The place where Tachibana Iori led me was a nearby park. The scattered streetlights and the glow of a single vending machine in the distance faintly illuminated our outlines. Since there was nowhere else to sit, we took a seat on the covered bench.

“Um… what did you want to talk about?”

I was the one who was supposed to have something to say, but before I knew it, I was the one listening. Still, I had a feeling it was about the same thing.

“Yeah… No, maybe it’s not really about me…”

It was rare for Tachibana Iori to hesitate like this. Normally, her muttered words wouldn’t have been audible, but in the quiet of the park, I heard them clearly.

I instinctively straightened my back. Right now, Iori was summoning her courage. That’s what it felt like.

She took a deep breath and then opened her mouth.

“…Um.”

Her demeanor changed. Even with just slight nuances in her intonation, I could tell.

“When I try to say it properly, I guess I get nervous after all.”

Iori gave a small, shy smile.

…It was a strange feeling. I had prepared myself, but even so, the sense of unfamiliarity was overwhelming.

“It’s been a while… right?”

“Yeah. Thanks for that time, Natsuki. Your words made me really happy.”

At this point, there was no need for questions or explanations. We both understood.

“Even so, you took quite a while to tell me, didn’t you?”

I teased her in an exaggeratedly sulky tone, and Iori let out a small laugh. The tension eased a little.

It seemed my intention to keep things lighthearted had reached her.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d accept it, Natsuki. I mean, the other me is pretty cool, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, being that cool is kind of unfair, honestly.”

A mix of comfort, embarrassment, and a bit of awkwardness settled in my chest.

I wanted this moment to end quickly, yet at the same time, I wanted it to last forever.

“That being said, you still look pretty cool now too.”

“I get that a lot.”

Iori grinned proudly, and I found myself laughing along. It was amusing how she could sound self-deprecating yet confident at the same time.

After we shared a laugh, Iori’s expression turned serious.

“…Can we talk about something a little more serious?”

“Yeah. I’m ready to hear anything.”

This was the main topic. I barely knew anything about who Iori really was. If she was going to tell me, nothing could make me happier. It would mean getting even closer to her.

“I’d be happy if you didn’t get too tense listening. It’s not like I have some deep trauma or anything.”

“Oh, really?”

To be honest, I had thought that might be the case.

“You might find it anticlimactic when you hear it, but I’d still appreciate it if you listened.”

“It’s fine. I just want to know more about you, Iori.”

“Heh… Thanks.”

Iori blushed slightly, looking embarrassed. Her reaction was so fresh and unexpected that even I felt my face heat up.

◆

After that, I listened to the story of Iori’s life.

As expected, she had always been exceptionally cool since she was little, and that environment naturally shaped the Iori that everyone knew. But now, she said, both versions of herself were equally her true self.

Even after hearing everything, there was still one thing I didn’t understand.

“Why did the girl side of you only come out now?”

It seemed I had been mistaken. I had assumed that her feminine side had been struggling and suffering, but in reality, it was quite the opposite. By presenting her usual cool self, she had been able to get by just fine. She said she had no complaints about it.

“…If I could explain it that easily, I wouldn’t be struggling with it… Figure it out, idiot.”

Iori looked down and muttered softly. This time, I couldn’t hear her words at all.

“Oh, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s totally fine! I was just curious, so I asked.”

Judging by her reaction, it seemed like there was still something she wasn’t ready to share. I had heard that she had sighed deeply even back at Suzakura, so this was probably a deeply rooted issue.

I’d be happy if, one day, she could open up about it.

◆

A glance at my watch told me it was almost 10 PM—time when high school students could be taken in for curfew violations.

“Iori, we should probably—”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

With the grace of a scene from a drama, Iori stood up from the bench.

…Seriously, she’s the kind of person you can read in an instant.

“Natsuki, you’re still pretty inexperienced when it comes to dealing with girls, huh?”

Iori turned back to me with a charming smile.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Suddenly, I felt anxious. She was right—I had no idea how to properly interact with girls.

“Hmm… Just one step away, I’d say. Looks like I’ll have to take on the role of your teacher in that area.”

“If you’re the one teaching me, that’s reassuring.”

I walked alongside Iori toward the station.

There were still some mysteries left, but the uncertainty that had hung between us felt completely cleared away. I felt strangely at peace.

Before long, we reached the station. The area in front of the ticket gate was nearly empty, except for a few salarymen standing around.

“Natsuki, thank you so much for today. It felt good to finally talk.”

“Same here. I hope we can keep getting along.”

“Of course. Both of us will be counting on you—since the other me still has plenty to say.”

That was good to hear. Given the way we had parted before, I had been worried that she might have come to dislike me.

“See you next week, then, Iori.”

I turned toward the ticket gate when Iori suddenly called out to stop me.

“Wait, Natsuki. Before you go, the other me has a message for you.”

Saying that, she placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in close to my ear. My heart instinctively skipped a beat.

“—You were really cool, Natsuki.”

Her deep, smooth voice resonated straight through me.

In that moment, I completely turned into a girl.

Leaving me standing there in a daze, Iori disappeared beyond the ticket gate.

All I could do was watch her back as she grew smaller in the distance.