The Domain of Alteration
Lunchtime at school. Unless something unusual happened, girls usually ate with girls, and boys with boys. Except for having lunch with Juran on Monday, I always ate with the guys, just like now. It was a scene no different from any other day. I had been worried that I might have to listen to "girl talk" coming out of guys' mouths, but thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. As always, they were huddled together talking about sports and games, acting like coaches and drawing up strategies. Among them, there was one guy who was unusually quiet. Once the class's biggest sex-obsessed fiend, he was now just silently scrolling through social media, grinning at photos of girls.
"Oh, damn..."
I deliberately peeked at his phone screen, showing some interest.
"Oh... Seong Haun. I knew you'd be interested in this kind of stuff."
The guys didn't call me names like shorty, shrimp, pint-sized, dwarf, chestnut, cutie, missy, or princess anymore. Instead, a new nickname seemed to be circulating among the girls: "Prince." A shameful moniker, considering it was just one syllable away from "giant dick" in our language. Sua, bless her, kept me updated on the girls' movements with utmost sincerity, even without me asking. She really was an excellent secret agent. Normally, a nickname like that would only spread among guys. The very reason I approached this guy was to gauge the difference between the past and the present.
"Hey, why are you keeping this to yourself? Just yesterday, you were babbling on about sharing the good stuff and giving me a play-by-play review."
"You bastard... don't bring up my embarrassing past. It's a bit of a turn-off for a grown man to be so blatant about it."
Although last week's peace felt like a distant memory to me too, I couldn't help but shake my head at this guy talking about yesterday as if it were some foolish childhood phase.
"Well... is it not vulgar when the girls do it?"
"What can you do? That's just female culture."
"When on earth did that become female culture anyway?"
"How should I know? If you're so curious, go home and ask the AI."
Because humanity's reliance on AI had extended compulsory education, we weren't even allowed to access AI at school. The internet was exactly as I remembered it, but it made me wonder what the AI would say.
"Haun, speaking as a guy who also likes girls... don't make it too obvious."
Wh-what? You dare give me advice? You, who was the class's undisputed king of perverts just yesterday?
"A man is finished the moment he looks easy. Especially after what happened to you today... be careful. The vice president's advice is just idealistic nonsense. She's chaste, so she can talk easily about other people's business."
Is this... the common sense that changed overnight? Why is it so incredibly detailed? It doesn't even feel like my world is changing; it feels like I've been possessed into some gender-reversed novel.
Yes, gender reversal. It was one of the two key terms I used to summarize this phenomenon. While there were endless variations, the gender-reversed novels I used to enjoy all shared a common thread. They featured a world where the sexual values of men and women were completely flipped, and consequently, a guy like me—who wouldn't even be treated as a man in reality—becomes an ultra-popular alpha male showered with attention from women. It was truly a genre made for me.
So, if the Monkey Hand was overlaying the common sense of a gender-reversed world onto my surroundings under the guise of granting me countless sexual opportunities, I could make sense of this situation to some extent. However, the name of that damn artifact was the real source of anxiety. After researching the Monkey's Paw, I recalled a novel with a similar premise that I had been forced to drop in disgust. It was a story where, just as the pervert next to me said, a guy who seemed easy got ruthlessly devoured like a dog by women. For me, who used to self-insert as the short, delicate protagonist, it had dealt a severe psychological blow—to put it dramatically. I hadn't touched a single gender-reversed novel since.
Writing my second wish as "make them like me as a man" was a stroke of absolute luck. At least because she liked me, Juran actually listened to what I had to say. If not for that wish... let alone Kwon Juran and Kim Yehyeon, even the Student Council President, Min Seohye—who couldn't hide her fleeting contempt when she saw my swollen crotch—what would they have done to me? I didn't even want to imagine. It was terrifying.
A massive event like a Common Sense Alteration happening just for a simple wish about sex was way too over the top. This couldn't be explained unless the Monkey Hand was living up to its reputation and trying to screw me over. Though my first attempt had been a blunder, I praised myself for carefully crafting the second wish as I finished my meal.
I placed my tray on the return rack and walked out of the cafeteria, only for a hand to grab me from behind. I turned around to see Yehyeon curling her fingers, bringing them close to her mouth, and flicking her tongue out, mimicking sucking a dick. To think a real-life girl would reenact a scene I'd only ever seen in hentai right in front of me. It was frustrating that it was Kim Yehyeon... but it was hot... yet so frustrating!
"W-what are you doing..."
Composure... I had to maintain my composure. Frustrating as it was, if I gave in here, I might end up in one of those gender-reversed worlds where I'd be ridden like a dog.
"What do you think? I couldn't even eat because I wanted to suck your dick so bad. I just sat there with an empty tray, staring only at you."
She wasn't even whispering; she said it completely out loud... And it wasn't just her; all the girls I'd seen today were acting like this. Even Seohye, though she had euphemized it as "penis." Just yesterday, she had stuttered in embarrassment at a junior's joke about ravishing me. No matter how strong female libido was in a gender-reversed world, that alone couldn't explain this phenomenon. Even a vulgar girl like Yehyeon wouldn't have openly blurted out wanting to suck my dick in a public place like this before.
I didn't know how they talked when they were just among themselves, but what I used to hear was much more watered down—things like seducing a guy to roll around in bed with tonight, or how someone was like a beast in bed. What she was saying right now would have normally gotten her arrested for sexual harassment. That brought me to another key term: sexual customs. Blowjobs were treated like mere kisses, and it was perfectly acceptable for women to behave like Yehyeon was doing now. I didn't know the exact extent of the shift, but the very concept of public decency had clearly changed in this world.
But at this very moment, a thought struck me: what if my assumption was wrong?
It's... not that kind of world?
The eyes of the students leaving the cafeteria were fixed on Yehyeon. Most of them glanced at her as she begged me for my dick while going about their way. Some of the girls had looks of sheer contempt, while the boys showed interest or snickered with their friends. Why...? My eyes scanned the kids from our class. It was distinctly different. The girls' gazes, in particular, weren't landing on Yehyeon—they were landing on me. And they were staring explicitly, right at my crotch. What is this? Did only our class turn into a gathering of lunatics?! No, that wasn't it. Seohye was acting weird too... and the homeroom teacher...
"Ah, hurry up. I know a place where no one goes during lunch. Let's go quickly and pull your dick out. Huh? My panties are going to get completely soaked at this rate. If I don't suck your massive, delicious dick while fingering myself to climax, I feel like I'm literally going to drip all the way down my thighs."
"Ah, shut up already!"
I hissed, spitting out the harsh words before I could stop myself.
"Was that a bit too intense for Haun? But what can I do? I'm literally going crazy here."
"Fine, I get it. Just stop talking and lead the way to that place where no one goes."
"Really? Okay!"
I let myself be dragged along by my wrist. Her constant babbling about my dick made me realize something. The common denominator between the kids in our class, the homeroom teacher, and Seohye. They had all seen my dick... What, is my dick some kind of hypnosis pendulum? No way... Is this my overpowered special ability? When it gets hard and sways, does it cast a wide-range Common Sense Alteration that makes it easy for me to have sex? No. That can't be it. What kind of bizarre thoughts am I having? Even if it's the Monkey's Paw, it wouldn't screw me over in such a crazy way.
...It's so unfair. At least the classic Monkey's Paw let you make wishes whenever you wanted. Why couldn't I even use my phone until I finished writing all my wishes? If I had just written "fuck off" instead, would that have become the wish, saving me from all this? Lost in a flurry of thoughts, we arrived at a place I had never seen before.
"This place is..."
"The Cafeteria Staff Lounge. Everyone's working during lunch, so nobody comes here."
Seeing how familiar she was with the place, she must have used it a few times already.
"Haa... now we're all alone. Prince ♡"
Panting heavily, she let go of the door and immediately tried to unbuckle my belt.
"D-don't do this, I didn't come here for this..."
I clutched my waistband with both hands.
"Ah, come on... you fucking asshole... you followed me all the way here, and now you're playing hard to get?"
She shrieked, pulling at my arms.
"Hurry... haa... fuck, pull your dick out so I can suck it. Seriously, shove your dick in my mouth before I ravish you with my pussy, okay?"
Crazy bitch... Why did I even try to hide for her sake? I should have just let the other kids look at her like the pervert she is. I acted too hastily out of panic.
"I-if you do this... Juran... Juran won't let this slide..."
"Wh-what... you said you guys aren't even dating..."
"Ugh, but... if she finds out I'm doing this with another girl..."
"Ah, whatever! I'll just fucking eat you up and die. A well-fed ghost has a better complexion anyway!"
I'm the one who's going to die, you horny, reckless bitch!
"Now, now, that won't do. You have to cherish your life."
Just then, a familiar voice of salvation echoed from the doorway. I turned to see a foot wedged in the gap of the door, which was trying to swing shut on its hinges.
Creeeeak—...
"So there was a place like this. Should I suggest they keep it locked better?"
My outstanding agent, Ji Sua, had come to the rescue.