(A/N: Ok, so, this very out of my field of writing. I normally don't write fics like this, but it was a request from my cousin. I'd actually never even heard of this anime before until she asked me to write one. She's only twelve, but she knows I can't say no to her {you know it's true, cuz}. I didn't play the game, but I looked up what Wikipedia had to say, and since both the anime and the manga were short, I watched and read both. They were cute with some laughs, and I was able to come up with an idea. Don't know how good it's going to be since it's different from my usual writing style, but we'll see how it goes. It mostly follows the anime, but has bits of the game in it too. So, lets get started. This ones for you, cuz.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"OTOBOKU – AFTER GRADUATION"

Chapter 1: Big Sister Is A Boy

The café was a quaint little spot on the corner, but it managed to attract a decent amount of business. With its assortment of cakes and pastries, along with its sophisticated atmosphere, it was considered a nice place for friends to stop and grab a dessert.

Today, business was a little slow, so the three occupants sitting at the table just outside didn't have long to wait before their pastries and freshly brewed tea was served to them. The eldest of the three, a stunningly beautiful girl of about 19 years of age with long black hair and fair skin sipped her tea as the younger two daintily ate their desserts. Only 15 years old, the younger girls were more in the adorably cute stages of their lives, but each had the telltale signs of one day becoming beautiful women themselves.

At the table, two unoccupied chairs stood, waiting for the other two members to join. A lot had happened since the graduation ceremony at the all-girls school, Seio Girls' Academy, and the group of friends hadn't had time to get together like this in the two weeks since, but today they had finally managed to clear their schedules to meet up.

"I can't wait to see Big Sister Mizuho again," Kana Suoin cooed happily as she dug into her dessert.

"I know, so much has happened since graduation that we haven't been able to see each other since," Yukari Kamioka agreed enthusiastically.

The oldest of the three girls, Shion Jujo, couldn't help but smile into her tea. It wasn't so much the adorable expectant looks on the two girls' faces that made her smile, as cute as it was, but the thought of how they would react when they found out the truth about their 'Big Sister'.

However, the one they were referring to wasn't actually their sister; none of them were really. Rather, 'Big Sister' was simply how the student that received the title of Elder Sister was referred to after having been elected to the position by receiving a majority of the votes by the student body. Such a title included the responsibility of being a role model student and setting a good example for the rest of the students among things.

But that wasn't the only reason why Mizuho couldn't be their big sister. The biggest reason was a much more noticeable one, a biological one. Shion had been fortunate enough to be in the bathroom at the same time as Mizuho, and just happened to overhear enough to get the gist of things. It had taken her a few minutes to get over her surprise and figure out what she was going to do about it before she managed to prove her theory to be accurate.

Yes, Yukari and Kana's reactions were going to be very interesting indeed.

"I've never seen Mizuho in everyday clothes," Yukari said. "I bet she'll look just as beautiful as she did in her school uniform."

"Of course she will," Kana insisted. "Big Sister would look beautiful in anything she wore."

Shion's eyes suddenly lit up as she spotted the object of their conversation approaching. Mariya Mikado was there too, which only made sense that they came together since they were cousins, although Mariya had a bit more love for Mizuho than what would be considered appropriate for family members. Not that there was anything legally wrong with that, but most of society tended to frown on romantic relationships between cousins. And, being rather naïve at times, it was highly plausible that Mizuho hadn't even realized Mariya's true feelings.

But that was something Shion could entertain herself with later. For now, she would just enjoy the events that were about to play out. It was sure to be interesting.

Spotting their friends, Mariya waved to them as she ran ahead of Mizuho. "Shion, Kana, Yukari!"

The two younger girls' faces lit up, the one with the overly large ribbon in her hair rising to her feet and waving back. "Ah, Mariya!"

The older girl joined them, placing a hand on Kana's head and rubbing her hair as she pushed her back into her seat. "Hey there, Kana! Have you been good?"

"O-Of course! Kana is a good girl!"

Mariya chuckled, patting the girl's head. "Yes, yes, you are." She turned her attention to the other girl. "And how about you, Yukari? Have you been behaving?"

Feeling somewhat intimidated, Yukari nodded. "Y-Yes!"

Shion chuckled, feeling tempted to ask Mariya if she had been behaving. Mariya was known to be overbearing at times and to cause trouble if it would amuse her, but she kept her mouth shut, eager to get to the main event.

Her eyes shifted to the boy standing a short distance behind Mariya. And yes, it was a boy, albeit a very feminine and androgynous one, but a boy nevertheless. The last time she had seen him, he'd been wearing a dress, had his hair hanging loose around him, and had on fake eyelashes and makeup, not to mention a pair of fake breasts stuck down his shirt.

Now his face was makeup free, his long hair was tied back, and he wore boys' clothes. Even so, he was still very beautiful, and at first glance, he could still be mistaken for a girl. If she hadn't heard him talking to himself that day in the bathroom as he tried to convince himself that he needed to get used to using the girls' room, she might never have figured out his true gender either. She was glad she did, it had made her school life very entertaining.

"So where's Big Sister Mizuho?" Kana asked. "I thought she was coming with you."

A mischievously evil grin crept up Mariya's face. She had been greatly anticipating this moment for some time now. "Before we get to that, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Ta-da!"

She held out her arms to Mizuho, presenting him to the girls. Looking nervous, he stepped forward to join the group, shyly waving to the girls. "H-Hello, Shion, Yukari, Kana."

Shion's eyes quickly darted back and forth between the two younger girls, studying their reactions. They were staring at Mizuho curiously, with what appeared to be awe written on their faces. Shion quickly glanced at Mizuho, and had to hide a smile at how nervous he looked.

"Amazing!" Yukari exclaimed. "He looks just like Mizuho!"

"They must be siblings!" Kana added.

"Siblings? They must be twins! Why didn't Big Sister ever tell us she had a brother?"

Mizuho sweat-dropped. He supposed they would have come to a conclusion like this. It was a far more likely scenario than the thought that due to his grandfather's unusual final request, he had been cross-dressing in order to attend an all-girl's school under his mother's maiden name.

Yukari's eyes suddenly lit up, and she practically jumped out of her seat. "Hey, hey, do you have a girlfriend? I'd be great if we could get married! Then Big Sister Mizuho will become my real big sister!"

"Eh!" Kana cried. "Yukari, that's not fair! I want Mizuho to be my real big sister too!"

An evil glint appeared in Mariya's eyes, and she grasped Mizuho's arm. "Sorry, girls, but he already has me. Besides, he doesn't need you, he already has a whole harem of girls to service him."

Mizuho looked horrified. "M-Mariya! Don't make up such things!"

Shion chuckled. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Yes, yes!" Yukari exclaimed. "What's your name?"

Mizuho sighed. It was time to get this over with. Taking a seat, he sat across from the three girls as Mariya dropped into the seat beside him. "Before I tell you who I am, I would like to tell you a story first."

Yukari and Kana blinked. "A story?" the former repeated.

Shion smirked. She'd been wondering how Mizuho would break the ice. "I love stories. Do tell us."

Mizuho shifted uncomfortably. "W-Well, this is a true story, even though it sounds like it's from a manga or anime, or maybe a visual novel or dating sims game." He shook his head. "Anyway, once upon a time, there was a boy who was very close to his grandfather. Family was very important to him, especially since he lost his mother due to an illness when he was younger."

"Eh?" Yukari cried. "Is this a sad story? I don't like sad stories."

Mizuho gave her a small smile. "It is a little sad, yes, and I'm afraid it gets sadder since the boy's grandfather joined his mother in Heaven a few years ago. But not before making one last request. His final wish was for his grandson to transfer to the same school his mother had attended."

"Transfer schools?" Kana repeated. "How come?"

"Uh…" Mizuho scratched his head. "He didn't specify, so no one could say why." Especially given the circumstances. He had theorized several reasons, but felt that the most likely scenario was that attending Seio Girls' Academy had been a major turning point in his mother's life, and her time and experiences there had made her the person she was. With that in mind, his grandfather had wanted him to have the same experience, believing that Seio Girls' Academy would help him to grow as a person more than any other school. At least that was Mizuho's theory, and if it was the reason, it seemed to have worked.

"Of course, the boy was happy to fulfill his grandfather's final request, but then he realized that he had forgotten one very important detail." At this, Mizuho blushed in embarrassment. "The school his mother had attended was an all-girls school."

"EH?!" the two 15 year olds cried.

"What a twist!" Yukari exclaimed.

"It is just like a manga!" Kana reflected.

Mizuho's blushed deepened. "Yes, well, regardless of that, the boy still wanted to fulfill his grandfather's dying wish, as strange as it was, so he reluctantly agreed to transfer. But in order to do so, he had to…" He coughed and muttered something inaudible.

Mariya grinned evilly. "What's that? We can't hear you."

Mizuho's face was now beet red. "He had to p-p-pre-pretend to be a girl."

Shion couldn't resist chuckling at the embarrassed look on Mizuho's face, and snickered even louder as Yukari said, "Oh, it's a gender bender theme!"

Though Mizuho tended to wear his hair tied back, except for when he had been pretending to be a girl, he wished it was hanging loose right now so he could hide his red face behind it. "Y-Yeah, I guess it is. So he enlisted the help of his cousin, who dressed him up as a girl, and he transferred. By the way, the school he ended up attending was actually Seio Academy."

"What?" Yukari cried. "The cross-dresser attended our school?"

Mizuho felt as if he had been punched in the gut. They were already thinking of the boy in the story as a cross-dresser? What would they think when he revealed that he was actually the one in the story?

Then Mariya had to go and make it worse by saying, "I know, what a pervert."

"Mariya!" he scolded. He knew she was joking, but his cousin had a very bad habit of not knowing when to stop and taking her jokes way too far.

"So, what happened next?" Kana asked eagerly.

"Huh? Oh, right, the story. Well, the boy had been hoping to just finish school without standing out and just praying that he wouldn't get caught. He was not a pervert," he glared at Mariya, who just grinned, "or a cross-dresser. He simply wanted to fulfill his grandfather's last wish, and not draw any attention to himself in the process. But that didn't happen. He actually ended up being elected as Elder."

"With 82% of the votes too," Shion couldn't resist adding, earning her a chuckle from Mariya and a glare from Mizuho.

"Wow, that's amazing," Kana muttered, having forgotten that this was the same percentage of votes Mizuho had received when he had been elected Elder.

"And no one found out he was really a boy?" Yukari inquired.

Mizuho's eyes darted to Shion. "Well, um, the previous year's Elder found out almost right away, and later on, the student council president found out as well, but they kept his secret. Also, a few faculty members had been made aware of the situation, so they helped him out too. But no, no one else ever found out."

He decided that now was the time. "But he was from a very rich and influential family, so he couldn't let this get out. So he took on his mother's maiden name while at school. His real family name was Kaburagi."

"Eh?!" the two girls cried again, instantly recognizing the name.

"You mean thee Kaburagi family?" Yukari exclaimed.

Mizuho sweat-dropped. "Um… yeah. But the family name he went by when he attended Seio was Miyanokouji."

Yukari blinked. "Miyanokouji?"

"But…" Kana muttered, "that's the same last name as Big Sister Mi…zu…ho…"

The pieces of the puzzle began falling into place, and they stared at the boy sitting across from them in disbelief.

Mizuho smiled shyly and bowed to them in greeting. "My name is Mizuho Kaburagi. My mother was Sachiho Kaburagi, formerly Sachiho Miyanokouji before she got married. And I'm actually an only child."

The two girls continued starring at him while Shion and Mariya eagerly waited for their reactions.

"So, then…" Yukari began, "Big Sister Mizuho…"

"Is actually a boy…?" Kana finished.

At the same time, they pointed at Mizuho. "Then you're…"

Feeling a moment of panic, Mizuho began to wave his arms. "I didn't mean to deceive anyone! Everything that happened back at the academy was real, um, except for the fact that I'm really a boy! But the friendships we shared was real, and I-"

"Amazing!" Yukari and Kana chorused.

"Eh?" Mizuho muttered.

"Then Big Sister Mizuho was actually Big Brother Mizuho the whole time!" Yukari exclaimed. She looked at Mariya. "And Mariya was the cousin that helped make him a girl."

Mariya placed her finger on her chin, stuck out her tongue, and winked. "Guilty."

Kana looked thoughtful. "That must mean that the previous year's Elder and the student council that found out were Shion and Takako."

Shion gave a guilty chuckle. "Oh dear, it looks like I've been found out."

"Incredible," said Kana. "Big Sis… I mean Big Brother Mizuho must really be amazing to have done everything he did while trying to keep his secret."

Mizuho looked confused. "You mean… you're not angry that I lied?"

"Angry? No," Yukari replied. "Shocked, of course, and a little upset that you didn't confide in us, but not angry."

Kana nodded in agreement. "I'm not mad either. I don't think you're a pervert. You were just trying to fulfill grant your grandfather's final wish, and were just doing what you had to in order to do that. How can we be mad at you for that?"

Mizuho smiled nervously. "I-I didn't keep the truth from you because I didn't trust you or anything. Trust wasn't the issue. No one aside from Mariya and a few teachers were allowed to know. Things just happened and Shion and Takako just happened to discover my secret."

"What about Ichiko?" Yukari asked. "Did she ever find out?"

The girl in question was Ichiko Takashima, and she was actually a ghost in their dorm that had been sleeping for the past 22 years. Her spirit had lingered because she had been in love with Mizuho's mother and had wanted to see her one last time before she was married. She'd wanted it so much that after she died from an illness, her soul had remained earthbound.

After a few hiccups, they had all become good friends. Sadly, or happily, depending on how one looked at it, after graduation, Ichiko's spirit had ascended to Heaven, finally having found peace.

"Well, uh," Mizuho muttered, "yes, she knew, but only because Mariya exposed me since Ichiko would be staying with me and would most likely find out eventually."

Mariya stuck her tongue out at him.

"Aww, that's not fair!" Kana fumed. "That gave Ichiko an unfair advantage over us."

"It's also why she kept saying that she was going to be Mizuho's bride." Yukari realized.

Shion found the disappointed looks on their faces to be adorable, but decided to cheer them up a bit. "If it makes you feel any better, Ichiko's romantic feelings for Mizuho were actually for his mother that she was transferring onto him."

Mizuho cut his eyes at her. "You don't have to make her feelings sound so fickle."

Kana clapped her hands together. "But this is great! Since he's really a boy, that means that I can marry Mizuho properly!"

Mizuho's mouth dropped open. "Eh?"

Yukari invaded Kana's personal space. "Hey, Kana, that's not fair! I want to be Mizuho's bride!"

"Eh?!"

"No," Kana argued back, "the one to be Mizuho's bride is me!"

Mizuho looked back and forth between the two, feeling a sense of déjà vu. It was Ichiko and her determination to marry him all over again. Now it looked like it was going to be the same thing with Kana and Yukari. Just like with the little ghost, he loved both Kana and Yukari as if they really were his sisters. Clearly, their own feelings were different from his own.

Looking at Mariya and Shion, he saw that he wouldn't be receiving any help from them. Their amused expressions told him they were enjoying this too much. How was he going to tell the two quarrelling girls that he only thought of them as little sisters? What's more, how was he going to tell them that he already had a girlfriend?

(A/N: Well, that actually turned out better than I thought it would. Maybe because it's so different from my usually writing style it turned out better since it required a lot more thinking on my part rather than the usual idea flow I normally get. Hmm, there might be something to that. But I'd like to hear what my readers think, especially you, cuz, since I wrote it for you. Oh, one more thing, cuz, if you review, please use my username instead of my real one. I'll be back next week with the next chapter.)