"So that's how you ended up here, but... Why are you not injured, and why are you... like this?"

Izei shrugs before answering:

"I'm really not sure. It's almost definitely the ring, but it's unclear what it did to me exactly. I didn't have time to isolate it before everything unfolded, so it might have activated when I got severely injured. Since my body is healed now, we can assume that it contained an extremely potent healing spell, likely one that activates when the user is in danger. As for why my body transformed like this... Well, the R&D team already grabbed the ring and are analyzing it. Could be a curse that formed within the spell and was put on me when I was getting healed."

"I see... And are curses difficult to remove, normally?"

"Not really. Of course, it depends on the curse, but... Nowadays, we have established protocols and knowledge related to so many different types of them that it's not too hard to get rid of one, even if nobody saw it before."

"So you're going to go back to normal soon? Is that why they're keeping you here?"

"It might take a few days, or even weeks, for the analysis to be completed, so no, the reason I'm staying here tonight is to make sure that my body isn't in some weird state of incomplete transformation that requires medical intervention or monitoring. Externally, however, everything seems normal."

"So you mean that..."

I point around the general area where I assume his crotch to be under the bed sheets.

"... it's gone?"

"Yep."

"You seem awfully calm about it."

"I got to go through the whole range of emotions when I used the bathroom a few hours ago. Now I'm... just tired, I think. I have a hard time figuring out how I really feel about it, but... I guess it helps knowing that this situation is just temporary."

"Yeah, no point in worrying about it if there's nothing you can do."

As I look at him, thinking about how much danger he was in, how he risked his life, and how he ended up with this appearance as a result... I feel my eyes fill with water, and with a quavering voice, I say:

"I'm so glad you're fine. When I saw on the news that your team encountered trouble, I... I was so worried."

As I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, I hear him respond:

"Thanks. I guess we don't really get many opportunities to talk about how much we care about each other."

As I bring my arm down, I see that he's smiling. Thanks to the transformation, his facial traits are a lot finer, his skin is glowing, and he was cleansed of all imperfections that he once carried.

He looks... so cute!

I feel my heart skip a beat. My cheeks turn red as I look away in an attempt to get my thoughts back under control. Just because he looks like a very pretty woman now doesn't mean I can let my emotions run wild when I see him smile. He's still a guy on the inside, and he'll get his old body back soon enough.

From the corner of my eye, I see him tilt his head as he asks:

"Everything okay? You seem a bit strange."

You're just making it worse, what the heck are you thinking!?

I close my eyes and cough a few times in an attempt to move past the emotions triggered by what I just saw before saying:

"Yeah, I must just be tired from having rushed here. I'll head back home, then."

He looks a bit disappointed that I'm leaving so soon, but he knows that I work in the morning, so I don't expect him to protest too much.

"Oh, okay. Oh! Do you think you could bring me some of my clothes while coming back from work tomorrow? I know it's a bit of a detour, but I'll need to be able to get dressed to go home."

"Sure, I'll grab your stuff. Anything else you'll need?"

He thinks about it for a moment, then says:

"I don't think so, I'll only be here for one night after all. Alright then, see you tomorrow!"

Once again, his smile and expressed enthusiasm at the idea of seeing me soon causes my heart to run wild, but I cannot let this affect me.

At work, the next day, I find myself too distracted to properly pay attention, Izei's smile haunting my every thoughts. I go through an entire meeting without retaining any information, and I end up making a very dumb mistake in one of our simulated circuits. One of my colleagues, a younger woman named Aurelia, hears me sigh as I start correcting my mistake and asks:

"Rimar, what's up today? You seem awfully distracted."

"Oh, well, my roommate was injured in a dungeon delving incident yesterday, and I'm worried for him."

I guess it's better to not mention that he turned into a woman, that would likely lead to a lot of reactions and questions I don't want to deal with, especially if the news spreads to the whole office.

"I see... That is cause for concern. To still live with another man at your age, you two must be very close indeed."

I see her smirking as she says that, clearly trying to imply something. I sigh and shake my head before calmly responding:

"It's not like that between us. We're very close friends, I'll grant that, but we're not in a gay relationship. What would the point be in hiding anyway? Gay marriage was legalized decades ago."

"There are still reasons to hide, like a family that wouldn't accept the relationship, or a deep-seated fear or letting the world know. But, you seem sincere about it, so I'll believe you for now."

"What do you mean, 'for now'?"

"Well, you never know how things will develop in the future."

"We've lived together for nine years, if anything was going to happen, it would have happened already. Also, I'm completely straight, and I'm pretty sure Izei is too."

She shrugs with a satisfied smile before heading back to her desk, which happens to be right next to mine. Hers isn't nearly as cute as Izei's...

Wait, what am I even thinking?

At my normal time, I leave work and take the subway. This time, however, I head towards the Central Hospital, a bag containing a few of Izei's clothes in my hand.

I can't help but wonder how I'll react seeing him today. My emotions should be a bit easier to manage, at least I hope, and seeing him in his normal clothes should help convince my inner self that this really is another man.

I announce my arrival to the receptionist and head to the same room as yesterday. When I enter, I see Izei standing up, the curtain drawn open around his bed, seemingly packing a few belongings into a bag. When he sees me, a large smile appears on his lips, causing a predictable reaction from my heart. Thankfully, I manage to maintain my composure this time.

"Here are your clothes. How's everything?"

"All the tests are done, and they gave me the okay to leave. Thanks for the clothes, and... would you mind waiting for me? I'll be ready in just a few minutes."

"Sure, take your time. I'll be outside."

He nods, then heads over to the bathroom to get changed.

Outside, the cool spring breeze causes the nearby trees to sway and sing, helping me calm down. Even if this is just temporary, I'll be spending the next few days or weeks sharing an apartment with someone who has a woman's body. This might lead to some new experiences I'm not exactly looking forward to. We're already pretty good at protecting our privacy and respecting the other's, so it should be fine, but... I can't stop worrying about the possibility of a slip-up. I don't know what's going to pass through my mind if I ever see him naked while he looks like that.

I grab my phone and start catching up on my text messages to distract myself. Soon enough, I hear the main door open, and I see Izei coming out. He seems to be struggling to walk a bit, so with a puzzled expression, I ask:

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I figured this might happen, but... My shoes are too big for me."

As I take a closer look, I realize that it's not just the shoes, but all of the clothes that are oversized on him. I hadn't realized in the hospital because he was sitting on a bed yesterday and I was trying to not look at him too much today, but he did get quite a bit shorter. He used to be almost as tall as me, now he appears to be a whole head shorter than me.

"Can you make it back home?"

"Probably, I'll just have to ask you to take it a bit slower than usual. Really sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. Let's be on our way, then."

As we walk, I can tell that he's focusing on not losing his shoes, so we end up getting to the subway in silence. Once we're on the platform, however, Izei says:

"This is completely unbearable. I was planning on staying home as much as possible until they figure out how to turn me back, but I might still need to buy a new temporary pair of shoes for when I need to go out."

"What about clothes in general? You look a bit ridiculous right now."

"Not sure I'd want to spend that much money on something I'll only use for a short while. I don't mind looking a bit crazy with the way I'm dressed if I can walk normally."

"I understand. It would be a big expense for something that would get little to no use... So, what did the hospital say about your body?"

"As far as they can tell, I'm... completely female, now. My physical characteristics, hormone levels, blood composition, all is exactly as they would expect from a woman. They don't know whether some of my new organs function normally, but since they're not putting my life in danger, they let them be."

"I see. So there really is no trace left of your old body."

"Nope. Nothing."

"And how are you feeling about it?"

"Pretty distressed, to be honest, but... I'm sure they're going to find a way to turn me back. As long as I can hold on until then, I should be fine. That being said, the doctor did warn me that transformations of this scale sometimes trigger episodes of serious mental health issues, and told me to tell you to call the hospital if I ever seem to find myself in some kind of serious breakdown."

"That's good to know. For the doctor to say that, though... Do delvers often find themselves transformed like this?"

"No, it's an extremely rare occurrence, but some monsters do have the ability to turn us into more of them, and curses have been known to alter bodies in unpredictable ways. Since the transformations are sudden, the mind doesn't always manage to cope. At least I still recognize my own face in the mirror, so I'm confident I'll be fine."

"I'm glad to hear it. So, what's next for you?"

"I'm on sick leave until they fix my body, so I'll probably go on a video game marathon and read a bunch of comics I wanted to catch up on."

I let out a short laugh hearing that. He's still the Izei he's always been. Maybe I'm worried for nothing. Even if his body changed, I have no reason to see him any differently.

As the train stops in front of us, I feel a bit of pressure lift off my shoulders.