I decided to check Chihiro's room, as that is where I wanted to run and hide to, myself. After arriving at Chihiro's dorm, which was conveniently right next door to mine, I rang Chihiro's doorbell, still processing exactly what had just happened.
Was it true? Was Chihiro... really a boy this whole time?
After a while, Chihiro finally answered the door...in tears.
"B-Bera? Why are y-you here?" Chihiro stammered through tears. "Do you think I'm a f-freak?"
I shook my head. "No, of course not. If anything, I'm more of a freak than you are. Can I come in, please?"
Chihiro nodded and let me in, closing the door behind us.
Chihiro's room was full of computer programming hardware, with a computer that was disconnected from the internet (naturally). Chihiro had six monitors going at the same time, in two rows of three.
Chihiro turned to me. "What am I going to do? Do the girls hate me now? Do the boys want to beat me up?"
I give an honest answer. "Leon is a bit disgusted, but the others are more in shock than anything else, both at you and at me."
Chihiro nodded. "I hope Leon doesn't make fun of me."
An idea crossed my mind. "Hey, if you're truly a boy, maybe I can help you. I'm the Ultimate Tailor, so I can -"
I was interrupted by Chihiro's E-Handbook going off; someone had messaged him.
未来: You didn't think our little deal would come without strings attached, did you, Chihiro Fujisaki?
Chihiro's eyes went wide. 未来 did this on purpose?
Chihiro asked me, "But why? Why would he do this?"
"I don't think we should ask. 未来 could decide that's our one question for the night."
Chihiro nodded sadly, realizing I was likely right. "So, what should we ask now?"
I thought to myself, a few ideas coming to mind.
"What if we ask if they'll really stop this killing game if someone 'graduates' via the Class Trial?" I suggest.
Chihiro looked doubtful. "But the Rules already state this. Why would it lie?"
"Maybe we could ask if 未来 is physically in the building or not. Maybe they're on a higher floor or something. What do you think, Chihiro?"
Chihiro nods. "I think that question will work for tonight."
Chihiro Fujisaki: Are you anywhere, physically, in this building?
未来: No. Goodbye.
*未来 has left the Private Chat.
Chihiro glanced at me. "This means that 未来 isn't one of the students, right?"
I nodded, reaching the same opinion. "Whoever 未来 is, I think we can safely rule them out as a student."
I nod in agreement. "Yeah, true."
Chihiro's face turned serious, almost scared, as he looked at me. "But...what do I do now? Everyone knows my secret."
I thought for a moment, and then an idea came to mind. "What if I mended your clothes? I can turn your skirts into shorts, and your white shirts into more of a T-shirt. I think your green jacket is probably fine."
Chihiro looked at his closet. "What about my Mary Janes? Can you change those, too?"
I frowned. "I haven't worked much with shoes. I'm sorry."
Chihiro looked disappointed in my response, but it was true. My mom never learned any cobbler or shoemaker work, so she couldn't teach me the art.
Chihiro and I talked for a while longer, mostly about Chiaki and Kaito. Monorakun then appeared, after a brief conversation, he agreed to unlock Chihiro's closet early, in exchange for his current costume.
I went into the bathroom so he could change into his PJs, and after Chihiro surrendered his costume, Monorakun unlocked his closet. As I took my leave I took his clothes with me, so I could mend them all for him for tomorrow.
I dropped off his clean clothes at my dorm room, next door to Chihiro's, then took his dirty clothes to the Laundry Room to wash and dry them.
After a half hour washing them, and about 45 minutes drying them, I returned the clothes to my dorm room. Looking at the clock, it was 11:30pm. The Nighttime alert went off about an hour and a half ago, while I was still talking with Chihiro and Monorakun in his room.
I separate the clothes into sections, and focus on his white shirts and his skirts. Getting my sewing kit, I start mending Chihiro's skirts into shorts first, just like I had once done with my own when I abandoned being... her. (Sorry, even if Monorakun deadnamed me last chapter, I still refuse to utter that name.)
I followed that with the white shirts, carefully shortening the large collar. Upon reflection, I decided to leave the sleeves long, as they went with his jackets better that way.
It was past midnight when I was finished, but I still needed to give Chihiro his clothes back. After carefully examining everything I mended, ensuring that no thread was left loose, and every collar was evened, I returned to Chihiro (who I had woken up), to return him his clothes.
I then returned to my dorm, leaving a Group Message to everyone that I stayed up late last night, busy on a project, and I would be sleeping in a bit because of it.
Monorakun's 7am alert went off, with an additional announcement that our closets were now unlocked, and we could wear our normal outfits again. I decided to sleep in a little longer, as I was still tired.
Around 9:15am, I decided to get up and get dressed. To my relief, my Raggedy Andy costume was gone, and my closet door was now unlocked, allowing me to dress in my normal clothes for the day.
After I got dressed in my usual blue shirt, navy blue jacket, black hakama, and black boots.
As I went to leave my dorm room, my eyes went wide as I remembered something.
In the excitement of yesterday's events, I forgot to take my weekly Masculinizing Hormone Therapy shot!
I quickly headed into the bathroom, removing my hakama to prepare my left thigh. I did my right thigh last week, and I like to alternate from week to week.
I used an alcohol swab to prep the area, then grab the single-use needle. Carefully removing the cap while sitting on the toilet seat, I take a few deep breaths before injecting the treatment into my thigh, then disposing the needle into the sharps container that Monorakun had given to me.
After putting a Band-Aid over the shot location, I put my hakama back on and left my dorm room, heading to the Dining Hall to get something to eat.
As I turned the corner, my eyes went wide. Kenchikka was leaning against the wall, holding her head and stumbling. She wasn't bleeding, though, and I didn't see an obvious injury, either.
"Chikka! Are you ok?" I asked, concerned.
"Vertigo," Kenchikka responded. "Dizzy spell. Going to dorm room. Care to help?"
Nodding, I offered my hand, and she took it. We managed to make it to her dorm room, first door on the right down the Girl's Hallway. She invited me in, and I accepted.
"Thanks. Side effect from TBI. Will be ok," Kenchikka assured me.
Looking around Kenchikka's dorm room, there were map drawings of the Dorms area, the First Floor, and the Second Floor on one of her walls. Written in lighter pencil was dimensions of rooms and hallways. She had put a lot of detail and thought into the maps, even carefully drawing out the Courtyard's fountain in detail.
Feeling hopeful, I asked Kenchikka, "Have any info on the other floors?"
Kenchikka looked at me oddly. "No access. Locked gate, remember?"
Oh, yeah. I felt like an idiot.
Looking around, I also saw a rather unique Monorakun plushie. It was sitting down, grinning, with its normal black right eye and black/white color scheme. However, two things immediately stood out to me.
One, this Monorakun had a jagged green eye instead of his normal red one. It looked like that was part of the design.
And two, it had a screwdriver driven between its eyes. That... definitely wasn't.
"Asshole Raccoon's homecoming present. Heard everyone got one. Kaito had Photoshopped picture, him in space. Sayaka had poster on wall, performing with group. Unsure about others."
I nodded, debating whether to share what mine was or not. Meanwhile, Kenchikka continued.
"So, is true? You, a boy, born a girl?"
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. My deepest, darkest fear was thrown out in the open yesterday, and now I would be forced to face it with the others, starting with Kenchikka.
Finally, I nodded. "Yeah. It's true."
To my surprise, Kenchikka merely shrugged. "Hmm, ok. Whatever." She barely seemed to care.
My eyes were drawn to her prosthetic green eye, which never moved, always fixed in one spot.
Kenchikka must have noticed. "Curious about green eye?"
I jumped, not meaning to stare, and blushed, looking down in shame. "Sorry."
Kenchikka shook her head. "Don't be. Is natural to be curious."
I took another deep breath. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
Kenchikka sighed, as if she had told this story countless times before.
"Was on construction site, dealing with idiot foreman. Tearing down wrong building, too soon. Suddenly, ceiling collapse on me and him. Metal beam fall from ceiling, hit us both in head. Foreman forget protocol, not wear helmet, brain go splat. I had helmet, smash me in left side of head, knock me out. Helmet crack, but save life."
My eyes went wide. Kenchikka almost died? I couldn't believe it!
She continued. "Wake up in hospital bed. Massive headache. Nurse comes in, does standard tests, looks concerned. She gets doctor, doctor comes in, tells me left eye not responding to light. I close right eye, see nothing. Blind. Doctor says I need surgery, prosthetic eye, suggests regular glass eye."
So Kenchikka lost her eye to a work injury?
"I declined, stated glass eye could be occupational hazard. Could fall out, fall into machinery, get stepped on. Preferred more permanent solution, ocular implant."
"Ocular implant? What's that?" I asked, curious.
Kenchikka responded, rather matter-of-factly, "Surgical procedure. Attach to back of orbital socket. Designed not to move, ever. Expensive, but Workman Comp, insurance agree to pay."
I nodded, relieved, but Kenchikka looked disappointed. "Wanted vision from ocular implant. Regular vision, X-ray, night vision, infrared, UV, heat, anything. Denied, too expensive, not medically necessary. Pity."
"Sorry to hear that," I lamented, but Kenchikka waved me off.
"No need. Not your fault. Physical therapy followed, adjusted to lack of depth perception. Missed foreman's funeral. Dipshit."
We talked for a little bit longer, then I took my leave of Kenchikka, as another migraine was coming, and she wanted to try to sleep it off.
Sadly, someone else would be taking a nap soon, too...
A permanent one.