I Died and Was Reincarnated as a Goth Femboy

The walk back to the Femboy Adventuring Guild was a quiet, somber affair. The adrenaline from the disastrous Lily Fighting Club competition had faded, leaving behind the bitter, familiar taste of humiliation. Bombom stalked through the city streets, the massive crowd of his fans trailing at a respectful distance, their usual cheers and catcalls replaced by concerned whispers. He ignored them all, his mind a churning vortex of the judges' words. Monster. Brute. Aberration.

He pushed through the grand doors of the guild hall and, without a word to anyone, collapsed onto the nearest plush sofa in the main room, letting out a long, weary sigh. He just wanted to sit there, to be invisible, to let the world forget he existed for a few hours. But, of course, that was never an option.

"Oh, Bombom, I was looking for you," a cheerful, musical voice said from beside him. It was Ryo. "You want a mission, right?"

"Yes," Bombom grumbled without looking up. "I'm going to hate myself if I just stand here without improving."

"So, where were you today?" Ryo asked, his tone light and conversational, though his eyes held a knowing, mischievous glint.

Before Bombom could answer, Gluteus, who had been standing guard nearby, coughed pointedly and used a remote to switch the massive wall-mounted screen in the living room to the local news channel. The lead story was, predictably, about the chaos at the Lily Fighting Club. The footage was grainy, taken from a fan's LilyPad, but it was clear enough. It showed Bombom, his face a mask of pure rage, his muscular shadow erupting from his back. Then, it showed the second, blue-haired shadow appearing, the wave of cold energy, and the three judges frozen solid in their chairs.

"Hahaha, about that..." Bombom said, his face flushing with embarrassment as he sank lower into the sofa cushions.

Ryo's mouth formed a perfect, surprised 'O'. "Bombom," he said, his voice losing its teasing edge, replaced by a sharp, intense curiosity. "You need to explore more of your shadows."

"What? How?" Bombom asked, finally sitting up.

"They seem to appear when you're angry and frustrated, or in a life-threatening situation, so..." Ryo's smirk returned. Without any further warning, he flicked his wrist. The air in front of him crackled, and a dozen razor-sharp icicles materialized, all of them aimed directly at Bombom.

Bombom gasped, his eyes widening in terror. "H-hey! W-what are you doing?!"

The icicles shot forward. Time seemed to slow. Bombom didn't even have time to summon his muscular shadow. But he didn't need to. The ethereal, blue-haired boy emerged from his back, a serene, almost bored expression on his face. He reached out and, with a casual grace, plucked each icicle from the air, his fingers never touching the sharp points, only the streams of magical energy that propelled them. He held the captured projectiles in his hand, smiled a chilling, beautiful smile, and then the world went cold.

For a single, terrifying second, Ryo found himself in another place. A dimension of absolute zero, a void of infinite, crystalline ice under a black, starless sky. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, and a cold so profound it felt like it was extinguishing his very soul seeped into his bones. Then, just as quickly, he was back in the guild hall, shivering uncontrollably, his teeth chattering. The blue-haired shadow smiled one last time before melting back into Bombom's form.

"H-hey, what happened?" Bombom asked, looking at the shivering Ryo with concern.

"Y-you... y-your s-second shadow," Ryo stammered, rubbing his arms furiously to generate some warmth. "It sent me to a cold place. I almost froze to death."

Bombom looked at him, completely confused. "But he only took the ice you threw at me, right, Gluteus?" The giant knight, who had been watching the whole exchange with a calm, analytical gaze, gave a solemn nod.

Ryo gulped, a look of genuine fear in his eyes. "Be careful, Bombom," he said, his voice low and serious. "That second shadow... it's dangerous." He turned and walked away, still shivering, but then paused and came back, leaving a folded mission note on the table beside the sofa. "Your next mission. Tomorrow." With that, he was gone.

Bombom picked up the note. Rank A - Giant Ogres attempting to eat humans on the border of the country. Be careful, they hate humans.

A familiar, competitive smirk returned to his face. "See that, Gluteus? We're going to get rich."

The giant knight nodded. "But aren't you already rich, Bombom? All those livestreams you make, the donations, the payments from the missions..."

A bead of sweat trickled down Bombom's temple. He had been so focused on the quests, the fights, and the constant, unending drama that he had completely forgotten about the small fortune he had amassed in his Femboy Coin account. "I forgot about that..." he admitted. "But yes, I do have a good amount of money."

Gluteus smiled, a rare and welcome sight. "Then let me show you to the alchemist. He can help you put that money to good use."

"The what?!" Bombom asked, but Gluteus was already gesturing for him to follow.

He led Bombom not to a shop, but to a strange, shimmering distortion in the air in a forgotten corner of the guild's training grounds. As they approached, the distortion resolved into a doorway, leading into a dimly lit, cluttered room that smelled of strange chemicals and ozone. A man was sitting in a corner, hunched over a bubbling cauldron, his posture so weirdly contorted he looked like a piece of abstract art.

Bombom cautiously approached and tapped him on the shoulder. The man let out a high-pitched shriek, jumping nearly a foot in the air and spinning around. Bombom, startled by the sudden noise, instinctively bonked him on the head. "Dumbass! Never scare me like that again!"

The man just laughed, a strange, wheezing sound. "It was not my intention! I just sensed a person of immense, chaotic power approaching, and it was not Gluteus." He looked Bombom up and down, his eyes widening with a mad, scientific glee. "Ooooh! You're beautiful, my girl!"

Bombom sighed, the anger draining out of him, replaced by a familiar weariness. "I'm a guy."

The alchemist's wide, happy smile instantly inverted into a frown of profound despair. He shivered in his chair. "Why?" he lamented to the ceiling. "Why are the most beautiful things on this earth always men?"

Bombom just stared at him, then looked at Gluteus. "You wanted to show me a weirdo? And what about this place? I've never seen this here before."

"This place only appears when he is here, hohoho," Gluteus explained.

"I am Alistair, the most powerful alchemist in this guild!" the weird man declared.

"Of course you are," Bombom said dryly. "You're the only one."

Alistair looked at the floor, a sad expression on his face. "So," he said, perking up slightly. "You came to enchant your clothing, yes?"

Bombom's eyes sparkled. "Enchant? YES, YES, YES!"

"Take the piece that you want enchanted, and let me do my work," the alchemist said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Without a second thought, Bombom pulled his black shirt off over his head. His chest was slender, but perfectly defined, without a single scar or blemish. The alchemist stared, completely amazed by the aesthetic perfection before him. He took the shirt from Bombom's hands as if it were a holy relic and placed it on a nearby anvil. He began to chant, painting glowing blue runes onto the fabric with his finger. The shirt began to emit a soft light, and a magical tag, like a price tag made of pure energy, appeared on the collar. '+10 Strength, -5 Dexterity, -5 Charisma.'

The alchemist looked at Bombom. "So, you wanted strength, right?"

"No!" Bombom said, his eye twitching. "I kind of wanted more charisma. I'm trying some... new things."

"Right, right," the alchemist said, looking flustered. "Let me redo it." He chanted again. The shirt blinked, and the tag changed. '+25 Strength, -5 Dexterity, -10 Charisma, -5 Perception.'

Bombom's face went red with anger. "H-hey! I wanted more charisma, not strength! And you're taking away my other stats too!"

The alchemist began to sweat. "Okay, okay, one more time! Let me redo it again!"

He chanted, his voice cracking with effort. The shirt blinked again. '+20 Strength, -5 Charisma, -5 Perception.'

The alchemist's jaw dropped. "W-what's happening?! It only comes up with strength!"

"You know what, forget it!" Bombom said angrily, snatching his shirt back.

"H-hey, wait!" the alchemist called out, shocked. "Take this potion! As an apology!" He held out a small, swirling vial of iridescent liquid.

Bombom took it, his anger momentarily forgotten. The label read: 'Turns yourself into what you truly are. Duration: 1 hour.' His eyes sparkled with a desperate, wild hope. Maybe this was it. Maybe this would turn him back into his old self. He leaned over and gave the stunned alchemist a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek. "Thanks!" he said, before running out of the shop, Gluteus trailing behind him with a bemused shrug.

Back in the safety of his room, Bombom positioned his hover-drone, ready to film the momentous occasion. If he was going to get his real body back, he wanted proof. He uncorked the vial and drank the potion in one go. It tasted like sweet, fizzy starlight. He waited.

"Nothing changed," he said, disappointed. "Stupid potion." And then, the world tilted, and he fainted, collapsing onto the soft carpet.

He found himself in a strange, dream-like kitchen. His two shadows, the muscular brute and the ethereal blue boy, were there. They were wearing aprons and arguing about how to cook pancakes. Then, the scene shifted. He was in a dense, dark forest. Both of his shadows appeared in front of him, their arms outstretched. "WELCOME TO THE RICE FIELDS!" they screamed in unison.

And then he woke up. He felt... different. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled to the full-length mirror in his room. He looked at his reflection. And he saw... he saw... something he truly wanted...