Chapter 4:

Seconds passed, then minutes, then hours. Yuri's flesh was being chewed up, then restored again. It would have been hellishly painful, but fortunately Yuri was unconscious and therefore experienced no particular issues.

The loss of consciousness postponed and even somewhat diminished the pain he was going through. Apart from the fact that Yuri's previous body had disappeared and he was now wearing a dress instead of a suit — there were no major changes.

But Yuri, obviously, didn't know any of this — he was unconscious. In a fog where there was nothing. Or at least that was what one could hope, since the truth might be worse than ignorance.

In any case the metamorphosis continued, and Yuri's body periodically twitched and moaned. What was unsettling was that the moans gradually changed in sound over time: instead of male, they grew more and more like female moans. Not a delicate female voice — just ordinary female moans of pain. No lust. Pure suffering.

At first he hadn't noticed, but the head he had impulsively decided to attach to himself was a head with rabbit ears — though not a rabbit's face. More like a bunny girl from one of those low-quality anime harems. You know the type — that ideal kind of beauty which doesn't even provoke lust: it's been too ubiquitous in media for that.

And the body, while growing more elegant and firm, did not swell in the chest area. Yes, you heard right: although the head Yuri had attached was female, and the body was becoming more feminine — this did not mean the absence of his former anatomy. So Yuri was flat as a board. And his "little friend" hadn't gone anywhere and was sleeping peacefully.

His height dropped by ten centimetres — now one hundred and sixty-nine. Combined with the altered face and slightly widened hips, which had taken up some of the organic material, his belonging to the male sex had become rather questionable.

The surrounding landscape was changing too. A pair of yellow eyes watched from the fog — unblinking, unmoving. Simply observing the metamorphosis. That was probably quite natural. Imagine managing to catch a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly — wouldn't you want to see the whole process live? And being a monster, you can literally watch something for hours without getting bored. Extremely convenient.

One way or another, the process, however captivating, had its logical conclusion. Seeing it, the monster decided not to kill Yuri. It would have been a waste of time to simply kill a nightmare that had just hatched. Although the aroma was above average, it was not enticing enough to just eat outright. And if this nightmare got lost in its territory and died of hunger — there were no suitable prey here — that would also be rather disappointing.

So the monster simply parted a small portion of its body to let this newborn nightmare get out without any trouble. It wasn't kindness or anything of the sort — simply an ordinary whim of a superior predator. For prey it didn't want to eat. Nothing more.

=

— God, I haven't even been drinking — where's this insane hangover and cottonmouth coming from... Huh?! I can talk?! And why do I have a woman's voice — don't tell me...

Fear is a sufficiently multifaceted feeling and is capable of manifesting in different ways. From the body going numb to uncontrollable aggression — fear is an entirely natural survival mechanism. And Yuri could experience it to the fullest right now. His hand moved slowly toward his groin — not because it was weakened by trembling, but because he was genuinely afraid of not finding what had been with him his entire life. This primal fear was so immense that a movement which could have been completed in under four seconds stretched out to fifteen.

Yuri distinctly felt the unfamiliar velvety smoothness of his thighs, and his buttocks had become noticeably heavier — so with every centimetre it was as if his arms were filling with lead.

But nothing can last forever, and his hands eventually reached the coveted point of no return. Apart from the fact that the hair had disappeared there — his "little friend" was in perfect order and right where it should be.

— Thank God.

Relief spread across his face. Just now he had survived one of the most terrifying crises of his life. Even standing at death's door before the jaws of a monster, he had not been as frightened as he had been a few moments ago. The degree of that fear could only be compared to the time when he, a straight-A student, had received the lowest possible grade — and hadn't told his mum, but knew the teacher would call her. The house had been remarkably clean and tidy that day...

But those were matters of days gone by. Right now Yuri was interested in something else entirely — namely his newly acquired curves. Hours at the computer and writing reports for several hours a day had worn him out quite effectively, killing any sexual desire.

But the past week? All he had done was play games and sleep. Obviously, on such fertile ground, all manner of ungodly ideas could bloom.

And the fact that right now his mast was standing tall and straight spoke volumes. But Yuri's hands spoke louder than any words.

That, however, you will not see. Because I don't want to show that side of Yuri to anyone but myself. Selfish of me? Entirely. But I don't care.

One way or another, Yuri was self-satisfied. His only disappointment was the absence of a mirror. He had been in a semi-delirious state when he put on the other head, but vaguely sensed that it was rather attractive. Combined with the body — naturally.

On the whole it was somewhat puzzling why Yuri wasn't panicking or at least questioning the current surrealist events. However, besides a sense of his own magnificence and sincere self-admiration, he felt nothing new. Literally.

But having acquired a head, he began to sense more clearly that he needed sustenance. In exactly what way he would find anything to eat when there was nothing but fog all around — well, there seemed to be an exit visible over there. Would it be alright if he simply left? Probably.

Behind the seventh door was a city centre, full of people with Asian features. The moment Yuri appeared, all eyes turned directly toward him. And a pleasant smell began to drift to his nose.

This smell was not as hypnotising as the smell of the head he had so desperately sought. But it still provoked a certain thrill — rather like catching the scent of instant noodles on an empty stomach.

And upon catching that smell, Yuri began to absorb it. The people around him fainted from time to time, but without panic or agitation — they stood like statues, unshakeable and emotionless.

This didn't last too long, though — after a minute, two at most, Yuri seemed to have eaten his fill. How had he eaten his fill on a smell? Not his concern. The main thing was that he had. Having satisfied his hunger and thirst, he had been about to leave, but lightning struck right beside him. And that was a compelling argument for more cautious behaviour.

— REPENT, VILLAINESS! FOR I — BLOOMING CHERRY, MAGICAL GIRL REGISTRATION NUMBER 115 — HAVE ARRIVED TO RESTORE JUSTICE!

[What the hell?!]

— What the #####?!

— HOW UNCOUTH, VILLAINESS! WE DO NOT USE PROFANITY IN THE PRESENCE OF CHILDREN!

Yuri had just been yelled at by a schoolgirl dressed in an excessively short pink mini-skirt — under which, however, were shorts — with an equally eye-searing pink blouse on top, beneath which a crop top was visible. Even her hair was dyed pink. And when he tried to swear with good old Russian profanity to express his sincere astonishment, the swear word was bleeped out just like on the news. No, of course Yuri understood that the world was absurd and so on — but why did this kind of crap happen specifically to him?

— BLOOMING LOVE!

[SHIT, SHE'S FIRING A PINK LASER. IN WHAT HELLHOLE IS SHE A MAGICAL GIRL — THIS NUCLEAR WARHEAD IN WHITE STOCKINGS AND A MINI-SKIRT. WHAT A GODDAMN SITUATION, I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS. I NEED TO PASS THROUGH]

— ###

The profanity that escaped him in the process was ruthlessly bleeped out, but Yuri didn't care. What genuinely concerned him right now was the safety of his rear end in the face of this pink warhead.

And indeed: though the laser was fast, Yuri's will to live was faster — so all that remained in his former location was a crater with faint wisps of steam.

— And once again Blooming Cherry, Magical Girl Registration Number 115, has performed a selfless act of good! Don't forget to leave a revi— BLEH

What's the stupidest thing you can do in a fight? Get distracted! — Yuri would answer, having appeared behind this pink catastrophe. And what did Yuri do upon finding himself behind her? Obviously kicked her in the backside and made a tactical retreat. There were plenty of unhinged schoolgirls, but Yuri's mother only had one son — life comes first. Dignity and honour come second, but for a sufficient sum they can be relegated to lower positions.

Having hidden in a nearby abandoned building, he decided wisely to wait out this hellish commotion. Until he noticed that the colours were once again beginning to drain from the world — along with life itself...

— ###