“So, what do you plan to do from here on out?”
Dad was overjoyed that the whole family was finally together and started drinking beer. Mika-nee joined him for his evening drink (or maybe it was an aperitif since it was before dinner), while I ignored them and started preparing dinner.
Then we moved straight into dinner. For the first time in about half a year, the seat at the head of the table was occupied by its rightful owner, and, come to think of it, this was the first dinner in two years—since New Year’s—where all five family members were present.
The dinner conversation was naturally about my “blank” two years—what I’d been doing and where I’d been.
I explained how I was suddenly summoned to another world, how the place I’d been living got attacked and I couldn’t go back, how I spread modern technology there, and how, as I researched magic, I eventually gained the ability to use it—even though I couldn’t at first.
That’s when Dad asked the question: what was I going to do now?
“To be honest, I have no idea. Up until about three weeks ago, I figured that if I ever managed to come back, I’d give up on high school, take the high school equivalency exam, and restart my life from university.”
After about a month of being stuck in the other world, I seriously started thinking:
“If this keeps up, I’m definitely going to have to repeat a year of high school.”
And in modern Japanese society, repeating a year of high school is... not ideal.
Let alone dropping out and working with only a junior high education—that’s just not an option.
So I thought that once I got back to Japan, I’d abandon high school, take the equivalency exam to get my diploma, and prepare for university entrance exams. If I could start fresh from university...
Unlike high school, it’s not unusual to enter university after a gap year. I’ve also heard from Ryou-nee and Mika-nee that people ask you to drink alcohol there, so getting into a decent university at age 20 wouldn’t be weird.
If I could finish my prep for the high school equivalency and college entrance exams in two years, I could more or less rebuild my life.
But that whole plan is based on me still being Tachibana Yuuji.
And now, objectively speaking, I’m clearly not a guy. I’m a girl. And not even one that looks Japanese.
“So in other words, you don’t have a plan.”
“I didn’t want to think about it, but right now, I guess I’m stateless, huh?”
In my case, it wasn’t a normal gender reassignment via surgery—it was a complete transformation, down to the bone structure. So how the hell can I prove I’m Tachibana Yuuji?
“Why not just become someone else?”
...What the hell is this old man saying?
“Dad, is that even possible?”
“In the region where I work, it’s common for people to lose all their records due to conflict. I’ve seen lots of folks without any family registry at all.”
Puffing up his chest, Dad declared that negotiating with governments to create family registries for such people is part of his job. He even said that if he used his connections, he could get a fake registry for me too. Is that for real?
“But wouldn’t that make Yuu a complete stranger?”
“That’s where the trick comes in. We’ll just say that this girl version of Yuuji is my secret child from a fling when I was young. That way, it’s way easier to get Japanese nationality as ‘my child’ rather than as a complete stranger.”
“Wouldn’t that damage your reputation, though?”
“Yuuji. Listen closely. If you can be happy, I don’t give a damn about my reputation. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”
Dad... you're awesome!
“But wouldn’t that fail a DNA test or something?”
“Yeah, Japan’s strict about that kind of thing.”
“Hmm... That’s the only catch.”
“That probably won’t be an issue,” Ryou-nee suddenly cut in.
Wait, probably won’t be an issue???
“Assuming we’re just talking about basic student-grade equipment, Yuuji’s current genes are completely different from his old male self. But at the same time, your DNA is very similar to ours—close enough to be called a blood relative.”
“How did you even test Yuu’s DNA?”
“I told you earlier, I do genetic research at university. I used some of our equipment to take a quick look.”
“When did you even collect a sample?”
“Yesterday morning, when I brushed your hair. I just used the shed hair. I stopped by the lab this morning on the way to pick up Dad and checked the results.”
...When the hell did that happen?
From that point on, the conversation shifted entirely from my isekai adventures to the process of obtaining Japanese nationality.
That night
“I heard we’re doing this ‘rotate who educates Yuu in how to be a girl’ thing in the bath. So today’s your turn, Ryou-nee?”
“That’s right. Is there a problem?”
“Please... at least cover up like before.”
Unlike Hinata yesterday, Ryou-nee didn’t wear a swimsuit. She was completely naked. And she didn’t even try to cover herself.
“This is a bathroom, you know? There’s no need to be shy. I don’t cover up with Mika or Hinata either. Besides, Yuuji, you’re not covering anything either.”
“That’s different, I’m a guy and—”
“Right now we’re both girls, so no problem.”
“Well, yeah, but still, not exactly...”
“I have something I want to ask too,” she said, suddenly wrapping herself around my arm.
“Hey, how does this feel?”
“I don’t know how to answer that... it’s soft, big, and... yeah...”
Her big boobs were pressed up against my arm, squishing and changing shape.
“Are you getting sexually aroused?”
...What is this woman saying?
Oblivious to my inner panic, Ryou-nee started feeling me up.
“No change in body temperature or pulse. No secretions from the genital area either...”
“Hey, stop! Where do you think you’re touching! That’s definitely off-limits!”
“Relax. I’m not putting my fingers inside or anything. Just checking the outer part.”
What even is your goal, Ryou-nee...?
“My goal? I want to examine you. That’s all. May I? Genetically, you’re a completely different person. So why do you still have Yuuji’s memories? Is it because memories are stored in the brain? But if the brain is the same, why are your genes different? Male and female brains are slightly different, you know. I’d love to do a CT scan. Would your brain show male characteristics? Or female ones? Externally, you look like a woman, but psychologically, you don’t seem to see men as the opposite sex. Why is that? Am I not a suitable sample? Still, even when touching the breasts of a woman in her prime, you show no reaction—”
“Ryou-nee. I give up. We’re both naked and if we keep standing around like this, we’re going to catch a cold. Let’s just do what we came here for.”
“You’re right. If it were just Mika or Hinata, we could stay longer, but Dad’s here today. We can’t hog the bath forever.”
...Wait. If Dad wasn’t here, would she have kept going!?
A few minutes later...
“...I won’t get mad, so just tell me honestly. Did you learn to wash like that from Hina? Or is it your own style?”
You’re definitely mad, aren’t you? Your voice and expression are terrifying...
“Listen, you can’t wash your hair so roughly like that. Especially since you were out pulling weeds for half the day today—”
In the end, I was completely toyed with by Ryou-nee and left the bath thoroughly defeated.
“Hold on a second. If you leave your clothes scattered like this, it’ll cause trouble for Dad later, won’t it?”
Even after getting out of the bath, I’m still getting scolded.
“Don’t act like that. You used to be a boy, so you should understand how this looks, right?”
Ryou-nee pointed her finger toward the underwear I’d been wearing earlier that day.
Yeah, from a guy’s perspective, if something like that was just lying around where you could see it, it’d be a problem for sure.
“Come to think of it, Ryou-nee, about this underwear—”
“You mean the bra?”
Don’t just say it outright like that! That’s embarrassing.
“Listen, you’re going to be wearing these for a long time from now on, right? So what’s the point of being embarrassed about it? So, what about the bra?”
“Well... weren’t you supposed to hand wash this kind of underwear?”
“That’s how it was two years ago too, but we didn’t hand wash everything, you know. The cheaper ones we just put in a bra net and ran through the washing machine on the soft cycle. When you were in charge of laundry, we had you hand wash them, though.”
“Oh, I see. So, uh, speaking of cheap... the one I wore earlier today, that one seemed kind of expensive...”
That was a careless thing to say. Ryou-nee’s face lit up with the biggest smile, and she told me:
“Oh my? All the underwear I bought for you yesterday was the cheap kind. They’re for kids, you know? Next time, we should go to a more high-end store together as a learning experience, don’t you think?”
Ryou-nee beamed from ear to ear, clearly enjoying herself immensely.
It seems the final boss has a second form...
Once again, my male dignity was thoroughly trampled, and I staggered into the living room.
“Oh? Yuuji, those pajamas are really cute. But they suit you,”
Dad said, complimenting my sleepwear.
Which makes it all the more painful, since he said it with zero malice.
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