A sudden burst of blinding light enveloped Kaito, momentarily disorienting him as he blinked away the glare. As the light faded, he found himself seated at a solitary make-up table, facing a large mirror, with darkness surrounding him on all sides.

In the reflection, Kaito saw the face of a woman, her features illuminated by a bright, focused light that shone down upon her from above. As he watched, he felt a strange sense of connection to her. The girl began to apply make-up, her hands deftly moving across her features with an ease that suggested a familiarity with the task. To his surprise, Kaito found himself mimicking her actions, as though his hands were being guided by an unseen force.

Confused and bewildered, Kaito asked the girl, "Who are you?" At that moment, he realized that his voice had become softer and higher, a stark contrast to his usual deep tone. He gasped and covered his mouth with his hands, only to see the girl in the mirror do the same. Despite the uncanny resemblance, Kaito knew deep down that the girl in the mirror was not him.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, but when he looked behind him in the mirror, there was no one there. The voice that spoke to him was equally as perplexing, it was a strange sound, neither male nor female, and it seemed to alternate between high and low pitches and volumes.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" the voice asked, and Kaito felt a tightening in the grip of the invisible hands.

"No!" Kaito responded immediately, his resistance clear in his voice. As he spoke, the pressure on his shoulders lessened, accompanied by a small cracking sound from the mirror.

"Come now, Kaito," the voice cooed. "Don't you want to be more beautiful and cute? Imagine how much easier your life would be as a woman."

Kaito felt a surge of defiance rise up within him, and he replied firmly, "I am proud of who I am, just the way I am."

As soon as he spoke these words, a loud crack resounded through the room, and a long, jagged crack appeared on the surface of the mirror.

"But think of the possibilities, Kaito," the voice persisted. "As a woman, you would have access to all sorts of places you never could before. You could easily enter the girl's changing room and observe them in secret. Isn't that something you've always dreamed of?"

Kaito's resolve wavered at this suggestion, and he found himself hesitating. He couldn't deny the allure of being able to enter the girl's changing room, It was the dream of every man his age. The girl in the mirror seemed to sense his uncertainty. She smiled and continued applying makeup, Kaito's movements again mirroring hers in the reflection.

The voice continued echoing, its tone insidious as it spoke its next suggestion. "Yes, you can have any girlfriend you want, even making a harem for yourself." Kaito's movements froze, his mind recoiling at the thought. He shook his head, the weight on his shoulder vanish as he stood up, looking directly at the girl who was still sitting in the mirror before him.

"No," he said firmly, his voice resolute. "I can't."

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he knew he must say next.

“I have to focus on my training. I’ve made a promise my self, no drink, no woman, until I can surpass my father.”

The mirror cracked, the sound echoing through the room as it fragmented into countless pieces. The world around Kaito crumbled like a puzzle, revealing a blank white space behind it.

Kaito woke up from his nightmare.

A loud sound bang through the room, followed quickly by the clattering of small items falling to the ground. The noise jolted Kaito awake, and he felt a dull pain throbbing in his forehead. He tried to move, but his body felt heavy and uncooperative. With great effort, he lifted his head from the table surface and gradually regained his vision.

It was then that Kaito realized he was not in his own room. Instead, he found himself in a traditional Japanese room with tatami mats and sliding doors. A lantern on the wall cast a soft light on the table in front of him, where a framed picture of a woman in her thirties, she was smilling. She was exquisite and beautiful, with delicate features and long black hair. She was his mother, Nakamura Kobato.

She had died shortly after he was born. He had never met her, but he always felt grateful for her giving him life. This room was her room, and it had been preserved as a memorial since her death.

As Kaito tried to piece together how he had ended up in this room, he caught sight of himself in the mirror and was immediately filled with shock. He stumbled backwards, causing the chair he had been sitting in to topple over.

He was wearing a girl's uniform.

"Naniiii!?⁽¹⁾" Kaito yelled.

The makeup table was littered with open jars and brushes, and the powdery scent of cosmetics filled the air. His face was covered with thick white powder, and the heavy scent of the makeup made him feel like he was suffocating. His lips were painted a bright red, and his eyes were lined with heavy black kohl. But even with the makeup, he could still recognize himself. He looked like a man in drag, and a very bad one at that.

"Yuuko!" Kaito called out, his voice shaking with anger. "Get out here and explain yourself!" He needed answers and he needed them now.

"Sorry about that." After a while, a woman's voice apologized in his head. It sounded sheepish and amused.

"I tried my best to make you look more feminine, but you know, back in my days we didn't have any cosmetics like these." She sighed.

"What are you doing? You said you would teach me your secret martial art. This is not what we agreed on." Kaito protested, If someone had seen him from a distance, they would have thought he was talking to himself.

"Oh, right." She chuckled. "I forgot to mention, the martial art I'm going to teach you is called 'Hagarin'⁽²⁾."

"Hagarin? What kind of name is that? I've never heard of it before." Kaito said, confused. "And what does it have to do with my appearance?"

Yuuko giggled, “changing your outside is the first step to learn Hagarin.”

“Hagarin is a technique that can only be mastered by those who possess both the physical and emotional qualities of femininity. It requires a deep understanding and connection with the female body, as well as a high level of emotional intelligence, compassion, and intuition. These qualities are not typically associated with men, and mastering the Hagarin requires a complete transformation of both body and mind. In essence, you must become a true woman in every sense of the word to wield its power.”

Yuuko's words rang out in Kaito’s mind. He became overwhelmed and lost focus halfway through her speech. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. It dawned on him the gravity of what he had become involved in. Yuuko continued her lesson with a passion tone:

“Our family martial art originated from the concept of 'Inyo', which is similar to the 'Yin and Yang' concept. Inyo represents femininity and Yang represents masculinity. In the 'In' aspect--."

"Stop! I don’t want to listen anymore," Kaito cut her off. "Terminate our deal now."

Disappointment etched on his face, Kaito rubbed his forehead where he felt the dull pain. As Yuuko remained silent, he continued, "I am a man. I won't sacrifice my dignity to become a woman."

"Even...if it can help you defeat your father?" The voice whispered in his head again, as if Yuuko was right next to his ear.

Kaito clenched his fists. His resolve was shaken at her words, and he found himself questioning his determination. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Who's in there?" his father's voice boomed from the other side.

Note:

(1): “Nani” is commonly used to mean "what." It is an interrogative word used to ask questions or express surprise, confusion, or disbelief.

(2): “Hagarin” is a name that I invented, that doesn’t have any meaning in Japanese. It is based on Hagal, which combines the Japanese word for leaf (ha) and the English word for girl (gal). When I tried to write Hagal in Japanese characters, it became Hagarin. I also like how Hagarin sounds similar to ‘hagane’, which means steel in Japanese and feel like toughness, ‘-rin’ is a common suffix in martial arts.