Chapter 32: Beautiful Girl, Enjoying the Pool? (Part 4)

"Here, Ayumi-chan, say 'ahh'!"

"…Uh."

Next to me, Moeka-chan gently blows on a piece of takoyaki to cool it before holding it out toward me.

A savory aroma wafts through the air. My stomach’s been grumbling, so of course, I’d love to eat it.
But wait—why is she feeding me? What’s with the “ahh” all of a sudden?

"Um… what’s going on, exactly?"

"W-well, Ayumi-chan, you’re hurt, so I thought it might be hard for you!"

"My injury’s on my knee, though…"

We exchange glances, then both smile softly.

"Okay, Ayumi-chan, say 'ahh~.'"

…We’re looping back again!

I glance at Moeka-chan once more. Her eyes are sparkling with such eager anticipation that I can’t possibly turn her down.

"A-ahh."

She places the takoyaki in my mouth.

Warm, perfectly cooled. I chew slowly, letting the flavor melt on my tongue. Ahh, it’s so good.

"Aaah, Ayumi-chan, you’re just too cute! The way your tiny mouth goes 'nom,' and then you chew with those little puffy cheeks—it totally triggers my maternal instincts! Is this what they call moe?"

Sakurako-chan sighs dreamily, eyes half-lidded in bliss.

I mean, I’m just eating normally… though she’s right about my mouth being small.

"…So, what are you doing, Ryoji?"

Across from me, Ryoji sits with his mouth open like a baby bird.

"Uh, just waiting for my turn for an 'ahh~' from you, Ayumi."

"Nope. Not happening. Absolutely not."

"Aw, come on. Those guys from earlier were seriously scary… I thought even I might get knocked out. You could at least thank me a little."

He keeps sneaking glances at me.

Grrr… That’s low! Using that as leverage is totally unfair! He did save me from that terrifying situation, so I can’t exactly complain, but… still. It’s embarrassing. And I really, really don’t want to do it.

I mean, I’ve kind of done something like this before—accidentally—but doing it consciously? Knowing exactly what it means? That’s a whole different story!

Come on, Ayumi, you should do it!
That’s right, Ayumi! If something this simple counts as thanks, it’s easy mode!
You can do it, Ayumi!
Let’s go, Ayumi! Hurry it up!

My internal Ayumi Council unanimously votes “GO.”

Why does my brain always betray me like this? Ugh, fine—whatever happens, happens!

"Uh, um… a-ahh?"

Ryoji takes the takoyaki from my hand and chomps down.

Ah—right. I forgot to cool it.

He starts fanning his mouth desperately, trying to cool it down, though somehow still looking… satisfied.

"Um, Togo? You can stop holding your mouth open now—there’s no takoyaki left."

"What!? No way!"

As I finish feeding Ryoji, I notice Togo beside him, mouth open and waiting expectantly.

But the takoyaki’s all gone. There’s still okonomiyaki left, but honestly, doing that again is way too embarrassing.

He slumps his shoulders, grinding his teeth in frustration.

Come on, don’t look so crushed!

After our meal break, we head over to the water slide.

This one’s the type you sit directly on, not the inflatable-tube kind.

Lucky for us, it’s not crowded today—we’ll get to slide right away.

"Hey, hey, looks like two people can go together! Look!"

Following Moeka-chan’s finger, I see a couple sliding down together—girl in front, guy behind.

Oh, so that’s how it works. Now another pair—two girls this time—goes whooshing down.

"Ah, Ayu-chan!"

"Y-yes!?"

Startled, I jerk upright at the sudden call. It’s Togo. Don’t scare me like that!
…Okay, fine, I scared myself.

"Want to slide together? You didn’t give me an 'ahh~' earlier! I deserve a thank-you too, like Togawa!"

"Eh!? W-well, I guess that’s fine…"

Wow, he really wanted it that badly? Between Ryoji and Togo, the guys sure are something else.

…Not that I don’t kind of get it. I used to be a guy too, after all.

I get it—the whole “ahh~” thing is kind of a romantic gesture. But still, that’s something you do on an actual date. Having someone like me do it half-jokingly doesn’t make it special.

And honestly, demanding thanks like that? Not exactly gentlemanly behavior. But since he did help me earlier, I can’t exactly lecture him about it.

This whole mess started with Ryoji—he’s the root of all evil here.

Still, sliding down the water slide together is way easier to stomach than another “ahh~.” Embarrassment level: significantly lower.

Togo and I climb to the very top of the slide.

Wow, it’s pretty high. Took a lot of steps to get up here.

Moeka-chan and the others insisted, “We’ll go next together!” but… climbing these stairs multiple times looks rough.

Following the staff’s instructions, we sit down at the starting position.

I went first, with Togo sitting behind me. His hands gripped my shoulders tightly. His thighs pressed lightly against my waist.

Ah… this is actually kind of embarrassing. I thought it’d be easier than feeding someone, but feeling someone’s body this close—skin against skin—is pretty nerve-wracking.

B-but it’s not like we’re that close. He’s not breathing on my neck or anything. He can’t even see my face. It’s fine. Totally fine.
Not thinking about it at all.

Yup. Not at all.

…Can we just start sliding already?

Once we launched down, though, the sensation of Togo behind me almost vanished.

The rush of water beneath us, the wind cutting against my skin—it all flooded my senses, washing away any trace of embarrassment.

…Though after that, I ended up going again—with Moeka-chan next, and then Sakurako-chan.

Ryoji wanted to try too, but I paired him with Togo instead.

Our fun day finally came to an end, and we were on our way home.

A shuttle bus from the leisure facility took us back to the station, and from there, everyone went their separate ways.
We were all taking the train, but since we each got off at different stops, one by one we said our goodbyes.

Eventually, only Ryoji and I were left. It would still take a little while to reach our local station. My body felt pleasantly tired, and I could feel my eyelids growing heavy.

"Hey, Ayumi, you sleepy?"

"Mm… yeah. I’m exhausted."

I rubbed my eyes. I was really, really sleepy.

Back in middle school, I never joined any clubs, and I was the stay-at-home type. Aside from P.E., I hardly ever did anything physical. Naturally, my stamina was well below average.
Days like today—spending all day playing around with everyone—really make that obvious.

Everyone else was full of energy to the end, but me? I’d turned into a wind-up toy running out of power.

"Hey, Ayumi."

"What is it?"

I turned toward Ryoji.
Our eyes met for a moment, and I quickly looked away. I still wasn’t great at making eye contact—it always made me nervous for some reason.

"You’ve gotten… really girly lately."

"Huh? You think so?"

If he’d said it teasingly, I would’ve just laughed and brushed it off with a “no way.”
But Ryoji’s expression was completely serious.

"There’s only been, what, a month since the entrance ceremony? But you’ve clearly changed. I mean, yeah, part of it’s probably just getting used to your new body… but even beyond that, your mannerisms and gestures—they’ve gotten more and more feminine."

"Is that… something I should be happy about?"

I looked at his face, waiting for his answer.

It’s true that over the past month, I’ve gotten somewhat used to living as a girl. I didn’t have much of a choice—it’s just what life forced on me.
I’d made girlfriends too. And if my mannerisms really had changed, it was probably because I’d been spending so much time around them.

"I’d say it’s a good thing. You’ve been getting cuter by the day, after all."

"…Cuter, huh."

Once, I might’ve immediately said, I don’t need that.
But now… I wasn’t so sure.

Part of me still felt like being “cute” didn’t matter—but another part of me… maybe kind of wanted to be?

Even picking out girls’ clothes, which I used to find such a hassle, had somehow become… a little fun lately.

And there were things I’d never used to care about—like how I looked around guys—that suddenly made me self-conscious.

I could feel my way of thinking shifting bit by bit.
And when I stopped to think about it… it scared me.
It felt like the parts of me that used to be male were fading away little by little.

"Do you think I’m weird? I mean, I used to be a guy, but now I’ve just… adapted. I’m enjoying school, even having fun living like this."

"Hmm… well, yeah, I guess most people in your situation would be a bit more depressed. You being so cheerful about it might be a little unusual."

So I am weird, huh, I thought, lowering my head.

"But is that really such a bad thing? It’s better to live happily than miserably, right? And honestly, since you’ve already become a girl, it’d only be harder if you didn’t try to adapt."

Hearing that somehow lifted a weight off my shoulders.

His words made me feel… saved, in a way.

As relief washed over me, the drowsiness returned. My eyelids grew heavy again, no matter how hard I tried to fight it.

I wasn’t even sure if I was awake or already dreaming.

"Ayumi, do you… want to――――――?"

Ryoji was saying something.

But by then, I was completely gone—fast asleep.

When I woke up, I was on Ryoji’s back.

W-wait, seriously? He was giving me a piggyback again!
The last time this happened was during the freshman welcome party—this made it twice now.

Even though I’d just woken up, the embarrassment jolted me fully awake in an instant.

"Oh? You’re up," Ryoji said, glancing back over his shoulder.

"…Sorry."

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m just enjoying the moment."

I felt the heat rise in my face.
E-enjoying it!? What’s that supposed to mean!?

Then I realized he was casually kneading the back of my thighs.

"W-wait a second!"

"Aw, too bad. Once you wake up, the fun’s over, huh? You want me to put you down?"

"Of course!"

He slowly set me down, and I quickly brushed off my clothes, checking to make sure nothing was out of place.

"Relax, I only touched your butt a little."

"That’s already way over the line!"

"I’m serious, though—it’s a really great butt! Like, the kind you never get tired of touching. A miracle of nature, honestly."

"Stop saying stuff like that to my face!"

Honestly… he’s hopeless.

But still—he carried me all the way here. He could’ve just woken me up instead.

We were about halfway between the station and my house now.
That meant Ryoji had been carrying me for quite a while.
And normally, he’d be riding his bike home. To think he walked the whole way, carrying me like this…

Even if I’ve gotten lighter since becoming a girl, carrying someone for a thirty-minute walk from the station is no small thing. I really owe him for this. Maybe it’s a good thing I woke up when I did.

…Better not think about the part where I was being carried through the station or on the train.
I was asleep at the time, so at least I didn’t have to experience the embarrassment firsthand—but just imagining all the stares we must’ve gotten makes my face burn.

"Hey, Ayumi. Did you have fun today?"

Today was… a lot.
Embarrassing moments, awkward ones, even a few unpleasant ones too.
But still—spending the day with everyone, laughing together—it was fun.

I nodded and said, "Yeah."