Glug, glug...

“Pwah!!! Cough, cough, cough!!!”

A day and a night passed. At last, there was movement in the pool. A boy of about sixteen or seventeen struggled his way out.

“Cough, cough... Ugh...”

His stomach was full of the taste of medicine. This was the first time he’d ever hated the taste so much.

“Cough, cough... Damn it... What the hell was that... Hm?”

His voice suddenly sounded a little strange. The voice he’d just heard had seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, but...

What was going on...? Something just felt wrong. Why were his clothes...

No... No! No! No! No!

What is happening?!

Why were his hands and feet so small?! What was going on? Why was this happening? How could...

Li hurried over to the edge of the pool. His reflection revealed what he looked like now...

“Huh... This is... Aaaah!!!”

...

“How is this possible... How could this happen... How...”

After a long while, Li was still struggling to accept how he looked now. No matter how he saw it, he’d become younger, hadn’t he?

He’d seen that face in the mirror almost every day when he was sixteen or seventeen. Every single day! How could he possibly forget it? That was what he’d looked like as a kid...

He’d become younger? Had he really become younger?

How was this possible? How could this happen? Why had he turned out like this? What the hell was in this pool?!

“Hey! Cut the crap! Get out here! I know you’re here! Come out! Monster! What’s in this pool?! Get out here! What did you do to me?! You bastard! Get out here! Get out!”

Li threw everything he could get his hands on into the pool! It definitely existed! That big white tadpole definitely existed!

He definitely hadn’t been dreaming back then!

That big tadpole was definitely the one who’d done this to him! It had to be! That damn monster!

“Get out here! I know you’re here! Come out! You bastard! Come out!”

“Hahaha! Kid, are you looking for me?”

A hollow voice suddenly came from right above him. Li immediately looked up. A white, tadpole-like creature was floating over his head.

“Holy shit!”

Li swore and, almost on instinct, swung a punch at it—but his fist passed right through the white tadpole!

It felt just like he’d punched at empty air...

What the hell was going on?

The white tadpole was only about the size of a soccer ball now, much smaller than when he’d first seen it. But it still had its tail.

What kind of monster was this...?

Li slowly stood up and backed away from the white tadpole, one step at a time.

What kind of monster was this? It was the one who’d turned him into this...

This was all that monster’s fault!

“Hahaha! Kid, there’s no need to be afraid of me. If I’d wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it earlier, while I still had the strength. Even if I wanted to kill you now, I can’t touch you, and you can’t touch me. So how could I kill you?”

“Why did you turn me into this?! What’s your goal?!”

“If I hadn’t, you’d have blown up your own Authority and ended up covered in wounds. If I’d let things go on like that, even if you survived, you’d have become a complete good-for-nothing. You’re alive and well now, and every last one of your injuries has healed. Shouldn’t you be thanking me, kid?”