Archive of Our Own

If there was one thing Ranma didn't want to be, it was unhelpful. 

His dad, being the greedy thief he was, was a perfect example of how to be a horrible houseguest. Sure, Soun wanted Genma around, but it wasn't earned. He fit into that friendship, but he didn't earn it. How could he have earned it? He was just a pain in the ass all the time, and if it was annoying to his own son, then it had to be grating on everyone else in the Tendou household. 

Ranma had to work for his friends. There was always something they wanted. Ryoga wanted a fight. Ukyo, Shampoo, and even Akane were bound by engagement stuff. Mousse wanted Ranma to give up Shampoo, which wasn't his choice to do due to engagement stuff. Shingo and Kiichi seemed to want Ranma for access to someone with boobs. Friendship was built on being useful. 

So, Ranma would be the most useful and helpful he could. It was the job of a martial artist, and the job of a good houseguest. 

The fact that he didn't quite know what to talk to Kasumi about on their shopping trips didn't really matter. What mattered more was that he was able to carry heavy bags of groceries while also getting out of the house. Ranma was more of a speedy fighter, but the weight training gained from this was always a good thing to get in every so often, especially in his female form for the sake of practice with the different centre of gravity. 

"I think that should be all the pantry items," Kasumi looked at the bags the two already had with them, "There's just a handle of cold food left to get, then we should be able to leave. Unless, of course, you want to look at anything."

"Nah, I'm good," The pinkette shrugged, "I ain't really planning any disguises, I don't need anything."

"You should really get some clothes you like, though," The polite encouragement was always there, Kasumi practically insisted on it, "Being able to express yourself properly is a beautiful thing, and-"

"Ohmygosh, Kasucchi!?" A voice squealed from nearby, causing Kasumi to quickly look in that direction, Ranma swiftly following. 

The girl responsible looked like… Well… Ranma didn't know what she was comparable to. Maybe some kind of walking talking candy store. Her tanned face was plastered with colourful stickers, her clothes seemed designed for maximum visibility. And maybe it was hypocritical, with his currently pink hair, but being blonde was not a hair colour one saw every day in Japan. 

"Ah! Risechan!" Kasumi immediately seemed to light up, completely changing in tone, "You, like, look sooo cute! Still up for Sunday in Harajuku? I'm totes hyped!"

"Totally! Been looking forward to it forevs," 'Risechan' grabbed Kasumi's hand, examining it, "Awwww, look at you, girl. Your poor nails…" 

"I knoooooow, but I gotta keep them short," Pouted whatever kind of thing was clearly possessing the eldest Tendou sister, "So much housework, it's a total bummer…"

"Oh nooooooo." The sympathy was shown very clearly on 'Risechan's' heavily decorated face. 

"Um, Kasumi?" Ranma had to remind everyone of his own existence really quickly, "Who is this?"

"Oh! Ranma, this is is Arise, a friend of mine from back in high school," Kasumi talked normally, before switching right back to that overly bubbly tone, "Risechan, this is Ranma, the martial artist I told you and the gals 'bout." 

In the blink of an eye, Ranma's face was grabbed by practically clawed fingers. "Oooohmygosh, you're so CUTE! Pink hair's such a choice, and the red contacts? Ugh, I love it, so unique! And how'd you get that tan, it's soooooo well done for something so light, very natural and even."

"Uh, I go outside a bunch?" Talking through having a squished face was slightly awkward, though nothing Ranma wasn't too used to with how grabby his fiancees could be, "Could you let me go?"

"We've still got some shopping to do," Kasumi explained to her apparent friend, "Wanna walk with us?"

"I can't, I've got a hair appointment to run to," As if Arise's hair wasn't already done up as is, "But I'm so glad I got to see you! And you too, Pinky! See you Sunday, Kasucchi~!"

And just like that, the sticker covered girl was gone. In general, not one of the weirdest people Ranma had ever met, especially compared to that guy with the octopus mask stuck to his face. But what made Arise bizarre was the fact that Kasumi became a completely different person while talking to her. 

"Okay, really, what was that about?" Ranma asked, "I don't think I caught any of that."

"Don't worry, it's just all friend things," Kasumi acted completely dismissive, "Come, let's continue shopping."

♡☆♡☆♡☆

"That, my oblivious friend, was a gyaru," Noriko explained with a flourish, "A girl who stylises herself in a way that's against the traditional values of femininity in order to rebel."

Bringing this question to Akane's friends was the right call, Ranma decided. "Really? That must be why 'Kane didn't want to answer me. I think she's still caught up on the whole being a tomboy thing."

"Or the fact her sister, apparently, used to be one herself," Tomoyo added to the gossip, "I heard from some third years, who still talk about Kasumi and her clique despite them graduating. Apparently it was pretty bad."

"I heard a group of gyarus were why the principal became so strict about hairstyles for a time," Whispered Makoto, shuddering at the memory, "How bad did they have to be for that?"

"There's graffiti from them in one of the bathrooms still," It looked like Shikako was especially spooked, "Too much glitter in that one stall…" 

"Okay, I call bullshit to that," Ranma really couldn't believe it, aside from seeing how Kasumi's speech changed for himself, "Kasumi is the second most traditional person I know aside from my Ma, this is ridiculous." 

"Oh?" Tomoyo took it as a bet, especially as someone walked right into the conversation with perfect timing, "Akane, do you remember your sister being one of those gyaru girls at all? You would have at least seen her leave the house like that a few times, right?"

Damningly, Akane seemed to be instantly thrust into her fight or flight response. "Don't you dare bring that up. It was a phase, that's it, everything is better now."

Well, that just made Ranma more curious. If it really was a phase, then there'd be no reason for Kasumi to have slipped into what was practically a different dialect. Unless it was some kind of sleeper agent scenario, where seeing a gyaru made her like that… No, that was silly. If only Ranma could find out more. 

"You know, you might be able to get some information out of Kasumi herself," Noriko whispered directly into Ranma's ear, "If you're willing to get a bit more involved."

At this point, the curiosity was getting really close to metaphorically killing the anything-but-a-cat. "What do you mean by that?"

The otherwise plain girl gave Ranma a wicked smirk. "You like dressing up, don't you?"

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Hanging out the washing was always quiet and out of the way. The washing line wasn't in sight of the majority of the yard, and no one but Kasumi could really reach it easily. It was a lonely job, but someone had to do it. Sometimes, Kasumi wondered if keeping her quiet and out of the way was something her father wanted. Other times, she knew, against her wishes not to. 

That's why hearing Ranma behind her was so surprising. "Um… Kasumi?" 

"Hello, Ranma," Kasumi spoke without looking back, polite but still needing to hang up some sheets, "Can I help you?" 

"Ah, well, I was just wondering something…" There was an audible gulp in fear, "Would you, at all, happen to know anything about gyarus?"

That forced Kasumi's spine straight. Acting like she did with Risechan the other day must have been a huge mistake, and she should have apologised for the polite tone later instead of discarding it. While not really forbidden, the idea of gyarus in Kasumi's home was meant to be practically taboo in all but official writing. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't know that much," Lying and sighing at once, Kasumi turned around, "Maybe if you asked a classm-"

Cuteness aggression is defined as the desire to commit a violent action towards something cute without causing any harm. And based on how Kasumi was squeezing her hands so tight over the pinkette wearing a baggy cardigan, white button up, and a short skirt in a way that was clearly trying to invoke a specific look without quite hitting the mark? Kasumi was experiencing plenty of it.

"… Father?" Kasumi called out loud enough that her father could hear her from the sitting room, "I'm heading out with Ranma to buy some more laundry soap! We'll be a while!"

"Okay, have fun, be safe!" Soun hardly checked anything about the state of the house, Kasumi could have said she was buying a new roof and would have gotten the same response. 

What followed was a bit of a blur, with Kasumi grabbing Ranma by the wrist and dragging hi- no, probably her, through the house. A stop was made upstairs in Kasumi's bedroom to grab her make-up and accessory travel kit, but swiftly she and her apparently new student were back down stairs and off the Tendou property, rushing towards a small park down the road.

"WHAT DOES KIDNAPPING ME HAVE TO DO WITH THIS GYARU THING?" Ranma shouted over the wind, a little shaken by the time she was sat down at the park bench. 

Now, it was showtime, and Kasumi was able to let herself shine. "So, like, we're kinda not supposed to talk about it at home cos my family needs a 'proper' lady to do all the housework, which is wild IMO, meaning I can't be all gal-ed up like I wanna. Now hold still." 

Before Ranma could ask any more, Kasumi held her precious face in place. All that travelling around really did give Ranma a gentle enough tan to make the pinkish white lipstick getting applied stand out. That, followed by a minor effort on the eyes, left Ranma's face so close to kogal perfection, minus not really needing contacts due to her already supernatural eyes.

"So, I don't have the stuff to do your hair fully, but it's chill for now," Kasumi continued with her craft, "Just put it in a ponytail for now, 'kay? We can make it extra cute some other time. Oh, and we should get you cute socks and shoes. Also your own clothes, my little sis would hate knowing her clothes are being used by a kogal."

"A kogal?" The poor pinkette was completely out of touch. 

"A high school gyaru, like you," A long ribbon, meant normally for hair, was what Kasumi deemed worthy of becoming Ranma's neck bow, "It's, like, the cutest style, though kinda basic cos it plays around uniform rules. But it's still a way to rebel against traditional girlhood, so-"

"Kasumi, I ain't a girl."

Suddenly stopping her attempt to reach for the pocket mirror in her bag, Kasumi had everything mentally catch up to her. Right. Of course Ranma was a boy. He wore stuff for disguises all the time, it didn't necessarily make him a girl. He didn't have any real sense of traditional femininity to rebel against in the same way Kasumi did.

… But, maybe… "But you still don't gel with being traditionally ladylike, right? You're not your mum, I know that much."

"Hell no, I've tried that so many times. Blegh…" Memories of misadventures sent shivers up Ranma's spine, "Not much better than being a man amongst men."

"For real?" That was news to Kasumi, who might have found a little more to work with, "Well, you're, like, totes welcome to come with on Sunday to see what me and the gals are like together. It's pretty non-traditional. I just have to help you get gal-ed up fully."

It was a risk, but more than worth it if it happened. Kasumi was more than happy to pass on her skills and knowledge, especially in the realm of self expression to someone who absolutely had pressure from gender roles. That, and it would really be a waste to let Ranma's already perfect appearance go unused now. 

"… Well, I'm the one who asked to know what you knew about gyarus, I guess," Ranma came to the eventual conclusion, "Sure, as long you'll help me fit in."

It took all of Kasumi's willpower not to squeal. "You'll knock 'em dead by the time I'm done with you."

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Sunday, the day of the great gyaru get-together or whatever it was called (Ranma hadn't found out yet) came as any other day would. That is to say, Ranma had taken an unwilling plunge into the koi pond at his dad's very aggressive insistence. The more unusual part came with being picked up by the shirt collar by Kasumi, saved from the embarrassment of climbing out of the pond by something arguably more embarrassing.

"I'm sorry, Mr Saotome, but Ranma promised to help me with something today," Kasumi spoke professionally and politely, something that was becoming increasingly clear to Ranma as just an act, "I'll be taking him now, if you don't mind."

Fortunately, the panda took too much time scribbling on a sign why exactly Ranma couldn't go, so that, by the time he finished, the odd pairing were already in the bathroom without a single other soul having seen that as their end destination. With her speed and strength on display with her enthusiasm, maybe Kasumi would have been the best possible master of the Umi-Sen Ken.

"Right, now can you get started on washing the pond and other ick off of you?" The was just the slightest hint of Kasumi's bubblier tone behind closed doors, hidden with a whisper, "I'll get the clothes and be back soon."

Ranma wasn't quite sure how to handle washing his own cursed body with all the fancy soaps and such he'd been left with. Did he really want to go around smelling like artificial strawberries for a day or more? It wasn't really a manly scent, but it wasn't something exactly found in any rich fancy house. The Chardin's would certainly disapprove of the almost sickeningly sweet scent. 

But this was a bed Ranma made, and thus had to lay in it. It actually wasn't that bad, once he got started, and maybe it was good to have something a bit over the top to hide any martial arts induced stink. It felt kind of luxurious, actually, instead of just plain soap with nothing notable about it. This was made with much more intent. 

Kasumi snuck up behind him while he was distracted. "Can I help with your hair?"

"AAAH!" The pinkette almost jumped high enough to hit the ceiling, "I- Can you not sneak up on me when I'm… I'm…"

"Machan, pretty sure most of the ward has seen you butt naked," Kasumi stated bluntly as she put some sort of haircare product in her hand, "I'm no exception." 

"Yeah, just… It's different when you're not expecting it," Ranma had to apologise several times over to Akane, "… 'Machan'?"

"I wanna call my friends cute nicknames while gal-ed up," Explained the expert as she got to work, "Nothing wrong with that." 

The actual process of getting his hair washed by someone else did feel really nice, Ranma found out fast. Kind of like getting headpats, something the cat lodged somewhere in his brain deeply appreciated. And it was ultimately just for Ranma. Kasumi got nothing from this. It was care with no planned transactional element that didn't already benefit both parties. 

"I think I got some soap in my eye…" It had to be the reason Ranma felt slightly teary. It just had to be. 

"Awww, sorry," Kasumi pushed Ranma's fringe a little out of the way, hoping to guide the soapy water, "Trust me when I say it's gonna be worth it, though. Just wait till we get the hair straightener going!"

"The what?" The makeover was far from over, Ranma quickly realised. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Wearing mary-janes and loose socks instead of simple slip ons was a little strange. So was wearing a short skirt that almost hid beneath a white button up shirt, a baggy pink cardigan, and a ribbon. More so was having hair completely restyled into a fluffy side ponytail, fringe straightened out. Wearing make-up wasn't too weird, but the style wasn't entirely familiar. 

All in all, Ranma felt oddly soft. The cardigan, socks, and ribbon felt especially like he'd been turned into some kind of teddy bear. It was a far cry from anything Ranma had ever worn. It wasn't plainly masculine, it wasn't creating the illusion of a kind, refined, or sexy girl in any way society normally expected. The pink haired girl had nothing to be, she just was. That felt weird.

The look Ranma had kind of paled in comparison to how Kasumi looked. Because hair dye or bleach wasn't an option, blonde streaks from hair extensions gave the older girl a rebellious look. Her face was covered in the same colourful stickers her friend had the other day. On top of very bright clothes from brands that actually were recognisable from Akane's taste in designer brands, Kasumi's wrists and ankles had bracelets galore, clacking against each other like the charms on her bag. 

The whole walk to the station and the train ride had made Ranma kind of nervous. Even on his own, his look would make him stand out, which would destroy his manly reputation if he was recognised. Being seen beside Kasumi, a confident, taller, and much more colourful fountain of feminine rebellion was not helping keep his cover low. 

… But there is no denying that Ranma felt kind of cute, and it was interesting to see Kasumi outside of her usual look. 

Once it was time to walk out of the train, an odd sense of relief occurred once Ranma found himself amongst the crowd of the city. There were many people wearing elaborate outfits. The hustle and bustle wasn't all fashionistas, and not all were emblematic of what Ranma had seen of gyaru styles so far, but he didn't feel out of place. He stood out, but couldn't be called out for it.

"Here, let's hold hands," Kasumi offered her protégée, "It's waaaay too easy to get lost here, lol."

"I don't have to talk like that, right?" Ranma asked with a nervous laugh, taking Kasumi's advice by taking her hand.

"Oh, well, it may be a little weird, cos there's slang and stuff, but, like, it shouldn't be too bad," Assured Kasumi, "You're a newbie, anyway, so you'll probs get a pass from the rest. Maybe." 

Worming through the crowds, store fronts passed by in a blur. There had never been so many loud fashion styles blasting past Ranma's eyes, and it actually made him consider for a moment that he might have been a little behind the times with his usual silk shirt and pants combo. It was practical and classic, but it also didn't really feel fresh anymore. Trying something new, maybe something soft, might be nice… 

A swift tug came from Kasumi, dragging Ranma into an arcade, with music pumping and bright lights fuelling the atmosphere. Claw machines and cabinets sat along the walls and in rows down the centre. It was a little overwhelming to take it all in, just like outside, and Ranma tried to get a good look around. 

He wouldn't get to due to the ambush of several gals calling out "Kasucchi!" 

Five girls tackled Kasumi in a massive hug, with Ranma getting caught in the crossover. At least two sets of long, painted up nails brushed against him, and some blonde hair got in his face. It was his fault for tagging along to such an event, but it still left him a little stunned, holding back from letting combat training kick in.

"AH! AND YOU BROUGHT PINKY!" That was Risechan, squealing upon noticing the squished martial artist.

"Whuh!? A newbie!?" A girl with white make-up on her tanned nose was the first to leave the hug, surprised, resulting in everyone else letting go. It was strange, missing the feeling of being glomped for once. Maybe it was nice when it wasn't a forceful fiancee. 

"Sakkie, Hikarin, Junene, Harii, meet my friend here, Machan!" Kasumi grabbed the pinkette by the shoulders, "Risechan, you already saw her. She got inspo to go gyaru so I've been giving her the deets, hope it's chill she came with." 

The girl with the noticeable tan and nose make-up, the one nicknamed Sakkie based on Kasumi's quick introduction, grabbed Ranma's hand with what were practically blue talons to examine it. "And you didn't even get her nails fixed? Shame, Kasucchi, shame. JK, JK."

"Welcome to the club!" Harii, a blonde who looked like she was from some kind of edgy rock band, waved kind of cutely, "Been forevs since I talked to a newbie kogal. Literally cutes."

There was a general murmuring of agreement among the group, including several repetitions of the phrase 'literally cutes', which made Ranma blush a bit. He always knew he was attractive in this form, but this was more of an appreciation of him as a part of a community, not out of any kind of lust. He hadn't been expecting that at all. 

"Soooooooo cute, new lil sis," Junene, with curled brown hair and a very mature, very expensive looking leopard print dress, smirked, "You're gonna be such a heartbreaker, I can feel it."

"Oh, I, um…" That was already the case, unintentionally, but Ranma didn't want to bring that up to this new group of people, at least not so early, "I… I don't really wanna be…"

"Her love life is a bit out of control, it's part of why she wants out with us," Kasumi saved the day, "A lot of pushy creeps and incels, a lot of pushy parenting. Let's keep romance out of it for her today, cool?"

"Shit, my bad!" Apologised Junene, "I totes get it. I had to deal with an arranged marriage plan when I was in school. Kinda thing that makes you blow chunks thinking about it."

"Bet," Hikarin shuddered at some memory, pure pink frills on her dress shaking with her, "My parents still nag me 'bout their wants for me even after moving out. You're safe with us, Machan."

"And if there's trouble, we can gouge their eyes out!" Risechan's long nails sparkled as she mimed out the gruesome action with a bubbly giggle, "Though it might chip the paint, but it'd be totes worth it if it means a new gal feels safe." 

What Ranma heard in a secret, searching for deeper meaning sense was that there was secret gyaru martial art techniques. 

What Ranma had actually heard felt ridiculous. The idea of being protected just as a form of solidarity, not because it was mandatory? There had to be something else to it. This wasn't how friendship worked for Ranma Saotome. This was something else. What he had physically heard shook him to his very core, for just a moment, but he wasn't going to cry.

"Th-thank you…" The teary eyed pinkette mumbled. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Designer kimonos to Nodoka's preferred level of craftsmanship were surprisingly few and far between, making trips to Harajuku practically necessary. The fashion hub had a few eccentrics, and Nodoka couldn't exactly agree with all of the choices made by some of the shops or people walking around; but some people thought she was weird for dressing traditionally while carrying around a katana, so to each their own. 

It was only an issue when someone was disrespectful about it, after all. As long as everyone acted polite about their differences life could move forward at a steady pace, with tradition at its core, of course. The loud, rude and rowdy would be dispersed by the crowd of nicer folk who could live within societal expectations, and they would rot alone. 

… Or, at least, that was the ideal. 

Gyaru culture was inherently against traditional values, and thus the only one that could really cause any sort of major clash just by existing. To see a horde of them, a pack of wild rebellious girls out in the wild, was a sign of things that needed to be carefully guided back onto the right track. Not with the sword. Nodoka was trying to rely a little less on her sword for problem solving. 

A gathering of gals had taken over two whole tables at a cafe Nodoka was passing, having pushed them together to sit all seven rebels in a group. Six seemed to be young adults, but one member in the centre of the proceedings was absolutely a high schooler, with toxic pink hair, definitely different than Ranma's cursed but beautiful untouched, unbiased shade of pink. Yep.

The pinkette (probably a bad dye job, Nodoka was just unable to see the roots from as far as she was) was getting those awful long false nails applied to her by one of her older friends, and tons of obnoxious little cartoon charms were being attached to her bag as she and the rest of the band of hooligans chattered away. 

While it was sweet seeing this girl happy, this was the worst method to find such belonging! The youth were being corrupted by older rebels into defying the way things should be. What if this poor girl wanted to get married in the future? Or have any sense of normalcy as an adult? All of this would become regret, like any piercing or tattoo, which hopefully there were none of under that large cardigan. 

Well, Nodoka would just have to move on with her shopping trip. She wasn't going to be the one to cause a fight, she'd only finish it with the dignity of someone who was right, most of the time. She was still flexible and understanding, if the flock of gals were in kind. After all, she had accepted her manly son was sometimes manly in female form instead. She could ignore a minor, though tragic, menace. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Fuelled on plenty of sugary food, Ranma practically skipped through the door to the Tendou household before realising it was probably a bit too late at night to make so much noise. Stopping so sudden wasn't hard, given how effortless movement was to the martial artist. Not laughing took a bit more effort, the kind that required covering the whole mouth. 

Kasumi was close behind as she relocked the door, then closing the gap to join Ranma in the quiet giggling with a hug. To think that the simple act of being touched didn't have to be a weapon, but something genuine and affectionate, was something that only rarely crossed Ranma's mind before, a myth made to lie about how great hugs were. But the myths were true. 

The day had been the longest blur in Ranma's life, except for maybe the drastically more negative haze of Frenchman induced dissociative hunger. This was a busy, but incredibly positive experience instead. The energy of a big festival, combined with pre-fight hype, wrapped into a much more personalised yet harmless package. 

Bouncing from arcade machines to photo booths to sweets spots to clothing stores, the whirlwind force of seven gyarus all at once coloured the world Ranma had experienced in bright new ways. It was a world where Ranma could still be her normal self, even more unrestrained, without traditional femininity breathing down her neck. 

… Her normal self…

Kasumi was already going up to her room to undo the magic that was her own style. It was a shame, but returning home, even in the dead of night, meant returning to the drabness of everything before. It meant keeping all of this happiness and self expression a secret in the name of keeping the peace. 

But Ranma had never known inner peace quite like she had that day, and she hadn't quite known herself like it either. Having friendship for no reason but liking the person, living life as both a chaotic mess and as a girl when they were always packaged as mutually exclusive things, something invincible and beloved and free-spirited and cute and filled with contradictions…

Ranma had a taste of it. The tooth rotting sweetness had made it addictive. She needed more. 

On any night beforehand, she might have gone and grabbed the kettle before bed. Not this time. She was going to try to keep this going until it felt wrong. If every day felt as light as that day did, or even just a fraction of it, then Ranma was going to ride all the momentum she could. She was going to reintroduce gyarus to Furinkan High by force. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Akane swore she had the strangest dream the night before. She didn't really feel like she had slept too well at all, waking up in the middle of the night, but what she had seen really was nothing but some kind of nightmare. The glimpse of Ranma as one of those weird gyarus Kasumi had once been through the crack in Akane's bedroom door was nothing but fiction. 

With that said, Akane got dressed for the day, ready to go to school before anyone was really awake. She'd get breakfast, walk out of the house with a normal jerk Ranma, and leave as sure in her sense of reality as she was every single day before. Or at least as sure as one could be in a world where a man can turn into a duck. 

Making it to the start of the stairs, Akane rubbed her eyes sleepily and-

"Hey, Nenechan!" A cute, very girly voice said from downstairs, "Sorry if I woke you. Looking totes cute as always. Has your hair always been that fluffy? It's, uh… On point! That's the saying! On point."

Even if this twisted vision of Ranma didn't wake anyone before, the noise of Akane falling down the stairs in surprise certainly did.

"OHMYGOSH ARE YOU OKAY!?" Ranma's clearly possessed body still did the weird shocked hand thing in surprise, "Nenechan, you need to be more careful 'bout stairs! It's bad to not take better care of yourself."

"What, in the everlasting FUCK, are you talking about?" Akane asked, still upside down from the tumble. 

"I just told you, silly," Two fingers with glittery pink talons were shoved into view, "How many fingers am I holding up? Who's the current Prime Minister? Do you think you're a super cute and charming boy now after the concussion?"

"If anyone's concussed, it's you!" Picking herself up off the ground meant Akane also had to be a bit pushy for personal space, "Look at you, what happened?"

"Wanted a change, found something nice. Seems pretty obvious to me," Shrugged Ranma, "Just for fun or whatever." 

This was somehow worse than Kasumi's gyaru phase. This had managed to infect a boy, and not even in that way where it's just gyaru but for boys. Something more than Ranma was saying had happened to him, and given all the supernatural shenanigans and malicious agents in Nerima, Akane's bets were practically made for her. 

"Can you two dorks shut up down there when it's so-" Nabiki was yet another victim to Ranma's distracting appearance, falling down the stairs too, "I knew it! I knew ghosts were in this house possessing people!" 

At least both Akane and Ranma agreed to doubt it. "Whuh?" 

"This came and passed with Kasumi, it'll come and pass with you too, Saotome," The middle Tendou walked off her fall, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta find a way to get the zashiki-warashi to stop possessing me."

Ranma took in a deep breath. "… Kichan, this might be controversial, but I don't think- No, scratch that. Have fun. Gonna go see if I can beat Kasucchi to making snacks."

There weren't enough synonyms for 'confused' for Akane to even start describing how she felt. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Kasumi's feet ached, just a little, from all the walking about the day before. She loved her heels, absolutely, but there was a good reason beyond needing to repress her sense of style for her to wear flat shoes whenever she needed to wear shoes at all. Hopefully, today wouldn't be too eventful, so at least her body could recover from the only downside of her day out. 

Of course, being the main homebody of the family out of necessity meant she wouldn't get out of doing everything. At minimum, breakfast and packed lunches were her mandatory duty, and she could potentially work around everything else later. So, dressed uncomfortably plainly, she headed into the kitchen to start her day. 

And Machan, as radiant as the day before, was already in there. She looked every bit as much of a gyaru as she did when the pair got home late at night, minus some slighty different make-up due do having done it herself. Given everything, Kasumi was frightened beyond belief, but also incredibly proud. 

"Kasucchi, hiya!" Cheered the pinkette once she saw she had company, "I thought I'd try making you some cute snackytreats for later! … Did I say that one right? Snackytreats?"

"It's a bit silly, but yes, it's snackytreats," That forced Kasumi to stifle a giggle, "But why?"

"You did nice stuff for me yesterday," Ranma explained plainly, a little embarrassed, but only barely, "I wanna do nice stuff for you. Though trying to hold cutlery with these nails is tough, so I'm sorry if the sandwiches ain't perfect hearts."

"Oh, Machan…" Kasumi held open her arms, merely suggesting a hug but getting instantly grappled, "You didn't have to do anything."

"I know!" There was something tragic about how happily aware of that fact Ranma was, the implication that it was something surprising and novel. 

It would have been better, in some respects, for Kasumi to have encouraged Ranma to take the same approach to being gyaru as she had, to make it a secret thing for outside the home. Being loud, bright and rebellious was trouble for home life stability, and sacrifices had to be made in the face of a tragedy like a dead parent. 

But life already wasn't stable, especially for the cursed martial artist, and she already had a rebellious streak. If anyone was going to break status quo, it was going to be Ranma or someone associated with her. And while it was a small bit of selfishness, though still largely driven by hoping Ranma was happy, Kasumi would benefit from the family's ban on gyarus disappearing too.

"Would you like some cash for the konbini to get some sweets today?" Kasumi offered, "Me and the gals, like, lived on pocky back in high school, not kidding."

"Really? You're sure?" Whether or not Ranma was using contacts, her eyes sparkled, "The whole candy isle at my disposal… Woah…" 

Mentally, Kasumi was doing some minor budgeting. She should be able to get some cute flats to go with her hopefully soon permanent gyaru look, first of all. But, more importantly, she'd be able to somewhat consistently but safely fund the sweet tooth of the beautiful and cute little monster she created in the form of Ranma going full kogal. 

♡☆♡☆♡☆

"Mr Saotome!" Miss Hinako pouted at the front of class, "I know you already never wore the uniform, but this is too mu-"

"Can I wear it if I give you some pocky?" Ranma comfortably deflected. 

"GIMME!" The child sized teacher ran to Ranma, grabbing the offered biscuits and guarding them like a precious treasure before snacking at her desk. Easy as that. 

More and more of the class murmured rumours about what happened to Ranma to make her like this, and more and more were getting further from the truth. It wasn't a curse, or a dare, or a disguise. The pocky wasn't infected with magic, obvious since Hinako went unchanged. And the existential crisis of potentially being the mirror clone from that one misadventure had been so thoroughly suppressed by Ranma that she knew it wasn't the case. 

She hadn't really gotten this much gossip thrown around about her since she first came to Furinkan. She was a centre of attention, sure, but it was always because she was adjacent to the real big news. It wasn't about her opponent, this time, since there were none. Everyone was worried and caring about Ranma on the second-most happiest day of her life, number 1 being the day before. 

"So, they took you into their cult?" Makoto asked, clutching something she had clearly stolen off of Gosunkugi as an emergency repellent. 

"I think that needs, like, something to worship," Talking the part was a bit rough when Ranma was still picking up all the lingo, but the average person was still surprised by it, "So no, no cults."

"And you're not going to destroy the toilets, are you?" Shikako was, understandably given her current knowledge, pleading. 

"That ain't what being a gyaru is actually about," Ranma explained, "That's just blowing shit up for funsies. Being a gyaru is about being a girl without being all traditional about it. There's a lot of strict limitations with being traditional, so this is saying screw that."

Tomoyo raised her hand as if Ranma was the actual teacher in the class. "So, like Shampoo?"

"Not really, though she's totes got some of the style at times," The short dresses came to mind, "To her, she's traditional, since that's how her village in China raised her."

"Oh, like Ukyo, then." Tomoyo's second suggestion was cut off by the chef herself from the back of class. 

"My femininity was discarded as a sign of bein' dishonoured," Ukyo explained dramatically, gakuran flapping in non-existent wind, "It ain't nothing like this, and it ain't my style. And… Really ain't my type. Sorry, Ranchan, nothing personal, I just-"

"No no no, really, it's chill, Ucchan!" Being a gyaru removed one fiancee from Ranma's romance troubles, making it even better, "I'm more than happy to just be friends! Though you're the only one who gets to call me Ranchan. Been liking Machan loads more lately."

"That's a really cute nickname, Machan," Noriko smiled smugly, "You know, if you ever want some girl time, I've basically been waiting for you to ask since you got here, so you know where to come if you wanna chat."

"Well, uh, technically I want all the time to be girl time, so-"

"Does that mean we get to see your tits in the changerooms?" Kiichi asked with a gross smile, "Us guys deserve something as your friends, y'know."

"I'm happy just seeing how short that skirt is," Shingo chuckled, "Really, more happy to see what it lets me-"

The room was filled with what might as well been two claps of thunder, catching the attention of even Akane, who had been avoiding acknowledging the whole thing. Red hand prints and long scratches streaked across both of the boys' faces, and yet it was Ranma who was there, teary eyed, shaking with a stinging hand and one of her nails chipped. 

Ranma was not about to let her ability to be happy as a girl, as herself without strict expectations, get twisted into something that made her skin crawl. She wasn't going to take harassment for being a girl, and she wasn't going to be persuaded back into being a boy for the sake of enforcing that. 

… But she was going to walk out of class, distressed over her broken nail. 

"Hmmm… I'm going to allow that," Hinako frowned at the boys whining on the floor, "She wasn't the delinquent there."

♡☆♡☆♡☆

"Ranma!" Akane called out once she sure the gal hadn't gone too far off school property, but there really wasn't much point in calling it out so soon when Ranma wasn't walking anywhere. 

No, she was actually kind of moping, snacking on a handful of fruit flavoured gummys she got as part of her sweets stash, looking sadly at her chipped nail. Ranma didn't think she did the wrong thing morally, obviously, but she did the wrong thing in damaging part of her own confident image. It was simultaneously good and bad for her. 

Akane stopped her sprint once she caught up. "Ranma, I… Are you okay? I don't think I've ever seen you that kind of angry before…"

"A lot of girls don't like being harassed like that, 'Kane…" Ranma kept her tone the same as she spoke before the gals day out as she stated what should have mostly been obvious.

"… If you're a girl now, you don't necessarily have to be a girl like this," Akane gestured to the pinkette and her style, "I'm not a gyaru, but I still would have beaten those guys up if I got talked to like that. You've seen me do that before."

"This ain't about being able to kick ass as a girl," The chipped nail was shown off, "If anything, this style ain't even convenient for it. It's about not being something that isn't me. I'm not close to traditional, you should know that. I like being cute, even kinda hot, but I like it for me, not anyone else."

There wasn't really a way to tell if Akane understood. She wasn't really as much of a tomboy as everyone always called her, and acted within the standards of femininity as much as she could tolerate it. If this was as easy as being the same kind of girl as Akane, Ranma would have stumbled into that the instant she got the curse. Comfort in femininity just looked different between the two. 

"People haven't wanted anything from me like this, too, except for me to either stop or to be gross, and that isn't anything new," The thought of complying to any of it itched uncomfortably at Ranma's skin, "I can just offer what I want to, and people will actually be my friend instead of… I dunno what you'd call it otherwise."

There were seconds of silence between the two as Akane clearly took in what she couldn't fully understand. "… Kasumi used to be so perfect before mum died, I looked up to her like that. But then, after, she went through all these… phases… It felt like I was lied to."

Ranma wasn't the most aware of everything, but that made a lot of things make sense. "So her going gyaru and sticking to it…"

"She always went back to normal between them before," Continued Akane, "And then that stuck through most of her time in high school. Dad pushed for her to be normal again for the family's sake… And I guess I have been too."

"Yeah, kind of a mean thing to do." 

Akane only flashed a grumpy look at Ranma for a moment, but swiftly changed her mind on her mood. "… Well, come on, Machan. We should see if Kasumi has a way to even out your nails."

"… Really?" Even without contacts, Ranma knew her eyes were sparkling with wonder, "Nenechan, you mean… OHMYGOSH!"

"Yeah, and I'm going to apologise to her too," There was a small look of embarrassment on Akane's face, her stubborn side being pushed aside, "Don't make a big deal out of it, though. It's a personal thing."

"But Nenechaaan, that's, like, so sweet!" The pinkette's mood improved, partially due to knowing she was part of the key to her friend's revelation.

"I can still push you into the canal if you pry too much."

"This make-up's waterproof, that's totes fine."

♡☆♡☆♡☆

Several friendship bracelets, each matched to individual close friends, were unfortunately covered by Ranma's newest big soft cardigan. The price one must pay for flappy sleeves is sometimes immense. At least the bracelets were still there, and she could feel them no matter what covered them. 

The weekend couldn't have come any sooner, honestly, with another get-together of gyarus happening in Harajuku as seemed to be per tradition. If so, that was the one tradition Ranma was glad to have. Although, having to wait the whole week to reap this reward was a pain. At least it gave Ranma time to study up on her vocabulary, and Kasumi got time to make some changes. 

While she still only kept it to streaks, the blonde in Kasumi's hair was now permanent. "Nail's sticking okay, Machan? It'd be a shame if they didn't."

"I did a few kicks on some dummies and they haven't budged," Ranma was proud of her workaround to fighting with her hands, "It's all good!"

The two gyarus of different types finished up all the little touch ups needed to be perfect for today. Complaints by Soun were overwhelmed by Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi, with Nabiki being pretty neutral, so the eldest Tendou got to have all her make-up supplies and accessories out in the open in her own room, now, and Ranma got to borrow that space as she pleased.

This was being a part of a caring friend group, of even a family. Ranma helped where she could, even taking up some chores to lighten Kasumi's load, but it was her own choice. Nothing about her was traditional beyond the general thing of being kind, and anyone could do that, regardless of gender. This was what being a girl was to Ranma, no baggage attached. 

… Well, almost none. 

Genma, in his panda form as a crude attempt and failure to hide, was furiously scribbling on a sign for fear of his life. 'IF YOU GIVE ME A BIT MORE TIME, OUR SON WILL BE BACK TO NOR-'

"We clearly don't have a son, Genma, the contract is void!" Nodoka made sure her daughter could still hear her, loud and clear, "What I'm more upset about is that you're letting our daughter walk around like some kind of… Skank!" 

"Love you, Ma, but no contract for that one," Ranma giggled as she left the house with her mentor in gal-hood by her side, "Those kinda rules are, like, sooooo last gender. Blegh. We'll be back whenevs!"

It was going to be another wonderful day out.