Chapter 5: A Maiden's Heart

WHAT MIKI DOES AFTER SCHOOL

A MAIDEN'S HEART

CHAPTER 5 OF THE MANGA

It is just before the mid-term exams at school, and it is blazing hot outside. The four friends, Miki, Izumi, Itsuki, and Hasegawa, are having a study cram session at Miki's house. Miki is wearing her ubiquitous sailor suit, Izumi is in her school uniform, but has taken off her jacket, loosened her tie and unbuttoned the top of her dress shirt, Itsuki has taken off the jacket of his school uniform, and Hasegawa is down to just wearing his unbuttoned at the throat shirt and pants. Miki is trying to work out a math formula on her own, after Itsuki showed her how to do it. Miki shows her answer and result to Itsuki. **" WRONG ! "**, bellow Itsuki ! Izumi, fanning herself with a plastic page protector, shouts for the two friends to 'pipe down'. The room is already hot enough as it is. Being in a room with a broken air conditioner is just goofy and stupid! As the study session grinds on and on, the stifling heat begins to wear on everyone's nerves.

Itsuki tells Izumi that she can leave any time now. Hasegawa, with romance on his mind instead of school work, offers to bring Izumi a bowl of ice cream! Itsuki rebukes Hasegawa not to be the perfect host in someone else's house. Itsuki then fires away at Izumi, telling her not to stay here if you are not going to study. Izumi non-nonchalantly states that she is solely here to keep an eye on Itsuki, so he does not do anything weird to Miki. That lights Itsuki's fuse, as he bellows out that he has no reason to ever do *that,* or anything else, to Miki ! Itsuki then yells an mis-gendering insult at Izumi and Miki, saying that (supposedly) they are nothing but cross-dressing guys, after all !

With that uncalled-for insult, Itsuki knocks off with the verbal jabs, and tries to calm himself by reviewing in his mind what has lead up to this situation. It was sheer coincidence that he had seen Miki come out of a men's room wearing girl's clothes that time. He decided to 'go with the flow', when Miki asked him to please offer feedback and consultation concerning her dressing as a girl. Next, Miki was thrilled to befriend another trans girl, Izumi, who joined their social circle. On top of that, Hasegawa got involved when he instantly fell in love with Izumi, without suspecting in any way that she is a trans girl. One way or another, these relationships have become quite the complex situation. But there is no chance that I am interested in Miki ***in that way*** .......... !!!

" After all, didn't you two kiss ........... ??? " , is heard in the background, thereby breaking Itsuki's chain of though. Miki interjects, saying that little piece of gossip is a secret. Hasegawa says, 'No way! Seriously?' " That kiss was solely for Miki's benefit, Itsuki tries to point out.

" l know...........it's too hot. I'm going to change clothes, so wait for me outside the room............", intones Izumi, thereby diverting the attention away from Miki. Izumi tells Miki that she has something for her to change into, too! The boys, although protesting, are shoved outside the room, and the door is closed and locked. Hasegawa offers the tantalizing idea that Miki (perceived male) gets to see Izumi change clothes. He then wonders out loud if he can get closer to Izumi if he began to cross-dress ? Itsuki silently thinks to himself that Hasegawa hasn't realized that Izumi used to be a boy. And to make matters worse, he's the idiot who fell for Izumi like a ton of bricks at first sight. Hasegawa asks Itsuki point blank if he thinks that cross-dressing is a good idea ? Itsuki almost 'spills the beans'---

" Listen here, Hasegawa! Izumi is actually a tran............... "

" THANKS FOR WAITING ! **HOW DO WE LOOK ?** ", interrupts Izumi as she opens the door. Izumi is wearing a ruffled, pure white bikini swimsuit, with an apprehensive Miki wearing the school's official girl's gray one piece tank-style swimsuit. Probably belongs to Izumi, but it still fits Miki.

" JUST WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING ? ", yells Itsuki.

" Swimsuits, of course. Way cooler this way...... ", coyly panders Izumi, "......... now shall we study ? " Izumi then speaks accusingly that Itsuki is obviously staring at Miki, and not in a good way. Itsuki forcefully denies doing such an unmentionable thing. He is looking at the both of them, because they have the audacity to wear swimsuits to a study session! Miki, as always, is red with embarrassment as all get-out.

Next day after school, there is another study session at Miki's house. Miki greets Itsuki at the front door, wearing her pretty sailor suit and pleated mini-skirt. Itsuki wants to know why Izumi and Hasegawa are so late ? Miki says that those two are not coming, as she received a text message saying that the both of them are not feeling well. Miki says the tests are coming soon, she hopes that those two are alright. Itsuki tells himself that those two are obviously lying.

Izumi is actually still at school, ready to walk home. Fu~Fu~Fu! " IZUMI-CHAN, **WAIT!** Let's walk home together! ", comes a voice from behind her. Hasegawa, of course! He says that since the two of them skipped out on the study session, maybe we could go somewhere (like on a date?)? Izumi says that she is too busy right now. Hasegawa then begs for her phone and social media info, so he can text her for the date sometime later. Izumi says that she left her iphone at home. But didn't she just get done texting Miki (saying she would not be at the study session) ? Izumi thinks 'fast on her feet'! She says that she just now lost her iphone. What a 'load of bull' ! But Hasegawa buys it 'hook, line, and sinker' ! He loudly proclaims that we have to look for it immediately ! Hasegawa tells Izumi to wait for him right here, as he goes and retraces her steps back to school, and inside the school building. Suddenly, Izumi is left all to herself, alone.

That evening finds Izumi in her bedroom, lounging on her bed, holding her iphone in her hand. It is already past 6PM. She wonders if Hasegawa is still out looking for her phone ? After a while, Izumi tells herself that there is something she needs to do, and begins dialing her phone to reach Miki............

Meanwhile, earlier, as Izumi has just came into her bedroom, Miki and Itsuki are at Miki's house, plowing and trudging through their study session. The study session had been going on with remarkable progress, at least up 'till now. Notwithstanding, Miki has stopped writing out her answers, and is now staring at the paper with a blank look on her face. Itsuki offers that if there is something that Miki doesn't understand, he will be glad to help her. Miki, however, says that weird thoughts are beginning to pour into and flood her head. With her heart loudly pounding away like a stamping machine pounding out widgets, Miki begins to confess her private and explicit thoughts. She recalls the first time that she was in Itsuki's bedroom. Then, she had asked Itsuki about kissing? Specifically, if kissing a boy would make her heart pound, then would that supposedly mean that she romantically like boys ? So we tried kissing. But she wasn't so sure after that. Miki now stands, closes her eyes, bows her head, and places her hands into a praying position, and asks---

" That being the case, can we try one more time ? That is, if you don't mind, Itsuki .......... I want to ..........?!? "

" As if ...... ", spits out Itsuki.

Having a look of pure innocence, with inexplicable sublimity and radiance surrounding Miki, Itsuki slowly gets up from his chair and approaches her, as she is already standing. Itsuki puts his hands on Miki's shoulders, and with the both of them embarrassed as hell, looks at her, straight up, into the pools of fascination and wonderment that her big 'anime girl' eyes have become.

" .......alright.......let's make it clear today ......... " , whispers Itsuki.

Itsuki continues to look at Miki, with the both of them turning beet red from embarrassment. Time and space come to a complete stop, as Itsuki dwells on one monumental revelation that has seized his mind like a giant pair of vise-grips---

" ...........now that I look again...........this trans girl..........so close up ......... "he" really, honestly, and truly, ***looks like a girl !!!*** "

And with that, Itsuki goes in for the kiss. As their eyes close, and their lips touch. Soon, it feels like the both of them eating their very favorite ice cream, are on a speeding roller coaster, and are watching from their seats a fabulous, colorful fireworks display filling the entire night sky. Somewhere in the far distant back of Itsuki's mind, something confronts him. Is having this much pleasure and extreme thrill really all that good? Somehow, a strange mood that he has never felt before is rapidly engulfing his mind, heart, and soul........... After eons of time and space have passed by, the two separate. Itsuki asks Miki how does she feel ? Miki is perplexed and bewildered. Her heart is pounding away and she is sweating something fierce. In a barely audible whisper, Miki exclaims---

" ...........can we do it again ? ........... just one more time ? ............. "

" ........okay........."

As the two go 'back to the buffet' for seconds, with both of their eyes now closed, and their lips only a pencil width apart, Miki's iphone begins to ring.

" H-Hello ? I-Izumi-chan ? What's up .......... ", politely answers Miki.

Earlier, before Izumi made this phone call, she was still waiting on Hasegawa, where he told her to wait. Wanting to end this charade about a lost phone, she dials a phone number. Hasegawa says 'hello'. He is told that it is Izumi. How does Izumi know Hasegawa's phone number ? Miki gave it to Izumi. Izumi tells Hasegawa that she already has found her (supposedly) "lost" phone. Hasegawa comments that apparently she found it first. He bemoans that he was not the one who found it, thereby depriving him of showing Izumi his good side. He then asks Izumi if he could save her phone number (what he wanted to do in the first place)? Izumi agrees.

Miki is finished talking to Izumi. Miki then puts her iphone on silent mode. That done, can we go back to what we were doing ?

***" NO! "***

Even though we were so close to a second kiss ..............

***" I SAID NO !!! "***

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Click on Chapter 6: The Cultural Festival to be taken to the next chapter.