Chapter 5: Our Bedroom

I’ve been continuing to handle the moving paperwork and post-relocation procedures.

And it hit me just now—Kanata is listed as the homeowner, and I’m the cohabitant. That means this is… living together, right? No matter how you look at it, that’s exactly what it is.

And when you add the fact that it’s a 30-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl with “complicated circumstances,” it really starts to feel like I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing.

I wonder what Kanata really thinks about living together with me.

Is it just because we’re best friends and nothing more? But my body is a girl’s now. Expecting someone not to be conscious of that feels unreasonable.

So then… how does Kanata see me? As a girl? No, if he actually saw me as a girl, he probably wouldn’t have agreed to live together in the first place.

Most likely, it’s like with his little sister, Ibuki-chan. Sure, she’s a girl, but she’s “special.” Kanata treats Ibuki-chan not as a girl but simply as his sister. That must be it.

In other words, even though I’m physically a girl, Kanata treats me as his best friend—and that’s why we’re living together.

Kanata told me, “Don’t let your heart become a girl too.” Meaning, if I let myself mentally become a girl, he’d kick me out. So that’s something I absolutely have to avoid.

But then… what does “mentally becoming a girl” even mean? I get the “don’t cheat” part, sure, but what kind of “girl” does Kanata dislike, exactly?

Either way, as long as I don’t get into a relationship with anyone, it should be fine, right? Yeah… probably.

So, in that sense, there’s no way Kanata and I would end up dating, and there’s nothing to worry about.

As for me, what do I think of Kanata? Well, he’s my best friend—at least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But when I think back on recent events, it feels like I’ve started becoming more conscious of him as the opposite sex… Like my feelings are slowly shifting in that direction.

It’s strange… I used to be a 30-year-old guy, and yet just a month and a half into being a woman, I’m already this affected by it?

Come to think of it, no matter what Kanata thinks, I do feel like he treats me like a girl.

He matches his walking pace to mine, carries heavy things for me, and even escorted me to the station the very first time we met.

And despite me being a former guy, he doesn’t find me gross or uncomfortable to be around.

Even when he teases me a little—it’s mild, almost like he’s being considerate in his own way.

When it comes to sleeping, Kanata’s still been using my room’s bed, just like before.

Honestly, I’ve started thinking, “Maybe we should just keep it this way,” and decided on my own to leave things as they are.

Today, the furniture finally arrived—the beds, sofa, and other stuff. I had Kanata’s semi-double bed brought into my room and set up there.

Now, my single bed and his semi-double bed are lined up side by side, with a small gap between them.

It’s officially turned into our bedroom. The room’s a little cramped now, sure, but hey, this works!

We’ll mostly be spending time in the living room anyway, so it should be fine. Totally fine.

I was so giddy about it that I couldn’t stop smiling, glancing back at the two beds, tidying up the room while practically floating on air.

But…

By the time Kanata came home, I’d gradually returned to my senses.

When I looked at the two beds side by side in my room, a chill ran down my spine.

What the hell was I so excited about!?

I mean, come on, no matter how close we are, lining up beds in the same room and getting happy about it? That’s not something a 30-year-old man should be doing!

So, what then…? Should we sleep in separate rooms?

No… That’s impossible for me right now.

What the hell is this feeling? It’s messed up… feels gross, honestly. If I didn’t look like a girl, I think I’d actually feel nauseous.

I guess earlier, the “girl” side of me was winning, and now the “man” side is. This never used to happen before.

It all started after I met Kanata. Ever since then, this “girl” part of me has been surfacing more and more.

But that’s not the only reason. It’s been a month now. I’ve had my period, gotten used to dressing like a girl, stopped feeling disgusted by it… Kanata treats me like a girl, strangers mistake us for a married couple, even the paperwork makes it feel like we’re cohabiting for real.

And the thing is, I don’t hate being treated like a girl. I don’t even dislike being mistaken for Kanata’s wife.

In fact… I kind of like it.

Even the “man” in me doesn’t mind, not really. I guess it just makes sense given how I look now.

But this—this is different. Setting Kanata’s bed next to mine, ignoring what he wanted… The “man” in me says this is too much. The old me would’ve never done something like this.

And yet, now the beds are heavy and I can’t move them back.

He’s going to be mad. There’s no getting around it.

Hell, he might even find it gross, the same way I do right now.

God, what have I done?

All that bubbly excitement from earlier crashed down hard, and I ended up curling into a ball on the sofa, waiting anxiously for Kanata to come home.

Kanata finally came back. I jolted in surprise, almost bolting to my room, but I couldn’t avoid this conversation forever.

I greeted him at the entrance and nervously confessed about moving the bed into my room.

Honestly, I was expecting a fight. Actually, no—if it was just a fight, that’d be better.

After all, Kanata had specifically decided where his bed should go, and I’d completely ignored that, dragging it into my room without asking.

"Welcome back, Kana… I need to talk to you about something…"

"I’m back, Nobu. What’s up? What’s this about?"

"The sofa and beds arrived today, and… about the bed’s placement…"

"Don’t tell me… you put it in your room, didn’t you?"

"!? …How did you know?"

"So you really did put it there… unbelievable."

Why did he figure it out? I never said a word about it.

Kanata sighed, then with a "good grief" kind of look, he ruffled my hair.

"Given the way you’ve been acting lately, the moment you brought up the bed, what else could it have been?"

"Sorry… I thought you’d be mad since I did it without asking."

"You… If you were still that 30-year-old guy, I would’ve been mad and told you to move it back. But since you’re a girl now, I’ll let it slide. It’s just for sleeping anyway. …But if you’re really that lonely, how about actually ‘sleeping’ together?"

"!? H-hey, don’t joke about stuff like that, it’s not funny."

"Hah, I’m only half-joking. But seriously, if you ever do get lonely, I don’t mind. Young, cute girls are always welcome."

My heart skipped, part of me happy he called me cute, while at the same time I felt guilty and uneasy. Still, I had to say what needed to be said.

"Yeah… Kana, sorry for setting up the beds together without asking. And… thanks for letting it go."

"Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only forgiving you because you’re a cute girl now."

"I know… I get it. But… am I really that cute?"

"…You need to be more aware of yourself. The way you dress has gotten more girly, you’ve learned makeup, you’re nothing like when you first showed up here."

"I see… so I’m really cute, huh~"

Being complimented like that made me happy and embarrassed at the same time. Cute, huh… Maybe I should take another look in the mirror later.

"Don’t get carried away. You’d better reflect on what you did. And don’t forget—you’re still Nobu."

With that, Kanata pulled his hand away and gave me a karate-chop on the head.

"Ow, come on, I get it already!"

"So? How’s the setup look?"

He peeked into my room.

"At least you didn’t shove the beds together… If you had, I’d be creeped out and told you to separate them."

"Of course not, I wouldn’t go that far. But look, the space in here is a mess now. It’s practically just a bedroom."

"You’re the one who did this. At this point, it’s not your room anymore—it’s our bedroom."

"Well, there’s still closet and storage space, so I can just squeeze my clothes in somehow."

"If it gets too cramped, tell me. My room’s open now."

"Okay, I’ll say something if it comes to that."

"Alright, I’ll go change, then I’ll make dinner."

"Got it."

Tonight was my turn to cook.

We take turns making meals, morning through night. Though honestly, I’m still a beginner, so Kanata usually helps me out.

I can barely manage something like half-decent fried eggs or a simple miso soup on my own. So at least I’ve gotten to the point where I can handle breakfast by myself.

But even fried eggs are tricky—I still burn them, or leave them too runny. Not once have they come out right.

Still, Kanata eats them anyway, which makes me want to get it right the next time.

As for dinner, we usually stand side by side in the kitchen, cutting vegetables and meat. Kanata always points out the dos and don’ts, teaching me how to handle things properly. But since the knife is so sharp, it’s dangerous—I’ve cut myself more than a few times.

Carefully, slowly, keeping a firm grip… It’s way harder than I imagined. I’ve come to really respect people who can cook.

I’m still only trusted with chopping; I haven’t gotten as far as stir-frying yet.

Sometimes, Kanata even puts his hand over mine to guide me, showing me safer ways to cut.

Now, wearing an apron, I set a frying pan on low heat for the eggs and took out four.

I coated the pan with oil, let it spread, then cracked the eggs in.

Good, so far so good. Next came sprinkling pepper, then covering with a lid, checking the doneness now and then.

Technically, you’re not supposed to peek so much, but the first time I didn’t look, I ended up burning them badly, so now Kanata insists I check occasionally.

Huh? This time… they actually look pretty good.

I waited for the right moment, then slid them onto plates. Oh… this time I might’ve actually nailed it. Or at least… it looks that way.

Though they still might be undercooked, so I can’t let my guard down yet.

I ended up making four fried eggs, as usual.

Since I’m still practicing, whenever it’s my turn, there are always four “fried-egg-like things” lined up on a plate by the end.

Kanata never complains—even when they’re half-burnt. …Well, okay, if they’re really burnt, he makes a bit of a face. But he still eats them without a word, and when I manage to get them right, he praises me. And honestly… that makes me really happy.

This time, out of four, two came out perfectly. The other two were a little runny and slightly burnt, but still within the safe zone.

When I finished the eggs and glanced to the side, Kanata was chopping vegetables, prepping for the stir-fry.

Watching him cook, I realized something I hadn’t before: just how much of a difference seasonings can make.

Especially the ones we use most—mirin, cooking sake, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Those five are essential, and depending on the amounts, timing, and how long you stir-fry, the taste can change completely.

Now that I’m on the cooking side of things, I really get it. Cooking is kind of… amazing.

Dinner was ready.

Kanata complimented my fried eggs, saying even the runny ones were “perfectly soft” and “really good.” That alone made the effort worth it.

He used to always put sauce on them, but lately he switches things up—soy sauce, pepper, even salt sometimes. Probably because whenever I cook, two fried eggs are guaranteed, and he’s trying not to get bored of the taste.

Kanata’s stir-fried vegetables were, of course, delicious. I couldn’t help but think, Man, I want to be able to cook like this someday…

Tomorrow’s breakfast would be the leftover stir-fry, miso soup, and, of course, fried eggs.

After dinner, we sat side by side on the new sofa, relaxing and chatting about how comfy it was.

After a bath and a little gaming, it was getting late—time to sleep.

We turned off the lights in the living room and headed to the bedroom together.

Yes. Our bedroom now. Not just mine anymore.

Suddenly, I felt nervous.

It’s not like we were sleeping in the same bed or anything. We’d already spent plenty of nights in the same room. But somehow, tonight felt… different.

Two beds, side by side, but not touching. Just enough space between them for one person to pass.

The distance was the same as before—maybe even slightly more—but still…

Sleeping at the same height, on beds lined up evenly. That meant when we lay down, our eyes would naturally meet.

And we could see each other more clearly now.

That thought made me both relaxed and uneasy.

"Feels kinda fresh, huh? Before, from the lower bed, I couldn’t really see your face," Kanata said casually.

"Y-yeah… I get what you mean. It does feel kind of new. Our eyes meet so easily now…"

Kanata went quiet for a moment, as if thinking about something.

"Tomorrow’s Saturday. I was planning to head out for a bit—want to come?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah, sure. Not like I’ve got much to do if I stay here, so I’ll tag along."

"Alright. We’ll leave before lunch, so be ready."

"Got it. I’ll prepare."

"Okay then… I’m turning in. ’Night."

"…’Night."

Kanata turned to face the other way and soon drifted off to sleep.

Maybe he was a little embarrassed too. But because he turned his back to me, the tension in my chest slowly eased.

And just like that, I fell asleep too.