Chapter 2: Moving and Living Together

TS Syndrome changes your sex and basically makes you younger. So when you go to the hospital and get checked, the results usually say something like “equivalent to XX years old.” And if someone with TS Syndrome ends up in a minor’s body, they get restricted by age-based regulations. Anything considered harmful to minors is a no-go—mainly things like smoking and alcohol. Because this became widely known, society began treating TS patients with underage bodies the same way they treat actual minors. The fact that they look young only reinforces this. Obviously, a visibly underage-looking girl hanging around with adults tends to leave a bad impression.

Even if the person is legally recognized as an adult, to everyone else, they just look like a kid. That’s how society works.

The moving was solved by renting a van over the weekend and having Kanata drive it. That said, Kanata’s apartment was only a 1LDK, so there wasn’t much room for stuff. I’d been living alone in the dorms, and now that I’d become a girl, I couldn’t wear most of my old clothes. I’d already thrown out a lot of my guy’s clothes, so I didn’t have much baggage anyway. We managed to get everything done in one trip.

Kanata said he had somewhere to go, so I just tagged along.

It was a real estate agency specializing in rental apartments. He walked right in. Looks like he’d already scoped out a place and had one in mind.

"Since we can’t live together in my current place, I’m planning to rent a 2LDK. You’ll just have to deal with that."

"Wait a second. You’re moving just for me? I mean, I’m fine with the old place, you know."

"No, that place is for living alone. With two people now, we’d have to leave anyway. Besides, think about it—don’t you think it’d look suspicious if a thirty-year-old single guy suddenly has a teenage girl coming and going from his apartment? When I said I’d look after you, I meant that too."

"…Got it."

If he put it that way, I couldn’t argue. Yeah, if a young girl suddenly started hanging around a single guy’s apartment, that’d definitely look sketchy. And since living together means moving is unavoidable, I could only accept it. It’s not like I was going to find another job right away anyway. Honestly, I didn’t expect Kanata to go this far and take on the trouble of looking after me. I felt sorry—but also kind of happy. If it had been me, I probably would’ve hesitated and failed to give an answer so quickly. Heck, I might’ve even refused outright.

"Also, when the agent’s with us, don’t say anything unnecessary."

"Huh? …Alright."

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I figured it out once we went to see the place and he started talking with the agent. While I was looking around at the layout—

"Your companion is very pretty. Is she your daughter?"

"Does it really look that way? She’s my girlfriend."

Kanata replied instantly, without missing a beat. I almost shouted out in surprise. The agent gave me a doubtful look. When I glanced back at Kanata, he was glaring at me with sharp eyes—basically saying “play along.” I figured he must have some reason for this. So I said—

"Yes, I’m Kana’s girlfriend."

The agent smoothly moved on with, "I see, well, you two look good together."

Later, Kanata explained that pairs like us, who look like we have a large age gap, are often treated as suspicious. We didn’t look quite far enough apart to pass as father and daughter, but depending on how we answered, the agent’s response could’ve been different. In the worst case, they might not have rented the place at all. Luckily, Kanata was single, and since I played along and said we were dating, it worked out. He even praised me for naturally calling him “Kana.”

And just like that, we managed to secure a 2LDK rental with parking included. One of the rooms was free for me to use however I liked, which was a huge help. I was honestly grateful.

The move was scheduled for next Friday. We’d have to rent another van for that.

After returning the van, we went back to Kanata’s place. It was only for a week, but this was where I’d be staying. …Yeah, after seeing that 2LDK, this place definitely felt cramped.

"Hey, Kana. About the new place—I’ll chip in too. Just ten thousand yen a month, though."

"Hmm… Well, you don’t really have to, but I’ll take it. Otherwise, you’d feel awkward about living for free, right?"

"Exactly. I don’t plan on becoming your freeloader."

"As for tomorrow—you’re free, right, Nobu? You’re coming shopping with me."

"Huh? Sure, but what are we buying?"

"You’ll find out tomorrow."

"Look, same goes for the new place—at least talk to me beforehand. Dropping things on me out of nowhere is rough, you know."

"My bad, my bad. But if I’d told you in advance, you would’ve opposed the move. That’s why I kept it to myself."

"Well… yeah, I probably would have. But still, let me know next time."

"Fair enough. I’ll keep it in mind."

"This guy has no intention of changing…"

Dinner was made by Kanata, and we ate together.

His parents had divorced, and back when he was a student, he lived with his father and younger sister. Because of that, he had handled all the housework and cooking.

"Man, Kana, your cooking’s really good. Being able to eat this every day… that might actually be happiness."

"Nope. We’re taking turns. You’re going to cook too."

"Hah? I’ve never cooked before. I always just buy stuff from the convenience store or the supermarket."

"It’s fine. I taught my sister too. I’ll teach you as well, Nobu."

"You’ve gotta be kidding me…"

Bath time. Since my hair was long now, it took forever to dry, so I went first.

And after my bath, I realized something—I’d only brought in underwear, like always.

In a 1LDK, the only places to hide were here in the changing room or the toilet. Which meant I’d have to step out in front of Kanata, grab clothes from my bag, and then come back here to change.

Think calmly. I see Kanata as a best friend. Kanata sees me as a best friend too—he doesn’t see me as a girl. …Right?

But wait, he did insist on walking me home the other day because I’m a girl now. So he does see me that way, at least partly.

Suddenly, I felt ridiculously embarrassed. Honestly, this was the most embarrassing thing that had happened since I became a girl.

I let out a long sigh. But I had no choice—I couldn’t just crouch here in my underwear forever.

Alright. I had to do this. The more embarrassed I acted, the worse it’d get. If I walked out confident, I’d probably be fine. Besides, Kanata was my best friend. What was there to be embarrassed about? Yeah. I’d be fine. Definitely fine. Okay. Here goes.

I opened the door to the changing room and made a straight line to my bag.

Kanata was looking at his phone, but when he glanced up and saw me, his eyes went wide. His gaze ran up and down my body—then stopped at my crotch, staring.

He’s staring! He’s seriously staring!

I tried not to react and just walked on, even though my bag was right next to him—literally within arm’s reach.

I pulled out clothes from the bag, all the while feeling his gaze glued to me like he was devouring me with his eyes.

He’s staring way too much!

"Nobu—"

I heard him call my name, but I grabbed my clothes and hurried straight back into the changing room without looking at him.

I quickly threw on my clothes and took a few deep breaths.

Damn it. Kanata was staring at my body.

I was insanely embarrassed, my heart was pounding out of control. And a part of me was scared—that maybe he’d try something. The thought crossed my mind.

Crap… what do I do? There’s no way I can face him now. I was scared, in more ways than one.

I had zero confidence that I could spend the rest of the evening peacefully.

I racked my brain until I came up with an idea.

I’ll just play games.

Yeah, that’d work. If I pulled out my console, I could kill time and avoid looking at him.

So that’s what I decided. Once Kanata finished his bath, I’d set it up.

I put on a casual face, stepped out of the changing room, and told him the bath was free.

He gave me a half-hearted response but didn’t move. Then he spoke.

"Nobu, I’ve got a few things I want to say."

"Don’t."

"Just listen. You usually wear oversized clothes, so I never noticed, but today I confirmed it. You really are a girl."

"…What?"

"I mean, I already knew, but when I saw you didn’t have any bulge down there… well, I couldn’t deny it anymore."

"And another thing—your figure is insane. You’ve got big breasts, a slim waist and hips, long legs… it’s beyond just having a good figure. I was mesmerized. You should have more confidence in yourself."

"…"

"You’ve got a really beautiful body. I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow."

"…"

With that, Kanata seemed satisfied, picked up his clothes, and went into the bath.

What the hell… I felt like all the fight had been knocked out of me. Was he staring at my crotch just to confirm that?

And then he went on about my figure—beautiful body, really? No one had ever said that to me before.

Well, sure, I’d been embarrassed about women’s clothes, so I always wore baggy stuff to hide my body line.

But still, hearing him compliment me so blatantly in a sexual way… I couldn’t exactly be happy about it. Okay, maybe a tiny bit.

He also said something weird. "Looking forward to tomorrow"? What’s that supposed to mean?

And come to think of it, even though Kanata’s supposed to distrust women, he really is interested in women’s bodies after all.

That’s… surprising. Kind of strange, actually.

…Wait. That means he just looked at me that way?

…Crap. Oh no. Yeah. Crap.

Honestly, it was kind of gross. Yeah. But the fact that I didn’t feel that strong of a disgust in spite of thinking that… that’s what’s really messed up about me.

Well, I guess it’s only natural for a guy to feel sexual attraction toward a young woman’s body. And me being an old man inside, I kinda get the feeling too. Yeah.

But toward me…? Well, let’s just call it payback for everything Kanata’s done for me. Yeah, that works.

When Kanata got out of the bath, I thought he might bring it up, but he didn’t say a word about it. Which honestly was a relief.

Even so, I still couldn’t meet his eyes, so I busied myself with pulling out my console and setting it up.

"From now on, I’ll be seeing your face every day. Feels kinda like we’re back in high school."

"Yeah, true. After we started working, we barely hung out. Maybe once every two months, if that."

"Yeah. And with everyone else getting married and drifting apart… We’re still friends, but it feels lonely."

"Well, I’m glad you’re still around, Kana. You being nearby’s really helped me out."

"…I mean, sure. But honestly, if I’m being straight with you… I wish this whole thing about you turning into a girl wasn’t real."

My hands froze mid-prep.

"Sorry. That was out of line."

"No… I’m the one who should apologize. I know you didn’t mean it that way. I’m still me—still your best friend Nobu. Sorry."

"…Can’t be helped, huh? I’ll forgive you. Just get used to me already."

"Yeah. You’re right."

Kanata’s scars must run deep. He probably doesn’t want to accept women at all. But he’ll just have to get used to me.

I don’t even have anywhere else to go. Right now, Kanata’s the only one I can rely on.

"Alright. Got it set up. Let’s play some games, for old times’ sake."

"Games, huh? Damn, been years since we last played together."

That night, for the first time in years, the two of us stayed up late gaming and getting excited like we used to.

Little by little, I found myself able to look at his face again. It really did feel like we’d gone back to our student days.

It was fun. So fun that I caught myself wishing—if only every day could be like this.

When it came time to sleep, Kanata insisted I take the bed. I gave in and lay down.

The room was filled with his scent—probably from the pillow.

Not that it was a bad smell. Just… unfamiliar. Which made me notice it all the more.

I couldn’t fall asleep right away. Neither could Kanata, apparently. We ended up talking for a while as we lay there, until eventually, one of us drifted off, and then the other.