Darkness. A familiar, comfortable void where Kenjiro felt strong. He was back in his own skin, the real one. His biceps bulged, his pecs were plates of armor, and his abs were a roadmap of power. He stood in an empty space, a god in his own pantheon of muscle.
Then, a figure emerged from the gloom. It was him, yet bigger, shrouded in shadow, its form more myth than man. The shadow figure looked down at the delicate, skirt-wearing boy cowering at its feet—his current self.
"Pathetic," the shadow boomed, its voice a distorted echo of his own deep baritone. "You are weak." It effortlessly lifted the small femboy with one massive hand, holding him up for inspection like a disappointing trinket. A cruel, rumbling laugh filled the void.
"Now wake up, cutie."
Kenjiro's eyes snapped open. He was in his bed, the silken sheets tangled around his legs. The phantom pain in his stomach from the ninja's kick was a dull throb, but the ache in his hand—his broken hand, now expertly bandaged—was sharp and real.
Seated gracefully in a chair beside his bed was Lady Ayako. Her usual serene expression was replaced by a grim tension that tightened her features.
"I am glad you are awake," she said, her voice low. "What happened at the gate… this was not supposed to happen."
"You think?" Kenjiro grumbled, trying to sit up and wincing.
Lady Ayako ignored his sarcasm. "We believe your arrival here is no mere accident, Kenjiro. It is tied to a power this world has long forgotten—a fallen god. An entity of pure chaos and vanity." She leaned forward, her eyes intense. "And we believe Doctor Elara is trying to bring it back."
Kenjiro stared at her, bewildered. "A god? What does that have to do with some stolen test tubes?"
"Those weren't just test tubes," she explained. "They were the Genesis Samples, containing the DNA of the most beautiful and rare Twilight Lilies in the world. The theory is that this god can only be reconstituted through a vessel of supreme aesthetic value. Elara is likely attempting to create the perfect vessel by stealing the essence of the 'cutest femboys'."
A fire ignited in Kenjiro's gut. The humiliation of the fight, the insult from that smug doctor… it all came rushing back. He slammed his good fist onto the bed.
"That son of a bitch! I'm going to find him, and I'm going to beat the absolute shit out of him!" he declared.
A faint, hopeful smile touched Lady Ayako's lips. "So you will help us? You will help protect Eldoria?"
"Help you? Hell no," Kenjiro scoffed. "This is personal. He called my butt big!"
Lady Ayako blinked. "He… what?"
"Yeah! That damn doctor called me 'giant butt' before his ninja buddy kicked me into next week!" Kenjiro fumed, his face flushing with rage. "Nobody gets away with that! Especially when… when it might be a little bit true! It's all this damn sitting around!"
A moment of stunned silence hung in the air before Lady Ayako composed herself, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "I see. A most… personal motivation. Regardless, we have no clue where Doctor Elara has gone, or why a man so dedicated to beauty would suddenly turn rogue."
"I don't care," Kenjiro said, swinging his legs out of bed. He ignored the pain and the weakness, driven by pure, concentrated spite. "I'll find him myself."
He stormed out of the room, past a bewildered Lysander, and headed straight for the castle exit. He didn't know where he was going, but standing still was not an option.
Just as he reached the massive front gate, Lady Ayako caught up to him.
"Wait," she said, holding out a sleek, modern-looking cellphone. "You will need this."
Kenjiro snatched it from her hand. "What for? You gonna call me with clues?"
"No," she said, her expression serious again. "You will need it to survive. In Eldoria, normal currency is for the common folk. But for Twilight Lilies like yourself, our economy is… different. The coin we use is generated by exchanging photos. These are converted into 'femboy coins,' the only currency accepted in the high-end establishments you will need to frequent."
Kenjiro stared at the phone, then back at her, a dawning horror on his face. "You mean… I have to take pictures of myself… in these clothes… for money?"
"Precisely," Lady Ayako confirmed with a nod. "The rarer and more beautiful the Lily, the higher the value of their photos. You, Kenjiro, could be very wealthy."
He looked down at his purple miniskirt, then at the phone in his hand. The road to revenge had just gotten a lot more embarrassing.