The Girl Ran Toward the Starting Point
The girl ran toward the starting point.
"Is there anything strange?"
I got up from my seat as if waking from a dream, feeling no different than usual. For some reason, my body felt languid and heavy, but nothing hurt.
"I don't have any strength," I said, letting my arms dangle limply.
The voice flowing from my mouth was incredibly foreign. It was a voice I had never heard before—a soft, pleasant whisper of a young girl.
"Wow..."
As I gasped in admiration, Hebrum, who was holding some documents, spoke up. "Your physical structure is identical to that test subject's. So your voice is probably the same as hers too."
I nodded, gently touching my throat. Strands of snow-white hair fluttered, tickling my vision. As I twirled my hair with my right hand, Hebrum tossed me some clothes and a staff ID card.
Catching the pile of clothes raining down on my head, he said, "As you probably saw in the contract, nothing much will change. Once your shift is over, you can just stay in the staff quarters."
Not being able to go home was a bit of a drawback, but it was only for a week. I didn't have any pets, so it wasn't a problem. Though my newspaper subscription would pile up for a week, of course.
The clothes Hebrum gave me were just a shrunken version of my usual uniform. I slipped into the tiny underwear and put on the clothes. Finally, I threw on a thin, sky-blue lab coat and hung the staff ID around my neck.
"How do I look?"
"Not bad at all. Why don't you just live in that body?"
"Don't say such horrible things."
As I spoke, I activated my ability over my hand. A blue light burst forth, crackling as it singed the empty air.
"Any issues manifesting your ability?"
I frowned at Hebrum's question. Something felt off.
"It's a bit... subtle."
I held my hands open, facing each other. Immediately after, I channeled my power. Blue light erupted, and thin blue lines sparked repeatedly between my palms.
Cracklet!
"The response is strangely slow."
I didn't feel that crisp, perfect synchronization I usually did. It felt a beat behind. The only way to describe it was like experiencing server lag in a game.
"Anything else?"
At his question, I shook out my hands. The blue light scattered in all directions. I moved my arms and legs, walking around and even jumping in place. But I didn't feel any particular discomfort.
"Aside from my ability, nothing else seems wrong."
"Hmm..." Hebrum nodded, stroking his fleshy chin.
When I was taller than him, I had never noticed because I looked down on him, but now that I had to look up from my shrunken height, I realized he had an extra double chin.
"Do I start work right now?"
My preparations were complete. My shortened legs were far more inconvenient than I had anticipated. It took me twice as many steps as usual to reach the room where the girl was kept.
As always, I sank into the plush chair. My short legs dangled, practically screaming for attention, but I did my best to ignore them. With time, I would get used to this too.
The girl was still just sitting there, staring blankly. I quietly watched her through the glass wall. She should have been able to see me too, but she didn't even react.
I waved at her.
My faint reflection shimmered on the glass wall. Because I now looked exactly like the girl on the other side, the contrast felt even sharper. The figure waving back with an awkward smile was definitely me.
It was a bizarre feeling. Facing her in the exact same form as the girl I used to watch like an animal trapped in a cage... That realization sent a sharp pang through my chest.
I stared blankly at the girl, letting out a long yawn. The boredom was as relentless as ever. I tried playing with my newly lengthened hair, twirling it around my fingers, but it did nothing to chase away the monotony.
Eventually, I pulled out a book I had shoved into a corner. The thick volume felt surprisingly heavy. I grimaced at the strain on my wrists. I don't think I can hold this up to read.
Resting the book on my soft thighs, I bent my head and began to read. The texture of the paper beneath my fingers brought a sense of calm. One page, then another. A peaceful smile spread across my face with every turn of the page, accompanied by the comforting scent of paper. I always preferred older books. If it was a story I liked, the joy was doubled.
Knock, knock.
My focus shattered. The persistent tapping on the glass wall made it impossible to concentrate.
Closing the book and setting it aside, I saw that the white-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a well-built young man was staring at me from the other side of the glass.
His name was Lamonax. He was the staff member responsible for transporting the test subject.
Watching him, I pressed the button on the desk. The microphone turned on, and Lamonax's voice echoed into the room.
"Wait, is that you, Jeff?"
With my shortened height, I couldn't reach the microphone easily. I stretched my arm to grab it and replied, "Yeah, it's me."
"Oh, my god."
He stared at me in sheer disbelief. It was understandable. I now looked identical to the girl he escorted every day. I wondered what must be going through his head.
"What happened to you?"
In response to his question, I only let out a small sigh. It was too awkward to explain.
Perhaps my high-pitched, girlish voice sounded funny to him, because Lamonax suddenly burst out laughing.
"Don't laugh."
"Ah... sorry. But you have a nice voice."
A nice voice. He spoke as if he was hearing it for the first time, which prompted me to ask, "Have you... never heard the test subject's voice before?"
"When she first arrived, I only ever heard her cry. But as time passed, I guess she got used to it because she stopped crying altogether. She's never opened her mouth otherwise."
I nodded.
"Well, I'll be off then. Let's grab lunch together later."
With that, Lamonax left the room.
I fell into thought. Lamonax had been working here since before I was hired. The girl, too, had lived here long before I was assigned to her. If she hadn't opened her mouth once in all that time, would she really speak just because I looked like this now?
My reflection in the glass wall showed a girl with a sullen pout. If the test subject ever expressed emotion, she would probably look just like this.
Amused by the thought, I rubbed my face, wiping away the expression. The distraction was gone. I picked up the book I had set down and began to read once more. Having to bend my neck to read was quite uncomfortable, but the desk was simply too high for my current height. Either way, it was a hassle.
The moment the girl returned from her experiment, she collapsed limply. Though there wasn't a single scratch on her body, she looked so exhausted that she seemed ready to fall asleep at any second.
Normally, I would have just watched her until she drifted off. But spurred by a strange impulse, I picked up the microphone and spoke to her.
"Hello?"
The girl's closed eyes fluttered open. Her emotionless gaze drifted toward the glass wall.
She was looking at me.
Her unusual reaction caught me off guard. Flustered, I quickly reached out and hugged a folder of documents on the desk to my chest. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had spoken to her since turning into this body. Because our routine was so familiar, I hadn't even thought to talk to her.
She had reacted to my voice, but that was it. She didn't offer any response to my subsequent questions. She simply stared at me quietly.
She should have been too exhausted to do anything but sleep, yet she sat there, watching me. Her gaze was fixed entirely on me.
It was completely different from before. In the past, she would just stare blankly ahead, but now, her eyes were locked onto me with clear intent.
Being stared at like that was a bit overwhelming. I opened my book to hide my face from her gaze, but the heavy volume forced me to lower my hands almost immediately.
The small clock on the desk went off. It was the alarm announcing lunchtime.
Come to think of it, I hadn't even eaten breakfast. The sudden wave of hunger was unbearable.
"I'll be back after I eat, okay?"
Seeing the girl staring at me, I blurted out words I would never normally say. At that, her eyes slowly blinked.
Climbing down from the chair, I put the microphone back and pressed the button once more, cutting off the audio. I gave one last wave to the girl, who was still watching me, and stepped out of the room.
The test subject had a strange, captivating charm that naturally drew people's eyes.
Which meant... my current appearance was bound to draw the attention of the staff eating in the cafeteria.
"It's really fascinating."
"What is?"
"Just... how you look right now, Jeff."
"Hmm."
I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked around. Everyone was whispering, staring at me as if I were some exotic animal.
"Well, I can't blame them."
If a girl who looked exactly like the test subject was eating in the staff cafeteria, I would definitely stare out of curiosity too. Ignoring their gazes, I ordered my usual pork cutlet combo.
"How long do you have to stay like that?"
"They said a week."
I answered as I found a suitable table and sat down. The contract definitely specified a week, but nothing was ever guaranteed. "It should be over soon, right?"
"Are you experiencing any discomfort?"
"Not really. The cafeteria table is a bit awkward because I'm shorter, and having to take more steps to get around is a bit annoying, but it's bearable."
As I chatted with Lamonax, my pork cutlet was served. I swallowed hard at the sight of it.
It was huge. It looked absolutely massive—incomparable to the portion size I was used to. I felt like I was about to drool.
I immediately reached out and stabbed a piece of the cutlet with my fork. The crispy texture and the falling breadcrumbs released a mouthwatering aroma.
"Do you really like pork cutlets that much?"
"You're awfully talkative today."
Ignoring Lamonax's amused stare, I stuffed a huge piece of pork cutlet into my mouth. The rough, crispy batter scraped against the roof of my mouth. Then came the tender, savory meat, bursting with flavor. The sweet and tangy sauce dancing on the tip of my tongue brought a wave of pure bliss.
"Sho delicious."
I had shoved in my usual bite-sized portion, but the young test subject's mouth was far too small. Cupping my bulging cheeks to keep the food from spilling out, I carefully chewed and swallowed.