A Luxury of Worries and a Vow of Protection

Long after lunch, having been informed of some rather intense training exercises scheduled for the afternoon, Leidi and I both changed into more flexible attire, tying our hair back into ponytails.Leidi had initially envisioned a rather revealing ensemble for me: a sports bra beneath a white crop top, complemented by a pair of white velour hot pants. However, after a fervent display of protest—akin to a child’s tantrum, complete with tears and dramatic pleas—I finally secured a long-sleeved athletic jacket and three-quarter length sports pants, much to Leidi’s visible annoyance.The struggle to achieve this compromise was, to say the least, arduous.You simply cannot imagine the piercing stares I received from Mao Mingdao and Samidare Ruka! Their expressions were laden with the unspoken sentiment of, ‘This child is far too old to be acting so spoiled…’I found myself utterly speechless, unable to articulate my predicament. Despite my body having developed curves in all the right places, my inner self remained resolutely male!Exposing my thighs in front of others? Utterly out of the question! It would be an impossibility on par with a gigantic asteroid striking Earth! Aside from underwear, I had never worn anything that ended above my knees!”Here, this is for you.” Leidi extended a teacup, inside which shimmered the microrobot-infused beverage.Since these robots would be fully broken down and absorbed by the body within three hours, it was imperative that we consume another dose.Leidi herself was sporting the very outfit I had so vehemently rejected, likely hoping for us to match, much like our previous shopping excursion. In all fairness, the slightly revealing ensemble suited her admirably.But I was absolutely resolute—I would never wear it! Especially those hot pants! They were simply far too short!”To think that running is part of the training regimen,” I muttered, taking a small sip of my drink. “Given my current condition, I truly have no desire to run.””What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?” Leidi inquired, leaning closer with a look of genuine concern.”No, it’s not that,” I lamented, cupping my sizable chest with both hands. “My breasts will bounce violently! Even with a sports bra to hold them somewhat firm, they’ll still jiggle painfully when I run!”Leidi silently caressed her own modestly swelling chest, then cast a resentful glance my way.”That truly is a luxurious problem to have…””Alright, alright, no need to glare… I understand you’re upset. Can’t I just apologize?””I’d gladly give them to you, if I could. Though I haven’t mentioned it, my shoulders and neck ache every single night. Are you truly certain you desire breasts this large?”I’ve come to a profound realization that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to breasts.”Just give me a C-cup, at least…” Leidi mumbled, her head drooping in a sudden fit of gloom.”Well, my bust size reached triple digits because you massaged them so much,” I began, trailing off as I tried to offer a suggestion. “Perhaps you could… wait, if your body is male, can breasts actually be massaged larger?” I immediately realized the absurdity of my own question.”I’ve already tried that,” Leidi replied, her voice flat. “But there was virtually no change…”‘I should have known,’ I mused to myself.”Ping-chan~ Leidi-chan~, it’s time to come over now~” Samidare Ruka called out from a distance.Samidare Ruka, signaling from a distance, waved us over, indicating that training was about to commence.”You two can start warming up,” Mao Mingdao instructed, gesturing towards a large box resting on the ground. “Just get your bodies moving and warmed up. Feel free to play with the items inside.” The box appeared to contain various balls and sticks.Finding mere warm-up exercises rather dull, Leidi and I both gravitated towards the intriguing box to investigate its contents.Basketballs and soccer balls, I could understand. But shot puts, baseballs, and bowling balls? What on earth?! And were those not javelins and nunchaku?! Were we truly expected to warm up with these?!”Protagonist, shall we play some basketball?” Leidi asked, seemingly unperturbed by the eclectic collection, as she simply picked up a basketball.”Sure. Shall we play keep-away? Will you try to steal from me, or should I try to steal from you?””You can try to steal it from me.””Alright.”After moving to a suitable distance, we began.The rhythmic thud of the basketball echoed as Leidi dribbled.Leidi stood a short distance ahead, dribbling the ball with an assured smile playing on her lips as she met my gaze. ‘Oh, so you’re feeling confident, are you?’ I thought.I immediately surged forward, swiftly closing the distance to Leidi and extending my right hand towards the ball.”Hmmph~” Leidi let out a soft chuckle.With a light laugh, Leidi effortlessly flicked her wrist, redirecting the basketball to her other side.’Did she truly believe I hadn’t anticipated that? That was precisely what I had expected!’I planted my left foot firmly, rotating my body despite the considerable sway of my chest, and extended my left hand, aiming to intercept the ball.”It won’t be that easy~” Leidi taunted playfully.’Huh? Had she anticipated even that?!’With astounding speed, Leidi seized the ball with both hands, her body twirling gracefully. I, lunging through her afterimage, found myself grasping at empty air.I quickly planted my right foot to steady myself, then spun around to look back.”So, you’ve mastered the art of knowing both yourself and your opponent, have you…?”Such familiarity with an opponent truly presented a formidable challenge; this was destined to be a grueling battle.”Of course,” Leidi retorted, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. “Keep trying~ You won’t lay a hand on it~”‘It seemed I was in for a proper workout after all.’****”Ha—ha—ha— How about that? I told you, didn’t I? You, you won’t touch it.” Large beads of sweat trickled down Leidi’s slightly pale face as she delivered her defiant words.After more than a dozen rounds of offense and defense, despite my increasing speed, I failed to touch the ball even once. Each time, Leidi would execute a timely turn and dodge, much like a proud and graceful Spanish bullfighter eluding my repeated assaults, leaving me both frustrated and utterly helpless.Yet, less than ten minutes had elapsed since we began…Leidi’s current condition, however, struck me as decidedly abnormal.”Let’s take a break.”I ceased my offensive maneuvers and slowly approached Leidi.”Ha—ha— Are, are we not playing anymore?” Leidi gasped, bracing herself with both hands on her knees, her short-sleeved top already drenched with a torrent of sweat.My suspicions were confirmed; Leidi was clearly unwell. Even for someone unaccustomed to strenuous activity, this level of exertion should not have left her so utterly depleted.”Your complexion looks quite poor,” I stated, gently taking her left hand and draping it over my shoulder. “Let me help you over.” I then slowly guided her towards Mao Mingdao and Samidare Ruka.”Tha-thank you,” Leidi whispered, her voice barely audible. Despite the profuse sweat, her touch felt strangely cold.”Tell me, what’s happening?” I pressed, my tone tinged with gravity as I continued to support Leidi.”Ha—ha— I truly thought I could play with you for a little longer. Heh—hehe…” Leidi chuckled, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice, as her breathing gradually steadied.My intuition proved correct; Leidi had been concealing something from me.”It’s simply the side effects of my hormone therapy,” Leidi confessed.Her head was bowed, preventing me from discerning her expression.”Be-because of the side effects from the medication, my stamina has significantly, drastically plummeted, hah— My muscles have also atrophied, and most of my internal organs, hah— have experienced varying degrees of weakening. Becoming a girl is actually quite challenging, you know. Haha. Hah—”…… ……I bit down hard on my lip, a wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm me. This girl…”You fool…” I murmured, striving to keep the sadness from my voice. “If you knew all this, why were you still trying to act tough…?”‘Was Leidi… no longer healthy?”I’d heard that individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgery often had shortened lifespans. Would Leidi’s future be similarly grim?'”Protagonist, your grip is hurting me a little.””Ah! I-I’m so sorry. Is it very painful?”‘Had I unconsciously tightened my grip?'”You really are crying, aren’t you…?””Eh…?”Leidi lifted her head, offering me a wide, albeit somewhat pale, smile. With a gentle touch, she wiped away the tears that had, unbeknownst to me, streamed down my face.”This face won’t be pretty if you cry,” she said softly. “You don’t need to worry so much; my physical condition isn’t actually that terrible.”Leidi gently removed her hand from my shoulder, then straightened up on her own.’I earnestly hoped she wasn’t merely putting on a brave face.'”Ping-chan, why are you crying?” Samidare Ruka exclaimed, having noticed us and now making her way towards us.”Samidare Ruka, Leidi, Leidi, she— Waaah—” My tears suddenly burst forth again.I truly didn’t want anything bad to happen to Leidi.”Eh? Eh, eh?! What’s wrong?!”Through my tear-blurred vision, Samidare Ruka seemed flustered and at a loss.”I suppose I should explain,” Leidi said, wiping away my tears once more, a wry smile gracing her lips.****Afterward, without revealing her reasons for wanting to become a girl, Leidi confessed everything to Samidare Ruka and Mao Mingdao.”No wonder your data seemed a bit abnormal…” Mao Mingdao mused, unfazed by the revelation of Leidi’s biological s*x, as he repeatedly checked the data on his tablet.”I am truly sorry for not informing you about the hormone therapy beforehand,” Leidi apologized, bowing her head to Mao Mingdao and Samidare Ruka.”I always thought Leidi was just an incredibly convincing cross-dresser… So, she’s actually MTF, then?” Samidare Ruka remarked, a hint of surprise in her voice.Following this, Mao Mingdao stated a grim truth concerning Leidi:”If this is her physical condition, then the protection from ‘Reverse Shackles’ might not be very effective. If she gets drawn into a war of attrition with an enemy, she’ll be in considerable danger.”…… ……I had already considered this point.Therefore… I made a decision.”Mao Mingdao, Samidare Ruka, it’s alright to increase my training load. Please, I implore you, train me so I can definitively protect Leidi. Let Leidi undertake only the minimum amount of training. I will protect her!” I respectfully pleaded, bowing my head to Mao Mingdao and Samidare Ruka. I absolutely refused to let Leidi be in danger.If Leidi couldn’t protect herself, then I would take on all of it!”…Understood…”After a brief silence, Samidare Ruka and Mao Mingdao agreed.”Protagonist… thank you…”I felt a hand gently caress my back. It must have been Leidi.Don’t worry, Leidi.Just leave everything to me.