Summertime

From the perspective of Elise, formerly Eric

"This outfit is..."

"It suits you well, Elise."

I was dressed in what they call a party dress or a gown.

"Amazing..."

The dress, with its exposed shoulders and skirt long enough to touch the ground, emphasized the feminine curves.

Wearing it made me intensely aware of being seen as a woman.

At the same time, I felt like I was doing something forbidden.

I thought, as long as I am in this dress, I don’t want to come out as a man.

The song I am about to sing, "Summertime," is said to have sparked the creation of a new type of musical widely enjoyed in this world.

The host spoke in front of a machine called a microphone.

"Next, we have a guest from another world. Elise Orblus will sing 'Summertime.'"

As the applause sounded, I slowly walked towards the stage.

Ryoko, dressed similarly, was sitting at the piano.

As I stood in front of the microphone and bowed deeply, applause broke out again.

"Summertime and the livin' is easy,"

My singing invited us on a journey to the seaside village that serves as the setting for this opera.

It was like a dream.

"That was wonderful, Elise."

"Yeah, it was incredible to think this is your first time in this world," Ryoko and her friends surrounded me, holding a bouquet, and showering me with compliments.

"Please take good care of Akira!"

"Yes, of course!"

I was genuinely happy.

While happy, I couldn’t disclose that I was a man.

After my performance, I stood alone outside the cultural hall, feeling the winter wind against my skin, which was bare due to my outfit.

The sky was clear.

A family playing with a kite passed by.

"What's wrong, Elise? You seem troubled," Ryoko approached.

"Ryoko..."

"Ever since you arrived, you look like you've got something to say but can’t. Did Akira do something?"

A curse will kill me if my soul and body being mismatched is known.

That’s why I can't tell the truth.

But that was a tale from the world we were from.

In this world, where magic does not reach, the curse would not trigger even if known.

Now, the only thing stopping me is the shame of being discovered as a male.

It's a personal issue.

Maybe I could tell her, this person, this person might understand.

But what if I'm rejected?

It's frightening.

Yet, I felt I couldn't truly be part of her family, her relatives unless I spoke up.

"Actually... I am really a man."