"So that's the situation. I won’t be coming over this afternoon."

From the other end of the call, Wu Qinglan roared, "What do you mean 'that’s the situation'?! You haven’t even explained anything!"

"Tsk, I'm going to help you find the cosplayers for tomorrow, okay? Anyway, the booth setup is basically done, you don't need me for that anymore."

I flipped the exhibitor badge in my hand. I already had the most important thing I needed—no way I was going back just to move stuff.

"The cosplayers can wait, and don’t we already have you? Or anything, I think that you are the perfect candidate for the job! Kai, you definitely have potential for crossdressing!"

"And I told you, I’m not wearing a dress, you damn pervert!"

Fuming, I hung up the call.

After dropping me at the metro station, Mai-chan, still awkwardly dressed, headed off toward the nearby mall by herself. With her tiny frame, she looked so delicate it was hard not to worry. But well, at least inside, she's still an adult despite her stature. She could probably handle herself just fine.

After grabbing a quick lunch at the station, I called Wu Qinglan, then hopped on a train toward Rinka’s place.

Speaking of which, Rinka had already started doubting the whole “Church of Bishoujo" story... I’ll have to arrange for Xiao Lei to put on a little show sometime soon.

The early afternoon sun was brutal, but thankfully Rinka’s apartment was right by the station, so I didn’t have to roast too long. Her building was fancy too—there was even air conditioning in the hallways.

While half-reading the elevator ads, I rode up to the seventh floor. Her place was the first door on the right: 701.

When I rang the bell, she quickly answered, her hair damp and clinging to her skin. She must’ve just gotten out of the shower.

She wore a pale yellow chiffon camisole trimmed with lace, looking pretty flashy for loungewear, and loose lantern pants below, with powder-blue fuzzy slippers on her feet.

"Ah, Kai-chan, you’re here!"

"Yeah, just came to check on you. I’ve got a little favor to ask too."

Now that she was no longer just a crossdressing boy but a real girl, her charm had only grown. She could easily be the school beauty even at the girls’ campus. (Well, slightly less pretty than me, of course.)

Just thinking about what she said yesterday made my heart skip—giddy enough to feel breathless.

If I confessed before she confessed to Yan Liuzhuan, Rinka said she would go out with me… A girlfriend practically falling into my lap, and yet, I couldn’t do it.

Yan Liuzhuan is the clear better choice compared to me, Rinka also already liked him way before all of these happened.

Besides, I wasn’t even sure if I liked the ‘new’ her that way.

And speak of the devil—

The moment I walked into the living room, there he was: a familiar expressionless guy with his classic 70-30 parted hairstyle sitting stiffly on the sofa piled with plush toys, flipping through some hard-covered classic that I would never want to read.

"Old Yan?"

He looked up from his book, adjusted his gold-framed glasses, and greeted me with his usual deadpan tone.

"Long time no see, Chang Kai."

"Well, it hasn't even been a week yet though."

Come to think of it, does this make us rivals in love? Somehow I don't really feel it...

I pushed aside some of the plushies and sat down next to Yan Liuzhuan. Rinka dashed off to the kitchen and came back carrying three glasses of orange juice—freshly squeezed, with bits of pulp still floating around.

I was parched, so I downed half my glass in one gulp. Instant bliss.

"When did you get here?"

"Not long ago. She was still in the bath when I arrived, so I waited outside the door for a while."

He paused, then added, "About half an hour."

Rinka turned her head, slightly embarrassed.

"You spend half an hour soaking in broad daylight? Are you Shizuka?"

"I went out for lunch, okay? I was all sweaty and gross!"

True, she was the type who insisted on having a shower even at the school's secret base. Probably one of those 'three showers a day' kinds.

"I’m gonna go dry my hair. It's uncomfortable being all wet. You two sit tight~"

With that, Rinka disappeared into the bathroom, and the roar of the hairdryer soon followed.

Yan Liuzhuan wasn’t much for small talk, and I was starting to get bored.

I glanced over at the book he was reading. Men Without Women.

…What kind of title is that? I felt the malice personally, as one of the existing single males.

Actually, I had come for a reason—Wu Qinglan still needed a third cosplayer for tomorrow. I’d originally thought of asking Rinka, but since
Yan Liuzhuan is here, then I’m leaning towards aiming for the one with a better figure.

No offense to Rinka’s adorable, petite...assets.

But I hesitated on how to bring it up. So we just sat there silently, blending in with the mountain of plushies, the only sound being the hairdryer.

"Hey, Old Yan. Don’t you think Rinka’s doing pretty well now?"

I finally broke the silence.

"Yeah. She's like a real person now."

Yan Liuzhuan nodded thoughtfully, then added, "And she’s still changing, trying to become better."

Huh. So before, you thought she was what, an art sculpture?

Yan Liuzhuan was basically a block of wood—no, an ironwood tree. An ascetic even. In school, he had earned the nickname "Iron-faced Judge."

But Rinka once said that under that rational facade, he had a deeply emotional side. Just buried really, really deep.

When he’d temporarily turned into "Liuliuzi" last time, I caught a fleeting glimpse of that hidden gentler self.

I discreetly pulled the black notebook out of my bag and scribbled the character for "Yan."

"If she’s brave enough to show her true self, shouldn't you live a little more honestly too?"

At my words, he snapped his book shut with a heavy "thud."

"I am living honestly. I’ve never betrayed my own heart."

"You know Rinka likes you, right?"

His eyes widened—by about 0.5 centimeters, impressive for him.

Perfect. I pressed on:

"So, how do you feel about her?"
"Now don’t hurry to answer first."

Before he could answer, I pulled a moonstone out of my pocket.

"Take this."

He hesitated but eventually took the moonstone, turning it over in his hand.

I turned my back to him and wrote the character for "Liu."

"You remember that time at your house, when you lured me upstairs with the excuse of moving a mirror just to warn me?"

He nodded solemnly. "You said my smile was nice."

"Forget I ever said that! What I mean is, when you were a girl, you were much more in touch with your feelings. It might help you see your own emotions more clearly."

He looked down, lost in thought, a rare flicker of confusion on his face.

I quickly wrote the last character, "Zhuan."

A flash of white light erupted, peppering me with tiny golden stars—ouch, that one actually hurt! The transformation actually had a physical effect?!

As he was momentarily blinded by the light, I stuffed the notebook back into my bag.

Something else shot out of the light and hit me square in the forehead. It didn’t disappear like the stars from the transformation effect when it dropped to the ground.

Painfully. I picked it up: a shirt button.

Oh yeah... I’d forgotten. Last time, a button popped off too.

The white light faded, and where the button used to be, a generous cleavage now peeked through the gap. I swallowed hard, unable to look away.

It’s the second button...

According to legend, if a girl gets the second button from a boy’s shirt—the one closest to his heart—she’ll win his true love.

...Does that mean I’ll win Liuliuzi’s heart?

Liuliuzi’s chest wasn’t huge but definitely somewhere between a C (Tangerine) and D (Lei Meow Meow) cup.

But unlike T-shirt fabric, her fitted dress shirt had no stretch at all, and with Yan Liuzhuan’s preference for slim-fit styles, it was no wonder a button would pop off every time.

The 70-30 stoic girl took off her now-unnecessary glasses. She followed my gaze, then looked down at herself.

Her slender, fair hands moved to her chest, landing right on the lone surviving button that was desperately holding everything together —
"Want a peek? I’m actually pretty confident about this body’s figure..."

Rather than revealing her hidden sensitivity, her exhibitionist side was the first to jump out!

My rational brain screamed that I should stop her! But the hand I instinctively reached out with froze midair. I couldn’t do it!

The truth is... I still wanted to see!

I want to see! I want to see the oppai!

After all, I am a perfectly healthy teenage boy.

—— "That’s enough! Liuliu, stop right there!"