"...That's a relief. Then you can apply for readmission and retake the semester."
"But, can you really go to school?"
"Is there any reason I can't? I have to graduate, if only to make the tuition I've already paid worth it."
As we talked about university, I felt a strange gaze. It was Younger Sister.
"What."
"No, I just thought you had nerves of steel."
"Why, again."
"Honestly, you're probably the only one who would think about school the moment you woke up after your body changed like that."
"Then, what else should I worry about if not university?"
"Is there any guarantee that university life will go well? You're a Mutant; just being noticed by people will draw a lot of attention."
It sounded like she was trying to express concern, but frankly, it was just laughable.
"Hey. That's only for a day or two. If I don't do anything unusual and just attend classes, the reactions will disappear. I'm a loner anyway, and I don't have any close friends in my department, so who would even care?"
"...Sigh. You're supposed to be my older sibling. No, wait, are you my older sister now? Hey. That was only possible when you were a guy. With your face changed like that, won't guys flock to you?"
Her words had a point.
My current appearance was undeniably captivating, no matter who looked… It was impossible for men not to be drawn to me.
Of course, not all of them would be like that, but the bizarre behavior of a few obsessed individuals was frequently posted on university communities.
Ugh. Disgusting.
Just imagining it made me shudder. A dangling thing following me around because it liked me? Good heavens…
I'm not that open-minded, and seeing that would probably give me the creeps.
"Ugh, the creeps. But it's okay."
"What is?"
"If they get too annoying, I can just show them a trick."
"A trick?"
"Yeah. The trick where a coin folds in half."
"..."
"Even that much should be enough to deter most people from approaching me, right?"
What, why, what.
I grinned at Younger Sister's bewildered expression.
Because, now that I thought about it, it seemed like it would be fun.
"Seeing you so cheerful is a relief, daughter."
"Can't I just be your son? I'm not used to it yet."
"You have to adapt quickly this way. Are you okay?"
"Me? …Not really. It doesn't matter if I'm a son or a daughter. Oh, but I do have one complaint."
"What is it?"
"If this had happened in my first year, I wouldn't have had to go to the military. It's a relief that I don't have to go to reserve forces, though."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. They say they're exempting reserve forces. There's a precedent…"
These trivial conversations continued for quite some time.
It seemed my parents were quite worried, given that I looked like I had just come back from the brink of death.
Of course, excluding Younger Sister.
They also seemed relieved that I appeared more peaceful than they expected.
During the three months I was asleep, my family must have seen and heard how Mutants had changed the world, so they probably knew what Mutants were better than I did.
Their inherent danger, and such. Since none of that was apparent in me, it was understandable that they were relieved.
As soon as my family left, the doctor quietly visited my hospital room.
I had something I wanted to ask, so it was good timing.
"Excuse me, Doctor?"
"Yes. What is it?"
"When can I be discharged? I don't feel sick or anything… I think it would be better if I just got discharged and visited periodically."
"Then would you like to do that?"
"What?"
"The agent earlier said you're controlling your powers well. If that's the case, there's no need to do anything further, and since the medical check-up found no abnormalities, it seems fine to just visit periodically to monitor your progress, as Seohyun said."
"Oh. Then please do that."
"It's late today, so rest in your room. Tomorrow, you can go through the discharge procedures. Please contact your family as well."
"Got it."
With my free time in the hospital room, all I could do was click around the internet on my smartphone.
The internet was full of talk about Mutants. Dedicated Mutant communities were even being created.
But this… it's quite interesting to watch.
[Ah, f***;;]
I planted a tree and it grew too big and broke through the building
What do I do;;
-? Why did you plant a tree all of a sudden?
-Because I'm an Elf…
-ㅋㅋㅋ Are you an Elf?
-Yeah;; It's too stuffy without trees, I can't breathe.
-How are you going to pay for the building repairs?
-I don't know, I'll have to manage somehow… No, but why is it growing so fast?
-Isn't that an Elf trait?
-Even so;;
-How about getting a job at a botanical garden? You could make some money as a gardener.
-Oh, that's good.
[Need to buy Vampire blood…]
It's really hard to get blood packs;;
Everyone, please donate blood more often…
Pig's blood is too gross.
-What does blood taste like to Vampires?
-It just tastes like blood, but it tastes incredibly delicious.
-I'm crazy about blood sausage lol
-Yeah. I couldn't stand the smell of blood sausage before, but I only eat blood sausage these days;;
There were Mutants presumed to be Elves, and Mutants presumed to be Vampires. There were even Mutants who had transformed into Harpies with wings.
It really felt like fantasy had arrived in reality, didn't it?
Of course, it wasn't all fun and games.
[Ugh, what is this guy?]
If you've lost your mind, can't you just live quietly?
Why are you causing a ruckus on the street? It's already hard enough to live as a Mutant…
-If I see an opportunity later, I'm going to take that guy down.
-Really?
-Of course, I'm f***ing lying. Just by looking at it, it seems like a Minotaur-type mutant lol. You'd be lucky if you don't get flattened.
-But it's true that Mutants who get short-tempered are the most pitiful.
-How bad must their self-control be to act like that? The proportion of Mutants who don't cause trouble is higher.
-That's true too. The Vampire above isn't attacking people and is getting by with blood packs and blood sausage.
[Hey, but seriously, all sorts of races are appearing.]
Reality has become fantasy itself lol.
Elves, Dwarves, Harpies, Vampires, various Beastkin…
I heard there are Slimes too?
Is there anything else?
-Maybe there are Dragons somewhere?
-If there are Dragons, it'll be a huge deal lol.
-Whoa;; They'll probably breathe fire from their mouths.
-Come to think of it… I heard rumors when I was in the hospital. They said there might be a suspected Dragon-type mutant.
-Really??
-Yeah. I woke up as a Mutant about 2 months ago. But even then, they said there were people whose mutations weren't finished.
-Oh my;; But what are you? A 2-month Mutant is rare too.
-I'm an Elf, but I'm a bit different from a typical Elf.
-Like a High Elf or something?
-Yeah.
-Whoa, if there are Dragonkin, that's a bit scary;; Won't a major accident happen?
-I don't know, but they say the longer the mutation period, the more mentally stable you become. The doctor said so.
-Really?
-Yeah. I didn't feel confused or anything either.
-That's strange;; What's different about High Elves compared to regular Elves?
-Hmm…? I've never met an Elf friend, so I don't know. But I can hear plants talking.
-No way.
Reading the posts online, I flinched.
Late mutation, possibility of being a Dragon… these stories were likely about me.
I never expected my story to appear here.
Perhaps the person who posted about being a High Elf woke up in the same hospital I was in.
After that, I continued to search for past events.
Looking through the history of Mutants, I realized that so many bizarre incidents had occurred.
Well, if fantasy had arrived in everyday life, it would be strange if nothing happened.
So, I read some stories seriously, and some stories with laughter and chuckles, before drifting off to sleep.
When I woke up, it was already morning.
As I scratched my messy hair, I felt horns.
"...Ah."
Hard, yet spiraled, jet-black horns.
Still, I couldn't get used to this. Even if I had a bump on my head, people would touch it out of curiosity, but this was clearly horns.
I fiddled with the horns, but I didn't feel any sensation from them.
To the touch, they felt like hard bull horns.
I heard I had wings and a tail too, but I didn't know how to make those appear.
I don't know about the tail, but I'd like to try using my wings at least once… Well, it'll probably happen someday.
After spacing out for a moment, I remembered I needed to contact my family.
The time… it's 9 AM. At this hour, at least Mom should be awake.
I leisurely reached out and called Mom.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Ah, Mom. I can be discharged starting today."
"Huh?"
"Well, my condition is very stable, and I don't need to practice controlling my powers in daily life, so they said I can just get discharged and visit weekly for check-ups."
"Then what will you do?"
"Yeah. I'm going straight to my studio apartment. Did you keep the studio apartment vacant?"
"Ah, I forgot to tell you this. We canceled your studio apartment and got a new one. Because of the maintenance costs… since no one was living there, we decided to cancel the contract and got a new officetel that's good for two people to live in, near Seo-a's place. I'll write down the address. It's near where Seo-a lives, so you'll be familiar with the area."
"Ah."
"And I talked to Seo-a, and since you're now a woman and not a man, there will be things you'll need her help with. So we decided, do you dislike it?"
"No, no. I'll live with her. We lived together when we were kids anyway… and like you said, Mom, I think I'll need her help sometimes."
I felt a slight disappointment, but I didn't mind much. It was because that crazy Yun Seo-a had insisted so much that we got two separate studio apartments.
"The address is… Ah, here? I visited here often when I went to deliver things to Seo-a's studio. There's a cafe I frequent. Ah, Mom, it's all good, but I don't have any clothes to wear right now… Could you possibly bring something simple to wear?"
"Alright. I'll be there soon, so wait a bit. Let's just buy some clothes while we're at it. I don't know your measurements either…"
About an hour later? Mom came to the hospital with Younger Sister.
"Were you well?"
"I saw you yesterday, what are you talking about."
"This kid. That's just how it is. Can you be discharged right away?"
"Yeah. I've packed everything… I just need to leave. Ah, did you bring a hoodie or something?"
"Seo-a brought it. She said you'd cause a scene if you went out like that."
"Oh~ What's gotten into you?"
"What do you mean? Isn't that natural?"
"I thought you'd forget, of course."
"Go die."
"Come to think of it, I need to buy her underwear too. Let's go to the department store first."
"Oh, while we're at it, can I buy some clothes for myself too?"
"What clothes again? You have plenty."
"No, I have nothing to wear these days."
"Alright, alright. But make sure you pick out your brother's clothes properly."
I wondered why this kid was being so compliant, but it turns out she had an ulterior motive. The semester is ending, and summer is coming. Her intention to buy summer clothes was obvious.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll do that. Ah, but how should I get the measurements? Should I measure you?"
"You measure. Otherwise, the staff at the store might be horrified by her."
"Fine, then."