For the next day—and the day after that—Kugutsu continued scavenging through piles of junk. He’d never intended to give up from the start, but now that he’d managed to find a body frame and the possibility of reviving his partner had become real, his motivation was on a completely different level.
He found arm and leg parts that could still be salvaged and worked tirelessly to repair them.
For the head at least, he wanted something brand new. So he bought materials from the market and crafted it himself.
“...It’s done, Patton.”
A month after he had begun gathering parts, Kugutsu spoke those words with deep satisfaction in his small room-slash-laboratory.
“Oh, really!? Then hurry up and put me in already!”
The crystal sphere sitting on the pedestal flickered with light, its voice brimming with joy.
Kugutsu carefully lifted the sphere—Patton’s golem core—in both hands, treating it with the utmost care. The core alone had no sight, no touch, but somehow, Patton could sense he was being carried toward a body.
“Hey, Master.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Thanks. I know you probably don’t like hearing this kind of thing over and over, but I just have to say it again.”
It wasn’t just gratitude for being given a body again. A golem core was, by nature, a disposable tool—a consumable with a personality. Yet this man had risked his life to save him, called him a friend, a partner. What golem could ask for more? If golems had the ability to cry, Patton surely would have shed tears of joy right then.
“...Then I’ll take it honestly. You’re welcome,” Kugutsu replied with a bashful smile.
The golem body’s abdomen opened with a click, and the core was set into place. Patton’s consciousness faded for a moment as Kugutsu poured magic power into the body, linking the senses between core and frame.
“Alright, try opening your eyes.”
Kugutsu’s voice sounded different now—richer, more three-dimensional.
Patton cautiously opened his eyes. Being a golem, there was no risk of his vision being damaged by light, yet he still felt oddly nervous. In some ways, he really was a strangely human golem.
“Oh...”
Before him stood his familiar master, smiling gently. Patton glanced down at his own hand. It looked… strangely small and slender.
“...Huh?”
Something felt wrong. His voice sounded oddly high-pitched, and his legs—so thin compared to his old knight-type body—didn’t seem right either. It wasn’t just a smaller or cheaper frame; something was very different.
He touched his body. Of course it was firm—he was a golem—but for some reason, it felt… rounded.
Then he touched his head and felt something soft. Hair. Realistic, flowing hair. Why on earth would a golem need hair?
“Uh… Master? Do you have a mirror?”
“Yup, right here.”
The response came far too quickly—as if Kugutsu had been waiting for him to ask exactly that.
A bad feeling crept up Patton’s chest. Cautiously, he leaned forward to look into the mirror Kugutsu was holding up with a mischievous grin. Reflected back at him was a girl—large sparkling eyes, long pink hair, and a sweet, adorable face.
Patton tilted his head. The girl in the mirror tilted her head too.
He raised his hand. The girl raised hers.
There was no escape. Reality had trapped him completely. His golem core had been placed into the body of a cute young girl.
“Master! What the hell is going on here!?”
“Don’t worry, you look really cute.”
“That’s the problem!!”
A golem wasn’t supposed to feel fatigue. As long as its mana supply held, its performance would remain perfect. And yet, for some reason, Patton felt mentally exhausted beyond belief.
“...I’ve got a few questions. Mind if I ask?”
“Ask away! I’d never refuse a beautiful lady.”
Kugutsu chuckled to himself, clearly pleased with his own wit. Patton, however, was not amused in the slightest. He wanted to yell *you idiot!* but clenched down on his golem-forged patience and forced himself to continue.
“I did say you could use any body you could find, sure. I did say that. But why—of all things—did it have to be a female body?”
“Because the body I found in the junk heap happened to be female-shaped. You were happy enough about it back then, remember?”
“Yeah. Consider that excitement revoked.”
Female-type body parts naturally went with female-type limbs and joints. Piece by piece, it had come together into a complete female golem. The logic was sound. Whether it was *acceptable* was another matter entirely.
“By the way, Patton, I’ve got some bad news.”
“Worse than waking up in a woman’s body? Can’t wait to hear this one.”
“I’m completely broke.”
“Wha—!”
Simple. Direct. Nothing cuts deeper than being out of money. Patton wanted to ask why his master hadn’t planned more carefully, but he stopped himself. The reason was obvious—Kugutsu had spent it all to rebuild his body. Even if that project had gone off the rails somewhere along the way, it didn’t feel right to scold him for it.
“Okay, okay, let me get this straight. You’re saying… I’ve gotta go dungeon diving like this?”
“Exactly. You catch on quick.”
Patton let out a long sigh, gazing up at the stained ceiling.
“Guess the gods on this mountain have no mercy.”
“Never met one myself,” Kugutsu replied lightly.
Patton exhaled another deep sigh and shook his head in disbelief. The gesture—though born from pure exasperation—had an oddly graceful, almost alluring air to it, much to his own irritation.
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