Chapter 27
The school uniform is more uncomfortable than I expected. Both the top and the bottom are made to cling tightly to the body's contours, emphasizing my figure way too much... At least my large breasts keep me from looking fat, but because of their size, it took a long time to make my uniform, so I received it a little late. Since some time had passed after the start of the school year, it was fortunate that they only had to make mine.
"Oh my, it was made to fit Jia's body perfectly~"
"It's fortunate that the size fits, but it's so tight against my body..."
I considered wearing safety shorts under the skirt, but it was tighter than I expected, so I figured they wouldn't show as long as I was careful with my legs and decided not to wear them. It wasn't because I was embarrassed to put something on over my panties. After the weekend starting tomorrow was over, I would have to go to school right away.
"Still, it suits you and looks pretty, so that's a relief~"
"I'm glad it suits me. Hehe..."
I still felt good hearing her praise me. In the end, the weekend passed, and Monday morning arrived.
"Jia, you have to go to school."
"Ugh... School...?"
It was better than sitting around bored and staring blankly at the walls at home. All right, let's go to school.
"I'll go wash up~"
"Okay~"
Unnie told me to wash first and began preparing breakfast. When I came out after washing, she went in to wash too, so it seemed she had taken the day off for my transfer. After eating the breakfast she prepared and putting on my uniform, I stood in front of the mirror and couldn't help feeling self-conscious.
To anyone looking at me, I really do look like an innocent high school girl... Though I'm not.
Who would think I had graduated from university just by looking at me...? Once I finished getting ready, I left the house with unnie and walked toward the high school, which was twenty minutes away. Since it was already past nine, I fortunately didn't run into any other students... But starting tomorrow, I would be arriving at the normal time, so I probably would.
"We're here. Shall we go in?"
"Yes, unnie."
I held Jiyeon unnie's hand and headed toward the school's teachers' office. Once we passed through the main gate, I could feel countless students staring at me through the windows... Maybe because I had graduated from college, coming to a high school felt like an adult visiting a children's playground. It made me uncomfortable.
The teachers keep sneaking glances at me too... The male teachers quickly look away, but some of the female teachers stare fixedly...
Were they thinking, I'm a woman too, so there's no problem? I still don't like it... Physically, I'm a woman, but my mind hasn't changed as much, so I'm in some complicated state that's neither one thing nor the other... Do I look even younger because I'm holding unnie's hand...?
"Hello, I'm the older sister of the transfer student I contacted you about."
"Ah~ You've arrived. Please, have a seat."
The teacher who remained in the office seated unnie and me, did a little paperwork, and then helped get me settled.
"Your sister can leave now."
"Yes, please take good care of Jia."
Unnie said goodbye to me and left. So now I had to adjust to school all by myself...
"I heard the general details, but what illness did you have?"
"It's difficult to talk about the illness in detail... I was just sick for a while."
When I lowered my head weakly as I spoke, the teacher didn't ask any further questions... But the thought of the students surrounding me and bombarding me with questions already made me feel exhausted.
"I'll go in first and quiet the kids down, so come in when I call you, okay?"
"Y-Yes..."
The teacher went inside, and the noisy class grew a little quieter. So I was in second-year Class 3... There really were fewer students because of the low birth rate... They said even the largest class had fewer than twenty-five students.
*
Ms. Lee Mina was a little surprised when a woman whose appearance alone drew everyone's attention came in holding a student's hand and said she was there about a transfer. Since the shorter person was wearing a school uniform, she immediately realized, Ah, that's the transfer student, but...
Holy shit, what is up with the size of those breasts? Is she really a student?
Judging only by her breasts, Ms. Lee would have believed she was an adult, but her youthful appearance didn't match at all, which only made them stand out more. Jia's sister was quite large too... but her younger sister was even bigger...
While Ms. Lee was having such strange thoughts, she remembered once again that this student would be transferring into her class and proceeded with the final steps of the transfer. Since the transfer student had arrived while all the students were in their classrooms, the boys had apparently spread the rumor everywhere by shouting, 'A fucking gorgeous transfer student is here!!' The girls had only seen the transfer student through the windows, so they hadn't gotten a good look at her face, but they must have noticed that she was much larger than them. Since not every student was kind, Ms. Lee was worried that jealous girls might torment the transfer student with their words.
"All right, all right, let's be quiet, everyone. She is a transfer student, but what if she isn't in our class?"
"Come on~ Our class has the fewest students, so she must be coming here~"
"There must be a reason you haven't come into the classroom until now, right, teacher?"
The students clamored to see the transfer student as soon as possible.
"All right, all right, sigh... Transfer student~ Come on in~"
"Y-Yes..."
The transfer student entered with her shoulders hunched and her head lowered, and all the students fell silent at once.
She looks kind, but maybe because she was ill, she seems really timid...
Ms. Lee was extremely worried about whether the transfer student would be able to fit in with these energetic students.
*
"...I just have to introduce myself, right...?"
"Yes, you can just say your name."
It was embarrassing to say that I had been ill and had only just come to school... I would just say my name. Everyone was watching me, so I felt cold sweat running down my body, and I couldn't even speak properly...
"M-My name is Han Jia... I-I look forward to getting along with you..."
The students were very quiet, but the moment my greeting ended, they became noisy again. Then I briefly raised my head and... Huh? Choi Yu...na? Yuna, who had helped me when I got my period last time, was looking at me with a delighted, surprised expression, waving her hand wildly and calling, 'Jia!!'
"Jia was sick and couldn't come to school for a long time, so you all have to take good care of her, okay? Don't bully her."
"Yes~!"
The students barely seemed to hear the teacher's words, with every gaze focused on me.
"Oh my, you know Yuna? Then you should sit next to Yuna."
"Y-Yes..."
After that, I ended up sitting with Yuna in the window seat one row in front of the very back row.
"All right, everyone, quiet down. Class is starting now! And transfer student, borrow Yuna's textbook and read along."
"Y-Yes..."
My voice wouldn't come out very loudly. Maybe it was because I had spent my entire male school life being ostracized and bullied, but being the center of the students' attention was painful. Of course, I had been about twenty percent responsible for being bullied... Still, group ostracism and bullying had gone too far. Just as beating someone because they were a thief would still be illegal assault... That was a strange analogy. Never mind. Forget the past, Han Jia. You aren't Han Jihoon now; you're ’Han Jia‘.
"So your name was Jia? That's cute."
"Uh, well..."
"Why couldn't you tell me?"
"There were circumstances that made it impossible to tell you... The problem has been resolved, so I transferred here..."
Ugh... Don't come, break time. Once break time came, not only the students from Class 3 but also students from other classes who had friends in Class 3 would all swarm me and bombard me with questions. Ugh...! The lessons were a little difficult, perhaps because this was a school with high academic standards. At the school I attended, the teachers were grateful if the students merely sat quietly through class, so the lessons were easy and explained simply...
Even in college, I went to an engineering school where they practically told us the exam questions, so I never studied very hard...
"It's a little uncomfortable having to share the book, isn't it?"
"No, it's fine. Hehe..."
Maybe because my confidence had fallen, or because the lessons were difficult, I answered even Yuna's questions with a silly little "Hehe..." I could still feel people looking at me. The boys only glanced at me instead of staring openly, perhaps because they were afraid of the girls' reproach, while the girls pretended to listen to class and stared at me openly.
The current me feels awkward with both sides, and it's kind of strange...
I wish someone would help me... This seems like a pretty difficult school to get into, so please, everyone, pay attention to class...!
"I understand that you're curious about the transfer student! But everyone, let's listen to the lesson!"
Speak of the devil! As if the teacher had heard my silent plea for help, she made everyone focus on class. But that support didn't last long, because the bell signaling the end of class rang.
Gulp... This is nerve-racking.
I had no choice but to tense up as I listened to the bell. Once the teacher left the classroom, the students would swarm toward me like zombies during that ten-minute break, which could feel either long or short...!
"Don't bully the transfer student when she hasn't even been here for a full day yet~"
"Yeees~~"
The teacher left in response to the students' cheerful reply, and I lowered my head, wondering if Yuna might at least protect me.
"Um, where did you transfer from?"
"Your name was Jia, right? It's pretty too~"
"Wow, she's huge..."
"Did you take the bus to school?"
"Isn't it still cold? Your legs are pretty~"
A huge barrage of questions from countless girls came at me all at once. The boys had been pushed back by the girls and could only stare from behind them, but psychologically, I found the boys a little more comfortable than the girls. Since this was a school, it would be difficult for the boys to do anything to me, and high school boys were nearly adults who were close to finishing their growth, so they counted as men, right...?
"W-Well... Just one question at a time..."
"Everyone, Jia is having a hard time, so let one person ask one question at a time!"
Thank you, Yuna... If you hadn't been here, I think I might have fainted...
"Where did you transfer from?"
"I-I was sick for quite a long time... It's been a really long time since I was last at school..."
Once Yuna finished organizing the questions, I received one that flew at me. My head felt a little foggy, but I thought I had handled it fairly well under the circumstances.
"Um, what cup size are you? You're really big~"
One girl asked me quietly in a whisper. The other girls seemed curious too, swallowing audibly.
"W-Well..."
My face turned bright red, and I lowered my head deeply again without being able to say anything.
"I-It's a secret..."
When I said that, everyone began making a fuss, shouting, 'Aww~ She's cute~' as though it were the most delightful thing in the world. It was true that my appearance was cute, but... this was so embarrassing. Even though I was fully dressed, I felt as though I had been stripped naked...
"Huh? Come to think of it, Yuna, do you know Jia?"
"Yeah, I met her when I attended her university graduation ceremony as her representative."
Yuna squared her shoulders and answered the other student's question proudly, as if she were saying, 'Well? Aren't you jealous?'
"But we didn't really talk much, and since it was a graduation ceremony, we parted ways right after it ended."
"If Jia graduated from university... Does she have any siblings?"
Oh no, this was bad. Was it time for them to ask that now? How was I supposed to... how could I explain it? Should I just stammer, cover my flushed face with my hands, and brush it off?
"Um..."
I felt like I had to answer, but I couldn't, and a very serious, quiet voice came out of my mouth.
"Jia is having trouble, so I'll help her get settled into school first, then come back."
"Ah, yeah. We were pressing her too much."
Thank you, Yuna...! Perhaps accepting Yuna's words, the students returned to their seats and began clustering together and chatting.
"You said it's been a long time since you were at school, right? It must feel awkward. I'll show you around the school after third period."
"Yeah, thank you..."
After third period ended, I urgently needed to use the bathroom, so I held Yuna's hand and went there first. It was a clean bathroom that didn't smell at all, perhaps because the school spent quite a bit on cleaning. I had come to the bathroom holding hands with a girl... I had heard that girls at all-girls middle and high schools often did that, but it felt too awkward for me, perhaps because I had been a man, to confirm whether it was really true.
At least the stalls in the women's bathroom are all blocked off, while the partitions around the urinals in the men's bathroom are small... So should that be more embarrassing...?
Since my bladder had become considerably smaller after I got this body, I became really anxious whenever I needed to use the bathroom. If I held it in like I had when I was a man and had an accident, it would be a catastrophe... So I tried to go as soon as possible. After washing my hands and coming out, I noticed something surprising as Yuna showed me around the school. There were vending machines on every floor, and they had quite a variety of drinks and snacks.
There were drink vending machines, but snacks and treats too...?
It was interesting... I didn't know whether the facilities were good because this school was so nice, or whether the school had developed over the past five or six years... I wasn't sure whether having more variety in the vending machines was a good or bad thing, but being told not to eat something only made you want it more, especially at this age when kids got hungry so quickly.
If having them is a problem and not having them is also a problem, maybe it's better to have them...?
While I was being led along by Yuna's hand and worrying about various things, she stopped and turned to face me.
"And this is the changing room."
"So I come here before physical education class."
That much was common sense. If a school had a changing room, it was obviously for putting on gym clothes right before physical education class. Besides, the boys' and girls' changing rooms were clearly separated, and the walls looked quite thick, so there shouldn't be a problem.
"And this is the gymnasium! It's pretty big, so when it rains, several classes come here and use it together."
"Wow... It's really big..."
It looked a little bigger than the gymnasium at the university I had attended... Physical education, huh? Exercising with these huge breasts would be difficult, but would I be able to do it properly? If I had to choose between athletic ability and breasts, I would obviously choose breasts. If you wanted to reach a high level athletically, it was true that men had an advantage.
The version of me from before, a man who didn't exercise, was still sturdier and stronger than I am now...
That was where the difference became obvious. A woman who exercised seriously might be as strong as, or stronger than, a man who exercised a little... It was an unavoidable difference scientifically and genetically. Of course, there were people with extraordinary muscles because they had exceptional genes, but they weren't common, and visible muscle wasn't everything either.
"Jia, what kind of drink do you like?"
"Apple latte? Do you want to try this?"
Yuna took out my latte along with a chocolate-flavored drink. I had seen card payments a few times, so that wasn't especially surprising, but I was amazed by how large the drink vending machine at the school was.
"Do you want a snack too?"
Yuna asked while pointing toward the vending machine beside the drink machine.
"N-No, I'm fine... It's almost lunchtime..."
"True, right? Let's go back to the classroom now."
After looking around the school for a while, I held Yuna's hand and returned to the classroom, where the boys' gazes were intense. Ahem. My figure was pretty impressive, after all. If there was anything fortunate, it was that the ratio of boys to girls was almost even, so neither side overwhelmingly outnumbered the other. Looking around the classroom as I thought that, I didn't see many girls with especially impressive figures.
Jiyeon unnie really is incredible... The fact that I can even be compared to her means she's unbelievably large.
Besides, Korean students often went to bed at dawn because of night self-study and cram schools, then woke up without getting enough sleep... It was understandable that they turned out this way when they couldn't sleep at the proper time, their sleep schedules were ruined, and they couldn't eat properly. Students who actually wanted to study would study on their own, so forcing them to do it under the name of night self-study only made them hate it more...
"Huh? There are only two minutes left until lunch!"
A cellphone...? It seemed this school didn't collect phones either, only confiscating them temporarily from students who caused trouble. Had I brought my cellphone too...? Huh? Why had I brought the same phone I used before? I should have brought the new one...! My old phone was still registered under Han Jihoon's name, so it was difficult for me, Han Jia, to use it. Especially at a school where no one knew me at all.
I'll put my phone on silent and put it in my bag.
Fortunately, unnie had bought me a casual bag with enough room for a high school student. If I had chosen it, I definitely would have picked something in a dull, dark color, so I was glad it had various compartments. I put my phone in the perfect spot and switched it to silent.
"Let's go!!!"
When lunchtime began, several students rushed out ahead of everyone else. I suppose the lunch period was different for each grade here too... I slowly headed to the cafeteria with Yuna. It had only been a month since I graduated from university cafeteria meals, and now I was back to school lunches...
"Our school lunches are really good, Jia. You can look forward to them."
"Really? Okay, I'll look forward to it."
I smiled brightly at Yuna, and she smiled brightly back, apparently in a good mood too. The cafeteria was pretty big as well... I later realized that the food was unusually good, which was probably why the line was so long and it took a while to get our meals. There were some dishes on the menu that I didn't recognize, but they looked quite tasty.
Uh... I guess there's no way to avoid feeling people's eyes on me... Well, even when I walk slowly, everything sways quite a bit, so how could they not look?
It was like how people instinctively glanced into an open room when they passed by it. Honestly, I had done the same thing. Whenever I passed a place with the door open, my eyes naturally went that way. Ha... The problem was that it had been the administrative office. Of course, even at university, people looked into an open lecture-room door whether anyone was inside or not.
"Over there! There's an empty table! Let's go there, Jia."
"Okay."
I answered Yuna and moved with her, but there were exactly two seats left at the table, just enough for the two of us, and that was where the problem arose. A kid who had 'I'm a delinquent' practically written across him was glaring sharply in our direction.
"Hey, Choi Yuna. Who's that next to you?"
The kid picking a fight with Yuna clearly had an intense hostility toward her. Even I, who wasn't particularly perceptive, could immediately tell because he was practically radiating hostility. He was still just a high school student, one might say, but that only applied outside school. Inside school, a delinquent with charisma could be an extremely threatening presence.