Chapter 84: Beautiful Girl Looks Back on the People Around Her

After a bath that left my whole body warm and cozy, I changed into my pajamas and stood in front of the sink. As I dried my hair with a hair dryer, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Big, round black eyes; a tiny nose; and a small mouth. My petite face was still soft and rosy from the bath. I’ve gotten used to this face by now, but up until about six months ago, it was a different face entirely. Not that all traces are gone, but still…

When I think back, I’ve experienced so many things since becoming a girl. Back when I was a boy, I was practically a loner, always far removed from anything active or outgoing. Everything felt new. I made friends too—lots of good things came out of it.

Well, being a girl comes with its own set of difficulties… Fashion, periods—things I never had to care about as a boy, and things I never could have experienced.

Even my tastes changed. Stuffed animals, cute trinkets, cute clothes—none of those interested me when I was a boy. Now they’re filling my room. I guess I was influenced by my girl friends.

I’ve also grown to love sweets. I originally liked mizuyōkan because of its subtle sweetness and smooth texture. I still like it, but now I like parfaits, crepes, and cakes even more.

On the other hand, the things I liked as a boy didn’t disappear completely. I still read the manga I’ve been collecting since back then, and I still play games.

Once I finished drying my hair, I stepped out of the washroom into the hallway. When I first became a girl, even the height of the doorknob felt strange.

I wasn’t tall to begin with, but after becoming a girl, I ended up at 151 centimeters—about ten centimeters shorter than before. Because I’m tiny and baby-faced, when I first met Sakurako-chan and the others, they didn’t think we were the same age… Ah, and my chest isn’t very big either. I can’t help admiring Yoshino-san…

Even after all those changes, I managed thanks to my family accepting me.

My mom, Sakura Kaede, dragged me forward with sheer force of will, and thanks to her, I learned the bare minimum of how to live as a girl. She was pretty strict about having me do housework and cooking, but because of that, I can more or less do anything now. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking too.

She gets a little carried away sometimes, but she’s basically kind. When I said I wanted to live as a girl, she accepted it. Maybe she always wanted a daughter in the first place…

Mom is 165 centimeters tall—tall for a woman—so she thinks there’s still hope for tiny little me. She’s almost forty, but honestly she still looks young… I think.

Dad, Sakura Shigeru, is the exact opposite—he spoils me rotten, or maybe it’s more like his brakes are broken in weird places.

He gives off the vibe that he’d buy me anything if I so much as hinted I wanted it, which actually makes it harder to ask him for anything. He works at a city bank and seems to hold a decent position.

Even though he’s an intellectual, he’s strangely well-built, and since he’s quiet most of the time, he’s incredibly intimidating. Sometimes I wonder if he fought a bear at some point. Even though he’s family.

He seems really busy these days and often comes home after I’ve already gone to bed. Mom told me that when he hears I’m already asleep, he looks terribly disappointed.

And then there’s the problem child of the family—my little brother, Sakura Kaname, a fifth grader.

He was a massive sis-con for a while, but he’s calmed down recently. Part of it is because Dad caught him trying something borderline pervy with me and disciplined him. Part of it is just that he’s gotten used to me being a girl. I mean, of course I was “rare” to him at first, but the real problem was that I didn’t complain no matter what he did, which made him get carried away. After half a year living together, the novelty wore off and… well, it’s a little lonely, but I think the “girl me” has become the version of me Kaname sees as normal now, so he stopped doing weird things.

My whole family knows I used to be a boy, but they still accept that I’m living as a girl. They’re a huge emotional support for me.

Back in my room, I sat on my bed and picked up the stuffed animal lying there.

This teddy bear was a birthday gift from the first girl friend I ever made.

The ones who gave it to me were Aikawa Sakurako-chan and her older sister, Aikawa Yoshino-san.

Sakurako-chan is my classmate, and she’s the girl I met during spring break, right after I became a girl. She’s 164 centimeters tall, and as for her weight… well, she refuses to tell me.

She has a great figure and is really smart—she’s the class rep of our first-year Class A. Her hair is long and tied up in a ponytail. She’s beautiful too, and honestly, I envy her so much.

She’s always been really good to me and even joined the Cooking Club with me. Sometimes she gets carried away and touches me, but aside from that, she’s a good girl! She promised during summer break that she’d stop with the sexual harassment… but lately she’s been a little dangerous again!

Her older sister, Yoshino-san, is a college student who also works as a magazine model.

She’s even taller and more stunning than Sakurako-chan. Her legs are unbelievably long, and she radiates an aura that feels… perfect. She stands out no matter where she is.

She’s incredibly kind too—she protects us when everyone gets carried away, notices every little thing, and takes care of us. I always wish I had a big sister like her.

She taught me how to put on makeup carefully and kindly, so I’m doing my best to follow her example.

Recently, I even appeared in a magazine together with her. It was embarrassing, so I don’t think I’ll do it again… but Yoshino-san said, "You might get a call again sometime." For the record, the editor who handled our last photoshoot was Serizawa Kayo-san.

And it wasn’t “sometime”—they actually contacted me again almost immediately, asking if I’d do another photoshoot. But I was scared to go without Yoshino-san, so I turned it down. When I sent the rejection email, they replied with a massive chain of disappointed emojis, so I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t refuse next time.

The people close to the Aikawa sisters are Minase Moeka-chan and Minase Aika-chan.

They’re sisters too, and Moeka-chan is the older one. She’s my classmate and Sakurako-chan’s childhood friend.

We met at the same time Sakurako-chan and I met—when I was munching on a crepe and happened to share a table with them.

Moeka-chan is 154 centimeters tall, just a bit taller than me. She’s round-eyed and has this adorable small-animal vibe. Everyone teases her sometimes, but she always smiles—she’s genuinely adorable.

My girlish tastes were heavily influenced by her. Also, Moeka-chan doesn’t have much of a chest either, so we share that pain.

She’s always kind to me, always helping or defending me, and I love her for it. She joined the Cooking Club too, so we meet in the clubroom every day.

Aika-chan is Moeka-chan’s younger sister, a third-year middle schooler—and she’s actually taller than Moeka-chan.

She’s great at sewing and apparently makes all sorts of costumes, though I’ve never seen her work directly.

But when we went to buy swimsuits or clothes, she showed an intense level of attention to detail, so I could tell she has a deep attachment to clothing.

Maybe because they’re only a year apart, unlike Sakurako-chan—who’s helpless against Yoshino-san—Aika-chan has absolutely no reservations around her older sister Moeka-chan.

The girls I’ve made friends with feel like this.

They’re all good people, and I’m genuinely glad I became friends with them. We went to the sea and the mountains together, tried all sorts of things that were new to me.

I also got closer to some boys too.

The boy I got to know after entering high school is Kikkawa Tōgo.

We ended up talking a lot because we joined the same committee. Tōgo and I were part of the planning committee for the sports festival. The festival itself ended back in May, so we don’t have any more committee work to do now. His parents both work, so at school he usually eats a convenience-store lunch or some bread. Whenever I share part of my lunch with him, he gets so genuinely happy that I thought about making him one every day, but for some reason Ryōji stubbornly refused to let me, so that idea was scrapped.

When I’m chatting with girls, Tōgo usually doesn’t join in. Most of the time he stands a step back, watching from a distance. But he gets along well with Ryōji—they often play on their handheld game consoles together.

I’ve shown Tōgo a lot of my worries too. Every time I do, he panics trying to figure out how to help, and I always feel a little guilty about that. Speaking of which, back in the mountains, in the dark… I accidentally hugged him—well, practically pushed him down.

Ahh, no, stop! Just remembering it makes me embarrassed all over again!

Come to think of it, Tōgo might be the first boy I ever ate a meal with one-on-one.

Aoi Naoki is another boy I got close to after entering high school. Well, technically since summer break.

Unlike us in the Mikawa High Cooking Club, he attends another school. He’s a second-year and part of the kendo club. One of his close friends there is Saeki Takao, and the two of them always seem to mess around together. Naoki is over 170 centimeters tall and the son of a ryokan owner. Their family also runs a beach house in the summer, so he helps out there.

We first met by coincidence when we girls went to the beach. Until then, the only boys I knew were Ryōji and Tōgo, so meeting him was honestly a shock. I was surprised someone could be that kind.

After we went to watch his club tournament, we ended up going on a date together… and it was one surprise after another. He spoils me, he’s considerate, and honestly, as far as boys go, he’s probably perfect.

But even though he clearly likes me, I keep wondering if it’s okay to just let things continue like this. Do I even like him back?

I still don’t really know…

I flop onto my bed.

The not-so-cute plushie Ryōji won for me at the arcade stares back at me.

Tagawa Ryōji is the friend I’ve known the longest.

Back in middle school, when I was all alone, he talked to me, and that’s how we became friends. In other words, he knew me back when I was still a boy. In a world where almost all traces of my old self have disappeared, the fact that he remembers who I used to be makes him special in a lot of ways.

I’ve burdened him with so much—asking him for advice, having him give me rides on his bike—but he’s still my friend, and that makes me really happy.

Well… aside from the whole “being a bit of a perv” thing…

He’s around 170 centimeters tall, and unlike me, he’s very sociable, so he has a lot of friends. Still, ever since entering high school, he’s been spending more of his time with me and the cooking club, so I don’t think his social circle is actually that large.

Lately he’s been surprisingly considerate toward me—kind of gentlemanly, even. He’s always looked after me, and being with him feels comforting somehow. Even if he’s… well, a perv.

But sometimes he goes overboard with how protective he is, and at other times he seems really deep in thought. That part worries me a little.

His birthday is at the end of September, so I should think about getting him a present. He gave me a plushie on my birthday even though I told him not to… but I really like that plushie, honestly.

One of Ryōji’s acquaintances and my senior at work is Yazaki Rieko.

She has a straightforward personality and takes tons of shifts at our job. She’s also a second-year and goes to a different high school than us.

Apparently she and Ryōji are childhood friends. That’s why they get along so well.

When the two of them talk, I can’t really join in, and it makes me feel a little left out.

I once asked her why she works so many hours, and she said it’s because she wants to live on her own in college. I really admire that—she’s working hard for her future, unlike me. Maybe I should learn from her, not just in terms of work, but in life too…

Our manager also trusts her completely, and I’m doing my best so I won’t fall behind. The customers are all kind, and I really do think it’s a great place to work.

Lying on my back, I glance at the clock. It’s almost eleven at night.

I have school tomorrow, so I’ll have to go to bed soon.

Of course, I can’t forget to prepare for tomorrow. A proper lady starts her mornings with elegance—at least, that’s what Mom always said.

My eyes drift toward the uniform hanging on the rack. I still have no idea why a perfectly fitting girls’ uniform just happened to arrive for me. I mean, I’m grateful for it… but still.

A lot has happened in high school too.

First, the entrance ceremony.

I got suddenly hugged by the student council president, then she tried to peek under my skirt. Thinking back, that was some serious harassment.

Mitsui Kyōko, the president, is a third-year at Mikawa High. She’s every bit as gorgeous as Yoshino-san, with flawless looks and an incredible figure. No matter how you look at her, she’s just plain beautiful.

On top of that, she ranks first in national mock exams and is great at sports. If that were all, she’d practically be a protagonist from some story. Unfortunately, she also loves girls… and crosses boundaries way too often.

Why did she end up like that? She’ll definitely enter the beauty pageant at this year’s culture festival, and there’s no way I could ever compete with her.

The culture festival elections will happen afterward, so she’ll be stepping down as student council president soon.

Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Yamanaka, teaches math. He always looks annoyed during homeroom, and whenever he gets really fed up, he retreats to the staff room. It’s not so much that he gives us freedom—he’s just too free-spirited himself, so he lets minor misbehavior slide.

During the club orientation, I met Ms. Mogami.

She’s the advisor of the cooking club—full name Mogami Emi. Incidentally, I don’t think I ever learned Mr. Yamanaka’s full name.

Ms. Mogami teaches classical literature to the second-years, so I don’t see her in regular classes. She’s very calm and almost never gets angry.

She seems to have a special attachment to the cooking club. When all the third-years graduated and the club had zero members left, she actively tried to recruit new students. The five of us ended up joining, and that’s how the current cooking club came to be.

She stops by during club hours to supervise us, and she really looks after everyone.

While preparing for the culture festival play, I started talking to Mita Kimio.

He’s in the literature club and apparently wants to be a writer in the future. He’s passionate about creating stories, and he wrote the script for our play.

Behind his black-framed glasses are sharp, determined eyes. He’s small—about the same height I used to be when I was a boy. Probably around 160 centimeters.

Along with Takagi Satoru, one of the festival planning committee members, he’s helping direct the play, so I’ll probably interact with him a lot more from now on.

My co-star in the play, the boy playing opposite the heroine I’m cast as, is Sudō Shō.

He’s in the soccer club and popular with everyone, boys and girls alike. I haven’t talked with him much, but since we’ll be working together, I can’t afford to act shy around him.

He’s nearly 180 centimeters tall—really big. His skin’s tanned like someone from an athletic club, and honestly… he’s a little scary, but that’s a secret.

This is a chance to get closer to classmates I haven’t interacted with much before, so I want to do my best during rehearsals.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I clench my fists, pumping myself up.

Sure, playing the heroine is a heavy responsibility, but everyone’s counting on me. It’s also a chance to change my timid self. A girl has to be bold!

I take a deep breath in front of the mirror, getting myself ready for tomorrow’s practice.