I stared at the message on my phone.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to open it.
A message from a corporation I had never heard of, inviting me to participate in some kind of experiment?
That sounded like the beginning of a horror movie.
I swallowed.
"Watching anime and getting a message like this..."
I sighed.
"If something crawls out of my phone, I'm just going to assume I've been taking drugs."
That didn't make me feel any better.
Still, curiosity won.
I tapped the message.
The screen displayed a short email.
VIXLO CORPORATION
You have been selected to participate in an experimental program.
The program involves a physical and cognitive transformation designed to improve the participant's physical appearance and intellectual capabilities.
Due to the experimental nature of the procedure, the results cannot be guaranteed. You have been selected as a test subject for the program.
Compensation will be provided upon successful participation.
Location: [REDACTED]
Please report to the designated facility to review and sign the contract.
I read it once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
"...What?"
A physical and cognitive transformation?
Was this some kind of superpower experiment?
I scratched my head.
"This can't be real."
I started typing a reply to Fjornir.
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!
His response came surprisingly quickly.
My dad owns VIXLO. I selected you for the experiment because you're a loser.
I stared at the screen.
"...That is incredibly harsh."
I typed back.
Is this actually safe?
And thanks. I'm a proud loser, you troglodyte.
No response.
I waited.
Nothing.
I checked the message again.
Still nothing.
I dropped my phone onto the bed.
"Should I actually do this?"
I looked at the email again.
Becoming handsome.
Becoming smarter.
And getting paid for it.
That sounded almost too good to be true.
"If I really could become smarter..."
I glanced at my stack of old exams sitting on my desk.
D+.
D+.
C-.
Another D+.
I looked away.
"And if I really could become good-looking..."
I imagined walking into school and having people actually notice me.
Maybe girls would talk to me.
Maybe I'd finally understand what Fjornir was always talking about.
Maybe I'd become someone people wanted to be around.
I shook my head.
"Yeah, right."
But the thought wouldn't leave me alone.
I picked up my phone again.
Fjornir still hadn't replied.
"Argh! I'm like an irritated girlfriend waiting for her boyfriend to text back."
I threw myself onto my bed.
"Whatever. I'll deal with it tomorrow."
I closed my eyes.
"Tomorrow..."
I dreamed.
I was standing in the middle of the school hallway.
Except something was different.
Everyone was looking at me.
Girls whispered to each other as I walked past.
Guys greeted me.
People I'd never spoken to before suddenly wanted my attention.
My phone wouldn't stop buzzing with messages.
For once, I wasn't the invisible kid sitting alone in the corner.
I was popular.
Smart.
Confident.
Cool.
Then I saw her.
Agatha.
The most famous girl in Yajima High.
She walked toward me.
Her smile was gentle.
"Yura."
I froze.
"Y-Yeah?"
She looked directly into my eyes.
"Would you be mine?"
My brain stopped working.
"Yes."
She smiled.
Then she leaned closer.
And closer.
Our faces were only inches apart.
My heart was pounding.
Her lips—
"YURA!"
I jolted awake.
"Huh?!"
I sat upright.
My room was dark.
My heart was racing.
I stared around in confusion.
"...What the hell was that dream?"
I rubbed my face.
Then I remembered.
The email.
The experiment.
"Oh, right."
I grabbed my phone from beside the bed.
The VIXLO message was still there.
I read it again.
"Should I actually do this?"
I sighed.
There was only one way to find out what VIXLO was offering.
I got dressed and went downstairs.
Yunji was already awake.
"Morning."
"Morning."
She looked at me.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You look weird."
"I always look weird."
"True."
"...Thanks."
I made breakfast for both of us.
While Yunji ate, I kept looking at my phone.
The address in the email.
I opened the map.
My eyes widened.
It wasn't far.
In fact, it was only a short distance from our neighborhood.
I stared at the location.
"So they're actually here?"
I looked at the message again.
Then at Yunji.
Then back at the phone.
I sighed.
"Screw it."
I stood up.
"I'm going."
Yunji looked up.
"Where?"
"Somewhere."
"That's suspicious."
"I'll be back later."
"You're definitely doing something suspicious."
I ignored her.
The building was impossible to miss.
A massive structure of glass and steel stood between several ordinary buildings.
A large sign was displayed above the entrance.
VIXLO CORPORATION
I stopped outside.
"...This is it."
For a moment, I considered turning around.
I didn't.
I pushed open the doors.
The inside was nothing like what I expected.
Everything was clean.
Too clean.
White walls.
Polished floors.
People in suits walking through the halls.
Scientists carrying tablets and documents.
Nobody looked particularly suspicious.
That somehow made me more nervous.
I approached the reception desk.
"Excuse me."
The receptionist looked up.
"How may I help you?"
"I'm here for the... experiment."
Her expression didn't change.
"May I have your name?"
"Yura Hagira."
She typed something into her computer.
A moment later, she nodded.
"Please wait here."
She picked up the phone.
"He's arrived."
I waited.
A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened.
And Fjornir stepped out.
He smiled.
"Oh, hi, Yura."
I stared at him.
"...What do you mean, 'Oh, hi, Yura'?"
He shrugged.
"You came."
"You invited me!"
"I know."
"You couldn't have told me what this place actually was?"
"You'll find out."
I narrowed my eyes.
"I don't like that answer."
Fjornir laughed.
"Come on."
He turned toward the elevator.
I followed.
The elevator descended.
And descended.
And descended.
I watched the numbers on the display disappear one by one.
"How far down are we going?"
"Far."
"That's not an answer."
"It is technically an answer."
I sighed.
When the elevator finally stopped, the doors opened.
The hallway beyond looked nothing like the upper floors.
The walls were reinforced.
There were cameras everywhere.
And unlike the reception area, there were no windows.
I suddenly felt very small.
We entered a laboratory.
Several people in white coats were waiting.
One of them approached me with a folder.
"Yura Hagira?"
"Yes."
"Please read this carefully."
He handed me a contract.
I opened it.
There were pages upon pages of legal terms.
My eyes immediately began to hurt.
"How long is this?"
"Thirty-two pages."
"Thirty-two?!"
Fjornir laughed.
"Just read it."
I started flipping through the pages.
Then I saw the compensation.
$10,000 per month.
My eyes widened.
"Ten thousand dollars?!"
The scientist nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at the contract again.
Then at Fjornir.
Then at the scientist.
"Per month?"
"Correct."
I swallowed.
That was more money than I had ever imagined earning.
Suddenly, those thirty-two pages seemed much less intimidating.
I skimmed through the rest.
There were clauses about medical risks.
Experimental procedures.
Potential side effects.
Confidentiality.
And several other things I didn't completely understand.
I hesitated.
For the first time, the excitement faded.
This wasn't some video game.
It was an experiment.
On me.
"What happens if something goes wrong?"
The scientist's expression became serious.
"That is one of the risks."
That answer should have been enough to make me leave.
But I thought about my life.
My grades.
My appearance.
The way people looked at me.
The future I had never bothered to think about.
Then I thought about the money.
I took a deep breath.
"Fine."
I signed.
The scientist collected the contract.
"Thank you."
He gestured toward a bed in the center of the laboratory.
"Please lie down."
I stared at it.
"Already?"
"Yes."
I walked over and lay down.
Two scientists adjusted the equipment around me.
"Please close your eyes."
I did.
I heard the machines powering on.
A low mechanical hum filled the room.
My hands tightened around the sides of the bed.
"What exactly are you going to do?"
There was a pause.
"You'll understand soon."
"That answer is getting really annoying."
A sharp pain suddenly pierced my arm.
"AH!"
I opened my eyes.
A needle had entered my vein.
"Hey! A warning would have been nice!"
The scientist ignored my complaint.
"Injection complete."
Something cold spread through my arm.
Then another scientist placed a small pill between my lips.
"Swallow."
I stared at it.
"What's this?"
"Part of the procedure."
I swallowed.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
My vision blurred.
My entire body became heavy.
"What..."
My fingers began trembling.
A burning sensation spread through my chest.
Then my arms.
My legs.
My neck.
My face.
"Wait..."
The pain intensified.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
My back arched against the bed.
Every muscle in my body felt as though it were being torn apart.
I screamed.
"STOP!"
Nobody stopped.
The burning in my face became unbearable.
It felt like my skin was on fire.
My bones ached.
My head throbbed.
I couldn't breathe.
"IT HURTS!"
Seven minutes.
That's how long it lasted.
Seven minutes that felt like seven hours.
Then—
Nothing.
The pain vanished.
My body went completely still.
I lay there, breathing heavily.
Sweat covered my face.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me was blurry.
"Is... it over?"
No answer.
I tried to sit up.
My body felt strangely light.
Not weak.
Different.
I pushed myself upright.
The scientists around me were staring.
One of them slowly lowered his tablet.
Another took a step forward.
Fjornir stood completely still.
"...What?"
I looked around.
"Why is everyone staring at me?"
Nobody answered.
I touched my face.
My skin felt different.
Smoother.
I looked toward the glass panel on the wall.
It reflected my face back at me.
I froze.
The person staring back wasn't the same person who had walked into the laboratory.
My hair looked different.
My face had changed.
My features were sharper.
My eyes looked clearer.
Even my posture seemed different.
I stared at my reflection.
"...That's me?"
Fjornir finally spoke.
"Yeah."
He smiled.
"But not the Yura we knew."
I couldn't say anything.
The scientists hurried toward me, checking their equipment and recording data.
Someone whispered,
"Subject transformation is complete."
Another replied,
"Physical adaptation is stable."
My heart began pounding again.
I looked at my reflection.
For sixteen years, I'd thought of myself as ordinary.
Ugly.
Unremarkable.
A nobody.
But now...
I didn't know what I was.
Fjornir walked toward me.
"Welcome to VIXLO, Yura."
I looked at him.
"What did you do to me?"
His smile disappeared.
And for the first time since I had arrived, Fjornir looked serious.
"We changed you."
He glanced toward the scientists.
"And we're not finished yet."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
To be continued.