Akira feels scared and empty and hollow and numb. 

Ann's her — friend, she guesses — the first female friend she's ever had. And she's probably about to lose her. 

But Ann is right. She deserves to know the truth. 

She opens her mouth and starts to talk. It's hard to just say it, but she tries. "I... always wanted one of these, even when I was growing up. When I was tiny. Before I even knew that... I was me." 

"... before you knew that you were you?"

Akira's not making any sense, but she can tell that this is serious from the way she's gotten all quiet.

Akira swallows. 

"... Before I knew that I was a girl, I mean. I'm trans."

Ann's eyebrows leap up. "You're trans?" She blinks in shock. "I — you had me completely fooled —" 

She pauses. "No, sorry, that's not right. It's — I don't know a lot about trans people but — it's not like you're faking something. It's who you are. Like — wearing Lapin Angelique out in a crowd —" 

She ducks her head. "I'm making a total mess of this. I mean — I still accept you. You're a girl, I never thought you weren't. And you're helping me so much. The least I can do is — listen to you when you say who you are. Like you listened to me when I said I wasn't with Kamoshida by choice."

Morgana nods firmly. "I may not really get gender, but you defended me when Ryuji called me a cat."

Akira smiles, just slightly. "I — okay. You're not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad. Maybe a little concerned for you, that must be a lot to handle. But — I have a sense of what kind of person you are, and I don't think you'd — change genders — if you weren't serious about it."

"Alright." Akira takes long slow breaths to still her shaking nerves. "Okay." 

She did it?

She did it.

"What should I tell Ryuji?"

"Probably nothing. With his big mouth if we let him in on this the whole school will know about it by the next day. And I mean... I would really prefer to just be seen as a normal girl, you know?"

"Okay," Ann says. "I'll keep your secret like you're keeping mine. Just... I think it would be good to tell Ryuji eventually. Maybe once this whole problem's fixed."

Maybe Akira's gotten all this knowledge about how to deal with people like Kamoshida... firsthand. That would explain a lot about her, honestly...

"Okay," Akira says, putting on her best smile again. "More shopping?"

"Yeah," Ann says. "More shopping."

"Let's head over to Jupiter of the Monkey, then."

She really hopes this doesn't make things awkward.

"Yeah, sure."

She's not really sure how this changes things between her and Akira. She's never met a real trans person before, and her head is full of questions — but judging from how nervous Akira is, now's not the time to ask them.

... She thinks she's definitely getting Akira that skirt though. That'll say more than words.

Akira walks along next to Ann, letting her take the lead toward the athetics-wear shop.

It's totally awkward. She's having a real hard time not launching into a longwinded explanation of how she figured out she was trans. It feels like the kind of thing she has to justify. 

Ann isn't asking questions, though. She can still feel the tension and it's hard to make conversation.

A little bell over the door dingles as they stop in at the athletics-wear shop; the clerk behind the counter doesn't look up.

The shop's full of windbreakers, sneakers, and sporting wear. There's not a skirt to be seen; most of the clothes are deeply unisex. It's not exactly a trans girl's dream.

Akira looks around and frowns. 

"This is hardly..." She looks over at Ann. "It's hardly women's fashion, I mean."

"I mean, I'd wear some of the stuff from here. I've got nothing against a good pair of jeans. But I promised you a skirt, and there seems to be a real lack of any on sale here." 

Ann interlaces her fingers. "I think I know a better place. It's a little bit of a walk, but we could go across the scramble to Natural Puppy; they've got a better range of women's fashion than J of the M stocks."

Huh, real shopping tips from a real girl. "Sure," she says. "Let's head over that way."

And back out of the shop they go! 

It's not a long walk over to Natural Puppy, though they do have to pass a scramble crossing. 

Natural Puppy is a mainstream fashion store, with racks of polo shirts, black turtlenecks, jeans, but also a large selection of one-piece dresses and miniskirts, pink camisoles and white cache-coeurs, along with some more cutesy sweatshirts and a whole selection of pretty shoes, both heeled and unheeled. 

"Well?" Ann asks. "What do you think?"

"Much better. I like some of these dresses they've got on offer. I wonder if they have my size?"