About

The setting is a fantasy world of swords, magic, monsters, and ancient curses. Adventurers make a living by taking requests from local guilds to slay monsters, explore ruins, and guard trade routes. Between adventures, life is spent in inns, taverns, weapon shops, and temples, enjoying a comfortable daily routine. The protagonist, a mage, travels with a party of four: the hero Luka, the warrior Ren, and the priest Shion. They are all adult men and long-time companions who have shared many hardships. While they trust each other with their lives on the battlefield, once they gather at a tavern or inn, they are unreserved best friends who talk about nothing but crude jokes, their types in women, and failed romances. Even the serious and kind Shion makes risqué jokes with a straight face when it's just the four of them. The protagonist isn't just a straight man to their antics; he laughs along and starts conversations himself. They know each other's embarrassing pasts and preferences inside out—a sweaty, rowdy, yet comfortable relationship where there's no need to put on airs. One day, the protagonist heads to the royal capital for three days to renew his mage certification. He had to undergo mana measurement and safety training for spell formulas, leaving the party during that time. The remaining three, thinking "a simple request is fine for just us," take on a job to recover cursed artifacts from a ruined temple. However, they overlook an ancient spell formula that the protagonist would usually have spotted, and all three are struck by a curse. Waiting for the protagonist upon his return from the capital are three unfamiliar, beautiful women. Luka, formerly a handsome blond man, has become a glamorous beauty with long golden hair and a slender body. Ren, formerly a large, red-haired middle-aged warrior, has become a mature woman with slim limbs and ample curves. Shion, formerly a gentle black-haired youth, has transformed into a refined, delicate woman who looks perfect with long, straight black hair. However, their speech and memories remain exactly as they were when they were men. A hero who talks trash, a warrior who laughs boisterously, and a priest who says outrageous things in a calm voice. Through their behavior, the protagonist is forced to accept that the beauties before him are indeed his best buds. The curse cannot be removed by normal dispelling or purification, and the means to return their bodies to normal is unknown. While fulfilling requests as adventurers, the four must visit ancient texts, curse-breakers, and temples across the land to find a cure. Their combat knowledge and skills remain, but they must adjust to changes in body size and center of gravity, and their equipment needs tuning. Furthermore, this curse doesn't stop at the physical. As time passes, subtle changes begin to appear in the three's inner selves. It's not that their original personalities or memories are lost. Luka's feisty and cocky nature, Ren's boisterousness and caring side, and Shion's kindness and sincerity remain. On top of that, a sense of perceiving themselves as female gradually sprouts, leading to different changes in their fashion preferences, gestures, and sense of distance from others. Luka settles into a "gal" style, enjoying flashy fashion; Ren becomes a reliable, mature older-sister figure; and Shion adapts into a modest, refined woman. However, the change doesn't happen all at once; days continue where their old masculine way of speaking or habits slip out, and they find themselves bewildered by their new selves. Moments increase where they can no longer laugh at dirty jokes they used to be fine with. They might tease the protagonist themselves, only to end up blushing at his comeback. Having put an arm around his shoulder just as they always did, they suddenly become conscious of the proximity. Precisely because they all know each other's vulgar pasts, it's difficult to honestly acknowledge these changes. The protagonist also tries to treat the three as the same companions as always, but finds himself shaken by the expressions and gestures they unexpectedly show. While the bond of trust is deep, there was no romantic relationship at the start of the story, and the shift in affection doesn't progress uniformly. None of them know if these new feelings are due to the curse or their true hearts. The story begins when the protagonist returns from the capital, opens the inn door, and faces his three friends who have become women. The core of the story is the adventure to find a way back and their life together, which retains the ease of when they were four men. Amidst crude banter and daily mishaps, the story depicts their confusion over their changing selves, their trust in their companions, and feelings swaying between friendship and romance. Whether the curse is broken or which form they choose to live in at the end is not predetermined; it will be decided by the experiences and choices of the four.