13 - I must return to being a boy ASAP!

I put my bag in the locker, then sat down on the bench where I usually sit.

We left for school earlier than usual, even earlier than Nagi's routine of waking me up in the morning.

I even banged on Nagi's door multiple times just to wake him up for school. When he opened the door, his hair was a mess, and I was so exhausted from laughing at his just-woken-up appearance.

Had he been sleeping or fighting...?

Once we were ready, we headed to school, hoping to meet Akane there. I needed to talk to her about some important things, like the pain in my stomach, which is why I had to see her now.

Maybe she knows something about it.

But as you might have guessed, the classroom was still very empty. Even Akane hadn’t arrived yet. There were only the cleaning staff and a few students from other classes who had come early to work on assignments.

I sighed wearily and rested my head on the desk.

My stomach... It hurts...

"Yuichi, why are you holding your stomach all the time?" Nagi asked, confused. He was right, I'd been holding my stomach since home, all the way to school. I don't know why, but lately, my stomach has been hurting for no apparent reason.

I’ve also been getting thirsty more often and tired easily.

"It's nothing. My stomach's just a bit sore, probably just indigestion."

Despite saying that, I was sure this wasn’t just indigestion.

This is the first time I've experienced pain like this... When I was still a boy, for 16 years, I never had any stomach cramps.

"Then why did you come to school so early? If you're sick, you should’ve just stayed home."

I shook my head weakly. "I thought about it, but I wanted to ask Akane something when she arrives."

As you’ve probably guessed, yes, I wanted to ask Akane about the pain in my stomach.

Of course, since I’ve been feeling this for a few days now, I’ve already tried to figure out what illness it could be by searching various websites and asking people on social media.

But everything pointed to the same thing— MENSTRUATION.

...

No, that can’t be right.

"Hey, Yuichi."

"Huh?" I replied lazily.

"Are you sure it's just indigestion? If that’s all it is, you wouldn’t look this pale," Nagi said with a concerned expression. Was my skin really that pale?

"I don’t know. But it feels sore, and it hurts a lot, kind of like muscle cramps when you wake up, you know?" I replied.

"Lift your head for a moment," Nagi requested.

I lifted my head as he asked. Nagi turned his palm over and placed it on my forehead.

A moment later, he touched his own forehead. Was he checking the temperature difference between us? I did have a fever though.

"Whoa! You're burning up! Should I write you a permit to leave or something?"

"No need," I replied weakly.

Nagi sighed. He turned around and suddenly bent down, showing me his back directly. "Hop on."

"WHAT?" I immediately looked left and right, then glanced outside the window. Thankfully, no one was watching.

"Nagi, you idiot! What if someone sees? I don’t want any weird rumors about us!" I said, annoyed. My face flushed. Seeing him act like this reminded me of the princess carry Nagi did for me some time ago.

"Want me to carry you home?" Nagi asked.

"No need! Don’t act like this! People will see, you idiot! Hurry up!"

Following my orders, Nagi stood up straight again.

Why is he suddenly acting so weird...? Is my illness really that bad?

I sighed in relief. I’m glad he understood. But if Nagi is acting like this... maybe he knows something about my condition.

"Um... Nagi... If you know, what do you think I’m sick with?" I asked curiously.

"I thought you already knew..." Nagi hesitated for a moment before answering. He then looked at me awkwardly. "You... you’re probably having your period, Yuichi."

Huh?

HUH...???

So I’m really on my period!?

No way... I-I knew it would happen sooner or later, but— I didn’t expect it to happen this soon!

I know it’s a normal process for a girl going through puberty. Especially considering my current gender now.

Even though I knew, I kept denying it, acting like I didn’t believe it. But hearing it directly from Nagi’s mouth... It felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Pierced by the truth.

If Google and Nagi gave the same answer, then there’s no doubt...

"Yuichi."

"Yeah...?"

"Do you want to go to the convenience store? We can go shopping together." It felt like Nagi was subtly hinting that I should buy pads, even though he didn’t mention it outright.

"S-sure..." I answered softly.

Yes, I wanted to go. I did want to buy pads, just in case there was a leak.

But unfortunately, my body still couldn’t move, shocked from hearing what Nagi had just said. That fact snapped me back to reality.

I NEED TO FIND A WAY TO BECOME A BOY AGAIN ASAP.

"Nagi... Can you carry me? Please..?"

***

As my bad feeling predicted, I leaked. Luckily, Nagi and I managed to buy pads at the convenience store this morning. After we bought them, I quickly put one on in the girls' restroom before it was too late.

When class started, the cramps in my stomach suddenly intensified. I tried to bear it, but it was unbearable.

I quickly asked the teacher for permission and rushed to the girls' restroom.

I sighed.

I never thought I’d ever experience something like this...

For some reason, I suddenly felt sad. It’s like a part of my old self has been lost...

Honestly, my first period— hurt so much... Do all girls have to go through this every month?

I admire them. When I was still a boy, of course, I never experienced anything like this.

I thought... it wouldn’t hurt this much. Do other people experience periods this painful too?

What am I thinking... Of course they do.

From today on, I have to be serious. I’ve been fooling around, never once seriously thinking about how I can become a boy again.

Do I need to wait for a new shooting star and make another wish? It would be easy if that were the solution.

The truth is, when I was little, I often made wishes on shooting stars, but none of them ever came true, except for the one that changed my gender. Even though it wasn’t a proper Star Wish, the process was pretty much the same.

Maybe it’ll be more complicated than I thought, or maybe there’s no solution at all...?

I hope that’s not the case.

If the Star Wish has a way to grant wishes, then it should also have a way to undo them.

I really hope my guess is right, and not just some wishful thinking...

TO BE CONTINUED.