Chapter 4 – “The Skirt Disaster”

Riko Tachibana stood in front of her mirror, gripping the sides of her skirt like it was a live grenade.

“It’s just a uniform,” she told her reflection. “Everyone wears it. No big deal.”

Her reflection didn’t answer — just looked back at her with that wide-eyed, uncomfortable stare of someone about to make a life-altering decision.

The truth was, Riko had never once worn her school skirt properly. It was always hidden under her PE shorts, or replaced with her tracksuit pants “for mobility reasons.”

But not today.

Today was the day Mina’s “Operation Feminine Charm” would reach its ultimate form.

Riko took a deep breath. “I can do this. It’s just a skirt. Not a battlefield.”

She stepped out of her house. The morning breeze immediately tried to lift the hem.

“Ah! Wind! Stop that!” she hissed, clamping her hands down and walking awkwardly toward the station like a malfunctioning robot.

---

At the gate, Daichi was waiting as usual, slouching with his bag over his shoulder, half-asleep.

When he looked up, his jaw froze.

“...Riko?”

She stopped in front of him, trying to act casual. “Yo.”

He blinked. “What happened to your legs?”

“My what?”

“I mean—you’re not wearing pants.”

Riko’s face turned crimson. “It’s called a skirt, you moron! It’s part of the uniform!”

“Oh.” He tilted his head, still half in a daze. “Did you get taller or something?”

That was it.

All the nerves, the awkwardness, the thirty minutes of mirror pep talk—gone, replaced by sheer rage.

“Taller!? That’s what you noticed!?”

“Uh, yeah? You look—uh—different.”

“Different how!?”

He rubbed his neck. “I dunno. Taller, maybe.”

BAM!

Her foot connected with his shin.

“OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?”

“For being a clueless idiot!” she shouted, face blazing red.

Daichi hopped on one leg, groaning. “You can’t just kick people in skirts!”

“I can and I will!”

People at the gate started staring, whispering. Riko wanted to sink into the ground.

She glared at him, cheeks puffed. “You’re supposed to say something like ‘You look nice today,’ or ‘Wow, Riko, you look cute.’ Not ‘Did you get taller?’”

“Wha—Why would I say that!?”

“Because that’s what normal guys say!”

Daichi blinked, completely lost. “But you look fine. You always look fine.”

Riko froze.

Her heart skipped a beat, but her brain short-circuited trying to interpret what he’d just said.

“Wait—what do you mean by fine?” she demanded.

“Like… you always look like you. So, uh… fine?”

“Daichi!” she shouted, shaking his shoulders. “That’s the most boring compliment in the world!”

“Then what do you want me to say!?”

“Something romantic!”

“I’m not gonna say something romantic at the school gate!”

“Coward!”

“Violent maniac!”

“Who are you calling a maniac!?”

Mina, watching from the side with her lunch bag, whispered, “Yup. Total disaster.”

---

By the time they reached their classroom, half the students were whispering.

“Whoa, Tachibana’s wearing her skirt right today.”

“She has legs!?”

“I thought she was part-time PE teacher!”

Riko could feel every stare piercing through her.

She stomped to her desk, dropping her bag with a thud. “Why is everyone staring!?”

Her classmate Yuto leaned over. “Because you look like a girl for once.”

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?” she roared.

The entire class went silent. Even the teacher poked her head in to see what the noise was about.

Daichi leaned toward her, whispering, “You’re kind of proving their point right now.”

“Shut up!” she hissed, kicking his desk lightly.

Mina covered her face in her hands, laughing so hard she nearly fell off her chair.

---

During lunch, Riko sat by the window, stabbing her bento with her chopsticks like it had personally wronged her.

Mina plopped down beside her. “So, how’d it go?”

“I hate skirts,” Riko muttered. “And Daichi’s an idiot.”

Mina grinned. “Let me guess—he said something dumb?”

“‘Did you get taller.’”

Mina dropped her chopsticks. “No way. No way! That’s so him!”

Riko groaned. “Why is he like this? I try so hard, and he doesn’t even notice!”

Mina smirked. “Oh, he noticed. Trust me. He just doesn’t have the vocabulary for it yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw his face when you walked up this morning. He looked like someone had unplugged his brain.”

Riko blushed. “...He did look kinda stupid.”

“Exactly. That’s progress.”

Riko sighed. “If this is progress, I’ll die before graduation.”

---

After school, they walked home together again.

Daichi tried to act casual, but Riko could tell he was still awkward.

“So,” he said suddenly, “why the sudden change?”

“Mina said I should look more feminine,” she muttered.

He scratched his cheek. “You don’t need to change anything.”

Her head snapped toward him. “Huh?”

“You’re already fine as you are,” he said simply. “I mean, I like you the way you are.”

Riko stopped walking. “Wait—what did you just say?”

He blinked. “What?”

“You said you like me the way I am.”

“Yeah. As a friend.”

She punched his shoulder immediately.

“OW! What was that for!?”

“For emotional whiplash!” she shouted, stomping ahead.

He laughed nervously. “You’re so violent today!”

“I’m always violent! It’s part of my charm!”

---

At the corner of the street, a gust of wind blew past—lifting the back of her skirt.

“WAAAH!” she yelped, slamming her hands down and spinning around. “Did you see anything!?”

“N-nothing!” Daichi blurted, face red as a stoplight.

“Liar!”

“I swear! I didn’t see—uh—much!”

“M-Much!?”

She lunged for him, but he took off running down the street, laughing.

“Come back here and die, you pervert!!”

“Hey, I said I didn’t mean to!!”

Mina’s voice echoed faintly behind them. “Riko, that’s not what I meant by being feminine!!”

---

The next morning, Riko stomped into class in full tracksuit gear, hair tied up again, sneakers squeaking on the floor.

Mina blinked. “You gave up already?”

Riko folded her arms. “Skirts are evil. They bring chaos and humiliation.”

Daichi walked in right on cue, smiling. “Morning, Riko-bro.”

Riko’s eye twitched.

“Back to normal, huh?” he said. “Guess you weren’t taller after all.”

“THAT’S IT!”

She launched a flying kick that barely missed his shoulder as the entire class burst into laughter.

Mina sighed, smiling. “And balance is restored to the universe.”