The Wager's Shadow
"I'll think about it." Terria responded to the Magic Minister's proposal, saying it was hard to give a firm answer right away.
The guy seemed more respectful of my opinion than I'd expected. I liked that. Leaving behind the minister's creepy gaze as he smacked his lips in feigned disappointment while staring at me, we exited his office. Seriously, I might need to cover my face from now on.
We headed toward the building entrance to return to the lab. The corridors of the Imperial Magic Department were deserted—probably because everyone had cranked up the heat and holed up in their offices against February's biting cold.
"We've taken care of everything now, right?"
"Yes... but, um, I need to use the restroom..."
"Go ahead."
I could feel the urge building. Ever since swapping bodies with him, holding it in had gotten harder. I'd vaguely heard that women have shorter urethras and weaker sphincter muscles, making it tougher for them to hold it compared to men. Not that I just heard it—I'd looked into all sorts of things since I'd be stuck in this body for a while anyway. Better to live healthy than suffer needlessly. Things like breast cancer often stem from lifestyle habits, too.
Terria could probably explain it simply if I asked, but I didn't want him catching on that I was paying attention to stuff like this. He'd definitely think I was getting attached to this body.
Lost in such thoughts, I entered the restroom and took care of business. The chill that sometimes hits in winter made my body shudder.
"...Ugh, seriously."
I muttered to myself in frustration. Sitting to pee was something I'd gotten used to by now, but the most annoying part was how water sometimes splashed and got on my tail. I rolled up some toilet paper and wiped the urine off it.
Of all the luck, my humanization magic had worn off, forcing me through this hassle. That spell alters your physical structure, so the tail vanishes and it's all easier. I pulled up my panties, slipped on my long pants, straightened my clothes, and washed my hands at the sink.
The restroom was empty, so I found myself staring blankly into the mirror. My luscious fox ears were perched on my head right now, but the perception impairment spell kept them from showing in the reflection. Instead, I spotted a man who'd just entered, visible over my head.
Our eyes met in the mirror at the same time. But he looked pretty flustered, fidgeting uncomfortably. Growing a bit puzzled, I dried my hands with paper towels when he spoke up.
"Uh, excuse me..."
"Yes?"
"This is the... men's restroom..."
And that's when it finally clicked what was happening. I'd wandered into the women's restroom by mistake—no, wait, the opposite. Habit had led me straight here without thinking.
There were no urinals, so I hadn't noticed a thing. And since I'd only ever seen men in public restrooms my whole life, nothing had felt off. From his perspective, I must look like a total pervert. A woman boldly using the men's room? Probably looks insane...
I blurted out an excuse in a panic. "Ah... sorry! I'll get out right now!"
"Wait, hold on a sec!"
"Y-yes? What... why...?"
I'd ducked my head and was reaching for the door when he grabbed my wrist with urgent fingers. As he tightened his grip like he didn't want me to leave, a sudden fear gripped me. I couldn't muster the courage to look up at his face. Dark thoughts flooded my mind. And this was the men's restroom...
Did he really think I was some deviant? Was he planning to harass me outright? Figure no one would find out in here?
"L-let go..."
As I stammered through chattering teeth, he loosened his hold like he'd realized his mistake. But my wrist was still caught in his grasp.
"Sorry. It's nothing bad, just... one thing I wanted to ask."
"...Yes?"
Unlike what I'd imagined, his gaze held genuine curiosity. He didn't seem to care why I was here, which eased my tension a little.
"Um, do you work for any particular department?"
"Department...?"
"Yeah, like which division or something."
There it was. He was definitely planning to harass me. Why else ask about my department? Once he knew where I worked, what then? Threaten to spread rumors if I was Magic Department staff?
"Why do you want to know...?"
"No, no, not like that at all. Your face just looks familiar. Have we met somewhere?"
He added hurriedly, as if backpedaling from a blunder. I glanced up cautiously and met his eyes. Surprisingly, he looked serious—truly wondering who I was, determined to figure it out. Isn't that just pervert talk?
"I'm with the Blue Tower. And I don't think we've met. Sorry, can I go now?"
"Blue Tower... I see. Thank you."
He let go of my wrist readily after that. What was he thanking me for...? Not that I cared enough to ask. I gave a slight bow and opened the door.
"Try not to mix up the restrooms next time."
His voice came from behind. Now even my ears were burning red. What a mess from one wrong turn. Vowing never to cross paths with him again, I snuck a peek at the insignia on his clothes. Information Bureau. Fine, I'd steer clear of that place no matter what.
I slammed the innocent door shut with a loud bang and hurried back to Terria.
"What took you so long?"
Terria had been waiting awhile, tapping his shoe against the wall. Imagining him bursting into laughter if he found out I'd stumbled into the men's room made my face flush hot.
"I-it... took a while for... reasons..."
"Whatever. Let's head back."
We returned to the lab, had a simple meal, and brewed two cups of coffee. Terria naturally plopped onto the sofa. It was sized just right for two—perfect for me and Clechia. I had no choice but to take the somewhat stiff desk chair.
I couldn't exactly squeeze onto the sofa right up against him. Nor could I tell him to scoot over. Come to think of it, it had been ages since I'd cursed at Terria. At first, I'd hurled insults like "crazy bastard" or "perverted fuck," but now? I doubted I could even if he begged me to.
It was disconcerting. My mind pictured yelling "fuck you" at him, but the words wouldn't leave my throat. It felt wrong, yet pathetic at the same time.
I sipped my coffee and eyed Terria. Lounging back casually, he looked every bit the Ariel to anyone watching. My gaze shifted to my chair. Sofa and chair. That was us now.
Focus on the problem at hand first. I gathered my thoughts and spoke.
"The gist is this: the Blue Tower's budget is woefully inadequate."
"Yeah."
"And whatever Lucas pulled, we can't cover it short-term... You listening?"
"Yeah, go on."
Terria seemed disinterested in the topic. Or maybe he'd already brainstormed solutions and saw no need to react.
"The minister's bet proposal was to raise the stakes with the funding grant... and my ownership... Haah..."
"And winner's decided by whose research performs better. The issue? We don't know the bet's theme."
The minister hadn't revealed it. For this wager—me and the funding as the pot, between Ariel and Lucas—he'd disclose the theme only if we accepted.
Terria took a sip of coffee and continued in a tone laced with faint mockery.
"If it turns out to be some field you're unfamiliar with, Lucas might win, right?"
"Ha, me? Lose to that moron? That guy who has nothing in his head but women?"
"But you never know with people. Take you—you never saw me beating you coming."
"That's... you're different from Lucas. You're..."
I started to argue that Terria was incomparably sharper, more cautious, and cunning than Lucas. That I couldn't possibly lose a research contest to the likes of him. But that might come off as admitting Terria was above me, so I hesitated.
Truth was, I knew it. It wasn't just possible—he was already above me. As I hemmed and hawed, Terria had fixed me with an intensely serious stare at some point. The tension made me swallow involuntarily. My mouth felt parched no matter how much coffee I drank.
"Ariel, do you treasure the Blue Tower?"
"Of course."
"Enough to bet everything on it?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
Was he joking? I twirled a lock of hair and eyed him. But leaning back on the sofa, he seemed aloof yet earnestly engaged. Still, even if he said "everything," did I have anything left to bet?
But Terria didn't seem to mean that. He elaborated.
"No one acknowledges you as Ariel anymore anyway. Even if the Blue Tower succeeds, everyone will think it's my doing. And yet... it's still that important to you?"