Chapter 6: First-Person
"Senpai, you refer to yourself as ‘boku,’ right?"
Kana-chan asked while cooking.
"Yeah. That’s right."
"Since when?"
Since when?
I guess ever since I became aware of myself—but now that my gender has changed, I’m not so sure.
"Maybe since I was a kid…?"
"I see~"
"I-Is that weird?"
I don’t think many people use ‘boku’ as their first-person pronoun. Even as a kid it’s fine, but as an adult… it feels almost nonexistent.
"It’s not weird. I think it’s cute."
"R-Really?"
I stand up from the sofa and walk over to the kitchen.
Then I wrap my arms around Kana-chan.
"Hey! I’m cooking, so behave yourself. Ah…"
"Hey, hey, what do you use for your first-person pronoun?"
I pour myself some orange juice at the drink bar and return to the table, asking the three seated there.
"First-person pronoun?" Shachou tilted her head.
"Yeah, like you say 'watashi,' and I say 'ore.' It feels so weird."
"I thought the same, nya. I look like a career woman, so ‘ore’ feels wrong, nya."
True, true.
"Ah, but I’m used to ‘ore’ by now."
"What do you use at work?" Chihirochi asked.
"At work, I use ‘watashi.’ Adults should use ‘watashi,’ right? Eromi too, right?"
Me?
"Outwardly, yes, but in the office, I use ‘boku’…"
"Wait, are you really a boku-girl…? How do your coworkers and bosses react?"
"No one really says anything. They’ve probably gotten used to it."
Everyone seems normal.
"Hmm… I can’t tell how that changes things. Of course, when I was a guy, ‘boku’ didn’t feel weird at all."
"I don’t know. What about you, Chihirochi?"
I’m curious about this delicate high schooler.
"Me? To be honest, at home and school, I use ‘watashi.’ My parents and older sister got mad at me otherwise."
"That’s fine, I think."
"I think so too, nya. There’s bullying and stuff."
I doubt anyone would bully this gal, though social exclusion might happen.
"I’ve been thinking that way lately too. I’ve made more female friends as well."
Being a student must be tricky.
"So, Shachou and Chihirochi, you only use ‘ore’ here?"
"Yeah. Only here do I feel like I can go back to being a guy."
"Same here. I get that."
I wish they’d stop—it’s really weird—but if that’s how it is, I can’t argue.
"Nyako, you use ‘watashi,’ right?"
"Itrs Tama, nya, and I keep this way of speaking even in private for my underground idol persona, nya. I used to say ‘ore,’ but I’ve sealed it away. Otherwise, I might slip up if I let my guard down, nya."
Being an idol is tough.
"About that persona—wouldn’t it make more sense to use your own name instead of ‘watashi’?"
"Tama, you mean?"
"Yeah. ‘Nyaa’ would work too, but then you’d be ‘nya-nya’ all the time, so ‘Tama’ is fine."
I say that, and Tama starts thinking.
"That might work, nya. I’ll go with Tama…"
"By the way, are you popular?"
"So-so. Lots of hardcore fans, nya."
They really manage all this…
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