I was discharged from the hospital. After three weeks in a coma and a few days of recovery, I was finally allowed to leave the sterile atmosphere of the hospital. Nurse Satou smiled as she saw me to the door, giving me all sorts of instructions about medication and follow-up appointments. The owner of the ramen shop also came, bringing gyoza and fruit, telling me to rest well when I got home.
Stepping out of the hospital doors, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs. The feeling of Tokyo's fresh air touching my skin... it was so unfamiliar. How long had it been since I felt this? The thought crossed my mind, but then I suddenly remembered, the "I" who last felt this was in the body of a 30-year-old man. As for this 16-year-old Yuuka Hatsumina, she had been in a coma for three weeks straight.
I hailed a taxi. Sitting inside, I looked out the window. Tokyo was still the same, traffic bustling, pedestrians swarming. But seen through these eyes, from this height, with this different body sensation, everything felt as if viewed through a completely new lens. I felt smaller, more fragile in this massive urban flow.
The taxi stopped in front of an old apartment building. The address on Yuuka's ID card. Is this my home now? I found the key in my wallet, my hand trembling slightly as I put it in the lock.
Click.
The door opened. A faint scent, the smell of a room that had been unoccupied for a long time, but still clean. I stepped inside.
The apartment was small. A living room combined with a kitchen. A small bedroom. A bathroom. Everything was neat and tidy. The walls were decorated with posters, the bookshelf was full of books, shoujo manga, light novels. In a corner of the room was a study desk and drawing supplies.
This was Yuuka Hatsumina's living space. Mine now. Compared to my cluttered programmer's "den" from before... this was a different world. Tidy, lovely... and completely unfamiliar.
"Ugh..." My whole body still ached slightly. Just sitting in a taxi was enough to make me tired. The priority right now was to change out of this hospital gown.
I went into the bedroom. Opened the wardrobe.
Women's clothes. Dresses. Short skirts. Tight pants. T-shirts... And underwear.
...GAHH!
A wave of heat suddenly rushed to my face. I was completely red. Even though I knew I was a girl, had felt this body in the hospital... facing a whole wardrobe full of girl's clothes, especially... those things... was still a shock!
Calm down! These are my clothes! This body is mine! I have to get used to it! I told myself, trying to calm my pounding heart.
I grabbed a comfortable set of loungewear: shorts and a loose t-shirt.
Then came the moment... to change.
I took off the hospital gown. The feeling of bare skin touching the air... was completely different. So light. I looked down. A tiny waist. Full hips. And...
Hmm.Oh my god...
I clearly felt the fullness in my chest. The curve of my hips. This was the body... 84-63-91? It... it really was like that without clothes covering it!
I struggled to put on the shorts. The feeling of the fabric sliding over my legs, then wrapping around my hips... was completely different from putting on men's pants. My waist was so small I felt like I could grip it with two hands.
Then the t-shirt. I put my arms through the sleeves. As I pulled the shirt over my head and let it fall... the feeling of the fabric covering my chest... it... it was too real and... awkward.
So difficult! How could changing clothes, something so simple, be... be this clumsy?!
I wrestled with the t-shirt, trying to straighten it out. This body, though mine, didn't obey my familiar intentions at all. Simple actions became a challenge.
I went into the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror. Yuuka Hatsumina in loungewear. Black hair slightly messy, vivid blue eyes still showing a hint of fatigue. A beautiful face, no denying it. But the awkward, slightly stiff posture when standing straight... was still the mark of the 30-year-old programmer inside.
"Haaiz..." I sighed softly.
After changing, the fatigue returned. I collapsed onto the bed. The small bed, soft sheets, light pink color... Though not mine, it felt comfortable to lie down.
After resting for a while, my mind returned to my worries. Money. Yuuka lived alone, went to school, worked part-time. Would there be enough money to get by? Especially after the accident and time in the hospital.
I sat up, looking for Yuuka's wallet. A bank card and a small notebook. I opened it... it was a record of income and expenses. Careful, detailed.
This girl... so organized. The thought crossed my mind.
I, before, had never been able to do something like this.
I found the PIN noted in a hidden corner of the notebook. Thank goodness. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do.
I took Yuuka's laptop. Opened the browser, went to the bank's website. Logged in. My hands trembled slightly as I typed the PIN.
The screen showed... Account balance.
...Eh?
I stared wide-eyed at the number.
It wasn't a small number as I had feared. For a high school girl living alone, working part-time, this amount was... quite large. Enough for me to live comfortably for a good while, and probably enough to cover the portion of medical expenses not covered by insurance.
What the hell?! Yuuka Hatsumina... she saved this much?!
I, Hiroshi Takahatsu, a 30-year-old man with a habit of spending money like water and a bank balance often "hitting rock bottom", was completely shocked. This 16-year-old girl, living independently, working hard, studying well... and having such excellent financial discipline?!
[Host's financial information has been updated.]
The System appeared again, confirming emotionlessly.
Great... I muttered, my voice slightly dazed. At least... I won't starve on the sidewalk right away in this world full of bombs and guns.
This financial shock, a positive one, brought a great sense of relief. It showed that Yuuka Hatsumina was a resilient, independent, and responsible person. She had built a solid foundation for her life. And now, that foundation... was mine.
Sitting in Yuuka's small apartment, in her loungewear, with her bank balance displayed on the screen... I felt a strange mix. Confused about the new body, awkward about the clothes, relieved about the money, and a heavy sense of responsibility.
I was home. But this wasn't Hiroshi Takahatsu's home. This was Yuuka Hatsumina's home. I had to live this life. In her identity. With her strength, intelligence, and everything she had accumulated.
Thinking about having to go back to school (high school!), work part-time at the ramen shop (folding gyoza?!), deal with Yuuka's acquaintances, hide the truth about who I am... and also having to survive in this world full of dangers dropping from the sky...
This new life truly was a complex mess. But at least, I was no longer a lost soul completely without support. I was Yuuka Hatsumina, and I had a life to continue, a foundation to rebuild.
The new life, in the new apartment, with the new body... had just begun. And it was slowly showing me that Yuuka Hatsumina was a much more admirable person than I ever thought a 16-year-old girl could be.