Chapter 4: Losing Track of the Beautiful Girl and the Boy

"Can I ask you something?"

Dad said in a quiet tone after finishing his breakfast bread.

"Do you have enough clothes, Ayumu? That outfit… your mom bought it specifically in her delusions to dress you in, didn’t she?"

"Oh, father, that’s supposed to be a secret," Mom said.

I couldn’t help thinking I was born into a completely ridiculous family. Apparently, without my knowledge, I had become a toy in my mother’s fantasies. I probably shouldn’t even ask what kind of humiliation I had suffered. Even just the thought that she bought underwear gives off a really bad vibe…

"There’s only that one outfit. I finally realized that in her delusions, she could create any clothing she wanted without using real-world clothes," Mom said, striking a proud pose. I had no idea why she felt so smug.

"So, after breakfast today, we absolutely must go buy even more cute, cute outfits," she continued.

"Wait! No, I don’t need more cute clothes! And don’t throw away my guy clothes just because I don’t have anything to wear!"

Even my current outfit was already pushing the limits of what I could tolerate. More than this? I’d probably die of embarrassment.

Right! Dad would surely scold her with a 'don’t waste money' look. I met Dad’s gaze. He nodded solemnly. This was what family bonding must feel like.

Dad then casually slid a brown envelope across the table toward me.

What’s this…? I opened it and saw stacks of cash—one, two… ten thousand!?

"Whaaat! How much money is this!"

"Go ahead and buy whatever clothes you like," Dad said.

"Why are you being so generous!? When I was in elementary school, you wouldn’t even buy me advance tickets to the Pokémon movie when I asked!"

"That’s because Dad wanted a daughter," he replied.

"I already heard that ages ago! And there’s still Kaname to think about, so don’t say stuff like that!"

"Mom wanted a daughter too, you know?"

"Why is this household so hard on sons!?"

"I also thought it would have been nice if you had been a daughter! You're cute," Dad added.

"So I was completely out of place as a boy! That’s just cruel!"

"Also, Dad only approves of skirts, remember?"

"Why are you giving orders!? I didn’t agree to that!"

The image of my dad in my mind was crumbling—but somehow, I felt even closer to him now.

"Ayu-nee-chan! I want skirts too!"

After that, the family got into a lively debate about what I should wear. Of course, I was excluded from the discussion. I got bored and passed the time by counting the stains on the wall.

Sigh… I wondered if every day would be like this until high school started, living with this chaotic family. Wait… high school…?

"Ah! Right, what about high school!? I was a boy for the entrance exam, but now I’m a girl! Does that mean I’ll be held back!?"

"Good spot, Ayumu-kun," Mom said, pulling out a large envelope.

The mark on the envelope was from Mikawa Prefectural High School, where I was supposed to enroll in April.

"Here’s your enrollment guide. But more importantly, here’s your student ID!"

I had already seen it the day it arrived, so there was no need for all the theatrics.

"What does it say here?"

Mom flipped to the last page of the student ID.

"Hmm… Sakura Ayumu… That’s my name, right?"

"And next to it?"

"AYUMI SAKURA."

"And a little further over?"

"…! …female."

"You see what happened here?"

"What…? Why does the student ID say I’m female? I looked at it yesterday and it said male! Also, the name is different… what the heck is going on!?"

"Don’t worry. Whether it’s Ayumi or Ayumu, you can just go by 'Ayu-nee-chan'!"

"That’s not the point!"

"If your name became Ayumi, the appropriate way to address you is with '-chan', right? Ayumi-chan?"

"That’s not the issue! The issue is that I was a boy until now, so why does it feel like I’ve always been a girl from the start? That’s what’s strange!"

I had checked the student ID yesterday and the day it arrived. There was even a note asking to report any errors, and I had checked it carefully. How could a printed ID be changed without leaving any trace…?

"Ayumi… have you considered it this way?"

Dad, who had been quietly listening until now, finally spoke. Did he figure something out?

"…It saved us a lot of trouble."

Completely useless… this guy!

"That’s true." "Yeah, that’s right."

The two of them agreed. What is this? Am I the one who’s crazy?

W-well, at least it seems I can go to high school! Yay!

…No, that’s not good at all!

"Come to think of it, we have a copy of your resident record from the town office,"

Dad said, slowly pulling out his chair and rifling through the bookshelf in the corner of the living room.

He came back holding the copy.

The gender… female!

I’d expected it, but it still shocked me. It was clear that the high school enrollment hadn’t gone wrong, and I hadn’t been mistakenly treated as a girl. In fact, any trace of me being a boy seemed to have completely disappeared from the world I currently live in.

I never thought my “adventure log” would disappear in real life…

"So, in that case… is it possible that the person Ayumu never really existed outside our delusions…?"

"What, no way!? Why would you even think that?"

"I see… yes." "I had the same feeling! There’s no way this adorable Ayu-nee-chan could have been a boy!"

Why does it always have to come back to that!? Am I really that unmemorable as a boy!?

…No, maybe I truly don’t have the memories. I know about being a boy, so I’m not entirely without memory, but…

The thing is, official documents like the resident record and student ID, which were originally supposed to list me as male, now say female.

There’s no guarantee that Dad, Mom, or Kaname even remembers.

Which means… is there really no one left who knows the real me? Has the me who lived for fifteen years… died?

Tears ran down my cheeks. Huh… why am I crying? I didn’t even think I’d cry.

I rubbed my eyes and wiped away the tears, but somehow, more kept spilling out. Maybe my smaller body had just turned into a more sensitive, weepy version of me.

"Ayumi-chan!? That face…! I don’t think I’ve ever been this naturally moved in my whole life…"

"Dad! Give me Ayu-nee-chan!"

"I won’t give my daughter to you!"

"Dad, you said you’ve always wanted to say that at least once, didn’t you?"

My family really never learns.

Even though I was crying, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. What is this ridiculous farce?

Even in the abnormal situation of a boy becoming a girl, they didn’t care.

If my family had no memory of me as a boy, then they were treating me normally even though I suddenly insisted I had been a boy.

If my family did remember me as a boy, then even when faced with the bizarre reality of their son suddenly becoming a girl, they still treated me normally, without disgust.

My family… they really are remarkable.

As I sincerely felt respect, Mom suddenly wrapped her arms around me.

"It’s okay. We’re on your side, Ayumi-chan. And we remember everything from when you were a boy.

I’m sorry. It’s true we wanted a daughter, so we got carried away without thinking about your feelings.

It’s unfortunate that Ayumu changed, but even as a girl, we all love you, Ayumi-chan."

It’s unfair how she suddenly gets serious at moments like this. I started crying again.

But I wished she wouldn’t treat Ayumi as the “correct” version of me.

After breakfast was cleaned up, Mom, Kaname, and I were sitting on the sofa when Mom called me over.

Usually, Mom would handle the cleaning herself, but for some reason today, she made me help.

It was just washing dishes, but since I wasn’t used to it, I was inefficient. Even though I helped, it felt like it took longer than if Mom had done it alone.

"Ahem. Ayumi-chan. Now that you’ve become a girl, you need to learn what to be careful about as a girl,"
Mom said, unusually serious.

It was unfortunate that my name had been fixed as Ayumi, but at this point, there was no changing it.

"First of all, don’t walk pigeon-toed. Well… you were fine at that even as a boy, so maybe it’s not a big deal now,"
…After that, Mom laid out a long list of “girl rules.”

Specifically, things like using the washlet in the toilet, not opening your mouth too wide when laughing, always carrying a handkerchief, properly treating your hair, not walking around with bed hair, holding your skirt on the stairs… and more.

Honestly, there were so many I already forgot.

Just as my brain was about to short-circuit, she added learning to cook, helping with meal prep, and assisting with housework to the list.

Apparently, since I’m a girl now, I have to be able to handle at least a little bit of domestic work.

"Ayu-nee-chan’s cooking is so good, I could eat it forever! It’s fine! Make as much as you want!"
Kaname was strangely supportive.

I’m clumsy and don’t want to cook at all, but Kaname was looking at me with sparkling eyes, so I couldn’t say no.

When Kaname has high expectations of me, it makes me want to try my best. After all, I’m the older brother—I want to show my little brother I can do it.

Mom was determined to make me fully capable by the end of spring break! Cooking or otherwise, she wanted me to reach a level where I wouldn’t embarrass myself in public.

I mean… what’s the point of raising my “girl power” stats? Wouldn’t my “boy power” stats drop as a result? If that’s the case, I really don’t want to do this. I guess I’ll cook because Kaname expects it, but I want to slack off on everything else.

"Listen carefully. If you don’t follow the rules, I’ll sleep next to you and… touch you here and there,"
Yeah, being careless is definitely not an option!

I swore to myself I’d do my best. I was ready to give it my full effort for the first time in a while.

"Ah, I almost forgot the most important rule,"
"There’s more…?"
"You must call me ‘Mama.’ Every time you say ‘Mom,’ you’ll get a spanking,"
Why does it always come to this!? Calling her “Mama” at this age… am I some kind of mama’s boy now!?

"Ah, but I want to spank you, so feel free to make mistakes as much as you want."
Mom was wiggling her hands in a way that promised more than just a light tap…

I let out a long sigh. I guess I had no choice but to obey.

And so began the long, arduous days of my new life.