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Mikuni smiled as he finished arranging his lunchbox for tomorrow. He’d always been passionate about cooking, even though he could only afford fairly simple ingredients most of the time. Over the years, though, he’d gotten extremely good at working around any limitation, dressing up even the plainest dish in a way that made every last bit of it look downright incredible. Tomorrow’s lunch was no exception, though he did make sure to splurge just a little on the ingredients this time. The chicken was fried to a scrumptious golden brown with just a slight bit of oil seeping into the paper it was resting on. The rice balls he’d made were perfectly shaped and seasoned, with just the right variety of fillings to stay exciting without being overwhelming. He’d even gone out of his way to prepare a little salad, something bright, fresh, and seasonal to offset some of the more common lunch box faire. When it was all done, he couldn’t help but smile. He certainly didn’t go out of his way to brag about the food he made, but he was especially proud of this lunch, positive that he’d made something that would be the talk of the town were it offered up in a restaurant.

Even though he had a natural talent for cooking, something about the lunch he’d made today felt different. It felt special. Cooking had always been one of the few bright spots in his otherwise dull, quiet life, but every meal he’d gone to cook before was made with a sense of melancholy. He loved what he was doing, sure, but something about cooking just felt flat with no one to share it with other then himself. For the first time in what felt like, and could well have been, forever, though, that malaise had completely disappeared. He practically bounced around the kitchen as he was preparing the food, knowing that this meal was one he’d be sharing with someone else.

He took a bite out of an extra piece of steak that he just couldn’t manage to fit in the box and let out a soft, contented sigh. This was one of the best meals he’d ever made. Easily.

“I bet it’s not a scratch on what she makes every day, but I’m confident that she’ll enjoy this! Tomorrow’s going to be amazing!” he said, wrapping up the lunchbox in a simple, checkerboard-patterned cloth and setting it aside until tomorrow. As he readied himself for bed that night, he couldn’t wipe the goofy, upbeat grin off of his face. So full of restless energy that he was sure it would take hours before he’d get any shuteye, though by the time he got around to laying down, it took barely a minute before he drifted off into some of the most pleasant sleep he’d had in years.

~~~

「Think he’s got a crush on you?」The text read. Yui’s face blushed a bright red as she typed out a response in a huff.

「Jeez, don’t be so rude! He’s a good student, I think he just looks up to me, that’s all.」

「Haha, you would say that. Still, you’re so cute that I bet half the student body has at least some sorta crush on you, and you’re just too oblivious to notice!」 Mikado responded.

「Ryouko, stop being so shameless! If I’m oblivious, it’s because nobody here lays it on as thick as you do!」

「Oh? You don’t like the way I treat you? Want me to tone it down?」

Yui paused for a moment, burying her face in her scarf in a vain attempt to hide her blush as she considered how to respond. She was grateful, at least, that nobody else could see her up here.

「...I didn’t say that…」

「Ahaha, looks like we’re both shameless, huh?」

「Yeah, yeah… Anyway, I’d better go, he’ll be up here any second, and I really don’t want him finding out about us.」

「Oh my, you wound me!」

「You work here! You know exactly why we need to keep our relationship a secret!」

「You’re right! Can you imagine what everyone would think if they found out the head of the school’s Disciplinary Committee was so involved with a member of staff? That’d give you a whole different kind of allure!」

「You’d get fired!」

「Haha, alright, I get it. Have a good time, Yui. I’ll see you after school. Love you! <3」

She couldn’t help but smile. As difficult as keeping their relationship under wraps had been, getting to share little private moments like this brought her so much happiness, so much warmth. She knew that every little hurdle was worth it.

「Love you too.」

She put her phone away, knowing that one of those little hurdles was going to be enduring even more teasing about the lunch she was about to have. Still, she stood by what she had said about Mikudo. He’d been a member of the Disciplinary Committee from his first day of school and was easily one of the hardest workers they had there. He wasn’t terribly flashy or amazing at anything in particular, but he was undoubtedly reliable. When he’d asked her to have lunch with him yesterday, Yui was more than a little surprised, and not just because it was one of the first real conversations they’d had outside of committee work. She’d always pegged him as a complete loner, someone who didn’t really have any friends and didn’t seem to want any. Far be it from her, though, to get in the way of someone willing to try and turn over a new leaf. She wasn’t terribly fond of the idea of meeting on the roof, of course, but she realized he’d probably feel more comfortable without a lot of other people around.

It wasn’t long after that she heard the sound of footsteps echoing up the nearby stairwell, stopping for moment before the door slowly opened and Mikuni stepped out onto the roof.
“H-hi Yui! I’m sorry I took so long getting here, I was asked to carry some tests through to the teacher’s lounge for Ms. Lunatique. I hope you weren’t waiting too long!” he said, with a nervous laugh, clearly trying to fight through his anxieties.

“No no, that’s OK! I’ve only been here a couple of minutes!”

“M-mind if I take a seat next to you?”

“Not at all!”

“Thanks!” he said, stiffly walking over to the bench and sitting as far away from her as he possibly could, worried that he’d somehow upset her if he got too close, before laying down his lunchbox between them. At a complete loss for any other small talk that could fill what he perceived as an agonizingly awkward silence, he decided get right to the point. “I kinda got a little carried away and made a lot of food, so feel free to eat as much as you want! If you don’t like it though, that’s OK!” he said with a shy smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be lovely!” she said, trying to hide a smile as Mikuni started blushing slightly before he stared straight down at the lunchbox, trying to hide his face as he opened it up. “Oh gosh, that looks really good, Mikuni!”

“Thanks! I’m really happy with how it all turned out!” he chirped, Yui’s positive reaction resurging the pride he’d felt last night. “I didn’t want to experiment too much, so I just focused on dishes I already know pretty well. I did my best to make sure they’d end up as perfect as possible! Feel free to get started!”

Yui grabbed a set of chopsticks from the box and looked down at all the food he’d laid out, before she smiled sheepishly at Mikuni. “Haha, it all looks so lovely, I’m not really sure what to go for first!”

“Oh! My favorite’s the chicken, but-” he started to explain, before they heard the door to the roof open.

“Ah, Yui! Hi there!”

A chipper, friendly voice suddenly called out to Yui from the stairwell, and the two of them quickly turned to see who it belonged to.

“H-hi Lala…” Yui replied, nervously. “Wh-what are you doing up here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, haha!” Lala laughed back, causing a blush to spread across Yui’s face as she was caught red handed. “I’m trying to find my phone! I got all worried about it, so Haruna and I are searching the whole school trying to find it.”

“Jeez, try be more careful…” Yui mumbled, all too aware of the fact that, despite being a remarkably gifted student, Lala was extraordinarily careless when it came to just about everything else. And, when she was careless, it usually meant trouble. “A-and I was just eating with a friend. W-well, we were about to start, anyway…”

“Oh gosh! That looks so yummy!” she cried out, rushing over to the two of them and peering over at the food. “Did you make this, Yui? Can I have some?!” she asked, excitedly.

“W-well, it wasn’t actually me who made it, my friend Mikuni here was responsible for it,” Yui responded, pointing to Mikuni, who Lala seemed to have completely managed to avoid seeing.

“Oh, hi there! I’m Lala, it’s nice to meet you! Your food looks really good!” she said, waving at Mikuni.

“Nice to meet you too…” he responded shyly. “If you’d like to try some, I don’t mind at all. I made quite a lot, ahaha…”

“Yay! Thank you so much!” Lala cried out, before picking up some chopsticks and hastily tossing a piece of chicken into her mouth. “Wow! This really is good!” she said happily, picking up the box and sniffing at its contents. “Y’know, I bet with just a little bit of this…” she trailed off, still smiling happily. With her free hand, she dug into one of her skirt pockets, pulled out what looked like a salt shaker, and quickly started sprinkling it on the rest of the food. She helped herself to another piece of chicken, chewing it happily before sighing contentedly, letting out a blissful, “So good!”

“H-hey, Lala! That was Mikuni’s!” Yui yelled, watching as Mikuni’s expression grew increasingly worried. While he was concerned that the lunch he’d prepared was about to cause a fight, Yui was more concerned about what what Lala had added to the food more than what she’d taken. She knew first hand just how dangerous eating anything of hers could be.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I completely forgot! It was just so yummy, that I...well…got ahead of myself, haha!” she laughed cheerfully, apparently oblivious as to why this could be seen as any kind of problem. “It’s OK! Huma- er, well, you two won’t taste it anyway, I promise!”

“I-It’s not a problem! I’m sure it’ll be even better now!” Mikuni stammered, hoping that what she said was true and that it really wouldn’t affect the taste too much. He really wanted Yui to enjoy it...

“Anyway, I’m sorry for barging in on you two! It doesn’t look like my phone’s up here after all. See you in class, Yui! And thanks for the food, Mi...Mikan!” she said, stumbling over Mikuni’s name before declaring something totally wrong that she was confident was right before rushing off, giving neither Mikuni nor Yui a chance to respond.

“Mikan…?” Mikuni asked, confused by the strange girl’s behavior.

“She...she moves at her own pace,” Yui said, sighing to herself, before quickly changing the topic. “But...well, would you like me to buy us something from the cafeteria instead? She might’ve put something bad in your food…”

“Oh, that’s OK! I don’t think she’d do anything like that, haha!” Mikuni said, hastily picking up a rice ball and taking a large bite out of it before Yui could even begin to stop him, smiling as he started to chew. “See? It still tastes as good as ever! Whatever she put on, I really can’t taste it.”

“A-are you sure? You don’t feel sick, or...maybe a little disoriented?” she asked, checking to make sure nothing was about to happen to him.

“I feel just fine, but thank you for asking!” he responded, keeping as upbeat as he could. Despite Lala’s weird interruption, the food really did taste just as good as it always had, and he didn’t want his time with Yui to go to waste. “If you don’t want to eat any, though, that’s OK…” he mumbled.

“N-no, I do! If you say it tastes good, I believe you!” she said, taking some of the chicken and giving it a small, curious nibble, her eyes lighting up as she did so. “It’s really good, Mikuni!” she said, finishing up the rest of the piece happily. “You should be a chef or something!”

“Thank you so much! I’m not that good though, I bet the food you make is way better! I’d love to learn from someone like you…” he responded, his voice growing softer as he spoke, worrying he sounded weird or creepy.

“Not at all! If anything, you should be teaching me a thing or two!” Yui responded, happily trying out some of the salad. As she spoke, Mikuni suddenly felt dizzy, confused as the world around him seemed to spin. Still, Yui continued, apparently unaffected by whatever was getting to him. “I’ve never made anything that tastes...”

Mikuni’s disorientation only grew, his own thoughts becoming less and less clear, leaving him unable to focus on much beyond what Yui was saying, though even that soon began to fade away, becoming increasingly distant the more she spoke.

Mikuni watched as Yui stood at the counter, carefully tying the apron behind her back before smiling down at her.

“For something like this, we’ll want to dice it really finely, so that all the pieces are close to the same size. It can be pretty dangerous when you’re using such a sharp knife, though, so make sure you always make a cat’s paw with your free hand, OK?” she asked, holding up her hand in front of her with her fingers curled down to the top of her palm.

“Mm-hmm! Don’t worry sis, I’ve got it! I’ve cooked with you tons of times before, silly!”

“Jeez…” she pouted, “I just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all!”

“Ehehe, sorry about that, sis! You do get really cute when you’re all concerned about me though,” Mikuni responded, standing up on her tiptoes as she leaned in to give Yui a small peck on the cheek. She couldn’t help but giggle some more as she saw Yui’s already bright blush spread even further.

“O-o-o-of course I’m concerned,” Yui stammered out, quickly pulling down her hand as she realized she’d had it up the whole time. “You’re my darling sister and I’d hate for anything to happen to you…”

“And I love you, too!” she responded, picking up the knife her sister had put down and getting to work. She smiled to herself as she heard Yui flail about, making extra noise as she took out a pot, as though it could cover her embarrassment.

Suddenly, he was pulled back to reality, his eyes refocusing to see Yui placing her arms on his shoulders, a grim expression on her face.

“A-are you OK? Mikuni?!” Yui asked, sounding more worried than Mikuni had ever heard her get before.

“S-sorry for worrying you, Yui! I just sorta lost my train of thought for a second, I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure? You promise you’re not feeling strange?”

“I’m OK, I promise…” he said, blushing slightly as he thought back on his strange dream. What was all of that, anyway? He was with Yui but...he was...younger and...a girl? Yui’s younger sister, no less. He was certain that Yui didn’t have any sisters but...why would he picture himself that way anyway?

He shook his head. It was nothing, he was sure. He told himself it’d just been because he’d thought of what Yui would be like at home, that he was just getting caught up in his own imagination. That must’ve been it, there was no other real explanation for any of it.

“You ate some of my food as well, and you seem OK, after all,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“I-I am, but…”

“Wh-what’s your favorite part so far? It’s OK if you can’t pick!” he asked, diverting the conversation as far away from what had just happened as possible.

“W-well…” she began, trying to push Mikuni’s strange trance out of her mind, “It’s all so good, but I think I have to agree with you. The chicken’s my favorite!” she said, as cheerfully as possible.

“That’s great to hear!” he said, reaching for another piece himself. “I spent a long time making sure I got the recipe juuuust- Huh?” he cut himself off as he spoke. His arms suddenly tensed up, sending his chopsticks slipping out of his hand and the piece of chicken he’d been holding tumbling right back into the lunchbox. “Haha, I guess I’m kinda clumsy today! A-at least it didn’t fall onto the floor or something!” he said, laughing sheepishly as he picked up his chopsticks once more, dismayed to find his sleeve hanging loosely over his hand. He tugged it up slightly before going back to eating, moving to pick up the piece again as Yui stared at him, her expression looking more and more worried by the second.

“I-is everything OK, Yui?”

“Y-your eyes are… Wh-what color are they, again?”

“Ah...they’re a kinda dull brown, I guess? Really dark and- Ah!” he let out a yelp as his arms tensed up once more, his chopsticks flying out of his grip and clattering against the floor. “Jeez, I dunno why my grip’s so bad today…” As he reached to pick them up once again, he noticed that his sleeve was now completely engulfing his hand. His face scrunched up into a look of confusion as he hiked up his sleeve, pulling it nearly up to his elbow, his face shifting to shock as he noticed that the fingers that had just started to wrap around the chopsticks were now less stubby and far more slender than they’d been before, leading down to hands that seemed positively tiny.

Panicking, he quickly pushed his sleeve back down, but not before Yui’s hand had wrapped around his, pulling his arm forward and the strange, unfamiliar hand out of his shirt. She stared quizzically at the petite hand, a shiver running through Mikuni’s body as she ran one of her own elegant fingers across it. “Wh-what’s wrong, Yui?” he stammered, failing to sound unconcerned by whatever was happening to him..

All of a sudden, he felt his whole body tense up, the look of shock on his face quickly betraying just how worried he was to Yui. His hand pulled away out of her grip as his arms shrunk down even further, thinning down significantly as they did. His shoulders pressed in, reducing his frame to the point where his shirt had started to look comically large on him. He felt the slippers he was wearing slip off of his feet, the chilly autumn air winding its way up the legs of his pants as his legs started to shorten, leaving them now dangling just slightly off the ground as he sat on the bench.

“Y-you’re..I think you’re...changing…” she stammered back, nervously. “Your hands were even smaller than mine… And your body...it’s so small now… Your eyes, too, they...they’re lighter, almost golden…” she said as she got up close to his face, watching his eyes intently as they seemed to get just a little larger and his lashes began to thicken slightly.

“I-I’m changing?! Wh-what does that even meAN?!” he asked, his voice cracking at the end of his sentence as his throat locked up for the briefest moment. Yui’s gaze was pulled downwards and she watched as his Adam’s Apple melted away, leaving his neck looking slender and smooth, though the change seemed to finally give him some relief and allowed him to talk once more. “H-how is that even...how is…? Oh gosh, I sound so...so different!” he cried out, everything he said driving in just how drastically his voice had been altered, something about the foreignness of it cementing what was happening even more than his greatly diminished frame. It had taken on a far, far higher pitch than it ever had, with a hint of childishness seeping into his every word. As much as he didn’t want to say it, it sounded remarkably girlish, too, leaving no traces of his usual, fairly masculine voice. “What’s happening to me, Yui?!” he asked, still panicking.

“It’s...it’s going to sound crazy, I’m sure but...I...I think you’re changing into a girl, Mikuni...” she replied, trying to remain as calm as possible. “Whatever Lala put in the food, it’s doing...this...to you.”

Mikuni tried to reply, but found himself growing dizzy once more, an odd feeling spreading over his face. Though he couldn’t see it, after what Yui had said he knew that it too was changing. A surprisingly pleasant sensation rushed through his tiny body as his skin lightened, taking with it any and all body hair he’d once possessed and giving him a softer, healthier-looking complexion. His chin gradually lost its definition, growing less pronounced and reshaping into a gentle, cute curve. His cheeks puffed out slightly, making his face look even softer and rounder, as his nose shrank down to match his diminishing features, becoming a cute, slightly upturned point while his lips took on a cute pink tone, getting just a little fuller. The changes to his face made him look so much younger than he had before, his already bigger eyes giving him a more naturally friendly, cuter expression that was only aided by his still thickening, luscious eyelashes, and eyebrows that grew smaller and less bushy by the second, reshaping into cute, feminine arcs. His hair soon followed suit, his light brown, fairly dull cut rapidly growing longer and thicker, his bangs beginning to fall into his line of sight. It took on a natural waviness as it turned a far darker, chocolate shade. A few strands framed his face cutely, falling naturally over his shoulders as some of his locks slipped into the collar of his shirt and gently tickled his lower back.

“I-it’s so long…” he said, almost in awe of how silky and soft it felt as he untucked as much of it as he could from his clothing. He could feel it whip around him as he looked over his body, trying to examine as much of it as he could.

“B-but why isn’t anything happening to you? A-are you sure you’re not...changing too?” he asked, fighting through his own shock to ensure that Yui was OK.

Much to his surprise, she started blushing furiously, looking away and stammering out a quick, “I-I guess it doesn’t affect girls!” before she quickly pushed the attention back off of her. “B-but...Mikuni, it’s...I know this is scary, but don’t worry. I...I promise you’ll be OK. I’m going to help you, no matter what,” she said, desperately trying to reassure the likely terrified, soon to be girl in front of her.

Mikuni’s eyes widened at her response, how calm and level-headed she was able to be, doing her best to reassure him and acting so kind and warm. It reminded him exactly of how she was in the fantasy he’d had, when she’d been looking out for the little sister she loved so much, wanting to make sure that no harm, no matter how minor, came to her. He looked down at his body, how much smaller he was, then looking back up at Yui, unable to shake the image he had in his dream of her sister looking up at her. “N-no way...it’s just like…”

“L-like what?” Yui asked, nervously.

“A little bit ago, when I zoned out, I...I had a weird daydream and you...you were in it with me. I was a few years younger and, well...a girl…and you were calling me your younger sister...”

“You mean…?” Yui flinched, the situation sounding oddly familiar to her.

“I think that’s why I’m getting so...so small...“ he said, wincing slightly as his shoulders narrowed a little further, changes sweeping across his arms and making them more slender and girlish by the second, with hands that looked positively adorable now, tipped off with longer, cuter nails. “I’m...I’m getting younger, too. I’m becoming the girl I was in my daydream...the girl you were treating like your sister...”

“Oh god, Mikuni, I…” Yui stumbled over herself, not sure how to reassure him at all as he faced down a situation all too familiar to her.

“I-It’s OK, Yui,” Mikuki replied. “It’s...it’s scary, but, y-you’re here, so I’ll be OK, right? I’m going to be a girl, but that’s not a bad thing if I’m...if I’m not alone,” she said, accepting her fate with as much strength and courage as she could possibly muster, smiling up at the girl who was now much taller than herself.

As worried as Yui had been, she found herself smiling back. If Mikuni was going to take this in stride, than so was she. She promised her that she’d be there for her, and she wasn’t going to go back on that.

“Oof…” Mikuni muttered, clutching at her sides, “I...I wish it felt a little less weird though, ahaha…” She laughed nervously, feeling as her waist slowly began to pinch in, giving her what, beneath her increasingly heavy, baggy clothes at least, looked like the beginnings of a small hourglass figure, the slight weight in her stomach beginning to ripple and melt away, leaving her with a flat, soft core. “I-it’s also kind of a pain, aha, all these clothes getting so bulky...they’re...they’re surprisingly heavy,” she said, grunting a little as she struggled to slip out of her jacket, the comfort that it would bring when it was gone far outweighing the warmth it provided against the chilly wind.

She stood up for a moment, looking over her body and the way her shirt clung loosely to her now adorably petite frame. She rolled up her sleeves to stop them flapping uselessly over her hands, taking in exactly how skinny her arms had become. “I’m...I’m kinda tiny, haha…” she laughed, trying to remain as upbeat as possible. She was grateful, at least, that her pants were still barely hanging on. “I just hope I’m not getting too young…” she muttered, before feeling an odd, almost tingly feeling in her chest, sending little pulses of pleasure coursing through her body as it rubbed against her clothing. She looked down, blushing as she saw her shirt slowly beginning to lift slightly at her chest, tenting out as two adorable, perky boobs began to rise up. Through the fabric of her clothes, she could just barely see her nipples turning a light, pretty pink before getting just a little puffier, growing increasingly sensitive as they did. Out of curiosity, she pulled out her shirt just enough to peek inside, her face swiftly turning crimson as she saw her new cute, albeit tiny boobs sitting happily on her body, before quickly remembering that she had company with her.

“I-I’m so sorry, Yui! I just got curious, and, well, I…”

“I-i-i-it’s fine!” Yui said, looking away as her face turned just as deep a shade of red as Mikuni’s. “A...a lot’s happening, after all!” she said, desperately looking for some way to ease the awkwardness of the situation.

Mikuni, however, simply started to grow dizzy once more, steadying herself against the bench as her line of sight got just a little lower to the ground, before her pants finally gave up the ghost, slipping down and pooling around her ankles. The two of them blushed more brightly than they’d ever thought possible, even though her shirt was now bulky and long enough to leave everything above her knees completely covered, making her further reduced height even more apparent.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It looked like they were going to hold on! I didn’t think I’d get even shorter!” she said, bending down to pull them up as Yui turned completely around. She was stopped dead in her tracks, however, as she got a glimpse of her legs, watching as her calves got increasingly slender and cute, leading up to thighs that slowly thickened, gaining a little bit of girlish fat that left them looking remarkably soft and supple, even for her size, though with the milky tone her skin had taken on, every inch of her looked soft and wonderfully huggable. That image was only emphasized by her slowly widening hips, which gently curved outwards from her slender waist, looking more and more luscious as her butt began to fill out, getting softer and more plump by the second and taking on a wonderfully full, cute heart shape that was almost at odds with her petite frame. Hastily pulling her pants back up and sitting down on the bench once more, she saw the socks she’d been wearing hanging uselessly off of her, and kicked them off to see her much slimmer, positively tiny feet.

She let out a soft, nervous sigh, glad that her pants were back on and eager to leave that embarrassment behind her. She went to turn towards Yui, fully prepared to apologize again for everything that had been happening, but paused as she started to feel an intense heat spreading between her legs. Mikuni shuffled a little in her seat, wondering if she’d sat on something or was just in a bad position. Those possibilities went out the window, though, as she felt the heat seeping up inside of her belly, the burn it brought pulsing almost hungrily. A very different blush started to creep into her cheeks now, causing her to bite onto her lower lip to try and stifle whatever might come out, certain that even Yui’s patience would break if she’d voiced what she was feeling right now. She placed her hands on her thighs, wanting desperately to move them lower, down between her legs where everything felt so wonderful and tingly, but didn’t dare, instead squeezing her fingers into her soft thighs as she exercised every ounce of restraint she had. Even her nipples had started to throb, each little gust of wind that rubbed the fabric against them making Mikuni feel like she’d faint then and there, lost to a sensation he couldn’t even begin to describe. Mikuni closed her eyes and desperately willed herself not to moan, to voice just how amazing and sensitive every inch of her body felt, shaking a little and hoping Yui simply dismissed it as a chill now that her jacket was off. The little quakes that spread through her body slowly started to die down, and she felt muscles she hadn’t even realized had tensed relax. She felt a little light-headed, like she was floating, and there was a slight damp feeling between her legs now, but she also felt fulfilled, in some strange way, like maybe all of that signified the end of her change, that things were going to be alright now. She took her hands off of her thighs, smoothing out the wrinkles her clenched fingers had left, and tried to collect herself again now that things seemed to be over.

“Yui…” Mikuni said, a dreamy smile spread across her face.

“Y-yeah?”

“I think...everything’s done now...” Her eyes grew heavy as she spoke, her position on the bench growing more and more relaxed.

“E-everything?” Yui asked, blushing at what she now realized the smaller girl had meant.

“Yeah...everything…” she answered, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I think I’m just gonna...rest for a little bit. I...I promise I’m OK, Yui…” she continued, before her eyes shut completely, leaning over to one side as blissful sleep soon washed over her.

~~~

Mikuni shuddered, pulling the blanket over her head and forcing herself to shut her eyes. She knew it was childish, but thunderstorms had always terrified her, leaving her, at worst, almost totally paralyzed. This was one such night, with a storm so fierce it had completely knocked out the power to their house, plunging Mikuni’s room into darkness, the flash of lightning outside providing absolutely no solace whatsoever.

“It’s...it’s just a storm. There’s no need to get so-”

Another flash of lightning flared up, with the accompanying, almost deafening cracking sound sending chills down her spine.

“C-come on!” she cried out, “Cut it out, this is...this is way too much…” she continued, her voice growing softer and softer as her fears caught up with her. “Just...just give me a break, please…”

She grabbed a pillow, hugging it as tightly as she possibly could and doing her best to wish the storm away.

“Sis, are you OK?!” she heard a voice call out, her door bursting open. Mikuni, unable to maintain any composure, leapt up out of bed and pressed herself against a wall, shutting her eyes so tightly that it almost hurt, terrified of whatever was about to happen to her.

“Sis?! It’s...it’s me. I’m sorry I gave you a fright…”

Mikuni opened her eyes, looking up to see her older sister Yui smiling down at her, a flashlight in hand.

“I just know that storms are kinda tough on you, and I wanted to make sure you were hanging in there…” she said, slowly walking closer to Mikuni before wrapping her arms around her younger sister, hugging her tightly. “It’s OK now, I promise. I know how scary the storm is, but it’ll be over soon.”

Yui smiled as she felt Mikuni’s head resting against her shoulder, weakly returning the hug with her shaking arms.

“Why don’t we get into bed, hmm? I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

“You don’t have to do that, sis... I-I’ll be OK…”

“Oh? And what if I told you it would help me, too? Truth be told, thunder scares me quite a bit, too.”

“You’re just saying that…” Mikuni grumbled.

“It’s true! I was holed up in my room for a while, and I just couldn’t calm down at all. There was no way I’d be able to get through this one without some help. But now…” she said, smiling warmly and hugging Mikuni even tighter, “We’ve got each other, so it’ll be OK!”

Despite her earlier grumbling, Mikuni couldn’t help but smile at that, Yui’s warm, loving hug leaving her feeling more at ease than she’d have ever expected. Slowly, she stood up, moving back onto the bed with her older sister in tow, the two of the snuggling up against each other happily.

“Feeling a little better, sis?” Yui asked.

“Y-yeah, I think so. Sorry I got so freaked out earlier…”

“It’s OK! I shouldn’t have barged in like that.”

“Haha, it was almost dorky, you rushing in to check up on me like that.” Mikuni laughed, lightly teasing her older sister.

“Jeez, I was worried about you…” Yui pouted.

“I know, sis…” Mikuni said, nestling her head against Yui’s warm chest. “I love that about you. You’re so sweet and loving and…incredible. I hope I can be like you one day…” she continued, slowly beginning to drift off to sleep.

Yui gently kissed her sister’s forehead and smiled warmly. “You already are, silly.”

~~~

“So, did you ever get any kind of confession?”

“Shut up! I told you, she doesn’t think of me that way! I’m...pretty sure she doesn’t, anyway...”

“I guess the way things went kinda throws a spanner in all of it if she did, huh?”

“Yeah, but… We’re gonna help her, aren’t we?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”

As Mikuni’s eyes slowly fluttered open, she could vaguely hear two voices nearby talking about...her, it seemed. The second she’d regained consciousness, she knew that what had happened to her was far too vivid, and, frankly, far too strange to be any kind of dream, but still, she peeked into the blanket she woke up to find herself covered by, seeing her small, girlish frame dressed in an incredibly loose men’s dress shirt.

“Oh! Look who decided to join us!” Mikuni heard the older of the two voices say, cheerfully. Sitting up and looking in the direction of the voice, she blushed and tucked herself away at the sight of Ryouko Mikado, the school’s nurse, looking down at her and smiling, worried about letting anyone else find out about what had happened. “Oh honey, I promise you’ve got nothing to hide from me. I know all about your little incident today, Mikuni.”

“H-how?”

“She told me! After bravely carrying you here all by herself, of course.” Mikado said, pointing at a nearby chair. Mikuni looked over to see Yui blushing slightly.

“It’s OK, Mikuni, she’s going to help,” Yui said, quickly adding a concerned, “How are you feeling?”

Mikuni sighed, relieved that Yui was still by her side. She’d never really dealt with Mikado much before, but if Yui said she could help, then she’d trust her. “I feel...pretty good, honestly. I slept really well…”

“If it’s OK with you…” Mikado started, “Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions? I’m curious about why this would’ve happened.”

“Sure, go right ahead,” Mikuni said, feeling far calmer now that she’d gotten over her initial worries about Mikado.

“Yui said you had a daydream before all of your changes started. Did anything like that happen now, while you were in bed?”

“Mmm...” Mikuni started, “I was...Yui’s younger sister. The first one was me cooking with her, the other...well…”

“It’s OK if you don’t want to give out any of the details. But you were her younger sister in both of them?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t really say how I looked, but...well, if I had to guess, probably a little like I do now.”

“Have you ever really fantasized about being like that? A girl, or younger, or...well, both? ”

“N-no, not really.”

“Any reason why Yui would be in your dreams?”

“Ryouko!” Yui huffed, her face reddening once more.

“Haha, something on your mind, Yui?” Mikado teased, sticking out her tongue at the younger girl.

“N-no, it’s just...it’s a private question.”

“I don’t mind answering! It’s...it’s a little embarrassing, but considering what’s happened, I probably shouldn’t get hung up on that. I’ve just...always really looked up to you, Yui. I want to be more like you, more...reliable and friendly and warm, someone that people could depend on. I wanted to make lunch for you because...I guess I just wanted to thank you for everything you do. I’m sorry if that seems weird…”

Yui was taken aback, fully expecting her to say something about having a crush on her after all the teasing Mikado had done. “No, it’s not weird…” she started, her blush slowly fading, “That’s sweet, Mikuni. I don’t think I deserve that kind of praise though.”

“Haha!” Mikuni laughed, sweetly. “I thought you’d say something like that! But...no, you do, you really do. Even when all this was happening to me…” she gestured at her smaller body, “You helped me stay strong. I wasn’t scared because you were there, and I knew you’d help me out.”

“Jeez, pile it on any more and poor Yui’s going to collapse!” Mikado laughed, looking over at Yui as she stared out the window, poorly trying to hide her goofy, happy smile.

“I’m sorry if this is weird to ask, Ms. Mikado, but...do you two know each other? You seem so friendly.”

“Mind if I tell her?” Mikado asked Yui.

“G-go ahead. There’s no reason to hide it, I’m sure she won’t tell anyone else.”

“Oh goodie! You’re the first person I get to tell this to! Yui and I are married!”

“M-Married?!” both Yui and Mikuni spat out.

“Ahaha, you two are so cute when you get all flustered! To be fair, it’s not official, but she and I live together. For all intents and purposes, we’re together, and we want to stay together forever.” She smiled at Mikuni, before turning towards Yui and asking, “That sound better, sweetie?”

“Y-yeah, I guess so…”

“S-sorry for asking, Yui!” Mikuni cried out, deeply worried she’d upset her.

“No, it’s fine, I promise,” Yui replied. “Just...don’t tell anyone, OK?”

“I won’t, I swear,” she said, before looking down at herself once more, seeing how poorly her own clothes now fit her. “Not like I could really tell anyone much of anything looking like this anyway, haha…” she laughed, shyly.

“We should talk about that, actually. Your new body, I mean,” Mikado said, her teasing tone making way for something far more serious.

“Y-yeah, I suppose so.”

“I’m going to keep this brief, but can you promise me something first, Mikuni?”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t get freaked out, OK? Yui and I are going to make sure that everything goes well for you. Oh, and no ‘that’s not possible!’ remarks either, there’s no room for doubt here, haha.”

“It’s scary now, I’m sure,” Yui started, “but I swear, we’ll be here for you every step of the way.”

“I’ll...I’ll stay strong,” Mikuni said, smiling at the both of them.

“So first off, you changed because...well, Yui told me you saw Lala Deviluke earlier, right? Well, since you’ve just completely turned into a girl, it shouldn’t be too hard of a pill for you to swallow when you hear she’s not a human. She’s an alien. As far as I can tell from what Yui told me, she poured something called Dark Matter onto your food, since her species uses it in cooking fairly often. Humans, though, don’t have much of a stomach for the stuff, so to say, and it’s likely that it meshed poorly with your own biology, leading to...well, this.”

Mikuni sighed. It sounded ridiculous, but like Mikado had said, given what had happened, she had little reason to rule out the possibility.

“If you want further proof, well…” Mikado tucked some of her hair back, revealing her fairly long, pointed ears. “I’m an alien too. Different species than Lala, but I’m fairly familiar with her kind. I worked as a doctor offworld before settling on Earth. As for why it didn’t affect Yui…” Mikuni was too preoccupied to notice, but Yui tensed up as Mikado spoke. “It just doesn’t have the same effect on girls, I suppose.” Yui let out a soft sigh of relief at that, letting Mikado continue. “This is all secret though, got it?”

“Y-yeah, don’t worry. It’s...well, it’s a lot to take in, ahaha…” she laughed nervously. “But, well, I’m going to have to learn to deal with a lot of...surprises, it seems. I get the feeling I know the answer, but...I can’t change back, can I?” Mikuni asked.

“You can’t. That Dark Matter you consumed is completely intertwined with your body now, but...and forgive me if this is presumptuous, but you don’t want to change back, do you?”

Mikuni sighed, before smiling back at the two of them gently. “I...I kinda don’t, you’re right.”

“Do you mind telling us why?”

“Mikuni, you don’t...you don’t need to tell us anything you don’t want to,” Yui reassured her.

“It’s OK, I don’t mind at all. Truthfully, I never really enjoyed...well, being me,” she started, looking down at her hands. “I live alone. My family’s never been terribly close to me. They send money each month and leave it at that. I’ve not seen or heard from any of them in years… I...I always wanted a family, but they clearly didn’t want me around, so…” She looked back at the two of them, a determined, calm expression on her face. “It sounds sad, I know but...I’m kind of glad that’s not me anymore. I’m...I’m… Well, I’ll find a name soon. I don’t know where I’ll go from here, and I’m not sure what I’ll do but...this is a second chance. I’m going to find my happiness, I know it.”

“Mikuni…” Yui said, picking herself up and walking up to the bed, “No, you’re...you’re Mikan.” she added, borrowing the name Lala had fumbled for earlier before hugging the smaller girl gently. “I told you Ryouko and I were here for you, didn’t I? So don’t you worry about a thing, you got that? You’re with us now. We’re...we’re family.”

“We sure are. Don’t forget it, Mikan,” Mikado added, winking at the smaller girl who, at present, was struggling to hold back her tears.

Mikan chuckled softly at the name, but smiled as she realized how well it now fit her, hugging Yui back warmly. “Thank you both so, so, so much. I’m...I’m just not sure what to say…”

“You don’t have to say a thing, sis…” Yui said warmly, tightening her hug before Mikado joined in, wrapping the both of them up gently. “We’re going to help you find your happiness and hold onto it, so that you never have to spend another night alone again. We’re with you, and we always will be.”

Mikan just smiled, unable to say much of anything until Mikado finally broke the silence, pulling out of the hug.

“Well, I think that pretty much settles where you’ll go. As for what you’ll do...well, unfortunately you’re quite a bit younger now, not even a teenager. I don’t envy you, having to repeat a few years, but I can probably pull some strings with one of the schools nearby and get you set up over there.”

“Ahaha, no passing me off as a particularly youthful high schooler, I take it?” Mikan asked, jokingly.

“Nobody in the galaxy’s going to believe you’re anywhere close to Yui’s age, honey. Besides, it’ll be easier to keep things under wraps if you’re moved out of this school.”

“Oh, I understand. I was mostly kidding, anyway. I’m going to make the most of this, I promise!”

“And you can start…” Mikado said, digging through a closet and pulling out a set of clothes, “By getting dressed. Unless you wanna wear that bulky shirt all the way home.”

“N-no, new clothes sound good.” She blushed gently, idly wondering why Mikado had something like this in her office at all. “D-do you mind giving me a little privacy while I put them on, though?”

“Awww, but it’s such a cute outfit-”

“O-of course!” Yui stammered, cutting off Mikado and grabbing her by the arm, before pulling the curtains surrounding the bed closed.

Mikan smiled as she looked at the clothes she’d been given, they were girly, certainly, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. If she was going to embrace her new life, she couldn’t be scared of things like that. Picking up the pair of panties, she blushed for a moment before sliding them up her legs, loving how snugly they fit on her surprisingly wide hips, hugging at her body. She then moved on to the cute yellow blouse, pulling off her heavy, bulky men’s shirt and leaving it on the bed, happy to be rid of it. The blouse fit her far better anyway, placing a surprising emphasis on her small chest, and she adored the feeling of the frilly sleeves gently tickling her arms. She then pulled on the cute purple camisole, smiling happily at how well it complimented her top, looking surprisingly mature on her tiny frame. Lastly, she got to work on the cute, ruffly skirt, fumbling for a while before finding a position where it felt most comfortable on her hips. Though she’d never worn anything like it before, she did love how freeing it all felt, and the way it showed off her long, supple legs. She idly noted that she didn’t have a bra, but figured that at her size, she hardly needed one anyway. Stepping out of the curtain, she smiled sheepishly at Mikado and Yui.

“D-does it look good?”

“It does!” Yui replied cheerfully. “But I think I can make it even cuter! Do you mind?”

“Oh, go right ahead, sis!” Mikan answered, a sense of bliss filling her as she realized how comfortable she already was treating them like family.

Yui walked up to her and pulled what looked like a beaded bracelet out of her skirt pocket before gathering up some of Mikan’s long, silky locks and clasping what she now realized was a hair tie around them right at the top of her head, the soft, chocolate brown hair poking out in every direction. She quickly walked towards a nearby mirror to see what Yui had done, loving how adorable the updo made her look, before hearing Yui gasp behind her, while Mikado let out a soft chuckle.

“Hmm?” she turned back towards them, seeing Yui pointing sheepishly at her skirt. Looking down to see whatever the problem was, a light blush spread across her face as she saw her skirt bunching up at the top, lifting it in the back and giving the other girls a full view of her panties.

Quickly tugging it down, her blush grew more and more intense before she huffed, “I-It’s my first time wearing a skirt! I stumbled with it, that’s all!”

“No no, it was cute, Mikan!” Mikado laughed. “I’m glad to see the panties fit.”

“Ryouko! Quit it! The poor girl’s had a busy day!”

“And I’m just letting her know she looks adorable! Really, you do! Barely a day of being a girl and you’re already turning heads!”

“C-can we drop this?!” Yui asked, clearly as flustered as Mikan was, with the smaller girl mouthing a shy “thank you” as Mikado began to back off.

“Haha, sorry, sorry. Let’s go home, hmm? We can order some takeout to celebrate Mikan’s arrival.”

“A-actually…” Mikan asked, smiling at the others, “If it’s OK with the both of you, I’d like to make dinner tonight!”

“Oh? Well, who am I to turn down such a generous offer? Of course you can cook.”

“Mikan, do you mind if...if I cook together with you?” Yui asked, smiling happily.

“That sounds perfect, sis!” Mikan cried out, hugging Yui warmly. “Let’s make something delicious!”

~~~

“Oh, gonna take a nap, Ryouko?” Mikan asked as the older woman lay down on their hotel room’s bed, lazily pulling the covers halfway up over her body.

“Mmm. I’ve been driving for 6 hours, I need a break. Wake me before you get dinner?”

“Sure! I’m actually gonna take a walk around town, so I’ll let you know if I find any good looking restaurants!” Mikan responded, nodding happily.

“Oh, I’ll come with you!” Yui chimed in. “I’m a little worn down myself, though. Do you mind if we stop by the coffee shop next door first, sis?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“Mikan, don’t forget your scarf, OK? It’s chilly out.”

“Haha, got it, sis.” Mikan laughed, wrapping her scarf around her neck and putting on a pair of earmuffs before heading to the door with Yui, the two of them waving and calling out “Sleep well, Ryouko!” and getting a tired mumble in response.

Despite everything that had happened to Mikan, the months she’d spent living with her new family had been nothing short of idyllic. Heading to a new school and coping with her age was tricky at first, but she quickly found herself making friends and opening up to them in a way she’d never really been able to in the past. Her home life, however, was even better, allowing her to experience the happy life she’d always wanted, but was never able to. She had a family, one that loved her and that she loved, and, if anything, she found that being a girl was extremely liberating. It allowed her to indulge even more in behaviors that she’d repressed before, worried that they’d be deemed too girly by her family or friends. Her cooking benefited the greatest, as just knowing that she was making food for other people who loved her and appreciated it was enough to motivate her to constantly try new recipes to keep things interesting for her family, while she trained and honed her techniques to make what she was already good at even better, with Yui frequently joining in, giving the two a chance to relax and do something that they adored together.

She smiled to herself as the two of them stepped out the front door of their hotel, surveying the scenery around her while Yui went to buy a cup of coffee. In her old life, she’d never managed to get out of the city, and while she loved her hometown dearly, being given a chance to see even a small part of the world outside of it was endlessly exciting to her. When Ryouko had told her and Yui that she’d won a week’s stay at a mountainous resort town, she could hardly believe how lucky she was.

“It’s so pretty!” she cried out happily. The town was a fairly popular tourist destination, so it was hardly empty, but it still boasted a pleasant stillness she’d never really experienced before, loving the serene, idyllic scenery that surrounded her, the chill in the air almost completely offset by how warm and upbeat she felt.

“Enjoying yourself, Mikan?” Yui asked, stepping out into the street with a drink in hand.

“Yep! I’ve never really been anywhere like this before! Make sure I don’t act too obviously like a tourist, OK sis?”

“Haha, it’s my first time out of the city in years, so we might have to watch out for each other there.”

“I’ll bet! I hear that they get all kinds of wildlife here! There’s a trail nearby where we can go feed some deer, too! I bet you’re itching to go do that, huh?”

A goofy, blissful smile spread across Yui’s face as Mikan spoke, before she quickly caught herself, blushing bright red and stammering out an embarrassed, clearly forced “O-ohhhh, they have something like that? Th-that could be nice, I...I suppose.”

“Gosh, sis, you’re an awful actress!” Mikan teased, wrapping her arms around Yui. “You don’t have to hide it from me, I’m excited too!”

Yui sighed, putting her free arm around Mikan and smiling. “Yeah, you’re right. It’ll be really fun! I wonder if we can get Ryouko to come with…?”

“Haha, I’m sure we can rope her into it!”

The two girls walked around for a few more minutes, peering into the shops around them, practically drooling at every restaurant they passed by, before one, a little larger and more modern-looking than the rest, caught their attention. Mikan rushed over to read the sign by the front door.

“Oh wow! I’ve never heard of a restaurant that doubles as a hotspring! Let’s check this place out, Yui!” Mikan called out, excitedly.

“That’s...odd,” Yui replied as she looked at the sign, a confused expression on her face. “I suppose it’s an interesting novelty…”

“And that’s why we should take a look at it! We might never see another place like this again!”

Yui chuckled. Mikan rarely got quite this excitable, but she was utterly adorable in moments like these, showing off exactly how much she’d changed, like she’d well and truly disposed of anything weighing her down from her old life. “Sure, it’ll be fun,” she replied, smiling warmly and stepping inside with Mikan in tow.

“Welcome!” a woman behind a desk at the entrance cheerfully called out. “Are you two dining with us this afternoon?”

“Hi there!” Mikan responded cheerfully. “We were just reading the sign outside, about the hotspring?”

“Haha, oh yes, it attracts quite a lot of attention. Are you both from out of town?”

“We are! I guess we’re a little more obvious than I thought, huh sis?” Mikan smiled, turning to face Yui.

“G-guess so!” she replied, nervously, looking at the clerk and adding, “Sorry if we’re bothering you, Ma’am.”

“Haha, of course not! I’m always happy to see new faces, especially a pair of sisters as beautiful as you!”

“B-b-b-beautiful?!” Yui stammered, blushing furiously while Mikan laughed sheepishly.

“So you wanted to see the hotspring, then?” the clerk asked Mikan, giving Yui a moment to collect herself.

“If it’s not a problem! How much does it cost? We’re going to have to go back to our hotel fairly soon, so we’d really just be taking a look!”

“Well, we’re actually pretty empty at the moment, so I’ll let you two in for free! You can dip your feet in for a spell, if you’d like!”

“Oh gosh, really?” Mikan asked.

“Absolutely! Just be sure to come back while you’re in town and give yourself enough time to really relax!”

“I’m sure we will! Thank you so much, Ma’am!” Mikan said, grabbing Yui by the hand and pulling her towards the hotsprings, the older girl still blushing brightly as they walked. She only fully calmed down when they reached their destination, pleased to see that there really was nobody else in sight.

“Wow, it’s really nice here!” Mikan cried out, happily, pulling off her boots and tights before setting them to the side.

“M-Mikan, what are you doing?!”

“She said we could stick our feet in, and it looks so lovely here! It’d be a waste not to at least try, right?”

“I-I suppose so…” Yui replied, shyly, as Mikan slowly lowered her legs into the water, letting out a blissful sigh as she felt it warmly caress her skin.

“Oh gosh, it’s so nice, sis!”

“I-it would be rude if I left you to sit there alone…” Yui said, giving herself the loosest excuse she could to to take off her own boots. She blushed slightly as she slid her tights down her legs, feeling the chill of the air against her, prompting her to sit down next to Mikan as quickly as she could, dipping her feet in and immediately feeling the cold just melt away.

“Y’know what, sis?” Mikan asked.

“Is something the matter?”

“Haha, no no, not at all!” Mikan smiled, letting out a soft chuckle as she replied. “The opposite, actually. I maybe should have saved this for when we’re all together at dinner tonight, but…” She hugged Yui, wrapping herself around her sister’s waist, her head resting comfortably against her chest. “I love you so, so much, sis. These past few months have been the best of my life. I must be the luckiest girl in the world, getting to live with people as incredible as you and Ryouko. I hope I get to stay with the both of you forever.”

Yui smiled, setting her drink to the side and hugging Mikan gently. “Well, silly, where else would you live? You’re my amazing, adorable, kind, loving little sister, after all!” she said, softly kissing the top of Mikan’s head before continuing. “And you’ve got nothing to worry about, not now, not ever. Nothing’s ever, ever going to drive any of us apart, I promise. I love you too, sis.”

“Mikan blushed softly, before tightening her hug just a little. “Well, then it’s gotta be true! My beautiful, smart, and sorta dorky big sis never makes promises she doesn’t keep!”

“That’s right! But you know what?” Yui asked, smiling happily.

“Hmmm?”

“Hugging me and saying all this stuff...I think you might be a bigger dork than me!” Yui teased.

“Haha, I guess we’ll both have to just be dorky together, then.”

“I guess so! And tonight, you get to repeat alllll this dorky stuff to Ryouko at dinner!”

“Jeez, I suppose I do, huh?” Mikan pulled back, looking up into her sister’s eyes, “But I think I’ll manage!” she cried out happily, throwing her arms right back around Yui.

“Of course you will, sis. I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way,” Yui replied, hugging her back warmly. The two girls needed to get back to their room soon, but for now, they were content to stay right where they were, wrapped tight in each other’s arms, the heat from the hotspring eclipsed by the warmth of the love they felt for one another.

Description

Mikuni smiled as he finished arranging his lunchbox for tomorrow. He’d always been passionate about cooking, even though he could only afford fairly simple ingredients most of the time. Over the years, though, he’d gotten extremely good at working around any limitation, dressing up even the plainest dish in a way that made every last bit of it look downright incredible. Tomorrow’s lunch was no exception, though he did make sure to splurge just a little on the ingredients this time. The chicken was fried to a scrumptious golden brown with just a slight bit of oil seeping into the paper it was resting on. The rice balls he’d made were perfectly shaped and seasoned, with just the right variety of fillings to stay exciting without being overwhelming. He’d even gone out of his way to prepare a little salad, something bright, fresh, and seasonal to offset some of the more common lunch box faire. When it was all done, he couldn’t help but smile. He certainly didn’t go out of his way to brag about the food he made, but he was especially proud of this lunch, positive that he’d made something that would be the talk of the town were it offered up in a restaurant.

Even though he had a natural talent for cooking, something about the lunch he’d made today felt different. It felt special. Cooking had always been one of the few bright spots in his otherwise dull, quiet life, but every meal he’d gone to cook before was made with a sense of melancholy. He loved what he was doing, sure, but something about cooking just felt flat with no one to share it with other then himself. For the first time in what felt like, and could well have been, forever, though, that malaise had completely disappeared. He practically bounced around the kitchen as he was preparing the food, knowing that this meal was one he’d be sharing with someone else.

He took a bite out of an extra piece of steak that he just couldn’t manage to fit in the box and let out a soft, contented sigh. This was one of the best meals he’d ever made. Easily.

“I bet it’s not a scratch on what she makes every day, but I’m confident that she’ll enjoy this! Tomorrow’s going to be amazing!” he said, wrapping up the lunchbox in a simple, checkerboard-patterned cloth and setting it aside until tomorrow. As he readied himself for bed that night, he couldn’t wipe the goofy, upbeat grin off of his face. So full of restless energy that he was sure it would take hours before he’d get any shuteye, though by the time he got around to laying down, it took barely a minute before he drifted off into some of the most pleasant sleep he’d had in years.

~~~

「Think he’s got a crush on you?」The text read. Yui’s face blushed a bright red as she typed out a response in a huff.

「Jeez, don’t be so rude! He’s a good student, I think he just looks up to me, that’s all.」

「Haha, you would say that. Still, you’re so cute that I bet half the student body has at least some sorta crush on you, and you’re just too oblivious to notice!」 Mikado responded.

「Ryouko, stop being so shameless! If I’m oblivious, it’s because nobody here lays it on as thick as you do!」

「Oh? You don’t like the way I treat you? Want me to tone it down?」

Yui paused for a moment, burying her face in her scarf in a vain attempt to hide her blush as she considered how to respond. She was grateful, at least, that nobody else could see her up here.

「...I didn’t say that…」

「Ahaha, looks like we’re both shameless, huh?」

「Yeah, yeah… Anyway, I’d better go, he’ll be up here any second, and I really don’t want him finding out about us.」

「Oh my, you wound me!」

「You work here! You know exactly why we need to keep our relationship a secret!」

「You’re right! Can you imagine what everyone would think if they found out the head of the school’s Disciplinary Committee was so involved with a member of staff? That’d give you a whole different kind of allure!」

「You’d get fired!」

「Haha, alright, I get it. Have a good time, Yui. I’ll see you after school. Love you! <3」

She couldn’t help but smile. As difficult as keeping their relationship under wraps had been, getting to share little private moments like this brought her so much happiness, so much warmth. She knew that every little hurdle was worth it.

「Love you too.」

She put her phone away, knowing that one of those little hurdles was going to be enduring even more teasing about the lunch she was about to have. Still, she stood by what she had said about Mikudo. He’d been a member of the Disciplinary Committee from his first day of school and was easily one of the hardest workers they had there. He wasn’t terribly flashy or amazing at anything in particular, but he was undoubtedly reliable. When he’d asked her to have lunch with him yesterday, Yui was more than a little surprised, and not just because it was one of the first real conversations they’d had outside of committee work. She’d always pegged him as a complete loner, someone who didn’t really have any friends and didn’t seem to want any. Far be it from her, though, to get in the way of someone willing to try and turn over a new leaf. She wasn’t terribly fond of the idea of meeting on the roof, of course, but she realized he’d probably feel more comfortable without a lot of other people around.

It wasn’t long after that she heard the sound of footsteps echoing up the nearby stairwell, stopping for moment before the door slowly opened and Mikuni stepped out onto the roof.
“H-hi Yui! I’m sorry I took so long getting here, I was asked to carry some tests through to the teacher’s lounge for Ms. Lunatique. I hope you weren’t waiting too long!” he said, with a nervous laugh, clearly trying to fight through his anxieties.

“No no, that’s OK! I’ve only been here a couple of minutes!”

“M-mind if I take a seat next to you?”

“Not at all!”

“Thanks!” he said, stiffly walking over to the bench and sitting as far away from her as he possibly could, worried that he’d somehow upset her if he got too close, before laying down his lunchbox between them. At a complete loss for any other small talk that could fill what he perceived as an agonizingly awkward silence, he decided get right to the point. “I kinda got a little carried away and made a lot of food, so feel free to eat as much as you want! If you don’t like it though, that’s OK!” he said with a shy smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be lovely!” she said, trying to hide a smile as Mikuni started blushing slightly before he stared straight down at the lunchbox, trying to hide his face as he opened it up. “Oh gosh, that looks really good, Mikuni!”

“Thanks! I’m really happy with how it all turned out!” he chirped, Yui’s positive reaction resurging the pride he’d felt last night. “I didn’t want to experiment too much, so I just focused on dishes I already know pretty well. I did my best to make sure they’d end up as perfect as possible! Feel free to get started!”

Yui grabbed a set of chopsticks from the box and looked down at all the food he’d laid out, before she smiled sheepishly at Mikuni. “Haha, it all looks so lovely, I’m not really sure what to go for first!”

“Oh! My favorite’s the chicken, but-” he started to explain, before they heard the door to the roof open.

“Ah, Yui! Hi there!”

A chipper, friendly voice suddenly called out to Yui from the stairwell, and the two of them quickly turned to see who it belonged to.

“H-hi Lala…” Yui replied, nervously. “Wh-what are you doing up here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, haha!” Lala laughed back, causing a blush to spread across Yui’s face as she was caught red handed. “I’m trying to find my phone! I got all worried about it, so Haruna and I are searching the whole school trying to find it.”

“Jeez, try be more careful…” Yui mumbled, all too aware of the fact that, despite being a remarkably gifted student, Lala was extraordinarily careless when it came to just about everything else. And, when she was careless, it usually meant trouble. “A-and I was just eating with a friend. W-well, we were about to start, anyway…”

“Oh gosh! That looks so yummy!” she cried out, rushing over to the two of them and peering over at the food. “Did you make this, Yui? Can I have some?!” she asked, excitedly.

“W-well, it wasn’t actually me who made it, my friend Mikuni here was responsible for it,” Yui responded, pointing to Mikuni, who Lala seemed to have completely managed to avoid seeing.

“Oh, hi there! I’m Lala, it’s nice to meet you! Your food looks really good!” she said, waving at Mikuni.

“Nice to meet you too…” he responded shyly. “If you’d like to try some, I don’t mind at all. I made quite a lot, ahaha…”

“Yay! Thank you so much!” Lala cried out, before picking up some chopsticks and hastily tossing a piece of chicken into her mouth. “Wow! This really is good!” she said happily, picking up the box and sniffing at its contents. “Y’know, I bet with just a little bit of this…” she trailed off, still smiling happily. With her free hand, she dug into one of her skirt pockets, pulled out what looked like a salt shaker, and quickly started sprinkling it on the rest of the food. She helped herself to another piece of chicken, chewing it happily before sighing contentedly, letting out a blissful, “So good!”

“H-hey, Lala! That was Mikuni’s!” Yui yelled, watching as Mikuni’s expression grew increasingly worried. While he was concerned that the lunch he’d prepared was about to cause a fight, Yui was more concerned about what what Lala had added to the food more than what she’d taken. She knew first hand just how dangerous eating anything of hers could be.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I completely forgot! It was just so yummy, that I...well…got ahead of myself, haha!” she laughed cheerfully, apparently oblivious as to why this could be seen as any kind of problem. “It’s OK! Huma- er, well, you two won’t taste it anyway, I promise!”

“I-It’s not a problem! I’m sure it’ll be even better now!” Mikuni stammered, hoping that what she said was true and that it really wouldn’t affect the taste too much. He really wanted Yui to enjoy it...

“Anyway, I’m sorry for barging in on you two! It doesn’t look like my phone’s up here after all. See you in class, Yui! And thanks for the food, Mi...Mikan!” she said, stumbling over Mikuni’s name before declaring something totally wrong that she was confident was right before rushing off, giving neither Mikuni nor Yui a chance to respond.

“Mikan…?” Mikuni asked, confused by the strange girl’s behavior.

“She...she moves at her own pace,” Yui said, sighing to herself, before quickly changing the topic. “But...well, would you like me to buy us something from the cafeteria instead? She might’ve put something bad in your food…”

“Oh, that’s OK! I don’t think she’d do anything like that, haha!” Mikuni said, hastily picking up a rice ball and taking a large bite out of it before Yui could even begin to stop him, smiling as he started to chew. “See? It still tastes as good as ever! Whatever she put on, I really can’t taste it.”

“A-are you sure? You don’t feel sick, or...maybe a little disoriented?” she asked, checking to make sure nothing was about to happen to him.

“I feel just fine, but thank you for asking!” he responded, keeping as upbeat as he could. Despite Lala’s weird interruption, the food really did taste just as good as it always had, and he didn’t want his time with Yui to go to waste. “If you don’t want to eat any, though, that’s OK…” he mumbled.

“N-no, I do! If you say it tastes good, I believe you!” she said, taking some of the chicken and giving it a small, curious nibble, her eyes lighting up as she did so. “It’s really good, Mikuni!” she said, finishing up the rest of the piece happily. “You should be a chef or something!”

“Thank you so much! I’m not that good though, I bet the food you make is way better! I’d love to learn from someone like you…” he responded, his voice growing softer as he spoke, worrying he sounded weird or creepy.

“Not at all! If anything, you should be teaching me a thing or two!” Yui responded, happily trying out some of the salad. As she spoke, Mikuni suddenly felt dizzy, confused as the world around him seemed to spin. Still, Yui continued, apparently unaffected by whatever was getting to him. “I’ve never made anything that tastes...”

Mikuni’s disorientation only grew, his own thoughts becoming less and less clear, leaving him unable to focus on much beyond what Yui was saying, though even that soon began to fade away, becoming increasingly distant the more she spoke.

Mikuni watched as Yui stood at the counter, carefully tying the apron behind her back before smiling down at her.

“For something like this, we’ll want to dice it really finely, so that all the pieces are close to the same size. It can be pretty dangerous when you’re using such a sharp knife, though, so make sure you always make a cat’s paw with your free hand, OK?” she asked, holding up her hand in front of her with her fingers curled down to the top of her palm.

“Mm-hmm! Don’t worry sis, I’ve got it! I’ve cooked with you tons of times before, silly!”

“Jeez…” she pouted, “I just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all!”

“Ehehe, sorry about that, sis! You do get really cute when you’re all concerned about me though,” Mikuni responded, standing up on her tiptoes as she leaned in to give Yui a small peck on the cheek. She couldn’t help but giggle some more as she saw Yui’s already bright blush spread even further.

“O-o-o-of course I’m concerned,” Yui stammered out, quickly pulling down her hand as she realized she’d had it up the whole time. “You’re my darling sister and I’d hate for anything to happen to you…”

“And I love you, too!” she responded, picking up the knife her sister had put down and getting to work. She smiled to herself as she heard Yui flail about, making extra noise as she took out a pot, as though it could cover her embarrassment.

Suddenly, he was pulled back to reality, his eyes refocusing to see Yui placing her arms on his shoulders, a grim expression on her face.

“A-are you OK? Mikuni?!” Yui asked, sounding more worried than Mikuni had ever heard her get before.

“S-sorry for worrying you, Yui! I just sorta lost my train of thought for a second, I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure? You promise you’re not feeling strange?”

“I’m OK, I promise…” he said, blushing slightly as he thought back on his strange dream. What was all of that, anyway? He was with Yui but...he was...younger and...a girl? Yui’s younger sister, no less. He was certain that Yui didn’t have any sisters but...why would he picture himself that way anyway?

He shook his head. It was nothing, he was sure. He told himself it’d just been because he’d thought of what Yui would be like at home, that he was just getting caught up in his own imagination. That must’ve been it, there was no other real explanation for any of it.

“You ate some of my food as well, and you seem OK, after all,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“I-I am, but…”

“Wh-what’s your favorite part so far? It’s OK if you can’t pick!” he asked, diverting the conversation as far away from what had just happened as possible.

“W-well…” she began, trying to push Mikuni’s strange trance out of her mind, “It’s all so good, but I think I have to agree with you. The chicken’s my favorite!” she said, as cheerfully as possible.

“That’s great to hear!” he said, reaching for another piece himself. “I spent a long time making sure I got the recipe juuuust- Huh?” he cut himself off as he spoke. His arms suddenly tensed up, sending his chopsticks slipping out of his hand and the piece of chicken he’d been holding tumbling right back into the lunchbox. “Haha, I guess I’m kinda clumsy today! A-at least it didn’t fall onto the floor or something!” he said, laughing sheepishly as he picked up his chopsticks once more, dismayed to find his sleeve hanging loosely over his hand. He tugged it up slightly before going back to eating, moving to pick up the piece again as Yui stared at him, her expression looking more and more worried by the second.

“I-is everything OK, Yui?”

“Y-your eyes are… Wh-what color are they, again?”

“Ah...they’re a kinda dull brown, I guess? Really dark and- Ah!” he let out a yelp as his arms tensed up once more, his chopsticks flying out of his grip and clattering against the floor. “Jeez, I dunno why my grip’s so bad today…” As he reached to pick them up once again, he noticed that his sleeve was now completely engulfing his hand. His face scrunched up into a look of confusion as he hiked up his sleeve, pulling it nearly up to his elbow, his face shifting to shock as he noticed that the fingers that had just started to wrap around the chopsticks were now less stubby and far more slender than they’d been before, leading down to hands that seemed positively tiny.

Panicking, he quickly pushed his sleeve back down, but not before Yui’s hand had wrapped around his, pulling his arm forward and the strange, unfamiliar hand out of his shirt. She stared quizzically at the petite hand, a shiver running through Mikuni’s body as she ran one of her own elegant fingers across it. “Wh-what’s wrong, Yui?” he stammered, failing to sound unconcerned by whatever was happening to him..

All of a sudden, he felt his whole body tense up, the look of shock on his face quickly betraying just how worried he was to Yui. His hand pulled away out of her grip as his arms shrunk down even further, thinning down significantly as they did. His shoulders pressed in, reducing his frame to the point where his shirt had started to look comically large on him. He felt the slippers he was wearing slip off of his feet, the chilly autumn air winding its way up the legs of his pants as his legs started to shorten, leaving them now dangling just slightly off the ground as he sat on the bench.

“Y-you’re..I think you’re...changing…” she stammered back, nervously. “Your hands were even smaller than mine… And your body...it’s so small now… Your eyes, too, they...they’re lighter, almost golden…” she said as she got up close to his face, watching his eyes intently as they seemed to get just a little larger and his lashes began to thicken slightly.

“I-I’m changing?! Wh-what does that even meAN?!” he asked, his voice cracking at the end of his sentence as his throat locked up for the briefest moment. Yui’s gaze was pulled downwards and she watched as his Adam’s Apple melted away, leaving his neck looking slender and smooth, though the change seemed to finally give him some relief and allowed him to talk once more. “H-how is that even...how is…? Oh gosh, I sound so...so different!” he cried out, everything he said driving in just how drastically his voice had been altered, something about the foreignness of it cementing what was happening even more than his greatly diminished frame. It had taken on a far, far higher pitch than it ever had, with a hint of childishness seeping into his every word. As much as he didn’t want to say it, it sounded remarkably girlish, too, leaving no traces of his usual, fairly masculine voice. “What’s happening to me, Yui?!” he asked, still panicking.

“It’s...it’s going to sound crazy, I’m sure but...I...I think you’re changing into a girl, Mikuni...” she replied, trying to remain as calm as possible. “Whatever Lala put in the food, it’s doing...this...to you.”

Mikuni tried to reply, but found himself growing dizzy once more, an odd feeling spreading over his face. Though he couldn’t see it, after what Yui had said he knew that it too was changing. A surprisingly pleasant sensation rushed through his tiny body as his skin lightened, taking with it any and all body hair he’d once possessed and giving him a softer, healthier-looking complexion. His chin gradually lost its definition, growing less pronounced and reshaping into a gentle, cute curve. His cheeks puffed out slightly, making his face look even softer and rounder, as his nose shrank down to match his diminishing features, becoming a cute, slightly upturned point while his lips took on a cute pink tone, getting just a little fuller. The changes to his face made him look so much younger than he had before, his already bigger eyes giving him a more naturally friendly, cuter expression that was only aided by his still thickening, luscious eyelashes, and eyebrows that grew smaller and less bushy by the second, reshaping into cute, feminine arcs. His hair soon followed suit, his light brown, fairly dull cut rapidly growing longer and thicker, his bangs beginning to fall into his line of sight. It took on a natural waviness as it turned a far darker, chocolate shade. A few strands framed his face cutely, falling naturally over his shoulders as some of his locks slipped into the collar of his shirt and gently tickled his lower back.

“I-it’s so long…” he said, almost in awe of how silky and soft it felt as he untucked as much of it as he could from his clothing. He could feel it whip around him as he looked over his body, trying to examine as much of it as he could.

“B-but why isn’t anything happening to you? A-are you sure you’re not...changing too?” he asked, fighting through his own shock to ensure that Yui was OK.

Much to his surprise, she started blushing furiously, looking away and stammering out a quick, “I-I guess it doesn’t affect girls!” before she quickly pushed the attention back off of her. “B-but...Mikuni, it’s...I know this is scary, but don’t worry. I...I promise you’ll be OK. I’m going to help you, no matter what,” she said, desperately trying to reassure the likely terrified, soon to be girl in front of her.

Mikuni’s eyes widened at her response, how calm and level-headed she was able to be, doing her best to reassure him and acting so kind and warm. It reminded him exactly of how she was in the fantasy he’d had, when she’d been looking out for the little sister she loved so much, wanting to make sure that no harm, no matter how minor, came to her. He looked down at his body, how much smaller he was, then looking back up at Yui, unable to shake the image he had in his dream of her sister looking up at her. “N-no way...it’s just like…”

“L-like what?” Yui asked, nervously.

“A little bit ago, when I zoned out, I...I had a weird daydream and you...you were in it with me. I was a few years younger and, well...a girl…and you were calling me your younger sister...”

“You mean…?” Yui flinched, the situation sounding oddly familiar to her.

“I think that’s why I’m getting so...so small...“ he said, wincing slightly as his shoulders narrowed a little further, changes sweeping across his arms and making them more slender and girlish by the second, with hands that looked positively adorable now, tipped off with longer, cuter nails. “I’m...I’m getting younger, too. I’m becoming the girl I was in my daydream...the girl you were treating like your sister...”

“Oh god, Mikuni, I…” Yui stumbled over herself, not sure how to reassure him at all as he faced down a situation all too familiar to her.

“I-It’s OK, Yui,” Mikuki replied. “It’s...it’s scary, but, y-you’re here, so I’ll be OK, right? I’m going to be a girl, but that’s not a bad thing if I’m...if I’m not alone,” she said, accepting her fate with as much strength and courage as she could possibly muster, smiling up at the girl who was now much taller than herself.

As worried as Yui had been, she found herself smiling back. If Mikuni was going to take this in stride, than so was she. She promised her that she’d be there for her, and she wasn’t going to go back on that.

“Oof…” Mikuni muttered, clutching at her sides, “I...I wish it felt a little less weird though, ahaha…” She laughed nervously, feeling as her waist slowly began to pinch in, giving her what, beneath her increasingly heavy, baggy clothes at least, looked like the beginnings of a small hourglass figure, the slight weight in her stomach beginning to ripple and melt away, leaving her with a flat, soft core. “I-it’s also kind of a pain, aha, all these clothes getting so bulky...they’re...they’re surprisingly heavy,” she said, grunting a little as she struggled to slip out of her jacket, the comfort that it would bring when it was gone far outweighing the warmth it provided against the chilly wind.

She stood up for a moment, looking over her body and the way her shirt clung loosely to her now adorably petite frame. She rolled up her sleeves to stop them flapping uselessly over her hands, taking in exactly how skinny her arms had become. “I’m...I’m kinda tiny, haha…” she laughed, trying to remain as upbeat as possible. She was grateful, at least, that her pants were still barely hanging on. “I just hope I’m not getting too young…” she muttered, before feeling an odd, almost tingly feeling in her chest, sending little pulses of pleasure coursing through her body as it rubbed against her clothing. She looked down, blushing as she saw her shirt slowly beginning to lift slightly at her chest, tenting out as two adorable, perky boobs began to rise up. Through the fabric of her clothes, she could just barely see her nipples turning a light, pretty pink before getting just a little puffier, growing increasingly sensitive as they did. Out of curiosity, she pulled out her shirt just enough to peek inside, her face swiftly turning crimson as she saw her new cute, albeit tiny boobs sitting happily on her body, before quickly remembering that she had company with her.

“I-I’m so sorry, Yui! I just got curious, and, well, I…”

“I-i-i-it’s fine!” Yui said, looking away as her face turned just as deep a shade of red as Mikuni’s. “A...a lot’s happening, after all!” she said, desperately looking for some way to ease the awkwardness of the situation.

Mikuni, however, simply started to grow dizzy once more, steadying herself against the bench as her line of sight got just a little lower to the ground, before her pants finally gave up the ghost, slipping down and pooling around her ankles. The two of them blushed more brightly than they’d ever thought possible, even though her shirt was now bulky and long enough to leave everything above her knees completely covered, making her further reduced height even more apparent.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It looked like they were going to hold on! I didn’t think I’d get even shorter!” she said, bending down to pull them up as Yui turned completely around. She was stopped dead in her tracks, however, as she got a glimpse of her legs, watching as her calves got increasingly slender and cute, leading up to thighs that slowly thickened, gaining a little bit of girlish fat that left them looking remarkably soft and supple, even for her size, though with the milky tone her skin had taken on, every inch of her looked soft and wonderfully huggable. That image was only emphasized by her slowly widening hips, which gently curved outwards from her slender waist, looking more and more luscious as her butt began to fill out, getting softer and more plump by the second and taking on a wonderfully full, cute heart shape that was almost at odds with her petite frame. Hastily pulling her pants back up and sitting down on the bench once more, she saw the socks she’d been wearing hanging uselessly off of her, and kicked them off to see her much slimmer, positively tiny feet.

She let out a soft, nervous sigh, glad that her pants were back on and eager to leave that embarrassment behind her. She went to turn towards Yui, fully prepared to apologize again for everything that had been happening, but paused as she started to feel an intense heat spreading between her legs. Mikuni shuffled a little in her seat, wondering if she’d sat on something or was just in a bad position. Those possibilities went out the window, though, as she felt the heat seeping up inside of her belly, the burn it brought pulsing almost hungrily. A very different blush started to creep into her cheeks now, causing her to bite onto her lower lip to try and stifle whatever might come out, certain that even Yui’s patience would break if she’d voiced what she was feeling right now. She placed her hands on her thighs, wanting desperately to move them lower, down between her legs where everything felt so wonderful and tingly, but didn’t dare, instead squeezing her fingers into her soft thighs as she exercised every ounce of restraint she had. Even her nipples had started to throb, each little gust of wind that rubbed the fabric against them making Mikuni feel like she’d faint then and there, lost to a sensation he couldn’t even begin to describe. Mikuni closed her eyes and desperately willed herself not to moan, to voice just how amazing and sensitive every inch of her body felt, shaking a little and hoping Yui simply dismissed it as a chill now that her jacket was off. The little quakes that spread through her body slowly started to die down, and she felt muscles she hadn’t even realized had tensed relax. She felt a little light-headed, like she was floating, and there was a slight damp feeling between her legs now, but she also felt fulfilled, in some strange way, like maybe all of that signified the end of her change, that things were going to be alright now. She took her hands off of her thighs, smoothing out the wrinkles her clenched fingers had left, and tried to collect herself again now that things seemed to be over.

“Yui…” Mikuni said, a dreamy smile spread across her face.

“Y-yeah?”

“I think...everything’s done now...” Her eyes grew heavy as she spoke, her position on the bench growing more and more relaxed.

“E-everything?” Yui asked, blushing at what she now realized the smaller girl had meant.

“Yeah...everything…” she answered, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I think I’m just gonna...rest for a little bit. I...I promise I’m OK, Yui…” she continued, before her eyes shut completely, leaning over to one side as blissful sleep soon washed over her.

~~~

Mikuni shuddered, pulling the blanket over her head and forcing herself to shut her eyes. She knew it was childish, but thunderstorms had always terrified her, leaving her, at worst, almost totally paralyzed. This was one such night, with a storm so fierce it had completely knocked out the power to their house, plunging Mikuni’s room into darkness, the flash of lightning outside providing absolutely no solace whatsoever.

“It’s...it’s just a storm. There’s no need to get so-”

Another flash of lightning flared up, with the accompanying, almost deafening cracking sound sending chills down her spine.

“C-come on!” she cried out, “Cut it out, this is...this is way too much…” she continued, her voice growing softer and softer as her fears caught up with her. “Just...just give me a break, please…”

She grabbed a pillow, hugging it as tightly as she possibly could and doing her best to wish the storm away.

“Sis, are you OK?!” she heard a voice call out, her door bursting open. Mikuni, unable to maintain any composure, leapt up out of bed and pressed herself against a wall, shutting her eyes so tightly that it almost hurt, terrified of whatever was about to happen to her.

“Sis?! It’s...it’s me. I’m sorry I gave you a fright…”

Mikuni opened her eyes, looking up to see her older sister Yui smiling down at her, a flashlight in hand.

“I just know that storms are kinda tough on you, and I wanted to make sure you were hanging in there…” she said, slowly walking closer to Mikuni before wrapping her arms around her younger sister, hugging her tightly. “It’s OK now, I promise. I know how scary the storm is, but it’ll be over soon.”

Yui smiled as she felt Mikuni’s head resting against her shoulder, weakly returning the hug with her shaking arms.

“Why don’t we get into bed, hmm? I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

“You don’t have to do that, sis... I-I’ll be OK…”

“Oh? And what if I told you it would help me, too? Truth be told, thunder scares me quite a bit, too.”

“You’re just saying that…” Mikuni grumbled.

“It’s true! I was holed up in my room for a while, and I just couldn’t calm down at all. There was no way I’d be able to get through this one without some help. But now…” she said, smiling warmly and hugging Mikuni even tighter, “We’ve got each other, so it’ll be OK!”

Despite her earlier grumbling, Mikuni couldn’t help but smile at that, Yui’s warm, loving hug leaving her feeling more at ease than she’d have ever expected. Slowly, she stood up, moving back onto the bed with her older sister in tow, the two of the snuggling up against each other happily.

“Feeling a little better, sis?” Yui asked.

“Y-yeah, I think so. Sorry I got so freaked out earlier…”

“It’s OK! I shouldn’t have barged in like that.”

“Haha, it was almost dorky, you rushing in to check up on me like that.” Mikuni laughed, lightly teasing her older sister.

“Jeez, I was worried about you…” Yui pouted.

“I know, sis…” Mikuni said, nestling her head against Yui’s warm chest. “I love that about you. You’re so sweet and loving and…incredible. I hope I can be like you one day…” she continued, slowly beginning to drift off to sleep.

Yui gently kissed her sister’s forehead and smiled warmly. “You already are, silly.”

~~~

“So, did you ever get any kind of confession?”

“Shut up! I told you, she doesn’t think of me that way! I’m...pretty sure she doesn’t, anyway...”

“I guess the way things went kinda throws a spanner in all of it if she did, huh?”

“Yeah, but… We’re gonna help her, aren’t we?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”

As Mikuni’s eyes slowly fluttered open, she could vaguely hear two voices nearby talking about...her, it seemed. The second she’d regained consciousness, she knew that what had happened to her was far too vivid, and, frankly, far too strange to be any kind of dream, but still, she peeked into the blanket she woke up to find herself covered by, seeing her small, girlish frame dressed in an incredibly loose men’s dress shirt.

“Oh! Look who decided to join us!” Mikuni heard the older of the two voices say, cheerfully. Sitting up and looking in the direction of the voice, she blushed and tucked herself away at the sight of Ryouko Mikado, the school’s nurse, looking down at her and smiling, worried about letting anyone else find out about what had happened. “Oh honey, I promise you’ve got nothing to hide from me. I know all about your little incident today, Mikuni.”

“H-how?”

“She told me! After bravely carrying you here all by herself, of course.” Mikado said, pointing at a nearby chair. Mikuni looked over to see Yui blushing slightly.

“It’s OK, Mikuni, she’s going to help,” Yui said, quickly adding a concerned, “How are you feeling?”

Mikuni sighed, relieved that Yui was still by her side. She’d never really dealt with Mikado much before, but if Yui said she could help, then she’d trust her. “I feel...pretty good, honestly. I slept really well…”

“If it’s OK with you…” Mikado started, “Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions? I’m curious about why this would’ve happened.”

“Sure, go right ahead,” Mikuni said, feeling far calmer now that she’d gotten over her initial worries about Mikado.

“Yui said you had a daydream before all of your changes started. Did anything like that happen now, while you were in bed?”

“Mmm...” Mikuni started, “I was...Yui’s younger sister. The first one was me cooking with her, the other...well…”

“It’s OK if you don’t want to give out any of the details. But you were her younger sister in both of them?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t really say how I looked, but...well, if I had to guess, probably a little like I do now.”

“Have you ever really fantasized about being like that? A girl, or younger, or...well, both? ”

“N-no, not really.”

“Any reason why Yui would be in your dreams?”

“Ryouko!” Yui huffed, her face reddening once more.

“Haha, something on your mind, Yui?” Mikado teased, sticking out her tongue at the younger girl.

“N-no, it’s just...it’s a private question.”

“I don’t mind answering! It’s...it’s a little embarrassing, but considering what’s happened, I probably shouldn’t get hung up on that. I’ve just...always really looked up to you, Yui. I want to be more like you, more...reliable and friendly and warm, someone that people could depend on. I wanted to make lunch for you because...I guess I just wanted to thank you for everything you do. I’m sorry if that seems weird…”

Yui was taken aback, fully expecting her to say something about having a crush on her after all the teasing Mikado had done. “No, it’s not weird…” she started, her blush slowly fading, “That’s sweet, Mikuni. I don’t think I deserve that kind of praise though.”

“Haha!” Mikuni laughed, sweetly. “I thought you’d say something like that! But...no, you do, you really do. Even when all this was happening to me…” she gestured at her smaller body, “You helped me stay strong. I wasn’t scared because you were there, and I knew you’d help me out.”

“Jeez, pile it on any more and poor Yui’s going to collapse!” Mikado laughed, looking over at Yui as she stared out the window, poorly trying to hide her goofy, happy smile.

“I’m sorry if this is weird to ask, Ms. Mikado, but...do you two know each other? You seem so friendly.”

“Mind if I tell her?” Mikado asked Yui.

“G-go ahead. There’s no reason to hide it, I’m sure she won’t tell anyone else.”

“Oh goodie! You’re the first person I get to tell this to! Yui and I are married!”

“M-Married?!” both Yui and Mikuni spat out.

“Ahaha, you two are so cute when you get all flustered! To be fair, it’s not official, but she and I live together. For all intents and purposes, we’re together, and we want to stay together forever.” She smiled at Mikuni, before turning towards Yui and asking, “That sound better, sweetie?”

“Y-yeah, I guess so…”

“S-sorry for asking, Yui!” Mikuni cried out, deeply worried she’d upset her.

“No, it’s fine, I promise,” Yui replied. “Just...don’t tell anyone, OK?”

“I won’t, I swear,” she said, before looking down at herself once more, seeing how poorly her own clothes now fit her. “Not like I could really tell anyone much of anything looking like this anyway, haha…” she laughed, shyly.

“We should talk about that, actually. Your new body, I mean,” Mikado said, her teasing tone making way for something far more serious.

“Y-yeah, I suppose so.”

“I’m going to keep this brief, but can you promise me something first, Mikuni?”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t get freaked out, OK? Yui and I are going to make sure that everything goes well for you. Oh, and no ‘that’s not possible!’ remarks either, there’s no room for doubt here, haha.”

“It’s scary now, I’m sure,” Yui started, “but I swear, we’ll be here for you every step of the way.”

“I’ll...I’ll stay strong,” Mikuni said, smiling at the both of them.

“So first off, you changed because...well, Yui told me you saw Lala Deviluke earlier, right? Well, since you’ve just completely turned into a girl, it shouldn’t be too hard of a pill for you to swallow when you hear she’s not a human. She’s an alien. As far as I can tell from what Yui told me, she poured something called Dark Matter onto your food, since her species uses it in cooking fairly often. Humans, though, don’t have much of a stomach for the stuff, so to say, and it’s likely that it meshed poorly with your own biology, leading to...well, this.”

Mikuni sighed. It sounded ridiculous, but like Mikado had said, given what had happened, she had little reason to rule out the possibility.

“If you want further proof, well…” Mikado tucked some of her hair back, revealing her fairly long, pointed ears. “I’m an alien too. Different species than Lala, but I’m fairly familiar with her kind. I worked as a doctor offworld before settling on Earth. As for why it didn’t affect Yui…” Mikuni was too preoccupied to notice, but Yui tensed up as Mikado spoke. “It just doesn’t have the same effect on girls, I suppose.” Yui let out a soft sigh of relief at that, letting Mikado continue. “This is all secret though, got it?”

“Y-yeah, don’t worry. It’s...well, it’s a lot to take in, ahaha…” she laughed nervously. “But, well, I’m going to have to learn to deal with a lot of...surprises, it seems. I get the feeling I know the answer, but...I can’t change back, can I?” Mikuni asked.

“You can’t. That Dark Matter you consumed is completely intertwined with your body now, but...and forgive me if this is presumptuous, but you don’t want to change back, do you?”

Mikuni sighed, before smiling back at the two of them gently. “I...I kinda don’t, you’re right.”

“Do you mind telling us why?”

“Mikuni, you don’t...you don’t need to tell us anything you don’t want to,” Yui reassured her.

“It’s OK, I don’t mind at all. Truthfully, I never really enjoyed...well, being me,” she started, looking down at her hands. “I live alone. My family’s never been terribly close to me. They send money each month and leave it at that. I’ve not seen or heard from any of them in years… I...I always wanted a family, but they clearly didn’t want me around, so…” She looked back at the two of them, a determined, calm expression on her face. “It sounds sad, I know but...I’m kind of glad that’s not me anymore. I’m...I’m… Well, I’ll find a name soon. I don’t know where I’ll go from here, and I’m not sure what I’ll do but...this is a second chance. I’m going to find my happiness, I know it.”

“Mikuni…” Yui said, picking herself up and walking up to the bed, “No, you’re...you’re Mikan.” she added, borrowing the name Lala had fumbled for earlier before hugging the smaller girl gently. “I told you Ryouko and I were here for you, didn’t I? So don’t you worry about a thing, you got that? You’re with us now. We’re...we’re family.”

“We sure are. Don’t forget it, Mikan,” Mikado added, winking at the smaller girl who, at present, was struggling to hold back her tears.

Mikan chuckled softly at the name, but smiled as she realized how well it now fit her, hugging Yui back warmly. “Thank you both so, so, so much. I’m...I’m just not sure what to say…”

“You don’t have to say a thing, sis…” Yui said warmly, tightening her hug before Mikado joined in, wrapping the both of them up gently. “We’re going to help you find your happiness and hold onto it, so that you never have to spend another night alone again. We’re with you, and we always will be.”

Mikan just smiled, unable to say much of anything until Mikado finally broke the silence, pulling out of the hug.

“Well, I think that pretty much settles where you’ll go. As for what you’ll do...well, unfortunately you’re quite a bit younger now, not even a teenager. I don’t envy you, having to repeat a few years, but I can probably pull some strings with one of the schools nearby and get you set up over there.”

“Ahaha, no passing me off as a particularly youthful high schooler, I take it?” Mikan asked, jokingly.

“Nobody in the galaxy’s going to believe you’re anywhere close to Yui’s age, honey. Besides, it’ll be easier to keep things under wraps if you’re moved out of this school.”

“Oh, I understand. I was mostly kidding, anyway. I’m going to make the most of this, I promise!”

“And you can start…” Mikado said, digging through a closet and pulling out a set of clothes, “By getting dressed. Unless you wanna wear that bulky shirt all the way home.”

“N-no, new clothes sound good.” She blushed gently, idly wondering why Mikado had something like this in her office at all. “D-do you mind giving me a little privacy while I put them on, though?”

“Awww, but it’s such a cute outfit-”

“O-of course!” Yui stammered, cutting off Mikado and grabbing her by the arm, before pulling the curtains surrounding the bed closed.

Mikan smiled as she looked at the clothes she’d been given, they were girly, certainly, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. If she was going to embrace her new life, she couldn’t be scared of things like that. Picking up the pair of panties, she blushed for a moment before sliding them up her legs, loving how snugly they fit on her surprisingly wide hips, hugging at her body. She then moved on to the cute yellow blouse, pulling off her heavy, bulky men’s shirt and leaving it on the bed, happy to be rid of it. The blouse fit her far better anyway, placing a surprising emphasis on her small chest, and she adored the feeling of the frilly sleeves gently tickling her arms. She then pulled on the cute purple camisole, smiling happily at how well it complimented her top, looking surprisingly mature on her tiny frame. Lastly, she got to work on the cute, ruffly skirt, fumbling for a while before finding a position where it felt most comfortable on her hips. Though she’d never worn anything like it before, she did love how freeing it all felt, and the way it showed off her long, supple legs. She idly noted that she didn’t have a bra, but figured that at her size, she hardly needed one anyway. Stepping out of the curtain, she smiled sheepishly at Mikado and Yui.

“D-does it look good?”

“It does!” Yui replied cheerfully. “But I think I can make it even cuter! Do you mind?”

“Oh, go right ahead, sis!” Mikan answered, a sense of bliss filling her as she realized how comfortable she already was treating them like family.

Yui walked up to her and pulled what looked like a beaded bracelet out of her skirt pocket before gathering up some of Mikan’s long, silky locks and clasping what she now realized was a hair tie around them right at the top of her head, the soft, chocolate brown hair poking out in every direction. She quickly walked towards a nearby mirror to see what Yui had done, loving how adorable the updo made her look, before hearing Yui gasp behind her, while Mikado let out a soft chuckle.

“Hmm?” she turned back towards them, seeing Yui pointing sheepishly at her skirt. Looking down to see whatever the problem was, a light blush spread across her face as she saw her skirt bunching up at the top, lifting it in the back and giving the other girls a full view of her panties.

Quickly tugging it down, her blush grew more and more intense before she huffed, “I-It’s my first time wearing a skirt! I stumbled with it, that’s all!”

“No no, it was cute, Mikan!” Mikado laughed. “I’m glad to see the panties fit.”

“Ryouko! Quit it! The poor girl’s had a busy day!”

“And I’m just letting her know she looks adorable! Really, you do! Barely a day of being a girl and you’re already turning heads!”

“C-can we drop this?!” Yui asked, clearly as flustered as Mikan was, with the smaller girl mouthing a shy “thank you” as Mikado began to back off.

“Haha, sorry, sorry. Let’s go home, hmm? We can order some takeout to celebrate Mikan’s arrival.”

“A-actually…” Mikan asked, smiling at the others, “If it’s OK with the both of you, I’d like to make dinner tonight!”

“Oh? Well, who am I to turn down such a generous offer? Of course you can cook.”

“Mikan, do you mind if...if I cook together with you?” Yui asked, smiling happily.

“That sounds perfect, sis!” Mikan cried out, hugging Yui warmly. “Let’s make something delicious!”

~~~

“Oh, gonna take a nap, Ryouko?” Mikan asked as the older woman lay down on their hotel room’s bed, lazily pulling the covers halfway up over her body.

“Mmm. I’ve been driving for 6 hours, I need a break. Wake me before you get dinner?”

“Sure! I’m actually gonna take a walk around town, so I’ll let you know if I find any good looking restaurants!” Mikan responded, nodding happily.

“Oh, I’ll come with you!” Yui chimed in. “I’m a little worn down myself, though. Do you mind if we stop by the coffee shop next door first, sis?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“Mikan, don’t forget your scarf, OK? It’s chilly out.”

“Haha, got it, sis.” Mikan laughed, wrapping her scarf around her neck and putting on a pair of earmuffs before heading to the door with Yui, the two of them waving and calling out “Sleep well, Ryouko!” and getting a tired mumble in response.

Despite everything that had happened to Mikan, the months she’d spent living with her new family had been nothing short of idyllic. Heading to a new school and coping with her age was tricky at first, but she quickly found herself making friends and opening up to them in a way she’d never really been able to in the past. Her home life, however, was even better, allowing her to experience the happy life she’d always wanted, but was never able to. She had a family, one that loved her and that she loved, and, if anything, she found that being a girl was extremely liberating. It allowed her to indulge even more in behaviors that she’d repressed before, worried that they’d be deemed too girly by her family or friends. Her cooking benefited the greatest, as just knowing that she was making food for other people who loved her and appreciated it was enough to motivate her to constantly try new recipes to keep things interesting for her family, while she trained and honed her techniques to make what she was already good at even better, with Yui frequently joining in, giving the two a chance to relax and do something that they adored together.

She smiled to herself as the two of them stepped out the front door of their hotel, surveying the scenery around her while Yui went to buy a cup of coffee. In her old life, she’d never managed to get out of the city, and while she loved her hometown dearly, being given a chance to see even a small part of the world outside of it was endlessly exciting to her. When Ryouko had told her and Yui that she’d won a week’s stay at a mountainous resort town, she could hardly believe how lucky she was.

“It’s so pretty!” she cried out happily. The town was a fairly popular tourist destination, so it was hardly empty, but it still boasted a pleasant stillness she’d never really experienced before, loving the serene, idyllic scenery that surrounded her, the chill in the air almost completely offset by how warm and upbeat she felt.

“Enjoying yourself, Mikan?” Yui asked, stepping out into the street with a drink in hand.

“Yep! I’ve never really been anywhere like this before! Make sure I don’t act too obviously like a tourist, OK sis?”

“Haha, it’s my first time out of the city in years, so we might have to watch out for each other there.”

“I’ll bet! I hear that they get all kinds of wildlife here! There’s a trail nearby where we can go feed some deer, too! I bet you’re itching to go do that, huh?”

A goofy, blissful smile spread across Yui’s face as Mikan spoke, before she quickly caught herself, blushing bright red and stammering out an embarrassed, clearly forced “O-ohhhh, they have something like that? Th-that could be nice, I...I suppose.”

“Gosh, sis, you’re an awful actress!” Mikan teased, wrapping her arms around Yui. “You don’t have to hide it from me, I’m excited too!”

Yui sighed, putting her free arm around Mikan and smiling. “Yeah, you’re right. It’ll be really fun! I wonder if we can get Ryouko to come with…?”

“Haha, I’m sure we can rope her into it!”

The two girls walked around for a few more minutes, peering into the shops around them, practically drooling at every restaurant they passed by, before one, a little larger and more modern-looking than the rest, caught their attention. Mikan rushed over to read the sign by the front door.

“Oh wow! I’ve never heard of a restaurant that doubles as a hotspring! Let’s check this place out, Yui!” Mikan called out, excitedly.

“That’s...odd,” Yui replied as she looked at the sign, a confused expression on her face. “I suppose it’s an interesting novelty…”

“And that’s why we should take a look at it! We might never see another place like this again!”

Yui chuckled. Mikan rarely got quite this excitable, but she was utterly adorable in moments like these, showing off exactly how much she’d changed, like she’d well and truly disposed of anything weighing her down from her old life. “Sure, it’ll be fun,” she replied, smiling warmly and stepping inside with Mikan in tow.

“Welcome!” a woman behind a desk at the entrance cheerfully called out. “Are you two dining with us this afternoon?”

“Hi there!” Mikan responded cheerfully. “We were just reading the sign outside, about the hotspring?”

“Haha, oh yes, it attracts quite a lot of attention. Are you both from out of town?”

“We are! I guess we’re a little more obvious than I thought, huh sis?” Mikan smiled, turning to face Yui.

“G-guess so!” she replied, nervously, looking at the clerk and adding, “Sorry if we’re bothering you, Ma’am.”

“Haha, of course not! I’m always happy to see new faces, especially a pair of sisters as beautiful as you!”

“B-b-b-beautiful?!” Yui stammered, blushing furiously while Mikan laughed sheepishly.

“So you wanted to see the hotspring, then?” the clerk asked Mikan, giving Yui a moment to collect herself.

“If it’s not a problem! How much does it cost? We’re going to have to go back to our hotel fairly soon, so we’d really just be taking a look!”

“Well, we’re actually pretty empty at the moment, so I’ll let you two in for free! You can dip your feet in for a spell, if you’d like!”

“Oh gosh, really?” Mikan asked.

“Absolutely! Just be sure to come back while you’re in town and give yourself enough time to really relax!”

“I’m sure we will! Thank you so much, Ma’am!” Mikan said, grabbing Yui by the hand and pulling her towards the hotsprings, the older girl still blushing brightly as they walked. She only fully calmed down when they reached their destination, pleased to see that there really was nobody else in sight.

“Wow, it’s really nice here!” Mikan cried out, happily, pulling off her boots and tights before setting them to the side.

“M-Mikan, what are you doing?!”

“She said we could stick our feet in, and it looks so lovely here! It’d be a waste not to at least try, right?”

“I-I suppose so…” Yui replied, shyly, as Mikan slowly lowered her legs into the water, letting out a blissful sigh as she felt it warmly caress her skin.

“Oh gosh, it’s so nice, sis!”

“I-it would be rude if I left you to sit there alone…” Yui said, giving herself the loosest excuse she could to to take off her own boots. She blushed slightly as she slid her tights down her legs, feeling the chill of the air against her, prompting her to sit down next to Mikan as quickly as she could, dipping her feet in and immediately feeling the cold just melt away.

“Y’know what, sis?” Mikan asked.

“Is something the matter?”

“Haha, no no, not at all!” Mikan smiled, letting out a soft chuckle as she replied. “The opposite, actually. I maybe should have saved this for when we’re all together at dinner tonight, but…” She hugged Yui, wrapping herself around her sister’s waist, her head resting comfortably against her chest. “I love you so, so much, sis. These past few months have been the best of my life. I must be the luckiest girl in the world, getting to live with people as incredible as you and Ryouko. I hope I get to stay with the both of you forever.”

Yui smiled, setting her drink to the side and hugging Mikan gently. “Well, silly, where else would you live? You’re my amazing, adorable, kind, loving little sister, after all!” she said, softly kissing the top of Mikan’s head before continuing. “And you’ve got nothing to worry about, not now, not ever. Nothing’s ever, ever going to drive any of us apart, I promise. I love you too, sis.”

“Mikan blushed softly, before tightening her hug just a little. “Well, then it’s gotta be true! My beautiful, smart, and sorta dorky big sis never makes promises she doesn’t keep!”

“That’s right! But you know what?” Yui asked, smiling happily.

“Hmmm?”

“Hugging me and saying all this stuff...I think you might be a bigger dork than me!” Yui teased.

“Haha, I guess we’ll both have to just be dorky together, then.”

“I guess so! And tonight, you get to repeat alllll this dorky stuff to Ryouko at dinner!”

“Jeez, I suppose I do, huh?” Mikan pulled back, looking up into her sister’s eyes, “But I think I’ll manage!” she cried out happily, throwing her arms right back around Yui.

“Of course you will, sis. I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way,” Yui replied, hugging her back warmly. The two girls needed to get back to their room soon, but for now, they were content to stay right where they were, wrapped tight in each other’s arms, the heat from the hotspring eclipsed by the warmth of the love they felt for one another.