Chapter 41: Morning Greetings

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Translator: Soafp

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Ginji slapped his cheeks and psyched himself up before leaving the house. If yesterday’s conversation was to be trusted, Sora would be wearing a girl’s uniform today.

Given how cute she looked in casual clothes, the odds were high that she'd look adorable in uniform too. He had to maintain his composure.

He pedaled his bike toward their usual meeting spot in front of the shopping district. From a distance, he could already make out Sora's figure.

“Ah! Ginji! Good morning!”

Wearing a light cardigan over a ribbon-tied blouse and a knee-length skirt, Sora cheerfully waved at Ginji in her uniform. He got off his bike and glided over to stand before her, then looked at her again… and nearly collapsed to his knees.

“…Mornin'…”

Ginji tightened his lower stomach muscles to force out a reply. From a distance, Sora had looked pretty cute, but up close, her appearance far exceeded his expectations.

Her short hair was softly curled inward, with neatly trimmed bangs that framed her eyes. It was what you'd call a short bob—gone was the gloomy, introverted vibe, replaced by a boyish kind of cuteness.

The subtle makeup, just within school rules, highlighted her eyes that were usually hidden behind glasses, making her large pupils stand out even more.

The slouch that used to hide her ch*st was gone, and now her back stood tall and proud, showing off the ribbon on her ch*st and her long, slender limbs Ginji had never noticed before.

He always thought she was cute—but never imagined she’d transform this much.

She wasn't exactly the kind of beauty like Aika, but there stood a girl who possessed an overwhelming kind of cuteness.

“So, how do I look?”

Her gestures didn't match the appearance. She stood with her hands on her hips in a power pose, proudly puffing out her chest—not exactly elegant, but somehow still irresistibly charming. Unfairly so.

Ginji had been thinking of this as just another morning, but seeing Sora now made him change his perspective.

Sora was trying to truly change. And isn't it a man's duty to respond in kind to that kind of determination? Ginji believed it was to overcome her past—but in reality, Sora was simply doing her best to be seen as a girl in Ginji's eyes.

The idea that she had done all this just for him never even crossed Ginji's mind.

“…You look cute. You worked hard.”

Those words, spoken from the heart, struck Sora like a thunderclap. She hadn't expected to be complimented so sincerely and with a straight face.

The shock turned into a sweet, tingling sensation that surged through her whole body. But now, as someone who'd grown to want more, Sora wasn't going to be satisfied with just that.

“Then… pet me.”

“…Huh?”

“Pat my head.”

She leaned forward and offered her head. A citrusy scent rode on the wind.

“Didn't you spend time fixing your hair?”

“It's easy to fix again, so it's fine.”

Blushing, Sora leaned in, and Ginji placed his hand on her head.

“Geez… here.”

He roughly—but gently—petted her head. The ticklish feeling wasn't in her scalp but in her chest, and the heat wasn't from the temperature but her cheeks. Sora felt like crying from happiness, wanting to keep Ginji in her line of sight for even one second longer.

“Ehehe, yup. Full energy charge!”

“Give me your bag. We're running out of time.”

“Okay!”

After quickly fixing her hair with a compact mirror, Sora placed her bag in Ginji's bicycle basket.

A breeze announcing the arrival of summer blew down the slope and passed between the two of them.

“It's really gotten warm.”

“It's almost hot already. Finals are coming up too.”

“My goal is to get you in the top 10, so maybe 20 hours of study per subject?”

“…Go easy on me, will ya.”

Without her glasses, Sora's facial expressions were much more readable—she smiled, pouted, and made a variety of faces at Ginji. He couldn't look directly at her, so he faced forward, only for Sora to lean in and playfully lock eyes like a staring contest, both laughing.

When they arrived at school, Ginji parked the bike. As usual, Sora started looking around for someone to greet.

It was then Ginji realized the potential problem in their behavior and tried to stop her.

“Wait, Sora…”

But Sora's sharp eyes had already spotted someone, and she called out brightly.

“Good morning, Saito-kun!”

Riding the high from her moment with Ginji, Sora casually greeted him. Although she was still nervous about talking to boys, she'd gotten used to greeting Saito after doing it several times, and now she managed it without stuttering.

“Good mor—BWAAAH?!”

“Saito-kun!?”

Saito burst out with a full-blown spit take, while Ginji put a hand to his face and looked up at the sky in exasperation.

“Wha… Eh? Huh? Who?”

Staggering backward, Saito stared at Sora intently. As a hardcore sports team member with little interaction with girls, getting greeted by a friendly and super cute girl hit him like a bolt of lightning.

Unlike Ginji, who had mentally prepared himself, Saito had taken a direct hit from the ambush and fell to his knees. Ginji quickly rushed to him.

“You okay? That wound looks deep.”

“Ginji… this is the end for me…”

Unable to keep up with the silly banter between high school boys, Sora stood puzzled, a question mark practically hovering over her head.

“This isn't the time for jokes—come on, get up.”

“You joined in too, didn't you…? By the way, um, who are you?”

Still clueless, Saito watched as Sora pointed to her own face.

“You still don't recognize me? It's me—Sora Takagi.”

“…Eh? Takagi?”

He turned to Ginji, unable to process the situation.

“Yeah, I figured you'd react like that.”

Ginji nodded, and only then did Saito realize that the cute girl who greeted him was actually Sora.

“You're… a girl?”

“Yeah, I've actually been a girl all along. It's a long story…”

“I-I see. Actually, that kinda makes sense now… Alright, I'm gonna head to class now.”

“Why are you using formal speech?”

“Let him be. He still hasn't caught up mentally.”

Saito walked stiffly toward the classroom, and Sora resumed her greetings.

Having completely missed his chance to stop her, Ginji could only stare in the distance as he witnessed the carnage that followed.

“Ah, Tanaka-kun, g-good morning!”

“BWAH—huh? How much does it cost?!”

“Yoshida-kun, good morning!”

“…Good morning?”

Despite her nervousness, Sora continued her greetings, steadily increasing the number of “casualties.” Most of her targets were Ginji's friends—boys who generally had no connection to girls due to her past issues with Aika.

So what happens when those types of boys suddenly get greeted by a cute girl calling them by name and saying “Good morning”?

Sora was about to learn that lesson the hard way.