kscans

Chapter 219 - Confession, Part 2

"Right then. Now that we’re done talking and it’s getting late, how about we order some delivery? What does everyone want to eat?"

When I made the suggestion, Saku-chan timidly raised her hand. That was unusual. I was a little surprised, since she wasn't the type to speak up in these situations.

"Yes, Saku-chan. What do you want to ea…"

"There’s one more important thing to talk about. This time, it’s from me."

Eh? I glanced around at the others… It seemed the kids already knew. What could be so important that Saku-chan had to say it? She didn’t look particularly distressed, so I figured it couldn't be a bigger deal than Sarna-chan’s coming out…

"Actually, there’s something I’ve been keeping secret from Hero Uncle for a long time. Well, from Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa, too."

Saku-chan straightened her posture and began, looking a little nervous. It seemed she felt a bit guilty for keeping a secret from her family. I don't think you need to tell your family absolutely everything, though. I mean, I have tons of things I’ve never told anyone from my past right up to now.

(The fact that I’m the first one she’s telling means…)

It was probably because our relationship was just right. A close uncle, a relative not quite as near as her parents or grandparents. Plus, this uncle was a smooth talker who could be expected to back her up. Whoa, thinking about it again, I’m a pretty convenient guy, aren't I.

"So? What’s this secret you’ve been keeping? Go on, tell your convenient uncle, Hero Uncle."

"When you put it like that, it sounds like I’m just using you, which I don’t like… but oh well."

Saku-chan cleared her throat and, with a slight bashful smile, said.

"The truth is, I’m what you’d call transgender."

"…………Come again?"

"My heart and my body’s genders don’t match."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!?!?"

Wait, that kind of confession!? A serious confession like that!? Look, I don't have any prejudice, okay? I’m Satou-kun, a connoisseur of drag queen bars! But still! But still!

"Isn’t this a bit much to confess so casually!?"

"It’s more casual than confessing you’re the daughter of a man I killed, isn’t it."

"No, that’s… not really true! Sorry, Sarna-chan, I really am, but I’m way more surprised by this!!"

The fact that it was strangely close to home made the impact that much bigger! Wait, you guys aren’t surprised, did you all know!?

"Yes."

"After Sarna-chan told us her story, she just casually mentioned that she had something to share too."

"If anything, it almost overshadowed my own coming out."

Right!? Still… well, the fact that she could confess in such a manner suggests she's managed to come to terms with it herself. Yeah, as her uncle, that's a relief. I was prepared to support her even if she was wrestling with some deep conflict, but it is a delicate topic.

"But I see. Transgender, huh. Looking back, there were definitely some signs here and there."

Learning housework, growing her hair out… Had Saki-neechan and Seiya-san noticed? They probably hadn't. Same for the other relatives.

"Was that why you were asking me all about the TS Divine Fist before?"

"Yeah. Also, I kind of expected it, but you accepted it pretty quickly, Hero Uncle."

"Not that quickly. It’s the biggest shock I’ve had all year. It’ll probably stay number one for the rest of the year, too."

"No, that’s not what I mean."

I get what she was trying to say. That I didn't find it disgusting or feel any kind of aversion. Well, about that. Like I said earlier, I have friends who are like that. I was surprised that the relative I was living with was, though.

"More importantly, have you told Saki-neechan and the others?"

"Not yet. I was thinking of telling them around the time I graduate from high school."

…In this daily life timeline, that's a problem, I thought, but I couldn't explain that, which was a bit tricky.

"So when I do, I’d be happy if you could be there with me, Hero Uncle. I mean, I’m sure they’ll accept it, but."

"Yeah. Even if you know they’ll accept you, it’s still nerve-wracking. Of course, I’d be glad to come along."

Still… so Saku-chan was a girl, huh.

"...I’ve been washing our laundry together, should I start separating it?"

"No, that doesn’t really bother me, and you don’t need to worry about it either, Hero Uncle."

"You sure? Ah, could it be…"

She was a girl of that age. An age when even one's own father can become annoying, and here I was, a middle-aged relative. For her to not feel any discomfort living with someone like me must mean…

"Was I Saku-chan’s first love? Or are you maybe still pining for me now?"

It would be a problem, but honestly, it’s a situation I’ve always kind of dreamed of.

"Not a chance."

She shot me down in one clean stroke.

"I find you likable as a person, but as a member of the opposite sex? I think it would be impossible unless you were rebuilt from the ground up."

And she was scathing, too.

"I don’t know. To me, you’re kind of like a sloppy but funny and kind older brother with a big age gap?"

That was a slightly kinder follow-up, wasn't it.

"Um, Satou-san. Even if telling your parents is a ways off, you could solve the problem for her, couldn't you?"

Hikaru timidly spoke up. He really is a good kid. He wasn't looking at Saku-chan with any prejudice, just worrying about her. And he was right. I could make her mind and body match in an instant.

"I think I’ll wait on that for now."

""""Huh, why?""""

It seemed that not just me, but the kids too, had been thinking of the TS Divine Fist.

"If it becomes absolutely unbearable I’ll ask you, but I feel like there’d be more of a sense of accomplishment if I could get there on my own."

Researching the TS Divine Fist, huh. I understood what she was trying to say, but as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t really understand the principles behind it myself.

"I’d be happy if you’d just let me try."

"...Alright. But if you decide to give up, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?"

"Okay. Oh, and even though I just said I’d work hard, I do have a little bit of a desire to try out a girl’s body."

"Really? Wanna give it a shot, then?"

"Yes, yes! I want to see Sac-chan as a girl too!!"

"...She’s already beautiful now, so I doubt she’ll change that much, but I’m a little curious myself."

"Me too. Besides, I'd like to see the TS Divine Fist used for a just cause."

The kids seemed to want to see it, so I decided to do it right away. I snapped my fingers lightly, and Saku-chan’s body was enveloped in a dazzling light. After a moment, the light cleared, and…

""""Ooh.""""

We all let out an involuntary cry of admiration. Just as Hikaru said, she had been beautiful even as a boy. To be honest, I hadn't expected her to change all that much either. But I was wrong. Though androgynous, she had still possessed some masculine, angular features. Once those were gone, replaced by feminine roundness… her impression changed quite a bit. It wasn't as if her facial features themselves had changed, though.

"She’s so beautiful! Wait, is this like a power-up!?"

"Th, this is… somehow…"

"She has the air of a classic Tohoku beauty."

"Ahaha, you’re making me blush."

Even I felt my heart skip a beat when Saku-chan put a hand to her cheek and smiled bashfully. Look at Hikaru, he has no resistance to that sort of thing and he's bright red.

"Hey! Hey! Since we’re at it, let’s try changing your clothes too!!"

Rika-chan’s suggestion kicked off a fashion show. Saku-chan must have been having fun dressing up in girls' clothes too. She looked happy the whole time. After we'd had our fun for a while,

"What is it, Sarna-chan?"

"Oh, no, I was just wondering what would happen if Hero-san, being related to Sakuya-san, were to change gender."

"Ooh, since Sac-chan is a graceful beauty, maybe he’d become a more energetic type of beauty."

The two girls stared intently at me. Hey, hey, hey, if you look at me like that, an entertainer like me can't just refuse.

"I’d like to see that too."

"Me too."

"Alright, then I shall grant you a look."

This would be the first time doing it to my own body, but…

"Huh, why did you get younger?"

"Well, if I changed gender as I am now, I feel like my body would be all sloppy."

""""What a cheap little trick…""""

I’ve been thinking this recently, but I feel like they're starting to take me a little less seriously. Then again, I suppose that just means they’ve opened up to me. Oh well. After confirming I was in my high school student form, I set it so my school uniform would change into a girl’s version upon transformation, and then I unleashed the TS Divine Fist upon myself.

"How’s that!?"

""""Whoa, she looks super dumb.""""

Hey.

"It’s not that her facial features are bad, you see. It’s just that right now, Satou-san, you look incredibly empty-headed."

"Yeah. She’s not like a stunning beauty or anything, but she'd be in the popular group in class. But you look really, really dumb, Hero Uncle."

"Is it the blonde hair and piercings? But Takahashi-san is the same gyaru type, and she doesn’t look this stupid."

"Indeed. Perhaps due to her profession, Takahashi-san exudes a sense of inclusiveness. She's a world away from this kind of frivolity."

…

"You know what? The uncle right now looks like she wears leopard-print panties."

"Or maybe a gaudy pink. The shiny satin kind."

…

"Oh, are you changing back already?"

"You could have stayed that way a little longer."

I’m never doing that again!!