One Day, Suddenly, My Name is Wiyu
One day, suddenly, my name is Wiyu. To be precise, my full name is [WIS'HYOU], but I have no idea what that means. Everyone's just called me Wiyu since I was little, so I figured that must be my name. I was the kind of kid who matured early, never throwing tantrums or getting cranky like the others. While other kids had both parents at home, I only had Mom. Even now, as an adult, she looks so young that I can't help thinking she's younger than me. Whenever I'd ask her age, she'd always brush it off, leaving me—the son who didn't even know his own mother's age.
But watching her study childcare every day and work so hard to raise me, I definitely made up my mind that I had to take care of her.
"Haa..."
Well, to cut to the chase, things didn't go as planned. For some reason, I didn't have mana like everyone else, and even trying religion didn't spark any sign of divine power. I studied the Basic Mana Circulation Method that even the neighborhood security guard had, but I couldn't even grasp something as simple as breathing properly. It made me wonder if I was just talentless. They say all living beings have mana, though, so maybe I was born with some kind of disability. Perhaps that's why Mom was raising me alone.
I couldn't just do nothing because of my body, so I helped with the farm work and trained hard. Seeing that, Mom somehow got me a sword—god knows where from. Others reach some realm after ten years of training, but for me, the sword in my hand just got lighter, nothing more.
"Uuum..."
I couldn't live doing farm work forever, and training to success seemed impossible. So I decided to enroll in the academy that even commoners could attend, study hard, and get a job. Staying long-term in a remote village like this with no hospital—having to ride a carriage or horse to get anywhere—wasn't ideal. With that in mind, I worked hard, saved money, and declared I'd enroll in the academy.
For the first time, Mom panicked and raised her voice, saying no. She'd usually say it was fine no matter what, so why draw the line at the academy? I was so clueless back then. I arrogantly thought it was time for me to take charge of my own life.
But come on. If you're going to turn your son into a daughter, at least discuss it with me first, right?
"......"
It was hopeless. No, so utterly hopeless that my mind went blank. How do I even prove my identity? Wait, as a commoner, maybe it doesn't matter? But I applied to the academy as a guy, and now I have to enroll as a girl? ...Does that mean I need to buy the girls' uniform and live in the girls' dorm?
My head felt like it was going to explode.
"More importantly, why did I wake up as a girl?!"
I yanked at my hair, which reached down to my ankles, and wailed, but there was no one to answer. I desperately wanted to go out and ask if anyone in the village knew, but would they just back away warily from a girl with white hair, golden eyes, and black skin?
"It's me, Wiyu!" I'd say, but to them, it would look like the hat had vanished in an instant.
"Wait, if I stay like this, won't I get dragged to the police station?"
I imagined headlines like [Shocking Parent-Child Disappearance in a Remote Rural Village]. An unidentified woman of unknown race(?) hiding out, dragged into the open, photographed, thrown in jail, detained forever, life over...
"Kek, kehk."
Just imagining it choked me up. I smacked my forehead with my palm, regretting reading too many comics.
"Aaaargh! This sucks!!"
I'd fallen asleep exhausted from waiting for Mom to return, but woke up because breathing was hard. Now I realized why: breasts as big as my head were crushing my chest. Plus, every time I moved my arms or shoulders, they jiggled; just walking made them bounce.
"Sh...shoulders..."
My shoulders, which never tired even carrying cheese or milk in both hands while running, were screaming now. Each one felt like at least 3KG. Even standing still, they sagged forward, forcing my back to hunch.
"My neck and back!!"
So annoying!! They shake so much with every move, it's burdensome!! So damn heavy it hurts!!!
"Women carry these around their whole lives?"
I instantly understood why Mom always punched her lower back. She'd say her son was the best while I massaged her shoulders.
"....What the hell."
She doesn't ride broomsticks and turn her son into a daughter? I sat hesitantly on the living room chair, made food for her share too, and waited, but nothing happened. Why was she so against me going to the academy? More than that, why hide this power from her son? I couldn't understand Mom's feelings, so I just sighed into the ground.
Knock knock.
A light tapping on the glass window echoed. Not the door, so maybe Mom? But...
"A crow?"
A completely ordinary-looking crow was pecking at the window. I waved it away dismissively, but it stared at me with a pitiful expression.
<Hey, miss. Can't you tell this is a special crow just from the sheen of its feathers?>
"No, it looks totally ordinary."
<What are you talking about? Where in the world have you seen a talking crow?>
Overwhelmed by the logic, I opened the window. It flapped in, landed on the table with my prepared meal, and started pecking away.
Poor thing must be hungry, I thought sympathetically, but the crow looked up at me.
<Wasn't that prepared to treat a guest?>
"I made it for my mom."
<Eating delicious food alone, and hiding such a cute daughter too. I knew she was eccentric, but this is making even her familiar flustered.>
"...Familiar?"
The crow said to eat first and talk later, promising to cook for me later too, then skillfully dug in. Watching it sip soup from the plate with just its beak—no hands—I thought fairy tales were lies, and grabbed my own meal.
It grabbed the empty bowls with its wings, carried them to the kitchen, and asked if we should split the dishes? I said I'd do them.
<Then listen while you wash. As you see, this Grand Duke is your mother's familiar.>
"....What the heck is Mom?"
<She hid her identity even from her child? Well, I get it. It's not something you brag about.>
The Grand Duke asked if I knew about Witchcraft, but I said I'd only heard the name somewhere. He muttered that she really raised her daughter pretentiously, stared at me for a bit, then opened his beak again.
witch.>
"No one with skin this black could be human."
<Damn it, don't say crazy shit. That's racial discrimination. There are black humans too.>
"Like dark elves? Dark humans or something?"
<That damn mouth is definitely hereditary.>
He sighed about how she raised her daughter, then nodded like of course she couldn't do it right, and finally resigned.
<And I am the familiar who came at the request of the first-generation Witchcraft to look after the second. Nice to meet you.>
"Nice to meet you? But nothing's resolved!!"
Mom's a witch?! I'm a witch?! Even living in a rural village with common sense gaps, I know what a witch is.
"Am I going to get witch-hunted? That's why no academy?!"
<No, what the hell did she teach you?>
"Uh...milking?"
<If it's not rude, could you demonstrate?>
"Uh, no cows right now."
that milk?>
I didn't get what shocked the Grand Duke, but I explained my situation anyway: growing up alone with Mom, unable to handle mana, trying to go to the academy for her sake. His expression turned subtle.
<Hm, I get the gist.>
"....You really get it?"
<This Grand Duke doesn't lie.>
Something felt off despite that, and even bowing my head, my breasts blocked the view of the Grand Duke. Twisting my body sideways to see the floor in this awkward frame, I sighed naturally.
Slosh slosh─
<Hm, more importantly, aren't those breasts uncomfortable? Underwear or whatever.>
"Underwear? Do men wear breast underwear?"
<Well, it exists, but real men don't wear that stuff.>
"Usually, yeah?"
The Grand Duke said his loyalty to the second generation sparked the moment he entered the house. Guess my food really hit the spot.