If you enjoy this novel I would appreciate you rating it on NU.
(TN: Sorry folks. Chapters are taking too long to translate in a timely manner, considering the other 2 novels I also have to translate every week. So, I will be splitting each chapter into 2 parts for the time being.)
ED: Unedited
“Onee-chan, good morning.” (Mii)
[Nnnn] (Tsukasa)
“Onee-chan, are you still asleep?” (Mii)
“…Mii-chan, calm down. I"m not going to give you the sea urchin. …There"s blood all over your mouth.” (Tsukasa)
“Onee-chan, are you talking in your sleep? Come on, get up. It’s morning already.” (Mii)
“Wait, don’t throw away sh.e.l.l until you eat the sea urchin. …ah, salmon roe, then…” (Tsukasa)
“She’s having strange dreams again. Onee-chan, wake up.” (Mii)
[Mmm] “Eh? Oh, Mii-chan?” (Tsukasa)
I slowly lift my heavy eyelids to see a blurry person in front of me and rub my eyes.
“Mii-chan, good morning. What time is it?” (Tsukasa)
“Onee-chan, good morning. You finally woke up. It’s already after nine. Mom will get mad if you don’t get up soon.” (Mii)
[Fua] [Heh] “I like to sleep in on Sundays.” (Tsukasa)
I sit up in bed and stretch as my hair slips off my shoulders tickling me as it does so. When reach up to clear the sleep from my eyes, I look up to meet Miyuki eyes.
“What"s wrong Mii-chan?” (Tsukasa)
“It’s nothing onee-chan. Yes, that’s right. Are you going to eat breakfast?” (Mii)
“Okay, then don’t look so serious.” (Tsukasa)
“O, o, okay, breakfast should be ready, so come down soon.” (Mii)
Miyuki said fl.u.s.tered and quickly left the room. My cheeks felt a little hot, but I’m sure it’s nothing but my imagination. I get out of bed and walk over to open the curtains. The sky is a gorgeous blue and the sun is shining so brightly. It’s another beautiful day.
Spring is the most popular time of the year, except for those that have allergies, because the flowers are blooming and the temperature is perfect. It’s also the beginning of a new year, new schools, new cla.s.ses, new work places. Although, for some it’s a gloomy season for those reasons.
Luckily, I’m not gloomy and I don"t have allergies. I"m looking forward to the entrance ceremony, so I can start my new school life. As I said, it’s a beautiful spring day.
Although, I seriously wonder if I can even go to college, since I’m a girl now. Before anything else, something has to be done about me in the family registry. I’ve asked mom about it several times, but all she keeps saying is ‘leave it to your mom’. Saying ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this’ is putting it mildly.
Well, something has to be done. There’s no other choice. Like the saying goes, when you hit a wall, you have to stop and think of a way to get around it. I’m not one to procrastinate when something needs to be done. That’s me in a nut sh.e.l.l.
I’ve been a girl for three days now. Although, I’ve been holed up inside the house all that time, the world around me seems to be peaceful and quiet.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
I walk out of my room to head for the dressing room. I look at myself in the mirror over the sink as I wash my face and comb my hair. I then take the contact lens from the case on the sink and put it in my left eye.
Yesterday, I told my mom that ‘my eyes are too conspicuous to go outside’ and this is her answer to that problem. She had headed to the opticians to get me these colored contacts so now my left eye is the same color of blue as my right eye.
My eyesight has always been good, so I’ve never had to wear contacts before, so it takes quite a bit of time for me to put it in. Someone else might be able to do it quickly, even without a mirror, but needless to say, I cant.
I finally manage to get the contact in place, but at least now, both eyes are blue. Once more, I check my hair, nod approvingly, and leave the dressing room to head for the living room.
“Good morning, Dad.” (Tsukasa)
“Oh, good morning.” (Father)
I said pleasantly as I entered the living room. My dad is sitting at the dining table drinking coffee with newspaper in hand. It’s a normal, everyday event you see on TV and in homes around the world. Why he still buys newspapers is beyond me, when you can read the same news on the internet for free. Maybe he thinks printed is better.
As I sat down across from my dad, Miyuki is serving the bread and salad. There is strawberry and blueberry jam already on the table, but personally, I prefer my bread with only margarine or in a pinch, b.u.t.ter is acceptable too.
“How are you doing?” (Tsukasa)
“Ah, not bad at all.” (Father)
“That"s good.” (Tsukasa)
Even though I am now a girl, nothing changed in the way dad looked and acted toward me. Well, other than wanting to name me ‘Charlotte’. He even gets onto mom when she gets too badly out of control. Although, I’m still in trouble even with his support, because Miyuki supports mom.
Well, I’m sure this is hard for dad too. I maintained the balance in the house until now, but since my change, it’s now a three to one, female to male ratio. He might feel as if he is outnumbered, but without him on my side, I might have to move out of the house. So, I’m a little worried.
By the way, you might remember that I found out mom had been using dad’s credit card without permission. I heard that dad now carries on him cash since that incident, so he won’t have to borrow money from his kohai again. Why did I mention this? Easy. If Miyuki or I need pocket money now, he says he doesn’t have it. It’s enough to make you cry.
“Onee-chan, are you going to stay dressed like that?” (Mii)
I looked from the bread I was eating to Miyuki when she spoke to me. I’m wearing a skirt with a jersey, but for some reason Miyuki is looking at me as if she were unhappy.
“All of my other clothes don’t fit anymore. I borrowed this from you, remember?” (Tsukasa)
I’m a lot smaller now that I’m a girl and what few of my old clothes I can still wear are now being used as sleepwear. By the way, the clothes I borrowed from Miyuki are also a little large on me, but I’m not stupid enough to tell her that.
“Where is the outfit mom gave you?” (Mii)
“You want me to wear that?” (Tsukasa)
The outfits that mom had given me to wear was ones that Miyuki had bought to wear in junior high school. All of the dress and skirts are trimmed with either lace, ribbons, or ruffles. There wasn’t one single pair of cla.s.sic men’s trousers in the whole pile I was given. All of the separates are coordinated together, along with headbands, necklaces, and other such accessories for each outfit too. There are pants, but they are the more girlish style of pants, which emphasize a girls femininity. In general, I don"t want to wear any of them.
“It suits you onee-chan.” (Mii)
“Mii-chan, whether it suits me or not isn’t the issue. Do you get what I am saying?” (Tsukasa)
“Yes.” (Mii)
“I’ve got to say that is rather refreshing to hear.” (Tsukasa)
“Even if you put it off, you have to wear it someday, so you might as well wear it now.” (Mii)
Miyuki, as usual, is persistent, so I ignore her and finish my breakfast quickly. Once I finish, I clear my dishes from the table, set them in the sink and go sit on the couch in the living room. I then turn on the TV, which is showing a historical drama. I wonder how such shrill screams can come out of men cut with a sword. Is it normal to think it’s funny?
“Hey, is anyone here?!” (Mother)
While I was watching TV, I hear mom call out from the front door. Miyuki is doing laundry, dad is reading the paper, so that leaves me to answer ‘Yes’ and head to the door to see what she needs.
Mom was at the front door with quite a few bags of garbage. They are somewhat opaque, so you can’t easily tell what is in them, but they are soft to the touch.
“Help me put these on the truck over there.” (Mother)
“Okay. I got it.” (Tsukasa)
A blue track is parked outside the still wide-open entrance gate and an older man stands near it. It might be a sc.r.a.p paper collector or one for electric appliances. I nod to the man and begin to carry the garbage bags out to throw into the bed of the truck.
While I was carrying the bags out to the truck, he asked me ‘Are you a foreigner?’ and seemed to be very surprised when I told him ‘No, I’m j.a.panese. I look this way, but I can’t speak English.’ and smiled at him. For some reason, he looked at me as if I was some kind of s.p.a.ce monster.
When we had loaded all the garbage bags, mom and the man quietly exchanged a couple of words and bowed to each other. He then go into his truck and pulled away, while we returned to the house.
“That was a lot of trash. What the h.e.l.l did you throw away?” (Tsukasa)
I asked out of simple curiosity, no other reason. Yet…
“What do you think I threw away?” (Mother)
My mom said and then smiled maliciously. Suddenly, I have a bad feeling about this.
“Here’s a hint. It’s something you use every day.” (Mother)
Something I use every day? Something soft?
“Umm, clothes?” (Tsukasa)
“Correct answer. I don’t need to say any more than that, do I?” (Mother)
Surely not! I rush inside and run down the hallway. While I was doing that, I thought I hear the door intercom chime for attention, but mom can get it. When I reach my closet, I grab the handle and yank it open.