Dinner blurred by.

  Ethan sat at the table with his family — the ctter of silverware, Yui talking about some viral video, Mira pretending she wasn’t watching him, their parents chatting about bills and schedules.

  Normal house.Normal night.Normal boy.

  At least, that’s what it looked like from the outside.

  Inside?

  His heart whispered a countdown.Every minute felt like a lifetime.

  He kept touching the neckce under his shirt like a secret heartbeat.

  When dinner ended, he washed his dish, nodded mechanically at his parents’ goodnight, and slipped upstairs.

  Bedroom door clicked shut.

  Silence.

  The real kind.

  He sagged back against the door, finally letting the mask fall.

  Breathing slow.Hands trembling.Eyes burning with a pressure he couldn’t name.

  It wasn’t just excitement.It was relief waiting to happen.

  A life jacket he couldn’t put on yet.

  ShowerSteam curled through the bathroom, mirror fogging. Water beat down on him, warm and steady.

  He closed his eyes.

  Last night, when he showered as her, warm water rolled over soft curves, long silver hair sticking to her back, fluffy ears flicking droplets when she shook her head—

  He swallowed.

  The memory hit like a heartbeat in his throat.

  Tonight, he would be her again.

  He leaned his head against the tile, whispering to the empty air:

  “…Please still be real.”

  Part of him feared he'd imagined it.Hallucinated it.Dreamed the one thing that made breathing easier.

  He touched the neckce around his neck–cool metal, real weight.

  No dream.

  Not this.

  His Room AgainHe closed the door softly and exhaled.

  Fingers trembling lightly, he slipped the neckce off his neck and held it in front of him.

  One breath.Two.

  Those seconds before he changed felt sacred — like standing at the edge of a world only he could step into.

  He whispered, half prayer, half promise:

  “…I’m coming back.”

  Then he put the neckce on the dresser.

  Light bloomed — soft, gentle, wrapping him in warmth. Not harsh magic or painful change.

  A return.

  Bones shifted softly, weight rearranging, warmth blossoming over his skin like sunlight through silk. Hair lengthening, ears rising, tails blooming outward like living white comet trails behind him.

  A soft gasp escaped — higher, sweeter — as she staggered forward a step and nded on her knees in a sea of fur.

  Then the light faded.

  And she was back.

  Silver eyes glowing gently.

  Ten long white tails unfurled like an angel’s wings made of cloud fluff.

  Soft fox ears twitched atop her head, catching every sound.

  Her voice came out small, breathless:

  “…hi again.”

  And for the first time all day, she smiled. Really smiled.

  Sorry it will just be this chapter today because of school