Chapter 10
One bright morning.
Although warm sunlight streamed down outside and the scent of spring filled the air,
our house felt as cold as winter thanks to the air conditioner.
[Ring-ring— Ring-ring—]
“Mmm....”
At ten in the morning, the alarm I'd set in advance rang and woke me from my sleep.
“...Just five more minutes....”
...I woke up a little later.
======
“Yaaawn.... I'm sleepy....”
Thanks to the alarm, I barely managed to wake up an hour later and get out of bed at eleven.
Normally, that was still a time when I'd be playing in dreamland, but today, I couldn't afford to relax because of the order my senior had given me.
“Food.... What should I eat....”
Still, you need to eat something to have the energy to do anything.
First, I decided to eat breakfast and think about it afterward, so I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
“There's nothing to eat....”
However, the refrigerator was filled with nothing but foods meant to be reheated and stews, so there wasn't anything suitable for a snow woman like me.
At most, I could eat some rolled omelet or kimchi....
“That won't be enough....”
According to my senior, hot food wouldn't kill me, but it'd leave me with terrible stomach trouble the next day....
I wonder if that would get better once my stamina improved....
“Sigh....”
In the end, I ordered naengmyeon for delivery.
It was nice and cold.
======
After eating, I washed up quickly and changed into some light clothes.
“Whew....”
My senior's order was to take a morning walk.
It was meant to make my body better able to withstand the heat.
And it was part of the training regimen my senior had devised to build my stamina.
To be honest, I didn't want to exercise and was planning to skip it, but I readily agreed when they said they'd buy me ice cream if I worked hard.
Tsk.... I can't say no to ice cream....
Anyway, although it was a little late to call it morning, I left the house to take my walk.
“Huh? Seolhwa, what brings you out of the house?”
“Hi, Seolhwa.”
When I stepped outside, I ran into Hyeonwoo and Juhyeok, who were walking down the street.
“Hi. Where are you two off to?”
It was surprisingly rare for just the two of them to meet up and go somewhere, so I became curious about where they were headed.
Juhyeok answered, his expression serious.
“We're about to have a true man-to-man showdown.”
Apparently, they were planning to play a one-on-one game.
Hyeonwoo's going to win.
“Where are you going, Seolhwa? Do you have plans?”
Leaving Juhyeok to keep posing, Hyeonwoo spoke to me.
“I don't have any plans. I'm just going for a short walk.”
“Are you sure you'll be okay? It's a little hot today....”
Hyeonwoo looked at me with a slightly worried expression as he spoke.
He seemed concerned because he'd heard about my condition at the mall last time, but....
“Don't worry! I've prepared a foolproof way to deal with the heat today!”
As I said that, I took out my solution and showed it to the two of them.
“With this mini fan, I should be able to tough it out!”
My solution was a mini fan!
If I kept the fan blowing cool air on me, the heat would become more bearable, and it would obviously reduce the stamina I expended.
Hehe, what a perfect plan.
“...Hey, Hyeonwoo. If you blow a fan on ice....”
“...Seolhwa's body hasn't turned into ice, so she'll probably be fine. She seems to have thought it through, so let's not say anything.”
But Hyeonwoo looked a little uneasy, contrary to what I had expected.
Uh, wait...? Wasn't this a perfect countermeasure?
“By the way, if you're going alone, you should be careful.”
While I was wondering if there was a flaw in my fan strategy, Juhyeok spoke up.
“Apparently, there's a pervert who's been targeting cute girls around here lately.”
What the heck? That's scary.
“But why do I need to be careful?”
When I asked out of genuine curiosity, the two of them exchanged indescribable looks and fell silent, lost in thought.
Why are they acting like that?
“...Seolhwa, have you looked in a mirror?”
...Oh.
“...Don't tell me you think I count as a cute girl....?”
“Well, objectively speaking.”
“To a stranger, you'd look like an ordinary cute girl.”
“Kgh...!”
I thought I'd adapted fairly well, but hearing them call me cute still gave me goosebumps, and I couldn't stand it.
I definitely thought I looked cute when I looked in the mirror, but hearing it from my friends was too much for my psyche to handle...!
“So be careful. Don't get caught by some pervert without knowing what's going on. If they see your cheeks, even a pervert won't be able to resist.”
Hyeonwoo said that while looking at me with worried eyes.
The last part was a little strange, though.
“Don't worry. I'm not a child.... I'm a fully grown adult, so I can handle myself.”
I said it as though it were nothing to reassure my friends, but their faces were still filled with concern.
“...If you have something to say, say it instead of making faces.”
Seeing that reaction, Juhyeok made a sullen face and lightly nudged Hyeonwoo as he spoke.
“...Hyeonwoo, please.”
“Huh? Me?”
Hyeonwoo looked flustered and thought for a moment before barely managing to open his mouth.
“Uh.... Well.... How should I put it.... Your athletic ability and stamina.... Um.... Your base stats are low.”
“Base stats?!”
Could he mean the same thing as the ones in Pokémon...?”
Why did my senior and everyone else keep treating me like a Pokémon?
“Well, since that's how it is, it would be a good idea to carry a weapon in case of an emergency.”
As he said that, Juhyeok pulled out a deck of cards and handed it to me.
...What's this?
“My spare deck. Use it to have a Shadow Duel and defeat your opponent!”
...What is this guy talking about?
When my expression soured at his utterly ridiculous statement, Juhyeok grew flustered and spoke up.
“A duel is such a humane way to fight! It's a wholesome battle where no blood is spilled and you only take the loser's soul!”
That's even scarier?!
In the end, I politely refused the deck Juhyeok offered me.
How could I play such a terrifying game when it involved stealing souls...?
“Call me if anything happens. I'll come help.”
“Okay, okay. Don't worry so much.”
Even though I'd gotten smaller, I hadn't gotten any younger, yet they were worrying over me far too much....
In the end, I only received permission to go for my walk after barely managing to reassure the two of them.
...I'm an adult too, so why do I need permission?
======
Walking around outside again after so long felt strangely new.
Part of it was that the scenery looked different now that I'd gotten shorter, but maybe it was also because I hadn't been outside in so long.
Perhaps it was because the weather was warm and perfect for a picnic; countless people were walking along the streets.
The weather felt hot to me, but thanks to the fan reducing how much stamina I used, it was bearable.
Mm-hm. See? It was a good strategy.
As I walked along, I spotted two people who looked like they had experienced mutations like me.
One was a cat beastkin with cat ears and a tail, while the other appeared to be an angel mutant with a halo and enormous wings.
Several people had gathered around them as well, and, whether they liked it or not, their appearances were bound to attract attention.
Everyone around them had turned to look.
Naturally, the two of them were aware of that fact. The cat person's tail was sticking straight up, while the angel's halo glowed a murky color.
It had already been six months since Mutation Syndrome first began appearing, but such conspicuous appearances were still regarded as fascinating, drawing people's attention whenever they went outside.
Thinking about that, I figured I might actually be fairly lucky.
The only noticeable thing about me was my blue hair, after all.
“My gender changed too, but.... Well.... That....”
Hmm.... I shouldn't think about it too deeply. It'll give me a headache.
Distracting myself with pointless thoughts during my walk would only hurt me.
So I decided to look around and clear my head....
“Hm?”
Just then, I sensed someone watching me and turned around.
However, I didn't see anyone particularly suspicious.
Had I imagined it...?
“Oh, what's that....”
Instead of a suspicious person, my eyes found something even more incredible.
An ice cream specialty shop had caught my eye.
“I-Ice cream....”
It was an oasis to me, since I was feeling a little hot despite the relief from the fan.
I want to go right now!
...I want to...but....
“My senior forbade it....”
During my first walk, Nara had said they needed to gather comparative data, so they'd forbidden me from having anything cold besides the fan.
They'd also told me never to eat ice cream, since I might end up wandering far away after eating it....
“I guess I have to give up....”
Just as I was reluctantly about to give up and turn around,
a poster pasted by the window caught my eye.
[Today only! Huge Ice Cream Sale!]
“......”
J-just a little would be okay, right...?
Could eating just a tiny amount really throw off the experiment?
My senior wouldn't notice if I only ate a little...!
“...Let's go!”
So I went into the ice cream shop.
I ordered a half-gallon containing six flavors.
======
“Whew.... I'm exhausted....”
After walking for about thirty minutes,
I'd somehow finished all the ice cream and wound up incredibly far from home.
“Should I head back soon....”
My senior had told me not to overdo it at first, and surely this was enough exercise for now.
On top of that, the sunlight was growing stronger and the temperature was rising, so it was obvious that getting back would become harder if I waited any longer.
Just as I thought that and was about to head back,
I realized I'd made a serious miscalculation.
“...I don't have enough stamina to get home.”