Chapter 39

Accidentally touching hands on the staircase brings an unexpected and troublesome reaction from both Akira and Shouma.

## Features of This Chapter

### Transition Milestones

Akira is slowly becoming aware how romantically and sexually attractive she is to the boys in her class at school. She keeps agonizing over this, reminding herself that she was born a male.

### Relationship Evolution

A secret relationship that Shouma keeps hidden is that he is romantically attracted to Akira, not Erika.

### Lessons Learned

Unexpected happenings and outcomes can happen in 'quick as a wink'.

ORE GA WATASHI NI NARU MADE (UNTIL I BECOME ME)

CHAPTER 39 OF THE MANGA (REVISED ENGLISH TRANSLATION)

(Part 2 of the Holiday Party Story Arc)

## Previously

Akira and Rumi, as well as several boys and girls from their class at school, are invited to a holiday party at Kazuki's house. That morning, Akira is able to get away from Mom without revealing to her that she, Akira, is going to a party at a boy's home. The party begins well, with Akira and a couple of other girls setting up the food table. Everyone really enjoyed the spread of food. As the party continues, Aoi addresses Kazuki's laptop computer, and opens up a video file that Kazuki had saved and named, 'Christmas Present'. To the surprise and mild dislike of the friends who view the video, it is of an anime girl dancing rather provocatively, and who just happens to look like Akira ! How will this development go down ?

## This Chapter's Story

Everyone is drawn to watching the video clip on Kazuki's laptop that Aoi had called up and opened. All are mesmerized while watching, until Natsumi calls out, **"Pervert!"**. Akira watches the video of the anime girl wearing a sexy outfit and dancing in her own provocative way, an anime girl who looks so much like Akira herself. This for some unexplained reason brings up a bad memory for Akira. A memory now floods Akira's mind, a memory of when she was that bratty boy. Akira, the troublesome boy, that time while he was talking to Nana, and being naked from the waist up. In response, Nana shouted out, **"PERVERT"** toward him, so that all the other students would hear. Another boy remarks that girls are so annoying; it's like they hate all boys ! Meanwhile, a few girls follow Nana out of the room, asking her if she is okay ? Akira states to the other boys that we should forget about the girls and what they do, and always stay together as boys, always interacting with only other boys.

Akira suddenly recognizes her name being called; it is Rumi, placing a hand on Akira's shoulder and asking her if she is okay ? Akira is jolted out of her daze of unsettling memories, and tells Rumi that she has calmed down and is okay. Akira then informs Rumi that she is going to go to the restroom, and promptly but quietly leaves the rec room. Alone, Akira remarks to herself that she thought that she understood how boys think by now. As long as boys had the same interests as her, like playing Duel King (Yu! Gi! Oh!), we could all get along well together. But maybe she never really understood what boys think and do, this despite being born a boy herself !

Akira comes to the top of the steps leading down to the basement toilet. There, she sees Shouma coming up the stairs. He calls out her name, asking if she is going to the restroom ? If so, she may want to wait a few moments for it to 'air out' after he has used it. The two pass each other midway on the steps, and Shouma's hand accidentally brushes against Akira's hand (this has happened before, causing Shouma to get excited, see Chapter 25). The gentle caress from Shouma greatly surprises Akira, as she jerks her hand away from his. However, this sharp movement causes Akira to misstep, as her foot slides off the edge of the step, downward and outward from underneath her. Akira loses her balance, and begins to pitch downward ! Horror of horrors ! Shouma turns to look down the steps, just in time to see Akira loosing her balance and falling. In a flash, he extends his arm and hand toward Akira.

In a fraction of a second, Akira sees Shouma's hand coming to grab onto her. During that split-second, Akira recalls the very unpleasant memory of when she was the bratty boy, and other boy's hands were grabbing and pulling him down to the floor, with hands then pulling at his clothing. *"Let's find out if you really are a girl !"* Akira blacks out, either due to the fall, or due to the bad memory, or both. Amazingly, somehow, Shouma was able to grab onto Akira and pull her toward him, so that they were now falling together. Then, unbelievably, Shouma was able to reverse the positions of the two, so that he would hit the floor first, causing Akira to land on top of him, breaking her fall.

When Akira comes to, she is on her hands and knees, in the *Tachi Position (\*)* straddling Shouma, and looking downward onto him. Shouma is flat on his back at the bottom of the stairs, in the *Neko Position (\*)*, looking upward at Akira. One hand of Shouma is intertwined with the hand and fingers of Akira, with their hands being tightly clasped together. Shouma is asking Akira if she is okay ? Dazed and disconcerted, nevertheless, Akira squeaks out, "Yeah...". Surprisingly, both silently stay in the Tachi and Neko Positions for quite a while, until both slowly and painfully get up and sit on the floor next to one another, with their hands still intertwined. Akira apologizes, saying that it was her fault that they fell ! Shouma asks if Akira is injured anywhere ? Akira is speechless, as she continues to tightly hold hands with Shouma. After a long while, Akira only utters his name, nothing more, as a brief hint of romance flows between the two. She silently remarks to herself that she really never fully understood what boys think, or why they do what they do.....???

## Chapter Lookback, Commentary, and Opinion

 **(\*) Tachi and Neko Positions**

[In Japanese modern culture,] the two participants in an [intimate] relationship are often referred to as seme (攻め, "top") and uke (受け, "bottom"). These terms originated in martial arts; seme derives from the ichidan verb "to attack", while uke is taken from the verb "to receive". Although not the same, a [romantic] construct similar to "seme and uke" is the concept of "tachi and neko". This archetypal pairing is referenced more often in older [manga] volumes; in modern [manga], this pairing is often seen as already encompassed by seme and uke or simply unnecessary to address. The tachi (タチ) partner is conceptualized as the member of the relationship who pursues the more passive partner, the latter of whom is referred to as the neko (ネコ). Seme and uke are similar but not identical to tachi and neko because the former refers primarily to sexual roles, *whereas the latter describes personality.* Although seme and uke roles are already used in some manga to describe which member of the relationship is more dominant and which member is more passive, there are just as many manga novels which subtly or overtly differentiate between the two [sets of terms].

---Taken from Wikipedia (edited for brevity, words in brackets [...] are added for clarity, some italics added)

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

(Click on Omake (Extra) 39.5 to be taken to the Omake in between Chapters 39 & 40.)

(Click on Chapter 40 to be taken to the next chapter.)

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_