The whole group left the apartment and moved quickly to Ms. Seki’s apartment block. Her bike was stationed at the street, so the girls waited there as the teacher went to her apartment and changed her outfit and took her helmet. When she went down the stairs, she asked everybody to sit down somewhere. All of them sat down on the stairs as they could, including the teacher.

-Well, let’s see… You probably noticed that the apartment was too small for a family- explained Ms. Seki. -And if you read the diary, you probably had a suspicion, but the first thing is that Seiko lives alone in that apartment. Her parents are not here. Who called you this morning was surely Seiko faking being her mother, Harukaze.

-And where are they?- asked Aiko. -Ain’t them…?

-No, they’re not dead. They are far away. And honestly, the farthest they can be, the better for Seiko- said Ms. Seki.

-But why? Why is Seiko living alone there?- asked Hazuki worried.

-Because she’s different. She’s a different kind of girl- answered Ms. Seki.

Nobody said anything. The girls couldn’t understand the teacher’s words, and she was aware of that.

-OK… Do you remember, a while ago, we had that class about growing up and the changes of your bodies? The nurse Yuki told you that boys and girls go through different changes because their bodies are different. Well… that doesn’t apply to everybody. There are people out there who are different.

-What do you mean “different”?- asked Onpu.

-Well, there are boys who are born with a girl’s body and there are girls born with a boy’s body… And that is the case of Seiko. She is a girl, but her body is a bit different, it looks like… a boy’s body…

All the girls were wide-opened. They didn’t know what to say. Then, Momoko talked.

-You mean… Seiko is… a boy?- asked Momoko nervously.

-No! Seiko is a girl! She has always been a girl. She was just born with a body that is not like it’s expected for her, and because of that, everybody saw her as... something she is not. But since very little, she knew she was a girl here… and here- explained Ms. Seki pointing at her head and her heart.

-Wait, how is that possible?- asked Aiko.

-It’s not only her. There are quite some people around the world who are the same as Seiko: they are transgender people, or trans people for short- explained Ms. Seki. -They are boys or girls, men or women just like everybody, but they are born with opposite bodies, so they go through the wrong changes as they grow up. When they don’t know yet or they can’t live as who they are, it makes them suffer a lot. But when they know and they can live as themselves, they feel happy, just like you all feel happy being yourselves. With time, Seiko will get her medicines to stop the “boy changes” and begin the “girl changes”.

-Wait… That’s what Seiko said in her diary… “I can be myself”- said Onpu.

-That’s right. By coming here, she could finally live as the girl she is. And I must say, she was quite happy- said Ms. Seki.

-But wait, wasn’t she herself at her old home? And what happened to her parents?- asked Doremi, making Ms. Seki turned serious.

-That’s… a hard story. As I said, Seiko knew from very young that she was a girl and she told everybody… but things didn’t go well- explained Ms. Seki. -The other kids didn’t play with her and her parents never took her seriously. Still, she always tried to express herself. She really wished to see herself as a girl and be just like any other girl. However, as time passed, her parents got angrier. As I was told, they always mocked her and badmouthed her in front of other parents. The worst happened one day, as they insulted her… and slapped her.

All the girls gasped at the same time.

-No… That’s horrible… Seiko didn’t do anything wrong...- said Momoko almost crying.

-What happened to her?- asked Onpu worried.

-She run away from home. Her parents didn’t even call the police, but the neighbors did- narrated Ms. Seki. -She was found two days later, inside an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of her town. She was weak. She had barely eaten and was very dehydrated. The police took her to a hospital. A woman from social services went there and talked to Seiko. She had some trouble speaking, but she explained what happened. A few days later, her parents lost her safe… In other words, her parents are not her parents anymore.

-They abandoned her?- asked Hazuki.

-More like, since they were bad parents, they lost her… but as I was told, they did nothing to take her back, so in some way yes, they abandoned her- answered Ms. Seki.

-That’s… horrible… I can’t believe someone could do that...- muttered Doremi.

-I know, but there are people like that. After that, Seiko was taken to a center where she was taken care of- said Ms. Seki. -Our school is part of a program that help children in problem, and when we heard the story, we wanted to help her. I began going to the center to meet her. She was a bit closed at first. It took me a while, but when I showed her she could be herself around me, she trusted me more day by day. And around two months ago, we took the decision to take her in our school so she could begin her life as a girl, with a new environment and people who accepted her.

-But wait… That doesn’t explain why Seiko’s living alone. Why ain’t she living with you, Ms. Seki?- asked Aiko.

-Trust me, that was the original plan- said Ms. Seki with a tired voice. -But from the beginning, she insisted in living by herself. She always try to do everything by herself, not because she doesn’t trust others, but she doesn’t want to trouble others. I think that’s part of her trauma, because of those insults… That affected her a lot. Still, I go to her house every night. I bring her food, I do some chores and we eat dinner together sometimes. I always tell her to come with me, but she always refuses.

-And… how was Seiko doing here? Was she doing good?- asked Hazuki worried.

Ms. Seki looked at all of them with a smile.

-Seiko was really happy. She could be her true self and she met some wonderful friends- said Ms. Seki looking at the girls. -You all welcomed her and she enjoyed every minute she spent with you all. Every night, she would tell me about you all and… her eyes always shone. It wasn’t just that you were her friends, but she was finally one more girl, just like you all. That was… until last night.

-What happened last night?- asked Momoko.

-I’m not sure… When I got home, she was already quite nervous, she even yelled accidentally- explained Ms. Seki. -I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t expect this to happen. Say, did anything happen at the store?

-No! Nothing happened. She was helping us, but then she said she had to do some shopping for her parents- explained Doremi. -Seiko was fine until then. Did she say anything about us?

-No, just… I asked her if she planned to go today again to the store. Seiko said she had to study, but I knew that was a lie. Then she said you all had things to do and… well, that she didn’t want… to bother you- told Ms. Seki.

The teacher didn’t see it at first, but when she turned around, she could see it. All the girls were in shock, almost horrified, and their faces went pale.

-She said… she didn’t want to… bother?- asked Aiko nervously.

-Yeah… You probably heard her say that before… “I don’t want to be a bother”. That’s her problem. That was how her parents insulted her that night. They told her she was a bother and annoying for “insisting so much”… and well, everything that happened after that- explained Ms. Seki.

The girls felt even more horrified than before, especially Aiko, who began panting. Ms. Seki noticed their reactions.

-What’s wrong with you all?- asked Ms. Seki. -If you know something, tell me.

All of them were too nervous to say anything. Doremi gathered all her courage and talked.

-Yesterday… we needed flour and Seiko went to the storage… it was just a minute but… we began to talk...- explained Doremi.

-We noticed that Seiko was always with us, even at the store… We thought it was strange that… she didn’t have any classes or… her parents allowed her to be with us… all the time- continued Hazuki.

-It was my fault- interrupted Aiko.

Everybody looked at Aiko in shock, but the girl kept looking at the ground.

-I said… I said she was clingy...- began saying Aiko with tears in her eyes. -I said we needed some time and space because… there’s stuff we can’t do with her around… and then… and then… I called her “a bother”…

-And Seiko heard all that?- asked Ms. Seki worried.

-No! She was not there!- exclaimed Onpu. -But when she left, her eyes looked… different. Maybe… she heard us?

-Wait… when I looked for her later at the storage… she was already nervous…- explained Doremi. -And then she said she had to leave… I think she… heard us from the garden…

Nobody said anything, but sadness filled the air. They all felt guilty for what happened, especially Aiko, who kept sobbing. Ms. Seki hugged Aiko and caressed her hair.

-It’s OK, Senoo, it’s OK...- said Ms. Seki trying to comfort the girl. -It’s not your fault… It’s nobody’s fault, you… you couldn’t know this. Social services suggested not to say anything to facilitate Seiko’s adjustment. And well, she didn’t want to bring you to her house because… that would have raised some questions… It was just an accident…

Still, that didn’t make the girls feel better about all this. Ms. Seki felt sad for them, but she couldn’t waste more time.

-Look, let me take care of this- said Ms. Seki as she stood up and put her helmet on. -This is something only grown-ups can solve. I promise I will bring Seiko back safe and sound, so… please, go back to the school and… keep being her friends, OK?

After saying that, Ms. Seki rode her motorbike and left in a rush, leaving the group alone at the stairs. Silently, they all stood up and began walking back to school. However, they were not in the mood, so they stopped in a nearby park as they tried to process all that information.

-I… I can’t believe… Seiko went through all that...- said Doremi.

-Having one body but being something completely different… It almost sounds like magic… It’s hard to believe something like that happens- muttered Onpu.

-But I think I understand her- added Hazuki, making the other girls look at her. -Sometimes, in the past, we had to transform into boys to do something, or when I had to be Hana’s dad and… well, I always felt weird and uncomfortable when that happened, like… I knew that was not right, that I didn’t like how I looked… When I turned back into me, I felt way better… If that’s what Seiko feels, I can understand it…

-Yeah, like… I would never want to be one of those boys- said Momoko. -I imagine that and it gives me shivers… If my body suddenly changed like that and I couldn’t do anything… I don’t think I would be happy… I guess only a trans boy would want to be a boy, just Ms. Seki said...

-Not just that, she… she tried to be herself, she tried to tell her parents and they just...- said Doremi. -If my mom did something like that… I don’t know what I would do… And now… “Everything was a lie”… She believes we never wanted to be her friends, that she’s been a burden for us all this time… That we are better off without her...

Everybody turned silent again. In the distance, Aiko was resting on a tree with her face down. Hazuki noticed her.

-Aiko, are you alright?- asked Hazuki worried.

Then, Aiko turned toward the tree and began punching it with strength.

-Damn… damn… Seiko… Seiko!- repeated Aiko while punching the tree.

-Aiko, stop!- exclaimed Doremi. -Don’t tell me you… you are mad at Seiko?

-What? No!- shouted Aiko with tears in her eyes. -How could I be mad at her? She’s way more of a girl than I am. Who could ever doubt she’s a girl? I’m mad at myself! She just wanted to have some friends, she just… wanted to be a girl… and I… I said those horrible things… she just wanted to be accepted and I pushed her away! And now she’s lost because of me!

Aiko kept punching the tree, every hit being stronger than the previous one. At one point, a bit of blood came out of her hand. Hazuki noticed and she rushed towards her friend, grabbing her hands.

-Stop! Stop right now!- exclaimed Hazuki while struggling with Aiko. -It’s not your fault, we all did this! We didn’t know she was hearing us, we didn’t know her past!

After a while, Aiko calmed down, but she still cried.

-Come here, I have a handkerchief- muttered Hazuki as she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and covered Aiko’s hand with it.

Momoko was looking at that scene from afar.

-You know? Seiko’s right- mentioned Momoko. -Aiko may be a bit blunt, but she really cares about people, and Hazuki is always there to help and protect others. I think she… she really understood us.

That was just an innocent comment. Momoko didn’t think much about it, but when she looked at her friends’ faces, she understood how hard that hit them. All of them, including Momoko herself, tried to refrain their tears, but Aiko knelt down on the ground and burst into tears as Hazuki was still covering her hand. It was then that Doremi dried her tears and stood up.

-OK, we can’t… we can’t stay here crying all day!- exclaimed Doremi. -Seiko is our friend. We must find her and apologize. We have to help her! We all want her to be back with us, right? Then we’ll find her and tell her she’s a girl like us, even if she’s “brunch”!

-Doremi… it’s “trans”… Did you skip breakfast this morning?- added Momoko.

That comment caused a small giggle in the group. However, Doremi’s words inspired the others and made them determined to find her lost friend.

-OK, we need to hurry- said Onpu with a smile. -Let’s try looking for her on our brooms. She can’t be very far away.

With a cheerful “Yeah!”, everybody changed into their witch outfits, took their brooms and flew away.