"What’s going on?!"

Spotting the photo frame atop the TV, I rushed over and snatched it up…

If I remembered right, this was our family photo taken at a Huangshan scenic spot—back when we were still whole.

A moment I could never forget…

Our last family trip…

After that journey, something tore my perfect family apart…

My parents divorced after constant fights. Mom took my older brother far away, leaving my young self in Dad’s care.

I was grateful for Dad’s love, raising me alone…

Though Mom and Brother visited sometimes, nothing could shake Dad’s place in my heart…

Staring at the photo, I noticed the spot where Dad once stood with his kind smile was now empty—replaced only by the rising sun behind us.

Even my own face had grown blurry.

"Those consumed by Bonesouls have their existence erased from this world," Kyuubi leaped onto my shoulder, its voice cutting through my shock. "The Fallen World must never be recalled here. Remembering it risks tearing open a passage between realms."

It glanced at the frame in my hands, then licked its paw. "I know why your heart’s churning…"

"So my father is…"

"Gone. This world no longer holds him. That’s how you should see it."

"But this is—"

"Cruel? Yes. But necessary. If the passage between the Fallen World and ours opens, this world faces apocalypse."

"And if it opens? I’d still be here, wouldn’t I?"

"You?" Kyuubi’s tone turned sharp. "You’re being naive."

"Even if the passage opens, once you exhaust all your cards, you’ll be trapped in the Fallen World. That path only serves Bonesouls—a one-way street. Others have dreamed your dream before."

It shattered my fragile hope like thin ice.

"…Right. That *would* be apocalyptic."

I swallowed hard. Opening that passage would doom Mom and Brother too—the only family I had left.

"Then stop dwelling on useless thoughts," Kyuubi hopped down, landing gracefully. "Enjoy what little life remains."

It padded away, leaving me alone again.

I watched its retreating back, then the photo frame in my hands…

One drop… then another…

Clear tears soaked into the glass.

I’d claimed indifference, but seeing Dad’s absence in our family portrait made my nose sting. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks.

My tough facade crumbled like dry sand.

The photo’s quiet flame burned away the last shred of strength I’d forced myself to muster…

"…"

After long, silent sobs, I rubbed my reddened eyes and placed the frame back gently.

Then I walked to the bathroom.

One thing needed confirming.

Standing before the mirror, I pulled out the World Breaker Belt again.

I was already on this sinking ship—what was one more card?

This power only eroded my existence here. A broken pot couldn’t hold water anyway.

I clipped the belt around my waist, slid the card into the slot, and snapped the cover shut.

"Card recognized…"

"Reading data…"

"Data loaded."

A mechanical female voice echoed from the belt.

As it finished, the mirror shimmered.

My reflection shrank. My clothes glowed faintly.

Seconds later, my black hair bleached to silver, lengthening until it brushed my waist.

My square-jawed face softened into delicate, porcelain features—a face straight out of an anime.

Stunned, I barely noticed my clothes.

"Is this… me?"

I could see my whole upper body now—impossible at my old height.

This mirror’s height meant I was barely 150cm tall.

A full 30cm shorter.

A legal "loli," except for the C-cup chest straining against my petite frame.

"Then…"

My hand drifted downward—where my old self used to be.

"Gone…"

I’d braced for it, but confirmation still hollowed my chest.

Kyuubi’s masters had remade me completely: a silver-haired magical girl.

"Gothic style too?"

I looked up, startled anew.

A pristine black-and-white gothic dress wrapped my frame, not a hint of skin showing.

At least my patron had decent taste.

"Is this the price?"

I twirled. My reflection mirrored me, the skirt flaring like a windmill before settling.

A man turned magical girl—I’d only seen this in games and anime.

Should I laugh or cry?

"Guess passing on the family line falls to Brother now…"

Dad’s hope for his bloodline died with me.

Removing the belt would restore my male form—but time was running out.

Kyuubi’s warning echoed: *Once your cards are spent, no trace of you remains.*

I kept telling myself I didn’t care…

But Mom and Brother still anchored me here.

My fingers brushed my waist. The belt reappeared as if summoned.

I shuddered. *What kind of aesthetic did those Fallen World Seven have?*

Still—a blessing. No skimpy outfits. No monstrous forms.

"Enough for today."

My hand found the belt. It materialized instantly.

I unclipped it slowly, the weight lifting from my hips.