A Long-Awaited Cherry Blossom Picnic! (With a Side of Chaos) (1)
“Agh… Now that it’s actually time to go, I don’t feel like it.”
It’s less laziness and more sleepiness, but the two basically mean the same thing. When drowsiness kills your motivation, everything feels like too much effort and you end up lazy without even trying. Just like me right now.
“No, oppa! You’re the one who suggested we go in the first place!”
“I did… *yawn*.”
“And you’re still rolling around in bed? You need to get up, wash, and get ready!”
That tone sounds so familiar. It reminds me of how Mom used to talk to me. Aside from when I was little, I’d never heard anything like it, so it makes perfect sense that my little sister’s nagging would stir up such strong nostalgia.
“…Do I really have to wash up?”
“Why are you even asking something so obvious? Do you think you’re some flawless fairy who doesn’t get eye crust or sweat?”
“But… washing up is such a pain. My hair’s gotten so much longer than when I was a guy. It takes forever to wash and dry…”
It does look nice, though. Even I have to admit the flowing, pale pink hair is attractive. It has a kind of artistic beauty, like looking at a masterpiece. Someone once told me it was like a natural monument that needed constant care so the color wouldn’t fade.
…No matter how I think about it, that’s a bit much, but I can agree to some extent. The problem was the length. Even though I’m shorter now, hair that reaches my waist is simply too long. I’ve actually considered thinning it out and cutting it short.
Still, until I returned to Earth it hadn’t been in this messy state, so I took care of it diligently every day. But now it’s exhausting. Maybe I should cut it short again, like when I infiltrated that place. A bob cut would be nice. Honestly I’d love to go full sports cut, but it’s obvious who would throw a fit, so I can’t even try.
“Huaaaham… Anyway, what time did we agree to meet?”
“Ten! It’s already nine, so we need to hurry!”
“Isn’t an hour plenty of time?”
Daily academy prep only took an hour, so I genuinely didn’t understand why my sister was rushing me today of all days. A quick face wash, hair I’d already washed the night before so just a comb-through, academy uniform I could throw on without thinking—it all wrapped up in thirty minutes. That’s why her sudden barrage of nagging was so hard to understand.
My sister looks at me still dawdling and says, “It’s not plenty. I can’t drag you to Seoul looking all sloppy like you do for the academy.”
“Seoul or the academy, it’s all outside the house anyway…”
“No, oppa! We’re going to crowded Seoul! Even if you can’t dress up nicely, you should at least look neat and put-together!”
Uh… is that how it works? I still don’t understand girls very well. Even though I’ve become one myself. Can’t I just throw something on? It’s just a regular flower viewing, after all.
…‘Regular flower viewing’?
Suddenly my mind feels like it’s been doused with cold water. No matter how exhausted my brain is, this was unacceptable. The fact that those words had come from my own heart was quite a shock.
I was the one who’d pestered my sister to go. I’d wanted to do this for a long time. It had been at the very top of my bucket list… and yet here I was thinking something like that.
Even though it was an important day I’d waited for forever, was I really going to shuffle out the door complaining about being sleepy and bothered? No. Absolutely not.
Only then did I snap out of it. My sleep-fogged brain finally woke up and started functioning properly.
“…Okay. I’ll wash up right now.”
“Huh? Why the sudden attitude change?”
My sister stares at me in confusion. I ignore her, throw off the blanket that had been wrapped around me, and shuffle toward the bathroom dragging my oversized sleep pants across the floor. She’s so shocked by my sudden burst of diligence that she just stares blankly, so I add, “I just woke up properly, that’s all. Let’s wash up quick, get dressed, and head out.”
“Got it, oppa!”
Only then does she disappear into her room with an excited bounce in her step. I can hear her humming from afar… she must be really happy. It reminds me of when I used to tell Jia we were going on a picnic as kids. She’d only get that excited—like a puppy wagging its tail—when I was the one who suggested it.
“But… washing my hair really is such a pain.”
Women’s long hair has to be washed like you’re wringing out a towel, so even though I’d just resolved to do it, I still hesitated a little.
“Just wash it already! I’ll dry it for you!”
“…You heard that too. Your ears have always been sharp.”
At my sister’s voice drifting in from across the room, I lifted the showerhead to my scalp. Even though spring had arrived, the tap water was still as cold as midwinter ice. The chill seemed to fill every single pore. I loved the feeling.
The sound of shampoo lathering tickles my ears. It massages my scalp and treats the rest of my hair like delicate silk.
“I guess I don’t need treatment.”
“Use it anyway.”
“Eek! When did you get in here!”
I thought my heart was going to drop. I hadn’t expected an answer to the monologue I’d muttered without thinking. And the fact that it came from right behind me instead of across the room made it even worse.
“Did you finish your makeup already?”
“Almost… I can do the rest while looking at you, oppa.”
Shaaaaa. Even while rinsing the foam from my hair, I could hear my sister humming happily as she did her makeup behind me. Washing is work, rinsing is work, and drying is even more work. Seriously.
I squeeze the water from my drenched hair, trying to help it dry faster. “It really does feel smoother with treatment.”
“There’s a reason people use it so much, you know?”
I sigh in appreciation as I feel my sister’s careful hands patting my hair dry with a towel. Her touch is so skilled I start to wonder if she’s worked part-time at a salon.
“Oppa, did you know? This is our first time going to Seoul together.”
“…Really? Didn’t we go once before? For work.”
“Not for work—this is the first time we’re going just to have fun. We were too busy before to even think about a trip to Seoul.”
“Now that you mention it… you’re right.”
It was true. After our parents passed away, we’d been so busy I never once took Jia out to play. I could barely find time to go to the neighborhood park, let alone Seoul.
The roar of the hair dryer fills the room and silences us for a moment. But even without words, we’re still communicating. The warm air touches me first, followed by Jia’s gentle fingers brushing through my hair. I stay perfectly still and let her do as she likes. Sometimes you can connect without saying anything at all.
That was when my heart had completely relaxed.
Jia spoke up. “I might be having a baby.”
…?
Did I hear that right? The sudden bombshell made me lose my mind for a second.
“What son of a bitch was it?”
“Pfft. Not like that. I meant you seem like a baby, oppa.”
Just how many times was she going to make my heart drop today? Please turn your blinker on before you swerve in like that… you brat.
Looking at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the impression feels completely natural.
…Because I’m small. Much smaller than Jia. There’s about a thirty-centimeter difference, so from her perspective I probably do look like a kid.
She must have noticed my slightly displeased expression, because she says, “Why, you don’t like it?”
“Of course not. I’m over thirty years old… how could I feel good about my little sister treating me like a child?”
“But you’re so cute. I never imagined you’d turn out this adorable, oppa.”
“That makes two of us…”
“I don’t know if I told you before, but I always wanted a much younger sibling. Someone with a big age gap like the one between you and me.”
“…And that’s supposed to be me now?”
“At least on the outside, right? The inside’s different, though. Wait, sometimes the inside too… No, sorry. I was just joking.”
With that, the hair drying was finished. She put the dryer away and we moved to the bedroom. I made sure to shoot her a glare full of complaint on the way.
Wash my face, brush my teeth, wash my hair… now all that’s left is clothes. The timing is about right too. I just need to get dressed and we can leave.
So I opened the closet.
And ten minutes passed.
I strode straight into Jia’s room.
“Speaking of which, Jia.”
“What is it, oppa?”
“This might not sound like a big deal to you, but it’s serious to me. So don’t laugh and just listen.”
Like a company CEO about to make a major decision, I swallowed my solemn resolve and asked, “What… should I wear?”
I have no idea what to put on. All the clothes I used to wear as a man don’t fit the girl I am now. I’d stubbornly refused when my sister offered to buy me clothes, so the only women’s clothing I own is the underwear I got by force of circumstance, some pajamas, and the academy uniform. There wasn’t a single proper outfit besides that… which is why I’m currently stuck in deep contemplation.
“Ah… You really do worry about the strangest things, oppa.”
“Huh?”
But my sister didn’t look the least bit tense or concerned, which was strange. Even if I ordered something online right now, it wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow. Was I forced to wear the uniform and buy clothes once we reached Seoul?
Just as I was thinking that, my sister went to her room, rummaged around, and pulled something out.
“…What is that?”
The result was so bewildering I had to ask.
“Even though you said you didn’t want any, I secretly bought some outfits I thought you’d like~. Did I do well?”
Looking at the clothes in her hands made me dizzy. Of course, thanks to her I now had something to wear out, which was fortunate. But the fact that she’d gone behind my back made my skin crawl.
After examining each piece carefully, I confirmed that every outfit except one was perfectly normal. No—they were all stylish and tasteful. But the last one was the problem.
I pointed at it and said, “…Jia, what the hell is this kindergarten uniform-looking thing?”
“It looks like a baby chick, right? Isn’t it cute?”
A bright yellow dress. The design really did scream baby chick. Cute character logo, short hem—anyone would think it was typical children’s clothing meant for kindergarten.
In the end I couldn’t hold back.
“Am I really a kid?!”
I absolutely will not wear that outfit. Never.