Gender Reversal

Before long, two meals were served.

A plate of curry rice and a plate of omurice.

"Thank you." Amikura Mako took the tray and thanked the maid.

She quickly picked up her spoon, wanting nothing more than to finish her meal and leave as soon as possible.

However, Horikita Etsuka simply rested his chin on his hand and watched quietly, showing no intention of picking up his utensils.

Amikura looked at him in confusion. "Hm? Etsuka, why aren't you eating?"

Horikita Etsuka tilted his chin slightly, signaling her to look to her right.

Amikura turned her head and realized that the maid from before was still standing quietly to the side, not having left.

"Etsuka, what is... going on?" Amikura asked, feeling lost.

The maid also turned her gaze toward Horikita Etsuka.

Horikita Etsuka smiled at her and said, "She's a first-timer, just perform the 'spell' for her."

"Hm? What spell?" Amikura didn't understand at all, her face blank.

The maid nodded, turned to Amikura, and said in a cloyingly sweet voice:

"Master~ To make the omurice extra delicious, please recite the spell and do the gestures with me~"

"Ah? A spell? Oh, oh, okay..." Amikura finally reacted and nodded hurriedly.

"Meow meow~" The maid curled her hands into little cat paws, held them up to her cheeks, and shook them gently.

"Ah?" The very first movement made Amikura recoil, her face flushing slightly.

Horikita Etsuka, enjoying the show and wanting to stir the pot, blinked and quickly delivered the finishing blow: "Mako, hurry up and do it. If you don't, the manager will dock her pay if they see."

Amikura Mako was naturally kind-hearted and only felt embarrassed, but the moment Horikita Etsuka said that, everything changed.

"Ah? Dock her pay?!" Amikura panicked, leaving her no time to overthink.

She had no choice but to stiffly raise her hands, clumsily mimic the cat paw gesture, and whisper in a voice barely audible: "Meow..."

Horikita Etsuka, watching the show from the side, bit his lip hard, suppressing the corners of his mouth that were threatening to curl upward.

Hold it in! You stupid mouth, don't you dare laugh!

Immediately after, the maid continued the routine:

"Purr purr~ Heart Energy Full Power!" She formed a large heart shape in front of her chest.

By now, Amikura's face was as red as a cherry about to explode in Plants vs. Zombies.

She hunched her shoulders, steam practically rising from the top of her head, but she still followed along sluggishly:

"Purr purr... Heart Energy Full Power..."

Then, she reached out and formed a heart in front of her chest too!

A tiny little heart...

"Shine, Delicious Light!" The maid hovered her palms over the omurice, as if infusing it with a soul and casting a delicious magic upon the food.

Amikura closed her eyes tightly, her soul seemingly having drifted away from this world, leaving only a robotic shell behind to execute the commands.

"Shine... Delicious Light..."

(Internal monologue: Just destroy this world already...)

She also reached out to complete the "soul-infusion" ritual, hoping only that when she opened her eyes, no one would recognize her.

"Master~ Please enjoy this omurice infused with love!" The maid pinched her skirt and bowed elegantly before finally turning to leave.

Horikita Etsuka watched with great interest as Amikura remained in her outstretched pose, petrified.

She seemed a bit calmer on the surface, the flush on her face fading slightly, but her frozen posture completely betrayed her.

Ugh... I don't have the courage to open my eyes at all...

She wished she could dig a hole in the floor right then and there, crawl inside, and never come out again.

"Alright, Amikura, let's eat." Horikita Etsuka said with a smirk, scooping up a spoonful of curry rice.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

Hearing the sound of him eating, Amikura tentatively opened one eye.

As soon as she met Horikita Etsuka's smiling gaze, she immediately grabbed her spoon and buried her head in her food, her eyes darting everywhere.

The surrounding diners seemed accustomed to this, their gazes sweeping past before they shook their heads and chuckled:

Tsk tsk, clearly not a veteran otaku.

During the meal, the usually lively and talkative Amikura was completely silent, focusing only on her food, occasionally glaring fiercely at Horikita Etsuka as she ate.

Horikita Etsuka felt quite innocent: she was the one who was curious first, he was just "kindly" satisfying her request.

Sigh, I've fallen in with the wrong crowd~

Just like that, as soon as Amikura finished her meal, she grabbed Horikita Etsuka's sleeve and bolted out of the maid cafe as if escaping from prison.

The maid who had served them stood quietly in the restaurant, watching their retreating figures through the glass, silent and motionless.

They arrived at the clothing store.

The air conditioning in the shop was set to a comfortable temperature, the clothes were displayed in an orderly fashion, and the air held a faint, clean scent of cotton.

Kurakara looked at the clothes on the racks with focus, then picked up a light blue linen short-sleeve shirt and held it up against Etsuka to gauge the fit.

Her eyes lit up: "This style is nice, Etsuka, do you want to try it on?"

"Sure." Etsuka took the shirt, his fingertips accidentally brushing against her arm, leaving behind a subtle sensation.

Although Kurakara's face was slightly flushed, it seemed that after what had happened at the maid cafe, she wasn't feeling quite as shy as before.

"Go on, go on!" Kurakara pushed Etsuka toward the fitting room.

Kurakara waited outside the fitting room, listening to the faint sounds of him changing clothes inside, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

Come to think of it, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of Etsuka during their last swimming lesson, which felt like such a pity.

Kurakara felt her head spinning, constantly fantasizing about what Etsuka looked like shirtless, and only after shaking her head did she gradually calm down.

Still, she stood by the door of the fitting room with a hint of anticipation.

Before long, the fitting room door opened, and Etsuka stepped out.

He had changed into the light blue linen shirt with the collar left open, paired with black straight-leg jeans.

This outfit complemented Etsuka's sunny temperament perfectly, making him look exceptionally clean-cut and upright.

It was the first time Etsuka had been scrutinized so closely by a girl; he scratched his hair casually and asked with a smile:

"How is it? Does it suit me?"

Kurakara forgot to respond for a moment, feeling as if all the noisy sounds around her had gone quiet. The shop was freezing, yet she felt her cheeks burning.

Clearly, this was the first time Kurakara had seen Etsuka in casual wear.

The shop assistant walked over at that moment. Her eyes lit up when she saw the customer who had just stepped out, and she offered praise without hesitation:

"This young man looks really great in this outfit; he has that celebrity vibe."

Kurakara finally snapped back to reality. She nodded vigorously, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably: "Mhm! It's great!"

Even if it was mostly due to Etsuka's appearance, she was the one who had picked out the clothes, after all!

Afterward, Kurakara grabbed a black shirt from the rack, eager to see more, and said: "Etsuka, try this one!"

Girls are just like that; they've loved playing dress-up games since they were little.

Kurakara was very excited now; she just wanted to see what kind of feeling different clothes would give off when worn by Etsuka.

Etsuka's mouth twitched: "Am I your dress-up doll?"

"Oh, just go!" Kurakara pushed Etsuka back into the fitting room.

As Etsuka changed clothes inside the fitting room, he felt as if their genders had been swapped.

[I mean, isn't it usually the girl who's supposed to be trying on clothes?]