Chapter 31 : Chapter 31

In fact, I was a little worried.

Usually, when the protagonist and heroine go shopping for clothes, the protagonist would recommend cute and frilly clothes to the heroine.

And typically, the heroine who wears such clothes would be a character who has never tried them before, and after looking in the mirror, an event like, 'Oh, is this really me?' would follow.

But I am a man in his 20s who has entered the body of a female character.

Well, I admit that saying this now is a bit strange considering that I've been wearing a school uniform without any issue.

I'll admit that.

However, the difference is that the school uniform was something I had to wear, while these clothes are something I would choose to wear.

If I ended up wearing one of the flowy dresses among the various outfits my friend picked out for me, I would feel an overwhelming sense of self-loathing.

Even though the reflection in the mirror would be Ye Sara, not me in drag, since I'm the one moving that body, it would still feel like I'm the one choosing to wear it.

Still, I couldn't outright tell Yoo Ha-neul, 'I can't wear this kind of clothing'.

To an ordinary girl, it wouldn't be strange for Ye Sara to wear such clothes, nor would it be odd for her to recommend them.

I thought that if I refused, it would just make things awkward.

But those worries turned out to be unnecessary.

Surprisingly, most of the clothes Yoo Ha-neul picked out weren't skirts but pants.

Of course, they were much tighter than the pants I usually wear, but at least I wouldn't have to show any bare skin on my legs, which was a relief.

I put on dark-colored jeans, a black T-shirt, and a khaki jacket before stepping out of the fitting room.

As I drew the curtain, Yoo Ha-neul, who had been staring at her smartphone, quickly looked up.

"How is it?"

When I asked her that,

"..."

Yoo Ha-neul was silent for a moment.

Was it weird?

Well, thinking about it, I've never had much of a fashion sense.

In fact, I rarely paid attention to what I wore.

I would just grab whatever was hanging on the rack within reach and put it on.

After all, there wasn't really anyone I needed to impress with my fashion choices.

The only place I needed to look good was at work, and the extent of my fashion sense was wearing a suit when there was an important meeting.

So, the outfit I had chosen from the many clothes might seem a little strange.

"If it doesn't suit—"

"It suits you!"

Just as I was about to go back into the fitting room, Yoo Ha-neul rushed forward and grabbed my hand.

"Let's buy this!"

"Oh, uh, okay…"

A sudden flood of light filled my vision.

And beneath that light was her smile.

Flustered, I responded without thinking.

*

I wasn't planning on buying a hat, but whether it was Yoo Ha-neul's preference or because my hair wasn't in the best condition, she enthusiastically recommended one.

In the end, I picked out a cap with no distinctive features.

"How do I look?"

Then, using a spare hair tie she had, Yoo Ha-neul tied her hair into a ponytail.

Unlike Yoo Ha-neul, whose hair lightly swayed around her neck, Ye Sara's hair was much longer.

Even after tying it back, it still reached below her shoulders.

My hair, which had been sweaty and sticky not long ago, had dried somewhat but was still a bit damp, so tying it up didn't seem like a bad idea.

It felt refreshing to have my neck, which was usually covered by hair, exposed.

"It's good. Comfortable."

When I said that, Yoo Ha-neul smiled happily.

"And it suits you!"

Well, of course, it does.

Ye Sara's beauty was striking, after all.

Frankly, even if her hair were cut short, she would still look good.

Not that I would do such a thing, as it would be a waste.

Of course, I didn't say that out loud.

Saying that would make me sound like I was full of myself.

So, I just shrugged silently.

"So… is that it, then?"

At first, Yoo Ha-neul had insisted on buying a bunch of clothes, but when I suggested, "Let's just come again next time", because I didn't want to carry too many bags, she was ecstatic.

What is she, a golden retriever?

As I watched her ponytail wag behind her like a dog's tail, the thought crossed my mind.

Well, maybe more like a foal's tail.

"Yeah. This should be fine!"

The shopping bag I offered to carry had already been taken by Yoo Ha-neul.

Inside, of course, were the school gym clothes I had worn to get here.

Still, I'm glad I changed into everyday clothes.

While I was thinking that, something suddenly pressed into my side.

Before I could even process it, Yoo Ha-neul had casually linked arms with me.

I could feel something soft and fluffy touching my arm.

"Let's go."

Standing next to me, Yoo Ha-neul's face was closer than I had expected.

So close that I could feel her breath if I exhaled.

Startled and frozen, I wondered if Yoo Ha-neul noticed my reaction.

Whether she did or didn't, she immediately started pulling me along.

A gentle tugging sensation, different from when she had rushed earlier.

But there was a clear strength leading me in the direction I needed to go.

Ah, this is why she's the protagonist.

Watching her lead the way, I couldn't help but silently come to that conclusion.

*

I didn't really need to worry about what teenagers do for fun these days.

Boys or girls, teenagers generally didn't have many options.

Come to think of it, it's not like girls never went to PC rooms, or boys never went to cafés.

The difference was just in the frequency.

Besides, no matter how much fun PC rooms or cafés were, it wasn't like we would sit there the entire time.

So, what did I spend the most time doing with this teenage girl?

The answer was walking.

I didn't have a girlfriend or even a female friend, so I wasn't sure, but sometimes I'd see blogs with things like "date courses" while browsing.

Places like romantic walking paths or streets with lots to see.

Sure, it might be odd for two guys to walk around like that, but it wasn't strange for girls to stroll along such date courses together.

…Or was it?

Honestly, I didn't know.

It's not like I had a girlfriend in my previous life either.

Actually, more than that, I still hadn't grasped the concept of sexuality in this world.

In the world I originally lived in… where homosexuality wasn't considered "normal," people wouldn't assume that two people of the same gender walking together were gay.

Well, unless two men were walking arm-in-arm, then most people would probably think they were gay.

Physical contact between women, though, was seen as something that could just indicate how close they were unless it was overtly sexual.

If someone asked, "Are you two lesbians?" because they saw two women linking arms, the one asking the question would probably be seen as the strange one.

I heard that's how some people think in other countries, but I've never lived abroad, so I don't know much about that.

Anyway, that's how it was in my world.

The problem is this world.

Of course, in this world, if a man and a woman were linking arms, people would naturally think, 'They're dating'.

Heterosexuality was still the most common form of attraction here.

But that didn't mean homosexuality was considered strange.

It wasn't as common as heterosexuality, and it was rare enough that those who realized they were gay would struggle with their identity, but same-sex marriage was entirely possible in this world, and there weren't many who strongly opposed it.

In fact, in the game, it was often depicted that there were one or two male-male or female-female couples at school.

I remember a streamer bursting out laughing and saying, 'What kind of messed-up world is this?' because of that.

So… I'm a bit confused.

It's a given that too much physical contact with men might lead to misunderstandings.

Not that I had any desire to make contact with men in the first place, so it wasn't really an issue.

But then, what about 'physical contact with women'?

How far can I go without it being misconstrued?

Naturally, the boundary here is set much narrower than it was in 'the world I knew'.

Since this world is so open about homosexuality, the frequency of people thinking, 'Does this person like me?' would be much higher, and their criteria would be lower.

In this world, there's no reason to think, 'This person is the same gender, so they definitely won't like me'.

For example—

"Wow, this place must be beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloom, right? Should we come back then?"

As we walked down a cherry blossom path that had yet to bloom, a girl asked me that, and I began to wonder if it was normal to think, 'Does she like me?'

Ah, of course, I don't mean that Yoo Ha-neul is thinking of me as some… romantic interest.

We haven't spent enough time together for our relationship to deepen like that.

This is probably just a friendly gesture.

Though she's still linking arms with me…

It's probably just more noticeable because I'm so conscious of it.

The real issue is how to notice when our relationship starts changing over time.

When a girl you've just met starts talking to you, it's easy to think it's because she has something to say or you're in the same class.

But when that girl keeps talking to you during every break, shows up on weekends, and continues to take you to places that are clearly date spots for several months…

At that point, would it be reasonable to start suspecting something?

Moreover, my relationship with Yoo Ha-neul has a peculiarity.

Since no one else in our class talks to either of us, the only person she can engage with is me.

The more time passes, the more confusing it will become.

And let's not forget, in the game, Yoo Ha-neul has a clear route where she flirts with Ye Sara.

I have no idea how things progressed between them in the game, but they did end up together.

"Uh, do you not like the idea?"

When I didn't answer and just kept pondering, Yoo Ha-neul asked, her expression slightly downcast, almost as if the brightness in her face had dimmed.

Well, I guess I can see why she'd be disappointed if she thought the only person she could talk to in class was ignoring her.

"…Yeah, it would be beautiful. It'd be nice if we could come again."

I barely managed to suppress the embarrassment creeping onto my face and responded.

"Right!?"

Yoo Ha-neul's expression immediately brightened again.

It felt like her glow had returned.

Though I'm sure that's just my imagination.

Well, whatever.

There's no point in worrying about this now.

That's something to deal with when the time comes.

Besides…

If Yoo Ha-neul actually confesses her feelings to me, so what?

There's no reason we couldn't date if that happens.

…Thinking about it made my face feel a little warm.