Kämpfer:Volume 1 Chapter 3
Chapter 3
I carried Sakura-san to the school nurse's office. The passage to the girl's section was sealed off "without permission men cannot enter the women's side" but now that "I'm a woman" it was open to me.
I was carrying the feinted Sakura-san, feeling a bit unsteady at the situation. Akane was laughing without any modesty. Crap, just remember, if I'm a pumpkin then you're a cabbage¹ [see notes].
Nevertheless, Sakura-san's body was light and soft, and my heart beat loudly. I was touching the body of a woman I yearned for, if I died at that moment I would have died happy.
The person in charge of nurse's office in the girl's section was a man with awfully long hair. His voice sounded like a soccer game narrator. He pointed to a bed, said "lay her there", without taking his eyes off the paper he was reading. What good is a nurse's office without a nurse?
While I waited for quite a while after I left the infirmary, I wasn't changing back to a man. Akane had said that the time it takes to return at first is highly random, but what to do for now.
I could hide under the dead space under the stairs of the first floor (is that where bad girls smoke?).
While I was a woman in the girls section it still was strange to not be in a class. I wouldn't set off the "intruder alert" like I would if I were a guy, but still I couldn't just attend class either. First of all there wouldn't be a seat for me. I couldn't escape the school without alerting the police and getting into worse trouble.
I made a decision, since I was already here I would stealthily explore the girl's section. Well, I couldn't look too stealthy without drawing attention.
I pretended I was a Shitetsu-Gakuin Girl's student, and climb the stairs.
Now that I had the time to look around, the girl's side was quite beautiful. Even through the building's astringent era of style, the interior was spotless and clean. Coming from the boy's side the difference was immense, the boy's cleaning seemed sloppy. The smell of the place was inviting. To say that I wasn't curious to look around would be a lie. This heart-pounding feeling matched the exhilaration of a young grade school boy peeking into the girl's bathroom.
I wasn't discovered by school staff. Even though I had "I'm running an errand for the teacher" excuse prepared, it was never used. As I walked I grew more brave and started walking with a grand swagger.
A lone girl walked towards me. She had long hair, giving her a look of innocence. I quickened my steps as we approached. As she passed she was looking down. She was wearing a sailor uniform with signs of wear, but the wear disagreed with the insignia on her collar indicating a first year student. She must be innocent.
As we passed each other, and I started to feel relieved I heard a muttering "...she's so cool". Cool?
"I'm sorry."
She was hailing me.
"You're a senpai?"
My appearance is as her senior, so I silently nodded.
"How do I get to the student council room? I have to drop off something, but I don't know the way..."
Hahaa. Lost on campus? It's to be expected. The school may be small, but when you think everything is straight you'd end up at a dead end. It's like being in thick woods and not being able to see your way. After all, the school was constructed as addition on top of addition.
As for the student council room it isn't in this building, it's attached to the library.
When I thought about explaining, I realized I still had a masculine voice, so I pointed my finger in silence.
"...." the girl was confused.
"Well, uh ..."
Hmm, I decided to talk just a little. "Over there." I pointed my finger out the window and was about to walk off.
"That... what?" she was talking timidly. "Can't you guide me?"
"..." what a pain.
Of course I know how to get to the library, I just came from there. I entered the girl's side even though I'm not a girl. What happens if I return to a boy while guiding her? This seems to be my fate, or my ending. "FIN" / the end.
My answer, "even if you ask..." oops, I had used my natural voice. I talk too much.
The long hair girl looked disheartened, by recovered immediately.
"I want a senpai to show me around."
Why is that?
"I just transferred, I don't know my way around Shitetsu-Gakuin academy, but I'd like to know more senpai!"
I was drowned in the details.
Well, I do seem to know my way around. I'm a boy in the second grade, and someone just tried to kill me in the library. Of all the students on the boy's side, other than Higashida, I am the most knowledgeable about the girl's side. Higashida knows more, but he wasn't called.
I took a look at my bracelet to see if there were any signs of it glowing, it still looked fine.
I shrugged my shoulders and signaled her to follow.
The girl enthusiastically follows me, with a skip in her step. We walked out of the building into the courtyard.
She started talking casually.
"Second grade, huh?"
I can't deny it, my collar emblem can be easily seen.
"I'm glad I was admitted to a school with super-cool senpai!"
It made me feel good to get praised like that, plus it was my first time being called "senpai".
"Please tell me your name"
What should I say... The name Senou Natsuru is a man's name and not suitable for women. In the first place, I'm a boy who shouldn't be in the girl's section. I have no choice but to keep silent again.
"Hey, sen - pa - i!"
This girl, who I thought was shy, was becoming very familiar with me.
"Please tell me," as she casually grabbed my arm.
"..." of course I still pretended not to hear. The girl puffed up her cheeks.
"Fine, if you don't tell me I'll yell and get you caught. I know you're a second-year student cutting class."
Wait, wait... If you did that, the story would get very complicated.
This girl obviously didn't care. It didn't matter that she didn't know the circumstances were so unusual, and didn't know my predicament. It looked like she was enjoying my nervousness.
"Eh ..."
"Better to just tell me, no?" she sidled up to me with a cruel, peculiar, smile.
Where could I run and escape? The same instant I prayed 'heaven help me', and heard a bell chime.
'BONG' 'BONG', the end of class.
It was a boring math class I had skipped, but I didn't care.
"Over there!" I pointed to the student council room with my finger and quickly turned my back. After being paralyzed I didn't want to face the students coming from the girl's section.
As I tried to move away, that girl still clung to my arm.
"Ah... please wait" she wasn't moving towards the student council room.
A crowd of school girls streamed out of the building. I could say that I had to quickly get to a specific classroom. That should be an excuse to get away from her. Yeah, right, she wouldn't care.
"It's... Natsuru-san?" came a weak whisper. In a group of sailor suits, I saw a surprised Akane.
It was the form she had before turning into the vicious-dog girl.
"Oh... what went wrong?"
I whispered my answer, "the transformation hasn't happened yet."
"That's a long time, but why are you still here?"
"I was asked to guide..."
Just then the long-haired girl yelled "Oh wow, Akane!"
Akane was shocked, "Masumi-chan ...!"
"...is it, that Akane is an acquaintance of senpai?"
"Senpai... you mean Natsuru-san?"
Before I could say 'baka', the girl called Masumi grew a foolish grin.
Akane understood, "Natsuru-san wasn't... referring to... ", she panicked.
I panicked too.
Masumi started laughing from her belly, "so, Akane and Natsuru-san are acquaintances!"
"...as for that... what is Masumi-chan doing in a place like this?"
"The teacher sent me on an errand, yup yup!"
I stealthily asked Akane ("you know each other?")
("It's... we've been friends since we were a year old...")
From a year old, compared to Akane, she had grown relatively impudent.
"Well Akane, thanks for teaching me Natsuru's name!"
"Teaching..."
"Yes, aside from you, I also want to be chummy with Natsuru-san. But... I think that may be impossible..."
"Why not just ask Natsuru-san directly?"
"That's... impossible. Akane will teach me then."
The actors may have changed, but the situation was familiar. Masumi was brandishing Akane, just as the vicious-dog girl brandished her gun while yelling "kill!" There was no sign of the timid nervous girl from the hallway any longer.
I was nervous, too nervous. I had no clue when was the transformation going to happen. Fortunately there was no change in the bracelet, but I had to pay attention to it.
Akane was being interrogated by Masumi and looked about ready to cry.
I winked at Akane and indicated the boy's side with a flick of my eyes.
"I think... Natsuru-san is busy, therefore... and I have the same business as Natsuru-san, so..."
"When school ends... is a little..."
I stiffened... this could be trouble. I pulled Akane.
("You're exposing everything... you talk too much")
("I, what can I say... because I...")
("Just give a simple lie. Don't tell my whole story when you've just reunited.")
("...yeah, I understand, but we need to buy you some clothes.")
("as far as that goes... it's already going to be painful.")
("Natsuru-san, you need to prepare for your needs.")
("...I'll just run away, anywhere but here.")
I ran away, with the feeling of being an antelope. Masumi's voice was pleading "wait you two" from behind us. Of course, I pretended not to hear; even a 20-ton truck couldn't stop me.
I escaped and decided to hide out in the women's bathroom of the library. I quietly locked myself in a private stall.
Trying to stay quiet and waste time in a toilet stall is not recommended. The bracelet still did nothing, I quickly got bored. I tried to sleep by leaning against the wall, but that didn't work either.
I sat in that stall until all classes let out; it was praiseworthy. Even then there was no sign of transforming back to a man.
After the day's end rush went through I finally made it outside. My body ached and my bones creaked so loudly I thought my joins would break.
I blended in with the leaving students. I was excited, it would be my first time passing through the girl's school gates.
Girls were staring at me from every side. Needless to say it felt like the entire student body of the Shitetsu-Gakuin Girl's academy. My mood was still overcast from not being able to return to being a boy, otherwise the attention would have been amazing.
As I passed through the school gates I heard a voice.
"Natsuru-san." It was Akane.
Her head was still down, but somehow it looked even lower than usual.
I walked up to her, "your homeroom got out early?"
"Yes... it got out early. Since Natsuru-san was going to shop for clothes, I decided to wait."
"Ah... that's right. Thank you."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Did something happen?
"There's a person who wants to go with us..."
"What?"
"She said that if Natsuru-san buys a dress, she absolutely must go also... I'm sorry."
"Like who?"
"...someone like me..." The girl I had escaped from earlier appeared with a smile from ear-to-ear.
Her statistics:
- Full name: Nishino Masumi.
- Number of classes taken: three for year one.
- Blood type: B.
- Hobby: likes to listen to music while sleeping.
- Sizes: by all means please confirm her three sizes by yourself.
She told all this without prompting. In fact she was jumping with excitement to tell me. The only thing I didn't hear were her childhood diseases.
Of course, I asked Akane ("why her?")
("She... she chased after me and all attempts to evade her failed.")
("But she's so eager to join us.")
("True, when it comes to Natsuru-san, she has taken a keen interest...")
("Should we run again?")
("I doubt we'd escape...")
So, I ended up shopping with two girls; one quiet, one noisy. Masumi led the way while skipping, Akane and I were depressed. To the world it appeared we were being led by a wonton goddess bewitching us.
"Natsuru-san, you're buying clothes?" The question came along with the smile of Masumi.
I didn't want to answer any more than needed. "Yeah..."
"Wow, answered just like a man!" came her astringent reply.
You're not wrong, I am a man.
"Just clothes, nothing else?"
...
Notes
Still in progress. At page 13 of a 90 page chapter, so it may take a while. Kondou
1Cabbage Note: I think this is a colloquial phrase / idiom. What is it supposed to mean? Your guess is as good as mine. If you want to try translating it: くそ、覚えてろよ。俺がカボチャならお前はキャベツだ。
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