Hearing that, Sairi felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly tugged at her skirt as she replied that Hilvia was also very beautiful.
It was the truth—both of them were naturally beautiful without makeup or elaborate adornments. They simply didn’t need it. But that’s not an excuse to launch a love attack, hey!
“All right, I’m going to wash my face now. Sairi, if you need to use the restroom, you can go. If not, you can just sit on the sofa for a bit.”
“I’ll go! I’ll go!”
With that, Hilvia went to get some water to wet her face, and Sairi ran into the bathroom, closing the door between the restroom and the washing area, beginning to relax.
Although Sairi’s constitution meant she could hold it in, she tried and found she could still force herself to pee.
“Phew… finally, I can relax a bit. Hilvia is so mean, always teasing me…”
Sairi muttered to herself in the bathroom, of course keeping her voice low—if Hilvia overheard, she’d be doomed.
Sairi gently removed her skirt, tights, and underwear before starting to pee. The bathroom felt completely different—surprisingly quiet.
But even so, it was still better to wake up and use the restroom before getting dressed and washing up.
She’d just spent so long putting on clothes, and suddenly taking them off left her lower half feeling chilly—her warm flesh exposed to the air.
If a breeze blew or she touched something cold, she would definitely shiver uncontrollably. Of course, wearing clothes didn’t give her much security either.
At least pants in her past life had been more reassuring.
Sairi absentmindedly pinched the flesh at the top of her thigh. Soft, warm, and just a little pressure caused a bit of pain. It looked pretty sensitive.
Her eyes drifted to her lower abdomen and below. Though she had been male in her previous life, she understood some of the differences between male and female bodies.
At least she knew the female body was structured differently.
Sairi reached out to touch her round little belly. It was slightly bulging and warm. Pressing gently, she felt a subtle stir within her body, a tickling sensation.
It seemed the place people often said was for nurturing life was really sensitive.
Halfway through that thought, Sairi suddenly snapped back to reality. What was she doing? Exploring an unknown territory—on herself, no less. No!
She had to restrain herself! Be disciplined! She almost lost control, curiosity about her flower below bubbling up—but thankfully her self-control was strong.
Shaking her head, Sairi cleared the thought and decided to finish relaxing and get out quickly.
After a short while, Sairi pushed open the door and came out. Hilvia had already finished washing up and even combed her hair.
“Done? Perfect, I’ll comb your hair now. After I’m done, I’ll go to the restroom, then we’ll head out.”
“Okay, okay!”
Hilvia sat Sairi down in front of the dressing mirror and began styling her hair.
Sairi admired herself in the mirror while Hilvia worked on her hair.
“Um, Hilvia Sister, why does it take so long to comb hair?”
“What’s wrong? Being lazy again? Girls with such long, thick hair need to comb carefully. Otherwise, what if it gets tangled?”
Hilvia teased. Sairi nodded in agreement, looking at herself in the mirror—she really was getting prettier. Hilvia helped arrange her bangs, and now she really looked like one of those anime girls from a 2D world.
Her bangs slanted but were neatly arranged, covering her pale forehead. Hair on both sides hid part of her ears, teasingly revealing them, and her long hair flowed down her back with a glossy, colorful sheen.
She looked so vibrant.
***
At the same time, Sairi glanced at Hilvia, who was focused on carefully combing her hair.
Hilvia had jet-black hair and a beautifully striking face. Her shiny black hair matched her large black Kazilan eyes and long lashes.
She wore black thigh-high stockings, a white short-sleeved undershirt, and a black jacket, a combination that made her look strikingly handsome and beautiful.
They looked like completely different styles.
Sairi was plain, with blonde hair. Though her eyes were big and looked lively and cute, and almost all her clothes were white except for her shoes, Hilvia had more curves and was taller.
If Sairi was a cute little angelic girl, Hilvia was the dream childhood friend everyone secretly admired.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Hilvia made her feel safe. With such beauty, she was exactly the kind of girl guys dreamed of pursuing, while Sairi felt more like a pampered little kid.
Thinking that made Sairi pout and let out a little annoyed sound.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just venting a little.”
“All right, don’t be down. Look, how’s the combing?”
Hilvia lifted Sairi’s hair at the back, and Sairi suddenly noticed Hilvia had curled little waves on both sides of her hair.
“Wh-what hairstyle is this?”
“This is for your rare blonde hair, Sairi. Like a princess from a fairy tale, so I tried styling it a bit. It’s really cute.”
Hilvia playfully tousled Sairi’s hair and clipped on her Five-pointed Star Hairclip.
“All right, all right, stop teasing me~”
Once their hair was done, Sairi sat on the sofa, waiting for Hilvia to finish in the restroom.
“Phew, finally ready to go?”
“Yeah, yeah. Once I sling my bag, grab the money and keys, and take some essentials, we’ll head out immediately.”☆
“Do you really need a bag? Why not leave it with me? I see you’ve got papers, sprays, even two sets of underwear… what are you carrying all this for?” Sairi gestured toward her Five-pointed Star Hairclip.
“You have to keep up appearances. Otherwise, if you’re paying or grabbing something or get caught off guard, pulling out your hairclip in front of others will draw attention. What if a bad guy tries to snatch it?”
“Hmm… true… I get it. Then I’ll carry the bag out. If there’s anything bulky or heavy, I can sneak it over to you later.”
Hilvia came over, patted Sairi’s head, then took her hand and said,
“Then, let’s go! Today we’ll have a good time exploring the town!”
“Yay!” Sairi jumped up happily, gripping Hilvia’s hand tightly. “Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!”
With a door closing behind them, the two left the quiet Travelers’ Inn and stepped outside, ready to head toward the bustling street.
They wanted to see what delicious food, fine drinks, and fun things awaited them and truly enjoy a joyful day of friendship and adventure.
Hand in hand, they walked until they reached a pedestrian street in town. The street was wide and long, lined on both sides with shops and vendors selling food, drinks, and entertainment.
The air buzzed with noise and shouting, alive with activity.
Although it was only morning, many people were already coming and going, many clearly out for breakfast.
“We’re here. This street is the largest and liveliest in town. It has the most shops, too. Hardworking people open their stores before dawn and stay open until about 10 p.m.”
“Wow, so many people! We can hear the breakfast vendors shouting even from where we stand.”
But Sairi wasn’t really focusing on that. Instead, her attention was on Hilvia still holding her hand. She’d heard before that close female friends always held hands when shopping, strolling, or hanging out.
But since she had been male in her past life, it still felt a bit awkward, hard to accept mentally.
And today they were both dressed nicely, two girls holding hands on the street. That would definitely attract attention.
Shopkeepers or older folks passing by would probably stop to chat and try to sell things. But Sairi didn’t like that…
“Um, Hilvia Sister, can you let go of my hand? I don’t think you need to hold it all the time. I can just walk beside you and follow along.”
“Haha, aren’t you afraid of getting lost or not keeping up with me? Or running into some hooligans?”
“All right, I get it. I’ll stay close, so just let go…”
“Okay, okay. But Sairi, be careful not to talk to strangers, okay?”
Hilvia let go lightly.
“I know, I’m not a kid.”
Sairi thought she’d heard that from Grandmother and others a thousand times already. Why did she have to listen to it here?
Maybe Hilvia was even younger. Whatever—finally, she could see properly again. And with this new friend who was helping her and going shopping together, this was the beautiful life she had once dreamed of.
Now it was real, and she had no reason to regret it.
But what exactly was her situation now? From the outside, it looked like two beautiful girls shopping together like best friends.
But Sairi had been male in her past life and blind. Was there some kind of romantic feeling here?
She couldn’t figure it out.
Plus, the Goddess Sister had “optimized” her personality and emotions somewhat, so her interests and thoughts were increasingly girlish.
Even her memories of family and past events were fading. Would she really become a girl one day?
“Sairi, what are you thinking about?” Hilvia, walking ahead, turned around to ask. Sairi realized she had been frozen in place while lost in thought.
“Nothing… just thinking about something.”
“Oh?”
Hilvia returned to her side, tilted her head slightly to examine Sairi’s face, then leaned in and asked, “So… what exactly are you thinking about? I’ve noticed you often zone out like that. Can you share a little with me?”
Sairi was caught in a mental struggle again. Should she tell Hilvia the truth? After a moment, she decided to hide part of it.
“Actually… I used to be blind. That made me rarely go out or have anyone to shop with or sleep beside. So, I’m a little unaccustomed to this.”
“Hmm…” Hilvia’s face showed some puzzlement as she pondered.
“I… don’t even know how to describe this feeling. Since we met yesterday and then came back to the inn together, bathed, and slept together… all of this is something I’ve never experienced before.”
“Also, the grandparents who took care of me are very old. They told me what to do and what not to do—to have some shame and restraint.”
“That’s pretty normal, right?”
“But… but going home with someone I just met yesterday, bathing and sleeping with a friend I met the same day, and now going shopping together… we’ve known each other less than 24 hours. My grandparents told me not to do these things…”
“Ahaha~” Hilvia laughed, a tinkling, bell-like sound, and stroked Sairi’s blonde hair.
“I know what you’re worried about—you’re afraid I might be a bad person. Don’t worry about that. We’re already friends now, and I have taken on the role of a friend entrusted to you. I want to keep this promise and complete this journey with you.”
“Already… friends…?”
“Besides, Sairi, if you feel uncomfortable and still remember your grandparents’ advice, that’s a good thing. It shows you have good boundaries and self-control.”
“But now is a new time, a new life has begun, and we have to change and embrace the flow.”
“Y-yeah…”
Sairi knew what Hilvia said was right, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. It wasn’t that she couldn’t keep up with trends—she was actually pretty good at surfing them.
The real issue was that she had been male in her past life. If she told Hilvia that, Hilvia would probably hate her and send her away. That would be bad enough; announcing it to the world would be a disaster.
Wait… why did she suddenly care so much about Hilvia? Wasn’t the plan to just lean on the Goddess Sister in this other world? But now it felt more like friendship…
Oh well, she’d listen to Hilvia. After all, if she let herself be limited by this, what was the point of reincarnation?
A true man wouldn’t give in so easily!!!