First Time in the Women’s Bathhouse

— Oh god, you're trembling so much! — giggled Sakura, saying it, as usual, with her overly strong Japanese accent, which, despite her studying at the foreign languages department, was still way too noticeable.

— I... I'm not used to this, — grumbled Alex, clenching his teeth and pressing his elbows even tighter against his chest, which hung down annoyingly heavy over his new, narrow shoulders.

He sat hunched over on a tiny plastic stool. Soapy foam trickled down his sides, his breasts were completely exposed — even when he tried to cover them with his hands, the pink nipples still peeked out.

— But you've been in this body for two weeks already, Alex-chan! — Sakura laughed, not stopping. Her palms slid confidently along his back, like she was washing a porcelain figurine, not her ex-boyfriend. — You need to get used to it. In Japan, going to a public bath is almost sacred.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his hands, like that could somehow erase the awkward moment and bring back his male body, but instead, he felt the softness of his breasts even more clearly, pressing firmly against his own forearms.

— I just... I can't. This... I'm naked. In front of you.

Sakura snorted, the towel on her body slipping slightly, revealing her shoulder.

— God, relax, Alex-chan. There's nothing wrong with it. We're both girls.

Alex whipped around so suddenly that the foam on his shoulders splashed into Sakura's eye. She had to squint, and didn’t see his face at that moment — a face that reflected what looked like a storm of emotions. His eyes were full of terror and something else — almost panic, almost humiliation, but hidden under a thin, trembling layer of anger. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but his lips trembled, and he only let out a heavy breath. His voice came out quieter than he intended — high-pitched, ringing, almost girly:

— We're not both girls... — he swallowed, feeling the tension making the muscles of his chest feel even heavier. — I... I don't want you to call me that, Sakura...

Sakura, still wincing and wiping foam from her face, broke into a smirk:

— Well, sorry, Alex-chan, but the mirror in the locker room seems to disagree with you. — She got up on her knees, leaning in closer, and her voice turned softer, almost a whisper. — You look so cute when you're angry.

— Oh my god, why is this happening to me! — squeaked Alex, turning away again, — Why did you even drag me here in the first place?

— Oh, is our princess at it again? — came a third voice, light, slightly mocking, but without any malice. Ino — a slender, petite girl with a short bob and a gentle smile. She was just slipping a light bath towel off her shoulders, tossing it onto the hanger. Now she wore only simple wooden slippers and a white cloth wrapped around her forehead. Ino looked like the embodiment of calm — unlike Alex, who had opened his mouth to say something, but froze the moment he saw how casually she undressed in front of him.

— So, did you girls learn anything new over there? — Ino asked, walking up to the wash basins laid out neatly in a row, not noticing Alex’s embarrassment.

— Learn? — giggled Sakura, brushing foam off her shoulder. — Just that Alex-chan still blushes like a schoolgirl on her first date. And it's been two weeks in a girl’s body.

Alex sucked in a breath loudly, but didn’t reply. He didn’t even turn his head — just hunched his chin down deeper into his shoulders, as if trying to disappear. Warm water dripped from his chin onto his bare breasts, and every time a drop slid down the soft skin, he shuddered.

— I’m not “Alex-chan,” — he finally exhaled, but his voice came out weak, broken. — And I’m not a girl… not really.

— Looks like you’re moving into our dorm, — Ino said calmly, lathering herself — Miss Kogawa told me this morning.

Alex flinched like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.

— What… W-what did you just say?! — he nearly choked with outrage. — Moving where?! Why?! I’m supposed to live with Mr. Yamada, with the host family!

— Well, you know Mr. Yamada has a son, and they can’t keep a girl in the house, especially in a Japanese family — Ino said with a completely matter-of-fact expression, like it was just another school routine and not someone’s entire life.

Alex’s eyes flew wide open.

— I’m not a girl! — his voice rang out high and cracked, like a bell that hit the wrong note. He jerked upright, and his heavy, relentless breasts bounced slightly with the motion. He immediately grabbed for them again, but it was too late — Ino and Sakura were already giggling all over again.

— Relax, Alexis, your parents confirmed they’ve always had a daughter — Ino added with icy calm, like it was nothing more than a bureaucratic formality. — So I guess I was right all along.

Alex went deaf. He didn’t hear the drops falling from the ceiling or Sakura’s barely-stifled giggling — only a dull ringing in his ears. It felt like something inside him just snapped.

— N-no… you’re lying, — he whispered, exhaling like into fog. — They… they wouldn’t…

— Miss Kogawa spoke to your mother personally, — Ino said firmly, sitting down on a stool across from him, legs crossed. Water streamed down her thigh, and Alex suddenly realized he couldn’t even look in her direction — not because she was naked, but because now he looked… like that.

— She sent a photo of you at prom, in that ridiculous pink dress with the bow — Ino went on. — Said, “Yes, that’s my little girl Alexis. How’s she doing?”

Alex froze. He knew he had never worn a pink dress. He remembered standing in his graduation suit, with a tie, awkwardly adjusting the blazer because it itched like hell under the arms. He remembered how his father patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "You're a man now." But now… now he didn’t even have shoulders to pat. Just soft, rounded, feminine curves that made the bath towel slip off over and over again.

— Y-you’re lying... — he muttered.

Sakura leaned in closer, her breasts brushing lightly against his shoulder, and Alex flinched all over.

— Yay! Alexis-chan is going to live with us! — she hugged him tightly, pressing herself against his back.

He twitched but didn’t pull away. His shoulders trembled, and a hot wave of shame surged through his body.

— Don’t call me that... — he whispered, almost childishly, strained. — I’m not Alexis. I’m Alex. I...

— ...used to be a guy, yeah, we remember — Sakura jumped in, playfully flicking his shoulder. — But, how should I put this... your “used to be” is long gone. Welcome to Japanese girl reality!

Two weeks ago, everything was different. Alex, a 19-year-old student from Chicago, had come to Japan on a student exchange program — a year of language practice, full immersion, and living with a host family. He was placed with Mr. Yamada, a strict but kind father of two sons.

At the university in Osaka, where he was assigned, he instantly became something of a novelty — “the American Alex.” Especially among the girls from the language department. They would pull him around, teach him ridiculous phrases, and he’d just blush and try to joke his way out.

That’s how he met Sakura and Ino.

Sakura — loud, bright, with pink hair and a crazy sense of humor. Her accent could cut through steel, but she wasn’t shy about it — in fact, she was proud of it. Ino — her complete opposite: calm, short black bob, always composed, but with a kind of predatory calm in her eyes. Alex was in the same class group with them, and after a couple of days, they invited him to one of the local festivals — something like a Shinto carnival at an old shrine in the city center.

He didn’t expect the festival to be so crowded and loud: lanterns, the ringing of bells, people everywhere in yukatas. Ino held his hand so he wouldn’t get lost, and that alone already felt surreal. And then… then they came up to the altar.

He didn’t want to — it was Sakura who pushed him in the back with a cheerful — “Take a photo, Alex-kun!” — and as he stepped onto the platform in front of the altar, he suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath him. People clapped, thinking it was part of the show: right in front of everyone, his clothes vanished, replaced by a ceremonial women’s kimono — bright red, with white flowers and a tight sash. His hair shrank, his breasts, on the contrary, swelled — heavy, like someone had strapped watermelons to his chest — and his hips… just spread, like his body had taken a step without him.

But the worst part came later. When he ran to the bathroom, tore the kimono off himself… and saw that the face was still the same. The same face he’d seen in the mirror his whole life. Only now that face was staring back at him from under a pair of Breasts that stood out way too much against his narrow shoulders. And below… everything was different. No room for doubt.

— What are you thinking about, Alexis? — said Sakura with a sly note in her voice, sitting down beside her and tilting her head so that her damp hair brushed against Alexis’s shoulder. — Already picturing how you'll be sharing the closet with us?

— Or maybe how you’ll be lining up for the bathroom every morning? — Ino smirked, drying her hands with a towel while watching Alexis’s reaction.

Alexis didn’t reply. She had almost forgotten she was sitting completely naked on that cold plastic stool, with water dripping down her Boobs and thighs, with soap still tickling the skin between her shoulder blades.

— Damn, now I’m seriously jealous of you! — Sakura continued, folding her arms under her own chest and sighing theatrically. — Your figure, Alexis... I’d kill for hips and Tits like yours!

— Yeah, no kidding — Ino chuckled, sitting down next to her on a stool, crossing her legs. — Honestly, when you walk into a room, every guy on campus stops breathing. Even our grammar professor yesterday almost dropped his chalk when you asked a question.

Alexis flinched. She snapped her head up and growled — almost genuinely — in a voice that cracked into a higher pitch:

— Stop it! Are you fucking kidding me?! I didn’t want this body! I didn’t want these… these… — she looked down at her Boobs, trembling with every breath. — I didn’t want any of this! This isn’t... this isn’t me!

But no more words followed. Just silence, where even the sound of a water droplet hitting the tile floor could be heard.

Alexis quickly dropped her gaze. Wet knees, narrow hips, Breasts — heavy, round, moving with every breath — all of it was here, part of her. Him. No. Her?

Fuck.

He… she shut her eyes, and the thoughts started rolling in, like vivid movie scenes.

‘I’m going to live in a dorm with girls. Change pads. Shower out in the open. Pick out bras and… underwear. Stop wearing pants because my hips look too damn sexy in them. Do my hair. Shave my legs. Look cute and keep myself in check all the time. Learn how to “talk like a girl,” not scowl, not slouch, not spread my legs. Walk around with a purse, keep up with makeup, smile when I don’t want to. Be scared to be alone in a room with a guy. Hear my mom say, “Now you need to take care of yourself, sweetie.” And in the end... GET FUCKING MARRIED?!’

Alexis slowly raised her hands and pressed them to her temples, as if trying to squeeze those thoughts out. But they’d already taken root. Every word from Ino, every giggle from Sakura — like a hammer chipping away at the glass wall of reality, breaking it into small, feminine shards.

‘I can’t do this. I won’t make it. I don’t want this…’