscles might also make the stomach more flexible, allowing it to expand more easily.
“It’s amazing. I always wondered how girls could go to all-you-can-eat sweets places, but it really is possible.”
If he were born a woman, he’d surely be banned from all-you-can-eat sweets places.
“Could you not? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Playing tough, how cute.”
“It’s fine, just a little, right?”
And then, an incredibly fresh experience occurred: Suzumoto was surrounded by a few rough-looking men.
Hariu and Toriumi laughed uproariously at the sight. From the outside, it must look very suspicious.
“I did warn you.”
Then, Suzumoto took down several men with a hand chop.
Hariu and Toriumi laughed even harder. Yes, even from my perspective, it’s very suspicious.
“…No good. A woman’s body is weaker. Not being able to move as I expected is stressful.”
Suzumoto came back and said that.
Muscle strength has definitely decreased, and the reduction in height has shortened the reach.
The practical benefits of becoming a woman seem limited.
“…And then, there’s that. The swaying. It’s unsettling. I have some respect for women who can live with this hanging off them.”
…Well, there’s that too.
After Katori significantly profited the stalls, and considering the medicine’s effective time was ending, we decided to return.
“I ate so much.”
“…Isn’t that going to be a problem when you turn back into a man…?”
Katori looked satisfied, but as Kadomi-kun said, it seems a bit worrisome.
“Yeah, I think I’ll have digested it all soon, so it’s fine.”
The real concern is Katori’s baseline metabolism. It’s fascinating enough to warrant study.
“Really, I don’t like having a woman’s body. It’s weak.”
Hagasaki-kun, not naturally inclined towards combat, felt even weaker, exacerbating his complexes.
“And, it’s unsettling, isn’t it, this?”
What Kariya was referring to, was the chest.
“Kariya—Hagasaki-kun doesn’t have that, remember?”
“Oops.”
“Hey, what’s the deal? Seriously, what’s the deal?”
You’d think it wouldn’t matter, but perhaps it’s a concern. It’s a sensation I don’t quite understand.
“Men are amazing. The power difference. Maybe I should just stay a man.”
Maito-san started saying.
“I think Maito-san is fine just being Maito-san.”
“I think it’s all about the diversity of humanity.”
“It doesn’t really matter to me.”
Personally, I still think being in one’s original gender is better in many ways.
Part of it must be due to what we’re used to.
“…Hey, President, can I have that medicine again if I ever need it?”
“Sure, no problem.”
I wonder under what circumstances it would be “needed.”
“The female body is flexible. It can move in strange ways. I wouldn’t do it because it’s scary, but fighting with it could allow for a different fighting style.”
Suzumoto’s fighting style is particularly acrobatic, so increased flexibility might indeed make for some interesting tactics.
“But then, armor wouldn’t fit.”
Toriumi was measured by Maito-san to be an “F80.” That says it all.
“The way magic is activated changes a bit, too. It seems more suited for fine manipulation. But the maximum output drops.”
It seems Hagasaki-kun experimented with magic in that form.
Should I try using magic once as well?
No, it might lead to weird habits, so let’s not.
“…My shoulders… are sore…”
“Tell me about it…”
…Well, I think that’s the biggest takeaway for everyone this time.
“Maito-san, thank you for always being so hardworking.”
“Uh, well, yeah.”
Maito-san is making a complicated face, so please give her a break.
“Feels good to be back to normal, huh?”
The effects of the medicine wore off, and everyone returned to their original forms. This is probably for the best.
“My shoulders… feel lighter…”
…Well, that’s something you can really feel.