How could I be this careless? My thoughts scattered like marbles on a tile floor. Was I really bewitched by a girl’s swimsuit, like a moth chasing flame? No way—I'm a girl now myself, a mirror staring back at its own face.

Panic first, reason later; my chest fluttered like a caged sparrow. Then why did I only remember I’m female after I’d already agreed? The fact hit like cold water.

Do all men lose their minds at the sight of swimsuits, like tides pulled by the moon? That shouldn’t be it. Back when I was a guy, I fantasized, sure, but I never burned to actually see it like this.

Aagh—am I a man or a woman? My head felt like a buzzing hive.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting weird since a moment ago.” Maya Hanazaka studied me with tilted head, curiosity sharp as a needle.

“Tell me—inside your head, am I a man or a woman?” I didn’t have the strength to explain. I lifted my face like a wilted flower and gave her a miserable look.

“That’s a silly question. You’re a woman,” Maya said, face straight as a ruler.

“Then how am I supposed to go…” My voice trailed off like mist over a pond.

“How to go? Isn’t it just—uh.” Maya Hanazaka blinked, then light dawned like sunrise.

Fine. She lost this round. She hadn’t thought this far either.

“Well, do your best, young lady.” Maya clapped my shoulder, sympathy soft as a shawl.

She did want to see Yun Shi’s swimsuit, but only within the cute cross-dressing zone. If I couldn’t wear one, that was a pity. Still, the image of Yun Shi in boys’ swim trunks, bare on top like summer surf, was spicy enough. She wanted that shot so badly her eyes sparkled.

Maya’s yuri soul declared this swim trip absolutely the right call.

But Yun Shi was doomed. How do I keep a male persona without exposing the female truth? The question gnawed like a rat at midnight. I had no clue.

All because I got careless, like stepping on a rake.

All day, people saw me zoning out, gaze drifting to the ceiling like a leaf on still water, then sighing as if winter wind had slipped under my clothes. Regret clung like shadow. Classmates whispered—what’s up with her?

“Speaking of summer, I really wanna see girls’ swimsuits,” someone said, voice grinning like sunshine.

“You sly dog, Ryo. I’ve got a new stash. Wanna trade?” Another voice slithered like smoke.

“Oh, you secret snacker. Man, I wanna see too. Fine, three-day swap?” The laugh bounced like a ball.

“Deal.”

The boys circled around swimsuits and that so-called man’s romance, crude as a street mural. Their talk felt too precocious, like green fruit forced to ripen. I wasn’t interested.

In my past life, I’d joked about this stuff with guys too, but I never collected anything. Same here. I had no so-called male trove, no hidden stash. I’m not exactly a fully fledged male high-schooler.

“Mo-chan, let’s go buy swimsuits together,” a girl chimed, voice light as wind chimes.

“Yeah, then we’ll go swimming,” came the reply, bubbling like a spring.

“Which one will look cutest though?” another asked, eyes bright like starry ponds.

“What are you talking about? I’m coming too,” a friend cut in, smile quick as a dart.

The girls talked swimsuits as well, but their rhythm felt normal, like rain tapping a window. They seemed proper.

Thinking that was a big mistake. On the surface girls look pure as first snow, but behind the curtain they can be no less fierce than boys. How do I know? I don’t want to say. Some doors creak for a reason.

“Ah, right.” I slapped my forehead, a spark leaping like flint. Thanks to all that spiraling nonsense, a neat idea finally lit up.

Hmph, I’m actually looking forward to this, like a fox with a plan.

—

The weekend came bright and clear, sky polished blue like porcelain, not a cloud in sight. Not that weather mattered in this all-weather amusement park, a clockwork world under a single roof.

This place was heaven, a garden gate swung wide. No surprise; Mizuki has money—proper heiress money that rings like silver.

She picked a great spot, like an archer finding the center.

Long ago, I was a young lady too, silk and ribbons in another life. Now I’m something else—a creature with a male high schooler’s shell and a woman’s truth, a butterfly inside a borrowed cocoon.

“Maybe this will make a good memory,” I murmured, hope thin as morning mist.

Ticket checked, I slipped through like a fish through reeds and headed to the rendezvous.

We were meeting at the main gate. By the time I arrived, everyone was already there, clustered like swallows on a wire. The moment my shadow touched the edge, Mizuki came up to greet me.

“Hi, Yun Shi,” Mizuki sang, smile soft as sunlight on rice fields.

“Hey… I wasn’t late, right?” My voice wavered like heat above asphalt.

“Nope. We came early.” Her answer landed like a feather.

“Good. That’s a relief.” For a date, you can’t be late—a rule carved like a seal.

I’d gone out with girls before, but nerves still pricked me like pine needles. It’s been so long since I went out with friends.

This is a chance to deepen bonds, like tea steeping. I need to show the manly side, at least the outline.

“Welcome, Yun Shi. It would’ve been a shame if you didn’t come. I’m glad you made it,” Mizuki stepped forward, happiness bright as a lantern.

“Ya, little Yun, I’ve been super looking forward to this,” Sham stared at me with that punchable grin, smug as a cat on a windowsill. Heat rose in my chest like steam.

“Yan Er, and Maya Hanazaka… but where’s Sawagawa Moa?” I scanned the crowd like a heron at the riverbank.

“Sorry. Moa said she’s hanging out with friends this weekend, so she can’t join us,” someone explained, voice soft as moss.

“I see.” A small expectation folded away like paper.

“Let’s go swim. Big sis will lead the way,” Yan Er beamed, confidence shining like lacquer.

I bristled. Why call herself big sis? Sure, she’s older, but does she need to trample me like boots in snow?

“No need, Yan Er. I’ll lead,” Mizuki said with a polite smile, declining like a willow bends, then headed in with the rest following like a gentle tide.

Inside was spacious, the design fresh as dew. The scale felt huge, an orchard planted with money.

But the changing rooms… what do I do? The thought snagged like a thorn.

If I go to the women’s side, it’s fine. But…

I glanced left. A few girls I knew drifted into the women’s changing room, laughter fluttering like petals. If I followed, something would definitely blow up.

I glanced right. The men’s side loomed like the mouth of a cave—pure hell for me.

While I hesitated, Maya and Sham swooped in like sparrows. One took my left arm, the other my right, and they tugged me, grinning, into the women’s changing room.

“Hey, you two, have some sense. They’re in there,” I hissed, nerves crackling like static. “What do you want to happen to me?”

By “they” I meant Mizuki, the other Mizuki, and Yan Er who didn’t know the truth. If they saw me here, they’d brand me a creep, stamp and all.

“Relax. We prepped a cubicle. No one will see you,” Maya whispered, calm as a pond.

“Trust us, little Yun Shi. You don’t want to throw yourself into the men’s tiger den, right?” Sham added, grin sly as a fox.

They made too much sense, like a hammer on a bell—I had no comeback.

They led me to a corner away from where Mizuki and the others were. That place was full of feminine silhouettes, lines like water and light. It was a painting, lush and breathtaking. For me, it was a disaster. My heart squeezed like a fist. I kept my gaze low, skirting past the spicy sights like a thief in moonlight, and slipped to a quieter pocket.

I’ve been a woman for over ten years, but I never truly lived the locker room life with other girls. Feeling shy was natural, a blush like peach skin. Normal people don’t like their bare bodies being seen, much less me—not just refusing to look, but refusing to be looked at.

With Maya and Sham guarding like twin pines, I fumbled through changing and got it done. I handed them my bag for safekeeping and snuck out like a shadow. Thank heaven for this female face—no woman inside doubted me as I slipped past.

And no, I wasn’t going out in only a pair of men’s swim trunks. I wore an orange hooded top, bright as a tangerine, and knee-length shorts below, modest as a curtain. It was the only plan I had.

I’d seen this in anime: girls disguised as boys face pool episodes like this—hoodies, shorts, a moving shell.

I looked a little neither-nor, a willow between seasons, but at least no one would clock me as a girl at a glance.

“You’re slow,” Yan Er’s voice rang first when I emerged, crisp as a bell.

“Well, we didn’t wait that long,” another said, casual as a passing cloud.

“Um, Yun Shi, your… swimsuit looks cool. It suits you,” Mizuki offered, cheeks pink as dawn.

I turned my head—and froze, polite as a statue.

Mizuki wore a yellow bikini, sun-bright and bold. Her figure curved where it should, like dune and wave, slim as a reed. Truly an heiress—envy pricked like nettles.

The other Mizuki had on a white two-piece with a tank top. Her chest had bloomed like early peonies. The skirt fell just right, hinting at softness like cream. Her snow-white thighs made jealousy curl like smoke.

“Impressive…” I muttered, words drifting like a leaf. For a heartbeat, I wondered if something was wrong with me.

Yan Er wore a red bikini that suited her, bright as a lantern. Her bust didn’t match the others, and next to them she lagged a step, a sapling beside older trees.

Maya had a skirted swimsuit, hem flirting like a breeze. Her legs showed elegant lines, a dancer’s brushstroke. That fluttering edge was a man’s wild dream and a woman’s quiet dread.

“What’s wrong, little Yun Shi? Did we charm you?” Sham drawled, teasing like a cat with a ribbon.

Sham’s bikini was black as night, her curves sharp as cliffs. Add in the foreigner aura, and her stats soared like a kite.

“You shameless lot…” My mood curdled, a storm rolling in. I ground my teeth and stared at the girls like I could swallow them whole.

It’s fine, no development yet, don’t mind it… That lie slid like oil and went nowhere. Why am I this annoyed?

Simple. I was the smallest among them, a sparrow among swans.

Fine. I lost.

“Um, Yun Shi, aren’t we going to swim?” someone prompted, voice a gentle nudge like rain.

“Ah… yeah.” I dragged my gaze back, hauling myself to manners like a boat against current. Right—I’m a guy on the surface. Staring like that at girls is rude, like tracking mud over tatami.

Time to fix this bad habit, I told myself, sigh heavy as dusk. Lately I’m way too hung up on women’s figures.

“Right.” I stopped, turned, and looked at Mizuki. The words warmed my tongue like tea. “Your swimsuit suits you.”

It wasn’t a lie. They were all beautiful in swimwear, bright as falling stars, art that walked out of the sky.

For me, saying it out loud was rare as a blue moon. I hardly ever praise someone so directly.

“Really? Thanks…” Mizuki’s heartbeat kicked like a rabbit. Her cheeks flushed, shy as a bud, but joy glowed brighter. She fidgeted, eyes darting like minnows, and finally got the words out.

“Hey, Yun Shi, what about me? Praise me!” Sham pouted, then leaned in, clingy as ivy.

“Sure. You too,” I said, a smile thin as a breeze.

“Really? Ah, Yun Shi, you’re the best!” Sham’s pout flipped to a grin like sudden sunshine.

“What about me?”

“And me.”

“Me as well.”

“All of you, okay? Don’t make me pick,” I said, hands up like a man surrendering to a tide.

They lit up like lanterns at a festival. Apparently, having me rate their swimsuits made them happy. Women love beauty; being praised is a sweet fruit—and no one can pretend it isn’t.

A small doubt fluttered like a moth: am I pretty like this?

Yun Shi snuck a look at herself; the neutral swimsuit read masculine, yet her features added a soft edge, like silk over steel.

In this getup, there was a quiet flavor; if you looked twice, eyes would still drift her way, like leaves pulled by a current.

Inside the park, the pools weren’t just one; the place sprawled wide, people scattered like seeds.

Even so, you could spot the ones cruising, predators fishing for women in pretty swimwear.

What was she even thinking? Lately her mind spun like a lost compass.

Yun Shi shook her head and walked straight to the rest area, setting the oar down—she wasn’t planning to swim.

Behind her, the girls saw and laughed, bells in the sun, then scattered toward the pools like sparrows to water.

This weekend might finally feel full, like an empty bowl filling grain by grain.