Youka

, is a character in the Tensei Pandemic manga series and Sawashiro Aki's ex-girlfriend.
==Plot==
When Youka was eight years old, she was playing hide-and-seek with her friends in a forest when she got lost. While wandering in search of a way out, she stumbles upon a garden with a round table and two chairs. There, she found a boy sitting alone, quietly sipping tea.
When they talk, she learns that this is the garden of the boy's house, and the place that he comes to whenever he wanted to be alone. The boy shares that he has no friends, as his father forbids him from going out or interacting with other children often. Hearing this, Youka offers to be his friend, then quickly stands up to leave, not wanting to get the boy in trouble. Before she leaves, she introduces herself and asks for the boy's name, which the boy answers to be Suzugami Miya.
After becoming friends, they often hanged out, playing hide-and-seek and confiding in each other about their troubles. Miya appeared to be a normal and cheerful kid, but in hindsight, Youka remembers the occasional sadness that would cloud his face, becoming more frequent as time went on. Eventually, as Youka became busier with school, their meetings dwindled until they stopped altogether.
Attending an all-girls middle school, Youka one day approaches their class president, Sawashiro Aki, who up until that point has remained a quiet person, never laughing or doing anything cute. Complimenting her cuteness, she takes off the president's glasses, revealing the natural charm that the president had kept hidden. Afterwards, the two would start spending more time together, deepening their relationship.
However, despite genuinely cherishing Aki's company, Youka knew that a relationship between two girls did not conform to societal norms, and part of her is afraid to continue their relationship. One day, Youka wanderes back into Miya's garden by chance. There, she finds Miya, who has grown into a stunningly beautiful young man, still sitting at his table and sipping tea. Miya shares that instead of attending school, he's been assisting his father with his research daily, though his name never appeared on any of the publications. Sensing that Youka, too, is troubled, Miya invites her to share her worries, just like in the old times.
Youka opens up about her conflicted feelings regarding her relationship with Aki. She admits that she hates the part of herself that lacks the courage to continue their somewhat unusual relationship, even though she loves Aki deeply. After listening, Miya remarks that he believes everyone desires change and that few are truly satisfied with themselves. He then reveals his plan to leave home the next day, intending to "change" after finishing this final cup of tea, and to find a new world for himself. Youka, too, pours herself a cup from Miya's teapot, declaring her own desire to change. They both down their tea, and Miya vows that they'll not only change themselves, but the entire world.
Unknown to Youka at the time, the tea that she shared with Miya contained the Tensei Virus. A few days later, she would discover her body transformed into that of a man. This proves to be the final straw for Youka. Not knowing how to face Aki, she arranges a fake boyfriend one day, and breaks up with Aki, using the excuse that it was strange for two girls to be together. With Aki devastated by the breakup, the two stop talking entirely, and Aki would move to Tokyo for high school.
The next time they meet is during Aki's class's school trip to Kyoto. As soon as the class arrives, Aki encounters Youka on the streets by chance. Youka cheerfully greets Aki who is accompanied by her classmate Hinata, but she quickly notices her unusual quietness. She places a hand on her shoulder and asks what's wrong. Aki, however, brushes off her arm, telling her not to touch him, making Youka realize that she still hasn't forgiven her for their breakup. Youka tries to explain herself, justifying her decision by saying that, as they are both girls, life would be more fun if they dated boys, and reflecting critically on her past choice to date another girl. Aki, visibly frustrated by these remarks, grows increasingly tense. Youka tries to lighten the mood, telling Aki once again that she looks cuter when she smiles. However, this only fuels Aki's anger, causing her to explode, shouting that she never wants to hear from Youka again. Witnessing this reaction, Youka decides to leave, though she still tells Aki to stay safe, even if they never meet again.
Later, Youka finds Hinata again and requests to talk with him, leading him into a quiet small alley with a fountain. Hinata asks why Youka wanted to talk to him. Youka suddenly smiles, asking Hinata to tell her everything he knows about Aki, like how she spends her day at school, her expression suddenly changing as well. Though surprised, Hinata decides to go along. However, after a brief talk about the president's daily life, Youka regains the serious expression from before.
She comments on how deeply their breakup seems to have affected Aki, even though a significant amount of time has passed. She confesses that she wishes they could both forget their past relationship, but admits she's still relieved to see Aki doing well.
Youka stands to leave, but Hinata can't hold back any longer. He tells her that he has never seen the president cry like he did earlier and shares his belief that Aki is so deeply affected because Youka is still very important to her. He then questions whether their relationship was really so easy to forget.
Youka flinches slightly at Hinata's question. Hinata quickly apologizes, acknowledging that he does not know Youka well, but also explaining that the president is important to him too. Youka though, responds with a question of her own: Is it better to to stay with someone even if it's selfish and would cause them pain? She then lifts her dress, revealing that she too has turned into a boy. With a pained expression, she question if Aki would still love her like this.
Hinata is shocked at this revelation, but being in the same situation himself, shares with Youka his own story as well as all he knows about the sex-changing virus. He debates whether he should tell Youka about Aki's transformation as well, but ultimately decides that he should not be the one to tell her. Youka, feeling relieved now knowing the cause behind her transformation, stands to leave again. But Hinata, realizing that if things continue as they are, Youka and Aki might never meet again, decides he cannot let that happen.
At midnight, as per Hinata's arrangement, Aki and Youka meet up at a bridge. At Aki's mention of Hina, Youka remarks that she noticed Aki seems to like Hina. She adds that it's okay because Hina is very kind and mentions that Hina even looks a bit like herself, which makes her happy. However, Aki becomes furious, disappointed that this is all Youka has to say, and turns to leave.
Seeing him turn away, Youka begs Aki to wait. She finally confesses that she has always wanted to apologize, admitting that the breakup, her new "boyfriend," and everything she said about their relationship were lies, not reflective of her true feelings. Aki, however, declares that he already knew Youka never wanted to end their relationship and had figured out that something was wrong when she didn't act like herself. What truly hurt him was that Youka wouldn't even let him help. He questions why, even now, Youka hasn't opened up to him, despite him having shared everything about himself and exposing his vulnerabilities to her.
Tearing up, Youka admits that she wanted to share everything with Aki, but her own cowardice held her back, not a lack of trust. However, Aki then acknowledges that they can no longer go back to the old days, confessing that he has changed as well. Simultaneously, the two both lift their dresses. Seeing each other's changes, they burst into laughter, the tension between them dissipating.
Two days later, in the morning, Youka is taking a stroll near Fushimi Inari Taisha. She finds a girl, Yurina, sitting alone crying and mentioning Hinata's name. Recognizing her uniform, Youka approaches with a towel and offers her a chance to talk. Youka shares that she knows someone who also attends Yurina's school — someone she loves deeply, even if they are no longer together. Yurina tells Youka that she is amazing, compared to herself who cannot even handle a single lie. She admits that everything happened too quickly, and she's lost in her emotions. Youka asks if the person she's talking about is Hinata. Though slightly surprised, Yurina nods in confirmation.
Youka realizes that Yurina must have found out about Hinata's sex change. She points at one of the fox statues at the shrine, asking Yurina if she knows "the legend of the fox." In the tale, a fox falls in love with a princess. To be near her, the fox wishes to become human but realizes that men are not allowed near the princess. So, the fox transforms into a girl and serves as the princess's attendant. Youka explains that even though the fox "lied" in its actions, it was all done to be with the one it loved, suggesting that if Hinata lied, it must also mean he truly likes Yurina. She assures Yurina that she still has time and it's too early to give up, and she is simply searching for an answer. Just then, they hear Hinata calling out, having come in search of Yurina. Youka stands up and leaves, without looking back.
A few weeks later, Youka receives a call from Aki. They discuss the recent, unexpected development that Mikoto, a girl affected by the Tensei Virus and turned into a boy, has managed to turn back. ouka raises a concern about the culprit's plan to cause a gender-changing pandemic. She questions how a virus transmitted by kissing could spread so rapidly on a large scale. She asks Aki who else has been affected by the virus. Aki lists out Yuuri, Suzugami Miya, as well as Goriyama-sensei, but Suzugami Miya's name alone catches Youka's attention. She recounts to Aki the unusual friendship that she and "Miya-kun" shared back when they were young, as well as his sudden disappearance one day after sharing a final cup of tea with her, only a few days before her transformation. This leads Aki to conclude that the virus was in the tea, and Myaako is the new identity of Miya who is responsible for everyone's transformations. Aki soon confronts Myaako with her friends, leading to the start of the Tensei Pandemic.
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