"M-Mom... sorry. I failed again."
A tired voice echoed in the dimly lit room, the only source of light coming from a faint phone screen.
"Is that so? Are you okay, dear?" His mother's warm, worried voice came through the speaker.
"Y-Yeah... I-I'm okay." He forced a smile, even though she couldn't see it, hoping to ease her worries.
"You know, it's okay to take a break." She hesitated before continuing. "We're not rush—"
"N-No, Mom!" He panicked, gripping the phone tighter. "You and Dad already worked so hard just to get me through college... I-I can't extend it any more."
A soft sigh came from the other end. "If that's what you want... then we'll support you." Her voice was gentle, reassuring.
"Y-Yeah... thank you..." he mumbled, his body sinking onto the floor.
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Yeah, Mom... bye..." Beep.
The call ended.
The room faded into silence as the phone screen dimmed.
For a moment, muffled cries filled the darkness. Then—
'SMACK!'
The sharp sound of a sp echoed through the empty room.
"Get a hold of yourself, man... crying won't solve anything." He muttered under his breath before staggering toward the bed.
He colpsed onto the mattress, eyes fixed on the bnk ceiling.
Then the thoughts came.
"What if I never graduate? Will I just keep wasting my parents' money? How did my life end up like this...?"
"I wish... I could just start over."
The spiral continued until exhaustion lulled him to sleep.
??????????
"Mmmmgh..." A soft, feminine voice escaped as the girl in bed stretched, her body feeling strangely light yet unfamiliar.
"H-huh?" She rubbed her eyes groggily, but the moment her hands touched her face, she froze. Something was... off.
Slowly lowering her hands, her gaze locked onto them.
"Why are my hands... so small?" she muttered, her voice trembling—except...
It wasn't her voice.
Her breath hitched.
"W-was that... me??"
Panic surged as she jolted upright—only to trip over her own feet.
'THUD—'
"Ack!"
Pain shot through her chest as she instinctively reached up, hands pressing against something soft.
Her breasts.
Her mind went bnk.
"W-what's going on?! Why do I have... these?! Why is my body small?! Why am I a... girl?!"
A frantic flurry of questions burst into the empty room, but no answers came. Heart pounding, she staggered to her feet, eyes darting around in desperation.
Where was she? Who was she now? And why... Did this feel so real?
She stumbled toward the bathroom, her fingers trembling as she reached for the door.
Then she saw it.
The mirror.
A small girl stood there, her pale skin bathed in soft morning light. Long, chestnut hair framed her delicate features, and emerald green eyes stared back in disbelief.
A stranger.
"I-Is that... me?"
Hesitantly, she lifted a hand, watching as the girl in the mirror did the same.
"Ha... ha ha ha..."
A hollow ugh escaped as she stumbled backward, her legs giving out beneath her.
Her eyes darted across the unfamiliar bedroom. That's when she saw it.
A small bottle of pills lying near the foot of the bed.
Slowly, she reached out and picked it up.
Sleeping pills.
Her heart dropped.
"ARRGGHH!!"
Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain exploded inside her skull.
Memories—not hers—flooded her mind.
She saw a childhood filled with loneliness, ignored by her parents, siblings and overshadowed by a sister who had once been absent—only to return and take everything.
She saw the moment when her father kicked her out, her mother watching in silence.
She saw herself screaming, begging them to let her come home—only to be sent off to this apartment, abandoned and unwanted.
"Makino... Sachi..."
The name left her lips in a whisper as the memories settled, the weight of her new reality crashing down.
Tears blurred her vision.
"No... hic, I don't like this... I wanna go back... hic... Please..."
She sobbed into the empty room.
"I-I didn't mean that wish... hic I-I still haven't repaid my parents yet... hic"
Her cries continued, muffled sobs filling the empty room... until—
Knock knock
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