There are a lot of things that changed when I became a girl—and a lot that didn’t.
A prime example of something that didn’t change: my likes and dislikes when it comes to food. I still believe freshly fried spring rolls are the most delicious food in the world, and I still think anyone who squeezes lemon on karaage should be executed by firing squad. That opinion hasn’t budged since I was a guy.
On the other hand, one of the things that did change is how much I care about my appearance. Back when I was a guy, I couldn’t have cared less about clothes, but now? I care a lot.
Unfortunately, there’s a pretty big gap between the kind of clothes people expect me to wear now and the kind I actually want to wear. Still, the current me is way more particular about grooming than I ever was before.
And it’s not just clothes. Hair, skincare—I'm doing enough to earn a passing grade from my three older sisters, who are veterans when it comes to womanhood. I even take care of body hair now.
Among all these grooming habits, the one I’m most concerned about lately is smell. Do I stink of sweat?
Today we had two matches—one in the morning, then another after lunch. I only played in the first set of the first match and sat on the bench for the second set.
That was definitely Saeki-sensei’s silent way of saying, “Yuuri, you need to study volleyball more.” I keep getting yelled at for not thinking about my position when I go for spikes.
Still, watching volleyball from the sidelines was really educational. I used to wonder how Yuki could receive so well, but now I get it—it’s her positioning. (Probably.) She predicts where the ball will go based on where the spiker jumps and the angle of their hands. She keeps her hips low and stays ready, heels lifted, so she can react fast whenever the ball comes.
Reiko, on the other hand, is doing it all wrong. Her hips are too high, and her heels are flat on the floor. Even though Yuki kept telling her how important it is to get under the ball quickly for a good receive...
I’m probably not doing it right either. But it's understandable—volleyball is about not letting the ball hit the floor, so naturally, your eyes are drawn upward, and your stance follows.
I’ve watched plenty of Mika-nee’s matches before, but I barely understood the rules, and I had no idea how hard it actually is to play. Maybe if I watch now, I’ll see things differently?
Anyway, after finishing my very first official volleyball match, I shared a homemade bento with Hina—it was a joint effort, which makes sense since we live in the same house—and we went into the second match.
And I got totally worked.
"You only played half the first match, so you’ve still got energy, right?"
That’s what they said. So every toss kept coming to me.
Sure, I still had stamina, but seriously? Every time I was in the front row, the toss came to me. That was the kind of second match it was. Still, we won in straight sets, 2–0. We made it through the first day. Next match is next week.
Anyway, two matches in one day—especially the second one, where I was bouncing all over the place—meant a ton of sweat. I wiped down often and changed from my sweat-soaked uniform back into my regular school uniform after the match, but I didn’t get to take a shower.
Sniffle. I hope I don’t stink.
In situations like this, the best person to ask is a blunt, close relative.
"Hey, Hina-nee, do I smell like sweat?"
"Hmm… You’re fine. Yuu-chan’s cute as always."
What kind of answer is that? Way too vague. Alright, I’ve got a plan too.
"Hey, Hina-nee."
I hugged her. It’d be a major problem if I were still a guy, but since I’m a girl now, and Hina hugs me all the time too, it’s probably fine.
"Aaall right, all right… You’re fine. You kind of smell like soap, maybe?"
Even as I hugged her, Hina didn’t seem the least bit bothered. In fact, she even wrapped her arms around my back and held me lightly.
By the way, we’re currently near the entrance hall of the gymnasium where the matches were held. All the games are over, and the other schools are starting to pack up and head home.
"By the way, Yuu-chan, you’re wearing your vest. Isn’t it hot?"
"It is, but I figured it’s better than letting stuff show through."
"Yuu-chan, you worry too much~"
It’s June now, so we’ve switched to summer uniforms. At Matsubara Girls’ High, the summer uniform is a skirt on the bottom, a short-sleeved blouse on top, a ribbon (color depends on your grade), and an optional vest.
The vest is basically for... you know. Preventing things from showing through.
In my case, I also want it to cover my skirt belt, so it’s doubly useful.
The blouse is made of pretty thick fabric, so unless you get soaked in the rain or sweat buckets, it shouldn’t be see-through—at least in my size.
But if there’s a lot pushing from the inside, the fabric stretches, and that makes it thinner, so it becomes relatively easier to see through.
That’s probably why there’s one other person sweating it out with a vest on in this heat.
Let’s ask the shortest girl here: Isn’t she hot?
"It’s not about hot or cold. It’s a matter of etiquette," she said.
Yeah, I still think big boobs should just fall off.
"By the way, Eri-senpai. I know it’s a bit late to ask, but why are we in our uniforms? All the other schools are wearing tracksuits."
Oh, I wanted to ask that too. The other schools are all in their P.E. gear, but we came in uniforms because Eri-senpai told us to.
"It’s not like we had to wear uniforms..."
Eri-senpai lifted the hem of her skirt just a little and smiled.
"But this is way cooler, right♪"
Fair enough. That explanation makes total sense. Tracksuits are long-sleeved and full-length. They’re made to keep you warm in winter, so wearing them in summer is super hot.
In fact, the students wearing tracksuits around us—boys and girls alike—are all rolling up their sleeves.
...Some of the boys even rolled up their pant legs. I used to do that too when I was a guy, but looking at it now, it just seems lame.
Meanwhile, we’re in short-sleeved blouses and skirts. Way cooler.
“Alright, everyone, time to head back! Don’t forget anything—make sure you check!”
“Yes, ma'am!!”
At Saeki-sensei’s call, we did a final check for any forgotten items…
“Huh? We’re missing a ball bag.”
“Where’d we leave it? We had all of them at lunch, right?”
“They were definitely all there during the official warmup before the second match, so it must’ve gone missing after that.”
“I’ll go take a look! Let me know if someone else finds it.”
This is the kind of thing first-years should be handling. I grabbed my phone and started retracing my steps.
I’ve been feeling the stares on me for a while now. It’s probably not just because I’m half-Japanese, but also because of today’s match. After a flashy performance like that, it’s impossible not to stand out. I’m sure stuff about me is already popping up on some social media site.
To be honest, the reason we were able to win so easily today was largely because no one had any prior info on Reiko or me. It was practically a surprise attack.
If they’d known about us, they would’ve taken some kind of countermeasures. At the very least, they’d have been mentally prepared.
…Wait, someone’s pointing their phone at me. It’s one thing during a match, but I don’t think taking photos of me now is going to benefit them in any way...
Well, maybe it’ll serve as a warning—"watch out for this one."
As I was thinking that, I noticed a ball bag left all alone near the wall. It clearly says “Matsubara Prefectural Girls' High School Volleyball Club” in marker. Geez. Who forgets something this big—one that holds six balls? Us, apparently.
I pull out my phone to contact them. “Found the ball bag. Heading back now.”
“Hey, you there. Got a sec?”
A man’s voice. I glance around. No one else nearby. Me?
“You, the halfie. Yeah, you. I saw your match earlier. That was amazing.”
So he was talking to me. I finally look toward the voice—
Whoa, he’s huge!! Even taller than Reiko. Well, there are boys from other schools’ volleyball teams here too, so I guess having a few towering guys isn’t weird... He’s probably in the upper 180s. There are two others with him, also tall—probably around 180 cm each.
“Oh, you watched? Thanks.”
I try to walk past him, but he blocks my path with his arm. Now I’m trapped between this big guy and the wall. Whoa, my first ever kabedon. Not that I’m happy about it.
“I was surprised. You can jump almost as high as me with that height of yours. What kind of training do you usually do?”
Huh? I thought he was hitting on me, but maybe he’s genuinely curious? Alright, then I’ll answer seriously too.
・
・
・
“Wow, so that’s how you guys train at Matsubara Girls’. Don’t you think we could get even stronger if we combined our training routines? So hey, give me your contact info.”
...Yeah, never mind. He was just hitting on me. Seriously? I’m so gullible. I can’t believe I fell for that. Time to head back to everyone.
“Um, excuse me, I need to go—everyone’s waiting for me.”
“C’mon, just a little—”
“Do you need something with my little sister?”
A displeased voice cuts in, followed by an equally displeased face—Hina. Such a waste of a pretty face.
“Haaaaaaah. Geez. I was wondering why you weren’t coming back after you texted, and turns out you’re wasting time in a place like this. Come on, we’re going, Yuu-chan.”
Hina extends her right hand. I take it.
“Excuse us.”
Hina gives a (sort of) polite bow to the flirty guys and pulls me along. —Hey, I’m not a little kid. Don’t drag me.
“W-Wait a sec! Sis, huh? You two are sisters?”
As he says that, his hand moves to Hina’s waist—
!!!
“Get your hand off Hina-nee!!”
Before I knew it, I was swinging full force with my left hand (since my right was holding Hina’s). I landed a perfect hit on his jaw.
...Despite my looks, I have strength equal to most guys. When I slap someone with full force—this happens. The flirt passed out cold.
Things got pretty messy after that. First, an ambulance was called to carry away the unconscious guy. Then we had to explain the situation to the tournament officials.
When I said,
“That guy tried to grope my sister’s butt, so I reacted.”
the atmosphere turned... complicated. At first, it seemed like it’d be chalked up to a “both sides were at fault” situation—he was in the wrong, but I went overboard. However, witness testimonies and smartphone footage (someone happened to catch it on video) ended up painting me as the victim of sexual harassment. What the heck?
“Look, right here! He’s touching Yuu-chan’s butt!”
“‘Touching’ is kinda a stretch… more like grazing it? If we called everything like this harassment, there’d be no end to it.”
“Aaaagh!! How many times do I have to say it? Yuu-chan is a girl! Start valuing yourself more! You got mad when he tried it with me, right? Apply the same standard to yourself!”
“Yuuri, just to confirm—you did turn him down, right?”
“As the video shows, I tried to leave first, but he blocked my way. And at the end, I said I was going back to everyone.”
Currently, the smartphone footage is being reviewed by Hina (considered a related party), Saeki-sensei (our volleyball advisor, who got dragged into this), and others.
“My Yuuri doesn’t get easily intimidated. But realistically, a girl who’s not even 160 cm being surrounded by three guys over 180 cm—it’s not easy to be assertive in that situation.”
Saeki-sensei voiced a complaint to the other school’s coach.
“Absolutely right. This is entirely my failure as a coach. I sincerely apologize to both Matsubara Girls’ students—”
The opposing coach kept bowing and apologizing. I felt guilty. If I were a guy, I’d have definitely been the assailant here, having knocked someone unconscious.
But since I’m a girl, the story turned into: “A small, defenseless girl was cornered by three tall guys, got scared, and when her sister showed up, she feared for her safety too—so the girl bravely slapped one of the guys to protect her sister.” The world is weird.
And the chaos didn’t stop there.
First, the guy’s school (irrelevantly named Nanba High). They’d already been eliminated from IH qualifiers, but now they were voluntarily withdrawing from all official matches for six months.
I somehow convinced them to drop that. I mean, seriously—if I were a guy, I’d clearly be the perpetrator here. Just thinking about that makes it hard to sleep at night.
Next came the match venue. Due to the incident, it was decided that boys' and girls’ matches would be held separately. They couldn’t change venues by next week, so for now, they decided to split by time slots instead.
Originally:
-
Morning Match 1: Boys
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Morning Match 2: Girls
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Lunch Break
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Afternoon Match 3: Boys
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Afternoon Match 4: Girls
Now:
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Morning Match 1: Boys
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Morning Match 2: Boys
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Lunch Break (boys dismissed)
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Afternoon Match 3: Girls
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Afternoon Match 4: Girls
In short, thanks to me, boys get back-to-back matches in the morning, and girls get back-to-back matches in the afternoon.
And the fact that this schedule change would ultimately impact the outcome of the IH prefectural qualifiers… well, that wouldn’t become clear until the following week.
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