Ow. 

She shouldn't be surprised. It's not like she looks like a real woman. It's not like anyone cares about her. It's not as if she's a real fucking human being with feelings anyone takes into account. It doesn't matter.

The polite thing to do is smile and pretend she didn't hear.

Sojiro curtly cuts the man off, interjecting even before Akira has a chance to speak.

"Her name's Akira Kurusu, actually."

Wait, what, that is not how she expected this conversation to go -

Kobayakawa's eyes narrow.

"Really, Sakura-san? You're encouraging this perverted horseplay?"

His voice drips with condescension.

"She was allowed to enroll as a girl. Not sure I see what the big deal is, Principal."

Does Sojiro sound a bit... protective? Maybe?

"We agreed to have the gender marker on his ID listed as female, but the thought of allowing him to act out his perverse fantasies in the halls of our school—"

She winces despite herself. She's heard worse from her family but it hurts more every time.

Sojiro cuts him off again, stern-voiced and scowling, almost like he's scolding the principal.

"C'mon now. Does the kid's criminal record give you the right to treat her like trash?"

Kobayakawa's eyes narrow still further.

"Is this truly the hill you wish to die upon, Sakura-san?"

Sojiro sighs.

"Listen. I'm her guardian for the next year. That means I'm looking out for the kid. Either you can enroll her just like you would any other girl, or I can call her parents and explain how you're not holding up the bargain you made with their donation."

"Fine," the rotund administrator bites out. "We will... honor the agreement. Kurusu will be enrolled as a girl, and her... situation... will be kept between myself and Kawakami-san, her homeroom teacher."

She fixes her smile firmly back in place. 

"Thank you, Principal Kobayakawa. It's a privilege to have this chance."

"If you'll follow me, Kurusu-san, we can get your gym uniform and your student ID."

Has Kawakami ever not sounded tired? No one knows.

"Yes, Kawakami-Sensei."

She will be genuinely happy when she departs this principal's office. 

Sojiro gives her a little shooing gesture. "Go on, kid. I'll finish up the paperwork," he says with his usual casual gruffness.

And Kawakami tiredly leads her to the teacher's lounge. She steps over to an ID-making machine.

"Name?"

"Akira Kurusu."

She sighs.

"No, I need the spelling. What characters do you use to write it?"

"It's with 'truth' for the given name, 'to come', and 'nest' for the surname."

* That's 来栖明 (Kurusu Akira) for those who speak Japanese.

She nods, keys it into the machine, and then gestures for Akira to stand in front of a plain-looking backdrop. "Photo next."

She stands as still as she can for the photo, and doesn't smile.

There's a flash, and then the machine starts whirring away as it prints her ID.

"Do you know what size you need for the gym uniform?"

"I don't, sorry."

Accursed women's sizes.

Another sigh, this one more tired than frustrated, and Kawakami pulls a soft tape measure out of a drawer. Measuring is brusque, and feels a bit odd, but soon enough she has the information she needs and she heads over to a cabinet to locate the right size.

It is a hassle to be a hassle.

Still. She's managing. More or less.