Bandori! Cross-Dressing Panic: We Went to Pick Everyone Up and Now We're All Missing?! - Good morning, boy me.

Thump. An arm slipped off the bed. The same morning as always. The light coming through the window was a little too bright. Monday. Three days until Stella Harmonicus. Rubbing her eyes, Ushigome Rimi sluggishly sat up. "...My voice. Is it weird?" What came out was a low voice that didn't sound like her own. Her chest area felt oddly... unburdened. And the sleeves of her pajamas were strangely short. Her wrists were showing. That hadn't been the case just yesterday. "What... is this?" Rimi looked at her own hands. Her fingers had gotten longer. The knuckles were a little thicker. The hands she, a left-hander, should know better than anyone. They looked like a stranger's hands. When she stood up, her eye level was different. The room looked unfamiliar, more spread out. Outside the window was the usual Hanasakigawa townscape. From this house near Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy, up on the eastern hill, you could see the row of cherry trees along the river clearly. Though they were just leafy now. Rimi unsteadily stood before the mirror. What was reflected there was— "Huh?" Black hair to her shoulders. The familiar style, tied in a small bunch at the back. The straight-cut bangs above her eyebrows were the same, too. But. "Who... is this?" The contours of her face were sharper than they'd been until yesterday. Her eyes looked narrower than usual. Her large, round brown eyes were wide open in the mirror, bewildered. Rimi gently touched her own cheek. The sensation at her fingertips felt somehow different, too. "No way." She hurriedly opened the front of her pajamas, then immediately closed them. She felt like she'd seen something she shouldn't have. Well, it was her own body, but still. Her chest was... gone. "What is this, what is this, what is this?!" In the middle of her room, Rimi screamed. The three basses hanging on the wall looked down at her in silence. Her heart was pounding. Her throat was parched. (*Why? How?*) The thoughts spun around in her head, but no answer came. Because until yesterday, she had definitely been a girl. A first-year at Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy. The bassist of Poppin'Party. And now, what was reflected in the mirror was— "A boy..." Rimi slumped down onto her bed. Her hands were shaking. Her legs felt longer, too, and the soles of her feet sat flat on the floor. This was so weird. "Someone... right, I have to tell everyone." She grabbed her smartphone from beside her pillow. Her fingers wouldn't move properly, and she failed the lock screen several times. The facial recognition didn't respond either. Of course it wouldn't—today she had the face of a boy she didn't know. She typed in her passcode, and the home screen finally appeared. She tapped TalkLink and opened the Popipa group. "Um, everyone, there's something I need to tell you—" She started typing, then erased it. No good. How was she supposed to say this? "Good morning, it seems I've become a boy today"? They'd definitely think she'd lost her mind. But there was no other way to put it. Rimi pressed the call button. To Kasumi. The dial tone. Twice. Three times. "...Hello?" A familiar voice. But it felt a little lower than usual. " Kasumi-chan?! Um, um, listen!" " Rimi? Is that you, Rimi? Your voice—hasn't it gotten really low?!" " It has! And my body... my body is—!" " Me too! I woke up and I was a boy, and I'm totally panicking!" Rimi caught her breath. "Kasumi-chan, you too...?" " Yeah! I looked in the mirror and freaked out, and now I'm about to cry!" " Wait, so... it's not just me?" " No! Arisa-chan too, and Tae-chan too!" Tae-chan. The image of the guitarist with long silver hair floated into Rimi's mind. " Tae-chan became a boy too...?" " Oh, is that Kasumi on the phone? Rimirin, put her on for a sec!" There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line, and then a bright voice jumped in. " Rimirin! This is amazing—I've got this super cool voice now! And when I picked up my guitar, my hands are so much bigger, it's so easy to press the strings! I can definitely make a great song with this!" "T-Tae-chan...?" " Yeah! I woke up with this hot voice, and I feel like I'm taller too—isn't this the best? We're totally gonna win the competition with this!" The tension drained out of her all at once. Rimi sank back onto her bed. She'd been on the verge of tears, but now she felt like laughing. " ...Tae-chan, aren't you scared?" " Not at all? I'm more excited, actually! I mean, singing a new song with a boy's voice is gonna be so interesting, right? Hey, wanna meet up at Chronos now? Kasumi said she's fine with it too!" "Chronos—you mean our usual live house?" " Yeah, yeah! The one right by the west exit of Hanasakigawa Central Station. I already called them, so we can use it from noon. The owner, Takanashi-san, was a little surprised though! Ahaha!" On the other end of the line, Kasumi's voice said something in the distance. Tae laughed and replied, "Sure, sure!" Rimi looked outside the window. The riverbed of Hanasakigawa was sparkling. This town was small—just a short walk from the station and you'd find a live house, the kind of place that prided itself on being a "music town." They'd always been there, making sounds with the friends they loved. " ...Okay. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, and Rimi stood. She opened her closet. Her sailor uniforms were lined up in a row. But she felt like they wouldn't suit her now. Reluctantly, she pulled out her biggest hoodie and a pair of jeans. When she put them on, they were still a little small. Her wrists and ankles stuck out conspicuously. "...Can I walk outside like this?" She looked in the mirror one more time. There was a version of herself she'd never seen before, with a slightly anxious face. But she had to go. Everyone was waiting. Rimi took her bass out of its case. When she held it, it did feel just a little small. Because her fingers had gotten longer. A sense of wrongness, like touching it for the first time, made her chest tighten. (*It's okay. It's okay, right?*) She told herself that, and left her room. The live house "Chronos" was dimly lit, a little musty, but a calming place as always. When she descended the stairs to the basement, the band stickers plastered all over the walls were illuminated by the hazy lighting. " Rimirin, over here, over here!" In front of the stage stood three familiar, yet unfamiliar, figures. Wakana Tae's waist-length, straight silver hair flowed smoothly as ever today, her clear, sky-blue eyes sparkling. She seemed a little taller than usual. Her frame had become more solid, taking on a boyish line. But that smile was unmistakably the usual Tae. " ...Tae-chan, are you really that okay with this?" " Okay or not, who cares?! Look at these fingers! I can definitely play guitar solos faster than before!" Tae spread out her right hand to show her. Her fingers were indeed long, the knuckles firm. "Did you get taller too, Rimirin? Ah, your voice is lower too. So cool!" " Cool... I wonder." As Rimi looked down, a gentle voice spoke. " It's okay, Rimi. I'm here, properly, too." It was Minato Saaya. Her fluffy, brownish short hair. She had two flower-shaped hairpins neatly in place today as well. Her gentle, droopy, bright brown eyes were gazing steadily at Rimi. Saaya hadn't changed. " Saaya... you're the same as always, huh." " Yeah. I was the only one who didn't change at all." Saaya said that, and dropped her gaze just a little. " Huh? Then, why?" " I don't know. But if Rimi's having a hard time, I'll support you." Her beaming face was the usual motherly Saaya. But Rimi noticed. Saaya's hands were trembling, just a little. (*Is she lonely?*) She couldn't voice it. Kasumi spoke up brightly. " Alright, everyone's here! Tae, explain the plan!" " Yes, yes!" Tae picked up a drumstick and waved it around like a conductor's baton. " The operation name is 'Operation Cool Boy Band'! Let's just enter Stella Harmonicus in three days as a boy band, as we are!" Rimi couldn't help but exclaim. " That's crazy! I mean, I'm not even used to this body yet—" " That's why we practice! Besides, this is a chance. With boys' voices and boys' hands, we can make new music, you know? Isn't that the best?!" " ...Tae-chan, why are you so positive about this?" " Because, being sad about it won't turn us back. So isn't it better to look for something fun instead?" Rimi was taken aback. Tae was always like this. She'd say weird things with a straight face, but her words had a strange persuasiveness, and before anyone knew it, everyone was on board. This person was really amazing. " Jeez, I can never beat Tae." " Right, right? Then it's settled! Let's do a run-through of the new song, now!" " W-Wait, I'm not mentally ready yet—" " Practice over preparation! Come on, Rimirin, grab your bass too!" Rimi reluctantly took her bass out of its case. She gripped the neck with her left hand. Huh. When her fingers stretched to the strings, she didn't need to use as much strength as usual. The pads of her fingers seemed to cling perfectly to the strings. "...What?" Rimi timidly plucked the thickest string. A low *thump* resonated in her stomach. It was the sound of her usual bass, but somehow deeper. As if it was reverberating from the bottom of the earth. " This... is amazing." " Right?! Hooray for boy hands!" Tae strummed her guitar. That sound was a little sharper than usual, too, more dazzling. " Here we go! The new song, 'Flip the Music'!" Saaya's sticks counted off the beat. *Click, click, click, click!* A steady rhythm, just like always. Rimi took a breath and plucked the strings. The sound bounced. It ran. A different version of herself was playing the bass. (*But... this might not be so bad.*) Tae's guitar howled. Kasumi's voice began to sing, in a boy's voice. A new sound. A new self. When the song ended, Rimi was breathing heavily. But deep in her chest, there was a spreading warmth. " ...That was kind of... fun." " Right?! That was the best! With this, we'll definitely win the competition!" " I'm here, and Saaya's here properly too, you know." " Yeah. Leave the rhythm to me." Saaya was smiling. But the hand she placed her sticks down with was still a little awkward. Rimi noticed. (*Saaya is the only one who's different.*) Not being able to share this strange experience with everyone. Being the only one who didn't change. What must that feel like? " ...Saaya, are you okay?" " Huh? W-What do you mean?" " No... never mind, it's nothing." She couldn't ask. Because Saaya always put herself last, only ever worrying about someone else. " Alright! Let's run through it again! Even cooler this time!" Everyone laughed at Tae's bright voice. Rimi laughed too, and readied her bass again. The sun set, and they all climbed the stairs of the live house together. When they stepped outside, the wind blew from the direction of Hanasakigawa Central Station. " Well then, see you tomorrow." " Yeah. Practice again tomorrow!" " Don't be late, Rimirin!" "I won't!" Parting from everyone, Rimi walked alone towards the riverbed. The row of cherry trees in the twilight stretched out long. She readjusted the bass case on her back and looked up at the sky. (*Tomorrow, I'll go see Moca-chan from Afterglow.*) Tae had mentioned it. Apparently, this "Flip" phenomenon wasn't just happening to Popipa. Roselia, Afterglow—everyone was the same. But Moca might be the only exception. (*If that's true... that must be so painful.*) The feeling of being left behind alone. She remembered Saaya's slight trembling today. Rimi stopped and gazed at the surface of the river. The sunset was glittering, beautiful. (*Even so, we just have to do it.*) Three days later. Stella Harmonicus. No matter what version of herself she was, she would make her sound. Holding her bass cas

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Episode 1

Name: Bandori! Cross-Dressing Panic: We Went to Pick Everyone Up and Now We're All Missing?!
Author: Novelia

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