“So do you like these ones?”.

It had been a couple of days since everybody in the Hikari household found out that Lan was a trans girl. There was still a long road ahead for Lan, who had no experience at all in thinking what she actually liked or not. Still, just letting out that wish to her parents and them accepting her was enough for Lan to feel more comfortable at home. There was still some sadness in her expression, which now Haruka knew it was caused by everybody treating her like a boy outside the house. But the mother would sure be there for her daughter. And that afternoon was one of the first steps for that.

Following her initial advice, Lan payed attention to the girls in her school. Not only her close friends Mayl and Yai, but everybody else. She was marveled by seeing how differently each girl was expressing! The colors, the outfits, the accessories… there were so many options that she wanted to try! But it was hard to make a first choice, so she tried focusing on something small at first.

“Mom, you know… some girls have hair clips and… paint their nails. Can… can I try that?”.

Before such an honest request, what else could Haruka do? That afternoon, they went together to the nearest accessory store. Sure, Lan didn’t want her mother to spend a lot of money since it was her first try. However, precisely for that, Haruka wanted to find something the child actually liked. After finding some nice color hair clips with butterflies and pink nail polish that Lan liked, mother and daughter went back home.

Sitting in front of the dresser in her mother’s room, Lan awaited nervously for Haruka to paint her nails. How would their hands look when she was finished? Trying something new was always exciting, but Lan’s mind was also filled with curiosity. But all those thoughts went away as the mother began painting the first nail, softly spreading the polish. Lan’s eyes shone brightly. There was something magical about seeing her own nails changing color, looking so shiny. With every painted nail, her happiness grew. When Haruka was done, Lan couldn’t look away from her own hands. She couldn’t believe those were her hands, but they were. Her nails looked so beautiful in that pink tone, she thought there was nothing that could top that. But she was wrong.

“Now close your eyes. This will be a surprise!”.

Following her mother’s request, Lan closed her eyes. Haruka first removed her classic hairband, the one she was always using. There would be other ways of using that hairband and looking feminine, but at that moment, she knew her daughter needed her new hair clips, taking out two from the plastic packet. Lan could feel her mother’s hands arranging her hair, brushing it with delicacy and placing the hair clips on the left side, close to her forehead. She was trying to make a mental image of her new hairstyle from Haruka’s actions, but knowing so little about that topic yet, it was hard for her. When Haruka was done, she turned around Lan towards the mirror.

“Ok, why don’t you take a look?”, asked Haruka kindly.

Feeling her heart beating fast, Lan slowly opened her eyes. For a slight moment, she forgot she was looking at a mirror and wondered who that girl was. The moment she realized that girl was herself, her eyes opened widely and a big smile appeared on her face. Her hair fell down to her sides, reaching her neck, nicely combed. And her bangs, which usually covered her eyes whenever she came out of the bath, were split sideways, with the biggest lock being held by two pretty yellow hair clips. A part of her couldn’t believe her usually spiky hair could look so different with so minimal changes. Haruka didn’t know what made her happier: seeing her child so happy after so much time suffering or seeing how beautiful she was.

“Do you like it?”, asked Haruka smiling.

Lan was so amazed at her new changes that she couldn’t even say a word, feeling in her throat how close she was to crying. Still, a few tears came out from her eyes when she said:

“Yeah, I… I like it… No, I love it! Do I look good?”.

“Of course!”, answered Haruka while giggling a bit. “You look so cute”.

‘Cute’… A word Lan never thought anybody would call her. Sure, it came from her own mother, and still, she felt an immense happiness when she heard that word for the first time. The child jumped to her mother’s arms, Haruka hugging her softly. They had never shared those moments in the past, but at that moment, she could enjoy it, feeling much closer to her daughter than ever in her life. After a few seconds, Lan looked down to her waist and said:

“Hey, Mega! What do you think?”.

Lan patted her own waist, looking for her PET… but it was not there. That was strange. She always carried Mega around with her. Where could it be? A sudden thought came to her mind: she didn’t remember talking to Mega at the store. In fact, she didn’t remember picking him up from her own desk, where she left him right after arriving from school. Sadness afflicted her heart. Mega, or more like Hub, her twin brother who was brought back to life as a Net Navi by their father Yuichiro, had been left alone in her room during all that time. And it was her fault. She forgot about him, but it wasn’t just that time. When was the last time they properly talked about… anything at all? Her worries were ruining such a happy moment and Haruka noticed. In just a few days, she noticed Lan was much more expressive than before.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s up?”, asked Haruka concerned.

Lan looked at her mother. There was something in her eyes that compelled her to trust her. There were no barriers anymore to talk about her feelings.

“I… I ignored Hub a lot for these last months”, confessed Lan with sadness. “He tried to help, but… I just felt so bad. I didn’t want to talk. And these days, there were so many things to think about… But I haven’t talked to Hub about… me. I don’t actually know if he likes the real me”.

Haruka looked concerned at her child. Lan and Hub had always been so close, even before finding out they were siblings. She knew very well how bad her daughter felt all that time, but she hoped both of them would still talk about that. Instead, each child were alone for reasons they couldn’t understand back then. And Lan was the most worried of them both, being a transgender girl looking for acceptance from her brother. But just like she knew Lan at that moment, she knew Hub as well. He had always been kind to Lan. They went through so many things together. There was no way something could go wrong between them.

“I wouldn’t worry. Hub is your brother. I’m sure he’ll accept you as your true self”, said Haruka to comfort her child.

“But what if he’s mad at me for ignoring him for so long?”, complained Lan.

“That… may be true”, said Haruka, knowing that would make Lan sad. Still, she knew the girl needed that advice. “However, things won’t get better if you don’t do anything. Changes happen when you take action. So… do you want to talk to him? Or you’d rather stay like this?”.

Her words could sound harsh, but Lan felt there was no ill intention in them. On contrary, she felt her mother’s kindness in them. She was right. She wanted to have Hub in her life. She wanted him to accept her as a girl. She had to take that first step and cross the gap that separated them. No words were needed. A simple nod was enough for Haruka to see Lan’s determination in her eyes before leaving to her room.

Lan knocked slightly the door of her own room. She didn’t know why though. She wasn’t sure to expect any answer, but she was nervous. Not hearing any reply, she went inside her room and took a brief look around her. Her soccer things were still around. They never meant much for her, she wasn’t even sure anymore why those were there in the first place. But since coming into terms with her likes and dislikes, those things made her feel uncomfortable. But that was not the time for that, and instead, focused her attention on her desk with her PC and the PET connected to the dock. Maybe Hub didn’t hear her?

“Hey, Mega… Are… are you there?”.

Silence. No voice could be heard. Was Hub that mad at her that he didn’t even want to talk? Lan freaked out for a moment, but took a deep breath. She couldn’t back down after barely trying.

“Hey, Mega!”, called out Lan again but louder. “Can you hear me?”.

“Is that you, Lan?”.

A sudden voice came out from the device on the desk. Lan could see its screen lighting up, with Mega appearing a few seconds later.

“Sorry, I was… doing something. What’s up?”.

Lan sighed in relief. Hearing her brother still talking to her, it felt reassuring. Still, she didn’t know how much Hub knew about her recent discoveries and self-exploration. In fact, he didn’t seem to react to her new looks, but she quickly understood why: the PET’s camera was quite small and she was still keeping some distance from her brother out of her own nervousness. That was not the best way of talking. Instead, she rushed to the PC and turned it on.

“Can… can you connect to the PC?”, requested Lan humbly. “I want to talk, Hub”.

“Oh, erm… Sure!”.