Chapter 26: Beautiful Girl, On the Way Back from the Committee

It was Friday afternoon—our first official meeting as members of the Sports Festival Executive Committee. After school, we were supposed to gather in one of the third-year classrooms to divide up the work leading up to the festival. I headed there with Yoshikawa-kun, who had also been chosen as a committee member. When we slid open the classroom door, everyone inside turned their eyes toward me at once.

"Seriously, the Princess is part of the committee!?"

"Good job, first-year!"

That “Princess” nickname… has it really stuck? If someone called me that outside of school, I’d just look like a total weirdo. I really wish they’d stop.

Before long, everyone from the Sports Festival Executive Committee had gathered.

At Mikawa High, the sports festival takes place at the end of May—which means even new students like us have to jump straight into preparations right after enrollment. Naturally, the executive committee has to start early too.

"The Sports Festival will have students from the first to third years divided vertically into five teams. The team with the highest total points wins."

I nodded along—“I see, I see.” There are five classes per year, from A to E, so apparently each team will consist of the A classes from all three years, and so on.

"Also, each executive committee member will serve as part of their team’s cheer squad. Please do your best! The cheer battle also awards points—so it’s an important part of the competition."

A cheer battle? Like, “rah rah, fight!”? You get points for that? Based on how hard you cheer? I didn’t really get it, but I’d prefer not to stand out in front of everyone. Still, there are only six committee members per team…

Once we finished dividing up the pre-festival tasks, we started discussing the cheer battle within our teams. My assigned jobs were checking the equipment and helping set up the grounds on the day of the event.

"I was thinking we should have Princess—uh, Sakura-san—as our cheer captain. What do you all think?"

Huh? I blinked at the sudden suggestion from a senior whose name I didn’t even know.

"“““No objections!”””"

What!? What is this!? Was this all decided beforehand!? This is corruption! Conspiracy! So this is what grown-up meetings are like!

And Yoshikawa-kun just nodded along too! I thought you were on my side! So this is how the school drama of betrayal and intrigue begins, huh!

"W-wait, please! The cheer captain is like the team representative, right!? I can’t do that!"

"You’ll be fine! Just having Sakura-san as cheer captain guarantees us first place!"

Stop pushing me for no reason, Yoshikawa-kun! I didn’t say anything about rankings!

"I-I don’t even know what a cheer battle involves…"

"Last year, the girls wore maid outfits and did a dance."

"No way. Absolutely not."

A kind second-year senior explained, and I instantly recoiled. How is wearing a maid outfit and dancing supposed to be cheering? Apparently, the “cheer battle” is one of the festival events, where each team’s cheer squad puts on a performance—like a dance or a skit.

That’s not cheering at all! It’s completely lost its original meaning!

"Don’t worry, we won’t use any cliché maid outfit routines this year."

"I mean, I’d like to see Sakura-san in a maid outfit, but something more straightforward might work better."

"What kind of outfit are we talking about?"

"Gym uniform with bloomers, maybe?"

"Wow, that’s aiming straight for the lower half. That’d be way too much! No one would be able to focus on cheering!"

"Then how about a Chinese dress?"

"Hmm! That’s tempting too."

"Cosplaying as a character might be fine too."

For some reason, the seniors were getting way too excited. Somehow, the topic had shifted to what I would wear.

This is bad! At this rate, I’m going to get railroaded into being cheer captain.

I glanced toward Yoshikawa-kun. Why are you blushing!? Nervous from being surrounded by upperclassmen!? You’re my only hope here! Please, do something!

"Senpai…!"

Maybe my prayer got through, because Yoshikawa-kun finally spoke up. Way to go, man!

"I think a cheerleader outfit would be best."

...That was disappointing. You can go home now.

"Hmm. A cheerleader outfit is the most on-the-nose choice, but it might actually work. Mainly for the armpits and the short skirt—y’know, for the aesthetic appeal."

They agreed way too fast! Hold on a second!

"Then it’s settled—Sakura-san’s outfit will be a cheerleader one, cute and sexy style."

Why did you have to add “sexy”!? It’s over. Everything’s over.

"Do I really have to wear it?" I asked weakly.

"Yes. It’s what everyone wants."

Ahh… maybe the school will just explode tomorrow morning. That’d be nice.

The others kept chatting excitedly about the performance details, but everything they said just went in one ear and out the other.

I would later realize that was a big mistake.

Before I knew it, night had fallen. Apparently, the seniors had kept arguing over the cheer routine, so they decided to finalize the plan later. That marked the end of today’s meeting.

Yoshikawa-kun and I stepped out of the school building through the main entrance.

The school at night was eerily quiet. Most of the club members had already gone home, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.

"It’s kinda creepy, isn’t it?"

"Really? Want to hold hands, then?"

"No thanks."

I couldn’t see his expression in the dark, but I could tell he shrugged.

Grrr—

My stomach suddenly growled.

Since it was so quiet, the sound echoed clearly. Oh no, he totally heard that! Even though I couldn’t control it, it was still super embarrassing.

"Wanna grab something to eat near the station?"

Yoshikawa-kun asked casually.

"Hmm… yeah, maybe I will."

I took out my smartphone and sent a quick message to Mom: “I’ll be home late. Grabbing a light meal before heading back.”

Then the two of us started walking side by side.

"Wait, Yoshikawa-kun, you don’t live in the direction of the station, do you? You always go the opposite way after the school gate."

"Yeah. My house is pretty close, so I walk to school."

"Then it’s kind of out of your way to come to the station, huh?"

"It’s fine. It’s dark out anyway, so think of it as me walking you there."

It wasn’t that far to the station, so he really didn’t have to bother. But I guess being able to make that kind of effortless gesture is what makes him the type of guy who gets along with everyone. I could never pull that off.

The road between the school and the station, so crowded in the morning, was now completely empty as we walked.

At a burger shop near the station, we managed to grab a couple of open seats.

"Heh… these stares are amazing. The perfect blend of envy and jealousy. I never knew it could feel this good."

I gave Yoshikawa-kun a look that said, What on earth are you talking about?

"They’re jealous, you know—because I’m here, eating with a super cute girl like Sakura-san."

"Oh, I see."

"Sakura-san, you don’t seem like the type who’s happy being called cute, huh?"

"…You could say that."

Sharp guy. Well, I guess anyone would notice after seeing how openly uncomfortable I get every time someone says it.

"Huh, makes sense. Hearing that all the time could get annoying. There are girls who don’t like being called cute, after all."

A girl, huh…

Something about his words stung faintly inside my chest.

I mean, I am a girl now.

Even if I still think of myself as a guy on the inside, to everyone else I’m just a girl. That’s how they see me—and that’s the only me they know.

This guy sitting across from me has never known the “me” from before. Not just him—Sakurako-chan, Moeka-chan… everyone I’ve gotten close to since starting high school. None of them knew me when I was still a boy.

They’re all good people, no doubt about that. But if I were still a guy—would they have ever wanted to be friends with me in the first place?

Becoming a girl made my looks… well, objectively speaking, way better. I can admit that. So maybe that’s why people talk to me now, why they want to be around me.

But I haven’t really changed inside. My personality’s the same. If I were still a guy, they probably wouldn’t even look my way.

Ryoji’s stayed my friend through it all, but… is our relationship really the same as before? He says it doesn’t bother him, but come on—if your best friend suddenly turned into a girl, there’s no way you wouldn’t feel something.

When it happens to you personally, you’re forced to adapt somehow. But when it’s someone else, it’s just… weird, right?

He still gives me rides to school and looks out for me, but maybe I’m really just a burden now.

Even my parents—Mom and Dad—they’ve been kind, but there’s no way they feel nothing about their son suddenly becoming their daughter. Something that impossible doesn’t just feel “normal.”

"Sakura-san? What’s wrong? Did I say something weird?"

"Huh? Oh—no, no, nothing like that."

Guess my face gave me away while I was overthinking.

I quickly forced a smile, but it probably looked awkward. Maybe the quiet, late-night atmosphere of the school had gotten to me. I couldn’t shake the thoughts spinning around in my head. Once I start thinking negatively, it’s hard to stop. I’ve tried not to dwell on it, but once that door opens, it’s hard to close again.

"You sure you’re okay? You kinda look like you’re forcing yourself."

"I’m fine, really."

Yoshikawa-kun’s eyes said otherwise—No way you’re fine.

An uncomfortable silence hung between us.

My thoughts were a mess, tangled and hazy, swirling endlessly.

"Were you worrying about something? Like, about Aikawa or Minase, or maybe—"

"Hey," I interrupted softly.

Yoshikawa-kun blinked in surprise.

"Yoshikawa-kun… did you become friends with me because I’m a girl? Because of how I look… or something like that?"

"Eh?"

The word slipped out before I could stop myself. And as soon as it did, I thought, Oh no. If a girl sitting across from me suddenly asked something like that, I’d probably be speechless too.

Why did I even say that out of nowhere? Seriously, what am I doing?

"Sorry, forget I said that. I was just thinking weird stuff."

"Well, to be honest," Yoshikawa said, completely ignoring my attempt to retract it, "at first I just thought I was lucky to get close to a cute girl."

…He still answered it.

"We haven’t known each other that long, but you’re fun to hang out with. And because you’re fun, your cuteness kinda stands out more, you know? I mean, you can’t become friends with someone just because they’re cute."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Isn’t that how it is for everyone? People wanna hang out with you because your reactions and personality are cute."

"I see…"

It felt like a bit of the weight on my chest lifted.

Even though I hadn’t changed much since I was a guy, being told my personality was cute stung a little… but I knew he didn’t mean anything bad by it. So I decided to just take it as a compliment.

When he’s with Ryoji or the others, Yoshikawa tends to tease me a lot, but when it’s just the two of us, he’s surprisingly normal—like a regular boy. Now that I think about it, even in the cooking club, he always seemed to hang back a little. Maybe that’s just because the others are too loud and forward.

"And even if it was for the wrong reason," he continued, "it’s only been like two weeks since school started, right? I don’t think it’s something you should stress over. If someone only became your friend because of your looks, they’ll drift away eventually."

Maybe he’s right… It’s only been two weeks. I probably got ahead of myself.

The people I know now aren’t necessarily everyone I’ll ever have in my life. There’s no need to overthink it. If someone’s only being superficial, that friendship won’t last anyway.

Still, I’d be happy if the people around me wanted to stay friends for real.

"Still, I didn’t think you were the type to worry about stuff like this, Sakura-san."

"Do I really look like someone without a single worry?"

"No, that’s not what I meant. I just figured, you know, you look amazing and all, so I thought maybe things like that wouldn’t bother you."

"I’ve got plenty on my mind too, you know!"

"My bad, my bad. Guess everyone’s got their share of worries."

I felt a little lighter. There’s no point rushing things, huh.

"Sorry. And thanks for listening. I must’ve bored you."

"Don’t worry about it. Getting to hear Sakura-san’s troubles? That’s the kind of story I can brag about."

Who in the world brags about hearing someone’s problems?

Still… he really is a good guy.

I reached for one of the fries I’d forgotten about while we were talking. Even though it had gone cold, it somehow tasted better than usual, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Yoshikawa, sitting across from me, stared at me in silence. When our eyes suddenly met, he quickly looked away.

"Hey, Yoshikawa."

"Wha—!?"

Maybe it was because I spoke right after he turned away, but his voice came out weirdly high.

"Can I call you by your first name?"

He blinked, eyes wide.

…Was that too forward? Ryoji and Sakurako call him by his first name, and it just felt weird that I was the only one still using his last name. I didn’t mean anything by it.

"Y-yes! Please do!"

"Uh… okay."

Guess it wasn’t a bad idea after all. But his overly enthusiastic response threw me off more than I expected.

"C’mon, say it! Since we’re here and all!"

"Sure, uh… Togo…kun?"

"Uhooooh! I can die happy now! But I don’t wanna die!"

Which is it supposed to be?

"Th-then, can I call you by your first name too? Is that okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I don’t mind."

"A… Ayu-chan."

That’s not really my name, but… since it didn’t bother me, I didn’t stop him.

"That’s fine."

"Today’s the first time in my life I’ve ever thought, ‘Man, this was a good day.’"

Was it really that good?
All we did was grab a meal together… Still, hearing that made me kind of happy.

After that, we chatted over our burgers—talking about school, Ryoji, Sakurako, and all sorts of small things.

After parting ways with Togo-kun at the station, I got on the train.

Holding onto the strap, I replayed the conversation in my head.

Now that I think about it… wasn’t that super embarrassing? Oh nooo… I actually asked something that girly? What was I thinking…?

My face grew hot.

W-well, whatever! Yeah! We got closer, so it’s fine!

It’s been almost a month since I became a girl. Sometimes I fantasize about waking up one morning and finding myself a guy again, but… that’s never happened.

Am I really going to grow up as a girl from now on?

Would I have a lover? A man? A woman?

And marriage—would I be… the bride?

No way! Impossible! Okay, stop imagining weird stuff.

Yeah. There’s no need to rush anything yet.