Final Chapter: A Pretty Girl Lives a Peaceful Life (End) End

Once the cleanup from the culture festival wrapped up, the school atmosphere finally settled down.
With the play rehearsals over, I suddenly found myself wondering what I even used to do after school when we didn’t have practice.
Looking back now, that extraordinary time was unbelievably fun, and it honestly changed my life in a big way. Even now that we’re back to our everyday routines, that change is still with me.

After school, I headed to the clubroom.
Come to think of it, we barely did anything for the Cooking Club while we were busy with rehearsals. Maybe I should suggest we hold an activity for the first time in a while. Our class’s booth took priority this year, but I wouldn’t mind signing up as a club next year.
I was thinking about all that when I found myself in front of the clubroom door.

Is it locked? I wondered—but the door was already open.

When I stepped inside, Ryōji was slumped over his desk like a deflated balloon.

"You’re already here? If you were coming to the clubroom, we could’ve walked together."

"Well, you were talking with the girls in class, so I figured I'd stay out of the way."

"You don’t have to worry about something like that."

The culture festival left me with so many things—
and of course, that includes everything between me and Ryōji.

I feel like I got just a little closer to everyone in class too. Even though I spent almost all of first semester talking only with the Cooking Club members, the festival rehearsals gave me the chance to talk to lots of people.

For someone like me, who spent middle school alone, that’s honestly huge progress. …Though most of my friends are girls. Not that that’s surprising or anything. I don’t have trouble hanging out with girls anymore, but sometimes I still wonder… am I really getting used to being a girl?

"I wonder when everyone else is coming?"

"Yoshikawa said she had something to do and went home. No clue about Aizawa."

"She wasn’t in class earlier, so maybe she went home too."

Which meant… I was alone in the clubroom with Ryōji.
Rather than nervous, the truth is… I felt a little happy.

I sat down next to him, while he was collapsed across the desk.

"—Whoa!?"

Ryōji shot up the moment I sat down.

"What’s wrong?"

"N-No, it’s just… you’re way closer than I expected."

"Is that bad?"

"If anything, bring it on. Honestly, you could sit on my lap too!"

"No way."

Even though… a tiny part of me thought that might not be so bad.
But if I actually did sit on his lap, he’d definitely start treating me like a kid again, so I barely managed to hold myself back and answer like that.

"Since it’s just the two of us…"

He leaned in toward me.

Eh!? W-Wait! Hold on! What are you trying to do!?

"Let’s plan out our Christmas date."

On the desk was a magazine featuring different places with winter illuminations.

Oh… so he leaned closer just so we could look at the magazine together.

"I think it’s a little early to be planning Christmas."

"Yeah, maybe. But stuff like this is fun even while you’re planning it, right?"

"That’s true."

Same with the culture festival—events always start from the moment you begin preparing.

"So, anywhere you wanna go? Somewhere you’d like to see?"

"Hmm…"

I flipped through the magazine.
Every illumination spot looked beautiful, and I’d love to see them—but choosing just one was harder than I expected.

"I’m fine with anywhere, as long as I’m with you."

"Ugh—too cute! Seriously too cute!"

He messed up my hair with a playful rub.

"Wait—! You’re messing up my hair!"

As we were fooling around like that, the clubroom door slid open with a clatter.

"Good work today!"

"Hello!"

It was Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan. The moment they saw us, the two of them quietly closed the door again.

"H-Hey! Why are you two leaving!?"

I rushed to the entrance, opened the door again, and called out to them.

"Ahaha, well… it looked like we’d be interrupting something, so we tried to be considerate!"

"No, no, no! You’re NOT interrupting anything!"

Being seen like that was a little embarrassing, but it’s not like I wanted to chase Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan away just to be alone with Ryōji.
Besides, if we really wanted to be alone, we wouldn’t have to do it at school… right?

Aaaaahhh—no! Why am I thinking about something completely unrelated!?

"Your expressions change so quickly. It’s adorable."

Sakurako-chan said that and squeezed me into a tight hug.

"S-Sakurako-chan! Sakurako-chan! Ryōji-kun is gonna get mad!"

"Oh, right! Sorry, Tagawa-kun. Don’t worry, I’m not stealing Ayumi-chan."

Lately, those two have been teasing both me and Ryōji together.
After that whole incident, Moeka-chan came charging in like, "Tell me everything!!", and I ended up explaining what happened with Aoi-kun, and how I eventually started dating Ryōji afterward.

When Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan heard that, they celebrated like it was happening to them, which honestly made me really happy.
…Though right after celebrating, Sakurako-chan said, "Finally. You two seriously took long enough," which I’m choosing to ignore.

By the way, we still haven’t told the class or our families yet—but I have a feeling they’ve already figured it out.

"Sigh… Teasing me won’t get you anywhere, you know? Lay off me and focus on teasing Ayumi instead. Let’s take it easy."

"True."

"Good idea♪"

"Eh—? Wait! Why am I suddenly the target!?"

The two of them grabbed my arms from both sides and sat me down in one of the clubroom chairs.

"Oh? Illumination spots? So you two were talking about a Christmas date. Well yeah, you can’t really go alone, after all."

Sakurako-chan flipped through the magazine with quick, fluttery page turns.

"When you say Christmas, you gotta have delicious cake too!"

That was Moeka-chan.

"All you think about is sweets, Moeka. That’s why you’re built like a stockpot. And your chest is flat, too."

"Wait! Hold on! I’m not fat!! And my chest has nothing to do with this!"

Still… cake, huh. Christmas does feel like it needs cake.

"Oh! Then how about we make a cake for club activities next time?"

"That sounds lovely. Let’s talk to the teacher about it."

Both Sakurako-chan and Moeka-chan nodded at my suggestion.

"Ryōji, what do you think?"

"I mean, Yoshikawa and I are just gonna eat it anyway, so anything’s fine!"

I knew he’d say that, but still—at least help a little…
He always helps with cleanup, but cooking together is more fun.

"Want me to help you tie your apron, Ayumi?"

"No no no! I can tie it myself!"

"Then I’ll tie it for you!"

"Moeka-chan, did you hear me!? I said I can do it myself!"

While we were all chatting and messing around, the clubroom door opened again.

"'Sup."

Without missing a beat, Tōgo walked into the room.

"Huh? Yoshikawa? Didn’t you have something to do?"

"I just went out to buy snacks."

He lifted a plastic supermarket bag to show us.
Potato chips, potato chips, potato chips… wait, it’s all potato chips!?

"Oh! But if you were going, you could’ve told me—I would’ve gone with you."

I nodded along with Ryōji. We could’ve all gone together.
Then we wouldn’t have ended up with only potato chips.

"Heh. This was my classy way of giving you two some alone time. Damn… I’m getting emotional."

Ahaha… It feels like everyone’s gone out of their way for us. But actually crying about it? That’s a bit much, Tōgo…

And then it clicked.
Wait—could it be that Sakurako-chan and Moeka-chan showing up late was also…?

I glanced at Moeka-chan. She immediately looked away in the most obvious way possible.
Sakurako-chan started whistling suspiciously.

"Come on! You’re all ganging up on me!"

"But Ayumi-chan being all lovey-dovey is just too cute! It’s your fault for being adorable—totally unfair!"

"Exactly! When Ayumi-chan’s radiating happiness, everyone else gets happy too. We can’t help it!"

"Share some of that happiness with meee! Tagawa, switch places with me already!"

W-why am I suddenly the bad guy here!? I cannot keep up with these people…

"Relax, Ayumi. Being teased like this just means you’re living the good life."

Ryōji said that. No, no, no! He’s acting like he’s safely on the sidelines, but he’s right in the middle of this with me!?

The clubroom, with all our members gathered, was lively as always.
As we chatted about what kind of cake to make, or what we were going to do about finals, or other silly little things, I felt it again—our ordinary daily life had returned.

I still don’t know the reason I turned into a girl… but maybe, now that I think about it, it was a chance the gods gave me to be reborn in a new way.

And I think… I really did grab that chance.

I made so many new friends.
I became lovers with Ryōji.
During the sports festival and the culture festival, I worked hard in ways the old me never could.
I even started a part-time job.

Becoming a girl was just the catalyst, nothing more. But thanks to that catalyst, I’m happy now.

My life—where I suddenly woke up one day as a girl—will probably continue to be filled with happiness from here on out.

And if possible, walking beside me along that happy path would be—

I looked at Ryōji. He noticed and gave me a mischievous grin.

—would be Ryōji. I really hope it’ll be him.

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.

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—END