After Gender Swapping, I Became the Daughter of a Yandere Mother with Animal Ears—With the Help of My Yandere Mom and Powerful Sister, I'll Live as a Fox Girl

“Ah, Mashiro. Where have you been? I bought some food. Look, yakitori. It’s cheap and delicious.”

“Ah, yeah. Thank you… But, sorry. I don’t think I want to eat…”

“Why? You don’t look well. Are you feeling sick? If so, we should head back…”

“No, no! It’s not like that. I just don’t have much of an appetite.”

Chizuru suggests going back to the inn, interrupting her.

I can’t take away everyone’s fun just for myself. Plus, I’m not feeling sick. It’s just a bit of a low mood.

“I see… Alright.”

Chizuru, though looking worried, agrees.

…Should I tell everyone about that woman? No, the atmosphere is too good right now. I can talk about it later…

I’ll lie down for a bit. Maybe that’ll make me feel better.

When I collapsed onto the sandy beach, yellow eyes caught my gaze.

“Ah…”

“What are you doing? Weren’t you going to step on me?”

“Ah… Ah…”

Memories resurface at the sight of those eyes. The calm fear and nausea rush back all at once. Suspicion towards Hibari swirls in my mind.

“Ugh… Ah…”

My vision blurs.

The ringing in my ears won’t stop. My head hurts.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst.

“Mashiro, are you okay?”

“Ugh… Ah…”

As if she’s truly worried, but… she’s just pretending… Everything up to now was just an act…

“Ugh… blegh…”

Suddenly, my mouth fills with a sour taste. Not a refreshing sourness, but a gross, sticky, unpleasant one. It spills out of my mouth like a muddy stream.

“Mashiro!?”

“Cough, hack…”

Chizuru, shocked, glares at Hibari.

“What did you do to Mashiro!?”

“I didn’t do anything… No, maybe I did something. I’m sorry. But now’s not the time for that. Mashiro is in trouble.”

“! Mashiro, Mashiro! Are you okay!?”

Chizuru rushes over to me, patting my back. But it seems like that won’t be enough to calm it down.

“I’m… okay… Just got a bit dizzy…”

“That’s not okay at all. We should go back, okay?”

“No, really, I’m fine… Don’t worry…”

I force a smile. I don’t want to trouble anyone further. The pain is mine alone. If I endure it, everyone else can enjoy their time.

“Alright. But don’t push yourself. If you seem unwell again, I’ll drag you back myself.”

“Ha ha… Dragging a sick person around seems a bit much…”

“Ah… Seriously. Just don’t overdo it, okay? Got it!?”

“Yeah…”

Chizuru, still looking worried, leaves me. Yet, Hibari keeps staring into my eyes, kneeling beside me with a skeptical look…

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing… nothing at all.”

“Lie. You look like you’re about to cry. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, really.”

“Won’t you tell me?”

“…”

I couldn’t say it. Because if Hibari was connected to that woman… then I…

“Holding it in alone won’t do any good.”

“Shut up…”

“Hey, Mashiro. What happens to a heart that’s overstuffed and bloated?”

“…”

“It bursts, shatters, and then… breaks. Like the vomiting earlier, emotions you can’t hold back anymore spill out messily.”

“Be quiet…”

Her way of speaking is just like that woman’s. It makes me feel sick just listening.

“Hey, Mashiro. You can rely on us… on me. Kohaku, Yorikoma, Chizuru, everyone is much stronger than you think. They can take any story. So…”

“Shut up! Shut up!! Stop talking like you know everything! What do you know after just a few days of acquaintance!!”

I accidentally shouted at her.

That’s not it… That’s not what I meant…

“I understand. I know you tend to bottle things up. Not Mashiro, but you have been doing this since Japan. Always trying to solve everything alone, not consulting with anyone, always keeping it inside… You’re kind because you think you’re being a bother.”

“So shut up, will you!!!”

I kick the sand hard. It showers down on Hibari like rain, whitening her wings. Yet, the phoenix, covered in sand, continues to speak to me.

“But, I think staying silent is much more troublesome. If we don’t know your feelings, we can’t offer advice or think together… You suffer alone… That just makes everyone sad.”

“It’s fine… It’s my problem…”

“No, it isn’t!!!”

Hibari shouts so loudly that it makes me tremble. The seagulls take flight in surprise.

Such a powerful cry, unimaginable from her usual self, was enough to freeze me in place.

“No… What you can do alone is limited. Trying hard alone, you’ll eventually break… But with friends, supporting and helping each other, sharing the load… it’ll be okay…”

“…”

“And, we… haven’t just met recently, have we?”

“What…?”

Hibari stands up slowly, spreading her arms towards the heavens. Her figure seemed as if she was praying to a god… Yet, that moment soon ends, and she turns back to me with a smile full of compassion.

“We haven’t just met…? What does that mean? We’ve only known each other for a few days… But…”

Confused, Hibari comes closer and takes my hand.

It feels warm and familiar, causing a painful tightness deep in my chest…

“I need to tell you a secret. And… I have something I need to say.”

Hibari looks directly into my eyes.

The full moon in the rainbow-colored sky no longer seems frightening but comforting.

“I’ve learned everything from you. About Japan, everyone, and about you.”

“What are you… saying…”

The red light of the sunset lends determination to her eyes.

“…I’ve come. I’ve come from the future… to save you.”