(Welcome, welcome, one and all! Today’s recommendation is Misfile, a webcomic featuring themes of dysphoria and dealing with people’s perceptions of themselves. It’s a bit of an older work, but it’s really good! I can’t get too much into the details, but suffice it to say, it’s well worth checking out, especially if you like cars!)

  I nod. “I’d love to… but we have to see the doctor in a couple of hours. How are we going to expin this?” I tilt my head towards my back. “It’s not like we can say I ‘fell over’ or anything, right?”

  Chihaya frowns, nodding. “Yeah, that’s a no go. Dr Elise would recognize it as a weapon-inflicted wound on the spot. We’d best tell the truth and hope it’s not too bad…” she stretches, and I can’t help but notice her curves. Despite being quite tall, Chihaya’s rather voluptuous. I’m no slouch myself in the chest area, from what I can tell, but she’s on a whole other level.

  “Well, shall we get ready to go? It might take you a while, thanks to your back. Want me to help?” Chihaya offers, and I shake my head.

  “I’ll just use my volt texture. Changing right now is…” I shudder a little at the thought of moving my arms and shoulders much, and Chihaya winces in sympathy.

  “Ooh, yeah. Good thinking, that would suck. Well, I’ll wash up, you rest, ok? Up-bup-bup!” she holds up a hand as I make to help. “No, you do nothing, sweetie. I’ve got this.” She grins, piling the small number of used culinary accoutrements into the sink and adding dish-soap. As I sit there, feeling useless, she scrubs merrily away, bubbles rising all around her. “Uh, whoops. Might’ve used too much washing-up liquid.”

  I giggle a little, and slowly stand, making my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth, before equipping my volt texture. The burgundy uniform repces my nightgown, and I adjust my hair carefully, pulling it back, into a loose ponytail. It almost reaches my butt, and I twirl, looking myself over in the mirror.

  Slim arms. Long bck hair. Curves in all the right pces. Smooth, rose-pink skin. Long shes. I look… delicate, but not weak. Like some warrior-priestess transported from ancient Japan to modern times.

  I start as Chihaya knocks on the door. “Are you okay in there, Akari? You’ve been in the bathroom for almost an hour!”

  I splutter and almost leap for the door, unlocking it as I look down at the floor. Chihaya lifts my chin with two fingers. “Ahhh, I see. You fell into the mirror’s clutches, didn’t you?” she teases, and my blush confirms it. She pulls me into a careful hug, avoiding putting any pressure on my wound. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. Did you… Did you not like how you looked before?”

  Her tactful question makes me stare. HAD I liked my appearance before Chihaya gave me one of her Stigmata and made me anew? “Honestly, I… can’t say I did…” I murmur softly, feeling unaccountably distressed. “I like how I am now. It feels good, and I’m actually cute! I…”

  Chihaya giggles, “Ara ara! How bold, calling yourself ‘cute’ like that! You’re so much more than just cute, you know? I’d use… stunning. Or magnificent. Gorgeous? Beautiful? I could go on. But I won’t. But I could.”

  I blink, poleaxed. Is she… flirting with me?! Nooooo, that can’t be right. She doesn’t like me like that, right? I mean, we’ve only spent a week living together. And she’s a girl too! I shake my head, returning to my senses. That’s a question for another day. Right now, we need to go and see Dr Elise.

  It takes almost all our remaining time to make it, but Chihaya and I manage, thanks to the transit shuttle being on-schedule. The receptionist waves us through as Chihaya gasps out the reason for our appointment.

  Dr Elise smiles up at us as we enter her office. “Ah, just in time! Well, let’s have a look at you, shall we?” She begins examining me, and I try not to flinch as she pokes around my back. The doctor says conversationally, “I heard about your fight with Arnett McMiln, if that’s what you’re trying to tell me. You even won, which is quite the feat! Looks like she did quite a number on you, though. Can you remove your bzer and shirt, please?”

  I do as she asks, and she hums in approval. “Ms Rengoku, is this your handiwork? This is well done; maybe I should make you my assistant!” Chihaya blushes and accepts the compliment, while Doctor Elise checks me over. “Hmm, looks like your body’s adjusted very well to the Stigmata, which means we can impnt more. We’ll need to take a quick set of measurements, first. According to your entry transcript, your compatibility was around 30%. We’ll assess you to see how that’s changed, okay?”

  I nod, and the doctor bustles over to a machine mounted on the wall, swivelling a mounted scanner head around and aiming it at me. “Close your eyes, this is rather bright.”

  I shut my eyes tight, and an eerie, whining hum starts to echo around the room, building in intensity, as I sit there, waiting. A few minutes ter, the machine shuts off, and Dr Elise gasps, “Well, that’s a real improvement! Your low-end result is 65%, topping out at almost 80% in optimal conditions!”

  My eyes snap open, and I stare at her. “Are you sure?! That… that’s more than double my best result!”

  The doctor smiles broadly. “Definitely. This machine gets recalibrated daily, and I’m the one who does it. I don’t make mistakes, especially not THAT bad. You, Akari Shimizu… are quite a powerful Pandora!"

  I stare at Chihaya, who’s beaming at me, looking like she’s about ready to throw herself at me for hugs. The doctor clears her throat. “Well, if you’re ready, I can impnt another five Stigmata into your back, which will enhance your compatibility even further. We’ll do them one by one, with an hour between each, to ensure the procedure goes smoothly. Then, we’ll see about setting up your basic training course.”

  She heads to a panel on the other wall and keys in a long code. A wide hatch slides open, with racks of matured Stigmata inside. She travels the length, plucking specific Stigmata from the unit, clearly working from some unspoken criteria, before sealing the wall up and approaching.

  “Since your first one is on the right, this will mirror it on the left. Luckily Arnett’s strike missed the pces I need to impnt, so you’re good. Want a painkiller before we start?”

  I shake my head, and she nods approvingly. “Alright, here we go.”

  A quick jab of pain, and the first of my new Stigmata is embedded in my back, opposite the one Chihaya Baptized me with. Dr Elise smiles. “Nice and clean, a perfect impntation. Four more to go.”

  Over the next few hours, the remaining four Stigmata are fixed into my back, and I feel the dull ache rolling through me. Dr Elise pats my hand sympathetically. “I know it hurts, but you’ll heal quickly. You’re going to be a Pandora, after all!” she winks at me, and I nod slowly, feeling like my head’s about to fall off if I make too many sudden moves.

  “We’re done here; you can go home and rest. Make sure to sleep on your front or side if you can, at least for a few days. Take these, one every morning and evening. Start from tonight, they’ll help you sleep without pain.”

  She hands me a clear bottle of small blue tablets, and shoos us out. On our way out, we bump into a group of fellow students. Kaho Hiiragi, Arthur Clipton, Satellizer L. Bridget, and the strange Tibetan girl, all surrounding Kazuya. He steps in our way, and bows politely.

  “Sorry to bother you, miss, but… Have you seen a boy named Akira? He’s a Limiter, like me, but he’s kinda… disappeared. The teachers won’t tell us anything.”

  Kaho nods. “The st time we saw him was a week ago. He was going for a Baptism with a second-year, but no-one knows for sure what happened after that.” She’s eying Chihaya with clear suspicion.

  I groan internally. Well, this is going to be a regur thing, isn’t it? I step forward, swallow, and speak. “Of course I’ve seen him. He was me. My name is Akari now.”

  Kazuya blinks, and Kaho’s eyes widen. She’s starting to catch on. I quickly run through the first day I’d had at West Genetics, using it to prove my identity, before they can interrupt, then expin the whole story behind my new body. Kaho approaches, and touches my face. “You… You turned into a girl because of the Baptism?! You poor thing!” she gasps, slowly lowering her hands to mine. I stiffen and Chihaya’s hand gently touches my elbow.

  “Actually, I’m MUCH happier now, more than I’ve ever been. I hated my old body. Now, I’m cute, and I like it.”

  Kaho and Satellizer stare, and Kazuya and Arthur are having trouble processing. The st student, the Tibetan girl, steps forward. “I am Rana Linchen! The privilege of meeting you is mine, miss! And might I say, I hope we shall become solid friends! I mean, FIRM friends, and please forgive my poor grasp of your nguage!”

  I can’t help but smile. Rana’s so… bubbly and cheerful, it’s infectious. I bow, and Chihaya rexes. It looks like she’s been tensing up throughout the whole conversation. Satellizer steps forward, and holds out her hand.

  “Touch me. I want to check something.”

  Arthur and Kaho splutter, and Kazuya tilts his head. I’m as lost as the rest of them, but I slowly pce my hand in the Untouchable Queen’s. She leaves it there for a few moments, then nods. “Just as I thought. You don’t feel bad. I… look forward to working with you.”

  She steps away, and I blink, before bowing. “L-likewise!” Chihaya saves me from any further awkwardness by chiming in, “well, we’d better get going. Akari and I were going for lunch. She needs calories after having the rest of her Stigmata impnted.” With several voices shouting questions after us, we leave, heading for the cafeteria. We join the queue for Burger Queen, the only paid spot in the cafeteria, but sometimes, the lure of unhealthy food is too hard to resist.

  Chihaya pays for our food, and we head to a vacant table to eat. It doesn’t take long to polish off the junk food, and we sit, finishing up our sodas and the st fries. A boy from the upper year approaches, and sits himself at our table without asking.

  “Hey, new girl. You’re pretty cute, why don’t you go on a date with me?”

  I give him a look. “I’m not interested.”

  He doesn’t take the hint. “Come on, I promise I’ll behave! Don’t you trust me?”

  Chihaya adds, “Any boy who uses that line clearly CAN’T be trusted. You don’t even know her name and you’re hitting on her! Have some manners.”

  He sneers. “And who asked YOU, Ginger Rogers? I just want to talk to this girl! Quit getting in my way!”

  I stand up, and, with a practiced heel-kick, I break one of the legs off his chair, sending him sprawling.

  “Listen, numbskull. I SAID, “I’M NOT INTERESTED.” What part of that didn’t you get?! And DON’T insult my friend again. Now, pick yourself up and get out of here.”

  I sit back down, leaving the floundering Limiter to scramble away in an undignified retreat. Chihaya splutters with ughter, almost inhaling the st of her soda. A small commotion rises with a few other boys giving me wary looks. As long as they don’t try hitting on me, I don’t have a problem.

  “Well now, defending my honour? Miss Shimizu, you are a true gentlewoman!” she teases, as I stick my tongue out at her.