"Well, technically, it's supposed to be a hug that does it." If Ayame had fingers right now, he'd be doing air-quotes. Unfortunately, as a snake, he was rather short on hands. "A hug from a member of the opposite gender, that is; I don't transform if I'm hugged by a boy. And in practice, one arm on either side of the body counts as a hug."

He paused for a moment, considering the second part of her question. "... you know, I'm not really sure how the family was cursed. It's been that way for generations, but I'm not sure how it started."