I Ended Up Cross-Dressing, My Secret Relationship with a Handsome Guy (BL) - Chapter 8

By the end of the day, I was utterly drained—possibly more than I had ever been in my life.

“Excuse me, are you looking for something?”

The bright, cheerful voice of the female store clerk cut through the hum of the shop.

I had never paid much attention to how high-pitched and welcoming sales clerks sounded, but now that it was directed at me, my shoulders instinctively tensed.

Sensing my distress, Kiryu smoothly stepped forward, positioning himself between me and the clerk, like a human shield.

“I want to buy some makeup for her as a gift, but I have no idea where to start,” he said with effortless confidence.

“Oh my! What a sweet boyfriend you are!”

I barely spoke after that.

No matter how much I looked the part, my voice was still undeniably male.

If I spoke, I was done for.

That was the one absolute fact I clung to.

Kiryu, thankfully, seemed to understand this without me saying a word and took the lead in answering all the clerk’s questions.

I had no idea how many technical makeup terms were thrown around in that conversation.

Something about matching skin tones, choosing the right shades, and finding colors that suit me—none of it made any sense to me.

Kiryu, on the other hand, just nodded along, smiling, as if he completely understood.

One by one, he bought whatever was recommended without hesitation.

At some point, the clerk even offered to do my makeup on the spot as part of an in-store demo service.

I immediately refused (or rather, had Kiryu refuse for me).

I had survived this long without being exposed—I wasn’t about to risk everything now.

By the time we finally escaped the store, I was completely drained—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The second we stepped outside, I bolted, walking as fast as possible to get the hell out of there.

“Yukiho, wait—slow down. You’re gonna end up drenched in sweat.”

“I don’t care! I just want to get out of here! If anyone I know sees me like this, my life is over, you absolute idiot!”

No matter how fast I walked, Kiryu effortlessly kept up with his longer strides.

It was infuriating how unfair that was.

But before I could increase my speed again, I suddenly felt a firm tug on my wrist.

“I get it, but if you rush like this, you’ll bump into people. It’s dangerous.”

Kiryu’s hand was big—much bigger than mine.

I supposed that was natural, given our height difference, but…

It was weirdly noticeable at this moment.

My hand fit perfectly inside his grasp, like it belonged there.

And yet—

Instead of letting go, he adjusted his pace and started walking beside me, still holding my hand.

I should have pulled away.

I should have told him off.

But I didn’t.

I took a few more deliberately large strides, just to assert myself, before finally slowing down to match his pace.

“…You can let go now. I’m walking normally.”

“This way looks more natural,” Kiryu said casually.

“What if someone you know sees us? I don’t want that.”

“I’ll figure something out.”

I tried to pull my hand away.

But Kiryu’s grip tightened.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

I knew—I knew—this meant nothing to him.

This was just part of the act.

That was the only reason I could handle it without completely losing my mind.

“Let me use your shower when we get to your place. I need to change. I’m sweating like crazy.”

“Huh?”

“You can still do your makeup experiment on me afterward. I don’t need to be wearing this outfit for that, do I?”

“But my motivation—”

“Oh, so you’re saying you’re only interested in me when I’m dressed like this?”

“That’s not what I said!!”

“Then it’s settled. I’m taking a shower.”

We were two seventeen-year-old guys walking down the street holding hands.

One of us was cross-dressing.

To anyone passing by, we probably looked like a normal couple.

But I knew better.

I was a guy.

A guy who, for some reason, was attracted to other guys.

A guy who was terrified of how much Kiryu’s actions affected him.

Even now, my heart was racing.

Even now, some part of me was… happy.

Even if this whole thing was an accident, a strange, fleeting miracle, I couldn’t help but savor it—just for a little while.

After that incident, our routine continued.

At least once a week, we had our usual photo sessions.

Other days, Kiryu would call me over, and we’d spend time together, mostly doing summer homework.

The first time that happened, I had been so caught off guard that I asked—

“Did you eat something weird?”

To which Kiryu had simply shrugged and replied—

“Sometimes it’s nice to do this kind of thing too.”

Surprisingly, we made a good study team.

Kiryu was strong in areas where I was weak, and vice versa.

It was actually… productive.

And that—that—was the most shocking part.

“You know… it’s kind of unexpected.”

“What is?” Kiryu asked, looking up from his math worksheet.

I leaned back, stretching my arms before glancing at him.

“Your choice of study partner.”

“Meaning?”

“You have tons of friends. Why bother calling me over? Wouldn’t anyone else work just as well?”

Kiryu’s room was filled with the low hum of the air conditioner, drowning out the sound of cicadas buzzing outside.

The stillness made his next words hit harder.

“Yukiho, can you name any of my friends?”

I frowned.

That was… an odd question.

“I don’t know. The popular loud ones? The flashy crowd?”

“Do any of them seem like the studious type to you?”

That shut me up for a second.

“You do fine on your own,” I muttered.

“Yeah, but they don’t care about studying. They’re fun to hang out with, sure, but when it comes to actually doing work, I’d rather do it with you.”

I stared at him.

He was speaking so casually, but my heart had already twisted in my chest.

Kiryu had a habit of making me feel special.

But I couldn’t let myself believe it meant anything.

I couldn’t let myself hope for something impossible.

So, as always—

“Oh, by the way, how do you solve this part?”

I changed the subject.

And, as always—

Kiryu let me.

Right before I could return to my usual self, Kiryu’s gaze caught me up close.

It was steady, unwavering—like a shooting star cutting through the night sky.

“Are you free in August?”

“Depends on the day, but mostly, yeah. Why?”

“Let’s go to the summer festival.”

The words were delivered with a smile—the kind that bloomed effortlessly, like a flower in full bloom.

I blinked slowly, processing.

Summer festival.

Summer festival.

The phrase echoed inside my head as I tried to align the meaning with the mental image.

And then—

My first logical question surfaced.

But before I could voice it, I looked at the guy in front of me and decided against it.

Instead, I furrowed my brows as deeply as humanly possible and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

“…You’re planning to drag me outside again, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Ah—”

Kiryu’s eyes widened slightly, but within seconds, he was grinning again—that same playful, innocent look that somehow made everything seem less serious.

“Busted?”

His face was so picture-perfect, it felt like there should have been a sound effect accompanying it.

I let out another dramatic sigh, making sure he saw just how much he was wearing me down.

“Seriously, Kiryu, you’re so damn reckless.”

“And yet,” he countered, still grinning, “Yukiho always gives in to my requests, doesn’t he?”

“That’s because you don’t take no for an answer.”

“Well, I want to see you in cute outfits.”

“You don’t care about me. You just like seeing a guy in ‘cute’ clothes.”

“No, you’re wrong.”

Kiryu’s steady gaze locked onto mine.

His eyes were always so damn clear—full of confidence, certainty, like he’d never once hesitated about anything in his life.

And yet, they held a depth that was impossible to read—like the vast, unknowable ocean at night.

That gaze was fixed right on me.

“I want to see you, Yukiho.

Not just anyone. You.”

If I had the courage to ask “What do you mean by that?”, maybe—just maybe—I wouldn’t be the kind of person I am now.

But my throat tightened, my voice refused to come out.

And at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to take his words at face value.

So instead—

I did what I always did.

I scowled.

“That’s disgusting.”

The words left my lips, completely devoid of emotion.

Kiryu just smiled, shrugging his shoulders slightly, as if it was the most natural response in the world.