Christmas vor! (Yukari Akiyama TG/TF)

Yutaka sat anxiously around the Christmas tree with his family, watching on as his mother slowly opened the presents in front of her. He was glad that his family had a tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve, because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to wait another day to tear into the stack of presents by his side. Still, watching his mom carefully open each present and fold up the wrapping paper to save for later was torturous, as much now as it was when he was a little kid.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was his turn to open presents. He eyed the stack carefully, ultimately deciding to leave the biggest present for last, while he tore into a little one that had a pair of drab green socks adorned with small tanks all over them. As much as he wasn’t fond of socks as a Christmas gift, he had to admit that the number of different tanks on them were impressive, and he did appreciate how supportive his family was of what he loved.

He’d been a fan of tanks for as long as he could remember, and he wasn’t sure there was a Christmas where he didn’t get something related to tanks. His favorite thing, though, was watching tankery matches whenever he could, whether it be on TV or in person. Yutaka followed the sport voraciously, and was a big fan of the girls on Ooarai Girls High School’s team. Sure, he wished that there was some way he could get involved in the sport, a team of his own that he could join, but he was just as pleased to watch and cheer on from the crowd, revelling with every victory and fighting through the sadness of every defeat.

Yutaka put aside a thermos shaped like a tank shell casing and finally pulled the present he’d saved for last in front of him. It wasn’t massive, but it was large and sturdy, and something about it just spoke to the quality of the gift inside. He eagerly tore off the wrapping paper and was greeted with a plain, white box. It took him a little bit of time to work off the tape on the bottom keeping the top on, but he finally tore through it and carefully opened the box.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw what was inside. Nestled in amongst festively colored bits of tissue paper was the present that Yutaka had wanted the most: the same model of headphones and throat microphone that the Ooarai team used. 

He was absolutely speechless, having no idea how his parents managed to find them. Handling them as though they’d break if they were held wrong, he carefully looked them over, confirming that they were, indeed, exactly what he’d wanted and not just some cheap replica.After thanking his parents for what felt like a straight minute, Yutaka happily carried his gifts up to his room, anxious to try them out.

After placing the gifts on his bed, he went straight for the microphone, carefully wrapping it around the back of his neck, making sure it was pressed lightly against his throat. He went for the headphones next, slipping the padded cups over his ears and adjusting the fit of the band against his head. Once everything was comfortably on, he flipped small switches on both of them, a light, fuzzy sound in his ears letting him know they were one.

“Testing, testing. One, two, three, one, two, three…” he said out loud, his throat feeling a little funny from the pressure of the microphone against it. Sure enough, he heard the same words through the headphones, but the sound was a little off, somehow.

“Check, check…” he tried again, hoping that with something shorter he’d be able to hear the voice better. Like before, he heard his words, “Check, check…” through the headphones, but the sounds was far too high pitched for his voice, almost nasally. It sounded as excited as he felt, but that was as close as it got to his own voice.

Puzzled, he took the headset off and looked it over, trying to see if maybe there was some sort of calibration he needed to do. Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything more than the power button, a volume dial, and a channel select. Yutaka took the microphone off next, but only found more of the same there. Trying to remain hopefully, he turned them off and then back on, changed the channel, and then slipped them on once more.

“Alright, let’s see how this sounds!” he said confidently, only to hear the same high, airy voice brimming with enthusiasm as before. His heart sank hearing that voice again, not just because the gift wasn’t working right, but because he’d have to tell his parents, and he was sure they’d worked really hard to find it for him. Feeling defeated, he reached up and turned the devices off, but kept them on for just a little longer.

“Jeez, I can’t believe it. The gift I wanted the most and they don’t work. Still, at least I got some other nice gifts…” he said wistfully, looking at a plastic model of his favorite tank, until he realized that the voice that said those words wasn’t his own: it was the same voice he’d heard in the headset he’d just turned off.

“Th-that’s not possible…” he said, the absent of white noise in his ears making the girly voice he heard all the clearer, all the more real than it had been before.

Suddenly, Yutaka felt a strange tingle spread across his scalp and he felt a slight pressure on his head as the fit of the headphones grew more uncomfortable. He quickly reached to pull them off, feeling long strands of thick hair greet his fingers as he tried to grab them. Eventually, he got a grip and pulled them off, and soft hair settled against his ears.

“Wh-what’s happening…?” he wondered as he ran his hands through the thick hair that had replaced his short buzz cut from earlier in the day. It felt good, though, his fingers spreading apart the soft, silky hair, it falling back into place and tickling his scalp, ears, and face. He somehow felt at peace playing with it.

He got up and made his way to his bathroom, curious to see what it all looked like. He was shocked to see medium-length brown hair framing his face in the mirror, puffing out so much at the sides that he had to take a step back to get it all in frame. It was just a little messy, and no matter how he tried pushing it down, it didn’t seem to want to lie flat. Yutaka didn’t mind, though, as it looked and felt great, lightly pushing on the soft, fluffy hair with his palms, watching it deflate and then puff back up. He even found himself overcome by the urge to shake his head around, enjoying the feeling of the strands whipping around and the slight breeze they created.

While he was enjoying the feeling from his hair, he felt the microphone he’d forgotten about around his neck suddenly spin around, and he quickly stopped to take it off. He wasn’t sure when the fit on it had got so loose, but it came off even easier than it went on, and when he looked back in the mirror, he was surprised to see that his Adam’s apple had shrunk away and his neck had gotten slimmer overall.

On top of that, at some point, his face had completely changed. He saw surprisingly thin and sculpted eyebrows peeking out from under his messy bangs, sitting on top of large, brown eyes. His face had gotten softer and rounder, his nose and chin shrinking down to be less pronounced, while his lips got softer and fuller. There was no way he could see his ears from underneath all the hair, but he was sure they were smaller, too.

“It can’t be…” he whispered in his new, softer voice, “am I becoming a girl?” As soon as the question had left his lips, he started to feel an odd haze cloud his head, and his limbs started to feel strangely distant and numb. He felt a gentle pressure push down on his shoulders, watching as the bathroom seemed to get bigger, while the pressure moved to push his shoulders inwards, shrinking down his frame and making his t-shirt hang loosely from them. He felt the same pressure travel down, slimming his arms, pinching in his waist, pressing on his stomach while his shirt got larger and baggier on him.

The feeling soon moved to his legs, gently squeezing them as his pants loosened and fell around his ankles, then moving on to wrap around his feet. It traveled back up, tugging on his hips, making them a bit wider than the were, before doing the same to his butt, each cheek getting a little rounder and softer.

Finally, the sensation moved to his groin, wrapping around his penis and testicles gently, until slowly, but firmly, the pressure grew, an odd tingle registering in Yutaka’s increasingly clouded head as his genitals reformed into a set of tight lips.

“This has to be a dream, right? Yeah, definitely… No way this could be happening! It even explains how my parents were able to find a gift like that…” he asserted, his voice quivering, desperately hoping that all was true.

He slowly walked back to his bedroom on wobbly, unfamiliar legs, the haze in his head now having become a dizziness, coupled with an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and cleared off his bed before settling in under the covers.

“I’ve just got to go to sleep in the dream, and then I’ll wake up in real life…” he mumbled into his pillow, falling asleep as soon as he finished the thought.
The silence was broken by a loud knock on the door. “Yukari! Wake up already, Yukari! You’re gonna be late for your friends’ Christmas party if you keep sleeping!”

Yukari still felt a little dizzy from the night before, but she managed an “Okay, mom!” and sat up, wiping a little drool from her mouth. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she realized the room she was in was different from the one she’d fallen asleep in. It was still obviously the room of a tankaholic, but this room looked more authentic than Yutaka’s ever had.

There were tank parts and military jackets lining the wall. A TV sat on a small entertainment center and behind it were an assortment of real tank shells. Shelves were lined with lovingly assembled model tanks, and next to them was a stack of boxes of kits yet to be built. There was even a desk in the corner with radio equipment.

Something seemed off about the room, about the voice at the door and the name they were calling for, but as soon as Yukari scrunched up her eyebrows to consider the thought, it seemed to slip right out of her head. She simply shrugged, writing it off as her still being drowsy.

She made her way to the bathroom, taking the time to brush her teeth before she slipped off the light yellow camouflage patterned pajamas she was wearing and made her way into the shower, turning it on.

“Yaaaah!” she screamed as the cold water hit her bare skin, waking her up instantly and sending goosebumps traveling up her smooth legs, slim arms, and pert breasts. She hugged her naked body for a second, trying to minimize the impact of the cold before the water heated up. Yukari sighed with relief as the warm water hit her skin.

She moved her head under the showerhead, working her fingers through her hair to make sure it was all wet. Then she stepped away, pumped shampoo into her palm and rubbed her hands together before slowly working it into her hair, a thick, soapy lather covering her head. She loved running her hands through it, especially now, when her hair was wet and felt so heavy and thick. She stepped back under the water and rinsed her hair, running her small, sleek fingers through it to get rid of every last trace of shampoo.

Yukari then pumped some soap onto a loofah and started rubbing it into a lather on her body, starting with her stomach. Once she was satisfied with how foamy it was, she moved up to her breasts, the plastic mesh of the loofah tickling against her puffy brown nipples, before moving to her arms and shoulders. Closing her eyes tightly, she gently patted and rubbed it on her face, enjoying the soft, flowery scent of the soap. She then scrubbed her thighs, admiring how smooth they felt with her hand, then cleaned her calves and feet. Lastly the loofah went to her crotch, Yukari taking care to make sure everything was well cleaned.

Covered from face to foot in sudsy bubbles, Yukari grabbed onto the showerhead and detached it to rinse herself off. She did her face first, making sure the water got in past her thick bangs, and then cleaned off her shoulders, enjoying the feeling of the water rolling down her arms. Pointing the stream of water at her chest next, she couldn’t help but let out a small moan as the water hit her nipples. She shivered a little from the pressure, curious as to why she was so sensitive today and wondering if maybe her chest was having another little growth spurt before moving the showerhead lower to clean her tummy.

At this point, there wasn’t much left for her to rinse, but she ran the water down her legs and butt, making sure to get rid of every last bit of soap. She had one last part of her to clean off, but as she looked at the showerhead, ready to adjust the pressure, she felt the water evaporating on her hard, tender nipples and the heat growing inside her. She knew it was bad, but she adjusted the pressure up, the water coming out harder and louder as she moved the showerhead to her crotch.

Yukari couldn’t help but moan as the water hit her body, first rinsing the soap off of her crotch before she moved the stream right over her lips, travelling up to let it hit her clit. She steadied herself against the wall with one hand as the worked up the tolerance to move the showerhead closer, her legs quivering from the pleasure the stronger the water got. Her other hand went to her chest, lovingly squeezing her perky little breasts and teasing her stiff nipples. It didn’t take long for her finish, though it took her a minute to recover before she rinsed her thighs once more.

Feeling a little worn, but also refreshed, Yukari turned off the shower and put the showerhead back. She started shaking her head, enjoying the feeling of her damp hair whipping around while large drops of water flew off it, pattering against the shower curtain. It always reminded her of a dog drying themselves off, but it was fun and good way to get a lot of water out of her hair. When she was satisfied and only a little dizzy, she opened the shower curtain and reached for an extra fluffy towel, which she then used to dry her hair before wrapping it up. She then reached for another towel which she used to dry the rest of her body.

When she was done, she slipped on a pair of green camouflage patterned panties and a matching bra and went out to her room. As she unwrapped the towel from around her head and felt her hair poof out, she noticed a light blinking on her phone. When she unlocked it, she saw that she had nearly a dozen messages, all of them from her squad asking where she was and why she was late for the Christmas party.

In a panic, Yukari quickly got dressed in the first thing she could find: her school uniform. She quickly tossed on a blue jacket and ran out the door, being sure to grab the bag of snacks on the counter that her mom had prepared for their party.

By the time she finally made her way to Miho’s house for the party, she was about an hour late. She burst into her room and immediately started bowing profusely.

“I-I’m so sorry for being late! I overslept and then took awhile in the shower and-”

Her apologies were interrupted by a loud, sudden pop, and she rose to look up just as strands of green and red confetti started drifting downwards, some settling on her fluffy hair.

“Merry Christmas!” Miho, Hana, and Saori shouted, the empty poppers in their hand being the source of the confetti. Mako was jostled out of her nap by the pop and cry, and added in her own sleepy greeting before pulling her own popper, well after all the other confetti had hit the floor.

“M-Merry Christmas!” Yukari cried back, happy to be with a group of friends so wonderful and accepting. She added her snacks to the pile that was already on the table, and they all settled in at the kotatsu in Miho’s room to begin the festivities.

There was juice and soda, plenty of salty and sweet treats, and some nice, warm fried chicken, for them to snack on as they chatted away. They spoke excitedly about the presents they got, what they were hoping to happen in the new year, and how glad they were for all that had happened.

After a bit, Miho got up and opened the closet, digging around for something. “It’s a little embarrassing, but my sister ended up getting me something that might be kind of fun…” All the girls turned to watch as she put a red Santa hat on her head. She paused for a second before she turned around, and everyone started laughing as soon as they saw the big white beard attached to cap hanging from her gentle face.

“Hahahaha, that’s too good, Miporin!” Saori laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. Even Hana was smirking, small laughs sneaking out as she desperately tried to keep a straight face. Miho smiled as she walked back to the table, but then she walked right behind Hana, and in a deft movement put the cap and beard on Hana.

Once again, the room filled with laughter as Miho returned to seat. They then took turns wearing the hat, everyone laughing and having a good time, seeing the ridiculously fake beard hanging from their friends’ faces. 

Finally, it was Yukari’s time to put it on. She turned away as she made sure the fit was good and that the beard lined up, and then she turned back with a booming “Ho ho ho!” in a deep voice. Yukari smiled widely as her friends laughed and snapped pictures while she hammed up acting like Santa Claus.

When she took it off, she was met with another round of laughter and frantic picture taking, but this time she couldn’t figure out why.

“What is it?” she asked, but the girls only laughed harder, until Miho passed her her phone to show her. In the picture, Yukari looked absolutely ridiculous.  The top of her hair was completely compressed from where the hat had been, while the lower part was still as poofy and spread out as always. A chuckle snuck out of Yukari’s mouth when she saw it, and soon she was laughing along with everyone else.

After things had quieted down, Miho scooted next to her. “Here, let me help with that,” she said, as she reached her hands up to Yukari’s head. She gently worked them into her hair, spreading it and fluffing it up to match the rest. Yukari felt a flush spread throughout her cheeks, and desperately hoped none of the other girls noticed, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the amazing feeling of Miho’s fingers working through her soft hair.

“There we go, all better!” Miho announced, a smile on her face.

“T-t-thanks you, Commander!” Yukari managed to stutter out, causing everyone to laugh again.

The girls’ party went on for hours, until the winter sun was finally setting in the sky and they said their goodbyes. They left Miho’s house, each going their own direction, but each one filled with good food and cheer from being with their friends.

As Yukari made her way down the streets back to her house, it started snowing. She smiled as she walked, glad for the white Christmas, while small, soft snowflakes gently tumbled down from the sky, some settling on the ground, other resting neatly on Yukari’s messy hair.