Chapter 3: The Secret Bound by a Rubber Band (Part 1)

The next day, I woke up one minute before the alarm.

The first thing I did after swatting the alarm was reach out with lightning speed to feel my hair.

Long hair.

It was still there.

‘The startup method must be wrong.’

I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for about ten seconds, then pulled the duvet over my head.

Then, I quickly yanked it back down.

“Ugh…”

I looked at myself in the mirror.

‘It’s not a dream.’

My long hair was a mess, sticking out everywhere like a bird’s nest blown by the wind.

My complexion wasn’t great—I looked a bit pale, my lips still lacked color, though at least I didn’t have dark circles.

I was surprised I had even managed to fall asleep like that last night.

As I washed my face, I rubbed my cheeks.

The texture was still wrong.

My skin had become smoother.

When my fingers touched it, I could feel a moisture and softness that wasn’t there before, just like yesterday.

My fingertips slid from my cheek to my chin.

The jawline had become so soft; that old chiseled, angular feeling was completely gone.

I poked my cheek again.

It was bouncy.

‘Like… like what was it again?’

‘Anyway, it didn’t feel like a boy’s face.’

I spaced out in front of the mirror for a while.

The person in the mirror had eyes that tilted up slightly at the corners, but they looked unexpectedly soft and non-threatening.

My eyelashes seemed to have grown longer, too, casting small shadows under the light.

My nose was still high, but the tip had rounded out a bit, making it look less sharp.

Because I had just applied lip balm, my lips were a bit darker than their morning paleness—not quite white anymore, but with a hint of pink.

My lower lip was a bit thicker than the upper one, forming a slight pout.

I tilted my head at the mirror, and the girl in the mirror tilted her head back.

A lock of hair slid off my shoulder and rested on my collarbone.

…What was I doing?

I looked away and started dealing with my hair.

Mimi squatted at the foot of the bed watching me, her tail wagging slowly.

I glanced at her.

“Morning~”

My voice had that nasal quality of someone who had just woken up, the end of the sentence trailing upward naturally.

I froze for a moment, cleared my throat, and had a sudden whim.

“Ahem. Meow~~”

I felt a sudden heat in my nose, and a drop of blood dripped out.

‘It must be because this winter is too dry!’

The slippers that fit me two days ago now had my toes sticking out over the edge.

Walking in them made a patter-patter sound, like I was stepping on two little boats.

“Ugh…”

‘How annoying.’

I kicked off the slippers and walked barefoot to the bathroom.

The floor was cold, making my toes curl up instinctively.

They looked like two little cat paws as I trotted along, patter-patter.

While brushing my teeth, I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time.

Toothpaste foam clung to the corner of my mouth.

White foam paired with that soft face made me look like a sleepy child.

I hurried to wipe the foam away.

Hair.

What was I supposed to do about the hair?

I never had to think about this before.

With hair that barely reached my ears, a few quick strokes with a comb made it look decent.

Now, with this pile of stuff hanging off my head, if I didn’t tie it up, it would fall into my bowl during breakfast, might get stuck in weird places in the bathroom, and would blow into my face while walking.

‘Argh, just thinking about it makes my head ache.’

I took apart a bundle of ballpoint pen refills and pulled out the rubber band used to hold them together.

I opened Xiaohongshu and found a basic tutorial video on how to tie a ponytail.

Following the girl in the video, I began a battle with my own hair.

The first time, I tied it crooked.

The ponytail sat on the left side of my head like a bent, swivel faucet.

I tilted my head in the mirror, and the ponytail tilted with me.

A few stray strands stuck to my cheek, making me look silly.

‘What the…’

I took it down.

The second time, I tied it too low.

It hung behind my neck like a broom.

I shook my head.

The hair swung back and forth behind me, lacking any energy, like a listless tail.

Took it down — attempt number two.

The third time, I finally got it in the middle, but stray hairs fell all over my face.

I couldn’t tie up the short hairs at my forehead, nor the ones by my sideburns or the back of my neck.

They all hung there, making me look like I had just been dragged out of bed.

“Ugh…”

I let out a wail at the mirror.

‘Why is it so hard?’

I tried two more times until my fingers were sore.

Finally, I managed a ponytail that was at least passable.

Even though there were still a few stray locks hanging out, some strands clinging to my temples, and a little tuft sticking up at the back of my head, I at least looked like a normal human being.

I looked left and right in the mirror and sighed.

‘Whatever. This will have to do.’

My school pants were the same as yesterday, the waist a full size too big.

I used the drawstring to pull them tight.

Just as I was about to pull my school T-shirt over my head, I suddenly stopped.

Yesterday…

‘Wait, did I forget something yesterday?’

I looked down at my chest.

Under the T-shirt, there was nothing.

When I was showering last night, I had stared at myself in the mirror for a long time.

To be honest, the change wasn’t that big.

I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about it.

My chest was only slightly raised, almost unnoticeable when I was wearing clothes.

I had put on my pajamas immediately after showering and went to sleep, not giving it a second thought.

But now I had to get dressed for the day.

I pulled the T-shirt on.

When the fabric brushed against my chest, I shuddered.

A very strange sensation radiated from there.

It wasn’t pain, and it wasn’t an itch. It was just…

‘Sensitive.’

It was like a patch of skin that had never been touched before was suddenly rubbed by something.

All of my attention was instantly dragged toward it.

I looked down.

Under the T-shirt, there was a very, very slight curve.

You couldn’t see it if you weren’t looking closely, but I could feel it while wearing clothes.

The fabric rested against it, and every time I moved, it rubbed.

The feeling wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was incredibly awkward.

It was like my body had suddenly gained something that wasn’t there before, making everything I did feel “off.”

I stood there, at a loss, for a long while.

‘What should I do…’

I couldn’t just go to school like this.

‘It’s too weird.’

Taking a deep breath, I rummaged through my wardrobe.

In the corner, there were a few sports vests I had bought for running a long time ago.

They weren’t very large and had a bit of elasticity.

I took one out and put it on under the T-shirt.

‘Mm… that’s better.’

The cotton fabric of the sports vest was thicker, and once I put it on, that rubbing sensation decreased significantly.

Even though I could still feel it, at least I didn’t experience a slight spasm every time I moved.

I stood in front of the mirror to check.

Under the school T-shirt, the sports vest showed nothing.

My chest looked flat, no different from yesterday.

‘Phew… all set.’

I let out a sigh of relief and continued putting on my school uniform.

the waist of the track pants was still too big, so I tightened the drawstring and tied it into a bow.

Once I put on the school jacket, the sleeves were a bit too long, so I pushed them up.

I zipped it up and fished my ponytail out from the collar.

It got stuck again.

I had to tug it twice to get it out, which loosened a few more strands of hair.

‘Fine, fine. I can leave now.’

I glanced at the alarm clock.

7:20 AM.

“What?! 7:20?!”

I clearly got up at 6:30.

How did I waste almost an hour messing around?!

There was no time for breakfast.

I grabbed my school bag and dashed out, running barefoot back to my room to swap into my sneakers.

The sneakers were still very loose on my feet.

I ran out of the house, patter-patter.

By the time I reached the intersection, I saw the bus doors starting to close in the distance.

“Wait — wait —”

My bag clattered against my back, my ponytail whipped around, and my shoes wobbled on my feet.

As I reached the door, the driver glanced at me and opened it again.

“Thank — thank you…”

Panting, I climbed onto the bus and swiped my card.

The bus was crowded.

I held onto the handrail near the back door, gasping for air.

My chest rose and fell with my breathing.

The fabric of the sports vest pressed against my skin, rubbing gently with every breath.

That feeling returned.

It wasn’t pain, and it wasn’t an itch.

It was just…

‘Sss.’

A place I had never paid attention to before was now something I felt with every movement.

‘It’s so strange.’

I hugged my bag to my chest to hide myself.

My face began to feel hot and red, but it was hidden by the white mist of my breath.

—

There weren’t many people at the school gate anymore, so I quickened my pace.

I felt like people were looking at me.

It wasn’t a weird look, but I couldn’t help but feel they were staring at my hair, my face, and my oversized uniform.

I lowered my head and hurried into the classroom.

“Han Han! Morning!”

My deskmate sat at her desk and waved at me, still chewing on something.

“Morning —”

I sat down, thudded my bag onto the desk, and slumped over it.

“What’s wrong? Did you run here?”

“Yeah… I woke up late.”

“Didn’t eat breakfast?”

“No…”

My deskmate pulled a pack of biscuits out of her desk, opened it, and held one out to me.

I looked up, took the biscuit, and took a bite.

“Thanks…”

“No problem~”

She leaned on the desk, tilting her head to look at me.

“Your hair is tied a bit better today than yesterday.”

“Really?”

I reached back to touch my ponytail.

“Yeah, even though it’s still crooked.”

She giggled.

“But it looks pretty cute.”

“What do you mean ‘cute’…”

I buried my face in my arms, the cool skin of my forearms soothing my burning cheeks.

‘Cute? What am I even thinking!’

During the third period, my phone vibrated.

I peeked at it while the teacher turned to write on the blackboard.

Xiao Yan: ‘President, are you going to the Observatory after school today? I have a few questions for you~’

I stared at the screen for a few seconds.

The scene of meeting her on the stairs yesterday flashed back:

The moment she stopped, the moment her pupils dilated, and the half-sentence she swallowed back.

I typed: ‘What questions?’

About a minute later, she replied: ‘About next month’s Observation Plan~ I looked up some data, but I’m not quite sure~’

‘Okay. Come to the Club Room after school.’

‘Got it! Thanks, President~’

She followed it with a star emoji.

During the second period of the afternoon, my deskmate suddenly poked me with her pen.

“Han Han, we have to wear the club uniform for the activities tonight, right?”

I froze. “…Eh?”

“The club uniform! The Astronomy Club uniform! Didn’t you say there’s a group photo for all the clubs today? The notice came out last month. Did you forget?”

My brain gave a loud buzz.

The club uniform.

The Sailor Uniform?!

—