The winds of change blew through our secret garden once preparations for the school festival started. Riku and I used to head to my room as soon as school ended, but now there was meeting after meeting to discuss the café’s menu, decor, and costumes. As the leader of the menu group, I was required to attend all of them.
Riku and the rest of the decor group mostly worked outside. We often didn’t see each other until the school grounds closed. Even then, I usually had to do things like grocery shop or go to another group member’s house to test dishes we planned to serve, so we were like two ships passing in the night. Most days, Riku couldn’t come to my room at all. In light of that, I was only spending time with the boy version.
One Sunday in July, not long before the school festival, a number of students met at the house of our class representative, Sakura Chiaki. In addition to all the group leaders, some others attended, including Riku. We all updated each other on the progress of our projects and were relieved to learn everything was going according to plan.
After the meeting ended that afternoon, Riku asked me to come along so we could shop together at a department store near Odori Park. In early summer, that park hosted the lilac festival and Yosakoi Soran dance festival. When those kinds of events weren’t going on, it was just a place for people to come relax. The fountain’s refreshing water jets sparkled in the sunlight. As children, Riku and I used to play in the fountain, but we’d aged out of that activity a long time ago.
Riku was hunting for the lip gloss he’d had his eye on since talking with Iguchi-san. We’d been so busy prepping for the school festival, we hadn’t had time to look for it until now. We told the saleswoman at the cosmetics counter that I was looking for lip gloss, and she brought me several products to try.
Riku had something to say about each one.
“You might need a brighter color.”
“That looks good on you.”
“Why not try that shade too?”
The saleswoman showered him with praise like “You must really love your girlfriend!” It was obvious that I wasn’t very experienced with makeup, so she showed me some beginner tips while, from the sidelines, Riku took mental notes on her professional techniques. With a few final words of encouragement—“Your boyfriend will be happy if you keep practicing your makeup!”—she sent me off with a few free samples, which I promptly handed over to Riku.
For the first time in a while, we headed to my room. I barely had time to toss my backpack on my bed and get changed before Riku started on my makeup.
“I knew this was the right color for you,” he said, arranging his cosmetics and mirror on the folding table. I couldn’t even count the products in his collection; he probably had close to as many as a professional makeup artist. He started working on my face in a quick but careful manner, utilizing techniques he’d gleaned by watching the saleswoman.
“I wanted to get a different shade from Iguchi-san’s, to be honest. This one produces the best color, though. It could go with that tight skirt we bought a while back. As for your hair, I’ll try for a glossy look that’s not too curled.”
Although this was my room, Riku knew far more than I did about what was in the closet. He even picked out my underwear. “You don’t want any panty lines showing through the skirt.” He probably kept track of the smallest fluctuations in my size.
As he pulled out the clothes he wanted me to try, I asked hesitantly, “Is that all you’re going to do?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll finish your makeup later.”
“That’s not what I meant. What about you?”
My question finally reminded Riku that he was still dressed like a boy. He gave a slight gasp, grabbing a dress from my closest as I changed into my outfit.
Riku might’ve been an expert on my undergarments, but he didn’t wear bras himself, and it was always boxer briefs under his skirts. When he yanked off his T-shirt, he exposed a set of well-defined pectorals rather than breasts.
Riku got himself ready in much less time than it took to dress me up. He was just wearing his long black wig and light makeup—specifically, foundation and eye shadow. Still, it only took lipstick to transform the boy sitting before me into a woman who exuded a hint of sensuality.
He was just wearing a dress. It was one of his favorites, made from soft fabric with a wide hem. He’d paired it with bold-colored stockings that emphasized his long, shapely legs. Riku removed his hair religiously, so his arms and legs were perennially smooth.
“Yup. It doesn’t feel right unless I look fabulous too!” he said with a flirtatious giggle.
Nothing could stop Riku once he was like this. With even more gusto than usual, he used a curling iron to twist my hair into soft ringlets, then applied oil to give them a glossy sheen. Although he’d finished up my makeup, he didn’t seem satisfied, and kept waffling over which earrings I should wear. It was obvious how much he’d looked forward to spending time with me in our secret garden again.
Smiling, Riku showed me my face in the mirror. “That should do it. Look how beautiful you are now.” His gaze seemed intense, maybe because he was wearing less makeup than usual.
“You’ve outdone yourself again today, Riku.”
“Thanks.”
I did my own makeup from time to time, but I could never get my eyes to look as big as he could. It surprised me how different I looked just from Riku straightening out some of the natural waves in my hair. He usually stuck with cute styling that suited a high school girl, but he’d gone for a more adult look today to complement the new lip gloss shade.