The rest of the week crawls by without incident. Each day is full of ups and downs, with Ken's birthday landing in the middle of the week. We all have a party after school, but it isn't too big a to-do or anything. Runa does bake cake though.

Still, by Friday afternoon, effectively nothing has changed. I don't get found out, but Leona Vicca never comes in either. When I ask the teachers, they just say she's on leave, and have absolutely nothing else to offer.

Things feel fine on the surface with Ken and Jen, but there's this little bit of distance now, and I have no idea how to close it. It's not like they're avoiding me or anything, they're just... I don't know, something is different about them, but I can't place it.

The way they're treating me? I think it feels about the same. Just as he promised, Ken doesn't get weird or anything, even when he sees me naked a couple times. That doesn't help my stupid, ashamed, blushing responses though.

It's not me that's being different, is it...?

As for Jen, she takes up playing with my hair on breaks more than she used to now that it's a little longer. And I'm not complaining, it feels wonderful. She even compliments me on it and says it's cute a couple times as she runs her hands through it. I'm not happy about the cute part, but... well, she's being really sincere, so I eventually just take the complements.

I manage to settle into a comfortable rhythm with classes too. I have to change clothes in the toilet before gym class, and some people walk in when I'm changing a couple times, but that's no big deal. Since I can't shower after gym, I take a quick one when I get back to my room each day. I quickly discover that putting on moisturizer when I get out makes my skin feel incredible.

Of course, I can't wash my hair every day or it'll dry out, so I wind up borrowing some hair ties from Lucy to tie it up in the shower. Soon enough, those wind up in Jen's hands between classes, and she has fun tying up my hair in all sorts of different styles. They're met with various levels of praise and confusion as the girls try to make sense of some of the stranger ones.

For the most part though, it's just more compliments from them about how pretty my hair is.

I really like my hair...

By Friday, even Ken chimes in once, telling me it's cute with his goofy grin.

Somehow, I actually manage to enjoy my first week of school.

After studying and some more weight lifting while Ken's off taking a bath, I settle in on Friday night. There is one thing I'm pretty worried about coming up. Bra shopping...

The bandages worked as well as Jen said they would, and I managed to get them off each day with minimal pain by doing it after they got soaked in the shower, but they were still a hassle. I know that a bra would solve these problems. It's what they're for.

But, wearing one...

When I think about it, all I can do is imagine my Mom and Dad, the disgusted looks on their faces...

Why am I getting further away from being a man...?

But! It's not like I want to! It's just this body, it has boobs, it needs one!

I guess that was the bad part of this last week. Like every day up to now, I end up crying myself to sleep when I inevitably think of my parents...

So much for not crying...

“Good morning, guys,” Jen chirps as we meet up in front of the dorm, early Saturday morning.

“Morning...” I yawn back, while Ken offers a much more coherent response. Always such an early riser...

We all walk at a quick clip, across campus to the transit terminal. Even this early, there are other people gathered around. Soon enough, the shuttle arrives and we all pile on. It's a quick trip as the automated vehicle blazes down the road, soon after calling out, “Meridan East Mall, arriving at Meridan East Mall,” in its usual synthesized drone.

The doors open up, and everyone piles back out. Except us. The doors close again, and the now-empty shuttle whisks us away from the mall right next to campus. Why? Because as Jen put it on the way to the terminal, going bra shopping at the local mall is a TERRIBLE IDEA.

You know, the mall absolutely packed with our schoolmates where we'll have a 99% chance of them seeing and the whole trip ending in catastrophic failure? Yeah, that mall.

So instead, we're going to a different stop, past that. The trip is twice as long, almost a half hour away way, but the alternative is blowing my cover at my school and being disowned by my parents, so it's kind of a no-brainer.

Once it's just the three of us on the shuttle, Jen digs into a bag she brought with her. “Sei, you're going to need to wear these.”

“Hmm?” I watch as she pulls out a few articles of clothing. They just look like a t-shirt and jeans, pretty much like what I'm wearing now. “How come?”

“Because, these are girl clothes and you do not want to be seen shopping for bras if the people there think you're a guy, do you?”

All at once, I cringe. For multiple reasons. At the thought of wearing girl's clothes, and at the looks I would get, like a man shopping for women's bras. What people would say.

Pervert. Freak.

I'm conflicted. Do I put on the girl clothes to avoid notice? Can I?

“Come on, Sei, don't worry so much,” Jen chides me, “just look at them.”

Oh yeah, that's right. They don't really look much different from what I'm already wearing. That thought banishes the vast majority of my anxiety over the clothes, making it an easy decision to take them.

Since it's just us on the shuttle, we decide that I should change here. Especially because the alternative is finding a women's toilet because as Jen says again, the men's would be a TERRIBLE IDEA.

If I'm supposed to be passing myself off as a girl, I can't just walk in and out of the men's toilet. So while Ken turns his back, I strip off my clothes and slide into hers.

They... huh. They're pretty much just like mine. Like, almost exactly like what I was wearing. Sure, the cut of the clothing is different so that it should be more form fitting, but Jen's clothes are like, a half dozen sizes too big for me, so they're just as loose and baggy as my own guy clothes.

“Ok, change of plans...” Jen mumbles, one of her eyes twitching at me for some reason. “We get you some girl clothes, and then look for bras.

“Yeah, I guess we don't really have a choice.”

I don't know if I'm nervous, excited, or what, as we chat the rest of the way to our destination. Soon enough, we hear the callout. “Pilkton Square, arriving at Pilkton Square.”

We climb off, into a quaint little paved courtyard that stretches between numerous shops. It's not a nice, neat, enclosed shopping area with tons of stuff like the mall is, but there's still plenty here.

“There's the bra shop,” Jen calls it out as we walk past on our way to the clothing store. Even from this distance, I can see the lacy displays in the windows. I'm not... going to wear frilly stuff like that, am I...? My head is spinning and my cheeks heat at just the thought.

Thankfully, we escape to the clothing store first. “Alright, we aren't looking for much, just something that actually fits you. Also, black shirt, trust me.” And Jen hands me a black shirt that looks like it's my size. It takes a little longer to find a pair of jeans sized for me, especially at my height, then we head over to the changing room.

“Why black?” I ask on the way over.

She looks pointedly at my chest, then responds, “So you don't show through.”

I gulp. “Y-yeah, sounds good.”

I scan the two items in on my way into the changing room, then change into them. They're definitely tight and form fitting. The jeans mold to my... surprisingly wide hips. Are they accentuating them somehow? I don't think they looked that wide when I was naked... Besides that, the front of the black shirt completely shows the shape of my breasts... Is this how these clothes are supposed to be?

“Uhh, Jen?” I ask.

“Yeah?”

“Can you come look at this?”

I swing the door open as she moves to look through, and her face absolutely lights up.

“Oh my god, Sei, you look great! That's so cute!” The sudden gush of praise makes me go red from ear to ear, heart racing, and I look away bashfully.

Wait wait, being called cute isn't a good thing! No, but I'm supposed to look like a girl here, so that means it's working, right? Yeah, being cute here is fine. It's good.

Shaking away my moment of doubt, I smile again and say, “Alright, I'll get them.”

Then, I remember, and my heart sinks. “Sorry Jen, could you buy them...? I'll just, uhh, send you a payment...” I pull out my mobile and start to open up my payment app, when Jen stops me.

“Sei, aren't you forgetting? You're an adult now.” It takes me a moment, but then it clicks.

I'm an adult! My parents don't have access to my bank records for all my purchases anymore! I can buy clothes myself without them knowing!

Jumping up and down, I squeal with delight. Then I lean over and swipe my mobile past the scanner to pay for the clothes, and I'm done.

Leaping over the threshold, I tackle hug Jen, laughing and giggling with sudden, frantic energy. After a few moments, I realize what I'm doing and pull away awkwardly, coughing into my hand and trying to calm myself. I still have a huge grin on my face though.

After giving me another quick hug, Jun rubs my head gently and says, “Good for you, Seiko.”

The smile falls from my face.

“Seik- Uhh, Sei?” Jen asks worriedly.

“A-ahh, no, sorry. It's nothing.” I shake my head and make myself smile again. “Let's keep going, alright?”

“Yeah,” let's go,” Ken jumps in, sweeping us both up from behind and herding us out of the clothing store.

I wind up in the squeezed into the middle on the walk, one of them pressed close on each side of me. It's quiet, no one saying anything, but I can somehow feel an entire wordless conversation passing between the two of them as we go. What's up with them, I wonder...?

It's a short walk across the plaza, before we arrive outside the bra store. Finally standing in front of it like this, I gulp nervously.

“Am I... really going in...?” I mumble.

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“Yup, come on,” and Jen pulls me gently by the hand, in through the front door. I glance back to find Ken following, arms crossed over his chest with an obviously uncomfortable expression on his face, and his gaze pointed up at the ceiling, only glancing downward briefly at the racks and tables of women's underwear all around us.

That's when it finally registers. Jen called it a bra store, but isn't this actually a lingerie store?! Somehow that makes me even more anxious!

No no no, I'm only here for bras. I'm fine wearing my normal underwear. It's not like I need girl panties the same way I need bras.

“Hello ladies!” I jump when a woman right in front of us that I should have noticed greets us. My heart's hammering so hard, it's getting hard to breathe... The woman's eyes flick over to Ken, then back to us, before she goes on. “What are you looking for today?”

Jen closes her hands on my shoulders and speaks clearly. “She's never been shopping for bras before.” I twitch when she suddenly refers to me like that. Is this lady really not going to notice anything? No, it's fine, there's nothing to notice, not with my body as it is! “For right now, she really only needs sports bras,” Jen finishes while I'm having my micro-meltdown.

“Alright, should I get her sizes?”

Jen looks down at me briefly, and I stare back up. I don't even really know what they're talking about, so I'm leaving it all in her hands. “Nah, not today. Maybe next time,” she decides.

“That's fine, let me show you to the section you're looking for.” While we follow the saleswoman through the store, I finally start to calm down and stop tunnel-visioning at the floor where I'm walking.

I look up, and around us a little more. It's... just underwear, isn't it...?

“Alright, ladies, here you go.” I finally have the sense to look at the saleswoman, and I'm surprised. She has the same shade of purple hair as Lucy, and she's surprisingly young. Older than us, but possibly still high school age. Nineteen or twenty?

Looking past her, I follow Jen to the racks of plastic packages. There are whole rows of them, with some difference between each one I'm sure, but I don't know how to tell them apart at a glance.

“Mmmm....” Jen is frowning for some reason. “These are padded sports bras, do you have any unpadded ones?”

The woman tilts her head slightly, her eyes moving to my chest for some reason, forcing me to fight off the automatic urge to cover myself. But then she says, “Of course, right over here,” anyway. She leads us over to a somewhat smaller rack of packages.

“Yeah...” Jen mutters, tracing a finger over a number of them, before she plucks one from the shelf. “Alright, look here, Sei.” As I scan over the writing, seeing that it's marked as a three-pack, she explains. “This is a sports bra, it will give you the support and protection you need while running. They don't come in normal bra sizes, just small, medium, large, and all that, because they're elastic.”

Alright, I'm following so far. “I picked out a small for you, and it's flesh tone. That's important because the color won't show through any of your shirts. I don't think I should need to tell you, but having your bra show through your shirt is bad.”

I follow her surface meaning, how it's just not something a girl wants. But underneath... how I absolutely cannot let anyone see that I'm wearing bras at school.

“Yeah,” I answer nervously.

Then Jen asks the woman who waited patiently through the whole explanation, “Can she try one of these on?”

“Of course.” With a wave of her hand, she leads us to the changing room, then digs around behind the counter there until she finds an already open package of the same type, and hands me one to try.

I walk into the changing room and close the door. By the time I have my shirt off, Jen speaks up in a voice loud enough to hear from inside. “Slide it on over your head.”

Following her instructions, I pull it up over my head, slipping my arms through, so the wide, flat straps should settle over my shoulders. I have to wiggle into it because it's tight and stretchy, but once I'm in...

“Oh wow.” I turn around, looking at myself in a mirror. It's basically the same tannish ivory as my skin, and molds itself tight to my body like a glove. This is really comfortable. I hop a couple times, and don't get any of the breast bounce I normally do. So this is how the other girls in gym class manage, they wear sports bras...

I straighten up, frowning at myself. “Yeah, that's really obvious, now that I think about it.” Then I shake off those thoughts.

I really like how this feels, but I don't actually know if this is how it's supposed to be, so I ask, “Hey, umm, how does this look?” and open up the door for them to see.

On the other side, Jen and the saleswoman are standing there, giving me appraising looks, but my eyes catch on Ken, just a short way behind them, his eyes snapping to me, then swiftly away.

Even as I feel the heat rise in my cheeks, I take deep breaths. He's already seen me topless a half dozen times in our room, this hardly even counts. Yeah, being seen in a bra is no big deal.

So why am I still so embarrassed?! Keeping my screaming thoughts inside, I turn around for them, and both women give me the ok. I close the door, and fight to wriggle my way back out of the bra. It takes a surprising amount of work, and in the end, I need to pull the whole thing off over my head, turning it inside out in the process, just to get it done.

While I'm putting my shirt back on, I think about how much tighter girl clothes are. You can't just throw them on and be done with it. Huh...

I step back out of the changing room and hand the saleswoman back the bra I tried on, which she stashes away somewhere behind the counter, before leading us up to the front of the shop. We stop along the way so Jen can grab me another two packages of the same sports bras. So I'll have nine bras to wear...?

When we reach the front, the saleswoman scans the three packages and slides them into a fancy little bag, but I'm staring dumbfounded at the price. Bras are expensive!

It's fine, I need these. I shake off the sticker shock and swipe my mobile to pay.

“Nice doing business with you today, ladies.”

“You too,” we both respond together with big smiles.

Then, just as we turn around to leave, a shock of purple hair enters my sight. Appearing right in front of us, Lucy at the entrance of the store. “Woah, what are you guys doing here?!” she gapes, a moment before Amari comes in behind her.

I freeze, the blood draining from my face as the two girls' eyes fall on me. Their gazes flick up and down my body, with my tight fitting women's clothes, and to the bag of underwear in my hand.

Why are they here? Why now? What the hell am I supposed to do?!

To everyone's surprise, Lucy isn't the first one to move, Amari is. Rushing straight up to me, she grabs my hands and clutches them tightly.

“Sei-kun, you're a natural!”

“Huh?” pretty much everyone has the same response to her incomprehensible outburst.

While Lucy follows on her heels, it's the shopkeeper the speaks next. “Lucy, Amari-chan, do you know these girls?”

“Gir-” Lucy starts, but trips over her words. “Uhh, yeah, they're our friends from school. We hang out together all the time.”

“Really? That's great,” the older woman beams. “One week and you've already made new friends!” Stepping out from behind the counter, she stops momentarily to scan across the otherwise empty shop, before continuing.

With a shallow bow, she says, “Let me introduce myself. I'm Lucy's older sister, Sanya Miki. Meridan High School, class 4-A.”

One by one, we go around, giving our own names and classes at school.

“Haah, so Yono-kun and Maka-chan are in your class...” Miki says, a finger to her cheek in thought.

“I go over for all the breaks, and we have gym together,” Jen supplies.

“So that's how it is...” With another warm smile, Miki says, “It's really nice to meet you all. I'm glad Lucy has such cute friends. And handsome, too,” she tags on after, throwing a look Ken's way.

All waving to Miki, we leave the shop. It's only once we're outside that Amari suddenly rounds on me again. “Sei-kun, that cosplay is amazing!” I've never seen the shy Amari so heated up before...

“C-cosplay?” I stammer.

“Yeah! And it sounded like Sanya-san thought you were an actual girl!”

“Y-yeah...”

“Speaking of...” Lucy chimes in, sounding curious rather than excited, and points awkwardly at the bag clutched tightly in my hands. “What did you buy, anyway?”

Red faced, I stare at the ground. They're going to think I'm some sort of creepy pervert... We came all the way out here and still wound up running into people from school...

“Bras...” I admit at a whisper.

“Huh...” Lucy murmurs, eyeing my chest again. “Guess that makes sense.”

“What?” What makes sense about that?

With a little head tilt, she points at my chest. “You got that effect from stuffing a padded bra, right?”

“Uhh...” I'm not sure what she means, but...

But my awkward response makes Amari light up again. “Don't tell me, breast forms?!” I don't know what she's talking about, but she's bouncing up and down excitedly coming right up to me. “I've never met a crossplayer with those before! Can I feel?”

“Bu- no- I-” I have no idea how to respond, hands coming up ineffectually in my shock as she reaches for me from right up close. My friends see me panicking and move, but it's too late.

Amari's grabs my breasts through my shirt, and she beams, closing her eyes and clearly savoring the feeling as she fondles them. “Wow, they feel so realistic...” Everyone else freezes in place.

A lump rises in my throat, tears filling my eyes. The roughness of her groping makes me wince, sending a few tear drops down my cheeks.

Lucy looks across the three of us, the truth written on all of our shocked faces. She takes a halting step forward and grabs Amari by the arm. “A-Amari... Stop...”

“Huh?” she glances away to Lucy, then back to me, and flinches when she meets my eyes. Her hands draw away slowly. “S-sorry...” she mumbles. “I didn't... Sorry...”

With my shoulders shaking, all I can do is wipe at my eyes. What am I supposed to do now...? They found out...

My parents are going to find out...

“We need to talk.” Ken's voice doesn't leave any room for argument. Trying my hardest not to panic, I follow along until we sit down somewhere.

I stare at the ground between everyone's feet, trying to keep breathing. They know I'm not a boy... they know I'm not a boy...

“First off, you can't tell anyone about this, alright?”

“Y-yeah, of course.” I glance up when Lucy agrees immediately, and Amari nods emphatically next to her. They... won't tell...?

“So, uhh, basically, Sei's body changed sexes,” Ken offers flatly.

“Well... yeah, guessed as much from the...” Lucy vaguely gestures to her chest. “...you know. But how?”

Jen says, “Probably the psi tremor last Friday. That's when it happened.”

Lucy considers it, then snaps her fingers and goes, “Aha, that hair growth last week!” and everyone nods. Then she tilts her head and starts counting off on her fingers. “And changing in the toilet. And sneaking off at the end of gym. And you guys being all secretive. Sticking to you like glue. Running off at random. The hair play all the time... Ok wow we're dense!” Lucy facepalms and laughs at herself.

“Anyway,” she waves her hands. “It's not even that surprising when I think about it. Heard of much weirder shit happening from psi tremors. Sei-san's already such a girl that it's been a week and no one even noticed.”

Hearing it said like that... “Hic,” I hiccup as I start to cry again.

“Hey!” Jen growls, “Sei is really sensitive about that!”

“Huh? She is?”

“He,” Ken grunts.

Amari makes a confused sound and asks, “He? Didn't you just say that, umm, Sei-san became a girl?”

“Whatever happens to Sei, he's still Sei,” Jen huffs. “He says he's a guy, so he is.”

“Haahh...” After the two purple haired girls join together to make an uncertain sound, Ken is the next to speak.

“Sei got bullied when he was younger for not being very manly, and he really took it to heart. So he's really sensitive to these things, alright?”

“O-oh, like Vance-san...” Lucy intones with a nasty grimace. “Shit, that must have been rough.”

“You don't know the half of it,” Jen sighs tiredly. “But that's a discussion for later.” Then she looks pointedly at me for some reason. Why? Lucy makes an understanding sound though, and moves the conversation on.

“So, Sei-san is hiding the changes to his body at school for now,” she surmises with a little head bob, before asking, “uhh, why?”

That just makes Jen sigh again and lay her head in her hands. Ken is the one that explains. “His family would disown him if they found out.”

“Wait, seriously?” Lucy looks between us in disbelief.

“That fuck...” Jen growls into her hands.

“Yeah, that's also a story for later,” Ken randomly adds emphasis. “For now, we're keeping it all under wraps while Sei comes to grips with his new body and looks for a way to change back. That's kind of why he freaked when you found out, because he really needs to keep it secret from the school at large.”

“Oh, I'm sorry we scared you, Sei-san. Don't worry, this stays between us,” Lucy grins, giving a surprisingly dependable feel compared to usual.

Then Amari leans forward, reaching out and taking my hands gently. “Umm, Sei-kun, I'm really sorry for touching you like that before. I got too excited, thinking you were another cosplayer, but that's no excuse for what I did. I'm sorry.” She gives my hands a trembling squeeze, and I sigh softly.

“Don't worry, Amari-chan, I know you didn't mean it. I forgive you.” We share a smile shortly, before everyone sits back in their chairs.

There's an air of uncertainty for a while, no one really sure what to do or say next. Then, Jen perks up and asks, “Hey, what brought you two all the way out here anyway?”

Immediately blushing, Lucy lowers her head. “It was my sister, she texted me about seeing a cute girl and her friends and I recognized you guys by your descriptions. We kinda got curious and came to check it out...”

“By 'we,' you mean you...” Amari quips, while Jen facepalms and groans.

“Please, Lucy-chan, ask your sister to just not mention Sei to anyone, alright?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Cool, thanks.”

Once again, we all sit back. It's still early morning, but I'm already so tired...