Nyang Nyang Punch
Was I asleep? Part of me wanted to just go back to sleep, but things were different now from all those years I'd spent living alone in my mountain house. I was staying in my sister's place, after all—not my own home where I could do whatever I wanted. She might be the type who doesn't like lazybones. There was no harm in getting up early. If it really didn't work out, I could always sneak back to my room and crash again.
Decision made, I hauled myself up in a half-dazed stupor. Back in the day, I'd managed fine even when sleepy, but ever since turning into this body, mornings hit me extra hard. Sure, my overall stamina had tanked compared to my old self—that was inevitable—but it still felt kinda unfair. What was up with this body? Nothing good about it at all. Uncomfortable as it was, I guess there was no helping it with how young it was now.
Smooth...
"Hm?"
What the...? Come to think of it, I'd passed out halfway in the bath last night and gotten carried to bed like that, so my sister must've been the one who dressed me. A little embarrassing, sure, but I wasn't a guy anymore, and she was family. This body was a girl's anyway, so it wasn't a huge deal for her to handle. Plus, I'd been half-unconscious at the time, so mentally it wasn't traumatic. Sure, now that I was aware, it felt awkward, but since I hadn't experienced it firsthand, I could bear it.
But setting all that aside, there was a much bigger issue.
The clothes I was wearing felt... off.
"So soft."
It was like stroking an animal's fur. No fur was sprouting from my body, so this texture had to be from the pajamas themselves. Had clothes this plush and comfy even existed...?
"Gotta turn on the light..."
The room was pitch black—I couldn't see a thing. She'd probably closed the door tight and drawn the curtains when she left me here, but thankfully a sliver of light leaked through, so it wasn't total darkness. I managed to fumble my way to the light switch.
Click.
"Uh..."
What is this?
Now that the light was on, I could finally see what I was wearing. I'd said it felt like animal fur before? Well, it looked exactly like that—white fur woven together into pajamas. What the hell had she dressed me in?
"Hm?"
Oh, right—a mirror. And speaking of which, why had I been stumbling around like an idiot when I had magic? A simple light spell...
"Fair enough... If I used magic and she caught me, that'd be trouble."
She'd find out eventually anyway—maybe it'd be better to just come clean early? Nah, not something to decide half-asleep. I'd think about it later.
Musing like that, I wandered over and reached the mirror before I knew it.
"Let's see..."
I peered at my reflection.
"Ah..."
What the hell?
I looked myself over. At first, I'd just thought it was some super fluffy getup. Sure, why bother dressing me in something like this? But secretly, it felt so comfy I kinda liked it.
That all vanished the second I saw myself in the mirror.
All that remained was rage. Pure, seething hatred.
Unforgivable.
I clutched the fabric, trembling with fury. I'd kept my witch identity and magic hidden because it seemed like too much hassle to explain, but screw that. The moment she put this on me, it was all over.
"Time to show her the wrath of a witch..."
Right now, I was a witch. Sure, I'd been a college student before, but when it came to magic and raw power, I could confidently say I didn't lag behind anyone. Even my sister—an awakener supposed to be top-tier—would go down in one critical hit. GG. And I was damn good at landing non-targeted spells; back in my gaming days, that was my specialty.
"No, magic's too dangerous..."
Better to infuse my fist with mana and swing. In manga, even kids could smash walls and splinter trees like that. I could do it too. Just charge it moderately, though—this was just to teach her a lesson.
"Huuu..."
Out in the hall, I took a deep breath. Bursting out in rage the second I saw her might backfire, so I had to play it cool, line up my shot...
"..."
No, seriously... How could anyone do this to another human being? It was so shocking I couldn't even speak.
"Ugh..."
The mirror view had left me speechless. If some other kid had been wearing this, it'd be shocking in a different way—enough to give someone a heart attack on the spot. And I was the one in it? A straight-up sin.
"Gotta get this off now..."
How was I supposed to walk around in this? Just moving felt terrifying. Better alone at home, but with my sister around? No way I could endure the embarrassment.
"Where are my normal clothes...?"
My usual stuff was the comfiest. Yeah, that was best. My face burned hotter with every step down the stairs until I reached the first floor.
There—sis cooking in the kitchen. Target acquired! Everything on this punch!
I charged at her without hesitation...
"Ah."
Wha...? Why was I flying through the air?
Something snagged my foot, and my body launched forward.
...Done for.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"What're you doing, running in the house?"
"..."
What just happened?
Right before I faceplanted, sis appeared out of nowhere and caught me—like teleportation, something no normal person could dream of. She flicked my forehead hard, like I should reflect on making her use her powers after so long.
Were all awakeners total monsters...?
I'd been all "I'll show her a witch's power," bragging about unbeatable magic and strength, and here I was, instantly losing the will to fight. Pathetic. I'd only ever holed up researching spells—no real fights. Claiming martial prowess? Laughable.
Already dying of shame in this outfit, now I realized how idiotic my stunt was. Oh, and for almost hurting myself running indoors, she made me put the hood back on.
I was wearing cat-ear animal pajamas.
"You look just like a Persian from this angle~"
Even getting cat-treated now.
"But I never thought you'd trip running from there. What'd you catch your foot on?"
She plopped me on her lap, cooing, then asked.
"..."
I couldn't bring myself to explain. No one but a total moron would trip over that.
Half-pouting, I stared down at my pants. Without these, no fall.
No real injury, but the emotional damage was brutal. Who in the world trips by stepping on their own pant leg and slipping?
The fuzzy material slid like butter on the smooth floor, and since the pants were oversized, dragging everywhere—that caused it. Long pants or not, it was my fault.
Couldn't even lift my head.
"Hmm..."
Me ducking prompted her to peer down at the pants too. After a moment, she said,
"I dressed you way too big, huh...?"
She noticed.
"I grabbed a large size on purpose, figuring it'd be a bit loose..."
Even that was intentional. Dressing someone? Fine, whatever—but at least make it fit. Oversized? What were you thinking? But calling her out boldly? Too embarrassing; words stuck.
Purely from shame. Definitely not because she scared me, appearing like she'd teleported to catch me.
In fact, I was smacking her leg right then, venting my gripe. Full mana-infused punch, no holding back. Figured even a tough sis like her wouldn't go all-out on me, so why bother? This should hurt plenty.
I looked up expectantly.
"Oh my, is this the legendary nyang nyang punch I've heard so much about?"
Fuck. God is dead.