The Perils of Being a Girl: A Hugging Frenzy and Restroom Revelations

“Japanese] Leidi-chan, please translate for me: Ping-chan shouldn’t worry! Since Ping-chan isn’t Japanese, even if her underwear was seen, she can still find a husband!”

“Japanese] Japan doesn’t even have a rule like that!”

“Japanese] It’s comfort! This is supposed to be comforting!”

“…”

Leidi and I were now encircled by a throng of girls, all chattering excitedly, each seemingly eager to convey something to me through Leidi.

The reason, you ask…?

“Uwahhh…”

I was crying, and truly, genuinely sobbing.

I was perched on Leidi’s lap, clutching her tightly, my face buried in her embrace as I sobbed like a child.

This was trauma!

A psychological scar that would last a lifetime!

I certainly hadn’t intended for men to get aroused and bleed from their noses at the sight of my body! And in such numbers, all at once!

This was visual pollution! Mental pollution! Life pollution!

What? You’re asking about Leidi?

As her closest friend, I had long since begun to treat ‘him’ as a ‘her’; she simply didn’t fall into the category of ‘men’.

“There, there…”

Leidi held me close, gently stroking my head. Though my face was hidden in her embrace, I knew her expression must be radiating maternal warmth. Ah, Leidi smelled so wonderful~~

Oh, right. All the boys seemed to have gone to the infirmary. A few had even been taken away by ambulance due to severe anemia… The entire male population of the class was wiped out…

It wasn’t my fault! Let me repeat, it was not my fault!

“Japanese] Everyone, you can call my little sister ‘Bye-chan’ (TL Note: A Japanese nickname derived from the English word ‘bye,’ phonetically similar to ‘Bai,’ a common Chinese surname). It’s a name she used for a long time in China. She’ll probably prefer it if you call her that.” Saying this, Leidi turned me around to face the girls.

“Hmm?” I remained teary-eyed, my lips pursed, still on the verge of tears.

A collective silence fell.

The girls fell silent, and I thought I even heard the sound of someone swallowing.

“Japanese] Leidi! Can we hug your little sister? She’s so adorable, like a kitten!”

I could feel the girls’ eyes practically glowing, which was a little terrifying… Surely Leidi wouldn’t let them hug me, right?

“Japanese] Please do.”

Eh?!!!

“W-wait!”

I whimpered, pushed forward by a smiling Leidi, towards a group of girls with outstretched hands, eager to embrace me.

“Kya! Ooh~”

One girl quickly scooped me into her arms, my face pressed into her chest, making it a little hard to breathe.

“Japanese] Ah~ Bye-chan is so cute! So cute!” She bounced excitedly while holding me.

“Japanese] Me too!”

“Japanese] Me too!”

“Japanese] Me too!”

All the girls shouted this, one after another.

Next, I felt a series of tugs across my body; my arms were enveloped by something soft—breasts!

“Japanese] Mmm~ Such beautiful, silky hair~ Ah~ So fragrant!”

Someone was stroking my hair, even burying their head into it!

“Japanese] Wow! Bye-chan’s waist is so slender and firm!”

“Ah~ Haha~ Hahahaha~ Don’t poke and prod like that! It tickles so much, hahaha~”

“Japanese] Your butt and legs have such a lovely shape too~ Touchy-touchy~ Touchy-touchy~”

“Ugh! This is sexual harassment!”

Leidi, help! These girls are terrifying!

****

“Japanese] Phew~ Leidi-chan, thank you for the treat!” A chorus of voices echoed.

The girls, thoroughly satisfied, thanked Leidi profusely.

“Japanese] Not at all, it was thanks to all of you that my little sister stopped crying.” Leidi smiled, turning her head towards me.

“You won’t cry anymore, will you?”

“No, I won’t…” I mumbled, head bowed, twiddling my index fingers.

Having been surrounded, touched, kneaded, and sniffed by all those girls, my face was now a flushed crimson.

Though my tears had completely ceased and the earlier gloom had vanished, I still resolved to remind Leidi not to do this again. Mentally, I was still a boy, and this felt too much like I was taking advantage of them…

“Japanese] Oh, right, Leidi-chan, next period is P.E.! Is Bye-chan’s body okay?”

Takagi, with her three-strand braid and round glasses, inquired. She was likely concerned about Leidi’s comment, ‘My little sister only woke up yesterday.’ What a kind person.

“Japanese] Probably not. I already asked the teacher for her to be excused this morning.” Leidi replied with a hint of apology.

“Japanese] Eh~ What a shame, I really wanted to see Bye-chan in her gym clothes…”

“Japanese] Ami, your expression looks like a perverted old man’s.”

“Japanese] Aki, you’re no different. If anything, I’m a perverted old auntie~”

The two girls teasing each other were the Umemiya sisters: Aki, the elder, and Ami, the younger. They were the ones who had rushed to protect me when I collapsed earlier. Though they didn’t look identical, both sisters sported single ponytails and airy bangs, and were of similar height, making it quite difficult to distinguish them from behind.

“Japanese] Leidi-chan, will you be attending P.E.?” Someone asked.

“Japanese] Not this time, either. I plan to take my little sister around to get acquainted with the school.”

“Japanese] I see. Be careful, both of you. We’ll go change now.”

After a simple wave goodbye, only Leidi and I remained in the classroom.

“Your ‘girly power’ when you act spoiled is terrifyingly high, pfft~ Hahahaha~” Leidi laughed heartily, clutching my shoulder.

“It’s not! Th-th-that was acting! Yes! Acting!” I protested, utterly unconvincingly.

I didn’t want to admit it, but a moment ago, I was acting just like a little girl. My masculinity had flown away, and I wept.

No, wait!

‘I wept’ is also feminine! Get rid of it, get rid of it!

“Come on, let’s go find our senior as planned.” Leidi took my hand, preparing to leave the classroom.

“Huh? Oh.”

In truth, even without the excuse of ‘Sleeping Beauty Syndrome,’ Leidi and I wouldn’t have attended this P.E. class.

This was because Leidi had already arranged to meet one of the Gate Holders, a senior, somewhere at this very time.

****

Leidi and I left the classroom, walking down the hallway, our destination the rooftop of the school building.

“Japanese] Hey, look! That’s the Black Princess’s little sister! She’s just as beautiful as her older sister!”

Had the news of me being the younger sister already spread? That was fast… It had only been about one class period.

“Japanese] I heard all the boys in their class were sent to the infirmary! Did they see something good? Haha?”

I’m sorry! It was my mistake! I apologize! I’m truly sorry for causing all of you to become anemic!

“Japanese] Was it the Black Princess’s little sister who let out that ear-splitting scream this morning that shattered the glass? Her voice is so high-pitched!”

Did the glass in other classrooms break too? No way?!

Along the way, I overheard all sorts of disheartening comments…

I really wanted to run faster, but Leidi wouldn’t let me, insisting I maintain my ‘demeanor’… Moreover, both boys and girls on the path kept staring at my chest, forcing me to keep it tightly covered. Although a classmate with a sewing kit had already mended the front of my top, I still felt as if it would be exposed if I didn’t keep it covered. Now, even my ‘body’ was getting exhausted…

Finally reaching the top floor, the school bell had rung, so no one followed us—no, if they had, we would have been extremely troubled.

“Leidi, where’s the restroom on this floor?” I asked, fidgeting awkwardly.

It felt as if my tolerance for needing to pee had drastically decreased since becoming a girl. Was this due to differences in body structure?

“I’ll take you; I also need to relieve myself.” It seemed Leidi was in a similar predicament to me.

“By the way, do you have any tissue? It always feels damp down there after peeing.”

This was another hassle. Now, I finally understood why girls always carried packs of tissues. I could truly empathize.

“Girls shouldn’t always use terms like ‘peeing.’ Find something more poetic, like ‘plucking a flower,’ to replace it. And you actually knew to wipe?” Leidi looked at me with a hint of surprise.

“I’m quite particular about cleanliness…” Regarding this, I could only attribute it to instinct.

“And the direction you wipe? You didn’t get that wrong, did you? If you make a mistake, you might get sick, you know.” Leidi looked over, seeking confirmation.

“Front to back? That should be correct, right?”

This was a decision I made purely by instinct.

“Phew—you hit the mark by chance. Remember, you must only wipe from front to back, or you could get sick.” Leidi reiterated, emphasizing its importance.

Entering the restroom (women’s… forcibly and naturally, of course…), I sat on the toilet and noticed a small, somewhat ornate rectangular machine beside it. Curious, I asked Leidi in the next stall.

“Leidi, what’s that machine next to the toilet for?”

“That’s called an ‘Otohime’ (TL Note: A sound device common in Japanese women’s restrooms that plays a flushing or musical sound to mask bodily noises). It’s used to cover up the sounds girls make while using the toilet. After you press it, it plays a masking sound for about ten seconds. I think it’s quite a good invention for shy girls.”

“Eh~ I never imagined such an invention existed.”

The world of girls was truly fascinating.

****

Pushing open the iron gate, which bore a sign clearly reading [立ち入り禁止]—’No Entry’—we stepped onto the rooftop.

A girl, clad in a white short-sleeved top with blue trim and dark blue ultra-short athletic shorts, leaned against the railing, waiting for us.

Wait… it’s a girl?! I thought it was a guy.

It was only then that I remembered: in Chinese, the pronoun ‘ta’ gives no indication of gender when spoken aloud…