On a bright and beautiful Tuesday morning, golden sunlight filtered through the branches of a large tree in the city's public park. A cool, refreshing breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the faint, sweet scent of grass and blooming flowers. The surrounding atmosphere was completely serene, making it the perfect place for relaxation.
At a wooden picnic table under the shade of the large tree, Owen and Finley sat chatting casually. Empty ice cream cups and fruit juice glasses were left on the table, indicating that the two had been sitting there for quite some time.
Owen leaned back against the bench in a relaxed posture, his golden eyes focused on the details displayed on his tablet before he looked up to meet the eyes of the little tailor sitting across from him.
"This job is a bit urgent, Finley," Owen said in a friendly, approachable tone. "This Saturday, Clara will be shooting a collab content video with her friend Lily at a dairy farm. I want you to help design and tailor a country-style cosplay outfit for them."
"You got it, Brother Owen~" Finley nodded eagerly, her beautiful big eyes sparkling at the mention of the work she loved. "So... is there a specific style you want? Something cute, or maybe focusing on realism?"
Owen smirked mischievously. "I want a cowgirl theme, a dairy farm girl, something along those lines. But the key point is... I need it to be as sexy and eye-catching as possible. Make it so that when guys see it, they have to stop scrolling and can't help but drool, or something like that... I've already sent you a few reference designs in the chat. Take a look."
Finley quickly pulled out her smartphone to check. Just by skimming the reference images, the young girl's delicate face instantly flushed bright red all the way to her ears, looking as if steam was about to shoot out of her head from sheer embarrassment. Even so, maintaining her professionalism, she nodded firmly.
"U-Understood, Brother Owen," Finley tried to steady her trembling voice. "If it's an outfit like this... I guarantee it will be finished before Saturday for sure, because the pattern details aren't complicated at all. And more importantly..."
She lowered her head, avoiding Owen's gaze, and twisted her legs awkwardly to shake off her embarrassment before she could finally squeeze out the last sentence. "I-It uses very little fabric!"
Seeing her reaction, Owen couldn't help but smile and secretly laugh to himself, finding her adorable.
While Finley was looking down, busily noting the job details on her phone, Owen's sharp eyes, which had been thoroughly enjoying the cute figure in front of him... suddenly caught onto something and grew suspicious for an unknown reason.
Up until now, he had tried to overlook it and not think too deeply, because in his mind, he still believed Finley was just a 'sweet-faced boy' who liked dressing up like a girl. However... the seams of reality today were becoming far too obvious for him to keep fooling himself. Because even though his heart wanted to let it go, his A-Rank brain was receiving data far too detailed to just ignore.
The Finley sitting right in front of him looked entirely too 'female'... way too much for a boy's physique to ever achieve!
Today, Finley was wearing a short, frilly pleated skirt that fluttered lightly, paired with a white crop top that exposed her smooth, flat stomach, all layered under her favorite light brown cardigan. Without meaning to, Owen's eyes couldn't help but study her figure.
The cleavage pressing against the fabric of her crop top, while not massive and overflowing like Lily's or Clara's, formed a beautiful, natural B-cup shape... Her narrow waist, flowing perfectly into the curves of her hips, and the soft flesh pressing against the wooden bench... all of this was purely 'real' biological anatomy! There were no stuffed sponge pads, no push-up techniques, and absolutely no optical illusion cosplay tricks involved!
A heavy silence fell as Owen continued to stare at the proportions of the person in front of him for dozens of seconds.
Finley, feeling that burning gaze, began to act unnaturally. Her fragile body twisted awkwardly in embarrassment, causing her short skirt to hike up slightly. She kept her head down, biting her lips tightly. She knew... she knew exactly why Owen was staring so intently at her body.
Finally, unable to bear the suffocating tension any longer, Finley took a deep breath, gathered every ounce of courage she had, and looked up to meet the young man's eyes directly.
"Brother Owen... um..." Her beautiful big eyes trembled. "When I... uh... when I... entered the Awakening process with Sister Eris, there... there was a certain 'side effect'."
Owen raised an eyebrow slightly.
"When I underwent the Awakening process with Sister Eris in the underground lab... there were some unavoidable side effects. It caused a violent fluctuation in my hormones and mana, to the point where my physique and gender were... completely inverted..."
She paused to take a breath, sneaking a quick glance up to gauge Owen's reaction, before continuing in a voice so faint it was barely a whisper. "So... so now my body has turned into a girl's. I'm sorry for not telling you from the very beginning..."
Hearing this confession, Owen froze completely. He opened his mouth to speak but just hung there, speechless. In a fraction of a second, his genius-level brain processed and snapped all the puzzle pieces together...
'What kind of bullshit side effect is that!' Owen cursed internally.
In the world of Awakeners, there was no such thing as an accidental gender-bending side effect! This wasn't a side effect; it was the manipulative handiwork of 'Eris', that cunning Parasite Queen! She definitely altered Finley into a female on purpose to serve some scheme of hers...
Or maybe... she just did it for her own twisted amusement. After all, she had always been an unpredictable entity from the start.
Owen let out a long, heavy sigh, his eyes softening as he saw the guilt etched on the little stylist's face.
"I'm sorry, Finley..." Owen said in a serious tone. "I am truly sorry that Eris did something this crazy to you, forcing you to transform into this state."
"N-No!" Finley immediately waved her hands in denial, rushing to defend her mistress. "It's not Sister Eris's fault at all! Sister Eris warned me that the process was extremely risky... but I was the one who made the choice! I willingly accepted it... in exchange for gaining power, so I wouldn't be a burden to you anymore, so I could help you more!" She spoke, looking up bravely, her small hands gripping the edge of her cardigan tightly.
Watching Finley go to such lengths to protect Eris, Owen could only swallow the countless words threatening to spill from his mouth. He desperately wanted to shoot back that it was never a 'risk,' Finley, but rather a calculated plot that Eris had fully intended from the very beginning!
But seeing the pure, innocent eyes and the fierce loyalty of the young girl, the young man chose to remain silent. If he blurted out what he was thinking, things might escalate and get far worse. Besides, he knew very well that the Parasite Queen was far too difficult to handle and too cunning for him and Finley to deal with.
Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming heavy, and Finley looked like she was about to cry out of worry over his reaction, Owen decided to use a gentler approach to break the tension.
He stood up from his side, walked around the table, and approached the young girl. Finley looked up at him in slight panic, but before she could brace herself, Owen's strong hands wrapped around her slender back. He pulled Finley's fragile body—now fully that of a young woman—close against his broad chest in a warm embrace to ease her anxiety. His comforting warmth and masculine scent enveloped her as his large hand gently rubbed her back to soothe her.
"Ah..." Finley jolted.
The moment her face buried into his broad chest, her newly modified body reacted violently to the embrace out of raw instinct. Both of her legs turned to jelly, and her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
"Whether you are a boy or a girl..." Owen whispered next to her small, bright red ear. "You will always be my talented Finley. I'm deeply touched that someone is willing to go to such lengths for me. So, stop overthinking it, okay?"
Those words acted like magic, sweeping away all the anxiety in her heart. Finley closed her eyes blissfully, willingly absorbing the warmth from his embrace, before Owen slowly let go to ensure the situation didn't cross any boundaries.
To break the increasingly heavy atmosphere, the young man flashed a wide smile and changed the subject.
"Oh, right... Since you've done so much for me, let me repay you a bit, Finley. I saw there's a new comedy movie premiering in theaters. Want to go watch it together today? My treat!"
The moment she heard the invitation, all her remaining worries melted away. Finley's big, round eyes widened, sparkling like she had just heard the voice of heaven. Her face flushed deeply red once again, but this time from sheer excitement and joy.
"G-Go see a movie... with Brother Owen..." Finley repeated, stammering. "J-Just the two of us!?"
"Well, yeah. Or do you want me to call Clara and Rosie to come along?" Owen teased.
"N-No! Just two! Just the two of us is perfect!" Finley frantically shook her head in denial, then nodded eagerly to the invitation, looking slightly comical. A wide smile overflowing with happiness appeared on her delicate face, impossible to hide.
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