“Please don’t tell the others yet.” Both me and Keiko pleaded at the same time, hands practically clasped together in front of Ruka like we were begging for scraps.
After spilling the entire wild, reality-bending story to Ruka — from my mysterious disappearance to my accidental transformation into a girl — I was honestly surprised. Ruka’s reaction wasn’t as nuclear as I imagined. Sure, she yelled, but it wasn’t life-threatening. She was, after all, the calmest and wisest one between the trio Ruka, Miko, and Aki.
If it had been Aki, I’d already be livestreamed, blackmailed, and probably on tomorrow’s trending list titled “Pervert Husband Turned Girl Discovered Living Double Life!”
“Especially Aki!” I blurted, shivering at the thought. “If that gossip girl finds out, not only will our boss know in a second — but probably my next-door neighbor’s cat will too. And I don’t even HAVE a neighbor cat.”
Ruka sighed, giving us both a long, hard stare. A staring contest so intense it felt like a final boss battle. She switched her gaze between me and Keiko like she was deciding which one to slap first.
Then, finally, she groaned in defeat. “Right… okay. I won’t. I get it. It’s a complicated story, and honestly, I’m not even sure my brain can process it anymore.”
I practically jumped out of my seat in joy. “THANK YOU!”
Keiko, naturally, stayed cool as ever, merely offering a polite nod. “Appreciate it.”
But then —
“AHHHH!!”
Ruka suddenly gasped, pointing a finger at me so fast it looked like a dramatic anime scene. I flinched. Keiko, despite her stoicism, raised an eyebrow.
“W-what?!” I stammered, feeling a cold sweat.
“You jerk! You pervert!” she shouted.
Huh?! What’d I do?! I looked around, half expecting a hidden camera.
“You… we’ve changed in front of us countless times!” Ruka’s face turned a dangerous shade of red. “And — and — and… you were a GUY all along!!”
My stomach dropped. Oh… oh no. She’s right.
I slowly turned to Keiko, silently begging for backup. She gave me a faint shrug. Traitor.
“Don’t get it wrong, Ruka,” Keiko said calmly. “I didn’t know it was him from the start.”
Ruka’s glare sharpened like a freshly whetted knife. “But you knew eventually and still let him run around?!”
Keiko gave a little smirk. “I made him change in the toilet after that, didn’t I?”
I gulped. Way to throw me under the bus and then back it up over me, Keiko.
Ruka pointed at me like she was passing judgement in a medieval court. “You better apologize! Now!”
“I-I’m sorry! I really didn’t have any pervy thoughts! Well… maybe a tiny bit sometimes, but it was mostly to keep my cover! Honest!”
She crossed her arms. “Tch. If I catch you doing anything weird again, you’re dead.”
“R-right!”
Phew. I survived.
Then Ruka frowned. “But why hide it in the first place? Your family’s been worried sick, looking for you everywhere.”
I hesitated. I… I couldn’t tell her. Not about my family. Not about what really happened. That was something only Keiko knew.
“I…” I opened my mouth but Keiko cut in, saving me.
“Because I wouldn’t have believed him if he’d told me either. I get why he hid it.”
Keiko smiled gently at me. I felt a warmth spread through my chest.
Thanks, Keiko.
“Y-yeah,” I added. “People wouldn’t exactly believe a guy saying he turned into a girl overnight.”
Ruka sighed again. “True.”
A glance at the clock showed it was already 9 PM.
“Time to head home,” Keiko announced.
After quick goodbyes, Keiko and I left the cafe, stepping into the crisp, cold night air. Snowflakes were gently falling from the sky, dotting the streets in white.
We walked side by side under the flickering streetlights. The snow crunched under our boots, and our breath came out in soft, misty clouds.
“What a day…” I muttered, stuffing my hands into my coat pockets. “I’m sorry.”
Keiko tilted her head. “Why apologize?”
“I ruined our date,” I sighed. “It was supposed to be fun, just us. And it turned into a mess.”
Keiko gave a small, rare smile that nearly stopped my heart. “I had fun though.”
I blinked. “Y-you did?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Of course! I mean — I uh — yes. Totally!” I grinned like an idiot.
“Good,” she said, her tone as calm as ever. “Then all’s well.”
My heart was doing weird somersaults in my chest.
As we continued walking, a big chunk of snow fell from a tree branch and landed perfectly on top of my head. PLOP.
I froze.
Keiko glanced at me, one brow raised. “You okay?”
“Y-yep. Just testing if my head can handle frostbite.”
She gave a tiny snort of laughter. Holy crap — Keiko laughed. Actual audible sound. I felt like I just unlocked a secret achievement.
Then, feeling daring, I scooped up a small snowball and tossed it lightly at her shoulder. It hit her coat and bounced off harmlessly.
She looked at the snow on her sleeve, then at me.
“…Really?”
I chuckled nervously. “Uh… love tap?”
Keiko calmly bent down, made a perfectly round snowball like a pro, and chucked it dead-center at my face.
SMACK.
“ARGH!” I stumbled back, snow clinging to my hair and cheeks.
Keiko smirked. “My aim’s better.”
“You wanna go, snow queen?!” I shouted, already scooping another ball.
What followed was an epic one-sided snowball fight where I threw like five, missed every time, and Keiko pegged me clean in the face or chest with perfect accuracy.
Passersby were laughing at the sight of a girl furiously dodging snowballs and dramatically fake-dying every time one hit.
Finally, breathless and freezing, I flopped into a snow pile. “Mercy! I surrender!”
Keiko approached, kneeling beside me. “Had enough?”
I gave a weak thumbs up.
Then, in a move that made my heart skip, she gently brushed some snow off my hair and smiled. “Dummy.”
I grinned like an idiot. “Yeah… but your dummy.”
Keiko blinked, face tinged slightly pink in the winter chill. Then she stood up. “Let’s go home before you catch a cold, snow-for-brains.”
I leapt up, trailing behind her. “Yes, ma’am!”
As we walked side by side into the snowy night, snowflakes swirling around us.