New perspective

Part 44 Returning home

Nishikata had paid for her new bathing suit and was now on her way out of the store with the shopping bag, and her school bag held tightly against her chest. "With all the excitement I never really stopped to think about how embarrassing wearing this would be." She began as she walked with a blush. "Then again, I'll only be showing it if Takagi-chan shows up, and then we'll be wearing the same thing."

She smiled a bit, but quickly shook her head. "That's if she shows up."

"Nishikata-chan?" Came a somewhat familiar voice. Nishikata turned in the direction where she heard the voice and began looking. "Over here." She continued looking until she spotted Houjou walking through the crowd towards her.

"Hey Houjou-chan." Nishikata began. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well ... I was in the area." She said as she reached Nishikata. "So ..." She looked at the bag in her hands. "New bathing suit?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, the girls invited all of us to the waterpark tomorrow, and my old bathing suit doesn't go very well with my new ... feminine physique."

"I can imagine." She shook her head and refocused herself. "So ... you're headed to the waterpark on the island tomorrow with all your guy and girl friends then?"

"Yeah." She paused as something accrued to her. 'Wait a second ...'

"So what kind of bathing suit did you get?"

She looked at her bag, then back at Houjou. 'You go to school in a completely different town and this mall is a good while from our hometown by train, and how did you know what water park I was going to?' She gave a subtle sly smile. "Oh, it's a bikini."

"A ... what?"

"A bikini, figured I'd try it out, plunge myself in the deep end seeing as this feels more and more like it'll be permanent."

"O-Oh ... really ..." Houjou had a concerned expression on her face, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. "So ... tell me something ... not that it matters but ... have you developed feelings for any of your old friends yet?"

"Hm ... you could say that."

"Oh ... so ... who?"

"That's hard to say, everything's been so hectic, my emotions have been all over the place."

"Uh-huh." They continued standing there awkwardly until Houjou spoke again. "So ... the waterpark?"

'Okay, it's official, something's going on here.' "Yeah, and I'm actually a little excited to show off my new bathing suit."

"Oh ... really?"

"Yeah, it is my first girl's swimsuit after all."

Houjou blushed for a moment then cleared her throat and looked slightly to the side. "Oh? So you'll be showing it off to everyone there?"

"Probably," Nishikata replied. 'If Takagi-chan shows up that is.'

"That's ... good for you." She forced a smile, and Nishikata started feeling bad for her.

'Okay, this has gone on long enough.' "Would you like to join?"

"YES!" She exclaimed almost immediately. "I mean ..." She cleared her throat. "I guess I can squeeze it in, I mean seeing as you're inviting me and all, it'd be rude to refuse."

"Uh-huh," Nishikata replied not feeling too convinced.

"Anyway, I should probably get going, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Nishikata watched her walk off, feeling like she was watching someone who thought they had just won. "I'm almost tempted to let myself fall for Hamaguchi-kun just to teach her a lesson." She resumed her walk, but something Houjou said stuck with her. "Do I ... have romantic feelings for anyone?" She closed her eyes and tilted her head from side to side. "Well ... I feel differently about Hamaguchi-kun and Nakai-kun ... then there's Takagi-chan." She paused as she contemplated that. "Wait ... why am I thinking about her?" She thought about her some more and began feeling the same warm sensation that Takagi had always given her. "That's ... strange ... but it can't be love, I wasn't bi when I was a boy, so I'm not bi now ... right?"