"I've been alive for a thousand years.
Seasons come and go.
Leaves fall, snow drifts, birds sing.
But me? I remain. Unchanged. Unmoving. Just... a mushroom."
I don't remember when I became aware.
Maybe centuries ago.
I'm not like the other plants.
I can think. I can feel.
But I can't speak.
And I can't move.
Every day, I watch humans pass through this forest.
They laugh, cry, fall in love, run, dance… and sometimes, they die.
---
One quiet evening, a girl came stumbling through the woods.
Her clothes were torn, blood stained her shoulder, and her breathing was ragged.
She collapsed—right in front of me.
She looked at me, and smiled.
> Girl: "Ah… such an innocent mushroom. Too pure for this world, huh..."
And then… she was gone.
Just like that.
---
I simply stared.
> "Humans are so strange."
---
Hours passed.
Then, from the tall grass, a small white rabbit hopped into view.
Its fur was soft, and its eyes... they blinked like they were struggling to keep up with the world.
> Rabbit: "Hey, mushroom! Wanna become human?"
I froze.
Why is a rabbit talking?
Why is it talking to me?
> Rabbit: "Eh? Why so quiet? Oh right—you're a mushroom. Can't talk, huh?
Well, since you didn't say no, I'll take that as a yes!"
I was still silent.
But for the first time in my entire life...
I felt something.
Something warm.
Something strange.
Like my body was melting, shifting… becoming something else.
---
I felt… pain.
I felt… light.
And when I opened my eyes—
I was no longer a mushroom.
---
Me (dazed): "Eh...?"
Rabbit: "Welcome to the human world, little mushroom.
From now on, your name is Mio.
And I'm Jiro—your official helper!"
Mio: "Mio...? But… I'm a girl?"
Jiro: "Yup! A human girl. Pretty cute too, if I may say so.
But just a heads-up, Mio…
This world isn't as peaceful as the rock you used to sit on.
You could die here, y'know."
Mio: "Oh…" (innocent and blank)
And so, my story begins.
I was a mushroom who lived for a thousand years…
Now, I'm a human.
And I have no idea how to be one.
---
To be continued in Chapter 2