In a quiet, dimly lit bedroom scattered with cosplay props and neatly folded costumes, someone sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, giggling to themselves.
Framed by soft ambient light and glowing LED strips, a girl with striking crimson hair held up her phone, a wide grin spreading across her face as she admired the photo on the screen.
"Hehe... no matter how many times I look at this, Teacher Suyi really does resemble Raiden Shogun," she said to herself, voice laced with amusement.
The illusion, however, was fleeting. Her fingers reached up and tugged off the long, scarlet wig, revealing short-cropped black hair underneath. A boy now stared back at himself in the mirror across the room, smirking with pride.
"No matter how often I crossdress, that thrill just never fades," he said with a laugh, collapsing backwards onto the bed.
For him—Seeya_Up_Deer, as he was known online—crossdressing was a game, an art, and occasionally a weapon. Not only did it give him access to exclusive cosplay circles, but it also allowed him to navigate social situations with deceptive ease. He could get close at unsuspecting girls, and even more easily, fool hopelessly smitten guys.
Just yesterday, he recalled with a chuckle, he'd played the part of a shy, soft-spoken girl. The blonde guy he'd fooled had practically fallen head over heels after one compliment. Asked for a date, offered free food—it was almost too easy.
Rolling on his bed with a grin, Seeya picked up his phone and opened his photo gallery, zooming in on the picture he'd taken with Teacher Suyi earlier that day. It was slightly grainy, but her regal posture and signature hairstyle made the resemblance to Raiden Shogun uncanny.
"No stream tonight, huh…" he muttered, glancing at her now-inactive livestream profile. "Well, at least I met her. Time to flex."
With that, he opened QQ and navigated to a newly formed fan group dedicated to Teacher Suyi. Dozens of fans were online, chatting about her latest content and speculating on her next appearance. With a devilish grin, he typed a quick message.
[seeya_up_deer: [me and teacher suyi.jpg]]
The group chat went dead silent for three seconds. Then it erupted.
[lickingbeautifulgirl: WHAT?!]
[captainredhair: Where was this taken?!]
[senseitheminer: IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!!]
[idiotsandwich: +1]
[WhiteSnowWhite: +1]
[+1]
[elyisafansnumber1: Why'd you blur your face? Afraid we'll hunt you down?]
[seeya_up_deer: Privacy, duh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
[lickingbeautifulgirl: Where is that place?!]
[Hewhodiewhengetkill: Wait… Don't tell me the viral video on Douyin today was HER?!]
[seeya_up_deer: Yup. That's her in the video. It happened at Changshu Aeon Mall.]
[seeya_up_deer: Guess I was the only lucky one who ran into her in person. Hahahaha.]
[Suyihusband: You may have met her today, but she cooks for me three times a day.]
[lickingbeautifulgirl: Sure, buddy. Keep dreaming. 💔]
With the chat still spiraling into chaos, Seeya tossed his phone onto the pillow beside him and stared up at the ceiling. The moment of ego had passed, leaving behind only a quiet sense of amusement.
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The morning sun had long since passed the horizon by the time Anran stirred from sleep. Or rather, what he thought was morning.
With a groggy groan, he reached for his phone and squinted at the screen.11:47 AM.
"…Seriously?" he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Guess yesterday really did drain me."
Dragging himself down from the upper bunk, he yawned again as his bare feet hit the cold floor. After a quick wash and splash of water to the face, he felt marginally more human. Hunger soon followed.
He glanced around the dorm room, expecting to see his ever-loud roommate lounging around somewhere. But the lower bunk was empty, and the usual mess that trailed after Jinhao was oddly... still.
That's when Anran noticed a folded note on his desk. Curiously, he picked it up and read:
[Yo Anran, something urgent came up back home. Looks like you're flying solo until tomorrow. Try not to get haunted by any ghosts while I'm gone. Sincerely, your 100% father (jk), Jinhao.]
Anran's brow twitched.
"What kind of friend wishes hauntings on someone in a handwritten note? And why not just text me like a normal person…"
He crumpled the note and tossed it into the waste bin with a half-hearted shot.
So Jinhao was gone. And with Lin and Leng already back at their own homes, that left him alone on campus for the day.
"...What should I even do today?"
His stomach answered for him with a low growl. Right—food first.Well, brunch, technically. It was nearly noon, after all.
He chuckled to himself."Brunch... Breakfast plus lunch... Hah. Yeah, no, not funny."
Opening his bank app, he gave a small nod. There was a modest increase in his balance—likely the result of the successful event he had participated in yesterday. Some sort of participation gift, perhaps.
"Free money's still money," he said, satisfied. "Not complaining."
His eyes drifted to the corner of the screen where his livestream app icon waited quietly.
"…Oh crap, I promised I'd stream yesterday."
He sighed, guilt pricking at him. Maybe he could make up for it today. Something casual, lighthearted.
Then the idea struck.
"Let's eat together with Raiden Shogun."
A perfect clickbait title.
A mischievous grin crept across his face as another, bolder thought formed. Moments later, he had already activated the transformation.
Raiden Ei stood before the mirror.
"Hey, system," Anran said, peering at his reflection. "Can I remove clothes while in this form?"
[System advises host to consider applying for part-time jobs and learning self-respect instead of pursuing whatever you're about to do. System recommends host cherish himself more.]
"…Huh?" Anran blinked, thrown off. "What the hell, do you think I'm planning to sell my body? No! Just answer the question—can I or can't I?"
[Yes. It is possible.]
"Good. That's all I needed."
Truthfully, he didn't plan anything shady. He just didn't want to walk around the city in Raiden Ei's flashy outfit. That would turn way too many heads.
Instead, he recalled an animation from his past life where Raiden Ei appeared in a casual getup—hoodie, sneakers, loose pants. That gave him inspiration.
After digging through his closet, he finally settled on a comfortable purple hoodie, gray jogger pants, and a pair of glasses to top off the disguise. The original outfit was safely stored in the system.
He turned toward the mirror again.
A different kind of charm radiated from his reflection now—Raiden Ei, dressed down like a quiet college student, glasses perched neatly on her nose. The result was surprisingly disarming. Warm. Approachable.
"Damn..." Anran muttered. "She really pulls this off."
Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to buy clothes specifically for this form. He couldn't keep borrowing his own wardrobe—eventually someone might notice and connect the dots.
And if there was one thing Anran knew well...The internet? It had no mercy.
Anran tucked his phone and dorm key securely into his hoodie pocket before stepping out and locking the door behind him. The campus dorms were quiet, as expected—it was the weekend, and most students had already returned home.
He moved with a hint of caution, slipping down the hallway and toward the hostel exit like a spy avoiding detection. His appearance today was... unusual, to say the least.
The warden, an older man seated behind a desk, casually flipped through his newspaper. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the figure approaching. His gaze briefly lifted from the page, locking eyes with the unfamiliar girl in a purple hoodie and glasses.
Then, without a word, he shut his eyes and returned to reading.
He wasn't paid enough to interrogate every cosplaying student who wandered in and out of the dorms. And besides, he'd seen stranger things—crossdressers, VTuber imitators, even a guy once dressed as a refrigerator for a TikTok challenge. Unless someone filed a complaint, it wasn't his business.
Anran exhaled in relief and slipped through the exit.
Outside, the sunlight filtered softly through campus trees, dappling the sidewalk as he walked down the side road. His phone was already in hand. He scrolled through his saved destinations, recalling a conversation with Leng from earlier in the week.
There was that café he wanted to try—
"Perfect," Anran muttered.
He launched Bilibili, thumb hovering over the stream button.Why not stream the walk there? His fans had been waiting since yesterday, after all.
He tapped the button.
Almost instantly, the viewer count shot up.4,000… 9,800… then 15,000 and climbing. No announcements, no schedule—just a spontaneous stream, and the audience flooded in.
"Good afternoon. Shogun here," he greeted, voice calm, poised.
[lickingbeautifulgirl]: First! And Teacher Suyi looks beautiful even in casual clothes!]
[WhiteSnowWhite]: What makeup are you using, Suyi-sensei? I thought it was cosplay, but you actually look like her!]
"Ah... thank you." Anran smiled, reading as he walked, careful not to trip. "As you can see from the title, today I'm visiting a new café I heard about. Thought I'd take you all with me."
[lickingbeautifulgirl]: MUKBANG?! Oh thank you, goddess! Bless my ears!
He scrolled past the overly enthusiastic comments, focusing on the ones that actually made sense. But one caught his eye:
[mudamuda-chan]: Are you the Raiden cosplayer who went viral yesterday?
Viral? Wait— He blinked. "Could you elaborate on that?"
[mudamuda-chan]: Someone in a Raiden costume did a stunt at the Changshu AEON Mall. Went viral on Douyin.
Ah... that would be me.
Anran cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yes, I suppose that was me."
The comments exploded. It was like throwing oil into a fire. The stream chat became a blur, messages pouring in too fast to read.
He glanced at the viewer count again.
130K.
"…Huh? One hundred thirty thousand?"
That was record-breaking. For a casual stream with no prep, this was insane. He quickly toggled the stream settings, activating a 10-second chat delay so he could breathe—and actually read the comments.
By the time he reached the café, the noise in the stream had become a constant hum of activity.
The café's name was written in a whimsical pink cursive sign above the door. The storefront looked... soft. Inviting. Very girly.
Anran squinted at the cute logo and realized something.
...Wait a second. Did Leng invite me here last time just to avoid coming alone as a guy? So I'd look like the weird one? Was I supposed to be the scapegoat?!
He sighed dramatically.
With the gentle chime of a bell, he pushed the door open.
A warm wave of scented air greeted him—vanilla, coffee, a hint of rose. Inside, the lighting was soft and golden. The walls were decorated with pastel murals, cozy booths lined the perimeter, and waitresses in frilly uniforms smiled cheerfully at guests.
It was cozy. Elegant. And very, very pink.
Anran made his way toward the counter, weaving past pastel chairs and softly humming background music. The warm lighting complemented the café's charming aesthetic—lace curtains, small flowerpots on every table, and the faint aroma of roasted coffee beans and vanilla.
Behind the counter stood a staff member, smiling with the precision only café training could instill.
"Good afternoon. What can I get for you today?" they asked with pleasant formality.
Anran returned the smile politely, though his stomach grumbled louder than his thoughts. "Anything filling? I haven't had breakfast yet."
"Of course. May I recommend our Combo A?" the staff said, handing him a menu. "It includes a slice of velvet cake, a hazelnut latte, and a tuna bagel sandwich. It's quite popular."
Anran glanced at the listed price. Definitely pricey for brunch... But after yesterday's chaos and the unexpected event bonus, he figured he could indulge a little.
"That sounds lovely. I'll take one," he said, then pointed at a smaller item near the bottom of the page. "And could you add a side of salad dressing, please?"
"Certainly."
After paying, Anran was informed that the order would be delivered to his table. He gave a nod of thanks and turned to survey the room, searching for a good spot—not just for comfort, but one with decent lighting and background aesthetics for the stream.
He found one near the window, framed by a wall of decorative ivy and soft pink light from a neon heart sign. Perfect.
Settling into the seat, Anran glanced at his phone—and blinked.
The chat had seemingly synchronized. One word filled the screen again and again.
Purple.
"...What do you mean by 'purple'?" Anran asked aloud, confused.
Then it hit him.
Oh.....
Before ordering, he had lowered the phone slightly. Just enough, apparently, for the camera to catch a glimpse of the soft fabric of his hoodie and, more importantly, the neckline of the Raiden Shogun body he was currently wearing.
You perverts.
His expression shifted instantly—eyes narrowing, a cold sharpness flashing across his face as he stared into the camera with withering disdain.
And yet, rather than silence the viewers, his reaction had the opposite effect.
The chat went wild.
[suyihusband: My wife looking at me like I'm trash makes me turn on.]—User banned for 1 week.
Anran didn't hesitate. One tap. Gone.
"Why is everything getting more twisted?!" he muttered under his breath, dragging a hand across his face.
This wasn't supposed to happen. He'd just wanted a simple, peaceful stream. Eat lunch. Answer questions. Maybe recommend the cake.
Stop simping already!
Resolving to ignore the madness, Anran focused instead on his surroundings. He set the phone aside and reached for a napkin, idly wiping down the table even though it was already spotless—something to busy his hands.
A staff member approached with a tray. Anran straightened up, hopeful.
But the staff breezed right past him.
He froze.
"...Ah."
That wasn't his order.
The silence that followed was deafening. Or rather, it would've been, if not for the eruption of laughter and teasing in the chat. Even without looking, Anran knew what they were saying.
He didn't need to see it to hear the mockery.
With a tired sigh, he leaned back and shut his eyes.
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(A/n: hi and bye[sleep])