Chapter 126: Parents counseling (2)

After school… the time for parent-teacher conferences drew closer. Since the first ten students alphabetically had their meetings today, Aya, whose last name put her near the end of the list, packed her bag and stood up.

“I’m heading home~! Mine’s tomorrow.”
“Okay, see you, Aya!”

Mizuki and I waved goodbye to Aya, and she left the classroom, smiling brightly.
As soon as Aya was gone, Mizuki nudged my shoulder. There was more force in her nudge than usual. I had a feeling I knew why, but I didn’t want to talk about… that.

“Rina-tan, instead of just waiting around here, should we go to the student council room and kill some time? Sensei will message us on LINE when it’s our turn.”
“Okay! Let’s do that.”

There was nothing to do in the classroom anyway, and most of the other students had left to hang out with their friends in their club rooms. We packed our bags and headed to the student council room.

When we opened the door, we saw an unexpected person.

“Oh? Arisu?”

Arisu, who had been fiddling with her phone, looked up, startled, and stood up.

“Ah… hello. Are you two here to kill time before your conferences as well?”
“Yep! Are you waiting for your conference too, Arisu?”

Mizuki asked cheerfully, and Arisu smiled gently and nodded.

“That’s right. I was waiting here. It’s a bit… uncomfortable being in the classroom.”

Unlike us, Arisu was in Class 2-1, and her homeroom teacher would contact her separately, so she was also waiting for her turn.

Shiraizuka-senpai and the idol-like senpai (was his name Ren?) were also in the student council room.

“Mizuki, Kurosawa. You’re here? Would you like some tea?”

Shiraizuka-senpai, as always, offered us tea. Mizuki and the male senpai finished their tea quickly and left for their conferences.

“Oh, I have to go too. A friend called me.”

After Shiraizuka-senpai left, Arisu and I were alone in the room, which was incredibly awkward. Even if we were friends now, there was still the fact that she’d confessed, and I’d rejected her.
We sat in silence for a while, but then I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Arisu, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you…”
“Yes? What is it?”

Arisu looked up from her phone.

“Why do you… always dress like a boy?”
“Ah, this? My family wanted a boy, so I’ve been dressing like this since I was little. It’s become a habit. I have to wear a skirt for the school uniform, though.”
“But… you’re a girl, Arisu.”

Arisu looked away at my question. Had I touched a nerve? I felt a pang of guilt, but then she looked at me again and said calmly,

“…I don’t like being a girl.”
“Oh…”
“Yes, it’s more like… I don’t like what society expects of me. Sometimes I want to… tear off these growing breasts and bind my widening hips…”

Arisu’s words, almost violent, left me speechless. She was struggling deeply with her identity. I’d adapted to my new life as a girl, but Arisu was constantly battling with her gender identity.

Gender identity was a complicated and sensitive topic, something I usually avoided… but somehow, I’d stumbled into Arisu’s complex secret, and I felt a pang of guilt.

“Rina, do you think I’m strange?”

“No, not at all! I understand.”

I… hadn’t struggled with my gender identity recently, but I’d felt something similar when I first realized I was in this world.
Our school was a co-ed school, yet for some reason, I kept encountering situations and problems you’d typically find in an all-girls school. It felt like all of this was happening because I’d taken the male protagonist’s place…

I smiled gently at Arisu.

“You have a lot on your mind too, huh, Arisu?”
“It’s not that serious. I’ll live as a woman when I enter society. It’s just… I’ve become close enough to you, Rina, to share my struggles.”

Our conversation, though still slightly awkward, became more relaxed when Mizuki returned.

“Ah, Mizuki, you’re back! How was your conference?”

Mizuki sat down on the sofa, leaning back with a bored expression.

“It was boring~! The usual stuff. How do I get along with my friends? How’s the class atmosphere? Sensei also told me to send his regards to my family.”

Mizuki’s usual cheerful and playful demeanor made me forget that she was the eldest daughter of the Takamari Academy chairman’s family. I was still slightly surprised. Mizuki, looking back and forth between Arisu and me, asked curiously,

“What were you two talking about? The atmosphere seemed a bit… strange.”
“Nothing much.”

That was hardly “nothing much”! But I followed Arisu’s lead and said vaguely,

“Yeah, we were just… chatting to kill time.”

Mizuki narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then quickly returned to her usual cheerful self.

“Really? I hope you two become closer friends~.”

My phone buzzed with a notification.

[Homeroom Teacher: Kurosawa Rina, it’s your turn for the parent-teacher conference. Please come to the staff room with your parent.]

“It’s my turn!”

Arisu and Mizuki waved at me.

“Good luck, Rina-tan!”
“Do your best, Rina.”

With their… encouragement? I stood up, grabbed my bag, and headed to the staff room. I’d arranged to meet Mom outside. Thankfully, she’d become familiar with the school layout after visiting a few times.

****

Outside the staff room, Mom, looking surprisingly youthful, waved at me. She was so good at makeup and looked so young that I wondered if she’d been a gyaru in her younger days. Maybe that was how I ended up looking like this.

“Rina, over here.”
“Mom, did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here.”

Mom smiled and brushed some dust off my shoulder. Her light touch calmed my nerves.

We knocked on the door and entered the staff room, which was bustling with parents and teachers. Our homeroom teacher was waiting for us at his desk.

“Ah, Kurosawa, you’re here. It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Kurosawa.”

“Hello, Sensei. Thank you for taking care of Rina.”

“It’s my pleasure. Rina-san is a very diligent student, so I have no complaints.”

The conference started as expected. Sensei showed Mom my report card, praising my high grades and discussing potential career paths.

Mom listened attentively, taking notes, but I couldn’t focus. I was too worried about “that topic” coming up.

As expected, the conversation shifted to my relationships with my peers.

“Rina-san gets along well with her classmates. She’s also actively involved in the student council. I’ve noticed she’s become especially close with Yukikawa-san and Asakura-san recently.”

The moment Yukikawa Aya’s name was mentioned, I flinched. I quickly adjusted my posture, hoping Mom hadn’t noticed.

‘He’s not going to… mention our relationship directly, is he?’

Contrary to my anxiety, Mom replied calmly,

“Yes, Rina tells me she’s having a lot of fun every day. I’m glad she’s made such good friends.”

The teacher responded in a neutral tone.
But my face was burning.

‘Aya is a good influence… in more ways than one…’

Of course, I couldn’t say that here. I pressed my lips together, feeling my neck flush. The teacher glanced at me briefly, and my heart sank.

‘Did he notice? No, he probably didn’t… Right? Or did he…?’

But he quickly returned to my report card and continued speaking.

“And Rina-san, if you keep up the good work, you’ll have no problem getting into the university of your choice. You’re a very self-disciplined student, so I have no concerns.”
“Thank you, Sensei. We appreciate your guidance.”

Wait… he wasn’t going to mention my relationship with Aya?
The entire conference ended without a single mention of it.

‘Phew… That’s a relief.’

I let out a silent sigh of relief as we stood up. Mom bowed to the teacher.

“Thank you for your time today, Sensei. We appreciate your continued support for Rina.”

“Of course. I have no concerns about Rina, but please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.”

As we stepped out of the staff room, Mom smiled at me.

“Rina, you seem nervous. Your face is red.”
“Oh? Ah, well… Maybe. It’s still a bit warm, even though it’s autumn.”

I forced a smile and made an excuse. I was flustered because it felt like Mom knew everything. But she didn’t press further, and we walked home together.

I sent Mizuki a LINE message.

Rina: Sorry! Mom wanted to walk home with me. I’ll see you later!
Mizuki: Okay~ See you!