Ethan stared at the mirror again.

  Same boy.Same face.Same body that didn’t feel like it belonged to him anymore.

  And now?He knew what belonging felt like.

  Sleep-deprived eyes, lifeless expression, hair that refused to cooperate. He spshed water on his face, but it only made him look wetter, not more awake.

  Just get through today. Then you can be you again.

  He breathed in slowly and headed downstairs.

  BreakfastThe kitchen buzzed with morning noise — frying eggs, the clink of mugs, chairs scraping.

  Yui, his 13-year-old sister, sat at the table scrolling her phone, wearing anime cat ear headphones and humming. She didn’t look up as she shoveled cereal into her mouth.

  Mira, his 17-year-old sister, looked like she was losing a war with her hairbrush and sanity at the same time.

  “Morning,” Ethan muttered.

  Mia eyed him through messy bangs.“Why do you look worse than me? My AP English essay murdered me st night.”

  “Didn’t sleep,” Ethan replied.

  “You look like a ghost someone forgot to finish loading,” she said, then immediately yawned like a lion mid-roar.

  Lily squinted at him. “You okay? You look… weird.”

  I’m okay. I’m just missing my tails. And my real self. And happiness.

  “…I’m fine. Just tired.”

  Their mom set down a pte. “Eat, sweetie. You’ll feel better.”

  His dad nodded behind his coffee. “Big day at school?”

  Ethan shrugged. Big wasn’t the word. Surreal maybe. Torture, probably.

  He took a bite of pancake.His fork felt heavier as a wave of longing hit him. He remembered the warmth of fur around him. The light, airy voice, the softness, the rightness.

  It made his chest ache.

  “Seriously,” Lily said, leaning over the table to stare, “you look like you saw a demon in your closet.”

  Close. I saw heaven in my bedroom and then had to turn back into this…

  He forced a tiny ugh. “Just… couldn’t sleep.”

  Mia smirked. “Plot twist — he was up texting someone.”

  He nearly choked. “No!!”

  Lily snickered. “Yeah right, you totally were.”

  If only they knew the truth:He spent the night pying in his tails like a sugar-high fox plush come to life.

  He just stared at his pte.His chest felt hollow.

  Tonight.Tonight he could be her again.

  That thought was the only fuel he had.

  SchoolHis locker cnged open.Alex spped him on the back.

  “You look dead. Gaming binge?”

  “Yeah,” Ethan lied.

  He didn’t have the energy to expin that he’d been too euphoric as a magical fox girl to comprehend the concept of sleeping.

  Becca arrived, skipping slightly to keep bance with her overstuffed backpack.

  “Good morning, depressed pnt,” she greeted cheerfully.

  He stared. “What—?”

  “You look like you haven’t seen the sun in three years.”

  He made finger guns weakly. “That’s my vibe today.”

  She softened. “Seriously. You alright?”

  His throat felt tight. Everyone asking that today made it harder to lie.

  “I… didn’t sleep well.”

  “You sure you don’t want coffee?” she asked gently.

  If he said yes, Becca would actually buy him one. It hurt, the kindness.

  “I’m okay. Thanks.”

  She smiled softly. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  The bell rang.

  HomeroomThe teacher droned about schedules and reminders.Ethan barely heard a thing.

  He stared at the desk, blinking slowly. His eyelids drooped from exhaustion but his heart pulsed with an ache that kept him awake.

  Tonight. Just make it to tonight.

  He imagined silver hair brushing his shoulders again.Tails spiraling around him like soft snow.That soft voice.Being right.Being him — her — self.

  His fingers curled on the desk.He bit his lip.

  Just a few more hours pretending to be this version of himself.

  Just until the world went quiet again.

  Then he could go home.

  Then… she would exist again.

  And for the first time ever, Ethan didn’t wish to disappear…

  He wished to get through the day.

  Because there was finally a slice of a future worth reaching for.