On the way to the bathroom.

Ye Yubai took his time enjoying the warmth and softness of her waist.

A girl's waist was obviously very different from a boy's.

Unfortunately, Ye Yubai didn't know that yet.

During physical exams, he'd only ever touched the waists of the other guys on the basketball team—and Gan Lan's.

As for a proper girl's waist, he'd only ever imagined one in his dreams.

But...

At this very moment, it seemed like his imagination and reality were starting to overlap.

The slim waist in his dreams and the one right in front of him were exactly alike.

Ye Yubai was starting to feel confused.

Could it be...

that his buddy was actually a girl?

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to strip her and find out for himself.

...

They'd reached the door.

Ye Yubai forced himself to look calm and smiled faintly.

“Gan Lan, let's shower together today. I got soaked just now, too.”

“Huh?”

Gan Lan turned her face and glanced at him.

A hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

She shoved him away.

“You're trying to cop a feel!”

Ye Yubai was startled by her sudden burst of strength.

For a moment, he just stood there, stunned.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gan Lan darted into the bathroom.

“Wait outside! I'll be right out!”

With that, she shut the bathroom door.

Standing outside, Ye Yubai even heard the lock click.

He sighed.

What was that about?

They were both guys. Why get worked up over a little thing like that?

They used to bathe together like brothers. How had things gotten so awkward between them?

Ye Yubai leaned against the door and stared at the ceiling with a world-weary look.

“N-no, something's definitely up here.”

The more she wouldn't let him look, the more he wanted to.

But the bathroom door was glass. If he broke it, he'd have to pay a lot—and the landlord might even kick them out.

So he had no choice but to put the idea of breaking in out of his mind.

“The night's still young. I'll take it slow. No need to rush.”

...

Hiding in the bathroom, Gan Lan's heart went thump-thump-thump.

Honestly, after the shock, she'd been a little slow to react.

She'd nearly fallen for Ye Yubai's trick.

“Phew.”

She let out a long breath.

Then she slowly made her way to the shower curtain.

She knew she couldn't keep her transformation into a girl a secret forever.

And for now, she couldn't just suddenly move out of their rented place, either.

They'd keep sharing the place.

It was only a matter of time before her secret came out.

Still, if she could help it, she hoped to keep it hidden a little longer.

“I'll just take things as they come.”

With that thought, she turned on the faucet.

She gave herself a quick rinse, then stepped out.

Out of habit, she reached for the clean clothes on the rack—but came up empty-handed.

“Oh no, I didn't bring any clothes in!”

Gan Lan's heart lurched.

She hurriedly pulled the curtain aside again to see if there was a towel she could use.

There wasn't!

There was only a tiny hand towel.

She picked it up and held it against herself to check.

It was so short!

There was no way it could cover the important parts.

Gan Lan felt utterly desperate.

There was only one thing left to do: go out in her wet clothes, sprint to her room, and lock the door.

But that came with two risks.

One was Ye Yubai intercepting her on the way.

The other was him picking the lock with a wire and forcing his way in.

He was always curious, and he wasn't stupid. It wouldn't be easy to fool him.

Just as she was fretting, Ye Yubai's voice came from outside, along with a knock at the door.

“Gan Lan, you didn't bring any clothes in with you, did you?”

“I brought you a clean set. Open the door and take them.”

“Hey, don't tell me you're still not done showering.”

“Go easy on the hot water! I still need to shower!”

The knocking grew louder.

Each knock seemed to land right on Gan Lan's heart.

She grew more and more uneasy.

Would Ye Yubai really be so nice as to bring her clothes just for the sake of bringing her clothes?

No!

From what Gan Lan knew of him, he never did anything without a reason.

Beneath that innocent, harmless facade lurked the heart of a scheming, dominant top.

That was why Gan Lan still wouldn't open the door to take the clothes.

If she opened it and he suddenly barged in, it would all be over.

Ye Yubai: “Hey? You didn't fall asleep in the shower, did you?”

He held the clothes in one hand and tried pushing the door with the other.

He leaned forward against the door, trying to make out what was happening inside.

But the glass was frosted. He couldn't see a thing.

Just as he was growing more and more suspicious, he heard the lock turn from inside.

Click.

The door opened.

A pale, lotus-root-like arm slipped out.

“P-please give me my clothes...”

Her voice was so soft and faint, it was even more alluring than the prettiest girl in their class.

Hearing that voice made Ye Yubai's heart skip several beats.

He fought the urge to push the door open and step inside, then cleared his throat and handed over the clothes.

“Here. Take them.”

Gan Lan snatched the clothes and slammed the door shut.

She locked it again.

Through the mist, Gan Lan called out,

“I'll be out in a minute. Wait there!”

...

Gan Lan hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.

When she'd opened the door, she'd already been prepared to trap his fingers in it if he tried to force his way in.

But thankfully, Ye Yubai hadn't done that.

So she didn't have to hurt their friendship.

Now that she had the clothes, she needed to put them on quickly.

Being naked made her feel completely unsafe.

But...

Once she'd straightened out the clothes, she realized something was off.

These didn't look like boys' clothes.

Just look at the waist, the frills, and that ridiculously low neckline...

These were definitely women's clothes!

Gan Lan's heart jumped. Embarrassed and furious, she shouted, “Ye Yubai, what kind of clothes did you bring me?!”

Ye Yubai scratched his head. “They're the ones I bought a few days ago.”

Gan Lan got even angrier. “Why'd you buy a set of women's clothes?!”

“Oh, right. We have the school performance next week, don't we? There aren't many girls in our class, so the teacher said a few boys would have to fill in. She gave me a bunch of class funds and told me to buy costumes.”

Gan Lan let out a heavy sigh.

The school performance.

How could she have forgotten about that?

In her previous life, she'd almost been forced to wear a costume dress. Was she really unable to escape that fate in this life, too?

Hearing her tone, Ye Yubai guessed she couldn't accept it and might even be angry, so he quickly changed his tune.

“W-well, I only brought them for you because... because I thought they'd suit you...”

As he spoke, Ye Yubai paused.

Then he continued in that familiar coaxing tone:

“We made a bet before, remember? The loser agreed to wear women's clothes. Just let me have one look and grant this tiny little wish of mine, okay?”