Chapter 3: An Evening With Mihari

"Mahiro-chan? Mahiro-chan, are you awake?" a voice called out.

Mahiro let out a yawn and slowly opened her eyes. She could see Mihari's face directly in front of her. As her eyes fully opened, Mihari began to smile.

"Oh thank goodness." Mihari exclaimed. "I thought something bad might've happened or something, but it seems you just got overwhelmed looking through all the happy moments of our lives and fell asleep."

"What?" Mahiro asked.

All of a sudden, Mahiro remembered everything that happened. She remembered seeing the photo album, as well as the horrifying revelation that she was trapped in a world where she had grown up as Mihari's little sister. Seeing Mihari in her high school uniform only cemented the feeling of terror that accompanied that revelation. Mahiro began to panic again and backed up on the couch, intent on getting as far away from this stranger as possible.

Mihari became confused at Mahiro's reaction.

"C'mon sis," she said. "What's gotten into you today?"

"Stay away from me." Mahiro yelled. "This is just way too overwhelming."

Mihari remained silent for a few moments and looked very puzzled. She then brought back her smile and began to move in closer.

"Oh, I get it." she said. "You must be feeling overwhelmed again. Well, I know what'll make it all better."

Mahiro leered in terror as Mihari outstretched her arms and continued to lean in close.

"Oh, this is it." Mahiro screamed internally. "This is how I die. At the hands of a stranger who looks just like my little sister."

Mahiro closed her eyes to prepare for death, only to feel a warm embrace come over her instead. Opening her eyes, she realized that Mihari was hugging her again, just as she had done this morning. As much as Mahiro was confused, that feeling was dissipated by the comforting feeling that accompanied the hug. Mahiro stopped trying to fight it and closed her eyes to take it all in. She couldn't help but smile as she felt so close to Mihari.

"She may not be my Mihari, but this feels so good coming from her. I just wish my sister back home could be this affectionate with me. It feels nice having such a loving onee-chan."

As Mihari broke off the hug, she noticed that Mahiro appeared to have tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Mihari asked.

"I'm sorry." Mahiro answered. "It's just, this feels so nice. I don't think I've ever felt as close to you as I just did."

"What are you talking about, Mahiro-chan?" Mihari asked. "We do this all the time. I've been doing it with you ever since you were born."

Mahiro looked down and remained silent for a few seconds. She soon looked back up.

"Onee-chan," Mahiro said. "Do you believe in the existence of alternate worlds?"

Mihari was a bit startled by the question, but it was nonetheless one that she could answer easily.

"How so?" she asked.

"Well," Mahiro continued, "in the sense of multiple worlds existing that are similar but also different in key aspects. For example, worlds where certain paths stemming from choices diverged in opposite directions, or where someone you know acts in a completely different way from what you consider to be ordinary. Even worlds where your sister goes to a different school, or you yourself were born as a boy instead of a girl."

"Mahiro-chan," Mihari said. "I understand what you're saying. But why are you telling me all this? What does this have to do with anything?"

Mahiro closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"If I'm gonna come out and say it, I have to do it all in one shot. Just like ripping off a band-aid."

"Mihari, I'm not the Mahiro you're familiar with." Mahiro said.

"What?" Mihari asked.

"As hard as it may seem to believe, I come from a much different world than this. I just woke up this morning and found myself here. At first I wasn't even aware that this wasn't my world, but I came to this conclusion after seeing a great deal of differences in many of the people I typically interact with, you included."

Mihari was a bit taken back by this. How could anything possibly be different, especially on her?

"Wait a sec." she said. "I did my daily routine today just as I always do. How am I different from the way that you remember me?"

"Your school uniform is a dead giveaway for starters." Mahiro exclaimed.

"Huh? My uniform?" Mihari asked.

"Yes." Mahiro said. "My Mihari wears a uniform of her own, but you can hardly call it a uniform. It's better described as a certain outfit that you wear every single day because you hate wearing anything different. Plus, it's definitely not a high school uniform since you're no longer in high school."

"Wait, slow down." Mihari said. "How can I not be in high school anymore?"

A look of worry flashed across her face.

"I'm not some good-for-nothing dropout am I?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Mahiro said. "The simple fact is that you skipped over most of high school to go straight to college. For the last two years, you've been doing biology and chemistry research at the university. To see you wearing a school uniform again is almost surreal to me."

Mihari leaned back in shock. This was a lot for her to take in.

"College? Skipping grades. What could this all mean?"

Mihari began shaking her head repeatedly.

"There's no way that could be me. What reason could I possibly have for giving up my entire high school life just to become an adult earlier?"

This comment left Mahiro genuinely surprised. It seemed like this version of Mihari had a few things different about her as well.

"That's a bit more complicated." Mahiro explained. "It mainly has to do with me."

"You?" Mihari asked.

"Yes." Mahiro answered. "Now Mihari, what I'm about to say might be a bit unbelievable but-"

"Just tell me already." Mihari interrupted. "It can't be any more shocking than what you've already told me."

"I sincerely doubt that." Mahiro thought to herself.

"Okay, here it is." Mahiro said. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You don't have a younger sister in the world that I come from, only an older brother. That older brother is me."

Mihari's face contorted into a shocked expression, but she remained silent.

"I know that it may seem weird that your so-called older brother can slip into the role of a younger sister so easily. The only reason for it though is because I've had a body just like this for the last several months as a result of your research."

Mihari remained deathly still. One could almost believe that she was a statue based on how she appeared at that moment.

"You… mean…?" Mihari squeaked out.

"Yeah." Mahiro answered. "You skipped high school and went to college early for the sole purpose of developing a drug to turn me into your younger sister, and you succeeded."

Upon hearing this. Mihari's eyes started to spiral. She couldn't focus on anything. The idea of this was too much for her to process. Just like Mahiro, she fell backwards on the couch and passed out.

"Mihari!" Mahiro cried out.

Fortunately, this brief fainting episode only lasted a few minutes. When Mihari started to come too, Mahiro ran to the kitchen and brought her a glass of water. Mihari eagerly drank the entire contents of the glass and set it on the table. As she tried to center herself, a million questions were racing through her head. She would just have to deal with them one at a time and try to piece this together.

"Thanks for that." Mihari said.

"Don't mention it," Mahiro replied, "it was my fault after all. It does showcase one key difference between you and my Mihari. If I ever do something nice for her without her asking first, she immediately starts bawling. She can be such a crybaby sometimes, but I know that it's only because she cares."

"I can imagine." Mihari said. "Still, it's a bizarre thought that I, or rather another version of me, would actually do something like this. Did she ever give a reason why she would put you through this?"

Mahiro remained silent for a few seconds while looking at the floor.

"Well," Mahiro answered, "it's a long and complicated story."

"We got time." Mihari said. "I want you to tell me everything. Don't worry, I believe that what you're saying is the truth. The Mahiro I know isn't nearly creative enough to come up with a story like this."

Mahiro proceeded to walk Mihari through the entire story of how she was turned into a girl. She mentioned how she used to care for Mihari as much as any older brother would, but how as time went on Mihari's success made her feel inferior which led to her isolating herself in her room for several years. Mahiro also mentioned how Mihari wanted to help her, and came up with the idea of the feminization drug as a way to force her out of her comfort zone and give her a chance to have a second go-around in life with a new perspective. She mentioned how she met Kaede and Momiji, and later Asahi and Miyo. She also mentioned how Mihari had re-enrolled her in middle school, and how she now attended with her friends and made many new ones in the process.

To cap it off, Mahiro added how the drug's effects were only temporary and how she would need additional doses to remain as she was, mentioning the one or two embarrassing incidents where her true identity was nearly exposed to her friends. Mihari was particularly interested in the last part, mainly how Mahiro would willingly choose to stay a girl over changing back. As she usually did, Mahiro claimed how she loved her new friends too much to change back right now, while still declaring that she would eventually turn back someday.

As she finished telling the story, Mahiro could tell that Mihari was listening intently. She was processing everything that had just been told to her, and was trying to come to a logical conclusion in her head.

"Guess that even here, Mihari has a scientific mind that just can't be turned off." Mahiro thought to herself.

Mihari placed her hands on her lap and closed her eyes.

"Well, Mahiro-chan." Mihari said. "I've listened to your story. And I only have one thing to say about all of it."

"Okay," Mahiro said, "and what's that?"

"This other version of me is out of her mind." Mihari replied.

"Whaaat?" Mahiro thought to herself. "I figured that she alone would be the one to understand where my Mihari was coming from."

"I mean, I can understand that she wanted to help her older brother rejoin the ranks of society, but there are other ways of doing so that aren't so sick. Support groups, interventions, serious psychiatric counseling. What's worse is how much she gave up for it. High school has been one of the best times in my life, and this other version of me deliberately skipped it just to do this of all things. I'm trying to understand what could be going through her mind, but I can't even begin to fathom it. I'm amazed that you didn't completely break after she did this to you."

"To be honest, I almost did." Mahiro explained. "It was a radical adjustment indeed. In hindsight though, I am grateful for some of the good things that came out of it. I take better care of myself, I'm much closer to Mihari than I ever was before, and I not only have friends, but they accept me for exactly the way I am. Being a girl is a bit tough, especially since I had to give up certain things like playing eroge games and now have to deal with that certain time of the month that all women suffer through, but the payoff far outweighs the pitfalls. It sucks that you can't fathom what was going through her head. I guess that not everything can remain the same between worlds after all."

"That's another thing that's been bugging me." Mihari said. "The idea of someone's mind inhabiting a counterpart of themselves from another universe is something I can't wrap my head around. I mean, how would it even work. Such logic is beyond my level of reasoning."

"Well, I think I could at least partially explain it to you." Mahiro said.

"You could?" Mihari asked.

"Yeah," Mahiro replied. "I'll draw it out. It'll be easier to explain that way."

Mahiro got up, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"Wait a minute. Didn't you say that you had something to do tonight that would keep you out until later?"

"I called up Kaede and canceled our plans when I found you passed out." Mihari answered. "Even if you're not the Mahiro I've come to know my entire life, you're still close enough that I can't leave you when you clearly need someone there to comfort you. What kind of onee-chan would I be if I just left you alone?"

Mahiro smiled a bit. It was so nice having a version of Mihari that was so caring. Her own Mihari cared about her as well, but there was something truly nice about the level of care that this Mihari gave. She reminded Mahiro of Kaede in many ways.

Getting back on track, Mahiro looked around for where she had previously dropped her bag. Once she had it, she took out a pen along with her notebook and flipped the latter open to an empty page. Using the pen, she drew a single line from the top of the page to the bottom.

"Okay," Mahiro spoke, "let's say that this line represents the flow of reality and time from a single perspective. Based on what we experience, the idea is that all events that are supposed to occur happen in a specific way represented by the line. Some call it destiny or fate, while others may not believe in such things. As a result, it stands to reason that alternate routes that would involve slightly altered events would ultimately branch out from the original route at specific moments that represent different decisions and choices. These realities could all follow the pathway of the original line until the point of divergence, after which they branch out and follow different routes."

Mahiro drew several curved lines extending out from the lower half of the first line at various points.

"This is the most common way that one can think about alternate realities." Mahiro continued. "However, what most people fail to consider is that this type of branching and intersecting happens both ways."

Mahiro drew a single point on the left side of the page.

"It is suggested that some realities may be so different from the ones that we're familiar with that they could start out at completely different points. However, it is also possible that these different realities could still by chance end up at or near the same points as our own."

As Mahiro said this, she drew a single line from the point that crossed over the first line. Afterwards, she drew a branching line from the second one that ran very close to the first one along the same path.

"Such realities can account for the idea of parallel universes where certain details are different. At the same time, the first idea can account for the same thing. Speaking it over with you, I think that I can properly sketch how this reality relates to my own."

Mahiro flipped over to another blank page and began drawing another line.

"In my world, I was born twenty years ago, and you were born three years later. In this world however, you were born at the same time as you were in my world, and I was born as your little sister four years later. This showcases the idea of two realities with a key difference between them. It starts them off on very different paths. I took care of my Mihari as her big brother whereas you took care of me here as my big sister. Under normal circumstances, these realities would've never followed similar paths. However, when the other you transformed me into a girl and caused me to start living my life differently, it unintentionally lined up with the circumstances that surround this reality. As a result, the pathway of my reality changed course to line up close to the path that this one followed."

Mahiro drew a second line that curved inwards before following close to the path of the first line.

"By chance, a reality existed where I was always your younger sister, and yet I still have the same friends I do now. I go to the same school and have the same class and teachers. There are a lot of things that are different, but everything is still similar enough that I can navigate it without a great deal of culture shock."

"Okay, hold on a sec." Mihari interrupted. "I get the logic behind all this alternate reality stuff, but how does this explain how your mind could've possibly switched places with my Mahiro."

"It doesn't." Mahiro exclaimed.

Mihari looked a bit frustrated at that remark.

"The fact is that there's a lot we still don't know about the existence of other realities." Mahiro continued. "There could be beings out there that are familiar with the multiverse and its doings. They could have abilities that would allow them to switch the bodies of lesser beings from different realities, but like I said it's impossible to know for sure at this stage. I can tell you this much at least, this kind of thing happens in manga and anime all the time. From what I'm familiar with, whatever agent has done this has likely done so with a purpose. It may be unknown to us now, but it will show its hand eventually and reveal the reason why this was done and how to undo it."

Mihari remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a sigh.

"I guess that all adds up. Like you said, there's little that we can do at this point since we don't know how the switch occurred or how to undo it yet. Besides, I think it will be easy enough for you to pull off living as my little sister for a while. You did say after all that there's only a few noticeable changes from the reality that you're used to."

"Yeah." Mahiro said. "Plus there's a few different things that I really enjoy about this reality."

As Mahiro thought this, she felt her athletically built frame with her hands, and Mihari looked at her with a confused expression.

"Anyway," Mihari continued, "how about we go out for a bit and eat dinner once we get back? I needed to head to Tachikawa Bookstore anyway to pick up some school supplies, and this will kill two birds with one stone. Our usual run and then something good to chow down on."

"I'm sorry?" Mahiro asked. "What run?"

"Oh," Mihari exclaimed. "I guess you must not do that where you come from. Here, I go on a daily run with my sister before we eat dinner. I hope that's okay."

Normally, Mahiro would do anything to get out of exercising, but today was different. She had seen what she could do with this new body's athleticism against Momij and Asahi. If she could beat them, there was no telling what she might be able to do against Mihari.

"No, it's fine." Mahiro said. "I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Awesome." Mihari exclaimed. "Why don't you change into your running garb, and we'll get going."

"Sounds like a plan." Mahiro said with a smile.

---

Soon enough, Mahiro and Mihari were jogging on the sidewalk, on their way to Tachikawa Bookstore. Mahiro was amazed at how well she could keep up with Mihari. She could remember that one time that Mihari got her to run with her, and how many times they had to stop so Mahiro could catch her breath. Now, she was able to easily keep up with her sister and she loved it. This may not have been her world or her body, but she was enjoying the perks that came with them. At this rate, they would reach their destination in no time.

Mihari seemed to notice Mahiro's enthusiasm and decided to push her a bit while they were jogging. Mahiro seemed to keep up with her no matter what scenario she threw at her.

"Maybe it comes from her love of gaming." Mihari thought. "In fast paced virtual environments, one does require good reflexes in order to win against the machine. She seems to have adapted her skills there for an entirely different scenario. She may put herself down, but she's just as resourceful as my Mahiro."

Eventually, the two reached their destination; Tachikawa Bookstore. As they stopped, they both leaned over slightly to catch their breath.

"Awesome, we made it." Mahiro said.

"Yeah." Mihari replied. "Come on, let's go inside."

Mahiro nodded, and the two walked through the front door.

Tachikawa Bookstore was a mid-sized privately owned bookstore. It stocked books of all kinds ranging from encyclopedias to manga issues. Mahiro was well versed in the layout of this place. She used to come here all the time when she was shopping for hentai manga. She couldn't do so anymore for obvious reasons, but it was still a great place to go to grab any manga issues that tickled her fancy. When she came here once, she ran into Miyo, and she introduced Mahiro to the world of yuri manga. Mahiro didn't find herself getting aroused to it in the same way that Miyo did, but she still found it to be a fascinating genre.

"Okay," Mihari said, "I'm gonna go get my supplies. Feel free to browse and meet me outside when you're done."

"Okay." Mahiro said with a smile.

The siblings parted ways. Mihari headed off to the reference section, while Mahiro began to walk over to the section containing manga. As she reached it, Mahiro couldn't help but look over it with awe. There were so many volumes, meaning a large selection to choose from for every genre. Smaller bookstores typically neglected to provide their customers with a large selection, and that's why Mahiro had always preferred to go here when she shopped for manga.

Mahiro began browsing the shelves, looking for something of interest. Most of the time, she came here knowing exactly what she wanted, but there were other times that she came without a goal in mind. That was the reason why she was into so many different genres. She always felt compelled to try something new if it seemed interesting, and today was no different. After a few seconds, she noticed a volume that peaked her interest and took it off the shelf. There was a picture of a young witch girl with a large black hat, with the title reading I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Mahiro smiled and hugged the volume to her chest.

"Oh, an isekai manga about a beautiful witch." she thought to herself. "This seems very promising. I think I'll get it."

Mahiro turned around and started to head towards the counter to pay for it. All of a sudden, a voice called out from behind her.

"Mahiro-chan."

Mahiro paused and felt confused. That wasn't Miyo-chan's voice. But who else would be calling out to her? Mahiro turned around to find out.

Mahiro was surprised to see that it was Aoi-chan from her class. She and Aoi had never exchanged pleasantries before in her reality. Aoi was the class representative, and didn't really talk to anyone specific except for Nemu-chan and Nodoka-chan. What business could she possibly have with her?

"Oh, Aoi-chan." Mahiro exclaimed. "It's nice to see you."

"Same here." Aoi said. "A new one just came in, and I managed to snag you a copy."

"A new one?" Mahiro said.

"Yeah, a new volume just dropped. I overheard my folks saying that this one was highly anticipated and that it would sell out quickly. I know how much we enjoy this stuff, so I put aside one copy for myself and another for you. I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but since you're here I may as well give it to you now."

Mahiro smiled and blushed a bit.

"Oh, you really didn't have to do that." Mahiro said.

"Don't be silly, it's my pleasure." Aoi replied.

She took out a book from behind her back. Mahiro could tell that it was a manga volume and started to get excited.

"I wonder what it could be?" she thought to herself.

Aoi placed it in Mahiro's hands and began to run off.

"Hope you enjoy it. See you in school, Mahiro-chan." she cried out.

"Oh, bye bye." Mahiro replied.

"Wait, did she say that her folks were talking about this." Mahiro thought to herself. "Her last name is Tachikawa, so her folks must own the store. That's so cool. Wish I was so lucky."

Mahiro turned over the manga volume to see what it was, and her blood ran cold. The images of two boys in lovey-dovey positions on the front could only mean that it was a volume of yaoi manga. She nearly dropped it in shock.

"Wait, she's into this stuff." Mahiro thought to herself. "Well now that I think about it, she is always staring at Yuta and Minato. Oh boy, she's just as bad as Miyo-chan."

Mahiro sighed a bit.

"Guess I can't exactly throw it out." She thought to herself. "That would make me seem rude. I guess I'll just put it on the shelf with the others. At least I don't have to pay for it."

Mahiro headed over to the front counter to pay for the volume she found previously. As the transaction went through, Mahiro started to wonder if a situation with Aoi had once occurred between her and this world's Mahiro in the same way that Miyo had confided in her about her interest in yuri manga. One could only imagine what such a scene would've looked like.

Mahiro finished paying for the manga and went outside. She saw Mihari waiting for her.

"Find something good?" Mihari asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Mahiro replied. "I can't wait to read it."

"Well then, let's head home." Mihari said.

The two started walking back in the direction of their house. As they did, Mahiro started to feel a nice relaxing sensation radiate from her core. It must've been the moderate amount of exercise they did coming down there. Not feeling totally exhausted was a plus, and getting to enjoy such a moment with Mihari was comforting.

"Guess this is why Mihari enjoys exercising so much." Mahiro thought. "It feels nice when you don't feel totally wiped out afterwards. Maybe it's not so bad after all."

As they continued the trek back to their house, Mahiro started to wonder about how she would even get home. She had no idea how she got there in the first place, and unless she figured it out there was a good chance that she would be stuck here forever.

As she thought this, she looked over at Mihari's face. It may not have been her Mihari, but this Mihari gave off a soothing aura that made Mahiro feel safe. Mahiro started to smile at her.

"Even if I can't figure out a way to get back, at least I'll still have a version of Mihari to love and care for."

"Mahiro-chan, look at that." Mihari exclaimed while pointing.

Mahiro stopped walking and turned in the direction that Mihari was pointing, and let out a gasp of awe and wonder. Mihari had pointed out the beauty of the sunset across a nearby river. The orange light seemed to perfectly mesh the sky and horizon together with the water reflected the light with a perfect amount of flare. It looked as if the world was on fire, but in the most beautiful way that anyone could imagine.

Mahiro looked at Mihari, and noticed how she was equally entranced by the glorious sight to behold. Mahiro looked back at the perfect image in front of her and let out a smile.

"Yeah, I could definitely get used to staying here."

---

Once they were home, Mahiro headed up to her room to change while Mihari got started on dinner. Inside her room, Mahiro placed the manga on her bed before stripping down to her underwear and pulling the scrunchie out of her hair. As she walked over to her dresser, she noticed her reflection in the mirror and became entranced by it. Taking a good look at herself, she could tell that the body she was in definitely had more of an athletic build compared to her regular one. Her features were slim and slender as they always were, but there was little body fat and a much more chiseled appearance than what she was used to. It was almost like the body that one would see on a female ballet dancer, and a skilled one at that. Mahiro couldn't help but giggle as she thought about how useful this body had been today. Beating Asahi of all people was like a bizarre wet dream that had actually managed to come true. She couldn't wait to see what else she was capable of.

Looking in her drawers, Mahiro found the same pair of gray and purple striped sweatpants and sweatshirt that she typically wore around the house. It felt so good seeing them again. It meant that not everything about her safe space was completely different.

Mahiro quickly slipped into them and started heading downstairs to the kitchen. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she could smell something good being prepared. Entering the kitchen, she could see that Mihari had two plates with some yummy-looking food steaming on them. Mahiro's mouth began to water.

"Dinner is served." Mihari said.

Mahiro closed her eyes and smiled.

Sitting down at the table, the two gave thanks and began eating. Mahiro had been right in her intuition about the food. It was absolutely delicious in every way, much more than she was used to. Not that her Mihari was a bad cook or anything. She wasn't, but this Mihari cooked on the same level that Kaede did. With Kaede cooking, the food would always be good even if you believed that you wouldn't like what was being prepared. Mahiro had once said that she didn't like pumpkin at a Halloween party, but Kaede made her try one of her pumpkin dishes and she actually enjoyed it. The meal she was eating now brought back similar feelings. This was definitely a world to enjoy.

As Mahiro snapped out of her thoughts, she noticed Mihari gazing at her.

"What's wrong?" Mahiro asked. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Are you sure that you're not my little sister in your world?" Mihari asked.

Mahiro was a bit surprised by that question.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's just that, you're eating the same way a teenage girl would." Mihari explained, chuckling a bit.

"What?" Mahiro asked.

"You're eating slowly, taking small bites, you're polite with your table manners, and you're not trying to cause disruptions or talk about weird stuff." Mihari explained. "My Mahiro eats the same way, and she was born a girl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be a trace of boyish behavior in you at all."

"What kind of shows has she been watching to get such a stereotypical view of how a guy behaves at the dinner table?" Mahiro thought.

"It's just the way I've always been." Mahiro explained. "I never felt any need to behave any differently. And FYI, lots of guys eat this way and there's nothing wrong with that." As she finished this, she hmphed.

Mihari giggled a bit. "Okay, if you say so."

The two continued eating, and although there were a few words here and there, they ate mostly in peace after that.

As soon as they were done eating, they cleaned off the table and helped each other wash and dry the plates and utensils. Once they were finished, they wiped their foreheads and let out a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was good." Mihari said.

"You said it." Mahiro replied.

"I could really use a bath." Mihari said. "How about you?"

"Yeah, a bath does sound good." Mahiro said. "You can go first, and I'll go in after you."

"No way." Mihari said. "Let's go in together. That'll take less time."

"Huh?" Mahiro asked, before realizing in horror what was being said.

"She wants us to bathe together?"

Mahiro had bathed with Mihari back in her own reality. They had taken baths together as kids, and they had done it again a few times over the past few months. The latter times had always ended awkwardly however. Mahiro could remember the sleepover, and how Mihari wouldn't stop grilling her for barging in on her to bathe together as an excuse not to bathe with Momiji, Asahi, and Miyo.

"Come on," Mihari said, "I do it all the time with my Mahiro, and I'm sure that you've probably done it before as well, right?"

Mahiro was shocked. How could she possibly know that? She must've been psychic. It wouldn't surprise Mahiro in the least that Mihari had another talent on top of the millions of others that she was already well known for.

"Just come and bathe with me." Mihari said. "I know that you definitely won't feel unrelaxed afterwards." As she said this, she began dragging Mahiro by the hand.

"Wait, what are you…?" Mahiro said before sighing. Just like with Asahi the other day, it seemed like this was something that she just couldn't escape from.

In the bathroom, Mihari stripped off her clothes and went inside the bath area to warm up the tub. As she did, Mahiro stood there, trembling a bit as she was too nervous to undress.

"She's not my Mihari." Mahiro thought to herself. "It's like stripping for a complete stranger, almost like in the locker room. I don't know if I can do this."

"Come on." Mihari called out.

Mahiro looked ahead and saw that Mihari was already in the tub relaxing.

"Don't be shy, it's nothing I haven't already seen before." she continued. "Show me the goods and get in already."

"Okay." Mahiro whispered.

Mahiro slowly stripped off her shirt and let her pants fall to her ankles. Stepping out of her pants, she pulled off her sports bra and let her panties fall to the ground before also stepping out of them.

As she walked towards the bath, she realized how silly she was being.

"Why am I so nervous?" she wondered. "I've done this before, and it's not like my Mihari hasn't seen it all before either. She was the first one of us to confirm that I had been turned into a girl after all."

Mahiro got into the tub, and immediately felt all her worries wash away as the warm water put her in a state of deep relaxation. She closed her eyes and basked in the wondrous warmth of the bath. It truly was so much more enjoyable as a girl.

"Can I ask you something, Mahiro-chan?" Mihari asked.

"Of course." Mahiro replied.

"How close are you to the other version of me?" Mihari asked.

"Hmmm…" Mahiro said. "I guess that we're pretty close as far as siblings go, but not to the same extent that you seem to be with your version of me."

"How do you mean?" Mihari asked.

"Well, I'd say it mainly differs in terms of affection. My Mihari cares about me, and enjoys having a little sister. Despite that, she continues to see me as her onii-chan and also treats me as such. Here, it seems that you and the other me have a deep affectionate sisterly bond that doesn't come so easily. Take that hug you gave me earlier today. Mihari never does anything like that unless I'm scared or nervous, and even then, I'm typically the one to initiate it. You two seem so close. It makes me wonder how things could've possibly gotten this way. I mean, Mihari and I were close as kids, but we never developed a physical bond like that."

"Well I think I have the answer." Mihari said. "Give me your left arm."

Mahiro was confused, but lifted up her left arm. Mihari grabbed it and twisted it up. Looking where Mihari's thumb was, Mahiro became shocked at what she saw. There was a long scar running up the back of her forearm. She must not have seen it earlier since it was on the back of her arm in an area one typically doesn't look at unless they're looking for something.

"According to the other you, this is proof of our sisterly bond." Mihari said.

"Huh?" Mahiro asked, very confused.

Mihari let out a sigh before continuing.

"It was when we were both very young. You were about four years old. We were walking along the river when you slipped and got that scar after landing on the pavement. I can still remember how much you cried and how much you were in pain, but that didn't stop me. I picked you up, carried you home, and treated your wound. Mom was working late that night, so we were on our own and I ordered your favorite takeout to cheer you up. I also hugged you and kissed your boo boo repeatedly to make you feel better. I remember how much you smiled and how good it felt seeing you smile. After that, you told me that whenever you felt frightened or nervous, you would feel the scar and it would calm you down instantly. The reason for that was because it meant that there was a big sister out there who would always love and protect you. You managed to turn one of your earliest memories of pain and anguish into one of love and care, and we both managed to always remember it."

Mahiro's mouth was gaping open as Mihari finished.

"I'm guessing that nothing like that happened where you came from."

"Yeah," Mahiro said.

Mahiro felt the scar with her right hand. As crazy as it was, touching it actually did bring a sense of comfort to her. Even though she had no recollection of such an incident, what Mihari said seemed to make her feel the same way. It was always nice knowing that there was someone in your life who would always care for you in such a way, and now there was physical proof of such care. She couldn't help but smile and feel a sense of complete relaxation.

Soon enough, both siblings finished their baths and changed into their pajamas. They both went upstairs and arrived at Mihari's room.

As Mahiro started to walk down to her room, Mihari called out to her.

"Mahiro-chan."

"Yes." Mahiro said as she turned around.

All of a sudden, Mahiro felt Mihari give her a big hug. It was just like the one from earlier, full of comfort and security.

"I know that we'll figure this out." Mihari continued. "We'll find some way to get you back home, I promise."

Mahiro smiled and began to hug Mihari back.

"Thanks. That means a lot." Mahiro said.

As the two separated, Mahiro continued down the hall to her room. As she opened the door, she turned around and said "Good night."

"Good night." Mihari replied.

Both siblings closed their doors, and Mahiro let out a sigh of delight.

"Well, guess it's time for my favorite part of the evening." Mahiro said.

Mahiro then looked around her room, and realized that it wasn't going to go as planned.

"Oh that's right. I don't have any video games here." she exclaimed.

She noticed the manga she had bought earlier on her bed and picked it up.

"Guess I'll have to settle for this then, at least for tonight."

All of a sudden, Mahiro let out a large yawn.

"Huh, that's odd. I feel very sleepy all of a sudden."

Typically, Mahiro's game playing would mitigate any drowsiness she usually felt. Without them, it seemed like this would be a lost cause.

"Well, I guess I'll just brush my teeth and go to bed."

Mahiro went down to the bathroom at the end of the hall. After brushing her teeth, peeing, and washing her hands, she stumbled back to her room and turned out the light.

As she snuggled under the covers, she couldn't help but think of her Mihari and the world she had left behind.

"I hope Mihari isn't too worried. She can be such a crybaby sometimes, but I'm sure she can handle the other me just fine."

Almost immediately afterwards, Mahiro drifted off into a deep sleep.

End of Chapter 3

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4/16/2024

Special thanks to my Patrons: Homura VanRoyen, sudowiki

With this chapter, things are really starting to get interesting. More exciting things are to come.

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