January 1st.
We, the members of the Occult Research Club, safely welcomed the new year and decided to go somewhere for hatsumōde. So bright and early on New Year's Day, we set off on a little trip.
The place we chose was…
"Ise! Long time no see!"
The girl with golden hair and nine fluffy tails came sprinting through the torii gate—Kunou.
We had come to Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.
It was my first time here since the school trip.
The sheer number of vermilion torii gates was exactly as I remembered—only now, with the added chaos of New Year's visitors, the impact felt several times stronger.
Since we'd draw too much attention as devils, we met inside a people-repelling barrier.
"Yo, been a while! You doing good, Kunou?"
"Mm-hmm! I'm glad Ise looks well too! The great deity Uka-no-Mitama-no-Ōkami will surely be delighted by everyone's visit!"
…Hmm. We're devils, so I'm not totally convinced the deity will be thrilled.
Well, the Japanese mythology faction is supposedly on peaceful terms with us now, so I'm hoping they'll welcome us with open arms.
"Didn't take the train today?"
"It's packed this time of year. Teleporting's way easier."
Come to think of it, last time Kunou waved us off from the shinkansen platform on the way home from the school trip.
While we're exchanging greetings, a seductive older beauty appears behind Kunou, accompanied by several attendant fox spirits.
The leader of Kyoto's nine-tailed yōkai.
And Kunou's mother—
"Well now, you've come quite a long way~"
Yasaka-san has arrived.
The glimpse of cleavage peeking from her kimono…!
Combined with her bewitching beauty, it is… a feast for the eyes!
I'm already worshipping those breasts on the very first day of the year!
Rias, dressed in an elegant furisode, exchanges formal greetings with her.
"I had been meaning to pay a proper visit soon. Things kept getting in the way, so I thought I'd take this hatsumōde opportunity to say hello."
Rias's long crimson hair is tied up, giving her an air of refined grace.
All the other girls are in furisode too—Miyu, Alice, Ravel, Akeno, Asia, Koneko-chan, Reyna, Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse!
(Gasper in a furisode is… well, we'll let that slide for now.)
Furisode really are amazing!
There's something so beautifully Japanese about them!
Mom helped everyone get dressed this morning, and when they finally showed themselves off, I was completely entranced.
I'd thought the same when I saw everyone in miko outfits at the end of last year, but Rias's crimson hair and the blondes like Asia and the others look incredible in traditional clothing!
Yep, every single one of them is sparkling!
Kiba and I, meanwhile, are in normal casual clothes.
Since we're going to Fushimi Inari, we all instantly agreed that easy-to-walk-in outfits were the way to go.
Very forward-guard mindset, if I do say so myself.
Xenovia originally planned to dress casually like Kiba and me, but she changed her mind partway through and went with a furisode instead.
Alice is technically part of the vanguard too, but she was genuinely interested in wearing one today. Like the others, her long golden hair is tied up.
In short, what I'm trying to say is: everyone is cute.
When they first showed off their outfits, I gave my honest thoughts, and every single girl blushed and got all bashful.
…But then, a tiny little disaster befell me.
It happened a few hours earlier.
▽
A few hours ago.
Everyone's furisode fashion show was in full swing.
"Onii-chan, how do I look?"
"You're adorable, Miyu! Aaaah… my treasure collection just keeps growing!"
I'd seen Miyu in a furisode last year too.
Our family always goes for hatsumōde together, and ever since Miyu officially became family, the four of us have made it tradition.
And every time I think the same thing:
She's just too cute.
The exquisite balance between her youthful face and the mature elegance of the furisode stimulates my heart in all the best ways!
Only Miyu could pull that off!
Seeing her like this again this year… as her big brother, I'm moved!
Well… starting this year it's a little different.
As siblings—and as lovers.
That feeling swells up inside me, threatening to explode.
While I'm drowning in emotion, Alice speaks up.
"You're only looking at Miyu-chan… Look at the rest of us too…"
Alice looks a little shy as she says it.
I slowly take her in from head to toe.
From her feet to her hips.
From her hips to her chest.
From her chest to her face—carefully, thoroughly.
And then—
"Mom…"
"What is it, Ise? Is something off?"
Mom tilts her head, puzzled.
I take her hands in mine.
"It's… perfect. Absolutely perfect…!"
I cried.
I cried on New Year's Day.
Tears poured from both eyes without stopping.
Something off?
Impossible.
This is the work of the woman known as "God-Hand Saki," my mother!
Finding a single flaw would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack—no, it's outright impossible.
I go down the line—Rias, Asia, Akeno, Koneko-chan, Ravel, Reyna, Irina, Rossweisse—every single one is flawless.
I'm gonna cry again…!
These tears of pure emotion won't stop…!
Mom puffs out her chest proudly.
"Of course! These girls are going to be Ise's brides someday. There's no way I'd hold anything back. For my future daughters, I'd strip down to my soul if I had to! Fufufufufu… Oh? I'm tearing up too… All these adorable girls are going to be my daughters-in-law…!"
Mom starts crying too.
Well, yeah—if someone told you this many cute girls were becoming your daughters, you'd be moved to tears.
I'm the one getting these unbelievably cute brides, so—
DAAAAAAAAAAAAA…
Tears… the tears won't stop!!!
Rias gives a strained smile.
"You and your mother are both overreacting."
"It's not overreacting, Rias-chan!"
"Yeah, exactly, Rias!"
I'm so glad I reincarnated as a devil!
I'm so glad I became a high-class devil!
While Mom and I are sobbing together, Xenovia, who'd been watching from the side, folds her arms in thought.
Irina asks,
"What's wrong, Xenovia? You look so serious."
"I originally thought casual clothes would be better for Fushimi Inari since we'll be walking a lot… but seeing everyone like this, I'm wondering if I should wear a furisode too…"
Ah, she's wavering after seeing how gorgeous everyone looks.
A furisode on Xenovia would be insanely cute too.
A tomboy beauty in feminine clothing has a completely different kind of charm.
Just as I'm thinking that, Mom grabs Xenovia's hand.
"Perfect! Then I'll dress you too, Xenovia-chan! Come on, this way!"
"Wha— Uh— Mother-in-law?!"
Ignoring Xenovia's confusion, Mom drags her off to the dressing room.
Mom's profile is already beaming…
"…She didn't even give her a chance to refuse," Irina mutters, and the words echo through the living room.
A few minutes later—
Mom returns leading Xenovia, now dressed in a pale pink floral furisode.
Xenovia looks completely dazed.
She was probably changed before her brain could catch up.
My condolences… but damn, Mom's good.
Right now Xenovia looks so delicate it's hard to believe she's the same cool, handsome girl as always.
Xenovia fidgets with a lock of hair and asks,
"H-how do I look? I thought this kind of thing wouldn't suit me at all…"
"No way! You look insanely cute, Xenovia. Totally hot."
I give her a big thumbs-up.
Irina looks genuinely surprised.
"Wow… I never thought I'd see Xenovia like this. You're even wearing makeup!"
"Y-yeah…"
Sure enough, she has light makeup on.
It's simple, but it brings out Xenovia's natural charm perfectly.
"Xenovia-chan's base material is just that good—light makeup is more than enough," Mom comments.
Well, Xenovia and all the others are undeniably beautiful no matter who's looking.
Even Xenovia is blushing unusually hard.
We still have a little time before meeting up with Kiba and the others.
This is the perfect chance to take tons of photos of everyone!
Just as I'm about to go grab my camera—
Ignis, lounging in the kotatsu, drops a bomb.
"If we're doing this, why doesn't Ise try a furisode too? Hey, turn into a girl with Azazel-kun's gender-swap gun~"
Are you insane?!
Use that thing again?!
Please no more of your spontaneous ideas!
Every single thing you come up with ends in catastrophe!
And a furisode on me?!
Miyu jumps on the idea.
"That's perfect! Turn into a girl! Wear a furisode, Oni… Onee-chan!"
"Hold up! You just corrected yourself, didn't you?! It's already decided I'm the big sister?!"
"Do it, Ise. You'd totally rock it."
"Tia?! Why are you reading that line so flatly?!"
"The kotatsu turns people into lazy bums. Hey, Diarmuid, want a mikan?"
"Sure."
Tia has fallen to the kotatsu!
Did she really like it that much?!
"The kotatsu… it's dangerous. It's like a black hole. It's sucking away all my motivation…"
"Yeah, it's one of Azazel-kun's inventions after all~ It exists purely to make people slack off~"
Ignis just dropped an even bigger bomb!
That's not just a normal kotatsu?!
It's one of Azazel-sensei's inventions?!
Nobody told me that!
Ignis adds,
"He sent it this morning. I told him I wanted a kotatsu we could all laze around in together, and he made one."
"What kind of lunatic invention is thaaaaaat?!"
The one dragon who was supposed to be sane, the reliable big-sister type—Tia!
Tia's completely slacking off!
She's peeling mikans in the kotatsu and watching New Year's TV specials!
"Mikan… tasty."
"Snap out of it! You're supposed to be the cool, responsible older-sister character! Not comic relief!"
"I'm tired of being the straight man… Tired of keeping Ignis in check…"
UWAAAAAAAH!
Big sis Tiaaaaa!
The kotatsu claimed her sooooooul!
She even has that enlightened look on her face!
While I'm mourning, Rias opens her mouth.
"Where's the gender-swap gun?"
"My feminization is already set in stone?!"
"But… girl Ise is just so cute."
"What's with those sparkling, mischievous eyes?! You're planning something evil, aren't you?!"
"Of course~ Girl Ise-kun… fufufu."
Akeno's smile is terrifying!
But that gun shouldn't be here.
Azazel-sensei has it, and he's not around.
So there's no way I'm turning into a girl—
"It's right here~"
Ignis pulls something out from inside the kotatsu, and my eyes go wide.
That unmistakable anime/manga-style gun…!
There's no mistake—it's the devilish weapon that birthed so much tragedy—
"Why do you have it?!"
"I borrowed it from Azazel-kun."
"Why?!"
"So I could play with Ise. Turn Ise into a girl and do ○○○ KYUUUUN and △△△ DOKYUUUN and ××× CHUDOOON~"
What a horrifying parade of censored words…!
I shudder at Ignis's master plan, but then—
The muzzle is pointed straight at me!
And—
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
"GYAAAAA!"
A beam of light shoots out and hits me square-on!
My body is enveloped in light, gradually shrinking and softening into feminine curves.
When the light fades, my clothes are suddenly way too big.
My hair has grown down to my waist, with bangs lightly covering my eyes.
And most noticeably—my huge, bouncy breasts.
My eye twitches as I scream—
"Not againnnnnnnnnnnn?!"
My cry echoes through the Hyoudou residence!
Several shadows immediately pounce on me.
"Kyaa! Onii-chan, you're adorable!"
"Exactly! Come on, time to try on a furisode, Ise!"
"Ufufu, leave the hair and makeup to me. I'll take good care of you~"
Miyu, Rias, and Akeno are way too excited!
And it's not just those three.
Everyone else…
"Ise-kun! I'll lend you my clothes again! Let's dress up! Tomorrow's a holiday too!"
"Reyna-chaaan! Just what are you planning to do all night tomorrow?!"
"Th-that's… too embarrassing to say out loud!"
"Got it! You're planning to do all the things too embarrassing to say out loud—I understand perfectly!"
Reyna-chan, you closet pervert!
I'll punish you later!
"Ise-san, you're cute. Girl-mode Ise-san is incredibly charming too."
"Mhm!"
"Yeah, the gap from usual is insane."
The church trio is still pure… I'll pat their heads later.
"…Still not fair."
"Ise… why do your breasts get so huge? Care to explain that part?"
GRAB
Koneko-chan and Alice glare at me coldly and squeeze my breasts with all their might!
"OW OW OW OW OW OW OW! They're gonna rip off! My fake boobs are gonna rip off! Koneko-chan?! Alice-san?!"
""Rip off, fake tits.""
Cold. Heartless.
After that, just like last time, I became everyone's dress-up doll.
Of course a furisode was involved.
On the very first day of the new year, I once again learned the terror of the gender-swap gun.
Long time no see—the gender-swap gun returns!
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