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Description
The night quietly hums outside, singing with the cicadas. Like a lover performing a serenade, those arthropods buzz amidst the darkness. Above, the full moon stamps the sky. It's an awe-inspiring sight, but unfortunately, the city lights obscure all the stars. Their shine is no match for the concrete jungle, and all the galaxies and constellations will soon disappear under the sunlight. It's coming -- the sun. In mere hours, it'll be here, casting its light in the world and blinding those who dare gawk at it.

But you don't care about that. Although you're so tired that you can hardly keep your bleary eyes open, you're well aware that you can't sleep. Not yet, at least. Meters away, your bed taunts you. You know it'll be a pain to wake up early tomorrow, but you can't bring yourself to leave the couch. Your living room feels like a home inside another home, and the images flashing on the television hypnotize you.

Ah, yes, the television. It sits in front of you, reproducing a set of familiar voices -- all in Japanese. Aggretsuko -- you've heard such a title several times before. "You should watch it!" said one of your friends once. "Yeah, it's fantastic!" agreed another one. Day after day, person after person, you couldn't spend one afternoon without hearing people talk about this show. You never thought of giving it a chance before, despite all the recommendations. It didn't seem like a series you'd enjoy -- what with its anthropomorphic characters and work-related themes.

Much to your surprise, however, you were proven wrong. Mere hours ago, you were hesitant about watching the first episode. But now, you stay motionless with your eyes glued to the television screen, unwilling to look away. The show isn't merely great -- it's fantastic. It's unbelievable how lively the characters are, and how on point the humor is. It's also impressive how much you're able to relate to Retsuko -- the protagonist. Although she's a fictional and over-the-top anthropomorphic red panda, you see yourself in her every time she says something. From her struggles with work to her fits of rage, it's she like she's mimicking you.

Or, perhaps, you're mimicking her.

Beep, beep, beep! An alarm rings on your couch, your phone quivering like a freezing animal. It's one in the morning already. If you don't sleep now, it's doubtful you'll wake up in time tomorrow. With a sigh, you turn off your television, promising your Netflix account that you'll be back tomorrow. It's a shame you weren't able to finish the first season today, but there's no point in complaining about it. Tomorrow is Friday, and you'll have more than enough time to do so.

Your bare feet drag against the cold floor, struggling to move. You lean on the walls as you walk, your eyelids twitching. It's dark, but you can see your comforting bedroom at the end of the hallway. At last, you're here, and you refuse to do as much as turn the lights on. With a jump, you land on your bedsheets, promptly falling asleep.

You don't dream about anything.

When you wake up, an unexpected sight awaits you. You struggle to open your eyes, your blurred vision slowly coming back. That's why you don't usually go to bed late. Regardless, according to your phone, it's still six in the morning -- you're on time.

But that doesn't matter. As soon as your vision comes back to normal, you jump out of your bed, pupils shaking. You don't recognize your surroundings. Why would you, though? You're not at your house anymore! Instead of all the furniture that you spent a fortune on, all you see is several cheap-looking tables and desks, sitting on a ragged carpet. Your bed has changed as well, as a pink bedsheet now covers it. Even the room's architecture has mutated as well -- it's minuscule now, and a hideous pair of curtains cover the only window here.

Trying not to make much noise -- you don't know if anyone else lives in this house -- you slowly walk toward the curtains. Like a prophet splitting the seas, you open them, allowing the sunlight to peer inside the room. Protecting your eyes from the blinding light, you gaze at the city. You're up in the air now -- at least a few meters away from the ground. This allows you to realize one thing: you're not inside a house anymore. Judging by what the building looks like, it's clear that you're inside an apartment complex. This is worrying. Were you teleported? Kidnapped? A million questions brew inside your mind, but no answer ever appears.

Nevertheless, something else concerns you. As you continuously gawk at the outside world, people begin to stroll around the neighborhood. They proceed with their daily lives, walking around with smiles on their faces. It's a comforting sight. Or, it would be, were it not for the features. Perhaps your mind is merely playing tricks on you, but none of these people look like humans. You don't mean that as an offense, you're being literal. They all have snouts protruding from their faces, not to mention the fur covering their bodies. There are no doubts in your mind anymore: they're animals -- anthropomorphic animals. This isn't the only thing that seems amiss, however. The more you look at the neighborhood, the more you realize something: This isn't your hometown. This doesn't seem to be in your country at all! If anything, this place looks like...Tokyo?

You're ready to do something -- anything. Run away, call the police, ask for help... It doesn't matter. You want to escape from this nightmare, no matter how. But as you try to think of a plan, a bothersome feeling interrupts your thoughts. It's a tingle. An annoying, nigh overwhelming tingling on your hands. It was easy to ignore at first, but now? Now it feels as if your entire body is about to melt away. Without thinking much of it, you scratch your left hand. As you do so, however, a strange sensation meets your fingertips. It's like you're not touching your skin anymore -- as if something is covering it. Something soft and fuzzy, one could say. Confused, you look at your hands, and once you do so, your entire world changes.

Perhaps "as if" wasn't the right term to use. It's not "as if" something is covering your hands, because there is. From your skin, yellow hair protrudes, slowly but surely creating patches across your palms. Those patches quickly multiply, engulfing your fingers. It's not merely hair anymore. It's fur. Dense, soft, and tingling fur. Like a pair of gloves, it covers your hands, enwrapping them in its warmth. You're not sure how to react, but before you know it, the words "What the fuck?!" exit your mouth, resounding through the room. The lack of furniture makes your voice echo around the place, ceaselessly pestering your head as if to always remind you of your situation. This is the worst type of terror -- the one that you can't walk away from.

Still on your hands, your transformation -- is it a full-blown transformation, or are you merely growing fur? No matter. This isn't the time for semantics -- proceeds. It elongates your nails, sharpening them ever-so-slightly. Before your eyes, your nails turn black as well, fully morphing into claws. You clench your fists in response, feeling your fingers drag against your fur. It's a bizarre sensation, but you don't have time to think about it. The yellow pelage has begun to travel your arms, swallowing them.

As the mutations proceed, your anatomy slowly but surely shifts as well. Everywhere that the fur touches on your arms, your muscles seem to fade away. While a burning sensation spreads through your upper limbs, they narrow considerably, becoming frail and dainty. You were never a muscular person to begin with, but the changes are still noticeable. Nevertheless, the pelt proceeds to your shoulders, poking against your pajamas.

While your body changes underneath your clothes, the transformation hides itself from you. Soon enough, however, it reappears. You feel the tingling sensation climbing your neck as you sense something disappearing from your throat. You don't know what it was, and you don't care -- not for now, at least. Panicking, you gaze at your reflection in the nearby window, squinting your eyes to better witness the changes. Like tears running down your cheeks, a brown streak forms on your face, descending from your eyes toward your chin. On both of its sides, a white coat of fur appears. It forms another streak on your cheeks at the same time that it engulfs the area around your nose and mouth.

Elsewhere on your head, the golden pelage comes back. It covers your whole face, gradually approaching your scalp. Once it touches your brown hair, the fur causes each individual strand to change size and color -- becoming yellow as well. In due time, your hair fuses with the pelt. Meanwhile, on both sides of your head, your ears commence their changes. As white fur grows on them, the cartilage triangulates, your earlobes stretching at the same time that it creeps up your head. Your ears twitch atop your head, fully turning into furred triangles -- with their insides becoming brown. In the meantime, although you can't see it properly, your eyes turn beady and black. Your pupils -- which have lost their coloration -- expand, further filling your iris with each passing second, expanding like a black hole.

Your eyelashes magically lengthen, but that's not important at the moment. Amidst the fur, your nose morphs. In the blink of an eye, it acquires a black coloration, its shape becoming an upside-down triangle. In response, your face stretches ever-so-slightly, causing a muzzle to grow. Your head has changed in its entirety at this point, and you can almost recognize it. As you touch every part of your face -- from your snout to your ears -- a newfound realization sends shives down your spine.

Retsuko. That's it -- you're transforming into Retsuko! It sounds unbelievable, but it's the only hypothesis that makes sense right now. The room you're in, the state of the world outside, your head... You're in Retsuko's house, amidst Retsuko's world, and soon, you're going to become Retsuko.

But this is horrible, you think. Are you going to be forced to live her life? Talk to her friends? Live with her family? If you're Retsuko... does that mean you'll become a woman?

As if to answer one of your questions, something happens once the fur touches your chest. Through your pajamas, you witness your chest pushing forward, causing two lumps to appear underneath your shirt. As you loudly gasp, other changes ensue. Your figure widens, curves emerging everywhere at the same time that your hips become more pronounced. Your hands and feet seem to diminish in size as well, no longer contrasting against your anatomy.

Oh no.

The world around you grows -- wait, it doesn't. Everything surrounding you -- from the disorganized bed to the cheap-looking table -- shrinks, receding into the floor. Much to your dismay, you start to shrink as well, feeling your pajamas engulf your changing body. Soon, you fall to the floor, struggling to regain your composure. Once you stand up again, you take a look at your naked figure, letting out a loud gasp. Down there, things seem to have shifted. Your manhood no longer inhabits the space in between your legs -- it has changed. From an outsider's perspective, people would be quick to claim you as a woman from now on.

Nevertheless, the fur makes its descent. It enwraps your torso and waist, proceeding toward your legs. An aching feeling travels around your spine, and you yelp while clutching your stomach. Above your rear, a new appendage sprouts out, wagging as it grows. Fur covers it, forming alternating stripes of yellow and brown, decorating your moving tail. It feels pleasant to sway it around, but a voice in your head tells you that you shouldn't be enjoying this.

And finally, after the fur encompasses your legs, the transformation ends. You take a second to look at your reflection in the glass window, examining every inch of your changed body. This feels strange -- unnatural, even -- but there's no point in complaining. You're stuck in this situation now, unable to ever return to your old life.

As you step away from the window, however, something happens. A sensation emerges in your mind, consuming every single one of your thoughts. In pain, you fall to your knees, clutching your head. It feels as if your brain is being scrambled, further melting with each passing second. Inside your head, things happen. Thoughts change, disappearing and reappearing with no explanation.

New knowledge comes to your mind. A myriad of sentences in Japanese emerges inside your head. At first, it seems like gibberish, but slowly, they begin to make sense. You start to recognize each and every symbol, alongside all of the words they form. Seconds afterward, however, something else disappears. You don't think in English anymore. You don't recognize a single letter of the English alphabet, and every time you try to form a sentence -- even the most basic ones -- it always comes across as nonsensical garbage. You open your mouth, struggling to speak with your muzzle. As you try to form a sentence in English, your brain fails you. Nothing but gibberish comes out of your mouth, not to mention your newfound accent. This isn't all that has changed, however. Your voice has become high-pitched and feminine, not sounding at all like you! Was it your Adam's apple that disappeared in your throat?

It doesn't matter. As you continuously try to speak English, you struggle more and more to pronounce certain words. Eventually, however, your mind draws a blank. You've forgotten everything about English, and can hardly remember even the most basic of words. But... now that you think about it, why were you trying to speak English? Aren't you Japanese? You never took a single English lesson, so why would you magically know how to speak it?

Gradually, everything about you changes. Even your personality -- the way you think about things, or react to certain aspects of your life -- shifts as well. Your likes. Your dislikes. They all fade away -- mutating, altering themselves. You remember your hobbies, such as singing heavy metal at a local karaoke. You remember your job. You work as an accountant, don't you? You try to remember your friends, your family -- anyone -- but you can't. Instead, an assortment of names comes to your head. Haida. Fenneko. Those aren't your friends; they're Retsuko's! But... aren't you Retsuko? Yes, you are. Why are you trying to resist? Slowly, your remember small tidbits about you -- insignificant pieces of knowledge. Your mom's name. Your love interests. Your age -- twenty-five. Your relationships with your co-workers. At a snail's pace, everything comes back -- memories flood in. And then, you remember.

You're Retsuko, and no one else.

You open your eyes, looking around in confusion. Cleaning the dust off your knees, you stand up, letting out a yell. Why are you naked? You don't remember sleeping without your clothes on. With a sigh, you shrug. It doesn't matter. Perhaps you zoned out while getting dressed? It doesn't seem unlikely. You didn't sleep all that well last night.

Strolling toward your closet, it takes you no time to choose a suitable set of clothes. It's your work uniform -- a blue skirt with an equally blue vest, alongside a white shirt underneath it. For your paws, a pair of brown high heels will suffice, you think. Putting your clothes on, you smile at your fashion sense.

Then, you walk toward the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee. It's awfully lonely this time of day, and you're sure you could enjoy someone's company. Grabbing your phone, you dial a familiar phone number.

"Hello?" Someone -- Fenneko -- picks up. Her voice is calm yet high-pitched, like a child who's trying too hard to resemble an adult.

You laugh, although you don't know why. "Fenneko? I had the weirdest dream last night..." you say as you sit down, taking a sip from your coffee.

"How so?"

"I dreamt I was watching a TV show about myself. It was called... Aggressive Retsuko? I don't remember..."

She laughs. Her chuckling sounds nearly robotic, dragging on for considerably longer than it should. "And what did you do in it?"

"I think I just worked and got angry at things."

"Maybe it's simbollic." After Fenneko says those words, there's a pause. Then, her voice returns. "Hey, you're late for work."

You nearly spit out your coffee. "I am?!"

"Yeah, you are. Hurry up, you know what boss is like when you get late!"

Ending the call, you leave the coffee mug in the kitchen, hastily grabbing your purse. You don't even look back before you leave the house. It's time to go to work.

Description
The night quietly hums outside, singing with the cicadas. Like a lover performing a serenade, those arthropods buzz amidst the darkness. Above, the full moon stamps the sky. It's an awe-inspiring sight, but unfortunately, the city lights obscure all the stars. Their shine is no match for the concrete jungle, and all the galaxies and constellations will soon disappear under the sunlight. It's coming -- the sun. In mere hours, it'll be here, casting its light in the world and blinding those who dare gawk at it.

But you don't care about that. Although you're so tired that you can hardly keep your bleary eyes open, you're well aware that you can't sleep. Not yet, at least. Meters away, your bed taunts you. You know it'll be a pain to wake up early tomorrow, but you can't bring yourself to leave the couch. Your living room feels like a home inside another home, and the images flashing on the television hypnotize you.

Ah, yes, the television. It sits in front of you, reproducing a set of familiar voices -- all in Japanese. Aggretsuko -- you've heard such a title several times before. "You should watch it!" said one of your friends once. "Yeah, it's fantastic!" agreed another one. Day after day, person after person, you couldn't spend one afternoon without hearing people talk about this show. You never thought of giving it a chance before, despite all the recommendations. It didn't seem like a series you'd enjoy -- what with its anthropomorphic characters and work-related themes.

Much to your surprise, however, you were proven wrong. Mere hours ago, you were hesitant about watching the first episode. But now, you stay motionless with your eyes glued to the television screen, unwilling to look away. The show isn't merely great -- it's fantastic. It's unbelievable how lively the characters are, and how on point the humor is. It's also impressive how much you're able to relate to Retsuko -- the protagonist. Although she's a fictional and over-the-top anthropomorphic red panda, you see yourself in her every time she says something. From her struggles with work to her fits of rage, it's she like she's mimicking you.

Or, perhaps, you're mimicking her.

Beep, beep, beep! An alarm rings on your couch, your phone quivering like a freezing animal. It's one in the morning already. If you don't sleep now, it's doubtful you'll wake up in time tomorrow. With a sigh, you turn off your television, promising your Netflix account that you'll be back tomorrow. It's a shame you weren't able to finish the first season today, but there's no point in complaining about it. Tomorrow is Friday, and you'll have more than enough time to do so.

Your bare feet drag against the cold floor, struggling to move. You lean on the walls as you walk, your eyelids twitching. It's dark, but you can see your comforting bedroom at the end of the hallway. At last, you're here, and you refuse to do as much as turn the lights on. With a jump, you land on your bedsheets, promptly falling asleep.

You don't dream about anything.

When you wake up, an unexpected sight awaits you. You struggle to open your eyes, your blurred vision slowly coming back. That's why you don't usually go to bed late. Regardless, according to your phone, it's still six in the morning -- you're on time.

But that doesn't matter. As soon as your vision comes back to normal, you jump out of your bed, pupils shaking. You don't recognize your surroundings. Why would you, though? You're not at your house anymore! Instead of all the furniture that you spent a fortune on, all you see is several cheap-looking tables and desks, sitting on a ragged carpet. Your bed has changed as well, as a pink bedsheet now covers it. Even the room's architecture has mutated as well -- it's minuscule now, and a hideous pair of curtains cover the only window here.

Trying not to make much noise -- you don't know if anyone else lives in this house -- you slowly walk toward the curtains. Like a prophet splitting the seas, you open them, allowing the sunlight to peer inside the room. Protecting your eyes from the blinding light, you gaze at the city. You're up in the air now -- at least a few meters away from the ground. This allows you to realize one thing: you're not inside a house anymore. Judging by what the building looks like, it's clear that you're inside an apartment complex. This is worrying. Were you teleported? Kidnapped? A million questions brew inside your mind, but no answer ever appears.

Nevertheless, something else concerns you. As you continuously gawk at the outside world, people begin to stroll around the neighborhood. They proceed with their daily lives, walking around with smiles on their faces. It's a comforting sight. Or, it would be, were it not for the features. Perhaps your mind is merely playing tricks on you, but none of these people look like humans. You don't mean that as an offense, you're being literal. They all have snouts protruding from their faces, not to mention the fur covering their bodies. There are no doubts in your mind anymore: they're animals -- anthropomorphic animals. This isn't the only thing that seems amiss, however. The more you look at the neighborhood, the more you realize something: This isn't your hometown. This doesn't seem to be in your country at all! If anything, this place looks like...Tokyo?

You're ready to do something -- anything. Run away, call the police, ask for help... It doesn't matter. You want to escape from this nightmare, no matter how. But as you try to think of a plan, a bothersome feeling interrupts your thoughts. It's a tingle. An annoying, nigh overwhelming tingling on your hands. It was easy to ignore at first, but now? Now it feels as if your entire body is about to melt away. Without thinking much of it, you scratch your left hand. As you do so, however, a strange sensation meets your fingertips. It's like you're not touching your skin anymore -- as if something is covering it. Something soft and fuzzy, one could say. Confused, you look at your hands, and once you do so, your entire world changes.

Perhaps "as if" wasn't the right term to use. It's not "as if" something is covering your hands, because there is. From your skin, yellow hair protrudes, slowly but surely creating patches across your palms. Those patches quickly multiply, engulfing your fingers. It's not merely hair anymore. It's fur. Dense, soft, and tingling fur. Like a pair of gloves, it covers your hands, enwrapping them in its warmth. You're not sure how to react, but before you know it, the words "What the fuck?!" exit your mouth, resounding through the room. The lack of furniture makes your voice echo around the place, ceaselessly pestering your head as if to always remind you of your situation. This is the worst type of terror -- the one that you can't walk away from.

Still on your hands, your transformation -- is it a full-blown transformation, or are you merely growing fur? No matter. This isn't the time for semantics -- proceeds. It elongates your nails, sharpening them ever-so-slightly. Before your eyes, your nails turn black as well, fully morphing into claws. You clench your fists in response, feeling your fingers drag against your fur. It's a bizarre sensation, but you don't have time to think about it. The yellow pelage has begun to travel your arms, swallowing them.

As the mutations proceed, your anatomy slowly but surely shifts as well. Everywhere that the fur touches on your arms, your muscles seem to fade away. While a burning sensation spreads through your upper limbs, they narrow considerably, becoming frail and dainty. You were never a muscular person to begin with, but the changes are still noticeable. Nevertheless, the pelt proceeds to your shoulders, poking against your pajamas.

While your body changes underneath your clothes, the transformation hides itself from you. Soon enough, however, it reappears. You feel the tingling sensation climbing your neck as you sense something disappearing from your throat. You don't know what it was, and you don't care -- not for now, at least. Panicking, you gaze at your reflection in the nearby window, squinting your eyes to better witness the changes. Like tears running down your cheeks, a brown streak forms on your face, descending from your eyes toward your chin. On both of its sides, a white coat of fur appears. It forms another streak on your cheeks at the same time that it engulfs the area around your nose and mouth.

Elsewhere on your head, the golden pelage comes back. It covers your whole face, gradually approaching your scalp. Once it touches your brown hair, the fur causes each individual strand to change size and color -- becoming yellow as well. In due time, your hair fuses with the pelt. Meanwhile, on both sides of your head, your ears commence their changes. As white fur grows on them, the cartilage triangulates, your earlobes stretching at the same time that it creeps up your head. Your ears twitch atop your head, fully turning into furred triangles -- with their insides becoming brown. In the meantime, although you can't see it properly, your eyes turn beady and black. Your pupils -- which have lost their coloration -- expand, further filling your iris with each passing second, expanding like a black hole.

Your eyelashes magically lengthen, but that's not important at the moment. Amidst the fur, your nose morphs. In the blink of an eye, it acquires a black coloration, its shape becoming an upside-down triangle. In response, your face stretches ever-so-slightly, causing a muzzle to grow. Your head has changed in its entirety at this point, and you can almost recognize it. As you touch every part of your face -- from your snout to your ears -- a newfound realization sends shives down your spine.

Retsuko. That's it -- you're transforming into Retsuko! It sounds unbelievable, but it's the only hypothesis that makes sense right now. The room you're in, the state of the world outside, your head... You're in Retsuko's house, amidst Retsuko's world, and soon, you're going to become Retsuko.

But this is horrible, you think. Are you going to be forced to live her life? Talk to her friends? Live with her family? If you're Retsuko... does that mean you'll become a woman?

As if to answer one of your questions, something happens once the fur touches your chest. Through your pajamas, you witness your chest pushing forward, causing two lumps to appear underneath your shirt. As you loudly gasp, other changes ensue. Your figure widens, curves emerging everywhere at the same time that your hips become more pronounced. Your hands and feet seem to diminish in size as well, no longer contrasting against your anatomy.

Oh no.

The world around you grows -- wait, it doesn't. Everything surrounding you -- from the disorganized bed to the cheap-looking table -- shrinks, receding into the floor. Much to your dismay, you start to shrink as well, feeling your pajamas engulf your changing body. Soon, you fall to the floor, struggling to regain your composure. Once you stand up again, you take a look at your naked figure, letting out a loud gasp. Down there, things seem to have shifted. Your manhood no longer inhabits the space in between your legs -- it has changed. From an outsider's perspective, people would be quick to claim you as a woman from now on.

Nevertheless, the fur makes its descent. It enwraps your torso and waist, proceeding toward your legs. An aching feeling travels around your spine, and you yelp while clutching your stomach. Above your rear, a new appendage sprouts out, wagging as it grows. Fur covers it, forming alternating stripes of yellow and brown, decorating your moving tail. It feels pleasant to sway it around, but a voice in your head tells you that you shouldn't be enjoying this.

And finally, after the fur encompasses your legs, the transformation ends. You take a second to look at your reflection in the glass window, examining every inch of your changed body. This feels strange -- unnatural, even -- but there's no point in complaining. You're stuck in this situation now, unable to ever return to your old life.

As you step away from the window, however, something happens. A sensation emerges in your mind, consuming every single one of your thoughts. In pain, you fall to your knees, clutching your head. It feels as if your brain is being scrambled, further melting with each passing second. Inside your head, things happen. Thoughts change, disappearing and reappearing with no explanation.

New knowledge comes to your mind. A myriad of sentences in Japanese emerges inside your head. At first, it seems like gibberish, but slowly, they begin to make sense. You start to recognize each and every symbol, alongside all of the words they form. Seconds afterward, however, something else disappears. You don't think in English anymore. You don't recognize a single letter of the English alphabet, and every time you try to form a sentence -- even the most basic ones -- it always comes across as nonsensical garbage. You open your mouth, struggling to speak with your muzzle. As you try to form a sentence in English, your brain fails you. Nothing but gibberish comes out of your mouth, not to mention your newfound accent. This isn't all that has changed, however. Your voice has become high-pitched and feminine, not sounding at all like you! Was it your Adam's apple that disappeared in your throat?

It doesn't matter. As you continuously try to speak English, you struggle more and more to pronounce certain words. Eventually, however, your mind draws a blank. You've forgotten everything about English, and can hardly remember even the most basic of words. But... now that you think about it, why were you trying to speak English? Aren't you Japanese? You never took a single English lesson, so why would you magically know how to speak it?

Gradually, everything about you changes. Even your personality -- the way you think about things, or react to certain aspects of your life -- shifts as well. Your likes. Your dislikes. They all fade away -- mutating, altering themselves. You remember your hobbies, such as singing heavy metal at a local karaoke. You remember your job. You work as an accountant, don't you? You try to remember your friends, your family -- anyone -- but you can't. Instead, an assortment of names comes to your head. Haida. Fenneko. Those aren't your friends; they're Retsuko's! But... aren't you Retsuko? Yes, you are. Why are you trying to resist? Slowly, your remember small tidbits about you -- insignificant pieces of knowledge. Your mom's name. Your love interests. Your age -- twenty-five. Your relationships with your co-workers. At a snail's pace, everything comes back -- memories flood in. And then, you remember.

You're Retsuko, and no one else.

You open your eyes, looking around in confusion. Cleaning the dust off your knees, you stand up, letting out a yell. Why are you naked? You don't remember sleeping without your clothes on. With a sigh, you shrug. It doesn't matter. Perhaps you zoned out while getting dressed? It doesn't seem unlikely. You didn't sleep all that well last night.

Strolling toward your closet, it takes you no time to choose a suitable set of clothes. It's your work uniform -- a blue skirt with an equally blue vest, alongside a white shirt underneath it. For your paws, a pair of brown high heels will suffice, you think. Putting your clothes on, you smile at your fashion sense.

Then, you walk toward the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee. It's awfully lonely this time of day, and you're sure you could enjoy someone's company. Grabbing your phone, you dial a familiar phone number.

"Hello?" Someone -- Fenneko -- picks up. Her voice is calm yet high-pitched, like a child who's trying too hard to resemble an adult.

You laugh, although you don't know why. "Fenneko? I had the weirdest dream last night..." you say as you sit down, taking a sip from your coffee.

"How so?"

"I dreamt I was watching a TV show about myself. It was called... Aggressive Retsuko? I don't remember..."

She laughs. Her chuckling sounds nearly robotic, dragging on for considerably longer than it should. "And what did you do in it?"

"I think I just worked and got angry at things."

"Maybe it's simbollic." After Fenneko says those words, there's a pause. Then, her voice returns. "Hey, you're late for work."

You nearly spit out your coffee. "I am?!"

"Yeah, you are. Hurry up, you know what boss is like when you get late!"

Ending the call, you leave the coffee mug in the kitchen, hastily grabbing your purse. You don't even look back before you leave the house. It's time to go to work.