Why I Became a Girl

Chapter 12 - Why I Became a Girl

Amana helped me into a yukata. I kept my arms out of her way and let her do what she needed to with the sash and my hair.

"Looking good, looking good," Amana praised, fluffing my hair. "Need to do anything before we go?"

I flapped my arms a bit, watching the sleeves sway. "Just let me put on some makeup."

By that point, I could do basically all of the makeup on my own. The only thing I couldn't do was the eyeliner. I just couldn't bring myself to put a pencil so close to my eyes.

Once I finished, we headed out to the festival.

I wasn't really expecting it to be anything different than going as a guy. There was no segregation in festivals. All the food and games and fireworks and crowds would still be the same.

Well, I had a stronger sweet tooth, so I could eat more sweets. That was one difference, at least.

There was also the looming threat of Amana potentially... 'confessing' seemed too strong of a word, but, moving things along to an intimate relationship. Manga and other media frequently had confessions happen or be attempted at festivals for a reason.

Amana noticed my gaze and smiled, offering her hand. "Wanna hold hands?"

I took her hand. It'd be strange to still be shy about it.

We arrived at the festival and merged into the crowd. I noticed a lot of people glancing at me, but I'd long gotten used to attracting attention with my foreign appearance.

"Whatcha wanna do first?" Amana asked.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little bit."

"Let's get a snack, then."

We decided on takoyaki. For a snack, we only really need one tray. Amana took the responsibility of holding it as we continued along the stalls.

Amana stabbed one of the balls with a toothpick and held it up to me. "Ahhh."

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I glanced around at all the surrounding people. I quickly leaned in and took it with my teeth before averting my gaze. Amana giggled.

My heart pounded. With how she was acting, I was pretty much sure we'd be making things official by the end of the night. My mind filled with theories about how she might tease me at every stall we visited.

We ran into Natsue and Rin shortly after. They had clearly arrived much earlier, both of them with masks and water balloon yo-yos. Natsue carried some puffy cotton candy while Rin had a skewer of chicken and onion.

I looked over Natsue and nodded. "Traditional clothes really do suit you."

"Save the compliments for your girlfriend," Natsue replied.

I decided not to deny it for a change.

Amana tugged my sleeve. "Hey, I look good in a yukata too, right?"

"Of course." I smiled at her. "You look good in everything."

"Even a clown outfit?"

"Everything I've seen you in," I corrected. "Anything different, Rin?"

Rin shrugged. "I'm kind of expecting Natsue to 'accidentally' break her sandal strap and make me carry her. Other than that, just the food."

Amana's eyes sparkled. "Oh, that's a good idea!"

I smacked her on the head. "No, it isn't."

She stuck her tongue out at me.

We didn't linger together for long. We were both out on dates, more or less, and went our separate ways to continue enjoying them.