Wandering Son

A collection of one-shot stories by Takako Shimura, the author of *Hourou Musuko* (*Wandering Son*) and *Aoi Hana* (*Sweet Blue Flowers*). Originally published between 1997 and 2001, these stories deal with issues relating to gender, romance, ideals of beauty, and relationships with parents. 1. **Boku wa, Onnanoko** (He Said, "I Am a Girl") 2. **Rakuen ni Ikou** (Let's Go to the Paradise) 3. **Shounen no Musume** (Boy's Daughter) 4. **The Theme of Akemi ver. Teruo** 5. **The Theme of Akemi ver. Yoshio** 6. **The Theme of Akemi ver. Haruo** 7. **Hana** (The Flower) 8. **Sweet 16**

Nitori wants to become a girl, and random stranger with camera knows just the way.

Chiaki Honda is a middle-school boy who neglects his studies. Furthermore, he smokes, and has dyed his hair a bright green. One evening at the arcade, a girl challenges him to a match. The girl, who straightforwardly introduces herself as Nanako Kikuchi, suggests a bet, nonchalantly wagering her body for Chiaki's watch. Chiaki is soundly defeated, and he goes home fuming. His life goes on, of course. The next day, he meets a strange young man on the train who looks an awful lot like him. And eventually he runs into Nanako again.