Bonus: The Protagonist and the TS Girl

I felt a warm weight resting against my shoulder. We were alone together in the team room, and at some point, Sora-san had drifted off to sleep.

"Mm..."

At some point, her silky silver hair had been tied back behind her head, fastened with something that looked like a scrunchie.

She had said she was going shopping with Kisa-san, so it was probably something they bought together.

I reached out toward the sleeping Sora-san. Before I realized it, my fingers were brushing against her hair and cheek again.

Ever since the first day I touched her, it felt like Sora-san had been slowly invading my heart, little by little.

I might actually be in love with her.

That was the realization I came to.

Thinking back on it, ever since the day the team was formed, she had always been on my mind.

"...Nagisa-kun?"

Sora-san slowly opened her eyes. My hand was still resting against her cheek.

"...Hey, aren't you touching me a little too much?"

"I just can't help wanting to."

"Pervert."

"Hey, can I keep touching you a little longer?"

"N-no, um... I'd appreciate it if you kept it reasonable..."

Her cheeks flushed red as she shrank in on herself. Seeing her like that felt unbearably precious, and before I knew it, I pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Fmyuh!?"

I squeezed her close, almost crushing her in my arms.

...Yeah.

I really might love this person.

"...Jeez, I guess I'll forgive you since I don't really have a choice."

"Thanks, Sora-san."

Her warmth reached me directly. Then her arms slowly wrapped around my back.

Thump. Thump.

I could hear the sound of her heartbeat.

This was Sora-san's heartbeat. She was alive, right here beside me.

I'm really glad I managed to save her that day.

"Sora-san, you're not going to try disappearing again, right?"

"What's with that all of a sudden? I already stopped thinking like that."

"I see. Even the more masculine Sora-san?"

"...You're seriously worried about that side of me too? What a pain."

"You're way more troublesome than I am, though."

"Hahaha."

Sora-san laughed softly against my chest.

"In the end, 'me' and 'ore' are all mixed together now, so even I don't really understand myself anymore."

"I like both versions of you, Sora-san. Well... I mean, I really do."

"...You've started saying things like that pretty directly now. It's embarrassing, so take it easy, okay?"

"Then maybe I should just stay like this forever."

"Let go already, idiot."

She suddenly pushed herself away from me. Her face was bright red, and honestly, it was adorable.

"You used to say it all the time, remember? About how you were 'consuming' me or whatever."

"...You remember that?"

"So does that mean it's okay if I consume Sora-san too?"

"...Do whatever you want."

Sora-san turned her face away, trying to hide just how red she'd become.

"There's one thing I want to ask."

"...What is it?"

"So, are you actually okay with us dating? I mean, in the end."

"...I don't mind."

So she really had meant it back then, when she said it was half serious.

"I mean, I spend more time with you than anyone else, Nagisa-kun. And honestly, I'm already pretty dependent on you."

"...That's your reason?"

"Isn't that enough? Besides, if I completely let my guard down around a touchy-feely creep like you, who knows what'll happen?"

"...I don't think I'm that bad."

"If you regret it, then make me fall for you properly."

Sora-san smiled mischievously, and for a moment, I was reminded of the atmosphere she had when we first met. The nostalgia made my chest tighten.

Summer had fully arrived now, and a humid breeze drifted through the room.

"So if I make you fall for me, then it's okay if a touch-starved creep like me loses control?"

"...Not exactly okay. Just that... I might forgive you."

"Doesn't that make you the perverted one, Sora-san?"

"Oh, shut up."

Tap.

She lightly poked me in the chest. Those small white hands... the same hands that once looked so fragile they might disappear at any moment... were here with me now.

"...Oh right, I forgot to mention something."

"What is it?"

"My previous life was as a guy, you know."

"...Ah, so that's why you sometimes say 'ore.'"

"No, not that. Aren't you bothered by dating someone who used to be a man?"

Her eyes wavered slightly with unease.

"I don't really care."

"...You don't?"

"Because you're cute, Sora-san."

"You really think you can get away with saying anything, huh? Idiot."

She smacked my shoulder a little harder this time.

But it was true.

Even if she used to be a man, that didn't change how cute Sora-san was now.

Actually, maybe it was because that masculine side still lingered inside her, leaving parts of her unstable, that her vulnerability felt so endearing to me.

At the very least, in this unreasonable world, I hoped I could spend a little more time together with Sora-san.

Just then, I heard approaching footsteps outside the room.

The thought that I probably wouldn't get to touch her anymore today made me feel a little lonely.

Rattle. Rattle.

As the door slid open, I found myself wondering how I should spend this summer with Sora-san.