Brief misgendering again.

"And here I thought you just wanted to take a bath," says Mondo in astonishment, peering into the secluded locker.

"This is a feat of technology that will change the world, Chi-chan!" Ishimaru nearly yells, pushing Mondo's head out of the way to get a better look.

"Her name's Alter Ego. I'm currently having her analyse the files that are stored on this laptop, but the encryption is pretty strong, so it'll take a while," she explains, unable to stop a small smile. "But you can talk to her if you want. You just have to type what you want to say."

She watches as Mondo's thick fingers hesitate over the keys, unused to interaction with computers. Her mirror image smiles out from the screen, blinking at natural intervals, waiting for input.

Finally, he decides on 'hi alter ego' for a greeting.

"Hello, Mondo-kun!" the computer chirps back. "Good evening, Ishimaru-kun, Mistress."

"Mistress?" Ishimaru raises an eyebrow.
"Yamada's gonna love this," Mondo mutters. He then pauses and turns to her. "Uh... assumin' you are planning on showing it to all the others. I mean, once she's analysed the files or whatever."

"Yeah, I'm planning on it. Go on, say something else to her."

'how ar you holdin up'

The face on the computer screen frowns, pauses a moment for processing, then says "Sorry, I don't understand."

"It's because you can't spell for peanuts," says Ishimaru, shoving him aside, "Let me type."

"Maybe I should have programmed her to account for non-conventional spelling," Chihiro frowns.

"Nah, don't worry about it." He scratches his neck and looks rather embarrassed. "Actually, I never really learned much about writin', so - I was just sorta winging it. Can't spell for shit, to be honest."

"We should teach you!" she realises. "You two are helping me get strong, so Ishimaru and I should help you improve your writing!"

"Excellent idea!" Ishimaru looks up from the lengthly dialogue he appears to be having with Alter Ego and claps his hands together. "Although I fear I'm now left out as the only one not being taught something. Hmm, well, I do have a great deal of worldly knowledge!"

"We could teach you not to be a total ass," Mondo suggests, putting him in a headlock, and Chihiro can't help but fall to the floor giggling.

She can't help but wonder how long this happiness will last.

Three days come and they go, and although tension is rising in some corners - Fukawa, in particular, seems to be distressed about something - murder doesn't appear to be on the cards. Monobear's irritation with this is extremely apparent; he appears far more frequently than usual, ranting about nonsense and trying to instigate trouble.

Finally, she wakes one morning in her room, easily pushing the heavy weight of Ishimaru's slumbering head off her lap, and becomes aware that the small envelope she had left on her table is gone.

Ah. So that time has come.

She hastily wakes both boys, shaking them with arms that are becoming less and less easily fatigued. The three of them hurriedly dress and exit, passing Togami in the hallway, who doesn't seem at all surprised to see the three of them come out of the same bedroom.

"Togami-kun," Ishimaru broaches, "I'm surprised to see you on your way to the breakfast meeting!"

"Nothing like that." He snorts. "It's the day of the secrets. I want to be around to see this."

Mondo gives her a worried glance sideways, biting his lip.

"Don't worry," she tells him easily. "I don't mind if people find out now. I know you two will protect me."

"Them biceps you got going on can protect themselves," he laughs. "You'll be brawling Oogami soon enough. But, uh..." The smile fades. "I'm a little worried about my damn envelope. Once you guys find out, it might... you might change your opinion of me."

She pats his hand as they walk into the dining hall together, and Ishimaru claps him on the back from the left. "We're with you," he assures Mondo.

"It's goNNA Be okay," she squeaks at him.
Pauses.
Reaches a hand to her throat.

What just... happened?

"My... voice is breaking." It's soft as a whisper, and she can make it come out meek and girlish this time.
...How long will that last?

The security of her prepubescent state has gotten her far enough in combatting dysphoria, but now she realises with a lurching stomach that those halcyon days are on their way out.

Mondo and Ishimaru stop walking and regard her with expressions combining worry and pity, and she can't stand those looks from them. In their eyes, she's still weak.

She rushes on ahead, blinking back tears, leaving them hand in hand in the corridor, bereaved and confused.

The dining hall is no better. Under the harsh white lights, the papers spread out on the table, each with a blunt message in large print, are too horribly apparent, and the eyes of its other occupants are all on her.

"Chihiro's a boy?"
Naegi's mouth shapes the words and she feels as if a weight of thirty tons hits her all at once.

How could she ever think she would be able to face this?

She is too afraid to speak in case her vocal cords betray her again; she cannot even deny it, what good would it do? They'll know soon enough. Out, damned testosterone! out, I say!

"No, she's not."

The voice is clear and strong.

"She's a girl."

They come up behind her like two tall pillars on whose weight she can collapse, the delinquent and the model student.

"She says she's a girl, so she's a girl," Ishimaru asserts again loudly, in case it didn't reach anyone's ears.

"And if anyone gives her any shit about it, she'll give them what for." Mondo threatens. He doesn't say we'll or I'll. He says that she'll defend herself.

She begins to cry like a baby and falls back into their supportive arms. "Sorry," she sniffles, wiping tears, "I'm sorry."

Looking up at the congregated students, they are still being met with wide eyes, but then Kirigiri gives a half-smile and turns back to the paper-laden breakfast table. "More importantly," she announces, as if this was a trivial distraction hardly worth mentioning, "There's troubling news about Fukawa."

Conversation resumes and she is no longer the topic.

The student life of mutual killing goes on.

Thanks for reading! This was my first multichap story and I became less and less happy with it as I went on, plus I had no plan (don't do that) so I kinda ended it in a rush, but nonetheless, people seemed to like it.