I Ended Up Cross-Dressing, My Secret Relationship with a Handsome Guy (BL) - Chapter 31

Even after giving Kiryu his so-called “chance,” I never changed the conditions I had set.

At school, we wouldn’t talk.

We wouldn’t walk home together.

Our only means of communication would be through messages.

If no one was around, I’d allow brief conversations at school—but only then.

Kiryu had many complaints about these rules, but the fact remained: he stood out.

And even if I could manage to blend in, his behavior was too obvious.

I had spent years keeping my feelings for Kiryu hidden while maintaining a normal school life.

I had mastered the art of acting normal.

But Kiryu… wasn’t like that.

He was probably born to stand out.

Even on an average day, he was noticeable, and now, experiencing what he called his first love (tentative), he was completely swept up in it.

If he started talking to me in that state, my school life would be over.

I had finally made friends I could talk to like a normal classmate, and I wasn’t about to risk losing that.

“Why are you surrounded by a bunch of big guys?”

“Can’t you move a little further away?”

“Stop blatantly ignoring me.”

And yet, this was what I got just for chatting with my classmates during break.

Staring at the flood of notifications on my phone, I found myself wondering—

Who even IS this person?

“Yukipi~! Classical Japanese is literally impossible, I’m about to cry!”

“If you tell me what part you don’t understand, I’ll help you.”

“Everything! What even is classical Japanese?! I barely understand modern Japanese!”

“Okay, let’s at least go over the test material first.”

“You’re the best, Yukipi!”

Kusunoki-san had a habit of petting my head.

Apparently, I reminded her of her cat, and she couldn’t resist.

As she ruffled my hair again, my phone vibrated non-stop in my pocket like a cursed object.

I didn’t even need to look—I already knew who it was.

Glancing across the room, I spotted Kiryu glaring at me, his expression stormy.

Beside him, Tanaka was doubled over, laughing.

…This was my new daily life.

Since the day I gave Kiryu his chance, his messages had only increased—to the point where sometimes my entire chat log was filled with nothing but his texts, waiting for a reply that never came.

And yet, not once did I find it annoying.

If anything, the fact that I felt happy about it just proved how hopeless I was.

“I want to study with you too.”

During class, while I was finally free from Kusunoki-san and the self-proclaimed trio of gossip queens, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I glanced at the message discreetly.

There was a whole four-row gap between my seat and Kiryu’s, so I couldn’t see his face, but judging from the message, he was sulking.

I chuckled to myself.

But still, I had already decided—I wasn’t going to study with Kiryu during this exam period.

I knew I wouldn’t survive being alone with him in a closed space.

“I’m in class. I’ll reply later. Wait.”

No emojis. No stickers.

Just a short, curt message.

The moment I sent it, the “read” notification appeared instantly.

I had gotten used to this.

Before he could reply, I turned my phone off, blacking out the screen and refocusing on class.

The next time I turned it back on was after school.

By then, the sun had already set early, painting the sky in deep orange hues.

The classroom had emptied out, and the temperature had dropped.

Wearing my scarf, I finally checked my phone—

And, as expected, there it was.

A flood of messages from Kiryu.

Does he even have anything better to do?

Sighing, I opened the chat and typed a message.

“Let’s go out after exams.”

No read notification appeared.

That was because Kiryu was currently at his club activity, helping out as a substitute.

Which meant he wouldn’t see the message for at least two more hours.

And by the time he was settled enough to properly react, it would take even longer.

Imagining exactly how he’d respond made me grin involuntarily.

…Which probably made me look like a weirdo.

I quickly composed myself, grabbed my bag, and left the classroom.

I was not staying behind today.

If I did, there was a good chance Kiryu would charge in the moment he saw my message.

And I wasn’t about to let that happen.

Slipping on my shoes, I stepped through the school gates.

It had been a long time since I had walked home while the sky was still bright.

It felt strangely refreshing.

Winter air was cold, sharp, almost painful—

But somehow, the world looked clearer because of it.

Maybe this was the first time I had ever enjoyed walking home.

Or maybe, I had once felt this way as a child, back when I was in elementary school.

But that was so long ago, I could barely remember.

When I arrived home earlier than usual, my mother looked surprised.

…And so was I.

Oh.

So coming home at this time, seeing my mom… isn’t actually as bad as I thought.

“Welcome back, Yukiho. You’re early today.”

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“Oh! Hey, Yukiho, I baked a cake. Want some? I usually give it to the neighbors, but today, let’s eat together.”

“…Yeah. I’d like that.”

“I’m glad! Go get changed. I’ll set the table.”

That evening, for the first time in years, my mom and I had dessert together.

It had been so normal when I was younger.

At some point, it had stopped.

But her cake was still sweet.

Still warm.

Still delicious.

And then—

That night, my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“WHY DID YOU GO HOME EARLY?! YOU TOTALLY RAN AWAY FROM ME, DIDN’T YOU?!”

“Oh, so your club ended. Good work today.”

“That’s not the point! Hey, hey, Yukiho, was that real? You weren’t joking, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The DATE!”

“I said ‘let’s go out.’ I never said ‘date.’”

“IT MEANS THE SAME THING!”

Through the phone, I could hear the sound of passing cars.

Kiryu was still outside.

I leaned back in my chair, relaxing slightly.

“How about the Sunday after exams?”

“Yes!”

“Why do you sound so happy?”

“Because I get to go on a date with the person I like! Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

“It’s still technically undecided.”

I heard Kiryu humming in frustration as he tried to think of a response.

It sounded like he was seriously struggling, which only made me laugh.

“…Hey, Kiryu, just so you know, I’m not cross-dressing on Sunday.”

“Yeah.”

His response came immediately, without even a pause.

That… was unexpected.

“I want to go on a date with you just the way you are. I’m really looking forward to it.”

My fist slammed against the desk before I could stop myself.

“Whoa, wait! What was that sound?!”

“It’s fine. Just… a bug.”

“In winter?”

I exhaled deeply, trying to cool the sudden heat that had rushed to my face.

As I stayed silent, Kiryu started talking again—this time about what happened during his club activities today.

I listened as he described the thrill of sports, something I had never personally experienced.

It was surprisingly interesting, and I found myself nodding along, responding more than I usually would.

“What about you, Yukiho? Anything interesting happen today?”

His question was so casual, so natural, that I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I had my mom’s cake.

For the first time in a long time.

It was really good.”

“Oh, nice. She must be a great cook.”

It was nothing special.

Just a normal conversation.

And yet—

I had forgotten how comforting something this ordinary could be.

For a while, we kept talking about random things.

Then—

“Ah, I think I’m almost home.”

That was my cue.

“I see. Then I’ll hang up now.”

“Wait—no, don’t.”

“Alright, goodnight.”

“Wait, wait, wait—! …Goodnight, Yukiho. See you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Though I won’t talk to you there.”

I hung up just as he was about to protest again.

Immediately, my phone buzzed with an incoming message.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

This is fun.

I realized that now.