Chapter 40: Mahiro and an Important Secret (Pt.2)

Because Nayuta seems to know about Mahiro's personal situation, that they transitioned to that of a girl, Mahiro thinks that their life is (supposedly) all over now.

## Features of this Chapter

### Social Setting

At school, on the first day back to school.

### Transition Development

Mahiro has to be convinced that Nayuta is an ally, not a blackmailer. On another note, Mahiro still, after all this time, still wets herself.

### Skills Learned

Mahiro is learning to trust others, a foreign concept to her, given her recluse and lonely past.

MAHIRO AND AN IMPORTANT SECRET ( PART 2 )

CHAPTER 40 OF THE MANGA

## Previously

On the first day back to school, Mahiro is all ready to go. Dressed in her female school uniform, she heads on out, as a stupefied Mihari gives her a cryptic message, something about avoiding strangers. Sure enough, a strange girl is assigned to the same classroom that Mahiro and her friends are in. Mahiro finds that the same girls as previously, are now in the social circle of female friends that continues on in the new school year. A social circle to rebuff the many obnoxious (supposedly) pranks that are pulled off by the boys. In the Opening Ceremony, Mahiro has to use the toilet something fierce! But it is loudmouth Asahi that gets her excused from the auditorium. Mahiro makes a bee-line for the girl's toilet, but in the end could not 'hold it', and wets herself, mostly her panties and tights. In the girl's restroom, Mahiro finds a "desperate fugitive" in the person of the new girl, who wanted to skip the Opening Ceremony, for her own reasons. The new girl introduces themselves to Mahiro, but refers to themselves with male gender designations, but tops off that revelation by addressing Mahiro as "Onii-chan" (lit. Big Brother) !!!

## This Chapter's Story

Mahiro and the new girl, Nayuta, are in the girl's restroom at school, on the first day of school. Mahiro had wet herself trying to 'hold it' during the Opening Ceremony in the auditorium. Now in the restroom in a private setting, not only has the new girl introduced herself with masculine gender markers, she seems to imply that she knows that Mahiro was born perceived as a male. This is not looking good, Mahiro thinks to herself. Mahiro tries to 'blow it off' by acting real 'cutesy', and saying that she does not know what Nayuta is talking about. But Nayuta is recording Mahiro on her tablet, telling Mahiro what a spectacular performance she is putting off. Finally, in utter defeat, Mahiro drops to kneeling on the floor, bemoaning that her life is going to go up in flames. Mahiro envisions that she will be the subject of a sleazy tabloid, pegged as a man who has been morally and socially corrupted.

Mahiro is escorted to the Infirmary, where she is put in bed, still in a state of shock. Nayuta tries to calm her, telling her that she is actually an ally, not a blackmailer. It takes a while for Mahiro to calm down enough for Nayuta to resume talking to her. Only then does Nayuta reintroduce herself, and say that she is acting as an assistant for *"Onee-san"* (lit. big sister) ! (Mihari? Chitose? Who?) Mahiro takes it that she is referring (rightly or wrongly) to Mihari. Nayuta says that she is here to help Mahiro, nothing more. And with that, Nayuta, on her tablet, orders a new, clean pair of school tights for Mahiro from the school supply department (Mahiro wet her panties and tights, but not her skirt. Mahiro is already wearing clean, dry panties, but has bare legs.). With the Opening Ceremony now over, both girls see the need to head on out of the Infirmary.

Just as Mahiro is walking out the door into the hallway, here comes Momiji, Asahi, and Miyo-chan. They want to know why Mahiro was in the Infirmary ? Mahiro, in an unsteady, unconvincing, and unnatural voice, says that after she went to the toilet, she suddenly felt ill, and was taken to the Infirmary. Nayuta collaborates, by saying that she 'just happened to be in the neighborhood', and offered to help the distressed and ill Mahiro. Nayuta introduces herself to Momiji, as Momiji thanks her for looking after Mahiro. But before introductions can be done by the other two friends, Nayuta already has her tablet fired up and open to the character pages for each girl. The introduction data is all there, negating the girls doing it personally. How scary, thinks Mahiro to herself. The girls are naturally puzzled, but Asahi puts her arm around Nayuta, and declares in a loud voice---

" Let's get along, NAAY---YOU---TAN !!! " (First name basis means instant friendship).

Mahiro, picking up on Asahi's cue, whispers to Nayuta to call her 'Mahiro', too. But Nayuta replies by stuttering---

" Yes, understood, **Onii------** " (Nayuta almost addressed Mahiro as *Onii-chan* (lit. Big Brother! Horror of horrors!) Mahiro instantly tries to cover for Nayuta's mistake, since nobody of the friends knows or suspects that Mahiro used to be a debased male. Mahiro puts her two hands with one finger pointing upward, placing them to the sides of her head, to make it look like she is wearing Oni horns, then spits out---

" Yea! You know, Oni (\*)! That one game that has been getting popular, Oni, Oni, Oni !!! "

Nayuta also places her hands with the finger pointing up on the sides of her head, also making it look like she has Oni horns. Without realizing it, Asahi buys into the ploy, saying that y'all must be playing **" Oni "** ! Momiji thinks to herself that she knows the game, and that is definitely not how you play the game. Just then, a female teacher comes by, telling the group of girls to knock-off the fun and playtime, and to get to their classrooms. Momiji apologizes on behalf of the group to the teacher. As the group breaks up, Asahi tells Nayuta that she, Asahi, wants to 'hang around' with "NAA-YOU-TAN" sometime. The group shuffles away, down the hall, leaving Mahiro and Nayuta alone.

Mahiro tells "NAA-YOU-TAN" that she, Nayuta, was surprisingly careless just now. But Nayuta is off in her own little world. She dreamily ponders that she just made a friend right now (Asahi)! Mahiro takes the 'out of it' Nayuta by the hand, and leads her down the hallway. Quietly speculating to herself, Mahiro ponders that Nayuta must be, somehow, helping out with Mihari's almost constant research and scientific projects. Is Nayuta a former perceived male, as well as being older, just like Mahiro herself is ? Mahiro stops in the hallway, still holding hands with Nayuta. Mahiro then tells Nayuta that she does not have to act so formal. Then Mahiro pops an intimate, personal question---

" You aren't actually older, almost an adult, or anything, are you ? (*like me!* Mahiro silently adds to the question). Nayuta's reply is swift and straightforward---

*" THAT'S A SECRET !!! "*

At home after school, in the Oyama household, Mihari is all happiness and sunshine as she welcomes Mahiro back, and asks her how the first day of class was ? Mahiro;s comeback is also swift and straightforward---

" TELL ME ABOUT THESE *IMPORTANT THINGS* BEFOREHAND, OKAY ?!? GEEZ, I WAS *SERIOUSLY FROZEN IN SHOCK* THERE ........... !!! "

Mahiro turns to go upstairs without waiting for a reply. A confounded Mihari cautions herself that, " Someone is certainly in a bad mood!.......... *important* ? ........... what did she mean by that ? "

## Chapter Lookback

(\*) **Oni**

>>>Oni as in 'Onii-chan' (lit. big brother).

>>>Oni as in the Japanese concept of a nasty spirit creature with horns on their head.

>>>Oni-Gokko (lit. playing Oni) as in 'playing Oni' is the Japanese term for the game of "playing tag" (tag---you're "it!")

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The Mangaka and/or the English Translator comment on this chapter---

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The reference is to Special 22.5, found here.

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The Omake Chapter 40.9 Mini-Extra pix for Chapter 40

## Manga Fans Commentary on This Chapter

**mtallmen\_184 / 9 months ago**

This is getting out of hand. Now, [potentially] there are two of them [male to female transgender teens] !

**TheKuudereDude / 9 months ago**

I am both proud and ashamed that I can perfectly see the raws of Mahiro's cutesy talk!

**igalico / 9 months ago**

What is the meaning of that -n ending like in Nayutan, Mahiron?

**MidnighTea / 9 months ago**

@igalico The "-n" sound added to a name to make it a nickname is considered cute. It's most often seen with names that end in an "i" since a word ending in "i" feels kind of harsh on a Japanese tongue. So Kaori becomes "Kaorin", Yukari becomes "Yukarin" etc. -- wouldn't be surprised if we see a classmate or friend of Mihari call her "Miharin".

But like with Nayuta, it can be attached to any name. Being really taken aback by their name being made extra cute might be itself a hint. Nayuta is a feminine but unisex name, incidentally, adding to the ambiguity. (incidentally "-tan" itself has extremely saccharine cutesy connotations, when used in place of "-chan", meant to evoke a child mispronouncing the latter)

**AncientWatcher / 9 months ago**

So, Nayutan is either a boy who got genderbent [by means of the 'girl drug'], or a girl who had their age altered [lowered from adult to teen]. Interesting development.

**manabi / 9 months ago**

Mihari's confused on the last page about why Mahiro is upset, so she probably doesn't know Nayuta. If Nayuta is a NEET related to Mihari's senpai [Chitose], it could explain why her senpai was doing that research in the first place: she *also* wanted to rehabilitate her sibling by age-regressing (and possibly gender-changing) them. Of course that would mean Mahiro [as well as Nayuta] was a guinea pig...

**manabi / 9 months ago**

I think the "Onii-chan" [slip of the tongue by Nayuta] was simply because Mahiro is a young girl at the moment, but she [Nayuta] knows [Mahiro's] really [used to be] an older guy mentally. Older than both of their current bodies. Plus [Nayuta] wanted to tease [Mahiro] a bit.

**MidnighTea / 9 months ago**

My theories! I believe Nayuta is indeed the same as Mahiro. But the main difference is that she pretty much jumped straight into the role and intends to stay there. A chance to be her true emotional age and maybe even have friends finally. Hence why she'd perceive Mahiro, still [somewhat] internally an adult[-like] male, as older than her. Thus using "Onii-san". Because she's mostly now a normal middle school girl. Mostly. Not just that "boku", but on the second page of this chapter she does a "hayaya" surprised sound. That's usually Mahiro's verbal tic, which is more noticeable in the audio drama. I think that's a subtle hint of them being the same at their core. Incidentally when Mahiro asks Nayuta if she's an adult herself, she looks away uncomfortably. That's actually a hardwired human reaction -- if someone doesn't want to tell the truth they will reflexively look away. If I'm right about Nayuta wanting to throw her old self away it would make a LOT of sense she'd react that way. I'm pretty sure Nayuta's ambiguity is pretty intentional writing [by the mangaka]. Notice in the extras that we're supposed to not know if that's a frog or bear hairpin in her hair. Curious!

At the very least this manga was sorta slipping into losing its [male to female transgender] flavor. Not entirely to its detriment, it was still a cute story about girls being girls. Still, Nayuta brought the flavor back to the forefront. That's awesome. Nekotoufu [the mangaka] seems to know what they're doing, even if they have a decidedly odd incontinence fetish.

**Time Volt / 9 months ago**

I have a sneaking suspicion that Nayuta has taken the drug, and due to her referring to both Mahiro and Mihari as onii-chan and onee-chan respectively (which is used when talking to older brothers and sisters or brother and sister-like people respectively), I think they're [Nayuta] going to be younger than both of them [Mahiro and Mihari]. Of course, that doesn't say a lot... Also it might just be a combination of them [Nayuta] adapting to their new body and knowing the original ages and genders of both of them [Mahiro and Mihari].