Farewell Étude

<Largo>

During break time, I was chatting with friends about bands, an issue of a music magazine in hand, when a voice called out from the hallway.

“Forte-chan! Your boyfriend’s here!”

Squinting with a teasing grin, the girl gestured toward him. Behind her stood Tenuto. As I rushed over, he said quietly:

“Hey. After school… want to go to the intimacy room?”

“H-Hey! Not so loud!”

The intimacy room—a space prepared by the school for officially recognized couples to deepen their bond.

In this world, once nearly destroyed by population decline, school marriages are encouraged. Obstetrics, daycare facilities—everything is fully equipped. Unlike the so-called Otherworld East Asia, no one here abandons teenage couples who end up together.

After Tenuto left, a girl who had been holding her hand over her mouth pounced on me with questions.

“Did you two, like… become adults?”

“Of course not! We’re having a wholesome relationship.”

“Really? I bet that cool young noble is actually super dominant in private.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t make stuff up!”

And so, the school day ended. When I arrived at the intimacy room, Tenuto was waiting with a blissful, melted look on his face.

“I-It feels so good.”

“You really are hopeless.”

As he moved his head, I felt his hair brushing softly against my thigh.

“Ow—hey!”

“Stop moving!”

I was cleaning his ears. Since that day, whenever we were alone, he’d stopped hiding his spoiled side.

A cool nobleman, huh? I can’t let anyone else see him like this. I want to keep this side of him just between us. Hehe…

W-What am I thinking? I’m a guy. I’ve got to stay focused.

“I just received word that my engagement has been annulled.”

I was concentrating, but my hands froze at his words. They were trembling slightly.

“I—I see. That so.”

Well, of course. He’s from a noble family. It only makes sense he’d marry his fiancée. I’m not shaken. Not at all.

“I got another proposal too, but I turned it down.”

What should I say to that? What kind of answer would lead to the best outcome for his future?

“Why? You want to rise in high society, don’t you? You should accept it.”

My voice cracked. I’ve been doing voice training to control pitch and tone, but it still slipped.

“…”

He fell silent. Maybe I was too cold.

That day, we didn’t speak again. After silently gathering his things, he left the room.

The background music was Chopin’s Farewell Étude. Even after I stepped out into the hallway, the melody continued playing in my head.

My chest hurt. Why? All I did was give sound advice for his future.

He’ll marry a noblewoman, gain a stable status—that’s how it should be. That’s what will make him happy.

So why is there a gaping hole in my heart? Jealousy? No way. I’m a guy. I couldn’t possibly harbor such an ugly emotion.

Yes. I’m a man. Just a man in a woman’s costume to match this body I was given.

As I trudged through the night on my way home, my MagicPhone vibrated. It was from Forte. My hands and voice trembled.

“What?”

“Hey. After the field trip next week… should we go back? To our original bodies—and our original genders? I think the side effects of the body-switching curse should be gone by then.”

“…Okay.”

The conversation ended more simply than I expected.

Wait—why won’t the tears stop? Why? I should be happy to finally become a man again.

A light misting rain began to fall. The droplets were so fine that even with an umbrella, I was getting wet from all sides.

This body gets cold easily—I have to be careful. Unlike Sharp, I get heavy periods and need to take proper care of myself.

When I returned to the girls’ dorm, I decided to take a bath. Normally I’d wait until late at night to go in alone, but I was too cold.

“Welcome. You finally decided to bathe during normal hours, huh? You’re one of us girls, you know—you don’t have to be so scared all the time.”

Stridente reached out her hand. The storm inside me quieted just a little.

“Thanks.”

After a warm bath, I treated my hair and applied lotion to my skin in the room. It’s not my body, so I have to return it in good condition.

But even after staying in a heated room for hours, the chill in my heart wouldn’t go away.

I wasn’t even on my period, but I felt dizzy. Why… am I hurt? I should be happy to return to my original body. I’m a man, after all.