I'll... give it a try...

I took a deep breath. There was this prideful side of me that was internally screaming at me to refuse. But this side was conflicting with my increasingly more powerful skinwalker side, who was urging me to accept. And I could feel the latter slowly winning the fight, doing its best to erode my will at each passing moment...

I could still resist, but I was starting to fear that, as Dahlia said before I left to take care of my father, it would only strengthen the depressive state I was falling into. I felt it whenever my eyes landed on a woman I found attractive; this urge to take her place and experience how it'd be like to be perceived as her. It happened so many times in only a few days... All because I wore Laura once...

Maybe... I should just bite the bullet at this point...

"How... are we supposed to do it?" I finally said, my voice quiet and almost monotonous.

Dahlia pulled me closer and hugged me. "Relax, Ed. Everything will be fine. Meet me tomorrow afternoon at my place, alright? I have a plan already."

I knew that it wasn't Claire and she was just wearing her skin, but I still felt more relaxed in her arms.

I spoke up. "Tomorrow is Sunday, though."

"I know. You can't exactly accompany me to college looking like yourself, especially if we need to get into the women's bathrooms or lockers. So I'll be asking Laura to come visit me and you'll use the opportunity to skin her again. Then, you'll join me to class on Monday morning and we'll be on the lookout for an opportunity to make you switch."

I immediately broke free from her hug and stared at her, aghast. "Y-you... want me to wear her again? And spend the night as her?"

Claire also reacted to Dahlia's plan but didn't say anything.

Dahlia let out a quiet sigh. "I would have honestly preferred another solution, but it is by far the easiest and quickest way. Laura is almost always by my side and we share most of our classes together alongside the girl I mentioned. Besides, you've already been her, so she's more familiar to you. And I know you'll take good care of her body while using it."

I couldn't reply, too overwhelmed at the idea of being Laura again... I only spent less than half an hour in her skin and didn't do anything special in it, but it was still so intense... I still vividly remembered the sensations...

Dahlia, meanwhile, took out her phone and opened Instagram, searching for something. "I'm gonna give you a brief rundown of the girl you'll soon become. Her name is Seo-Yun."

She said that as she showed me the screen, revealing multiple pictures of a stunning Asian girl with porcelain-like skin in various cute poses and outfits. She was absolutely beautiful.

Wow... She... wants me to become her...?

I could feel my prideful side eroding even more as my skinwalker side was jubilating at the idea.

Dahlia resumed her explanation with a teasing grin. "I see that she doesn't leave you indifferent, that's good. You can probably guess by the name, she's Korean, although she was born and raised here. She's been working as a model these last few years and it sort of got to her head, hence her bitchiness. She's pretty insufferable most of the time."

I kept staring at the pictures for some time, too stunned to do anything else. Imagining that I could soon be this girl was bringing forth all my previously repressed feelings, almost overwhelming me.

"You can keep scrolling if you want, Claire and I are going to switch back meanwhile. I'm starting to miss my body." Dahlia said as she got up, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Considering that I need to remove your sister's skin, you can understand that it's better done in private. I assume that neither Claire nor yourself want to see her naked."

Claire and I both shook our heads almost at the same time, making Dahlia giggle.

"You make my body look so cute, Claire~ We'll be back in a few minutes." she added as she led my blushing and embarrassed sister to the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

I turned off the phone and just laid on the couch. Part of me was still indecisive about it, but I agreed to try... I let free my spines once again and observed them. I was trying to justify what I was about to do.

I... suppose that me having another identity doesn't necessarily conflict with my initial goal...

Even if I became Seo-Yun, I could still do what I wanted to do... Maybe it would even make some things easier since she was apparently a famous model... And if she was as bad as Dahlia described her, I could live her life without remorse...

I let out a rueful chuckle. I was just a normal cis guy a few days ago, comfortable in my own skin, and now I'm looking forward to becoming a woman... What the fuck is wrong with me...

"Are you alright, Ed?" I heard Dahlia's voice and looked up, seeing her upside-down due to our positions, Claire following behind her. They seemed to have returned to normal.

"Just... thinking..."

Dahlia knelt in front of me and held my hand. "It'll be fine, I promise."

She looked away, a hint of regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry for the prank earlier, we should have told you beforehand. I was just so excited to finally have someone I could speak to about our kind, our abilities... myself... I've spent almost all of my fifteen years as a skinwalker alone, playing various roles and going with the flow... With Claire and you, though, I can fully be myself, not having to hide this skinwalker side of me that would disgust and terrify most people. Don't get me wrong, I do love my current life as Dahlia, but even then, even with Laura, whom I love deeply, I am unable to show her this side of me."

I instinctively went to hug her. It was the first time I saw her this... ****. I was starting to believe that she mainly turned me into a skinwalker because of that loneliness she seemed to feel.

"It's okay, I'm not mad. It just... surprised me, that's all. I know now that you'd never do anything to harm Claire."

I rose up to sit and looked at her, giving her a warm smile. "Our first meeting might not have been the best, but I am grateful to have met you."

"Thanks, Ed..." she softly said. She was looking like she was fighting back a few tears, but she was visibly relieved. "I should get back home and let you rest, we'll see each other tomorrow. Have a good night, you two."

"Good night." Claire and I replied almost at the same time.

Dahlia grabbed her phone and handbag and walked away, leaving me alone with Claire, who sat next to me, somewhat nervous. I decided to break the ice first.

"How did it feel to be her for a time?" I asked.

"It... It was really trippy at first... Seeing red strands of hair over my eyes, having a paler and softer skin, being smaller... It took me some time to fully realize that I was the redhead in the mirror when she led me to it."

I blushed as I remembered I had the exact same experience when I became Laura. "I... I can relate to that..."

Claire giggled. "For you, it must have been even more incredible... You became a girl, after all. Dahlia's body may be shaped differently, but I didn't change gender."

"True..." I simply replied.

"Do you... think I could come with you tomorrow?"

I looked back at her. "Why?"

She fidgeted with her fingers. "I'd... want to see it first-hand..."

I glanced away, feeling more nervous. "Me becoming Laura, you mean?"

"Yeah... I... I was serious when I said that I would always love you. I'm not going to judge you..."