Chapter 60: Beautiful Girl, Doing Summer Homework and Having a Sleepover (Part 2)

After finishing most of their homework, Ryoji and Togo headed home before dinner.

Meanwhile, Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan stayed behind at my place. That was when the sleepover officially began.

When they suddenly looked like they were about to start rummaging through my dresser, I panicked hard. I nearly ended up scattering my underwear everywhere—in front of Ryoji and Togo, no less.

The three of us played games together in my room—mostly console games. Thanks to having a little brother, I’ve got plenty of multiplayer titles everyone can enjoy.

“It’s about dinner time, isn’t it?”

I glanced at the clock and murmured to the two of them.

“What should we do for dinner? Want to make something together?”

Judging by her expression, Sakurako-chan thought cooking together sounded fun.

As for me, part of me wanted to show off my full-on cooking skills. The audience would be girls—and girls at that—so it probably wouldn’t score me any points or anything, but still.

To make things more complicated, my mom was feeling strangely enthusiastic about the idea too.

So now everyone had their own motives… but our kitchen only had so much space.

“Oh my, Moeka-chan! You’re really good at cooking, aren’t you?”

My mom’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

In the end, we decided all four of us would cook together.
That said, Mom refused to just sit back. She insisted on “treating our guests properly,” so she ended up taking the lead. The rest of us became her little helpers.

Mom looked impressed watching Moeka-chan skillfully chopping vegetables for the salad—quick, confident, and precise.

“Thank you very much!”

Moeka-chan beamed, her cheeks softening into a pleased smile.

“You and Sakurako-chan are both such good cooks! Ayumi, you’ve got to work harder, you know?”

“Mmmh! I am working hard!”

I mean, I cook every day! I think I’ve been getting pretty good at it too! Sure, I’m still no match for the pros at my part-time job, but still!

“In our club, Ayumi-chan is actually the teacher!”

Sakurako-chan slipped in a gentle defense on my behalf.

That made Mom chuckle softly.

“Oh my. If Ayumi’s the teacher, then maybe I should be even stricter with her lessons.”

“Whaaat!? If you get any stricter, I’ll die!”

I couldn’t help shouting back.

Both Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan burst out laughing at my reaction.

They probably thought I was exaggerating—but seriously, Mom does not go easy when it comes to housework or cooking!

“But Ayumi’s cooking really is super tasty! It’s the auntie’s secret recipe, right?”

“That’s right! I plan to teach her all of our family recipes, down to the last one!”

Hearing Moeka-chan compliment her cooking made Mom beam. The kitchen felt unusually warm and cheerful tonight. It had been a while since it felt like this. Usually, things were more… intense. Not unpleasant, exactly—more like the kind of fun you get from playing a game where one single mistake means instant failure.

“Ayumi-chan, you’d make such a wonderful bride someday.”

“Wh–wha!?”

Sakurako-chan’s sudden remark made me let out a weird noise.

Me? A bride!? Oh… right. I’m a girl now.
But that means… I’d wear a wedding dress? And the other person would be… a groom? Of course, duh!
Uwaaa—just imagining it made my face heat up with a mix of embarrassment and tangled feelings.

“Ah! Ayumi-chan’s blushing. How cute!”

“I’m not blushing!”

I shook my head fiercely, trying to chase away the thought—and Moeka-chan’s teasing grin.
Maybe I denied it a little too hard, but still—she only said “cute.” Geez, do girls these days only know the word kawaii or something!?
…Okay, that’s not the issue here.

Crap. Living as a girl means… someday I might get married, have kids, and—uwaaaa!
Wait, hold up! Can I even have kids?
No, that’s not the point!

Why didn’t I think this far ahead when I decided to live as a girl!? I was so focused on my past self that once that was resolved, I just… stopped thinking.

Basically, I hadn’t thought at all.
I only considered the surface—like, “Would I like guys?”—without thinking about the deeper, real-life stuff.

…Well, it’ll work itself out somehow.
It’s not like I want to go back to being a boy, and I should trust the decision I made for myself.

“You keep making all these funny faces, Ayumi-chan. You’re so fun to watch.”

Moeka-chan smiled brightly, completely carefree.

Please don’t look at me like that! My brain’s in total overdrive right now!

“Mrs. Akiyama, may I have Ayumi-chan as my bride?”

Wha—no, no, no, that’s not even possible!

“Hmmm. Depends on what Ayumi thinks.”

Wait, seriously!? Mom’s okay with it if I am!?
I mean, during the sports festival she did say, “As long as you choose seriously, gender doesn’t matter,” but… she actually meant it!?

“Did you hear that, Ayumi-chan?”

Sakurako-chan turned to me, eyes full of hope.

“U-uh… sorry!”

No matter how hopeful she looked, it wasn’t happening!

“Gaaah, I got rejected, Moeka!”

Sakurako-chan clutched her chest dramatically and turned to Moeka-chan for sympathy.

“That’s because you’re too aggressive, Sakurako-chan.”

“Moeka… you didn’t have to respond that seriously!”

Laughter filled the kitchen. Doing things together like this really was fun.

And for the record—everything we made turned out delicious.

“Alright! Time for the long-awaited bath!”

Moeka-chan stood up, pulling a towel and a change of clothes from her bag after rummaging for a while.

Sakurako-chan, who had been playing with a stuffed toy, lit up and started getting ready too.

Were they really that excited? It’s just a regular household bath, you know.

“Okay, you two can go first if you want.”

Since they clearly loved baths, I figured I’d let them go ahead. But Moeka-chan shook her finger playfully from side to side.

“Ayumi-chan! Of course we’re all getting in together!”

“Huh?”

“Of course I’m going with you too.”

“W–why!?”

“Because that’s what a sleepover’s all about!”

Oh… I see. Wait, that doesn’t make sense at all!
Well, whatever—it’s just a bath. We already went swimming together at the beach, so it’s not exactly new territory.

“But it’s kind of small… for three people.”

Yeah. Even if we’re all girls, three in one tub is a tight squeeze. It’s fine for two, but three’s definitely pushing it.

“A cramped bath… all pressed up against Ayumi-chan…”

Gulp.

Sakurako-chan swallowed audibly, her eyes glinting in an all-too-dangerous way. I instinctively took a small step back.

“Ah, wait! Forget I said that! Please don’t move away from me!”

“Sakurako-chan, you really can’t help yourself sometimes. Don’t worry about it, Ayumi-chan.”

How am I supposed to not worry about it!?
Still, since Sakurako-chan was frantically apologizing, I decided to just drop it.

Yeah… she’s definitely still a bit of a hazard.
I’ll make sure to position Moeka-chan between us in the bath—a human buffer zone.

While I washed my body, the other two were already soaking in the tub.

As expected—it was tight. I worked the shampoo carefully through my hair, taking my time.

“Ayumi-chan, your hair’s so pretty.”

“If I use the same shampoo, will mine turn out like that too?”

“Haha, no way, Moeka. If a regular store-brand shampoo could make hair shine like Ayumi’s, the whole town would be full of glossy heads by now.”

“Ugh… you’re right…”

I rinsed the suds from my hair while listening to them chatter.
They were so lively together—it was easy to see how close they were. And honestly, I felt a little envious.

“Hey, hey, Ayumi-chan.”

Moeka-chan, who had been giggling with Sakurako-chan up until now, suddenly turned to me.

“Do you… like someone?”

“Eh!?”

Another unexpected question. What is with today!?

“Wait, don’t tell me…”

Sakurako-chan grinned mischievously.

“No, no! I don’t! There’s no one I like!”

Panicking, I waved my hands defensively. That kind of misunderstanding would just make things worse.

Sakurako-chan tilted her head, looking genuinely surprised.

“Really? Not even Ryoji-kun?”

“Huh? Ryoji? Why him?”

“Wow… you’re asking that with a totally straight face…”

“There’s nothing like that!”

I mean, come on. Ryoji knows I used to be a guy.
So from his perspective, there’s no way he’d ever… yeah, no.
But of course, I couldn’t exactly explain that, so I just laughed it off vaguely.

“Is that so? But you invite him over to your house pretty often, don’t you? Like for study sessions and stuff.”

“Ugh… well, yeah, but that’s because we’re friends!”

Sakurako-chan leaned forward with way too much interest.
I shot a desperate look at Moeka-chan for backup, but she looked just as curious.

“I dunno… most girls wouldn’t invite a guy friend over that much.”

“W–well, Ryoji’s been coming over since we were little, so it’s just a habit!”

“Ayumi-chan, Ayumi-chan! You’re turning red!”

“I am not!”

Gaaah! What is wrong with them!?
I told them it’s not like that!

Ryoji may be a bit of a perv—okay, a huge one—but he’s still a good guy and a good friend, nothing more.
Why does it always have to turn into this kind of conversation!?

“Ryoji and I are just friends! That’s it! Nothing else!”

If people start getting the wrong idea, it’ll only cause trouble for him too.
I’ve got to shoot this rumor down before it even starts.

“Hmmm. Still, I kinda feel bad for Ryoji-kun now…”

“Why?”

When I asked, Sakurako-chan paused as if reconsidering. Then, after a brief moment, she said softly,

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Then, then! What about Togo-kun?”

Moeka-chan leaned forward in the tub toward me.

“Togo? He’s just a friend, though…?”

Moeka-chan studied my face for a second, then declared brightly,

“Togo-kun, hang in there!”

She was cheering for him—even though he wasn’t even here. I had no idea what kind of conversation flow we were in anymore.

“Well, Togo-kun’s not exactly the assertive type,” Sakurako-chan mused.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen him make a move on anyone,” Moeka-chan agreed.

Apparently the two of them knew something I didn’t. It left me feeling oddly left out, like I’d been excluded from some secret circle.

“So then, Ayumi-chan’s real crush is Aoi-kun?”

“That’s not it either!”

I shook my head furiously, and Moeka-chan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ehh? Then who do you like!?”

“I told you, I don’t like anyone!”

I hung my head, defeated.

“So basically, your heart’s still a blank slate, huh? This could get interesting.”

I wanted to protest—Hey, come on now!—but I swallowed the words.
Well, I guess it’s only natural for girls to love talking about romance. Still, it’s funny—I never hear Moeka-chan or Sakurako-chan talk about their love lives.

And for some reason, the thought of either of them getting a boyfriend made me feel uneasy.
It wasn’t just the sense of losing a friend—there was also this weird, frustrating little sting that came with it…

“Oh, right. Speaking of Aoi-kun, he invited me to watch his kendo practice match this weekend.”

“Ooh! Sounds like he’s pretty bold!”

Sakurako-chan’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“You’re going? You’re going?” Moeka-chan was practically bouncing with excitement. The curiosity radiating from them was overwhelming.

“Y-yeah, I’m thinking of going. But… I’d really like it if you two came with me. Is that okay?”

“Us? Wouldn’t we just be in the way?” Moeka-chan tilted her head.

“Well, it’s like I said—I don’t like Aoi-kun or anything, so going just the two of us might feel… weird.”

“I see. Yeah, going solo or just the two of you might be a bit tricky. All right, I’ll come,” Sakurako-chan said.

“Me too! I’m there to back up Ayumi-chan! I’m definitely going!”

Thank goodness. If they’d said no, I was ready to turn him down altogether.

It’s not like I have feelings for him or anything—but getting too close might give him the wrong idea. Still, Aoi-kun really is a good person, and that makes it hard to say no.

“But, y’know, Ayumi-chan—by agreeing to meet up like this, maybe deep down you do think he’s a good catch?”

I thought about Sakurako-chan’s words for a moment.

“Hmm, who knows?”

In the end, I dodged the question.

In my mind, images of Ryoji, Aoi-kun, and Togo flickered one after another.
I still didn’t really understand what it meant to like someone.

Feelings… they’re a lot harder than I thought.

“I’m getting out now!”

“Hey, hey—don’t get out until you’re properly soaked!”

Ugh… Sakurako-chan held out both hands in a playful “come on” gesture.

Reluctantly, I sank back into the hot water. Yep… still a bit cramped in here.

Even after we got back to my room, the talk about romance showed no signs of stopping.

“What—seriously!? Ayumi-chan, you’ve never had a boyfriend before!?”

Of course not! If I’d had a boyfriend before, that would’ve made me completely gay!

That was my soul screaming in protest. I may be a girl now, but for the record—I used to be a perfectly normal boy!

“What about you two, Moeka-chan? Ever had boyfriends yourselves?”

“Huh? Nope, never.”

See!? They haven’t either! So don’t give me that ‘I can’t believe it!’ look when it’s my turn!

“Well, it’s just that—you’re so cute, Ayumi-chan, I figured you’d have tons of guys after you. I mean, you’ve gotten plenty of love letters, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Love letters, huh…? I wasn’t even a girl back then, you know.

“But I can kinda see why you haven’t had a boyfriend,” Sakurako-chan said. “You’re used to being around guys, but at the same time, you’re so innocent it’s a little… dangerous.”

“Am I really that hopeless?”

Somehow, that didn’t sit right with me.
I mean, I’m doing my best here! It’s not like I’m completely clueless about social norms or anything.

“Yeah, seriously! You’re really easy to worry about, so if anything ever happens, come talk to us, okay?”

“O-oh… okay. Thanks.”

I didn’t feel like I was that risky a person, but the way she said it—with such a cheerful, confident smile—made me think maybe she was right.
I guess sometimes you can’t see those things about yourself, even if everyone else can.

So… fine, I’ll take her word for it.

I glanced at the clock—it was almost midnight. I suggested we call it a night.

Today went by fast… I thought as I crawled under the futon.

And just for the record—yes, we each had our own futon!

Still, if we can hang out and laugh like this again, I wouldn’t mind another sleepover sometime.