Bokuben LN

"Done..."
With an emphatic press of the Enter key, Kirisu Mafuyu let out a light sigh.
"Finished...and it's this late already"
Her sight turned to the clock, which indicated that it was now way past midnight.

On the table, the laptop screen showed the World History Quiz she was working on. Adding on the various administrative chores, she worked past midnight again.
"I still have to do the report later, but I forgot the reference book at school again...gotta get it tomorrow...and..."

Thinking of what still needs to be done, but Mafuyu's brain isn't responding...
"Not good...haven't gotten enough sleep lately, so tired..."
Eyesight blurring, Kirisu Mafuyu stopped struggling.
"Tomorrow is a day off...Afternoon should be enough to get that book...just catch up on sleep for now I really do need it..."

Stumbling towards the direction of the bed, she became aware of her thirst. The fridge...
"It is important to replenish water before bed... Wha...what's this?"

Taking just a few steps, Mafuyu realized the short walk to fridge is full of obstacles, and in this half dazed state, she could only give up and look around her for something to drink.
Entering her vision are the pieces of trash scattered across the floor, books on her bed...

When was the last time Yuiga kun came? It felt recent...but how did it get this messy so fast? Well...relative to what it was like before...this is an improvement, possibly, maybe?

"Hmm?"
A shiny object distracted Mafuyu from the carnage around her, it was a bottle filled with liquid. Reflecting the light, the bottle rolled behind a garbage bag as though it was hiding from her.

"What is this?"
Mafuyu Picked up the bottle and tried to think about what this could be, but nothing...
"Yea, I can drink this"
"The seal is still intact, so it shouldn't make me sick at least."
With these thoughts Mafuyu twisted open the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.
"N...no..."
Thereafter, she fell onto the bed.
Soon, she entered the world of dreams.

……🔘🔺✖️……

The next morning

Eyes open! Comfortable!

The constant exhaustion that dulled the body has completely disappeared...feeling light and full of energy! Tired eyes, sore shoulders and back, they are all gone. It really does feel like I'm young again. Even the bed is much bigger......? must be an illusion.

"mmmhm, haha, what am I even thinking"

With a wry smile, Mafuyu raised herself from the bed.

"......?"

As she raised an arm to yawn, the pajama slid right off.

It shouldn't be this big. What is going on? Mafuyu’s brow furrowed with confusion.

Finally, it struck her.
"Wha...how...I'm...SMALL?!"

Her confusion only intensified as she looked down.
The hands before her eyes are tiny, with short but delicately cute fingers.

These are the hands of a child.
"My hands...what..."
She clutches her hands many times. They are indeed her hands.

While talking to herself, she has also realized that her voice sounds softer and less loud.

"No...no way!"

She stumbled off the bed, unaccustomed to its height.

In the mirror, with a frozen smile, she sees herself just like she remembers her childhood.

This was...is me. However, it is me from about twenty years ago. This face is me as a child.

"........."
Mafuyu stared at herself in the mirror.
"........."
Look away, rub my eyes, and look again.
"........."
Close my eyes for a while, and look again.

No matter how many times she tried, she did indeed look like her childhood self.

Her lips curled into a smile, the child in the mirror also smiled awkwardly. She twisted and distorted her expressions, the child in the mirror did so as well.

Calm.......the childlike face in the mirror also returned to a smooth tranquility.

"Conclusion...seems like, I'm still dreaming."
As though she had seen a ghost, she muttered to herself.
"I'm even more exhausted than I realized...let's sleep some more... But won't I wake up if I try to sleep inside my dream?"
Turning back from the mirror, she walked towards the bed again.
However, in the middle of this, her pajama pants slid off.
"Ara ara?"
Her legs caught inside the pajamas, Mafuyu fell face first into a garbage bag.
"Ouch...."

Rubbing her nose which had slightly reddened, Mafuyu scared her with her own words.
"Pain...? Does this mean...it's not a dream...?"
In fact, she had been aware.
This feels way too real to be a dream.
Reality has forced her to acknowledge the plain facts.
"My body has shrunk to when I was a child..."

This kind of supernatural situation really happened to me!

"Why...how could this happen...?"

Confusion arose in place of her shocking realization.
"Hmm...?"
From the corner of her eyes, Mafuyu could spot an empty bottle reflecting bright sunlight. The empty glass bottle she drank from before falling asleep. Was it a cough syrup?

Mafuyu examined the bottle once more. In fact, she was looking at the labeling.
Why? Because it says:
"Reverse-Aging Serum"
This much is clearly printed.

Reverse-aging...elixir of youth? The label did not have a list of ingredients, nor did it explain its function. Reverse-aging should mean it delays normal aging processes, reverse-oxidation and the like. It should not mean literally reverse aging!

"Because of this...my body became younger?"
This is the only conclusion she can reach.
"How did I have this in my room? "
Certainly, Mafuyu's room was messy at all times, but she was also certain that she did not have any recollection of bringing this substance home. Yet, it couldn't appear by itself either.

A moment later, puzzling over the bottle with frustration on her youthful face, Mafuyu recalled a hazy memory. She was on her way home from one of these work parties...

---Kirisu Sensei, it doesn't feel real because you are still so young, but you know, aging can happen in the blink of an eye! It's true you know! So, why not do something about it? You haven't been doing much reverse-aging treatment, right? Please try this, I have a lot of this from late night TV Shopping. I haven't tried it myself but it really looked amazing on TV. It can turn people into children! Of course, that's impossible, but it must be amazing if it can leave that kind of impression, right? Please tell me how you feel after you use it.

Just like that, she was given half a crate of this stuff by an overly friendly older teacher. She simply accepted it as a way of getting herself out of there...

"Wow, who'd have known that it could really turn you into a child....!?"
Mafuyu buried her head in her arms, unable to accept or understand what has happened to her.

Well, even though how this drug functions is still a mystery, the fact of the matter is that she now has the body of a child. No matter the cause, she had to make the best of the current situation.

This is fine in theory, but what exactly should she do?
"Fortunately, it's my day off today. Let's just stay inside today and hope the effects wear off by tomorrow...maybe?"
In this situation, she had to accept this kind of hopeful passivity.
"Maybe I will be back to normal if I just took a nap..."
With unfounded hope such as this, Mafuyu nudged herself to the bed again, holding up her pajama legs with her hands.

"..........!?"
The scattered books on the table reminded her, she had a report due tomorrow! A pained expression on her face, Mafuyu remembered her deadline.

"Blunder........I have to get reference material from school...that report is due tomorrow."

First option: Ignore the deadline.
Second option: Go to school like this and finish the report.

It is a pain, but it should only be momentary...
……🔘🔺✖️……

An hour later.
"About the outfit, this should do."
There she was, Mafuyu in her childhood clothes.
An aimless rummage through one of the dressers surprisingly yielded her childhood clothing, presumably thrown in with everything else when she was moving. Her talent for avoiding organization worked in her favor for once.

"Prepared...then, let's go."
With her miniature, dexterous feet, Mafuyu carefully navigated the debris laden floor and headed out the door.
Fundamentally, Kirisu Mafuyu was a woman who could not simply stay in her room and ignore a passing deadline. As long as she could still move her body, Mafuyu was going to finish the report……Mafuyu again confirmed this about herself.
“Umm……The door is so……heavy”
Holding the door handle with both hands, she leveraged her weight and pushed down, while pushing with her legs. Finally, the door opened.
Pulling the door and locking it took all of her energy.
“Even opening and closing the door is so hard……”

Mafuyu let out a sigh, merely getting out the door was an ordeal in this body.
However, the real difficulty starts now.
“Of course, the world looks completely different from this body……”
Her eye level is only at around half of the normal elevation. Even familiar paths feel uncannily strange.
Looking around her to confirm her location, Mafuyu set out for the direction of Ichinose Academy.

“Oh dear, are you perhaps lost?”
“?!”
The sudden voice came from a direction outside of her limited field of vision. Mafuyu’s body involuntarily shuttered.
Nervously, she looked up at the direction of the voice.
(Takemoto kun, Ogata kun, Furuhashi Kun……)
Meeting Mafuyu’s eyes are her three students.

Towering above, the three girls are looking at her with bemused curiosity.
(The end……unbelievable, being seen like this by people I know……my students!)
Her body froze in place, Mafuyu felt her dignity as a teacher crumble.
However…
“Ah…? Did we scare you? It’s alright, we are not weirdos…”
The girl speaking to her, Uruka Takemoto, was waving her arms with a mixture of enthusiasm and panic.
“…………”
Finally deciding on a physical show of affection, Uruka patted her head gently. Mafuyu put up an awkward smile, but accepted this gesture of friendliness for the time being.
It would be unwise to resist, she determined.

(A test paper……an English quiz?)
Attempting to avoid her student’s gaze, Mafuyu’s eyes wandered to a piece of paper showing through Uruka’s bag.
(Her grade has improved significantly)
As an educator, Uruka wasn’t one of her tutoring students, but Mafuyu kept a close eye on her nonetheless. Her ability in English could be described as hopeless, or at least that was the case. However, the grade on this quiz was not bad, and at this pace of improvement, she could reach her goal.
(The ally of those who can’t……eh?)
The face of their current tutor appeared in her thoughts.

“Say, why are you alone outside? Are you looking for mommy and daddy?”
Fumino, bending down to lower her line of sight, asked.
“……Ah,uh…no.” As Fumino was staring intently at her face, Mafuyu instinctively sensed danger and turned her face away from the probing girl.
“I’m just……by myself.”
“Did something happen?”
This time it was Rizu’s turn.
“No, I’m fine like this……”

‘Certainly, I can’t tell them that I am going to school to get reference material. Omission of unnecessary facts…isn’t a lie.’ Mafuyu justified her actions, being unable to lie by nature.

“Amazing~ where are you going now?”
Continuing the headpat on Mafuyu, Uzuru asked.
This time, Mafuyu was truly stuck.
She accurately sensed that by honestly disclosing that she is going to Ichinose Academy, these girls would follow her. If possible, she wants to avoid prolonged contact with them, as her heart was racing with the thought that they could see through her “disguise.”
‘This isn’t good for my cardiovascular health.’ She thought.

Thinking of what to say, Mafuyu fell silent.

“I knew it, this child…”
“is lost?”
“Right.”
The three girls exchanged glances and quickly came to a conclusion.

“No, I’m not…”
“Don’t worry!”
Mafuyu’s attempt to deny was interrupted by Uruka’s hug.
“Trust us onee-sans, We will help you find mommy and daddy!”
“Are you hungry? Udon……want some?”
“Why not listen to a happy story? Onee-san is good at telling stories! I’ll think of one right now…”
Each of the girls smiled and had their own ways of trying to cheer her up…

(Acts of kindness, for me…)
Momentarily stunned by these thoughts, Mafuyu could not escape.
(No, I can’t be stuck here like this……)
I need a way out of this mess, Mafuyu willed herself to think of a plan.

“Dear, what is your name?”
“Umm……”
It would make her more suspicious if she doesn’t answer Uruka’s question.
“Ma……Mahatsu……” (TN: Mahatsu means MidSummer)
Well, that’s what she came up with on the spot.
“Mahatsu-chan, right? I’m Uruka! You saw my name earlier, right? But please don’t call me Takemoto, just Uruka neechan is fine.”
Uruka said warmly with her trademark earnest smile.
“O……ok Uruka neechan.”
In order to not look suspicious, Mafuyu reluctantly did as she was told.
(It is too unnatural……a bit too forced. I’m not good at this being young thing after all.)

“I’m Rizu, Rizu neechan.”
“Yes, Rizu neechan.”
The same response for Rizu, who looked eager to be talking with her.
Rizu’s face brightened with a smile.
“I’m Fumino oneechan~”
“Yes, Fumino oneechan”
The same response for Fumino, who extruded the aura of the calm oneechan.

(Disgraceful……! Forced to be a child is such……)
Beneath the calm exterior, Mafuyu’s mind is forcefully invaded, defiled, by humiliation.

“…………”
One of the three girls, Fumino, was still looking at Mafuyu’s face with concentration.
She was studying Mafuyu’s face intently.
“………………Ah! Ah!”
“!?”
Fumino’s sudden scream not only shocked Mifuyu, but also slightly disturbed Rizu as well.
“I’m sorry for suddenly screaming, but I finally understand!”
Closing her hands in an apologetic clasp, Fumino faced Mafuyu as though she had discovered an important secret.

“I thought Manatsu-chan looked familiar………she looks like Mafuyu sensei!”
This direct declaration shook Mafuyu and made her heart race.
“Now that you mentioned it, she does look like sensei.”
“Like a miniature Mafuyu Sensei, it feels like?”
Rizu was nodding her head in agreement. Mafuyu could hear her heartbeat.
“Ah, sorry. Mafuyu sensei is a teacher at our school.”

Fumino’s explanation showed that Mafuyu panic over being discovered was unfounded, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“She used to be our tutor, but eventually, she was replaced……She was a very strict teacher……”
These words quickly allowed Mafuyu to return to a state of control.
(A cold person.)
(No room for negotiation.)
She knew what they were going to say next.
She had already accepted being seen this way, so being seen like this was fine with her.

But…

“………Well, at least that is what we thought back then…”
Not expecting this follow-up, Mafuyu’s brow slightly furrowed.
(What they thought back then…)
Past tense, implying they think of her differently now?
Fumino, Rizu and Uruka looked at each other and smiled.
“But……for example, she called me when I was struggling. Don’t know how she knew what I was going through, but still, getting a call from her was unexpected. I was really out of options back then so I was very grateful.”
“Me too……someone made me think it over…her harsh words, they came from a good place, right? She was looking out for us in her own way. It’s harsh and awkward, but sensei is a human as well. I feel better thinking about things this way.”
“As for me, I never knew sensei well, but I’ve always thought she was hard to approach……but before the big race, she really inspired me! Did you guys see her in the mahout shoujo cosplay during the festival? She looked like a totally different person. It was crazy.”
The three girls each told a similar story, in their own way.
They looked at each other again, and as though understanding something, laughed together.

Listening, Mafuyu placed her hand to her chest silently.
(……Unexpected. I didn’t know they thought of me like this)
Previously, she always thought that she was hated.
Of course, she still did not feel that she is fully accepted and liked.
Even so……her heart was warmed a little.

“……Now that you mentioned it, she does look more and more like Mafuyu sensei.”
Rizu’s words alarmed Mafuyu again.
Being examined by curious eyes behind those glasses, Mafuyu again felt cold sweat.
“She’s actually Mafuyu sensei but somehow turned smaller, right?”
“No, that’s impossible! How could that be possible?”
Uzuka’s joking words brought forth a passionate, reflexive denial from Mafuyu.
“The way she spoke just now, it’s exactly like Kirisu Sensei!”
With Fumino’s laughter, Mafuyu’s face tensed up again.
“Self-incrimination………”
Eyes downcast, Mafuyu felt sweat seeping through her face.
With the three girls staring at her, Mafuyu’s choice was, “Then……Good bye!”
Run away, stop thinking.
Turning around, Mafuyu began to run.

“Ah, no!?”
She immediately bumped into someone. There was someone watching from behind.
“Be careful, ok?”
Again, someone she knew was standing there.
“Kominami-kun………!?”
Kominami Asumi, Ichinose Academy alumni and her former student.
“You didn’t get hurt……right?”
Eyes sweeping Mafuyu’s face, Asumi had an expression of gleeful curiosity.
“She really does feel like Mafuyu sensei………”
After a short while, Asumi concluded with some satisfaction.
“I know, right?”
Uruka excitedly agreed. She sure caught up fast.

Escape failed. Mafuyu is panicking.
“Re……relative!”
She blurted out this word suddenly.
“Because I’m Kirisu Mafuyu’s……relative.”
Everyone looked at her, eyes narrowed.

“…………of course!”
Everyone came to the same conclusion.
“That makes sense. She’s sensei’s relative.”
Fumino clapped her hands, as though finishing her brilliant deduction.
“We should have realized this from the start.”
Rizu was not as expressive, but it seems like she has accepted this conclusion as well.
“Ahahaha, of course!” Uruka laughed happily.

(Blunder………I should have said this from the start)
Thinking back on her struggles, Mafuyu felt it was all a silly waste of time.
“By the way, what are you guys doing here?”
Asumi suddenly-changed her expression and faced the three girls.
“Minatsu-chan, seems like she is lost. We want to take care of her for now.”
“Oh?”
Intrigued by Rizu’s response, Asumi again turned to Mafuyu, examining her more carefully.

“You are Minatsu-chan, right?”
Asumi’s unexpectedly soft tone invited a response, Mafuyu nodded her head.
“Minatsu-chan, are you lost?”
Uwu uwu, this time Mafuyu vehemently shook her head.
If she stops saying words, she would not dig herself into deeper trouble. This is Mafuyu’s new strategy born out of experience.

“Although she doesn’t seem lost…”
Asumi turned from Mafuyu to look at the girls.
“Ara? You mean, we decided prematurely?”
Fumino did not say anything but nodded in agreement.
“Sorry, did we cause you trouble?”
Rizu lowered her head apologetically. Uruka laughed awkwardly.

“………No-desu.”
Mafuyu shook her head again, trying to look like a child.
“Thank you for your concern.”
She looked at each of the girls kindly and bowed in appreciation.
This was true emotion from Mafuyu’s heart.
Even Midwinter, cannot deny these girls’ feelings. (TN: Intended double entendre)

“Well then, this is goodbye.”
Lowering her head in a bow again, Mafuyu turned around to take her leave.
“Goodbye Minatsu-chan!”
“Be careful!”
“Come to Ogata Udon anytime!”
“Have a safe trip, ojou-san,”
Taking one last glimpse, Mafuyu could see Uruka waving at her energetically, Fumino looking reserved, Rizu looking at her expectantly, and Asumi respectfully saluting with a traditional bow.

“………uwu”
This feels strange, but Mafuyu laughed at her childlike impressions as she walked away.
After meeting them unexpectedly, she also learned a side of them that Mafuyu did not know.

……🔘🔺✖️……
Soon after bidding farewell to her students, Mafuyu took a little rest in the park in between her apartment and Ichinose Academy.
The distance to school is usually barely notable, but in the body of a child, Mafuyu felt it was a draining trek. However, theoretically, a child’s body can still complete the trip if she took the time to recover stamina.

“However, just sitting around is boring.”
Bored, Mafuyu swung her legs from the bench and took in the scenery of the park.
Then, she saw a woman walking.
That woman also unexpectedly began looking towards Mafuyu’s direction………

“!?”
Before being seen, Mafuyu jumped into the bushes behind the park bench.
Why? Because it is someone Mafuyu knows yet again.
Is it an acquaintance?.......
(Miharu………!?)
There she is, her sister Kirisu Miharu.
(Danger……I’m finished if Miharu sees me……!)
The relative excuse wouldn’t work against her, and she knows what I looked like as a child. She would for sure know who I am.

“Ara……? An error in judgement……? I saw Onee-sama for sure just now……?”
Looking through the branches of the bush, Mafuyu could see Miharu looking around, completely confused.
“I’m sure she’s here……”
Miharu looked around, and then as if deciding on something, started to walk towards the bush steadily.

(Mayday Mayday Mayday……!)
Any careless noise would lead to certain detection by Miharu. Mafuyu tried her absolute best to hide her presence, while praying Miharu would leave quickly.
“Onee-----sama? Are----you----there?”
Much to Mafuyu’s horror, Miharu was looking at the bushes in which she was hiding.
(God is dead………)
Mafuyu is in despair.

The sister who absolutely worshipped her. if Miharu sees her in this state, what would she think? Tell her that a strange drug was involved?
What would be the best excuse? Mafuyu willed her soggy brain to work on solutions.

“Eh? Miharu-san? What are you doing here?”
(…………Yuiga-kun?)
He is also one of Mafuyu’s students, Yuiga Nariyuki.
(Misfortune………Why do I keep bumping into people I know………!?)
Mafuyu buried her head and fretted.
“A fateful encounter………I’m going to university. Yuiga Nariyuki, what about you?”
“Once in a while, I want a change of scenery while studying too.”
“Singularly driven………I’m moved by your spirit!”
While Mafuyu is moved to sighs of sorrow to the side, the two kept talking.

“By the way, Yuiga Nariyuki, you saw Onee-sama earlier too, didn’t you?”
Miharu looked around and asked.
“Kirisu sensei………? I haven’t seen her since morning.”
Nariyuki slightly leaned his head and answered innocently.
(Since morning……?! Just what…he’s saying weird things again!)
“Ah…………is that so? I felt onee-sama’s presence earlier, but I must be mistaken.”
Miharu accepted Nariyuki’s response as a matter of fact. Looking at this serious Miharu, Nariyuki could only give a wry smile.
“Then, I’ll leave for now. imperishable determination, resolute pursuit, good luck with school!”
“Ah, yes, thanks.”
After saying her goodbyes, Miharu left the park in the direction of her university.
“………Whew”
Mafuyu was able to let out a sigh of relief.
However, this was only temporary.

“Umm…………”
“?!!!”
Nariyuki pushed aside the bush and came into Mafuyu’s hiding spot to talk. Mafuyu’s heart almost jumped out of her body.
“I…um…I saw you hiding when Miharu-san came over, so I made her go away. But is this really for the best?”
Pushing branches away from his face, Nariyuki had an expression of concern.
(Perhaps, he knows my current situation?)
Mafuyu clearly felt this, unreasonably.
“…………eh?”
Nariyuki’s face turned to one of surprise.
“Are you……Kirisu sensei……”
“Relative! KIrisu Mafuyu’s relative!”
Mafuyu quickly selected the strategy she had decided on previously, so she blurted out these words quickly.
“Ah, just like I thought.”
Although Mafuyu’s explanation was superfluous, and Nariyuki already accepted her story, but it’s still prudent to preclude the awkwardness earlier with an pre-emptive strike.
“Ah, but doesn’t that make you Miharu-san’s relative too?”
It would seem Nariyuki’s doubts about this Mafuyu did not end here.
Holding up his chin, Nariyuki thought of something.
“Then, let’s hurry. She’s not far away…”
“No, No!”
Seeing that Nariyuki wanted to call Miharu back, Mafuyu quickly shook her head in refusal.
“I……I’m given a mission! Mafuyu oneechan gave a mission to me! I promised to not receive help from relatives.”
She came up with an excuse narrowly tailored to her present difficulty.
“Ah, ok, of course!”
Thankfully, Nariyuki immediately accepted this “excuse”.
He smiled kindly and kneeled down.
“Can you tell me your name?”
“………Manatsu.”
Looking at his questioning eyes above her, Mafuyu decided to use this name again.
Only because she could not think of something else.
“Thank you for telling me, Manatsu-chan. I am Nariyuki, Yuiga Nariyuki. “
Nariyuki’s voice sounded a little softer than usual.
(Sounds like he’s used to talking with children……yea of course, he has younger siblings……)
“Nariyuki……on…ni…”
Mafuyu tried to call him the way she did with Fumino and the others…
(H…Humiliation……for some reason, she felt overwhelmed by a sense of shame many times greater than previously)
Unbearable shame made her stutter and unable to speak.
“Yuiga-kun………”
In the end, she simply called him in the usual, comfortable way.
“Yea, that’ll do.”
Seemingly accepting of her story, Nariyuki responded with a light nod.
“By the way, Manatsu-chan, where are you headed?”
Nariyuki asked with a smile.
“………Ichinose Academy.”
Although she hesitated a bit, Mafuyu still answered honestly because she could not think of another place as an appropriate excuse.
(Well, it should be a fine response for a child)
She reassured herself with this thought.
“Ichinose Academy…?”
Nariyuki leaned her head curiously, but still accepted Mafuyu’s words.
“What are you going to do there exactly, Manatsu-chan?”
“I must go to Mafuyu onee-san’s desk and retrieve necessary reference documentation.”
“She sent you to get documents?.........Kirisu sensei is being reckless…”
Nariyuki smiled apologetically at the situation.
“I think you’ll be stopped by other teachers, you know?”
“………Ah!”
Foolish.
Mafuyu completely overlooked this point.
Although she claims to be Mafuyu’s relative, the teacher on attendance would probably still call Mafuyu for confirmation. However, Mafuyu is not available for confirmation because she would be standing there, as a child.
The mission just got harder for Mafuyu.

……🔘🔺✖️……

A while after meeting Nariyuki……
“You really saved me, thank you.”
Standing in front of Ichinose Academy, Mafuyu bowed to Nariyuki in gratitude.
“Haha, don’t be a stranger. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Nariyuki successfully retrieved the necessary documents with the story that he was sent by Kirisu sensei on an errand for them. This did not rouse any suspicion by students or teachers. His behavior was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Do you know your way back home?”
“Y…yes, I’ll be fine.”
Lightly waving goodbye, Nariyuki turned around to leave.
“……Sigh”
Turning her sight from Nariyuki, Mafuyu leaned her head back and let out a light sigh of relief.
It was a sigh of relief for successfully retrieving the documents…… at the same time a tide of exhaustion crept upon her. It was already an ordeal to walk this far in the body of a child, having to hide from people in her life adds an even heavier toll.
Although she was not feeling well, Mafuyu still attempted to take a shaky step forward.
“At least I’m safe for today…”
The momentary lapse in concentration was all it took, Mafuyu was swept away by her deep exhaustion. She had fallen asleep.

(Nostalgic, this feeling………warm and safe…)
Mafuyu did not wake up. No, she was not aware that she was awake.
Warmth……like gathering around the fire during winter…. Mafuyu simply savored the moment, her head lightly turning.
(The sun? Is it already morning?)
Besides that, Mafuyu could feel a gentle rocking, a comforting scent, a heartbeat. It was not hers, but it was somehow familiar.
(Where have I felt this before?)
Opening her eyes, Mafuyu could see trees along a quiet park path, bathed in the warm sunset. She had grown taller, as she could now see the park benches from above.

“Ah, you are awake, Mahatsu-chan…”
Yuiga-kun?
I……I’m on top of him!?
I’m awake…no…I fell asleep!?
Mafuyu’s sudden realization of her situation kicked her panic into high gear. With a reflexive jerk, Mafuyu tried to distance herself from Nariyuki’s back.
However…his arms are strong. Mafuyu felt a momentary loss of balance, but her legs are still firmly pivoted by Nariyuki’s arms. Instinctively, she circled Nariyuki’s neck with her short arms.
“Manatsu-chan, You fell asleep back at the school, so I’m carrying you home.”
Nariyuki turned his head to the side and spoke in a gentle tone.

(Of course, I’m Manatsu-chan right now)
Realizing her current identity, Mafuyu felt a sense of relief.
(Nostalgia……but why……)
“Y…yuiga kun, you can…”

For some reason, the words would not come out of her mouth. Instead, this thought appeared in her mind.
(Temptation……but this is fine……just a little bit……)
She tightened her embrace, just a little, her face lightly resting upon the shoulder of the boy.

At this moment, from the edge of his sight, Nariyuki saw the soft afternoon sun melt its rays upon this little girl’s face, turning her cheeks a velvety hue of rosy red.

Sharply, a person appeared in his mind…

“Sensei…”

(!?)

Startled, Mafuyu raised her head from Nariyuki’s shoulder and straightened her arms, her eyes a mix of anxiety and……regret?

“……is quite reckless, right?”
Nariyuki’s expression imperceptibly changed into an apologetic smile.
“Usually when she wants something from school, I’m the one she uses. It is quite reckless to ask a child to run an errand.”

Mafuyu thought about the times when she depended on him. Her expression softened…

“What do you think about…?”
Only after hearing these words did Mafuyu realize what she had said.
(Foolishness………! Why am I asking him that…!?)
She did not know why she asked this question.
(Humiliation……! But also…anxiety……?)

“Ah, uh, ummm……”
She wanted to take the question back, to delete it. But she was unable to speak properly.

Mafuyu did not speak loudly, and a sudden gust had passed them. She hoped Nariyuki did not hear her question.

“About Kirisu sensei……?”
However, Nariyuki had clearly, mercilessly, heard her.

“She feels like a harsh person.”
The pain that these words should have caused her, Mafuyu did not feel it.
She already knew this is what they thought of her…she always dealt with students like this.

“However…ha, if you are living with her, Manatsu-chan should know. Sensei is unexpectedly clumsy and helpless at home……Ouch! Wait, Manatsu-chan?! You are pinching my shoulders too much!?”
Although true, Mafuyu found these words insulting and unacceptable.

“Ahaha, sorry sorry. You are angry that I spoke badly about your dear onee-sama, right?”
Yet again, Nariyuki let out a pained laugh.
“Even so, I still like her…the way she is.”
“…………Ah?”
Words she never expected. Mafuyu’s mind went blank.

“Instead of a perfect superwoman, she’s actually extremely kind. Although…others see her as cold and harsh, they don’t understand her. She teaches well, and is concerned with the lives of her students. I appreciate her and respect her.”
“Ah…ah……understand her…you mean?”
“Hm? What?”
“……I misspoke, please do not mind.”
Although this is what he said, Mafuyu felt a strange ambiance from Nariyuki…It can’t be.

“Is that right…? Okay, we’ve arrived.”

An unexpected salvation...Mafuyu felt a deep sense of relief.
“Thank you……for everything. Yuiga-kun.”
Getting off Nariyuki’s back, Mafuyu bowed her head in thanks.
“It’s really nothing. I’m opening the door now.”
Receiving the key from Mafuyu, Nariyuki opened the door.
“Then…Yuiga kun, see you at sch…Mafuyu onee-sama’s home when you come over.”
She almost blurted out school, and blurted out something else to change the story.
“Yeah, looking forward to it.”

After waving her diminutive arms in farewell, Mafuyu entered her own home.
“Oof……I’m exhausted. Tired all over!”
Gathering her strength, Mafuyu closed the door with her back.
At that moment.
Clunk! Thump! Boom!
The pile of books and other unknown items that she had stashed to the side of the entrance came tumbling down upon her.
“Uwu…! Uwu…!”
Mafuyu was buried in an avalanche of books and gadgets. She was trapped.
To a bystander, this scene might seem familiar.
This familiar scene last occurred at this same place.
“Oof……”
Just as Mafuyu freed herself, she heard the sound of the door opening behind her.
“……The room, I’ll clean it before I leave.”
It is Nariyuki’s voice.
“……uwu.”
With the way things are, Mafuyu could only accept.

“It should be fin now.”
Looking at the tidied up room, Nariyuki nodded his head with satisfaction.
“Thank you…I caused trouble for you again…”
“Haha, it’s not Manatsu-chan’s fault!”
Although Nariyuki was smiling to her, Mafuyu saw “it can’t be helped” written on his face.
“This…I’m used to it.”

“……………”
Hearing this, Mafuyu quickly moved her gaze away.
“So, Manatsu-chan, want to drink this?”
A cup was held in front of her.
“Egg milk, made with egg and milk. It is good for recovery from exhaustion.”
Nariyuki, holding the cup, still has that same helpless smile.
“I used sensei’s groceries to make this……it should be fine for a relative’s kid, right?”
Nariyuki mumbled to himself quietly.
Mafuyu of course did not mind, but she could not tell him when she’s still a child.
“Thank you. Itadakimasu…”
Accepting with these words, Mafuyu received the cup from Nariyuki. Perhaps turning into a child had changed her taste, it tasted……felt…sweet. Certainly, her weariness was lifted.

“Okay then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Be careful. Have a safe trip.”
“Yeah, thank you.”
Holding the door with his right hand, Nariyuki turned around to wave to Mafuyu with his left.
“See you, Manatsu-chan.”
“……Yeah.”
Holding her egg milk, Mafuyu looked at Nariyuki until he closed the door.

“Now then……”
Putting the cup on the table, Mafuyu again looked at herself.
“Despair……What if I can’t return to normal…”
Supporting herself on the bed with hands and knees, Mafuyu allowed this despairing thought into her mind.
At that moment…
“Hmm……?”
From the edge of her vision, she noticed a box on the floor.
(Where had I seen this before…?)
Furrowing her brow to think, Mafuyu’s memory came back little by little.
It was, the reverse-aging serum an older teacher had pushed upon her at a drinking party.
Memory from that time suddenly came to her.
(Yes, it was that box from back then…!)
This was the box that held the drug that started it all!

She did not recall seeing this box in her room. Perhaps it was lost in some unknown corner until Nariyuki uncovered it by his cleaning.

“It may hold a useful clue…”
Mafuyu was determined to hold onto this straw of hope. She opened the box and looked at the content inside.

It seems Nariyuki had arranged the content inside as well. Two kinds of bottles were neatly arranged inside, but one side was missing a bottle. That should be the bottle she drank yesterday.

“Hmm…two kinds?”
Puzzled, Mafuyu took out one of each bottle to have a closer look at the labels.
One bottle was “Reverse-Aging Serum” just like the one from yesterday.
The other one was “Reverse-Reverse-Aging Serum”.
“Reverse-Reverse…?” (TN: \neg \neg (p) \implies p )
Her confusion deepened, Mafuyu looked closely at this bottle. Under “Reverse-Reverse-Aging Serum”, she could read “please imbibe after overdose of Reverse-Aging Serum” in fine print.

“Deduction…drinking this should turn me back to normal…?”
Although there was no explicit statement about returning to normal. Perhaps it could get worse. But, she could not pass by this chance……things are already weird enough, why not give this mysterious liquid a try?
“Gamble……if there is a possibility, I cannot let it go.”
Apprehensive as she was, Mafuyu came to this inevitable conclusion.
Opening the seal, Mafuyu nervously swallowed a bit, and then drank it all in one gulp.
“It seems…nothing……has changed?”
She felt nothing, nothing out of the ordinary.
No……except one thing.
“Yawn……”
She let out an involuntary yawn.
“Sleepy……is it because of that drug…?”
Or, was it because of the exhaustion of the day…… No matter, Mafuyu could not overcome this irresistible surge of drowsiness.
Struggling to take off her childhood clothes and into her usual pajamas, Mafuyu had no more energy to find her childhood pajamas.

“I……can’t.”
Just like last night, she fell onto the bed.
Shortly, she entered the world of dreams.

……🔘🔺✖️……

The next morning
“Hmm……”
Mafuyu opened her eyes as she felt the sun upon her sleeping face.
Opening her eyes, she did not feel any discomfort.
“It feels like……a strange dream?”
This dream of turning into her childhood self was still clearly resonant in her mind.
It was realistic enough to be true.
“No, that is simply impossible.”
She laughed at her naivete.
Yes, this is impossible.

Yet…her face twitched in trepidation as she surveyed the tidy room.
The children’s clothes strewn on the bed. The empty bottle and the cup with egg milk on the table. Turning on the TV, the date indicates her off-day was yesterday.
“Evidence……? Reality? Ara!?”
Mafuyu held her head tightly, mumbling to herself in confusion.
Yet, she can’t think about this forever.
Looking at the clock on the wall, it was near time for class.
“Thinking about this is useless.”
She cleared her mind with this thought and prepared to go to school.

……🔘🔺✖️……

Wearing her usual suit, Mafuyu arrived at the school entrance.
“Mahatsu-chan was suuuuper cute yesterday.”
“Yea, that is true.”
Taking a few steps, Mafuyu heard the girls……Uruka and Fumino…talking. Rizu nodded in agreement to their side.

(Of course……yesterday really happened……)
Even Mafuyu must admit this.
These evidence taken together was simply undeniable.

“But, that look in her eyes……for such a small child, it was such amazing “reiatsu!” She really felt like Kirisu sensei.”
“Ha ha.”
Hearing Uruka’s enthusiasm, Fumino laughed awkwardly.
Rizu nodded rigorously on the side.

“……You girls, class is about to start, is this the time for chitchatting?”
“Yiiii?!”
Hearing Mafuyu, Uruka and Fumino squeaked in panic.
Rizu was silent, but her eyes opened in shock.
“S……sorry! We take our leave!”
With a rigid smile, Uruka left in a hurry.
“Um……Sorry.”
“Sorry”
Fumino awkwardly apologized. Rizu……hard to discern, but looked nervous as well.
The two of them quickly bowed and were on their way.

“These girls…”
Looking at them disappearing into the distance, Mafuyu’s eyes were those sharp eyes they had mentioned earlier……but this time with a strand of softness.
In her mind, she remembered meeting them as “Manatsu-chan.”

“Ah……? Kirisu sensei, did something nice happen? You seem happy.”
It was Nariyuki who called out to her.
“Delusion……you are mistaken.”
Mafuyu steadied herself quickly and answered.
“Oh……?”
“By the way, you helped Manatsu yesterday, right? I express my gratitude.”
Facing Nariyuki, Mafuyu bowed her head in thanks again.
“Oh, it was nothing. Don’t be so formal……but…”
Embarrassed by Mafuyu’s gesture, Nariyuki said with a smile,
“Please tell me when Manatsu-chan is coming again.”

That day will never happen, Mafuyu already decided. She would never drink that serum again.
“We’ll meet again, right? She promised…”
However…
“Ah? Right…”
Mafuyu still dreaded the troublesome and awkward moments from yesterday. This much was true.
“The next time, let’s have fun together.”
No, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, not at all.

“Nariyuki oniiiiii-chan~”
Mafuyu called out to Nariyuki in the childish voice she had practiced yesterday.
The words that she was unable to utter yesterday out of embarrassment has now been clearly spoken.
“Eeeeeh………?”
“You too, you’ll be late if you do not hurry.”
Not bothered to survey a stunned Nariyuki, Mafuyu walked away.
Unnoticed by anyone, the edge of her lips,
formed a light smile.


CHAPTER 1 END