Izei is still sleeping on the couch. How long has it been since I've come back? I lost track at some point while I was admiring her.

I really want to hug and kiss her, to feel her body and lips against mine. I want to see her every day going forward, take care of her, make her happy at every opportunity. I want her to look at me with eyes full of love as I hold her in my arms, and to whisper sweet things to me when we're close.

I sit on a nearby armchair, without taking my eyes off Izei at all. What is happening to me? Why do I feel this way looking at my best friend?

I finally manage to tear my eyes away from her. If I allow myself to indulge in those feelings, to see Izei as a woman, and to imagine a future with her, I might actually end up falling in love. This would only make things more painful when he finally goes back to being a man. I have to stay calm and collected, for both of our sakes.

As I finally look back in his direction, I notice that his eyes are slowly opening. He starts getting back up, looks around the room a bit... and jumps surprisingly high when he sees me.

"Ri... Rimar? You're already back?"

"This is my normal hour for days that don't require overtime."

"It's... already that late?"

He grabs his phone from a nearby table to check before continuing:

"I must have been more tired than I thought, I ended up taking an hour-long nap. I didn't expect to see you here when I woke up."

He stretches for a few seconds while accidentally letting out some horribly cute noises, forcing me to turn away to avoid seeing his chest pushed forward even more clearly. As he readjusts his position on the couch and seemingly finally fully wakes up, I ask:

"So, what's with the clothes? I thought you were going to go buy a new pair of shoes."

I see his cheeks and the tips of his ears turn red as he hesitantly answers:

"Well, you see, I... Okay, so, I did buy new shoes, but I came across a former colleague who recognized that I had become a woman and insisted that I purchase a few more things. There was no way she was going to let me go, so I ended up agreeing, and I kept some of it on as I came back home."

"I see... Well, this might be for the best if you're going to leave the house from time to time."

He looks at me, clearly confused, before asking:

"You're not... going to make fun of me? I thought I'd try to hide my purchases from you to avoid trouble."

"Why would I do that? With your body the way it is now, having clothes that fit properly and allow you to blend in can only be a positive."

As I say that, I notice a smirk growing larger and larger on his lips.

"Could it be that you actually think I look really good in those clothes and you'd like to see more of it?"

This time, it's my turn to become all red. Still, it's an opportunity to embarrass him back, and I don't even have to lie to do so. I try my best to stay calm as I answer:

"Yes, of course. You look very good right now, very cute, even, and I wouldn't mind getting to see more of you dressed like that."

That was so embarrassing to say! Thankfully, my counter-attack seems to have worked just fine, as Izei is now getting redder by the second. We're two tomatoes hanging out in our small living room.

"What do you...? Are you making fun of me!?"

With his discomfort reaching a new high, he storms out and heads to his bedroom without giving me any time to respond. I won this round, but... what were we even competing for?