Izei and I swim together for a bit. Since his sister is taking care of the kids, who have to stay in the shallower part of the river, we allow ourselves the luxury of going further out. Izei is comfortable, despite the swimsuit, which is a relief. I didn't know what he'd go for, and seeing him in a two-piece was quite a shock, but he wouldn't have gone for that if he couldn't handle it. At least, I hope.

With his hair wet and pushed out of his face, combined with the cute but still revealing swimsuit, he really reached a new level of allure. As I swim around, my eyes are constantly attracted back to him. I wonder... Is it okay for me to wish he was actually a woman? Or, maybe, that he'll just stay like this? I felt the hesitation in his voice when he declared that he was a man, but I'm also worried that I could be overthinking things and the possibility of hurting him further scares me. I don't want to end up making his life even harder.

I splash some water in my face to cool off a bit before spotting Ariciel waving to us as she shouts:

"Izei, Rimar, it's time for lunch!"

I quickly glance at Izei to see if he heard and, seeing that he did, start making my way back to the shore. As we walk towards our towels, I see the kids trying their best to place the paper plates where they think we'll be sitting while Ariciel and her husband pull food out of the cooler we brought.

A few sandwiches, a pasta salad, some crudités, and several cool drinks get distributed as we sit around. I try not to think too much about the conversation Izei and I shared when we were sitting here earlier and focus on my food instead. I haven't had a cold meal in a while, it reminds me of the school lunches of my childhood.

After a few bites, Ariciel breaks the silence:

"So, Izei, what's it like to wear that swimsuit?"

He swallows his bite before responding:

"I was a bit worried at first, but now that I got used to it, I think it's pretty comfortable."

His sister is satisfied by the answer.

"Right? Took me a while to start wearing two-pieces, but I ain't going back. You look really cute in that one, by the way."

Izei blushes furiously before stammering:

"Th... Thanks."

So he likes being called cute... Was he always like that, or is this a recent development...? I guess there's no need to worry about it, it might not make him happy if I was the one complimenting him. Last time, I did it to mess with him, and he ran away... Still, I wish I could see that blushing face whenever I want to.

After eating and cleaning up, we go back in the water. I swim around, taking in the contrast between the strong heat from the sun and the cool water from the river. I hadn't had an opportunity or reason to swim in years, but this is a pretty fun and relaxing way to spend the holiday.

Wondering how Izei is doing, I take a quick look around me, and see that he's walking towards our towels spot, hunched over. Feeling that something is wrong, I swim back to the beach and catch up to him.

"Hey, not feeling good?"

He sits on his towel, then rubs his belly.

"My stomach just... started hurting. I don't think it's the food, since you're all doing just fine... So maybe the stress? Anyway, I'll be staying here for a bit."

I sit next to him. I don't want to leave him by himself if he's not feeling well, especially right now. I know how hard he had to push himself just to make it here, so he could be exhausted as well.

"Did it just start?"

"Yeah, a few minutes ago, maybe? It made it really hard to swim, so I got out."

"Yeah, good idea."

We stay silent for a bit, the warm summer wind drying us up despite the shade create by the parasol. I grab a water bottle from a nearby cooler and pass it to Izei, who takes a few sips before laying down. Not long after, he grabs his stomach again and folds his body into a fetal position before complaining:

"There's no comfortable position! This is killing me!"

I feel a bit panicked now. He's usually fine with pain, so this is a completely new situation for me.

"Did it get worse? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think it did... It feels like my insides are turning against me."

"Are you going to puke? Should I get you to the bathroom?"

"No, no... I don't feel anything like that. I'm just... I think I'll be fine if I stay like this for a bit..."

I look around me, trying to find something that could help. We brought some bandages, just in case the kids get hurt, but that won't be of any use here. Out of option, I grab my towel, dust as much of the sand off as I can manage, then cover Izei with it.

"What are you... doing?"

He turns around to look at me, clearly confused, so I respond:

"Well, I don't know how to make you feel better, so... I'm trying something?"

He chuckles.

"Thanks, I guess? I'll let you know when I feel better."

I sit back down next to him, carefully rubbing his back through the towel.

"I'll be right here if you need anything."

Izei seems to calm down after a bit, relaxing his position. I see Ariciel jogging towards us, clearly having just noticed that there was something wrong with her brother.

"What's happening here? Is Izei okay?"

He shuffles a bit under the towel before saying:

"Yeah, I think. My stomach just hurts. A lot. So I'm resting until it passes."

Ariciel's expression changes as she connects some dots, then asks:

"Is this the first time this happens to you?"

"Well, it's not the first time I have a stomachache, but I don't know if it ever hurt this much before."

She nods, as if she had expected that answer, before turning towards me and saying:

"Take good care of my little sister over the next few days, okay? I'm counting on you!"

Izei shuffles again, poking his head out to look at Ariciel.

"What do you mean, 'next few days'? Are you saying the pain isn't going away?"

"Well, it might... but it's probably best if I don't explain too much here. I could be wrong, for one, and you could react poorly if I just said what I think it is. We'll cut our day a bit short so you can get back home and rest, and just call me if you realize it's anything major."

Izei grumbles, but he's not in shape to argue or insist that she gives more information. Seeing Ariciel's husband and kids looking in our direction, confused, I ask:

"But what about the kids? Don't they want to stay?"

"They already spent plenty of energy, and I don't know if you noticed, but we're already pretty late in the afternoon. We weren't going to stay all that much longer anyway."

Curious, I grab my phone, noticing that it indeed is much later than I thought it was. Good days pass too fast even at my age, uh?

I turn towards Izei and ask:

"Will you be okay to get up?"

"I think so, at least if it's just to get back to the car..."

With everyone in agreement, those still in the water join us to dry as Izei and I get dressed. Since we dried up already, we keep our swimsuits on like we did earlier, only putting our clothes on top.

During the drive home, the two kids sleep soundly at the back of the car, while Izei clutches his stomach, trying his best to not think too hard about the pain. With everyone else also being tired, we stay in relative silence, listening to the music playing on the radio.

We get back to our apartment, where I thank his sister for the day. I then carry our bags up the stairs as Izei carries his own self with great difficulty. Once inside, he lets himself fall on the couch as I ask:

"Considering your state, what are you feeling like having for dinner?"

"I don't know. Anything, really, as long as its warm."

I quickly order something, then go sit next to him. He doesn't seem to be doing so good, so I try to distract him:

"Today was a pretty good day, uh? It had been a while since I last went for a swim."

He manages to smile.

"Yeah... I think my last time was when I had to renew my delving license. Some dungeons are flooded or have a lot of water in them, so we need to know how to swim to enter them. But aside from that... Was it during our swimming classes in high school?"

I laugh, remembering the large indoor pool and the classmates who struggled to move in it.

"Yeah, probably. We moved here not long after, and we haven't been to the river or public pool since."

"Wow, it's really been a while... Thanks, by the way."

I look at him, confused, so he elaborates:

"For coming with me, I mean. Going out in a swimsuit... I think my nerves would have given out if you hadn't been here. I still ended up getting sick, but at least I knew you were watching over me."

After a brief pause, he continues, his voice full of emotion:

"I'm so sorry, I've been such a burden for you over the past months. I've had so many problems since I turned into a woman, and I always end up making you take care of them. I wish things could just... be normal again. I don't want to have to worry about all the ways my body is different now, or about how my parents are going to react if they ever find out. I don't want to have to think about the next time you'll have to worry about me or take care of me. I just... I want to stop being a burden on everyone."

He sure is feeling emotional right now. While I understand the way he feels, I'm also not bothered at all by the extra support I've given him lately. If anything, I feel like it made us closer, and helped me understand him even better. With that in mind, I gently rub his back, like I did on the beach, as I say:

"You're not a burden, for me or anyone. Things are hard for you right now, so it's only natural that I do what I can to help. I know you would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed."

Izei chuckles, so I ask:

"What's so funny?"

"I tried imagining you as a woman, and the thought made me laugh."

"Well that's rude."

"No, no, not like that. Just... I feel like you would have been more resistant to the changes. It'd have taken everything to get you to wear a bra, or to try makeup. Actually, you'd probably have just rejected that entirely until you got to turn back. Definitely no bikini, either. I just think... Some of the situations could have been funny."

"Yeah, but now that you mention it, I'm surprised you went along so easily with all that stuff. Doesn't it bother you that you're not... well, bothered by your more and more feminine demeanor? Don't you feel like you should be hanging on to your masculinity at least a bit?"

He pushes himself up, then turns his back to me before resting against my chest. He grabs my hand and bring it to his stomach, then says:

"Here, I'm tired of rubbing it. You take over for now."

I feel a blush creep up my cheeks, but I manage to stay calm as I agree to his request. After a bit of silence, he finally answers:

"Maybe I just wasn't that attached to the things that made me a man to begin with. My dad tried hard to make me act like him, but... It never stuck. I was confused at first, asking myself why I didn't feel any discomfort seeing my naked body, or my dolled-up appearance in the mirror. Why I didn't feel like I really had lost anything in the transformation. I still don't have all the answers, but... At the very least, I think I just never cared about being a man."

"So, did you like... want to be something else?"

He shakes his head.

"I don't think so. I just... never worried about it, I guess? I've been thinking about how I felt immediately after I transformed, and I realized that I was really just worried about the way people would react to seeing me like this, not about how I was reacting to the whole situation. Once the initial shock passed, I was doing... fine."

"Yeah, I was surprised by how fast you adapted to your new body."

He adjusts his position against me, then sighs.

"Yeah, me too. By the time I really grasped my own feelings, I was happily wearing clothes like these and wearing makeup when going outside."

I keep on rubbing his belly, not sure how to respond. It's probably good that he's figuring out more about himself through all of this, but everything he has to worry about at the same time has to be taking its toll. After a long pause, he asks:

"If I stayed a girl... Like, for the rest of my life... How would you react?"

"Is that... something you want to do?"

"I don't know. It's so weird, the way I feel like I won't be getting anything from going back being a man. Whenever I imagine a future where I'm one again, I get the feeling that I'm going to lose something. It's like I have a reason somewhere in me to stay like this."

"Do you know what that reason is?"

I can see his ears turn completely red as he answers:

"I... might have some ideas, but I'm not completely certain yet. I'll probably need a bit more time with my thoughts."

"Well, to get back to your question... Whatever your reasons are, if you end up staying like this going forward, I'll be by your side and continue helping you for as long as you need. I won't stop being your best friend, and I won't think any less of you."

I can't tell him that I'd actually try to date him, that's probably too forward for his current mental state. But I'm not lying either. And even if he rejected my advances, I'd want to maintain our friendship. Just being with him has been a great source of joy for me lately, despite the hardships, so I don't mind that relationship continuing for a while.

"Thanks. You really are the best."

We stay like that for a bit longer, but dinner eventually gets delivered, forcing us to get up. From there, Izei mostly stops talking, clearly still struggling from the pain while I feel the day's fatigue catch up to me. It's without any surprises that we both head to bed early, that evening's conversation weighing on both of our minds.