Ranma of St. Bacchus, Chapter 39
By Chaos Orchid
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"Unfamiliarity is the enemy of habits! Don't loose your connection to them!"
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(she), (her), etc. are to indicate that while Ranma physically feels she is in a female body, psychologically (she) doesn't feel convinced she is female. Unparenthesized, it means her gender dysphoria has slipped down on her list of current concerns.
'She', 'her' means Ran's more accepting about being a girl.
She, her means she has fully embraced being a girl.
He(?), his(?), him(?) means he is mostly comfortable in the male body, but is uncertain about gender identity
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Still on 'her' way down to the ground, 'Ran' sensed something hurtling in 'her' direction! (Her) body twisted to avoid the thing! The thing was a person. He hit the wall between the windows of the second floor. Landing, 'Ran' watched Kodachi's brother slowly slide down onto the ground and lay there. The school's sirens and his groans mixed.
'She' stepped closer and asked, "What happened?"
"*Groan* My goddess, Diana descended to Earth, refused to claim her victory…once more."
"A goddess?" A kami!?
"I compare her to a goddess for such is the reverence I hold for her." Finding strength, he rolled over. Seeing the face of the redhead, he smiled, "My Venus!"
(She) quickly stepped back, "I ain't your nothin'!" 'She' turned away from him, looking, "Maybe Diana'll give me a warm-up spar before my battle." 'She' hadn't had a good spar for too long!
"She may no longer be by the gate. Her sister, one Tendō Nabiki…"
"Nabiki?(!) Akane's not her only sister?"
He hadn't finished his sentence before, now he couldn't even start one, as girls in their Sunday best rushed towards him, "He has status!" ; "Win against him and we win a date!" ; "And Kodachi will hate it!" ; …
'Ran' left him to his fate. Better him than her. Worse? The Boy.
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To look for Diana, 'Ran' intended to land on top of the wall that surrounded the school grounds. Then 'she' sensed danger! Not knowing how (her) body did it, she skipped on air over the steel bar almost hidden in a slot in the wall. But the obi of her yukata brushed against the bar. It immediately crackled with electricity while shooting up a lattice of steel out of the toaster-like slot!
Clueless, 'she' paused in the street to look at what could have and could happen to her in the future. "I guess if they kept the electric fence up all the time, Hebereke'd look like a prison.
"In a way, it is."
The sirens continued and guards headed for the wall. On the other side. Their job wasn't to protect the students from each other, but from outsiders. The girl outside of the wall didn't seem like a student or threat in her yukata done up like a saotome, a rice paddy girl.
'She' looked away, "Now, where did the Tendō sisters go?"
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"I am quite disappointed in you, Akane!" The eldest sister continued walking, eyes focused away.
"I'm sorry, Kasumi!" her little sister pleaded, following as if carried in a slipstream.
Nabiki and their father were in the wakes, also feeling anxious. "Daughter! I am sure Akane will not attempt to trespass any more." Tendō Rule #1: Do not make Kasumi angry.
Nabiki, "It wouldn't have happened if she had gone to where she was supposed to!"
Kasumi, "It was a good thing Kunō-sama accompanied you, Nabiki."
Akane still pleaded to be understood, "It was a habit– a reflex: Kunō went in front of a gate!"
Nabiki, "Come, let's all have a light meal and calm down. Le Goûter is on Kunō-baby."
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The organizer journal and PDA were back in the dorm room, but 'Ran' remembered the map to the kendō club. 'She' felt it was the Boy who feared forfeiting the fight. Any fight. It was a stubbornness too strong for 'her' to resist.
How was 'she' to get there? On the other side of the street was something rare for Greater Tokyo. Japan had one of the greatest public transit systems in the world. Yet there was a public parking lot, with nearly half the spaces taken with luxury cars and limousines for the Sunday visitors. There were maybe fifty. The Boy wanted to rooftop hop on worst offenders. This 'she' could resist. …almost: (She) leapfrogged over them – hating what the stops and goes, jolts and pulls did to (her). Though 'she' did admit, they could have been worse.
A Mercedes-Benz annoyed the Boy the most. It gleamed in the sun. 'She' thought 'he' would impulse 'her' to jump on it. 'She' barely missed it.
'She' was startled by a chauffeur (she) startled! 'She' discovered why the car was exceptionally clean. He had been using a pressure washer.
Hot water sprayed onto 'Ran'!
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Nabiki lead them to a park. Kodaira Central City Park was full of cherry trees in bloom. "Beautiful," Kasumi said. "I've always loved sakura." Nabiki, Akane and their father visibly relaxed as she did.
"Ah, yes!" Sōun smiled determinedly. "It is the season for hanami, flower viewing. Knowing my daughter, Nabiki, I am sure she has provided all of the picnic paraphernalia and bento boxes." Then he forced a laugh, "No alcohol, though. My daughters are not old enough to partake!" His shoulders slumped, *Sigh*
Nabiki, "As I told Akane, this is Le Goûter, the mid-afternoon break similar to British teatime. It is really nothing much more than your average drinks and simple snacks. But it has a French name and I'm serving it aux Français. That was my honey to catch the fly named Kunō to see the showdown between the only two girls who have defeated him."
Akane, "Showdown!(?) That sounds like I want Kunō! Yamada can have him."
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A second later, the chauffeur remained startled! The switch-out of bodies from female to male had been so quick, there was no chance for him to have realized it hadn't been a teen boy who had first surprised him!
Unused to being out of days' storage, it took a moment more for the change to register in 'Ran's' now male brain. And in that moment, the chauffeur went from surprised to angry: He turned the pressure washer on the upstart youngster at full force! 'Ran's' trained reflexes kicked in and he(?) escaped damage before the moment was over.
He(?) came to his(?) full senses in front of the school gate. (drip drip drip) His(?) first thought was, he(?) had to get cold water or he(?) would forfeit! That would be no problem. (drip drip) Just leap over the wall, avoid the guards, (drip) ….
Kodachi's brother was battling to reach the gate, using all of his wooden sword skills to fend off a horde of Bacchus girls.
'Ran' turned and ran away. "It shouldn't be hard to find cold water," he(?) said in a voice he(?) didn't remember.
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On top of an island of leveled flooring was a (Fromberg) dining table and chairs with a simple tablecloth. On it were servings of fruit, nuts, cheese, bread and butter. "What would guests of the Noble Master wish to drink?" the ninja manservant inquired. "There's tea, coffee or grape juice."
"Grape juice!?" Sōun brightened.
("Grown in Japan, and, so, of an expensive vintage!")
"It's not wine, Daddy," Nabiki told him, sitting down. When the rest hesitated, "Kunō is paying. I expect him to be on time for the Showdown. Or so he vowed."
("You do not know of his whereabouts?")
"Oh, my, shouldn't we wait for our host before eating?" Kasumi still hesitated.
("Perhaps I should attend to Master Kunō that he may make his appointment?")
"Look what we have to eat. I think we can resist the temptation. I would just rather sit on a chair than the grass."
("I leave for now, honored guests. …Not that you care that I have.")
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While he(?) was running, he(?) remembered his…'her' magic shoulder bag. Only to remember (she) had taken it off while the yukata was being pinned up. There would be no prestidigitation bottle of water. "Stupid!" In the four days of memories 'she' had, he(?) had replaced (her) for only a minute or two in tops. 'She' wasn't really prepared to be suddenly stuck in him(?) – and too soon after she(?) had been cured of the hair curse.!
She(?)?
Later! First: Cold water! He(?) runs to fights, not away! Only
–Man! Having his(?) dick and balls trapped inside the cloth of the C-string, pushing against its wire frame was distracting. But he(?) was sure he(?) had put up with worse forgotten aches and pains.
Though less, it was great not being distracted by pururin boobs and ass and their aches and pains!
The map said a park was only blocks away. And then there was a playing field and a public gymnasium. Behind those was the Kodaira City Central Park Kendō Dōjō.
Hey! All of them would have public sports clothes he(?) could use, wouldn't they(?)! He(?) would have to feel more like a man when he(?) was in proper men's clothes! Guys wore yukatas, but never flowery, red ones!
His(?) mind had visions of a baseball uniform, tank top, a kendōgi!
But none with him(?)self in them. He(?) still didn't know what he(?) looked like. He(?) could and did look down past a chest without a rack, at muscular legs that appeared below the openings at the hips, and at athletic arms from above the elbows down. If he(?) patted him(?)self, he(?) could feel the pecs, abs, and the junk that he(?) could feel from the inside. But he(?) couldn't see what his(?) face looked like!
He(?) shook his(?) head: The battle! Now that he(?) had no problem being a guy, he(?) would come back to him(?)self when…
…when 'she' could…would…
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A strip of woods and a path across it. A street of apartments, houses and a couple of vending machines. But 'Ran' had no money. There was a machiya, a house with a shop on the ground floor. Again: no money. Well, he(?) didn't really need to buy anything. Or 'her'.
Then the park. And it's trees full of sakura. It was spring. He(?)..., uh, 'she' had been so caught up in dealing with a totally new life from a forgotten life, (she) hadn't thought of what season it was. He(?) was glad it wasn't the humid season yet. 'She' would be, too.
Remembering 'her' too often, he(?) was in no hurry to find a drinking fountain. Looking at the shadows, he(?) saw that he(?) had an hour to the battle. Enough time to enjoy a hanami …without the food(!) Well, the large lunch did mean he(?) probably didn't have to worry about the Reservoir. No – again: 'she' wouldn't. It was (her) battle.
He(?) wandered, looking up at the soft pink infused white clusters of petals with no distracting green of leaves,
then he(?) would bring his(?) head down, throwing blows at the tops of moving shadows before he(?) even saw them.
Letting the shadowboxing opportunity pass, his(?) returned his(?) gaze above…
Rapid shadows: One, Two, Three– "Noa?!"
Noa stumbled on hearing her name. "Who?" A black-haired boy was holding up fists! She held up her gulf bag full of weapons.
Four: "Saotome!" Mao tittered, recognizing the yukata.
"Yuna! You didn't even notice!" Junko teased, turning.
"I am a marksman, not a scout," Yuna grumbled, also turning.
Mao, "You clean-up good!" Then she added, "Almost."
"Ye, yes," Noa flushed.
"And to think we've been hiding you," Junk grinned, scanning the body.
Yuna, "I thought you would remain female. I could have brought my makeup case."
'Ran', "Why would I…." Then he(?) knew: His(?) hands went up to his(?) face and felt the sprinkles of crystallines 'she' had sort of gotten used to.
Junko, "Don't worry about it."
Mao wanted to smile, "Too much!"
Yuna, "The dye makeup is for the daytime, and light."
'Ran', "I need to see my face! If I look like a…"
Tendō Akane, "Look at that strange boy over there. He has a harem!"
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NOTES:
In a now simple do, the red hair could now be mistaken for a red cloth covering by guards not paying enough attention
"Tendō Rule #1" is true. According to canon manga Chapter 346. "Kasumi Gets Mad". Everybody is fearful, waiting for her to explode in righteous anger!
This being an alternative Earth, Kodaira is somewhat different from ours. There is a Kodaira City Central Park. I'll let you figure out the differences from there on a map