Chapter 2

"I wish to grant Brooke's desire. Turn her into a real man."

The System replied instantly:

[Due to the biological changes required, the gender transition will take seven days to complete.]

In other words, in seven days, Brooke would completely become a man.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud right then and there.

Brooke knew nothing about this. Instead, she hooked her arm around Austin’s neck, pulling him down against her chest. She laughed loudly, "Zack’s barbecue is almost ready, right? Let's go. Bro is starving to death."

Austin rolled his eyes playfully, but he obediently let her drag him along.

Even though I had seen this many times, my chest still tightened with a dull ache.

As the sun set, turning the beach a deep twilight blue, everyone sat in a circle around the bonfire.

I was about to sit down when Brooke quickly took the spot right next to Austin.

"Oh, hope you don't mind me sitting here, Chloe?"

Before I could speak, Austin jumped in to defend her. "It's just a seat, Chloe. Don't be petty."

My face remained blank. I casually found another spot farther away.

Austin’s expression stiffened for a moment, but his attention was quickly pulled back by Brooke’s loud chatter.

When the platters of grilled food were brought over, Austin grabbed a skewer of grilled shrimp and handed it to me. "Your favorite seafood. Stop being mad."

I froze for a second, but reached out to take it.

Brooke immediately pretended to be outraged, grabbing Austin’s ear. "You dog! Bros before hoes! Did you forget your bro is still hungry?"

Austin grimaced in mock pain, quickly offering her a grilled chicken wing with both hands.

The crowd laughed at their silly banter.

I stared at the shrimp in my hand.

It wasn't until Ethan, who was sitting next to me, offered to trade his grilled squid for my shrimp that my eyes flickered.

A guy I barely knew could see that I hated shrimp.

Yet Austin, the man I had loved for four years, had no idea.

Our years of history suddenly felt incredibly cheap.

After dinner, everyone decided to play "Never Have I Ever."

After a few rounds of casual questions about work and life, it was Brooke’s turn. She smiled mischievously, looking straight at me.

"Never have I ever watched a sex tape of Austin and Chloe."

The lively atmosphere instantly went dead silent.

My brain went entirely numb. I stared at Austin in disbelief.

He just laughed sheepishly and swatted Brooke’s shoulder. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

Zack quickly tried to diffuse the tension. "Oh, you mean that video where Austin was drying Chloe’s hair in bed? We’ve all seen that! Drink up, guys!"

"No, not that one!" Brooke stood up triumphantly, swaying her beer bottle. "Austin is way wilder than that in bed. Chloe screams so loud, you guys have no idea—"

Austin stuffed a skewer into her mouth. "Shut up. We agreed to keep that private. Why are you spilling it now?"

Brooke pouted. "So what? That’s how you play the game."

"Chloe is so cool, she definitely won't mind."

"Besides, I’ve seen way juicier stuff. If you try to stop me again, I’ll tell them everything!"

My ears buzzed, and my mind went blank.

By the time I registered what I was doing, the beer bottle in my hand had already shattered violently over Brooke’s head.