A Whimsical Invention, Part 1 (Patreon)

Here's a new story. As is often the case, it will be divided into two parts. The second part will be published on October 21, 2026, since next week is Pin-Up Week ^^ I hope you enjoy reading it, and see you Saturday for the mini-comic ^^

Sacha was someone who was always in a hurry, and he didn't like to waste time.The strangest thing was that he loved nice clothes, but he hated the time he wasted choosing them.

So he found himself in quite a dilemma: should he save time and dress more conservatively?Or should he always look stylish and not worry about the time he spent getting ready?You’d think it was an easy choice, but he couldn’t make up his mind,until one day, while browsing the Internet, he stumbled upon a Japanese website.He’d already found it strange that the site was translated into French, but, out of curiosity, he went to see what it offered; it was a site about a new technology designed to make getting dressed easier.He was amazed by this idea and decided to find out a little more.The idea was simple: a plate on the floor and a plate on the ceiling; the person would stand between the two, and the clothing would be teleported onto them.So there was no longer any need for a closet, since all the clothes were stored in the cloud. In reality, the clothes the user is wearing are destroyed and then reformed into the chosen outfit; there’s a supply of molecules to make up for any missing material, but also to store any excess material, in case the person wanted to switch from street clothes to a swimsuit for the pool.

Sacha thought this process was brilliant and decided to order one for himself to finally put an end to his dilemma.However, another surprise was in store for him, because as he was one of the first Europeans to have ordered the product, he was offered a discount if he agreed to let the company analyze his usage so they could then promote their product in Europe.He thought it over for a few days and eventually accepted the offer; two weeks later, the machine was installed in his apartment.

He was thrilled and decided to try it out right away: he put all his clothes into the machine and they were teleported, then he stepped into the center of the machine.He was a little nervous, but when he heard that a human was inside the machine and that it was switching to dressing mode, he was reassured, since he had been worried that using the machine might cause him to be broken down into tiny particles.But it worked perfectly: all it took was a simple request from him, and he was dressed in a matter of seconds.It was so fast that he felt as if a breeze were caressing him while the machine changed his clothes.

When he got up to go to work, he’d step inside to undress before taking a shower, and when he came out, he’d step inside to get dressed for work; when he returned from work, he’d just step inside to take off his jacket.The more time passed, the more dependent he became on this machine; he even used it for fun, since he could try on clothes he didn’t own to see how they looked and consider buying them.So, he would have fun with extravagant outfits,like a punk look, then switch to a rapper’s outfit, then change into a Naruto cosplay, until he ended up back in a gothic outfit; it was while wearing this outfit that he noticed the machine could apply makeup to people, which must have been a time-saver for the women who used it.

He’d been using it for months and was completely satisfied with his purchase; then, one summer evening when the temperature was unusually high, a storm rolled in.In an instant, the wind picked up and the rain came down,it felt like the end of the world.Thunder rumbled and lightning struck the ground with full force; he was on the road and, since he wasn’t far from home, he decided to brave the storm to get back as quickly as possible.He parked on his street but didn’t get out right away; he waited for a bolt of lightning to strike before getting out and heading to his apartment. He was soaked from head to toe; he walked over to the washing machine to undress, but just then,with his clothes saturated with water and lightning striking his street,the machine malfunctioned. And for once, it wasn’t his clothes that had disappeared, but him; his clothes collapsed onto the machine, because Sacha had vanished into the cloud.

On the other side of the world, in Japan, in a laboratory, a computer sent an alert; a man in his fifties approached and discovered that a human being had been disassembled, which threw him into a state of panic.He began searching online to understand what had just happened; he spent several hours there trying to find a solution.But he couldn’t figure out how to bring him back, and he was beginning to lose hope; however, someone entered his lab,a young man who was rather slender and tall for a Japanese man.His name was Haruka. Seeing his professor struggling to figure out how to bring back to life the unfortunate man who had just vanished along with his invention, he, in turn, sought a solution,and fortunately so, because the idea that would solve this problem would come from him.He asked his mentor if he could bring him back in a different body; his mentor found the request rather strange at first, but then realized it was the best idea in the world. He asked his artificial intelligence to recreate him with a new body before finding a solution.The computer ran a search on the owner and decided to build a new body, but it specified that instead of doing it at home, it would use the machine in his lab.

It ran the process for over ten hours, and Sacha ended up with a new body; however, since the AI’s analysis had concluded that his first name was feminine, he now had the body of a twenty-year-old Japanese woman.He woke up a few days after his reassembly; he was having trouble using his new body,it was as if he were a newborn.

He still hadn’t noticed his physical transformation; even his eyes were having trouble focusing. He was in a blurry world and had only one goal: to stand up and figure out where he was.It was a long struggle, but he managed to leave his room; he walked a few meters, then he heard a voice.

-Watch your step!He stopped abruptly and braced himself as if he were about to be attacked, but after a moment, he heard someone laugh.-I’m not here to fight.-Who are you?-Oh, your Japanese is excellent.- Huh?A quick explanation: when he switched bodies, he went from being a French man to a Japanese woman. Strangely, the French he had mastered perfectly turned into a perfect command of Japanese.

Knowing that writing the dialogue in Japanese might pose a problem for some readers, the author decided to continue the dialogue in French to make things easier for you,not because he doesn’t have a command of this wonderful language.

So he was surprised by what the person,whom he could barely see,had just said, but he noticed that the person was moving toward him.He took the person by the arm to reassure them, then helped guide them to an armchair so they could sit down.Once he was settled, he told him everything that had happened, but first he introduced himself: his name was Haruka, and he was the CEO of the company that sold the device that allowed people to change clothes in a second.

He also explained that his body had been destroyed due to a malfunction in the machine, but that even though he no longer had his original body, he had been able to recreate a woman’s body just like the one he’d had before.This information hit her like a bolt of lightning,or perhaps it was just a coincidence,because at that moment, she could see him clearly: he was a very handsome young man.-What? I’m a girl!

She screamed upon learning what he had just discovered, and since her vision was clear, she could see her body perfectly.She struggled to stand up but eventually collapsed back into her chair.

-Calm down,what’s the matter?- I want a mirror.- Oh, you want to see yourself? No problem.He stood up and walked toward a door; he went inside and came back out with a huge mirror, then placed it right in front of her so she could admire herself.-You’re a beautiful woman.- But that’s not possible.She covered her face with her hands and began to cry, which surprised the young Japanese man.- I don’t understand why you’re crying?

-It’s… because…

- Go ahead and speak, my young friend.

The young man’s condescending tone greatly annoyed the young woman.

-I’m crying because I’ve become a Japanese woman, even though I used to be a man!

- What?

- Yes, you poor idiot, and stop looking down on me.

Haruka didn’t know where to turn, and he reacted in the most childish way possible.

-Oh, you’re taking it that way? Well, just so you know…

- What? That I’m stuck here with you.

- Exactly. Since you had nowhere to live, I took you in.

- Great,if your machine hadn’t glitched, I wouldn’t be here.

- I’ll admit I share some of the blame, but I…

- Oh, we’re not used to answering back to the CEO.

- That’s enough. I’m a man of my word, so you can stay here, but I’m going to show you that you shouldn’t mess with me.

He stood up, walked toward the door, and stormed out, slamming it behind him.

- What an idiot!

- He almost ruined the best day of my life.

- I can’t believe I’m such a beautiful woman.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks again; it wasn’t sadness on her face, but joy.

End of Part 1