"(Of all the characters I could end up as… why did I end up as Ruby?)" Warren lowered his head, taking in the red pajamas with cookie figures on them and dog-faced slippers that felt strangely comfortable.
When he looked back at the mirror in front of him, he studied in detail what stared back at him from the glass.
Short, dark hair with red tips, large, silver eyes… He tried to frown as he did when facing an end-of-month financial report, but on Ruby's face, the expression only made him look like he was about to cry.
"(Not only am I trapped in a girl's body, but I'm also trapped in the body of a girl who is also a main character)," he thought with horror. "(Which means: fights, monsters, family dramas, and the responsibility of saving the world… as well as a giant target on my back… great.)"
…
Leaving the bathroom, the current Ruby walked through a small room that felt familiar thanks to her new memories, feeling his steps were too light.
He tried to jog, feeling an unusual, almost elastic agility that didn't match his own life experience—that of a 30-year-old man whose physical activity was limited to carrying grocery bags.
The worst, however, he found in the corner right next to the door. It was a long black cloth case with embroidered details of red roses in different shades, almost as tall as Ruby herself.
When he opened it, he found himself face-to-face with Crescent Rose. It wasn't just a rifle. It wasn't just a scythe. It was a weapon that was both foldable and the size of a small refrigerator.
It was the symbol of life of the original Ruby Rose, one that required skill, training, and, crucially, the will to cut terrifying Grimm creatures in half.
"...It's beautiful." Without realizing it, Rose was already holding Crescent Rose in her hands, cradling her carefully, not only because she knew how dangerous she was if she wasn't careful, but because something inside her made her see her not just as a weapon, but as... "(my baby?)"
Suddenly, her thoughts stopped as she felt a sudden dizziness accompanied by a slight headache. With effort, she placed her baby back where she had been.
Then she backed away to his bed, collapsing while clutching his head with both hands, until after an indeterminate amount of time, the pain disappeared.
The tranquility lasted until an abnormally loud noise startled her, leaving her stunned. Alarmed, Ruby looked around, quickly locating the source of the noise: a scroll with a red rose case, from which an alarm was beeping on a loop.
The future huntress quickly transformed into a small cluster of roses, grabbed the scroll, and turned off the alarm.
Surprised by what she had just done, and by the fact that she now seemed to accept both her gender change and her new identity, she felt some unfamiliar additions that surprised her far more than everything else combined.
These additions were ears on her head, the main reason for the alarm affecting her so intensely, as well as a tail sprouting from her rear.
Both resembled those of a wolf… or a she-wolf, in her case. Thinking about how this was possible, some memories she had previously overlooked resurfaced.
According to these memories, Ruby had just faced and defeated a pack of Beowolves. One approached her without her noticing, so excited was she by what she was doing, and scratched her back, consuming what little aura remained and wounding her.
Fortunately, the little huntress managed to eliminate it with Crescent Rose before it could escalate and returned home. But when her aura returned and healed her cuts, that was that.
And curiously, when little Rose went to bed a few nights later, Warren woke up the next morning as the changes had finished forming.
Fortunately, Taiyang was currently tutoring as a substitute teacher for an old friend at Mistral Academy. So, thankfully, he wouldn't see him in person until later.
Meanwhile, Yang went out in search of a clue she found about her mother, and hadn't returned all night. Which was good because it gave her time to get used to her new body, her new wolfish features, and the return of her… member?
Lifting up her elastic pants, she saw a cock that dwarfed the one she used to have on her own body, even though that one was average.
"Ruby, I brought cookies!"
"(Well… shit.)"