Chapter 5: These Two Are Reliable

The day after that P.E. class, Koharu-chan invited me to walk home together, and the four of us ended up going back as a group.

The four were: Koharu-chan, Aokuu-kun, me, and… that one.

I mean, it was an invitation from Koharu-chan. I couldn't exactly say no. And Aokuu-kun was coming too—well, even more reason.

Still, to be honest, I did feel a little guilty about it.

It’s not like I’m dating that one or anything. If anything, it’s more like I’m being forced to be around them.

But people have been getting the wrong idea about our relationship, and it’s awkward to correct them, so I just play along.

Yeah, that’s on me for not speaking up properly.

And after what happened in P.E., sticking close to that one has turned into a kind of defense from the girls. So now, separating from them actually seems dangerous.

I mean, seriously—they’re the cause of all this, and now I have to stay with them for safety? Isn't that the very definition of a setup?

Could this be that one’s idea of bullying? Is this bullying? Are they secretly smirking while watching me struggle?

Because when I was a guy, we had zero interaction. There’s even a chance they’re just having fun teasing the me that’s now a girl.

That said, even though it was kinda forced, that one did create a place for me when I had nowhere to belong after turning into a girl. I guess I should be thankful.

Even if I can’t exactly say it honestly, considering how all this started.

“Let’s go.”

That one—Murakumo-kun—called out to me.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Once is enough.”

Huh? That little exchange somehow felt nostalgic. And his voice—he sounded kinda happy?

When I looked up, he wasn’t wearing his usual blank expression. There was the faintest smile on his face.

Seeing that smile made something in my chest skip a beat.

Wh–wha!? Who is this guy!? Is this the power of contrast!? Is contrast the real king of charm!?

Usually he’s so emotionless and blunt with that sharp gaze of his, but this time, his face lit up with something close to joy. He could totally pass for a refreshing pretty boy like this.

He actually made my heart skip a beat! Even though I’m a guy!!

…Wait, right. I’m a girl now. But!! My mind’s still male!!

Don’t get the wrong idea!! That reaction was just from the contrast, okay!?

—So this is what it’s like to learn firsthand just how powerful a smile from a normally expressionless hot guy can be.

Even though we said we were going home together, it was really just until the nearest station. After that, we’d be parting ways.

So we decided to hang out at a café near the station for a bit before heading off.

The four of us sat at a table, couples side-by-side.

Well, I wasn’t part of any couple though?

“Hey, Haru-chan. Your hair’s so straight and silky. I’ve got a bit of a wave to mine, so I’m kinda jealous.”

Curly hair, huh? Yeah, I can imagine that’s a pain to take care of. Thanks to my thin and naturally obedient hair, all I really do is run a comb through it. For how long it is, it doesn’t take much effort at all.

That said, Koharu-chan’s brown hair had a bit of a wave to it, and it was just as long as mine—down to her back.

To me, it looked really cute. From behind, even a guy might fall for her just based on that alone.

“Can I touch it?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Koharu-chan asked, and I answered. I figured my hair wouldn’t mind if she was the one touching it.

She picked up the ends of my hair, gently stroking and admiring it.

Seemed like she really liked the texture of it.

“I actually like Koharu’s hair, you know. I mean, I don’t dislike Haru-chan’s either,”

That was Aokuu-kun, her boyfriend, chiming in with a smooth follow-up—covering for both girls. Though I didn’t really need the compliment, it did show his attentiveness.

Earlier, Aokuu-kun had been calling me “Amare-chan,” but when Koharu-chan heard that, she asked him, “Can I call you Haru-chan too, like Nozomu does?”

I didn’t really have a reason to say no, so I said, “Sure,” and just like that, Koharu-chan told Aokuu-kun, “You should call her Haru-chan too!” And he agreed, switching to “Haru-chan” from then on.

“I’m going with this one,”

Saying that, Murakumo-kun reached over, grabbed a lock of my hair, and after feeling the texture, leaned in to sniff it.

“Yeah, of course you would. But seriously, dude—don’t just go around touching girls’ hair without asking. That’ll get you hated.”

Aokuu-kun pointed at Murakumo-kun and called him out.

“Ah, n-no, it’s fine. I’m used to Murakumo-kun touching me, and it’s not like I hate it or anything.”

I didn’t want the atmosphere to get tense, so I ended up defending Murakumo-kun’s actions without thinking.

Well, it’s true that I’m used to it, and I don’t feel any particular discomfort about having my hair touched.

Maybe that just means I still don’t fully see myself as a girl. Not that I have any plans to embrace that identity anyway.

“And besides—Haru belongs to me.”

Saying that, Murakumo-kun pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

Ugh. Okay, even I found that a bit much.

“You’ve got to say no when you don’t like something, Haru-chan~”

Was it showing on my face? Koharu-chan gently spoke up, worried.

She was right. So I pushed Murakumo-kun away a little and decided to speak up.

“Murakumo-kun, doing stuff like that in a place like this is kinda…”

There was no deeper meaning behind it.

I just meant that kind of thing wasn’t appropriate here, in public. I didn’t mean it would be fine in another place.

But maybe the way I said it was misleading, because Murakumo-kun let go of me and said:

“Then later.”

He gently patted my head.

That’s not what I meant!! That’s not what I meant at all!!

“Wait, I didn’t—”

“Hey, you two, don’t get all lovey-dovey in front of me. I won’t be able to hold back either.”

Aokuu-kun said dramatically, flinging his arms wide and lunging toward Koharu-chan in an exaggerated move.

Koharu-chan smiled and calmly took both his hands, wrapping them with her own like she was soothing a wild beast.

“Right, Haru-chan? We’re all here, so let’s just enjoy chatting as a group.”

Feeling a little guilty, I brushed Murakumo-kun aside and joined in on the group conversation.

Not that I took the lead or anything—I mostly just listened or asked questions now and then. Murakumo-kun, as usual, barely said a word or two about any topic.

Still, despite that, I felt like I managed to get closer to Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun.

As for names—mainly at Koharu-chan’s request—we decided Aokuu-kun would go by “Nozomu-kun” from now on.

Then we made plans to hang out as a group of four during the next holiday. I had nothing scheduled anyway, a totally empty weekend with nothing in particular I wanted to do, so I happily accepted.

After about two hours of chatting, we said goodbye to Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun.

I waved, and they waved back. That small, simple exchange made me unexpectedly happy.

They’re both really good people. Being with them was fun, and their closeness as a couple really came through.

Honestly, I was a little jealous of Nozomu-kun. If I had a girlfriend like that…

Well, these days I don’t really want a girlfriend, strangely enough.

More like—I want friends. Yeah. That’s it. I wanted friends.

For someone like me, who lost everything after becoming a girl, Koharu-chan is my first real friend.

And I’m glad that friend turned out to be someone as kind as her.

If I had to nitpick one thing, though… I glanced to the side and sighed.

If only she wasn’t associated with him.

At the same time, it’s thanks to him that this happened, too. It frustrates me to admit it, but maybe I do owe him something. That just makes my feelings all the more complicated.

“…That was nice.”

I heard a quiet voice say.

Huh? I looked up.

“You made a friend.”

Ah. So that’s what he meant.

So he has been thinking about me in his own way, huh?

Maybe I was underestimating him… just a tiny bit.

“Alright, let’s head home.”

I called out to Murakumo-kun.

“Yeah, guess it’s about that time.”

He replied.

Huh? Go? Where? We’re just going home… right?

At that moment, I had completely forgotten about the careless thing I’d said earlier.