It was exactly midnight.
A time when she should've been drifting into the depths of sleep—but—
"I can't sleep…"
Mako Mako's eyes were wide open, sharp and alert.
She was tired, yet no drowsiness came. She kept pulling the blanket over herself, closing her eyes… then giving up and throwing it off again, repeating the cycle endlessly.
"Well duh, I did sleep for three days straight! Of course I'm not sleepy!"
She muttered to herself as if trying to justify her restlessness.
Just when she thought she might as well stay awake until morning, a sudden chill ran through her—a biological urge she could not ignore. Reluctantly, she pushed herself upright to head to the bathroom.
But then she froze.
Yokomine's words flashed in her mind:
"I just haven't seen one… yet."
"…Which means someone else has, right?"
She briefly considered holding it until morning, but no human can win against nature. With deep reluctance, she stepped out of her hospital room.
Mako walked down the dark corridor, guided only by the dim glow of the emergency lights. Her steps were faster than usual, every nerve on edge.
Given the setting, it wouldn't be strange at all if a ghost popped out.
The year was 2036. Society had long been dominated by computers; everyone carried their own personal device—compact terminals that were a natural extension of daily life.
Technology surrounded them everywhere. Still, Mako couldn't help thinking:
"I'm in my third year of middle school. Is it really okay for me to be scared of ghosts?"
But fear of the unknown was normal. Everyone had things they found frightening.
"If I were still a little kid, there's no way I'd walk down a hallway like this alone."
She couldn't help but feel proud that she had grown enough to push past the fear.
"…Huh?"
That was when she noticed it—a faint bluish light at the far end of the corridor, and it seemed to be moving toward her.
Mako assumed it was a nurse carrying a flashlight and paused to watch. But soon, a silhouette took shape within the glow.
A small human figure—a child, around elementary school age.
But even from a distance, she could tell something was terribly wrong.
"A-a-are they… glowing?"
A bluish-white radiance emanated from the child's entire body.
A strange, chilling possibility crept into Mako's mind.
"A g-ghost!?"
Combined with Yokomine's ominous comment earlier, her mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion.
She tried to observe the figure carefully, to confirm whether it was truly a ghost—but the instant the child noticed her, they smiled—
—and lunged straight at her.
"Eh—!?"
In a blur of impossible speed, a small hand clamped around her throat and lifted her off the ground—with strength no child should possess.
Panicked, Mako clawed and struggled, but she couldn't break free. Her airway compressed, her breathing failing, pain spreading—
Her consciousness began to fade—
And then—
『+ecEwblQNUk0wb1NDTuN1ME9zkKMwZzBCMIow3zDrMMYwATBdMFcwZjCuMPMwZzBCMIs-』
A nonsensical voice echoed directly inside her head.
"W-what…? Ah—!?"
A stabbing pain shot through her skull.
Her body reached its limit; pain and fear swallowed her vision—everything turned white.
And then—
An alien sensation surged through her.Her body moved on its own, as if no longer hers.
Her arm shot out, knocking the child's hands away.
Freed, Mako twisted her body and delivered a fierce kick—sending the child flying down the corridor.
No one was more shocked than Mako herself.
It felt like watching someone else control her own body.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the corridor window—and it wasn't the usual messy bob cut that grabbed her attention.
It was something on top of her head.
"…What… is that?"
Cat ears.
Semi-transparent, glowing cat ears—growing from her head.
She gasped again as she looked at her hands.
Her palms had transformed into soft, padded cat-like paws. Both hands resembled light-formed feline gloves.
"W-w-w-what is this!?"
The paws, like the ears, were made of translucent light.
And that wasn't all.
In the reflection behind her, two long, thin shapes swayed.
From just above her tailbone—hung not one, but two tails, like those of a monkey.
From the outside, she looked like she was doing an oddly incomplete cat cosplay.
Her two tails stood upright in perfect sync with her rising panic.
Then—
『na,+MGowazCS-…sonn+MGowaw-…odo+MEQwZg-…iru?』
Unintelligible sounds escaped her own mouth.
Gradually, the words became clear.
『There is no need for such surprise. Your body has simply changed due to my influence.』
"Changed? Wait—"
Only now did Mako realize the voice was sounding inside her head—as though someone was speaking from within her own mind.
『I'd like to explain slowly, but now's not the time.』
Her gaze darted ahead.
The child she had kicked was standing up—clearly visible even in the darkness.
It was a boy.
But what mattered was not his age—it was his eyes.
Sharp, predatory, glowing with feral intent.
His presence alone would have terrified the "normal" Mako.
But now—
Mako stood firm.
She glared right back.