This one was for Tumtober 2020! I tried to be unique with the transformation magic and have it make sense for the world of this anime!

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I entered the bathroom with my trusty notebook and cell phone in hand. I opened a voice recording app and hit record before I spoke to the device loudly and clearly.

"This is Sara Faye, paranormal investigator, recording Investigation #7 of my team's Japan study abroad trip. I am alone in the girl's bathroom on the third floor of Kamome Academy, about to perform the ritual to summon Hanako-san the bathroom ghost."

I quickly jotted down a few notes in my book and continued. "Urban legend states she is the World War II era spirit of a young girl who died during an air raid. This urban legend varies, but the summoning ritual is about the same."

"Alright, let's get this session started!" I turned to the third bathroom stall, which happened to be the one nearest the window, and took a moment to focus my attention on the task at hand.

When I was ready, I stepped forward and confidently knocked three times on the partially open door. "Hanako, Hanako, Hanako, are you there?"

There was a moment of stillness before my heart leaped into my chest as I watched a hand curl around the stall door. Startled, I quickly pushed the door open and saw -

Nothing.

"Oh boy, I'm seeing things now… Garry and Jason are gonna have a blast teasing me with this footage…"

Suddenly, I sensed a presence just behind my left ear.

"Well hi there!"

I spun around and stumbled right through the thing that had materialized behind me. I stared in disbelief at the floating apparition while it just smiled back down at me.

"H-... Hanako-san?"

"Hanako-kun." The spirit corrected me with more than a hint of irritation in his voice.

I quickly gathered myself. "So, you're a guy!"

"That's right! And who might you be?"

"My name is Sara Faye, and I'm a paranormal researcher and student interested in the occult."

"Ohh, excellent! No wonder you summoned me. Say, Sara, you're not from Japan, are you?"

"No, I'm from America, but my brothers and I are on a study abroad trip, and we decided to investigate some of Japan's spirits while we're here." I gathered my phone from the floor. "I was hoping to get some footage or ESP of you...I guess you could call it an interview!"

"You wanted to interview me?!"

"Yeah! Well, we think ghosts are cool, but Japan has some of the coolest apparitions we've ever heard of!"

"You think I'm cool? Ahaha, I like you already, Sara!"

"You seem pretty likeable yourself! So, will you let me ask you a few questions? I promise I won't bother you for too long!"

"You're not bothering me at all! But first, let me ask you a question, Sara~"

“What’s that?”

Hanako floated closer to me and I forced a nervous smile.

“What are you going to wish for?”

I blinked. “Huh? A wish…?”

“Yes! I am a wish-granting apparition after all!”

“Well...I don’t really need anything. Maybe you can save that wish for someone in need?”

“No can do, Sara, it has to be you!”

“Lucky me… What happens if I don’t make a wish?”

Hanako leaned in even closer over me and I took a step back. “Oh, then I‘ll just haunt you forever! Doesn’t that sound like fuuuun?~’

“No!” I quickly replied. “I mean, that isn’t necessary. I’ll make a wish.”

Hanako cheered. “Hooray! What’ll it be?”

“Okay...don’t laugh, but…” I averted my gaze. “I’ve always wanted to be able to shapeshift into an animal and back… Can you do that?”

“Ohh sure! What kind of animal?”

“I mean, any animal could be cool-“

“Any animal you say?”

I did not like that smirk. “A ferret, I’ll go with a ferret.” I clarified.

“Then you’re in luck! I have just the thing. I can grant you the ability to shapeshift, but you seem nice so I’ll tell you that this kind of transformation comes with a price.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of price?”

“I can’t tell you until it’s done~”

“Of course…” I thought it over for a moment. I was frustrated by how flustered I felt under Hanako’s gaze. “...Alright, I’ll do it. Perhaps with my ferret abilities, I’ll be able to learn more about spirits and help them.”

“Aww, how very noble of you! Now...swallow this!” Hanako held out an upturned fist and opened his hand. In his palm, I spotted a small silver bell.

“Huh?” Although my hand passed right through his, I felt the bell in my own hand. I brought it to my ear and shook it, but it didn’t ring. This crazy ghost wanted me to eat a piece of metal? “You’re...kidding, right?”

“I’m very serious! It’s a small bell, so you shouldn’t choke!”

Joy. How reassuring.

I hesitantly put the bell onto my tongue and forced it down like a pill. A pill that tasted like metal, blech!

“Sara! I’m impressed! Have you done this before?”

I coughed a little and shook my head. “No, I haven’t. Am I...able to transform now?”

“Not quite yet. You see, there’s one little thing I need to do on my end before you can shapeshift.” Hanako opened his other hand, and I saw a tiny silver clapper in his palm. I watched him bring the clapper to his mouth and push it onto his tongue under his thumb.

Why is he staring me down like that???

“What’s the point of this?”

“You’ll see… Aww, why are you blushing so much all of the sudden? Hm?~”

“I-I’m not- Hey, don’t change the subject!”

Hanako continued to stare me down as he closed his mouth and loudly gulped down the clapper with ease. He stroked down his throat and across his chest to his stomach as if to trace the small item’s descent.

What was with this teasing attitude??

Hanako half-lidded his eyes. “You should start to feel a little woozy in 3...2...1~”

I started to form a question in my throat, but before I could open my mouth, everything went black.

-

“...sleep in this. I know you’re going to love it!”

I slowly opened my eyes and nearly jumped out of my skin. There was an angry, sharp-toothed ghost about to swallow me whole!!

“Sara, it’s okay!”

I turned towards the voice and found Hanako peering down at me, looking much larger than he had before… Hang on! Why was I in a cage?! I noticed soft pet bedding, a water bottle and bowl filled with pellets, and various kinds of enrichment toys. Upon closer inspection, the hungry ghost I’d seen turned out to be some kind of felt hide for small animals like guinea pigs or rabbits or...ferrets?

“Was the ghost-shaped hut too much? I thought you might like it! When you sleep or hide, it’ll be like you’re getting eaten by a ghost!” Hanako gleefully explained.

I’d realized of course that Hanako hadn’t grown and that I wasn’t trapped inside a giant cage, but that I had shrunk and I was in a regular-sized animal cage… I gasped and quickly looked down at my hands, only to find that I had two fuzzy, claw-tipped paws!

“Oh! It worked!” I twisted my noodle body around to get a good look at my tail and brushed my paws across my fuzzy muzzle and round ears. Around my neck was a small collar with a bell that actually rang.

“So...how do I change back and forth?”

“Like this!”

I squeaked when I felt Hanako’s hands wrap around my waist and lift me out. “Y-you can touch me?! But you’re a spirit!”

“And you are now officially my familiar. Hooray!” Hanako gently placed me on the window sill and booped my nose.

I felt myself grow into my normal human form, now with the addition of ferret ears, tail, and collar that had grown with me. “...Familiar?! Like a witch with her black cat?” I grabbed my ferret ears. “Are these my price?”

“No, silly! You still have a fully human form that I can choose to put you in. Your price is that you are now my subordinate, and I am your master!”

“Hold on…’master?!’”

“Yes?~”

“No way am I going to be a servant to someone who’s younger than me!”

“Oh Sara, I've got at least fifty years on you! And I said subordinate, not servant. We’re going to have so much fun!”

“...My brothers are gonna kill me. And what will my parents say when I go back home to America?!”

“All in good time! For now, I’d like you to start by...cleaning up the bathroom here!”

“Uh-uh, no way! I’m out!” I pushed away from the sill and started for the exit, but on my way to the door, I felt myself shrink. Instead of turning into a ferret again, I became the size of a fairy, still with the ears and tail.

“Look how cute you are!”

“Shut up, you-“ As I spun around to throw a tiny temper tantrum at him, I jumped backwards when I saw a black mist materialize between the ghost and myself. “What’s that?!”

Hanako disappeared and reappeared behind me and scooped me up into his hands. “It’s a witch, and she’s come to try and retrieve you as her familiar.”

I watched between his fingers as the mist formed itself into a pale woman in a bloodred yukata and wooden sandals. She had long black hair, devil horns, and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“Damn ghost!” The witch hissed at us. “Return my precious Mister Buttons to me at once!”

Excuse me? Mister Buttons???

“I prefer the term apparition, madam. And I’m afraid your dear Mister Buttons belongs to me now. His soul may rest inside this girl, but she’s my familiar. Sara is bound to me!”

“Fool! You’ll pay for this!” The witch howled in rage and advanced towards us.

At the sight of her flying towards me, I made some sort of ferret noise in my throat and scrambled against Hanako’s uniform, desperate to find somewhere dark to hide.

Hanako repeatedly dodged the witch swiftly, almost teasingly. “Hmm, she’s not going to give up easily, is she? Maybe this will get the message across.”

“What?!” I writhed in protest as Hanako pinched the back of my shirt and lifted me into the air above him. When I looked down, I was dangling inches above his open mouth. My ferret senses flipped at being so high up in the hand of a ghost floating rather close to the ceiling.

“Put me down!”

“Okay!~” Hanako let go of me and I dropped feet-first into his mouth.

That’s not what I meant! As soon as I landed on his tongue, his mouth closed around me and a powerful, loud swallow tugged me down into his throat. He swallowed again and the contracting muscles pulled me further down even as I dug my elbows in and tried to back pedal.

I heard a muffled screech from the witch before I felt Hanako lunge forward, and I cursed gravity and ghostly throats as I continued to slide downward.

After what felt like forever but was probably mere seconds, I abruptly squeezed into a slightly larger, pitch-black space and lay still. His stomach contracted only once around me as a chill started to seep into my skin.

“You...you ate me?! A ghost...ate me?!”

“I prefer apparition, an apparition ate you. Our little show seemed to have worked. The witch got distracted and I managed to banish her - for now, at least. Now, I do hope you enjoy your stay~”

I twitched when I felt his hands rubbing in at me. “My stay? What do you mean? She’s gone, isn’t she? So let me out! This is way too weird!”

“Is it? Well then, why are you blushing so much?”

“How did you kn- I’m not blushing! Spit me out!!” I started to kick at the walls to let him know I meant it, but it seemed to backfire.

“Oh my,, that feels nice~”

“Let me out! It’s s-so cold in here!”

“Aww, fine, you’re no fun.”

Light returned in a dazzling intensity as Hanako dematerialized around me and I found myself high above the floor and falling fast. Hanako reappeared floating beneath me and caught me in his palms.

“Since you’re out of my tummy where you wouldn’t have to do anything, you can get started on cleaning the bathroom.” He let me fall again and I landed on my feet having gone from funsize Sara to full-size Sara.

“...Where’s the mop?” I muttered.