Chapter 3: Results

Today is September 1st.

Summer break passed in the blink of an eye.

That's why I was staring at myself in the mirror.

Had I really managed to change since that day?

While removing my glasses and putting in contacts, I ask myself that question.

The me in the mirror didn't retain even a millimeter of resemblance to that day.

Like a completely different person.

I almost thought I might be in a dream, that's how much I wasn't myself anymore.

Clear skin.

Silky hair.

Crystal-clear eyes.

「...It's okay. I was able to change.」

I smiled at myself in the mirror.

My smile was perfect too.

With newfound confidence, I rush past the washbasin and shoulder my school bag.

「I'm off, Kaa-san!」

With hope in my heart, I flew out of my house.

On my way to school, the stares were more intense than usual.

──As I thought... even if someone like me does something like this, I'll just be laughed at.

Under the weight of those gazes, my spirits gradually sank.

The old me sleeping deep inside my body was trying to wake up.

Suddenly, my reflection in a building's glass window caught my eye.

In that figure, there isn't even a trace of that gloomy past.

──That's right. I was able to change properly. It's fine if I'm laughed at. Because this is the first thing I've ever done for myself.

With that thought, my steps became slightly lighter.

I raise my head.

The stares didn't matter anymore.

I am who I am. I don't need to cower before others' evaluations or gazes anymore.

That's when it happened.

「It's been a while. Gikei-chan.」

A rounded bob that didn't quite reach her shoulders.

A beauty mark adorning the corner of her eye.

Small and delicate like a kitten.

All of it was heartbreakingly nostalgic.