Knock, knock—
In the vast corridor, resembling a labyrinth and illuminated by bright fluorescent lights, Sasaki stood, raising his hand to knock on the door.
He didn't wait for a response, nor did he expect one from the person inside.
After knocking, he grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open.
Perhaps to accommodate the emotions of the patients Sasaki had sent, Fujitsuba Mei had arranged for all of them to stay in private rooms.
The most notable feature of these private rooms was their simplicity and silence.
Sasaki briefly surveyed the environment, standing at the entrance of the room, locking eyes with the figure sitting on the bed who had looked up at him as a burning hatred, almost tangible, spread toward him when their gazes met.
Kirishima, who had been sitting dazed on the hospital bed, was finally face to face with the one who had killed her little brother,
And couldn't help but leap at Sasaki with a swift yet disheveled motion.
She gripped the boy's collar tightly with both hands, slamming him against the cold wall, and shouted:
"You still dare to see me? Eleven days! Eleven days! Do you know how I've lived these eleven days? Do you?!"
Ignoring Kirishima's outburst, Sasaki smiled slightly and casually brushed away her hands from his collar.
"What's wrong? Got into trouble with your fellow patients? Were they bullying you?"
Walking past Kirishima, who seemed to recognize the power disparity between them,
Sasaki placed the bag he was carrying on the bed, pulled over a chair, sat down, and arrogantly sized Kirishima up and down before speaking,
"Logically speaking, the conflicts between you and others have nothing to do with me.
But since we were the first to meet, I'll make an exception."
"Who bullied you? I'll take care of it for you."
Remembering the strength difference between them and her current situation, Kirishima's rage gradually subsided.
She took a few cautious steps back and frowned, asking the reason for his visit,
"Did you come here just to mock and taunt me?"
"No, I'm not as bored as you think."
Retracting his gaze, Sasaki raised his hand and pointed to the chair opposite him,
"Also, don't worry, I'm not here to do anything to you. I don't have that kind of interest."
Well...it's always wise to adapt to the circumstances.
Whether Sasaki was telling the truth or not, Kirishima knew, opposing him now wouldn't be in her best interest.
Understanding this, she wisely sat down in the chair, waiting for what he would say next.
Sasaki nodded slightly, satisfied with her compliance.
At the same time, he thought to himself how quickly young people adapt to changes.
Without wasting more words, he explained his reason for coming after she sat down.
"Do you want to change back?"
"I can go back?"
As soon as Sasaki spoke, Kirishima jumped up, causing her chest, which was just as plump as the stupid Chifuyu's, to shake vigorously.
To be honest, Sasaki didn't know if she could change back to being a man.
But that didn't stop him from deceiving her.
"As long as you follow my orders, it'll be easy to change you back."
Kirishima keenly sensed that whatever Sasaki's request was, it wouldn't be good.
She wanted to refuse, but the thought of going back made her open her mouth without actually saying no.
Sasaki, on the other hand, didn't push the issue, giving her plenty of time to think.
The air, filled with the inescapable smell of disinfectant, along with the familiar cold, silent atmosphere, became unbearable for Kirishima.
After less than ten breaths of thought, she spoke up:
"The condition... what is the condition?"
Sasaki, showing no excitement over her inquiry, replied in a leisurely tone,
"When you make a mistake, you should be punished. That's common sense."
"You have to do something to make up for what you did to Takagi? After all, it's only fair that you compensate him, right?"
!!!
Kirishima wasn't stupid.
She knew that Sasaki hadn't come to ask her to compensate Takagi in the literal sense.
Instead, he wanted her to repay Takagi by essentially becoming his ... friend.
So, she immediately wanted to refuse and tell him to get lost, but Sasaki's next words made her swallow her response.
"You know I have more than one option. I'm giving you a chance."
"So, think carefully before you speak."
"..."
As much as she wanted to tell him to leave with dignity, the weight hanging on her chest and the desire to escape her current situation kept hammering at her male instincts.
The inner conflict showed clearly on her face, and Sasaki, who noticed it, smiled slightly.
"There's no need to feel conflicted."
"From the moment you didn't refuse outright, your decision was already made."
"The only thing holding you back now is your lingering pride as a man. But you're not a man anymore, so what does it matter?"
"..."
Indeed.
Just as Sasaki said, from the fact that she didn't refuse forcefully, it can be seen that her thoughts have changed because of the changes in her body.
When she heard Sasaki's demand, her body didn't react with the revulsion or disgust one might expect.
It was just her male identity inside, telling her it wasn't right.
But Sasaki had pointed out that aside from that internal conflict, she no longer had any connection to her former male self.
If she goes out now, no one will recognize her.
So, it's okay for her to let go of the confusion in her heart, right?
At worst, she could just think of it as a dream—one in which she got bitten by a dog. Close her eyes, endure it, and it would pass.
Moreover, thinking from another perspective, this opportunity for a boy to experience the feelings of a girl was not something that everyone can have.
So, it wasn't such a big deal to agree, right?
Thinking about this, her sense of male dignity grew weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared as Kirishima lowered her head and stayed silent for a while before asking,
"What are the specific terms? I can't just compensate Takagi forever."
"Oh, I forgot to mention, sorry."
"If you're willing to start today, it's just for one week.
As long as you accompany Takagi for one week—or rather, serve as his running partner for a week—then you're done."
"Also…"
As he spoke, Sasaki grabbed the bag he had placed on the bed when he entered and emptied its contents onto the mattress.
His actions caught Kirishima's attention as she shifted her gaze to the bed, clearly seeimg what was laid out before her.
A complete set of women's clothing, including underwear, a phone, and a nearly empty bottle of perfume.
Nothing else.
Since she had already agreed to Sasaki's terms, Kirishima naturally understood that these items were meant for her.
She picked up the small bottle of perfume and shook it slightly, looking at the boy with disdain,
"You want me to wear perfume? I don't mind, but couldn't you have brought more? Who are you trying to pity with such a small amount?"
Sasaki didn't mind her tone and explained,
"This isn't for you; it's for Takagi. In case you find him unappealing, this will help."
"Just spray a little on him. Use it sparingly."
"..."
Kirishima was momentarily unsure whether Sasaki was helping her or insulting Takagi.
She wordlessly tossed the perfume aside and picked up the phone.
After glancing at it, she frowned and said:
"This isn't my phone."
Sitting by the bed, Sasaki responded to her question:
"Correct. You'll get your belongings back in seven days. This phone is for recording."
"Rec-recording?"
Kirishima hesitated, then said reluctantly:
"Do I really have to record it?"
Although she asked a bit reluctantly, however,
Because of her lingering male psychology, she wasn't strongly opposed to the idea of recording.
Of course, she also thought that once she reverted to her male form, the recordings wouldn't be able to threaten her.
"Of course."
There was no need to hide his intentions, so Sasaki bluntly stated his purpose.
"The recordings are for Tsukimi.
You understand what I mean, right?"
"..."
Hearing this, Kirishima froze in the middle of fiddling with the phone, suppressing the rising anger in her heart and couldn't help but sneer:
"And how are you any better than me?"
"Don't compare me to you. What you're doing is coercion."
Sasaki shook his head and smiled strangely:
"What I'm doing doesn't hurt anyone."
"You threatened Tsukimi, so it's only fair you compensate Takagi."
"With you around, Takagi won't need Tsukimi anymore."
"I'll comfort her, and if she falls for me, so be it. We'll have a bright future together."
Kirishima: "Civilized Tokyo."
Sasaki ignored Kirishima's colorful language and pulled out his phone to check the time.
"You know better than I do when the soccer team finishes practice.
Since the deal starts today, you should make good use of your time."
He glanced at Kirishima, who was still wearing the blue and white striped hospital pants, and continued,
"Being Takagi's running partner for seven days doesn't mean just sleeping with him once a day. Seven days... means earning 10 'correct marks'."
"When the time is up, if you haven't gathered enough marks, don't blame me if I can't get the hospital to turn you back."
"After all, aside from my personal use, the hospital also needs experimental data."
With Half-truths and half-lies, Sasaki continued to deceive Kirishima.
Standing up, he placed a hand on her shoulder as a reminder,
"Also, don't think about doing anything that would harm the hospital after you leave.
You're off the grid now, and if you cause trouble and something goes wrong, no one will come to your aid."
"Oh, and remember to take your medication. We don't want any accidents."
After giving his instructions, Sasaki paid no attention to Kirishima's dark expression as he patted her on the shoulder and left the room.
Walking down the cold, empty corridor, he arrived at the next room.
The nameplate beside the door read "Masami Kitou."
......
19:00
Near the east gate, closest to the school's soccer field.
"See you, Takagi."
"Alright, take care on your way home. Bye."
"Bye."
The setting sun bathed the sky in a brilliant glow as Kenta Takagi waved goodbye to his training companions and turned to head home.
But in the instant he turned, a flash of golden hair suddenly filled his vision.
Softness brushed against his cheek, appearing and disappearing as quickly as it came, followed by a girl's pained exclamation reaching his ears.
"Ouch~! What are you doing?"
"Don't you use your eyes when you walk?"
Realizing he had bumped into someone, Kenta Takagi quickly regained his vision and bent down to help the girl he had knocked over.
But the youthful vigor and vitality that'w unique to young boys made him stand there in a daze
The girl's dark blue skirt, a bit shorter than the school uniform skirts he was used to seeing, had flipped up around her waist due to her fallen posture, revealing her long, firm legs, clearly the result of regular exercise, exuding strength and vitality.
Perhaps because the collision had caught her off guard, the girl lay there, her skirt spread wide open, exposing a small patch of black fabric barely the size of a baby's palm.
Having never seen such a sight before, Kenta Takagi stood frozen, wide-eyed and unsure of what to do.
He was stunned for a moment, but then realized his behavior was inappropriate,
So, he quickly stepped back, turned his head, and asked anxiously:
"Uh, are you okay?"
"Idiot, does it look like I'm okay?"
"Help me up already!"
Hearing her response, Kenta blushed and hurried over to her side, reaching out to grab her arm.
But instead of the softness he expected from a girl's arm, the first thought that crossed Kenta's mind as he touched it was that this girl could probably punch him hard enough to make him cry...
At the same time, after helping her up, he had to change from looking down to looking up.
After she stood up completely, Kenta Takagi suddenly realized that the girl in front of him was half a head taller than him.
Before he could think about anything else, the girl's voice sounded in his ears again.
"How long are you going to hold me?"
"Huh? Sorry, sorry!"
"Classmate, are you okay?"
Panicked, Kenta quickly distanced himself from her, bent down and apologized.
Then, looking up and asking, he studied her appearance.
The girl in front of him looks like a gyaru girl.
Her short, dazzling golden hair, cut to ear length, appeared somewhat dim under the glow of the brilliant sunset.
On her left ear, she wore a familiar-looking silver earring.
Her skin was a healthy, vibrant wheat color, and her face was quite attractive.
She was wearing a plain white long-sleeved shirt, with the top three buttons undone near the collar, revealing a somewhat exaggerated deep cleavage.
Below, she wore a dark blue skirt that reached the middle of her thighs.
Takagi Kenta's gaze unconsciously moved upward, landing at the spot where he had earlier caught sight of a small piece of fabric.
"Hey! Where are you looking?" she snapped.
The place he had been staring at was undeniably private, whether for men or women.
However, although Kirishima's tone was full of anger, she felt a sense of excitement in her heart, like she'd caught her prey.
In this brief moment, she didn't have time to reflect on whether the excitement came from the satisfaction of attracting Takagi, making it easier to complete Sasaki's request, or from the thrill of being stared at by a familiar boy now that she was a girl.
So, she could only chalk up this inexplicable excitement to the fact that she was fully in character.
.
.
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Hey everyone!
First of all, I want to sincerely apologize to all my readers for not posting chapters for so many days.
I’ve been super busy with my aunt’s wedding prep.
Since most of my family works or lives in other cities, I was the only one at home to manage everything, and as you know, weddings come with a ton of work.
But don’t worry, starting from December 3rd, I’ll be posting a chapter every single day.
Thanks for being patient, and sorry for the wait!