The Navigator (2/15) Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

　It was sudden and unexpected.

"Nice to meet you."

　She was unsociable and came in with a stiff atmosphere at first.

　It was Nene.

　She wore a wild black dress, had a makeup-free face, and long, shoulder-length black hair.

　After all, she has a beautiful face with no expression at all.

"...ha."

　Kanaikari was at that moment in a daze at a family restaurant.

　Although the name of the restaurant is "family" restaurant, when he was living alone as a student, he used to come here every now and then when cooking for himself became a hassle, reading his accumulated books and sticking to the drink bar for a long time with the occasional side dish.

　The habit continues to this day.

　He was on his way home from work, still in his suit, but he had had a bad day at the office and didn't want to leave in a huff.

　It was still a weekday, and I knew I'd be more tired if I just went home and slept, even though I still had work to do tomorrow, but I felt like it was ridiculous to walk all the way from the station to my apartment.

"You must be Nachi Kanayikari."

"What about you?"

　Kanaikari was puzzled by the beautiful woman who suddenly sat in front of her, which was natural.

　When he took a closer look at her, he found that she had long, unkempt hair full of split ends, and although he couldn't describe it well, it was full of wild charm.

　The total absence of expression also appealed to me more than its beauty, and its mysterious atmosphere.

"I'm sorry. I'm the navigator."

"?????"

　He didn't know himself what kind of expression Kanaikari had on her face at this moment.

"Excuse me. Navigators is my occupational name. I go by the name of Nene Nakarai."

"Um... what is it?"

　I've been approached by a crazy woman... he thought.

　I've had enough fun already... okay.

"I understand. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll talk to you afterwards."

"…Yes,"

　Of course, I had to leave.

　But this was not the end of the story.

"Good morning, sir."

　It was the next morning.

　My heart almost stopped.

　When I passed through the ticket gate to get on the train I used to commute to work, there she was.

　She was dressed exactly the same as yesterday.

　Perhaps it was the fact that she was under the sun, but I could tell once again that she was a beautiful girl who exuded charm. But she is even more creepy than that.

"Um... Um..."

"Can we continue our conversation?"

"I have to go to the office."

"Our conversation can take place on the way to work, if you'd like."

　I'm in trouble... I thought.

　The beautiful girl who calls herself "Nene Nakarai" or "Navigator" comes on the not-so-comfortable commuter train with Kanaikari.

"You have a peculiar constitution rather than a special ability."

　I was startled when she suddenly tried to start a conversation, and I reflexively said.

"Hey! I don't want to discuss a complicated topic here."

"But,Mr. Kanaikari will escape.."

"All right! Okay, okay. I'll listen to what you have to say, but when I get off the train... it's pretty last minute, so can we do it after work?"

""Yes. Then so be it."

　Once she understood what was going on, Nene was really like a statue, silent and not saying a word.

　What a strange thing to happen. Am I supposed to take this with me to the office?

　Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not dating anyone. It's not too damaging to be misunderstood, but I don't want to be like this incomprehensible stalker woman.

　I didn't go outside during my lunch break.

　The company building is located in the middle of an office district, so the underground mall in the neighborhood is very crowded at lunchtime.

(Translator's note: This novel was written one year before the global outbreak of the new coronavirus.)

　And yet, the Japanese food service industry has done a great job of serving both soba and donburi.

(Translator's note: Soba & Donburi are both traditional Japanese foods. Soba is a buckwheat flour noodle. Donburi is the name of the container, and what you put inside varies from one to another. In most cases, it is rice with thickly seasoned meat or eggs. The food is reasonably priced. It is not a luxury food.)

　On this day, I grabbed some ramen noodles at the company cafeteria for the first time since I joined the company.

　I thought it was surprisingly cheap and tasty.

　It wasn't like I was meeting up with her, and I figured if I ran through it quickly, I should be fine, so I did.

　As I boarded the subway and sighed heavily, I felt a presence in front of me.

"So, are we done here?"

"!!!!!"

　I was so nervous that I thought my heart had been grabbed.

　The beautiful girl who had been following me around the other day was right in front of me.

""Oh..."

"I didn't have to buy a ticket. That's convenient."

　She waved her subway prepaid card lightly, without changing her expression at all.

　So if she had this, she wouldn't have to lose time buying a ticket as long as she caught up with me.

"Let's get started."

"Wait a minute!"

　Kanaikari looked around.

　The surrounding area was sparsely populated, with only a moderate amount of congestion.

　Even if we were to have some conversations in the subway, we would not be warned for it.

　However, Kanaikari has also experienced this.

　All the people around the speaker can hear the contents of such conversations.

"At least don't... say it out loud."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have a mobile phone? A Mobile?"

"Yes."

　Out of her pocket came a black board that seemed too large for a woman.

"Type some words on it. We'll 'write' over it."

"Can't we just... communicate normally?"

"I don't want to do that. Do you understand?"

　That means I'm not going to send her my phone number or the address of my communication app. Who would be stupid enough to give their personal information to a stalker?

　When we stood next to each other, I was at least half a head taller than she was.

　She's a beautiful girl, but at the same time, her simple and unrefined clothes certainly have an appeal. There is, but the situation is too surreal.

　The beautiful girl authenticated her cell phone and started it up, swiping her finger vigorously and showing it to me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

　I don't know what kind of tool it is, but it's very easy to read, with almost the entire screen lined with text.

　Kanaikari had no choice but to nod.

　A beautiful girl was tapping away at the screen. She called herself "Nene".

"Then let us begin."

　That was the timing.

　The subway, which seemed to be just about to depart, was suddenly swarming with people.

　It was not as dense as the hellish commuter rush, but it was still quite dense.

(Translator's note: Commuting congestion in Japan is insane, and this fact remains true even with the spread of the coronavirus)

　Kanaikari thought, "This is my chance to be physically separated from the mysterious stalker beauty!"

However, she dexterously adjusted her position and slipped almost directly in front of Kanaikari.

　Almost simultaneously, the doors closed and the subway started.

"You have a unique constitution."

　She seems to be willing to continue "writing" in this situation.

　Well, it must be more convenient than having a normal conversation in this situation. However, we are in a very crowded place right now.

　Even though I said so myself, this is not a good situation.

　I have no choice.

　I can't seem to get away from her.

　I'll have to take her to a place like the family restaurant the other day, where there are a lot of witnesses.

　I was about to reach into my pocket for my cell phone to type such a message.

"aiiieee"

　The sound was so loud it made my ears perk up.

"Groper! This man is a groper!"

　Suddenly, she grabbed me by the wrist and raised me up high.

　The situation was so sudden that my mind went blank.

　Is this what they call a "false accusation of groping"?

　This one thing can end the life of anyone who is suspected.

　In recent years, the tragic reality of "false accusation of groping" has come to be reported.

However, it is difficult to prove it objectively.

If a woman starts to say that she has been groped, the person who is suspected is at a great disadvantage.

　All at once, the attention of the people around me was drawn to my surroundings.

"You're wrong! I didn't do that!"

　I finally found my voice.

"Don't play dumb! You're always behind me on the train!"

"What?"

　Her claim was bullshit.

　I had never even seen the face of this woman who looked like an office worker on her way home from work before.

"Today's the day you're going to give up! I'm charging you with being a station agent!"

"You've got the wrong guy!"

"You're always dressed like that!"

"It's only natural!"

　It's normal for a working man to wear a ratty suit and tie.

　Obviously, she's out of control even though she's the wrong person due to her prejudiced assumptions.

　However, it was clear that the atmosphere around me was getting worse.

　If this man (me) was falsely accused of molestation, I would feel sorry for him, but if he was a habitual offender, there was no room for sympathy.

"Hey, hey! You bastard!"

　A blonde in a cheap souvenir jacket that didn't match the office worker on her way home from work came shouting out.

"That's him! That's him! You weird bastard!"

"Yes, that's him! That's him!"

　These guys are part of an evil conspiracy.

　These guys are habitual perpetrators who make up stories about molesters in order to get settlement money.

　Even if I can avoid being accused by them, there's a risk that they'll ask me for a large sum of money as a settlement.

　The situation was so desperate that my eyes started to glaze over.

　At that moment, something unbelievable jumped out in front of me.

"Can I help you?"

　Checking my expression, Nene is showing off her cell phone.

　The fact that we were using the "writing" method was helpful.

　Since we were communicating silently, the two men and women on the other end of the line would not be aware of our conversation.

　Kanaikari looked Nene in the eye and gave his head a small shake up and down. It was a sign of 'please'.

　At the right time, the vehicle shook violently.

"Kya!"

　Nene deliberately leaned heavily on both the man and the woman so that her hands were on both of them.

"Yikes!"

"Whoa!"

　A man and a woman unintentionally gaze towards Nene.

"Oh... I'm sorry.

　Nene apologized soberly. She had already stowed her cell phone in her pocket.

"Watch out, you idiot!"

　The big man in the cheap sky jumper pulled Nene away as if he was pushing her away.

"...!"

　The woman's eyes widened as she noticed something "strange".

"...Ah...

　Kanaikari could only say a few words, too little.

　He looked down at it.

There was the shape of a "breast" that pushed up the front of his dignified man's suit in a magnificent way.

　His normal haircut was slightly disheveled, but extended to the middle of his back, and his extremely toned body was loose at the belt, yet his hips were taut.

　In a nutshell, Kanaikari had undergone an instantaneous sex change into a woman's body!

　The tips of her well-developed breasts ... her nipples ... even through her t-shirt, the shape of her nipples "plumped up" against the tips of her shirt.

　The cherry-like lips that look so pretty and red even without makeup are adorable!

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

　It was no wonder he was surprised.

　The man they had just tried to falsely accuse of molestation had turned out to be an incredibly cute and beautiful woman.

"How can I help you?"

　A young man who looked like a college student came over to us, wanting to meddle and "arrest" the culprit.

"Groper! This man is a groper!"

　The woman frantically points at Kanaikari, who is now a beautiful woman, and screams.

"...?This woman?"

　For some reason, she was wearing a drab suit that didn't suit her at all, but she looked unmistakably like a woman. Even if there is a problem as to why she is dressed in a 'completely male' businessman style costume.

"...Did this person do grope?

"Yes, that's right!He is a paranoid man!"

　In fact, until this moment, the passengers around him were not really looking at Kanaikari. The passengers around him were staring blankly.

　"Is there an incident?" Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no onlookers who paid attention.

　Her argument is not convincing at all.

　The reason is that the person she is referring to as a "disgusting man" with bloodshot eyes and screaming voice is a beautiful woman.

"Um... you're not a man... are you?"

　It was the first time I had ever been asked that, but the heaviness I felt in my chest and the loneliness in my lower abdomen... I was sure of it.

　It was an astonishing event to be turned into a woman, but it was a comparable experience. This combined with the fact that Kanaikari was strangely calm.

"...Maybe."

　It was a beautiful voice, like a bell ringing.

"It's not true! No way! This guy was a man until just now! And then in an instant, he became a woman!"

　This statement was decisive.

　In fact, it was true, but the opinion of a woman who yelled such a thing had no credibility.

"Hey, you! You dressed up like a woman!"

　The man grabbed at Kanaikari.

"Kyaaaah!"

　His voice came naturally from his throat.

"Don't be so deliberate about stuffing your chest!"

　He then loosened his tie and tore off the front of his clothes.

"Aaahhhh!"

　There was nothing Kanaikari could do as the buttons blew off and the t-shirt ripped.

　At the same time, her shapely breasts rolled out.

"!?"

　The big man flinched.

　It was really a woman.

"Kyaaaaaaa!!"

　A scream came from another direction in the train.

　It was another woman.

　It must be.

　For some reason, in front of my eyes, a real woman was pushed down, stripped of her clothes, and had her breasts exposed, even though she was dressed as a man. Why a grown woman is not wearing a bra is a small matter.

　At almost the same time, a large man flew through the air.

"Aaahhhh!"

　And then there was a sound.

　The big man had been knocked prone.

"Quiet, please. You're under private arrest for assault.

　It was Nene.

　Her loose-fitting dress didn't look like it would be suitable for a fight, but with great skill she had managed to subdue a man who seemed to weigh twice as much as she did.

"You son of a bitch!"

　The woman who had lost her mind snapped at Kanaikari.

　Nene did not hesitate to shake off the big man. She then jumped on the office worker on her way home from work as if to tackle her and held her down.

　The big man was now free, but this time, the men around him rushed to restrain him.

　Meanwhile, Nene continued to secure the woman.

She continued to yell at the people around her to the point that it hurt their ears.

Nene did not let her move at all, and continued to hold her captive until the next station.

End of Chapter 1

To be continued