Chapter 11 – Secrets at Mecchen House

Part of me still doubted the idea as soon as I’d said that. Katsumi had all but assumed that was the case. We sat down on the couch and looked at the recipe a few more times. I picked up a cup of tea and sipped it lightly. We couldn’t find anything else useful.

Ms. Ishida clutched her hands together. “Who do you think could be responsible?”

I wet my lips with the tea. I gave a small, cute cough. I didn’t actually feel like I was talking through helium. That implied something was changing my voice. This was my voice. It still didn’t quite feel like mine though. I wondered if I’d get used to it. Jamie didn’t seem too upset about it after belting out a song.

However, our voices had been changing subtly all the time we’d been here. I had to wonder though why none of us had the urge to leave earlier. To any normal group of guys, it would’ve been a no-brainer, you leave and figure it out on your own. Yet, somehow, something was drawing us to this place. I received the ad for the rooms before it was supposed to be available. What if whoever had given me that flyer was the same one responsible for all of this? Did that mean one of these girls was responsible?

I looked Ms. Ishida in the eye. She was one possibility. It was her flyer. She was the only one here when we showed up. She seemed to sense us before we’d said anything. She gave us the things which we took with us. What if they were tainted? And then the books she had. Did that mean her reaction just now was merely a performance?

Tara came to mind next. There were some things about her that stuck in my mind. She had the same inklings about me and Katsumi as Ms. Ishida did. And she sometimes expressed these odd phrases and sayings which seemed out-of-place. What if she wasn’t from this world? Could she be a traveler between worlds who drew us in as well? Was she a child-Goddess with unintentional abilities? I didn’t have much to go on there.

Only Nana seemed like the one who could have a genuine case made and Jamie had already made it quite distinctly. And the photos in the album and in the hall were curious. It was enough to make me wonder, but not enough to really be suspicious. Setting her aside though, I had to ponder other possibilities.

Mami just didn’t seem like the sort unless she had some particular monetary gain in turning us into girls. Perhaps she’d just bought stock in a feminine-products company and needed a greater valuation? Long-shot. I couldn’t make any sort of case for Mami, but then I didn’t know her that well yet. I’d have to talk to her more.

It was the same for Miki. If I was making a list of likely suspects, I’d have to put her near the very bottom of it, by association alone.

Lower on my list was Ami. I could never believe she would do anything to us maliciously, and nothing about her said she wanted us as girls. Far from it. But I had to wonder if she was harboring secrets.

Of course, I acknowledged that my opinion of her was biased, but I counted her among my allies, especially after what Tara said. Sumi unsettled me, but that was hardly enough. I doubted that it upset her much that we were changing like this.

Various theories about collusion between girls filled my head, and none of them really seemed to work together. Katsumi and Sumi would involve too much groping. Tara and Ms. Ishida would be impossible unless it was to read a new book. Reiko and Nana would require telepathic communication.

Except for her treatment of Jamie, I had just about nothing to go on when it came to Reiko. She was even more mysterious than Nana, and even seemed so to the others in Mecchen House. But Ms. Ishida spoke well of her. Reiko and Sumi suddenly popped into my head. They did have a close association, and they stayed in the same room a lot. Sure, there were other explanations, but I needed to keep that possibility in mind.

Saving Katsumi for last, I expected to have a lot to ponder. But all I could think about was how she seemed staggered by the sound of my voice. Katsumi of doubt, Katsumi of concerns. Another part of me wondered, Katsumi of guilt? I wasn’t sure what to think.

Unless they were all somehow ‘in’ on it, I’d exhausted all the rational possibilities to explain this recipe note. I sipped a bit more of the tea. I inserted a cough to fill the long silence, since Ms. Ishida’s question, with something.

I seemed to cough a little too much because I instantly felt an odd headache and disconnect. I felt around for any physical changes, but everything was the same as before. Ms. Ishida put a hand on my shoulder and, speaking softly, I finally answered, “I’m sorry. I really have no idea who it could be. I do wonder if it could be one of the people here, but I have no real evidence about one over any other. Nana is the closest I can imagine, and that’s just due to oddity and a few small things.”

At that moment, Nana walked over, wearing a long, pink apron over her school uniform. Her eyes slipped between me and Ms. Ishida. “Was I called? Supper is ready to be served, Ms. Ishida.”

I felt hot. I was sure I sported a telling, red-shaded face. Nana kept her deep, sea-like eyes on me. I held the slip of paper containing the recipe up to her. She took it from my hand and I explained, “We found that in the books from the library. Were they in the books when you borrowed them?”

“No.”

Okay. Jamie would want me to cover the bases in case of too-vague questioning. I then asked, “Did you put these in them?”

“Yes.”

That perked my eyes up. “You did? Do you know what it means?”

“It is from a copy of a recipe.”

Wow, we were getting somewhere fast now. “Is it your recipe?” Probably too obvious for a question.

“No. It is not my recipe.”

“Did someone else give it to you?”

“I found it.”

“Why did you put it in the books?”

“To leave a mark.”

That actually went a ways to making this all out to be just a case of wastepaper and all my theories into grasping at straws. The all-important question came next though. “Where did you find the recipe?”

“It was a copy from another book.”

Nana sure seemed to have the answers we were seeking. I felt like I was getting close to something. “Where is the book?”

“I do not know.”

“What was the book?” I wasn’t going to let this go. I needed to get something out of it.

“Hitomi’s book.”

Nana’s eyes stared right at me. I just had to blink. I coughed and asked her, “Who is Hitomi?”

“Hitomi… is my friend.”

Okay… well, Nana has friends beyond Mecchen House, at least.

“Alright. And she had this book?”

“Has.”

That was encouraging. “Where is Hitomi?”

“I cannot say precisely.”

I knew this was just going to lead into vague fumbling, so I asked, “Does she live far away? Nearby?”

“Yes.”

“To which?”

“To both.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My understanding is also limited.”

At least we were in the same boat. Where did that leave us? Nana’s friend was both near and far with a book containing this suggestively-cryptic recipe.

My every effort to learn more about this so-called ‘Hitomi’ was met with ever-more twisting and befuddling answers. Ms. Ishida knew nothing about her. Eventually, in exasperation, the only possibility which made sense came out of my mouth, “Is Hitomi real, or did you just imagine her?”

For a moment, I thought I was going to receive another slap like Katsumi had given me. But Nana didn’t appear flustered or troubled at all. She just looked to Ms. Ishida and said, “If there is anything else you need, I will be in my room for a few minutes. Then, I will return to finish cleaning up.” She turned her eyes on me and added, “I am sorry I could not be of greater help.”

[Nana art by MysticSwordsman, who also did Mayu's art from Anime of You]

Nana’s stride looked a little quicker than her typical gait. I rubbed my forehead. All I had to do now was make Miki cry, and my work would be complete. Ms. Ishida put a hand on my shoulder and said, “There’s a lot which we don’t know about her. We think that she lost someone close to her, but no one knows for sure. I’ve known a few Hitomis in my life, but I doubt any of them are this Hitomi.”

Now I really wanted to hit myself. It made sense though. If Hitomi passed on, then she could very well be near and far away at the same time. But how did it work out that she had a book? Was Nana transposing things she’d done onto a deceased loved one? Where could the book be then? Was it all just in her imagination? Was that the explanation for the girl in the photos? Could that girl be someone related to her? A much-older sister? Her mother?

I couldn’t make much sense of it. Ms. Ishida gave me a gentle look and said, “Come on. You should have something to eat. The answers to all this will reveal themselves in time. Would you like me to call your friends down?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’ll go get them.” I stuffed the slip of paper back into my pocket.

I certainly didn’t expect what I found when I slid open the door to Tara’s room. I probably should’ve knocked like before, but I figured they were expecting me. What I saw reached a level of cute I barely thought possible.

Stuffed animals were placed all around Jamie, who was made up with cat-ears, silk, and makeup of a soft, complementary color which really accented the tone of his cheeks. Cosplay adorned him, supplemented by magical girl adornments. Nathan was similarly made-up. His hair was put into curls and bows. Tara sure did fast work, quicker than even Katsumi could boast.

Tara twirled around and winked at me. “Hehe! Wanna be next? Kellllly’s gonnnnaaaa be aaaa cute giiirl! You gotta wear the outfit for Juri-chan! It’d look so perfect with your hair.”

My head was spinning. When I tried to speak, Tara immediately caught on that my voice had changed too and declared I had to do karaoke.

I changed the topic to the new dress-up. Jamie didn’t look too upset. He smirked and said, “She tricked me into doing it.”

Tara stuck out her tongue and Jamie stuck out his too. “Nuh-uh! You agreed. I just said, ‘But it would be so cuuuute!  And it would make me happy.  Pleeeeeease? For me?’ And you said yes.” The look Tara gave had wider-than-usual eyes and a pleasing, child-like appearance. Her gaze even seemed to sparkle with the beginnings of tears. I could see how that look would be hard to resist.

Apparently, it started innocently. They talked about the librarian, and they talked about what she was wearing. I couldn’t remember myself, but it led to Tara revealing her PYHG cosplay collection and wanting to have Jamie sing as the main character. And that, of course, led to Nathan joining in as the shy girl in the anime, the girl who was supposed to take Yumeko back to her homeworld or something. Nathan actually took a good deal more convincing than Jamie did to wear the outfit. The makeup and the rest were a different matter. Jamie fussed about that. He wiped his face and noted, “It was just to complete the look.”

I gave Jamie a grin. “Like this, huh?”

I expected him to return the grin with his typical glare, but Jamie fussed with the outfit then said, in a soft tone, “It’s no worse than what Katsumi did, only Tara does it a heck of a lot better. It’s not as though I’ve never worn a skirt before. I have a Scottish uncle, after all. I just have no interest in Katsumi’s way of doing it. Tara has my permission to dress me up… to a point.”

Tara beamed at me about that. “It’s for play! I’m gonna make sure it’s tons of fun for all.”

I rubbed at my lip and asked, “What if any of us, say myself, were dressed up and got upset and irritated over it, and we felt dismal and disconsolate? What would you do?”

Something flashed in Tara’s eyes. Her lips, before always slightly-curled with a playful look, seemed as though someone had cut a deep frown into them. She looked to be in pain. She hugged herself. “I couldn’t do that. Poor poor Mildred. No. I’d rip you out of them if they truly hurt you.”

Wait. What was ‘Mildred’? I questioned Tara about that, and she seemed perplexed. She chewed on her lip a little and then decided, “I saw it on a TV show.” She didn’t seem particularly convinced of that, but seeing as this was lowering her spirit, I decided to change the topic and mention that dinner was coming soon.

It was a quick recovery. She darted up and asked, “Oh! What is it?”

I wasn’t sure, so she bolted out of the room to go check for us and round everyone up for the meal. With her gone, the room seemed to lose some of its brilliance. I looked to Jamie and asked, “Well?”

He pulled at the shoulder of his outfit.

“What?”

I pointed to his attire.

“Well, it’s not as if she gave me boobs or did anything serious. She’s just a little girl having some fun. I can’t begrudge her that.”

“Since when did you care? What about what’s happening to us?”

“By the way, your voice is very much you. But it annoys me you got off with such a normal-sounding voice.”

At least Jamie wasn’t completely changed. After he’d said his piece about my voice, he stood and stepped away from the cuteness surrounding him. The outfit was clearly feminine but not so much it looked ridiculous on him. He brushed it gently and said, “Well, I mean, this is not the first time she’s given me cat ears. The outfit isn’t that bad. Not so bad I mind it. And it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve laughed in the face of something. I actually consider it good luck. I did have a moment when it creeped me out to hear this voice and see this outfit and feel all this on my face. But it wasn’t that bad. I dunno. Maybe my ‘what-the-heck?!’ filter got smacked too many times. So, how’d things go with you and the Gender-Change Witch?”

“Gender-Change Witch?”

“Katsumi. I’ve got tons of those. The Boy Skirter, Girl Machine, and Queen of the Tampons are my favorites. I figure she’d kill me if I used them, so you’re welcome to have those. If you survived what you said before, then you’re sure to survive using those nicknames in front of her.”