A New Skeleton
After finishing the bar cleanup, I found an empty room, hung the bartender uniform neatly on its hook, and stepped into the bathroom. My reflection stared back from the full-length mirror that covered one wall. The silver hair that had once barely brushed my shoulders now fell nearly to my back. I briefly considered cutting it into the short bob that matched Elisha’s original image, but decided against it. My breasts, which had grown steadily throughout the training period, had become noticeably larger. When I cupped them in both hands, I felt a new, heavy fullness that hadn’t been there before. I remembered that if they grew too big, they wouldn’t sit well under clothes. I would need to consult Master about it.
Overall, my body was filling out in healthy proportions and growing firmer from constant exercise. Elisha’s original frame had been slender, but her bone structure was poor—narrow shoulders, small pelvis, almost no natural lines. It lacked feminine allure, so I had focused on building a healthy, athletic image through training. My clitoris, perpetually stimulated by Master’s ring, kept swelling and shrinking in cycles; it seemed permanently a little larger now. The ring adjusted its size automatically, so it never felt too tight, yet it still pressed lightly against the base, causing frequent surges of sensation. My outer lips remained tightly closed, presenting only a clean, smooth line; the inner folds stayed hidden.
After thoroughly inspecting and evaluating my body—the duty of any angel concerned with her market value—I washed myself clean. When I emerged wrapped in a towel, the communicator chimed. The number on the screen belonged to Master, so I answered at once.
“I’ll be performing body modification tomorrow. Arrive at the lab by ten. I’ve already filed for your leave from work.”
“Yes, Master.”
Having delivered only the necessary instructions, he ended the call immediately. To maintain optimal condition for the procedure, I went straight to bed. When I woke, I retrieved casual clothes from the auto-management machine, inserted the bartender uniform, and started the cleaning cycle. Dressed in the neatly pressed everyday outfit, I headed downstairs. There I found Senior Stella entering the shop, dark shadows pooled beneath her eyes.
“Senior, you’re only just getting back?”
“Yes. They wouldn’t let me leave all night.”
“You’ve worked hard. Please rest.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you later.”
Utterly drained, Senior Stella staggered as she searched for an empty room and climbed the stairs. I wondered just how good Mathis had been to leave her in such a state. Even her walk looked painful. After informing the staff at Angels’ Haven that I would be on leave, I saw it was already past nine and hurried to the lab.
I exchanged greetings with the lab personnel, then opened the door to Master’s private workspace. The interior had changed dramatically. A massive new machine dominated the center—an enormous capsule surrounded by ranks of unfamiliar equipment. Master himself looked as though he hadn’t slept in days; his hair was stiff and clumped, his lab coat wrinkled and stained. He was absorbed in adjusting various parts of the device. I picked my way through the debris scattered across the floor and spoke.
“Hello. I’m here.”
“You’re here? Give me a moment.”
While he finished preparations, I gathered the scattered trash—fragmented cables of unknown purpose, food wrappers that looked hastily discarded—and stacked everything neatly. The usually spotless lab was filthy; he must have been working without pause. By the time the waste bin was full and the floor clean again, Master finally spoke.
“All right. Final maintenance on the modification equipment is complete.”
“Is this the body-modification machine? It’s enormous.”
“The modifications you’ll receive are on a massive scale. It has to be this size.”
“Are you allowed to install something like this in the lab freely?”
“This is my personal, exclusive laboratory. Within budget, I can do whatever I want.”
“Eden really is impressive.”
“Yes… it is.”
A faintly bitter look crossed his face before he smoothed it away and snapped his fingers twice.
“Remove all your clothes and lie down inside the capsule.”
“Yes, Master.”
I obeyed instantly, stripping and stretching out inside. The headrest was soft, almost luxurious. The inner walls were perforated with countless holes, and mechanical arms waited in standby. As I lay there staring blankly at the ceiling, a series of beeps signaled the machine powering up. The lid descended, sealing me in completely. Its surface was mirrored glass; I could see my own naked body reflected above me. A speaker inside the capsule carried Master’s voice.
“I’ll explain the body modification you’re about to receive. Consider this the foundational work for all future alterations. I’m going to reshape your entire skeleton to suit our objectives. Forcibly altering bone is extremely painful, but I’ll administer full anesthesia. It should help you endure.”
A faint motorized hum began. Transparent liquid rose from the bottom of the capsule, cold and slightly viscous, slowly enveloping me. It seemed it would fill the entire chamber—how was I supposed to breathe? As if in answer, a respirator descended, sealing over my mouth and nose. The liquid continued rising until it covered my face. I closed my eyes. Submerged in the chill fluid, my senses began to dull, as though my skin itself were absorbing the solution. Each breath from the respirator pulled consciousness away faster and faster until everything faded.
I regained awareness to the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. Even with an angel’s dulled senses and the anesthesia, the agony was overwhelming. I tried to move, but restraints held me immobile. When I forced my eyes open, the mirror showed me floating inside the transparent liquid, body locked down by leather restraints that had emerged from the capsule floor. Master must have noticed me stirring.
“Don’t move yet. Stabilization is still in progress.”
I endured. After what felt like an eternity, the pain gradually receded. Master’s voice returned.
“Modification complete. I’m releasing the restraints. Rise carefully.”
The bonds loosened. The liquid began draining rapidly through holes in the floor. Whatever transformation it had undergone, it was no longer sticky; it sloshed and vanished quickly. As the level dropped below my face, the respirator mask detached and rose away. Blue light and warm air dried my wet skin. Finally the lid opened.
I sat up. A deep, aching soreness filled every joint. When I gripped the capsule’s edge for support, my hand looked wrong—fingers longer, palm smaller. Standing fully, I discovered my eye level had changed dramatically.
“Walk carefully to the full-length mirror over there. Your balance will be different. Concentrate.”
“Yes, Master.”
The first steps were unsteady; I staggered before I could catch myself. My feet were smaller. Focusing intently, I adjusted my gait until the swaying diminished. By the time I reached the mirror, the body reflected there was unmistakably altered. The most striking change was height. I had grown roughly ten centimeters—close to 180 now. My entire skeletal structure had broadened and enlarged.
“I redesigned your skeleton for the mission you must carry out,” Master explained, pointing to various areas. “An optimized frame for a healthy, voluptuous body capable of approaching the target, with maximum bone density and elasticity for combat.”
He continued, indicating each section. “The target prefers bodies that are large and powerful yet beautiful. He has violent tastes that demand a physique capable of withstanding intense abuse, but it must still be aesthetically perfect. A broad, sturdy skeleton paired with ideal proportions for graceful lines. Such a figure is nearly impossible naturally, but quite simple to engineer.”
My shoulders now appeared significantly wider while the ribcage remained comparatively narrow, creating a powerful upper body that still looked slender. From those wide shoulders the torso tapered to a slim waist before flaring into broad hips and generous pelvic joints that formed dramatic curves. My thighs were thick from training, yet the widened pelvis created a noticeable triangular gap between my legs—one that had been impossible with my previous narrow frame. Even my originally small head now fit the new proportions perfectly.
“I’ve given you the ideal skeletal foundation to match the target’s aesthetic. Sculpting the finer details of your figure is now your responsibility. You must become the ultimate product that captures his eye.”
“I understand, Master.”
Two sharp snaps of his fingers returned me to the persona of the angel playing Elisha.
“How is it possible to lengthen the skeleton without damaging skin or muscle?”
“The power of science. Does it still hurt badly?”
“It’s bearable. Oh—I’m taller than you now, Master.”
“Are you looking down on your Master?”
“Ah! I’m sorry. Should I kneel?”
“It’s fine. I was joking. The skeleton will fully set in a few days. After that we’ll proceed with the next stage of modification, so stay prepared.”
“Yes, Master.”
When I reached for my discarded clothes, I realized the problem. The skeletal changes had rendered both underwear and outer garments unwearable.
“Master, there’s an issue.”
“What is it?”
“None of the clothes fit anymore.”
“Ah.”
Master looked momentarily flustered, as if he hadn’t considered it. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, then left to buy replacements. I would need to have the dormitory clothes and bartender uniform altered as well. While I stretched and mentally rearranged my schedule, he returned.
“I only bought underwear and a dress for now. Try them on.”
“Thank you.”
As expected from the man who had engineered my body, both the lingerie and dress fit perfectly.
Right—I had something else to discuss.
“Master, may I consult you about something?”
“What is it this time?”
“My breasts grew enormously after the injections. Will they become even larger?”
“We have to enlarge them further. The target prefers breasts bigger than that.”
“Isn’t that… excessively large?”
“He likes them truly massive.”
It seemed the target’s tastes ran beyond mere large breasts into the realm of the enormous. But if the body was to remain robust and muscular, with exercise burning away fat, how could such breasts be maintained?
“A strong, beautiful body shouldn’t carry much fat. How would you create breasts that large?”
“Again, the power of science.”
“I see.”
It appeared breast modification would be included as well. That lifted some of the burden of maintaining my figure myself. After all, everything would be shaped according to Master’s specifications.
Another question occurred to me.
“Master, one more thing.”
“Again?”
“A senior at work mentioned uterine modification and bowel-function modification as options. Are those possible?”
“Ah, that category. No. Not enough funds.”
“Funds are insufficient?”
“I’m already exhausting both laboratory resources and my personal savings on your modification plan. There’s nothing left for extraneous procedures.”
He added that such irreversible changes required careful consideration. If I truly wanted them, I would have to earn the money myself.
“By the way, how much have you saved so far?”
“About sixty thousand tuns.”
“Working as an angel, you should accumulate it quickly.”
Bella’s Angels’ Haven paid one hundred thousand tuns per month. Given that the average angel salary was around one hundred sixty thousand, our pay was indeed low. But angels rarely concerned themselves with money. Our accounts ultimately belonged to Eden; every credit flowed back into the city’s coffers.
“Why do you need the money?”
“I need to repair your implant.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
“Spend it on necessities like this instead of pointless modifications.”
Now that he mentioned it, I wondered whether the implant truly needed fixing. Recovering my memories might actually interfere with my performance as Elisha.
“The plan requires a functioning implant, so have it repaired.”
“So that’s why you chose me.”
One piece of the puzzle finally clicked. Angels could not leave Eden, which would have complicated any external implant work and required difficult permissions. Since I had received mine before becoming an angel, and memory restoration provided legitimate cover, I had been the perfect candidate.
“I’ll take out a loan to cover the shortfall and proceed with the procedure immediately.”
“I’ve already reserved a slot at a major hospital. Once the funds are deposited, they can operate at once. When you go, have them use this.”
He handed me a small, square device. Turning it over revealed what looked like a living organism inside.
“What is this?”
“A biochip. It drastically reduces latency between implant and brain.”
“Such technology exists?”
“Developed by a collaborator of mine. The hospital technicians won’t recognize it. Visually it resembles the original components, so they’ll install it without question.”
“Fascinating.”
“The advantage is zero latency—something conventional parts cannot achieve. The drawback is that the biochip extends root-like tendrils into the brain.”
“Inhuman.”
“Which is why it never received approval. It was rejected even here in Eden.”
I turned the device over in my hands. Few people would willingly accept something that would burrow living tendrils into their own brain. Master continued.
“The combat support system provided by standard implants has always been limited by transmission delay. Conversion between brain and implant adds at least a full second of lag. This chip eliminates conversion entirely—information exchanges instantly.”
“Incredible.”
“Augmented reality with zero delay appears directly before your eyes. Gun trajectories, predicted enemy movements, even hidden targets will be highlighted in real time.”
“The benefits seem enormous. Aren’t they worth the downside?”
“You’d be better off not knowing the rest.”
“Master, I believe knowing the truth and preparing for it is preferable to ignorance.”
“Even without emotions, this may be difficult to accept. Are you certain you’re all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Master seemed unusually hesitant to speak further. It was a subtle but noticeable shift from the way he had always treated me as nothing more than a tool for his purposes.