"Ah~ Satisfied!"

Kubo Aoji burped after finishing her last drink, stretching lazily. The curves of a young woman were unmistakable.

"I never expected you’d be so kind. Thanks for lending me money."

"No problem."

"Still, I’m shocked. You’re called ‘the weird guy’ in class, but you’re actually nice."

"Please don’t say such rude things."

*This girl is the real weirdo,* Moyu thought.

Walking back to class, Kubo yawned, strolling carefree.

"Manatsu Mio, you’ve been ‘the weird guy’ since freshman year. You can’t not know that, right?" she remarked casually.

Moyu Manatsu had never been popular. She skipped group activities—even school trips—spent days napping or scrolling on her phone, and had terrible grades. "The weird guy" label stuck. She knew that much.

"And you, with your boy’s name, have the nerve to call me out?"

"Oh? I’m actually flattered you’d say that."

"What a bizarre mindset."

"Your words are rude."

Bickering over nonsense, they entered the classroom under curious stares. Yuki froze mid-page-turn, glaring daggers at someone—her expression like a mother watching her daughter elope.

"To repay you, Mio-kun, lunch at the cafeteria’s on me." *That’ll cover the debt too,* Kubo thought.

"Fine."

Moyu had no bento today anyway. Free food? Perfect.

"Kubo-chan, since when are you so close to her?" Yuki asked later.

"Just ran into her. Hey, Yuki, join us for lunch at the cafeteria?"

"Sure. I forgot my bento too."

Across the room, Minami Kana’s eyes sparkled. *Classic manga trope—this is a love triangle setup!*

"Yuki, can I join you at lunch too?!"

"Of course. But wipe that creepy grin off your face."

Kana was already drafting scenarios of two girls and one boy. Her dedication to fictional drama was… admirable.

Reality, however, wasn’t a story.

At lunchtime, they headed to the modest cafeteria. The aroma of food teased appetites, though to Moyu—who’d dined in Rockefeller Academy’s grand halls—it felt outdated. Even the storage warehouse back there was bigger.

"For my gratitude—eat up, Mio-kun!" Kubo waved grandly. Two steaming bowls of udon appeared.

"Why udon?" Moyu frowned. Not her favorite.

"Don’t make that face! Udon’s nutritious. Trust me, just eat~"

Moyu, who gagged at the sight of noodles after years of instant ramen, sighed. Hunger won.

"Kubo… why didn’t you let me order for myself?"

"Ah… sorry. I forgot."

"…"

*Is this idiot for real?*

Chopsticks in hand, Moyu slurped reluctantly. The broth, at least, was decent.

Minutes later, Yuki arrived with lunch, Kana trailing like a gossip-hound.

"Eating with the class rep? First time. Rumors are true—you two are close." Kubo shot Moyu a knowing look. Moyu choked on broth.

"Just friends."

"Oh-ho? ‘Just friends’? I smell conspiracy." Kubo grinned, waggling eyebrows.

"What’s with that face?!"

"Mio-kun, pure boy-girl friendships don’t exist. Do you think shouting ‘just friends’ makes me believe there’s nothing going on?"

"You’ve got an overactive imagination."

"Not at all! Yuki has no other close guy friends. Anyone’d be suspicious~" Kubo covered her mouth, eyes comically wide.

Truth was, Yuki only treated her kindly because she knew Moyu was secretly a girl—the only one who did. But classmates loved fueling rumors.

"Speechless? Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"…"

Moyu couldn’t care less. *Zero emotional damage. I almost laughed.*

"A fellow traveler, Kubo-chan! I’ve always known—Yuki’s way past the age for romance!" Kana declared.

"Oh? You think so too, Minami-san?"

"Of course! I’m a thirty-year veteran of love research. I’ve been searching for a kindred spirit!"

"How touching! From now on, you’re my comrade, Minami-san—no, Kana-chan! Let’s study young love together!"

"I’ll do my best, Kubo-sensei!"

*They might actually get along,* Moyu mused.

Yuki ate calmly, unfazed. She’d clearly mastered ignoring nonsense.

"You’re surprisingly chill, Yuki."

"Know the best way to deal with idiots?"

"Huh?"

"Agree with them. Let them grow into bigger fools."

*Scary smart,* Moyu admitted.

Watching the two flirt—pink bubbles practically floating around them—was weirdly entertaining.

After a long silence, Yuki spoke.

"Kubo… why keep such a masculine name? You could change it, right?"

Most found "Aoji" odd for a girl.

"Well… Mom picked it before I was born. She wanted a boy. When I turned out female…" Kubo shrugged. "I kept it."

"But you *can* change it. It’s impractical for a girl," Kana pressed.

Kubo fidgeted. Moyu watched her.

"Something you’re not saying?"

"No! It’s… this name was Mom’s first gift to me. I won’t change it."

"And the *real* reason?"

"‘Kubo Aoji’ sounds *cool*! I won’t ditch such a cool name!" she declared earnestly.

*Cool?* Moyu’s eye twitched. *What a ridiculous reason.*

"Still… it’s not exactly girly," Kana said gently.

"What? It’s awesome! Besides, who changes their name just for being born the ‘wrong’ gender?"

"Actually…" Moyu muttered. "I did."

"Eh?"

"Yeah."

"What name did your parents pick?"

Moyu hesitated. "I heard they wanted a girl. They named me ‘Moyu.’ But since I was born male… they scrapped it. Changed it to ‘Mio.’"

*Though now that I’m a girl again, I took back their discarded name.*

Kubo forgot her own dilemma, leaning close. Girl-scent washed over Moyu.

"Don’t get so near!"

"But you’re a perfect girl in every way—except your gender!" Kubo pinched Moyu’s cheek. "Look how cute! So soft!"

"Hey, stop pinching me!"

"And this porcelain skin! A bit rough, but—seriously, you’re not handsome at all. You’d make the ultimate crossdresser!"

"Get lost!"

Yuki calmly ate her lunch, utterly unbothered by Moyu’s suffering.

“You have a point. Even with that weird hat, Manatsu really is good-looking. If you didn’t look closely, you’d almost mistake him for a girl.”

Nan Kaon put down her chopsticks and examined her carefully.

Damn it, if this keeps up, they’ll figure it out!

She absolutely didn’t want anyone to know her body was female.

“Alright, stop messing around. You’re causing trouble for others, Kubo-kun.”

Just then, Yuki spoke up to intervene.

“I’m full, Moyu. Let’s go back.”

She picked up her bowl, stood to leave, while Moyu hastily gulped down the last few bites of noodles and got ready to bolt.

“Thanks for the meal! I’m off!”

Watching her flustered panic, Kubo Seiji felt puzzled. It was just touching his face—did she really have to act like she’d seen a ghost?

But honestly, she *was* acting like she’d seen a ghost, nearly scared to death. If she kept touching him, who knew where her hands might wander? That’d be the most awkward moment, alright.