Chapter 11
Next Step
With newfound determination, Lucius finally composed a résumé summarizing his abilities and formatted it into an email. He made sure to use an alias, stating clearly that his real identity would only be revealed after passing the initial screening.
'Alright—Status number? Check. Wing ability? Check. Sixth sense? Check. Strong lungs? Check… hmm, anything else to add...? Huuft… let's just go with these for now and stick to the plan.'
After finalizing the résumé, he took a deep breath and hit send, directing it to the South Korean branch of the research facility. He didn't want to get his hopes up too high—but deep down, he needed this to work. Otherwise, he'd have to turn to his backup plan: contacting the government of his late father's country.
While waiting for a response, Lucius focused on training his body to be more familiar with mana manipulation. The last time he worked with it was when he hid his wings. Now, he wanted to feel mana itself—without summoning them.
'Ugh… This is tough. It's like trying to sense your own blood flow—but without hearing or touching it.'
'Last time, I could feel mana because my wings are basically made of mana and directly connected to me…'
'If that's the case, then like blood, mana should flow to them. I may not fully understand how it works, but if I summon the wings again, I should be able to feel it more clearly.'
'Alright, let's do that. But... I should summon them in the bathroom without a shirt—otherwise, I'll tear through my clothes again. Ugh, what a pain.'
Not wanting anyone to accidentally see his half-naked self, Lucius chose the cramped bathroom despite the risk of his wings hitting the walls.
He entered, locked the door, and took off his shirt, trying not to think about anything weird.
'Summon wings... summon wings… Summon—!'
His wings appeared—and miraculously, didn't crash into the walls.
'Yes! Progress!'
He focused on the sensation—the way mana flowed through his body. Thankfully, he had the trait Beginner Mana Manipulation from his transformation. With it, his ability to summon and retract his wings would improve over time, becoming faster, more precise, and more controlled—with training.
But even after only a few repetitions, Lucius started to feel lightheaded.
'Ugh… I feel dizzy. I must be nearly out of mana. I should stop here—I don't want to find out what happens if I hit zero.'
'So my limit for now is about five summons… maybe six if I really push it.'
Exhausted, Lucius realized his whole body was drenched in sweat.
'Right… cramped space, intense mana use… Wait, does this count as a workout? Either way, I'm soaked.'
'I want to shower, but I heard it's not good to do it immediately after sweating heavily… Guess I'll just get dressed and cool down with a fan.'
As he opened the bathroom door, Lucius nearly jumped in surprise—Eve was peeking out of her bedroom with a suspicious look on her face.
She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow.
"Brother… what were you doing in there? Why are you sweating... hmm…"
She eyed him with a mix of suspicion and mischief. Even though her mood was still a little off from earlier, she couldn't help but tease him a little, giving him a smug grin.
"Hmmm~ I see~"
Lucius panicked.
"N-No! I wasn't doing anything weird! I was just practicing my wing summoning! I can only do it safely in the bathroom!"
Of course, Eve believed him—she just couldn't resist teasing him a little more. Seeing how red he got only made it better.
"Sure, brother~ Sure~ Ehehe."
Lucius's eye twitched. 'So that's how you want to play it, huh?'
But in his haste, he bit his tongue.
"Comw hedw—ow! Kuhh! Come here!!"
Just as he lunged toward her, Sophia stepped in to stop another wild chase around the room.
'Crap, I forgot about Sister Sophia… Now Eve's cornered. Time for payback. Feet punishment style!'
Sophia stood between them with a sigh, turning to Eve.
"Why do you always love teasing your brother? I mean, sure, it's fun… but don't overdo it. One day he might actually start avoiding you."
"Hmph! She will learn today," Lucius declared with a wicked grin. "It's time you remembered my old nickname: The Feet Destroyer!"
He tackled Eve by the ankles and immediately launched his tickle assault.
"Ahahaha! Stop—stop, brother! I'm sorry! Hahaha!"
After a few seconds of well-earned revenge, Lucius relented, breathing heavily with satisfaction.
"Ha… ha… ha… Brother Luci… you're mean!"
"Welp. You deserved it."
Lucius chuckled, his mischievous expression victorious. Eve, still recovering from laughter, pouted. Sophia just watched, shaking her head but smiling softly.
"Oh, right. I still need to cool down…"
The earlier heavy atmosphere had finally lifted. Eve's heart was lighter, her laugh finally returning. Sophia's mood had brightened too. And Lucius—now sitting in front of the fan in the living room—was cooling both his body and his thoughts.
'Let's see if there's anything new in the news…'
Scrolling through social media and You*Tube, Lucius stumbled upon another breaking story.
'Damn… right on my prediction. Huuft… The government just announced new regulations for the Awakened.'
'I really hope that organization reads my email soon. I can't stay in this country for much longer—they've given everyone a five-day deadline to register.'
'I can't risk being here past that… They might start digging into my sudden appearance out of nowhere.'
'Damn it! Those people at the mall were taking photos and videos of me and my sisters… All of it must be circulating online by now…'
'Argh! This is so annoying!'
As Lucius continued grumbling to himself, a notification popped up—an email. With cautious excitement, he opened it.
> Congratulations! Awakened Lucia, you have passed the first screening. To proceed to the next stage, please complete the form via the link below. We require additional information to continue with the registration process.
"Yes!" he exclaimed.
He clicked the link and skimmed through the required fields. Near the bottom, something caught his attention.
> Note: All previous information is not the determining factor for the next screening. What matters is what makes your ability unique.
Submit your video here.
Lucius let out a small sigh of relief.
'So they don't need my actual identity yet… That's good. But what should I record? My wing-summoning skill? But… that's all it is—just summoning.'
'Wait, if I want to show that, how do I do it without tearing clothes? I need my back to be free…'
'Hmm… Isn't there a type of clothing with an open back? A dress maybe? Yeah… I think I've seen those.'
'Sister Sophia should know about this kind of thing.'
Determined, Lucius made his way to the bedroom. Sophia wasn't there, but the bathroom door was locked, so he waited.
A few minutes later, she came out—and immediately read his expression.
"You want to ask me a favor, don't you?" she asked, slightly amused.
"Hehe… Was it that obvious? Yeah, Sister Sophia, I wanted to ask you about something..."
He explained his situation and plan in full. Sophia listened patiently, then nodded in thought.
"Hmm… I think it's doable. There are plenty of dresses with open backs, but the real question is: which one?"
She paused, considering.
"I have two dresses that should work, but I'm not sure if they'll fit you, Luci. You're taller than me, after all."
But Lucius wasn't fazed. His mind was fixed on the goal—getting into the organization.
'As long as the front is covered… I can survive the embarrassment.'
"Let me see the dresses first, Sister. I might be taller, but I'm not exactly bulky. I should be able to wear them just fine."
Sophia looked him in the eyes, hesitating slightly.
"Are you sure? They're... kind of revealing."
Lucius hesitated for a moment, then nodded with quiet resolve.
"Yes. I'll be fine—as long as the front is covered. I mean… it is, right?"
"Hehe. Of course, it is," Sophia chuckled, smiling. "Come on, follow me."
She led him to the bedroom. In the corner stood a large hanging wardrobe, half-blocked by the queen-sized bed. Its heavy, real-wood frame made it hard to move—another one of their family heirlooms.
"Eve, get down from the bed. We need to move it so I can open the wardrobe."
Eve sat up, stretching. Her curiosity sparked when she noticed where Sophia was headed.
"Sister? Why do you need those dresses? Did we get invited to a party?"
As she helped move the bed, Sophia replied.
"Actually… it's not me who'll be wearing one."
Eve stopped. Her eyes slowly turned to Lucius, eyebrows raised.
"…It's for my mission! Don't look at me like that."
Still surprised, Eve couldn't resist teasing.
"Brother… or should I call you sister now?"
Lucius groaned, already expecting that.
"Hey! I'm still a man on the inside! This is all for my future! So please… call me 'brother'... or I might lose something important."
Seeing how serious he was, Eve immediately felt bad.
"Sorry, brother… I didn't mean to tease. I won't do it again… probably. Hihi~"
As always, she couldn't resist slipping in a joke even during serious moments.
"Fine, fine. I'm not mad. But seriously, tone it down—or karma will bite you."
Lucius was already used to her playful antics by now.
Before his transformation, Eve rarely teased him this much. It was like something had changed between them—something subtle. A barrier was gone. That barrier… was gender.
Even with a close brother-sister bond, girls often keep a certain level of formality with their brothers, and vice versa. But between those of the same perceived gender, that formality tends to drop—making jokes and conversation flow easier.
Back to the task at hand.
Moving the bed took a good amount of effort. The thing was solid wood, heavy, and not exactly small. But they finally managed to shift it enough to open the wardrobe doors.
Sophia fetched a small key from her cupboard and unlocked it.
"Wait a sec—I'll find those two dresses."
She sorted through the neatly arranged hangers. Every dress was covered in clear plastic to keep it clean. Most of these outfits were expensive and only worn for special occasions—some inherited from their mother, others gifted long ago.
There was even a tuxedo and a suit meant for Lucius—back when he was still fully a man.
Of course… that version of him couldn't wear those now.
After a minute of rummaging through the wardrobe, Sophia finally pulled out two dresses.
One was a V-neck dress in a soft azure hue. The other was a deep maroon evening dress—sleek, elegant, and unmistakably snug-looking.
"Alright, which one do you want to try?" she asked, holding them up.
Lucius took both and stood in front of the standing mirror, alternating each dress in front of himself.
'The blue one's a bit loose… but the red one's way too tight. I can already see it won't fit. Haaah... The blue one it is.'
"I'll go with the blue one," he said. Then, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, he looked at Sophia with a red face. "Uhh, Sister Sophia… I know the back is open, but… how am I supposed to support these?"
He pointed—somewhat shamefully—at his chest.
Sophia gave 'them' a long, focused stare.
"…Good question. I do have a matching bra for this dress," she began. "But… it obviously won't fit you. Mine's, well… smaller."
'Damn! Should I go braless? No, no—I can't! Mine's just too big to ignore… Argh! Do I really have to go shopping again? That crowd at the mall was a nightmare…'
Lucius's face twisted into a conflicted expression as he weighed his options. Sacrifice comfort or suffer the public?
Noticing his distress, Sophia quickly offered a solution.
"Don't worry about that. We can buy one online. I don't usually shop that way, but Eve does. Ask her for help."
Having been quiet until now—likely because she wasn't used to formal dresses—Eve finally chimed in, her usual energy returning.
"Count on me! But, Sister… what kind of bra are we looking for? And what size?"
Sophia was already digging through a drawer, searching for a cloth measuring tape.
"Get a sticky bra. Look for the largest size they offer—we don't know if they'll have Lucius's size available. Ah, found it. Let me measure you now."
Approaching Lucius with the tape in hand, she looked up.
"Lucius, I need you to do something."
"Uhh… what?" he asked, suspicious.
Sophia hesitated a second, then said it.
"…Remove your bra. Just the bra. You don't need to undress."
Lucius blinked, startled. "Eh? Why? Can't you just measure over it?"
"I could," she admitted, "but the measurement won't be accurate. Don't worry—I'll be careful, and it'll be quick. I won't touch anything weird, promise."
Defeated, Lucius sighed.
"Fine…"
He fumbled a bit, not sure how to remove it without taking his shirt off. Eventually, he opted to pull it up and off awkwardly, managing it with some effort.
"I'm done."
"Raise your arms," Sophia instructed, stepping behind him.
As her hands slid under his shirt and around his chest, Lucius stiffened.
'Ah—Damn! I almost made a weird noise… I have to hold it in!'
The sensation was way too stimulating, but he did his best to stay composed—even if his body trembled slightly.
Sophia finished and stepped back, her face going blank for a moment as she stared at the numbers.
"Sister Sophia…? Hello?" Lucius asked nervously. "You're done, right? You're not gonna do it again, right?"
Even Eve paused, waiting for the answer.
Snapping out of it, Sophia finally responded with a stunned expression.
"It's… 96 cm. And your underbust is 68 cm, so… that makes you an H cup. Almost I."
Eve gasped, eyes wide.
"Whoa…"
Lucius was equally dumbfounded.
'H cup?! I knew they were big, but not that big! No wonder women complain about back pain… Though come to think of it, my back still feels fine. Or maybe the pain takes time to kick in…? Wow, this is complicated.'
Eve, regaining her senses, got to work searching online. After quite a bit of scrolling and filter-tweaking…
"Found it! But… there's only one left in stock—and it's expensive."
Sophia and Lucius both leaned in to check the listing.
Yep, expensive. But it was their only option.
"We have to buy it," Sophia said. "We won't get another chance."
Eve nodded and placed the order. She paid through mobile banking via QRIS—thankfully, her balance was still enough to cover it.
With the purchase made, they began cleaning up. The bed was moved back, the wardrobe locked again, and the chosen dress—now lying on the bed—was picked up by Sophia, who took it to the laundromat. It had been sitting unused for quite a while, after all.
With everything prepped and the chaos subsiding, the siblings returned to their usual routines.
Lucius flopped onto the living room mattress, hands behind his head, mind spinning.
Another hammer struck—the hammer of reality.
"…What a pain. Being a woman is…"