Chapter 5: In My Natural Form

I decided to go to my room on the second floor to grab a change of clothes before taking a bath.

Opening the door at the end of the hallway after climbing the stairs, the sight before me was completely unchanged from a year ago—back when I’d left for the school trip.

Being in this space made me feel like the past year might have all been a dream—I grew dizzy.

"So this is Ikuto’s room? It’s very tidy."

Alicia’s relaxed voice pulled me back to reality.
…No, this past year wasn’t a dream.

"I cleaned up before the trip. Plus, Yuna and Mom must’ve been dusting it off now and then."

As I spoke, I flopped onto the bed.
The gentle bounce of the springs cradled my body.
I remembered how beds in the other world had no springs—flopping onto one like this had just left me sore.

"Fwah! What is this bed? It’s so soft! …So fluffy!"

The futon smelled of sunlight, proof that it had been aired out occasionally.
I wondered what Mom had been thinking while hanging up her missing son’s futon for nearly a year… The thought made my eyes sting.
…I should be a better son.

Just as I was rolling around lazily, Yuuna came to let me know the bath was ready.

I pulled out a change of clothes from the dresser—a T-shirt and joggers that should fit well enough, and as for underwear, I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs. The elastic was sturdy, so it’d probably work… hopefully.

Heading downstairs to the washroom, the moment I opened the door, Alicia gasped in surprise.

"Wow, such a huge mirror! And so clean!"

Our washroom had a full-wall mirror, reducing the cramped feeling while leaving plenty of space for two people to use it comfortably—one of our home’s proudest features.
Mornings often saw the girls jostling for space in front of it, but the layout made getting ready a breeze.

Alicia seemed to like it too. Now that I thought about it, the mirrors in the other world had been pretty low-quality. Not that I’d paid much attention—appearance hadn’t exactly been a priority.

Setting down the clothes, I took a long look at Alicia’s reflection in the mirror.
Her appearance was undeniably childlike—enough to qualify for kid’s pricing without question.
Which was exactly why I couldn’t help but feel hesitation and guilt over what I was about to do: undress her until she was completely naked.

Even though I’d accepted this as my own body, actually stripping down now made my resolve waver.

"…Aren’t you going to undress?"

As if sensing my hesitation, Alicia urged me on.

"…Yeah, I will."

Turning my back to the mirror, I started removing my clothes.
First, I slipped out of the robe, pulling it over my head after rolling up the hem.
Next, I let the slip underneath slide off my shoulders.
All that remained was a bra—or rather, a soft chest wrap—and with a deep breath, I took that off too.

The fabric brushing against my stiffened nipples made me acutely aware of them.
…Every time that pink hue entered my vision, my mind grew restless.

Now that my upper half was bare, it was time for the lower half.
First, I untied the drawstring of the bloomers and let them fall—revealing only soft folds with no trace of hair.
Then came the struggle with the garter belt, until Alicia, taking pity on me, showed me how to remove it.

Finally naked, I tried to head for the bathroom while avoiding my reflection.

"Ikuto, wait a moment."

But Alicia stopped me.

"…What is it?"

"Stand facing the mirror."

"But if I do that, I’ll see your—no, my—"

"Look."

"…Huh?"

"You’ve been avoiding it this whole time. You need to properly see yourself as you are now."

"…Fine."

Resigned, I turned and stood before the mirror.

There I was—Alicia—standing awkwardly in my natural form.

Silver hair cascading to my waist, porcelain-like skin, adorable dark brown eyes, plush little lips, the faint swell of my chest crowned by shy pink peaks, smooth stomach leading down to unadorned folds between my thighs, and healthy, toned legs.

This was the first time I’d ever truly looked at a woman’s naked form—one that wasn’t family—and it was so beautiful, I couldn’t help but stare.

"…Are you getting turned on?"

Alicia’s voice made me fluster, as if she’d seen right through my impure thoughts.

"N-no way I'd...!"

"It's alright. You were originally a man, Ikuto. I've heard it's normal for men to react this way. Despite appearances, I am an adult, you know."

In that other world, both men and women came of age at 15. Since they were expected to bear children soon after marriage, it made sense Alicia would possess such knowledge. Yet the dissonance between this awareness and her typically childish demeanor left me flustered regardless.

"...Besides...I might actually be happy...if this body could make you feel that way..."

The way she trailed off into near-inaudible whispers at the end was downright unfair.

"Your body is beautiful, Alicia. It's...very alluring."

That was my genuine feeling.
I'm absolutely not a lolicon...it just happens the person I fell for looks slightly youthful. Let me reiterate - Alicia was literally born on the same day as me.

"This body belongs to you now, Ikuto. You may look or touch as you please. So please don't strain yourself hiding those desires."

Though hesitant, I nodded at Alicia's words. Then tentatively touched my left hand to my chest.

Not particularly large, but a softly yielding presence filled my palm. When I experimentally moved my fingers, the pliant, addictive texture nearly made me want to keep kneading.

"...Nn...!"

At Alicia's breathy whimper, I jerked my hand away. The mirror showed her with faintly flushed cheeks...and unless I imagined it, those pink tips seemed even more taut than before.