The door wasn't fully shut. Alicia carefully pushed it open and immediately saw Mika sitting on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest.

After Alicia entered, Mika glanced at her, let out a sigh that seemed both disappointed and relieved, then forced a smile. "It's you, Alicia. What were you up to? Coming back so late."

"Gathering some intel."

Seeing Mika's desolate expression, Alicia sighed inwardly. Truth be told, she bore some responsibility for how things had turned out. Back then, she knew Larry's awkward personality well yet meddled anyway, causing Mika and the others to get somewhat entangled. At that time, she was still Larry's brother-in-arms, her perspective always aligned with his. The girls in their adventuring party each had different attributes, specialties, and unique charms. Alicia had wanted to help Larry—who'd remained single and chaste—experience the joys of intimacy. So she suppressed his hopelessly straight nature, trying to overwhelm him with quantity and quality. But it ended in failure. Until today, Alicia had never regretted her actions. Larry was the "brother" she cared about most; their fateful bond dated back to past lives. For his sake, she'd defy morality itself. But now, things were different. Perhaps due to her transformation into a woman, seeing her past self and Larry from Mika's perspective made her feel like a jerk for wasting this innocent girl's time. She also found herself complaining about Larry's stubbornness.

Alicia sat on the bed's edge, stroking Mika's head. "I've heard everything. I apologize for my past self—who was overbearing—and for Larry. How about I thrash him later? Watch me make him cry." She waved her fists, punching the air, looking comically adorable.

Mika chuckled lightly. She patted her face, stood up, and looked down at Alicia with renewed energy. "Alright, I'm fine now! Phew, I've finally said goodbye to the past. It feels good."

Alicia was slightly taken aback by Mika's sudden shift from gloomy to lively. "Are you really okay?"

Mika jumped off the bed, sat beside Alicia, and held her hands. "Yes! It's a shame to let go of a good man like Larry, but he's made his stance clear—and he has a fiancée like you. I won't cling on anymore! After we rescue Daisy, I'll start training in feminine charm! Learning from you, Alicia!"

Alicia: (°ー°〃)

"May I ask, learn what?"

"Feminine charm!"

Mika looked at Alicia admiringly. "From you, I see the model of a girlfriend—even a wife! I wish you and Larry a happily ever after."

Despite Mika's sincere blessing, Alicia couldn't feel happy. She had a lump in her throat, even wanting to cry. Just days ago, she'd been a righteous, imposing man whose manly charm knew no bounds. She'd vowed to stroll through life's garden without a petal sticking—a true upright man. Now, others saw her as a virtuous wife and mother?! And they wanted to learn from her?! Damn it all! If it were the old Alicia, she'd have used all her skills to make anyone who said that see why flowers are red. But Mika's uniquely innocent gaze bound her hands and feet. Back in the team, if Mika had shown this pure side earlier, Alicia would've cherished her like a treasure. Now I've turned into a woman, and you act like this. Heaven! This isn't closing one window and opening another—you've shut the window, sealed the door, and told me there's a group of beauties swimming nude outside!

Alicia forced a smile and stood. "That's good. I'll head to Larry's place. Find me after packing." She left stiffly, face pale, thoughts sluggish.

...

"Feminine charm, hahaha—I can't believe Mika said I have it, ahahaha!" In Larry's room, Alicia buried her face in a pillow, laughter sounding worse than crying.

"Uh, that's enough, right?" Larry stared speechlessly at his "best friend," who'd burst in, jumped onto his bed, buried her head under covers, and started wailing like a ghost. He'd been about to change clothes—just as he was stripping off his boxers—when this inconsiderate person barged in. Head under the pillow, butt sticking up... Damn it, didn't she know she was wearing a skirt?! Larry pinched his nose, looking away, chanting in his mind: "This guy is a man," "She's been my bro for 20 years," "We've seen each other naked since kids"—anything to calm his eager little brother.

Alicia was just momentarily crushed by Mika's words. Though her body had become female unavoidably, her mind shouldn't change. That had been her bottom line. But now, it seemed breached. Alright, she admitted she'd imitated feminine behaviors to play Larry's fiancée. But that was only a tiny part of her—why call her womanly? She couldn't understand! Unseen by Alicia, Larry was tempted by the view under her skirt, nose itching, feeling red liquid might drip—this damn arousal.

"Hey," Larry said, "how long will you wriggle on my bed like a maggot? We need to go."

Hearing his rudeness, Alicia's heart caught fire. He didn't even recall she'd been called womanly while helping him. She turned fiercely. "That's why you should find a girlfriend ASAP."

Larry looked puzzled. "I've wondered—in this life, you're obsessed with me finding one. Are you out of your mind?"

"I think you're the one with a hole in your head!" Alicia eyed him suspiciously. "You're not... impotent, are you?"

Larry's mouth twitched. "Perfect—you're a woman now. Want to test it out?"

Alicia snorted. "I have zero interest in toothpicks."

"Fine. Your brain's malfunctioning, and your eyesight's regressed to a supersonic bat's level." (Supersonic bat: a creature from another world with terrible eyesight.) Larry stood with hands on hips. "We've peed together often. Don't you know my level? I haven't seen your thing now, hehehe. Perfect time for a peek."

"You might go blind before your time." Alicia pouted but stayed face-down. "I don't want to worry—I just don't want your dad or others to misunderstand again."

Larry frowned. "What do you mean? What did my dad misunderstand?"

"This happened in our past life. Because someone avoided girlfriends, hated arranged dates, and constantly ran to my place, your family got the wrong idea. If you're not an idiot, you've guessed it." Alicia pounded the bed. "Without your knowledge, your dad had bodyguards 'invite' me home for a private talk. He said earnestly, 'We're open-minded and support love freedom. But we need an heir. I'll find a woman; have my son spend one night with her. If she gets pregnant, we'll handle everything—even arrange an overseas marriage.'"

Larry's mouth hung open like a duck egg. "No way! That happened?"

Alicia cried out, "Do you know my inner turmoil? I even doubted your real reason for visiting me! Two suited bodyguards stood by my sofa—I feared your dad might eliminate me if I refused. I talked with him all night to clear it up, proving it was your issue, not my sexuality!"