GenderSwitchs Vol. 6 (English)

Extra chapter 2: Memories from those days: Part 1

It was an ordinary day at the Kimigawa residence. There I was taking some air on the couch, while I felt every muscle in my body relax and rest after a few hard days of work. That was really living!

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Hello again, Kimigawa Mamiko here!

In a new chapter of my misadventures as a single mother, I rest! I really don't have much to tell about what happened in recent times. I only heard that at Ryu-chan's school everyone found out that Takahashi-kun lived here, how awful! The pressure and social rejection really get on my nerves! As I cuddled myself into a ball, I remembered my teenage days, where before being the pretty girl that everyone was attracted to, I was a pretty normal girl who was bullied. It was terrifying! But hey, that's in the past, so it shouldn't matter, right? Besides, when I got developed enough, everyone wanted to throw themselves at me....

Although remembering those days as a student, it also reminded me of my late husband. What was he like? Well, when I met him in college, he was taller than me, with shiny black hair and showy red eyes. He was so pale that some people used to call him "vampire" because of it, as well as that long hair he used to have. I used to be intrigued by him before, and in a way I was a bit afraid to approach him because of his intimidating appearance; however, when I managed to talk to him, I realized that he was a quite shy but very kind person. His parents used to work in a bakery, which is currently closed because they passed away, and no one took over the business.

He was an admirable man, hardworking, and always striving to be someone better. I admired that about him, and in a way, I liked him. I slowly began to get to know him and his friends, and even introduced him to my best friend, Kanako. I was always glued to him, and we soon fell in love. About a year and a half later, we got married, and had Ryu-chan some time later. We were the perfect family! It was fantastic, that life... But that wouldn't last forever, because just two years after Ryu-chan was born, he became seriously ill from an unknown disease, and slowly the flame of his faded, until he left us with nothing but his memories with me.

I began to sob a little as I remembered him, as well as what came after. But before I could think about it any further, I heard the door being knocked. Going there, I found Kanako, who was bringing a cake to share with some tea.

"Thanks for always welcoming me!" she was saying as she took her cup.

"You're always welcome here, Kana."

"Come on, Miko, don't be so serious."

"I'm trying to be nice!" I complained.

"Hahahaha, always so sensitive!"

"Geez, you're really annoying." I grumbled while eating some cake. "..." I looked at her with some annoyance.

"Oh, right. Sorry to bring it up now, but were you crying? Your eyes are puffy."

"... I was just... I was remembering a bit of the past."

"The past...? Ah..." Kana seemed to realize what she was talking about, so she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Ah! S-Sorry, maybe I just made things weird..." I apologized.

"No, no! You just took me by surprise. You're not usually one to think about the past, are you?"

"... Not so much. I just wanted to reminisce a bit about those days when I was married." I said with a wistful smile on my face. My hands were noticeably tense at the thought.

"..." Kana noticed my look, and took my hesitant hand. "It's okay, if you need to cry, I'm here."

"... Geez, you're always so understanding..." I said as a few small tears ran down my cheeks. When was the last time I cried over this? When I thought I was over it, things would come back to me when I least expected it. However, I knew I couldn't let the past win me over, no! It was better to look to what the future held for me, as I treasured those days that will never return.