Maki remained seated in her chair and ordered coldly, her gaze icy.

“Read Article Two. In your own voice, clearly.”

Gō clenched his lips tight, swallowing down a rage that refused to become sound.

He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on the page.

“…Article Two. The Obligation of Physical Transformation.”

His voice trembled and rasped, but Maki showed no emotion at all and urged him on flatly.

“One… compulsory hormone treatment. The detainee is required to receive female hormones, as well as anti-androgen medication, twice a week…”

Images rose unbidden in Gō’s mind: a swelling chest, muscles wasting away, vocal cords thinning into a fragile voice.

Lined up before him was a ‘future’ that should not yet have arrived.

And yet, somehow, it already felt like an inescapable reality.

“Injections must… be administered without fail at designated dates and times. Suspension or refusal… based on personal judgment will not be permitted.”

His throat moved.

‘Refusal will not be permitted’—those words carved it in stone that all of Gō’s resistance was meaningless.

“…Blood tests and physical examinations… breast development, softening of the skin, reduction of muscle mass…”

His gaze dropped to his own body.

Still firm, still something he wanted to believe was his.

But this document coldly proclaimed a future in which it would be stripped away without fail.

“…At the physician’s discretion, breast augmentation surgery or orchiectomy… surgical procedures to promote physical change…”

Cold sweat ran down his temples.

Those words pierced his chest more sharply than any blade.

“…Additional medication and training… to suppress sexual function…”

‘Training.’

That vague word gave clear shape to the amorphous fear lurking inside Gō.

The reality of even his sexual desire being placed under another’s control crept in, slow and suffocating.

“Two. Obligation to wear women’s clothing and attire…”

Gō lowered his eyes to his own outfit.

A pink-and-grey checkered pleated skirt, a white blouse, a pale rose ribbon.

“During the daytime, the facility-designated women’s uniform must be worn at all times… when going out, women’s coats and accessories as well… Women’s underwear… must be worn daily… subject to staff inspection…”

With every line he read, reality tightened around his neck like soft cotton.

This was a system, an obligation, a binding into a ‘new self as a woman’ that he had never chosen.

“…Every morning, full makeup and hair styling… mandatory checks…”

This was not someone’s malice.

Not someone’s mockery.

These clothes, this makeup, these gestures—all of it became the duties of a new ‘self.’

Shame clung to his entire body.

He could hear the sound of his former pride collapsing inside him.

His humiliation at cross-dressing was seized and Maki’s cold gaze struck directly at his weakness.

That pain was not mere disgust—it was profound despair.

“Three. Penalties…”

A faint tremor and anger mixed into Gō’s voice.

“…Refusal of hormone treatment… failure to comply with dress code… masculine speech or behavior… will be deemed serious violations. In the event of repeated offenses, immediate castration surgery will be carried out…”

His voice stopped.

The final sentence on the page staring through him—but decisively—presented the end of him ‘as a man.’

‘To end manhood physically.’

Though he should not have lost anything yet, a freezing sense of loss reached his body first, straight to its core.

Gō slowly lowered the paper.

His lips trembled, his teeth would not meet and tears blurred his eyes.

Even so, he had believed he could return to the ring ‘as a man.’

If he trained, if he cut weight, his body should return to normal—so he thought.

Gō’s dream had not vanished completely.

But within this system, continuing to pursue a dream ‘as a man’ was, in reality, scarcely permitted at all.

The will to survive without becoming a woman—that itself was treated as ‘rebellion’ within this system.

Maki’s cold voice rang out, freezing the space.

“Do you understand?”

Gō made no sound.

He merely straightened his back and bowed his head deeply.

Resignation, fear and deep humiliation—this ‘cage’ was not made of iron or chains.

It was a prison with no escape, built from words and shame.

* * *

[TL: 2 short chapters in a row, so combining.]

28: Article Three ~ The Cage of Conduct and Voice

“Yes, the next article. …Hinako, read it.”

The moment that name was called, a chill ran straight down Hinako’s spine. That name was no longer a ‘nickname.’ It echoed as an order, like a key that forced obedience.

A world where no one would call her ‘Gō.’

Faced with a reality with no escape, she had no choice but to submit.

Her fingertips trembled faintly.

Turning the page, Hinako moistened her lips and began to read aloud.

“…Article Three. The Obligation of Feminine Conduct…”

Her voice wavered slightly.

Compared to the previous hormone-related article, the wording here was gentler.

But the intent beneath it was more insidious, more relentless.

“The detainee is obligated to acquire culturally feminine conduct, bodily sensibilities and social behavior as a woman.”

The moment she spoke that sentence, what spread through Hinako’s chest was not shame or humiliation.

It was a sense of exclusion, of being denied as a man.

This was not merely about discarding manhood, but about performing womanhood.

An obligation designed to remake her from the marrow outward.

“Walking, sitting, gaze, hand and finger movements—any masculine conduct is strictly prohibited… All daily life must be carried out using feminine conduct. Poor posture, loud voices, spreading one’s legs, crossing one’s arms, confident or imposing manners of standing and moving… Will be subject to point deductions…”

‘That’s all… the former me.’

The feet that once stamped the ring.

The habit of raising her voice and glaring as she fought.

The things she once called pride were now violations.

When her gaze flicked upward, she saw Maki.

Legs crossed, elbow resting on the desk, silently watching Hinako.

Her eyes were cold and somewhere within them, faintly amused.

Training, Expression and Control of a Feminine Voice

The detainee is obligated to speak in a feminine manner in all conversations.

Sentence endings and intonation must be soft, language polite, emotional expression calm and obedient.

Commanding tones and assertive phrasing are deemed violations and upon discovery, retraining will be imposed.

In addition, voice pitch, resonance, vocalization methods and speech quality shall be regularly evaluated and corrected by specialized instructors.

‘…To be made to talk like this, in a woman’s voice… Do I really have to live like this from now on?’

To be made to speak softly and obediently, in a woman’s voice—just imagining it sent a rough, scraping discomfort through her insides and a heat rose deep in her face, neither quite sweat nor quite shame.

On the other side of the desk, Hinako thought she saw Maki’s lips curve upward, just slightly.

“See? I can hear it already.”

Perhaps it was only an illusion.

And yet—That illusion alone felt as though it had truly heard her as ‘Hinako.’