Chapter 1 – Takamura Mahiro Becomes Male (1)

It was during the birthday when I turned 17.

Even though I say ‘birthday’, it’s still a weekday so I had to attend school. At 6.30am, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and got up. Absentmindedly hitting the head of the alarm clock, I cracked my neck. I slowly rose from the futon and just as I sat on the bedding, I finally became distinctly aware that something is out of place. I realised something is strange.

To begin with, regarding my body, it’s different from usual. The joints of my fingers are higher and blood vessels could be seen protruding from the back of my hand. My feet are also too large, and the usual thighs were nowhere to be seen. Touching my head, the medium-length hair I had, had turned very short. When I tried feeling my chest, it was completely flat all over. Coming to this point, I finally understood that I had transformed, as I looked at the lower half of my body in fear.

When I ran to the full-length mirror, an unfamiliar figure of a boy was reflected. It was a boy wearing pink pajamas. Visually, he appeared quite creepy.

“Ackー!”

Unable to accept my present condition, I panicked and screamed in a voice that sounded like a frog being killed. Soon, I heard approaching footsteps from the corridor. It’s definitely the sound of my parents running to my room.

“Mahiro! What happe――…… Ah, so that’s it~”

“Gosh, geez Mahiro, you scared us. Letting out such a loud voice.”

Even though I became male, my parents only laughed “ufufu”. They didn’t appear even an iota surprised, and were going “kyahkyah ufufu”, being all lovey-dovey in front of my room door.

“What do you mean ‘so that’s it~’! My body is, strange. For some reason I became like this when I woke up this morning…… I can’t believe it.”

“No worries, it’s normal. It’s the curse that women of the Takamura family have.”

“Curse? What are you talking about?”

Smilingly, mum stroked my head.

“A curse was cast onto the Takamura family. Although I don’t know the reason, since some hundred years ago, daughters of the Takamura family turn male on their 17th birthdays.”

Deep creases emerged between my brows from the outrageous explanation.

“What, is that……”

“If you still haven’t kissed the ouji-sama by the time you turn 20, you’ll remain male for the rest of your life but, well, there shouldn’t be any abnormality in your body. I also became a guy when I was 17 years old but I turned back into a girl when I kissed Yuu-kun at 18. Right, Yuu-kun?”

“Ah. I was shocked to hear that Riko was a girl but whether she’s a boy or a girl, I love Riko all the same. Mahiro has to find your ouji-sama and return to being female too.”

I think I’m quite pitiful for having such carefree parents.

Didn’t everything go wrong the moment I, a girl, transformed into the figure of a boy?

That my carefree parents anticipated that I would turn into a man at 17 years old, completed the procedures for my transfer to Hitotose High School, which was out of the prefecture and on top of that even prepared my school uniform. To allow me to live alone, they rented a nearby apartment and told the neighbours and people from my previous school that I went to study aboard. Their preparations were so meticulous that it’s admirable. But at the same time, rather than that, I wanted them to tell me about the curse earlier.

“No…… what ouji……”

It’s not like the inside of my head is like a Märchen dreamy girl’s, and something like kissing a ouji-sama in this era is just somewhat outlandish. My mother, the epitome of dreamy females, hit my shoulder as my mind drifted off.

“It’ll be OKー! Mahiro is cute so it’ll be OK!”

That’s not the problem, but I know it’s no use even if I say anymore. I know how unreasonable my parents can get, so I’ll just obediently transfer to Hitotose High School.

That I relatively readily accepted such a huge development of becoming a guy after waking up in the morning was because a sense of reality hasn’t sunk in. If it was something like  my parents divorcing, or that someone died, perhaps there will be a greater sense of reality.

If regardless of anything, no matter what, this is a curse of the Takamura family, I don’t have a choice but to accept it.

From now on I’ll be a guy, and my life as a guy will begin. And that first step will be my 17th birthday.

I’ve to accept that to return to being female, I’ve to kiss a ouji-sama (lol). And if I can’t do that, I’ll have to live as a male for the rest of my life, …… it seems.

“Mother will cooperate with you so, work hard okay!”

And thus, the moment when I became male on my 17th birthday, thanks to the meticulous preparations my parents made, there wasn’t anything troubling at all except for the transformation into a guy. I wonder if they understood how ironic this was.

While wearing a black gakuran[1] the me who turned male will, as you know, transfer into Hitohose High School. For someone who became a 2nd-year in Hitohose High School in an odd timing like May, you can say that my life these few weeks went pretty well.

Regarding my body’s outer appearance, many of the people around me whom I know were bewildered, but it wasn’t so troubling once I got used to it. That’s why I started to have the easy-going notion that I might as well remain a male for the rest of my life, but the thing called ‘life’ doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

This begun on the last day of June.

“Takamuraー, on the way back, can we drop by Tsutaya[2]ー?”

Black hair with glasses, this boy with picturesque mediocrity was Kosaka Arata. He sits in the seat beside me and is currently my closest friend.

“Sure, but what are you going there for?”

“Somehowー, I suddenly felt like watching the live DVD of Bakumatsu Shishi Girlsー. Which faction are you in, Takamura? As expected, for me it’s probably Katsura Koharu.”

Bakumatsu Shishi Girls, an idol group, is the latest fad. It’s a 5-person group consisting of the orthodox faction’s Sakamoto Ryou, the loli Katsura Koharu, the tomboy Takasugi Sakura, the onee-san Yoshida Shouko and the tsundere Hijikata Chitose. Their singing is not quite there, but the showiness of their clothes and dance direction allowed them to boast of an explosive popularity among high school boys.

“Kosaka, huh. You’ve quite the loli preferences. It’s probably Sakamoto Ryou for me, since she’s the center[3]. I also think she’s cute.”

“Don’t be fooled by the media. It’s a mistake to think she’s cute just because she’s the center.”

Kosaka started explaining exactly how cute Katsura Koharu was.

Half-listening to his words as I put the textbooks away into my bag, the silhouette of a girl with short build reflected in the corner of my vision.

She was a bishoujo with pink-coloured medium length hair. While thinking if I know this bishoujo, she fidgeted as she gave a bashful smile.

“Takamura-kun! About the work for the library committee……”

“……. I’m a library committee member?”

“So you really forgot. I told you we need to organise the library today after school, right?”

Now that she mention, I think she did say something like that during the morning SHR[4].

“I see, sorry. Umm……”

“It’s Sena. Sena Tsugumi.”

I’ve heard the name ‘Sena Tsugumi’ several times after coming here.

Apparently she’s the cutest girl in the school. Pink medium length hair tinged with brown, large eyes of the same colour, straight nose bridge and soft voice, fine neck, delicate body accompanied by long, well-proportioned limbs. All of which were well-balanced, she’s so cute that no one will be able to direct hostility at her.

An impartial cheerful personality and tender atmosphere. There’s a bit of natural airheadedness but it seems she’s popular among the female students and, of course, the male students. Just looking at her, you know that she has many friends.

It’s only been a few weeks since that upheaval so I didn’t hold much of an interest, but indeed she’s cute and seems like a good girl.

“Then, Sena-san, please take care of me.”

“Un, please take care of me. Takamura-kun. And Kosaka-kun, I’ll borrow Takamura-kun for a bit, okay. I’m sorry.”

Certainly, her face as she smiled sweetly was fairly cute. Kosaka beside me who heard her words turned bright red as he nodded again and again.

“Kosaka, it’s okay if you return first.”

“No, I’ll wait! I’ll wait!”

Usually at such times he’ll return first, but with Sena here he acts like this. Somehow I feel like sending him flying but I’m not against him waiting for me so I’ll let it go.

“Erm, then…… let’s go to the library?”

She bashfully grasped her skirt, and I watched her tilt her head as her cheeks become dyed. I wonder if my life would be in an ‘easy mode’ if I was a girl as cute and cunning as her.

The term tests are close by so there’s a fair number of students studying in the library. It’s about time for me to start too, but I don’t like studying.

“Then, I’ll handle this side, so can I leave that side to you, Takamura-kun?”

“Alright.”

‘Organising the library’ simply referred to placing the returned books back into their original positions. We’ll finish in a jiffy if it’s just that. I want to hurry up and end such a chore and return home.

“Takumura-kun, have you gotten used to school?”

“Well, relatively. Ah, Sena-san, can you reach that? I’ll put it back.”

“Unn, I’m fine. I’m used to this!”

Sena became desperate, trying to replace the book on the top shelf of the bookcase.

Although Sena’s using a stepladder, the upper shelf was too high for her who’s around 150. The feeling isn’t very strong but I couldn’t bear to look as Sena perilously stood tiptoed on the stepladder.

Watching her fearfully, as expected, she swayed and lost her balance.

I caught her just right before she hit the floor, and gently lowered her from the stepladder.

“See, I told you so. It’s faster for me to handle the upper section, there’s no need for Sena-san to overdo it.”

“Ah, …… thank you, Takamura-kun…..”

Sena’s cheeks became slightly dyed and she averted her gaze.

Even looking at her closely, Sena is cute. Fair-complexioned, large eyes and lips that were somewhat light pink. This would be dangerous if I’m a guy, huh. I’ll fall in love with you, just kidding.

“Let’s quickly finish this and leave. Besides, it’s not safe to stay too late. Your fans will probably get mad if something happens.”

“Wa, I totally don’t have things like fans. Instead, Takamura-kun is much more cool and seem like you’ve lots of fans. Everyone’s talking about it. That ‘Takamura-kun is super cool’.”

I gave a wry smile to Sena who spoke frantically while going “awawa”.

Even though it’s just flattery, it’ll be a lie to say I’m not happy. Turning into a guy and being called ‘cool’ by such a cute girl, is something that will never happen in normal circumstances. Feeling like I’ve profited somehow, a smile unconsciously surfaced.

“Thank you. It’s okay even if you don’t speak so desperately, though.”

“Da……. un, sorry…….”

“Then let’s quickly finish up. Sena-san please do the bottom, I’ll do the top.”

The work was completed about 30 minutes later.

This incident didn’t inconvenience me at all. Rather, I can consider myself lucky to be able to hold the waist of a cute girl.

However, a hellish event was lying in wait after this.