Part 2

It happened on April 1. Although it was still spring break, Riko was suddenly told by her mother that they had to go to school.

Furthermore, she had no idea when it had all been prepared, but instead of her usual clothes, she was dressed in a formal suit – something more fitting for a graduation ceremony.

It consisted of a white blouse, a black jumper dress that reached just below the knees, and a matching black jacket. Even a ribbon tie for the collar had been included as part of the set.

To complete the outfit, she was made to wear white bobby socks, and waiting by the entrance was a pair of black patent leather strap shoes, perfectly coordinated to match the rest.

Riko didn’t understand why she had to be dressed so formally.

And yet, despite the elegant suit, she was made to carry the same aqua-mint-colored randoseru [the traditional school backpack, often made of leather or synthetic leather, typically used by Japanese elementary school students] she had used throughout the past five years and to wear her familiar yellow school cap.

To make matters even more peculiar, the stylish cloth emblem on the left breast of her jacket was removed, and in its place, her usual name tag was clumsily pinned on with a safety pin.

The name tag was tall and narrow, with a sheet of white paper inserted into a clear plastic case. The paper was vertically divided into three columns – right, center, and left – outlined with lines.

In the top third, the right and center sections were merged into a single block displaying the school emblem.

In the lower right section, the name of the school, “Kenyu Elementary School,” was printed.

In the lower center section, the words “Grade” and “Class” were pre-printed, with the kanji characters for “six” and “one” written beside them in marker. On the far left, “Riko Kurito” was handwritten in black ink.

Lifting the name tag and peering at it upside down from her own angle, Riko noticed the grade written on it and realized it was new. That meant it was the one she would be using from now on, for the coming school year.

After that, on the way to school, her mother kept taking photo after photo, as if she couldn’t take enough. Then, at the school gate, in the schoolyard, inside the classroom – everywhere – they ended up taking several hundred more.

At the time, Riko hadn’t understood the meaning behind it all. But now, she felt she finally could.

Her mother had already known that Riko had been chosen as the NAKED Elementary Student – and with that, she must have known that her daughter wouldn’t be allowed to wear a single piece of clothing for the rest of the school year. Not in her daily life, and not even at the graduation ceremony that would mark the end of her time in elementary school.

That was why, on that day, she had dressed her beloved daughter in a formal suit she would have worn at the graduation ceremony – something she would never be able to wear again – and taken photo after photo to preserve the memory of her in sixth grade.

It must have been out of a mother’s love.

However, perhaps because she had gotten lost in those thoughts, a brief silence followed. The reporter looked puzzled as she asked her a question.

“Um, Kurito-san…?”

Startled by the reporter’s voice, Riko blinked, then answered as if nothing had happened.

“It doesn’t hurt. You wear earrings too, right? They don’t really hurt, do they? It’s just like that.”

After saying that, Riko paused for a moment, aware that a light was shining on the name tag pierced through her left nipple and that it was being filmed from close range. Then she continued.

“And when the holes were made, I was given an anesthetic, so it didn’t hurt at all.”

As she said this, Riko thought to herself, “It didn’t really hurt, but…”

The day she was photographed at school in her formal suit, the next place she was taken to was the hospital.

Of course, Riko had no idea why she’d been brought to a place like this. But whatever arrangements had been made, they were already in place – she was taken straight to the treatment room without being kept waiting. There, her jacket was taken off and the sleeve of her blouse rolled up on one arm. She was too frightened to resist, let alone try to run away.

Before long, a female doctor arrived with a gentle, reassuring presence. Speaking softly, she tried to put the girl at ease.

“Just one little shot, okay? It might sting a bit, but be brave.”

Riko felt a quick prick in her arm. Then the doctor spoke again, her voice calm and steady.

“Take a deep breath… count slowly – one, two…”

But that was all she remembered. The next thing she knew, all her clothes had been taken off, and holes had been pierced in her nipples and her clitoris, and a safety pin had been inserted into each one. Then she was told that she had been chosen as the NAKED Elementary Student – and that she would not be allowed to wear any clothes for the entire year to come.

Of course, Riko cried and screamed at the cruelty of it all. But with her mother, the doctor, and every nurse working together to calm her down – telling her that being chosen was an honor – she eventually began her year of living completely naked.

The months that had passed felt like the blink of an eye. She could vividly recall the scene from eight months ago – it felt both like it had happened just yesterday, and like it belonged to a distant past.

But the reporter, naturally unaware of the girl’s thoughts, went on with her questions.

“Still, even if it didn’t hurt, didn’t you feel something? Anything at all?”

“Of course, I do feel something. I mean, I have things with actual weight hanging from my nipples and clitty. At first, I felt too aroused – it made everyday life really difficult. But now, I’ve gotten completely used to it. It feels kind of like I’m floating in the air, and my body feels a little warm. Since I’m the NAKED Elementary Student, though, staying warm like this is actually kind of convenient for the time of year.”

“Can you really get used to it?”

“You do get used to it. We are strange, aren’t we? When you wear clothes or glasses, you don’t really notice them most of the time, right? It’s kind of like that. I can’t take these off myself… Oh, they might look like ordinary safety pins, but they’re made so only a doctor can remove them. So yeah, I have no choice but to get used to them. But once you do, having something hanging from your nipples or clitty doesn’t really bother you that much.”

“So, it doesn’t interfere with your daily life at all, does it?”

“Right, it doesn’t. But there was one thing neither the teachers nor the Board of Education noticed. The NAKED Certificate has been pierced to my clitty, and – oh, this shows I’m the NAKED Elementary Student, so being completely naked is totally fine.”

Standing with her legs slightly apart and lowering her hips a bit, Riko lifted the bottom edge of the certificate slightly forward with her right hand, tilting it at an angle. The cameraman, understanding that she was making it easier to capture, zoomed in for a close-up.

It was enclosed in a clear plastic case, identical in appearance to the name tag hanging from her left nipple. What differed, however, was what was inside.

Affixed to a white backing was a head-and-shoulders photo of Riko, with the following words printed vertically beside it.

———-

Certificate of Enrollment the Elementary School Student under the Nudity for Advancing Kinesthetic and Emotional Development Education Program

Name: Riko Kurito

Date of Birth: February 14, 2011

Class/Number: 6th Grade, Class 1, Student No. 12

This is to certify that the above-named student is enrolled as the Elementary School Student under the Nudity for Advancing Kinesthetic and Emotional Development Education Program for the 2022-2023 academic year, in accordance with the Special Zone for the Nudity for Advancing Kinesthetic and Emotional Development Education Program to promote the Healthy Model Children development.

Date: April 1, 2022

Hanamino Municipal Kenyu Elementary School

Principal

———-

A red principal’s seal was also stamped on it.

After confirming that the cameraman had finished getting the shots he needed of the NAKED Certificate, Riko resumed speaking.

“From my little girly hole nestled within my little slit, my juices just kept overflowing – it wouldn’t stop. During spring break, I was at home, so I could tend to it regularly. But first semester began, that became much harder. For a while, it was just leaking constantly. And it wasn’t only my little slit, my legs, or my uwabaki that got stained – it even left marks the classroom floor and the chair I sat on. That would trouble others, and it definitely wasn’t hygienic.”

“And so, what happened next?”

“The teacher and the rest of the class discussed it during a class meeting, and they decided for me that I should start inserting a tampon. That was around the end of April. Since then, at school, the daily helper has changed them. But they soak up my juices so quickly that the daily helper has to replace them every break, or they won’t hold up. I do feel a little bad about bothering them so often.”

“So, because your classmates are all supporting you, you’re able to carry on your school life smoothly as the NAKED Elementary Student, isn’t that right?”

“Yes. And like I mentioned earlier, when there’s a problem related to me being the NAKED Elementary Student, the class holds a class meeting to talk it over and they decide for me what to do.”

“They’re going to talk about you at today’s class meeting too, right, Kurito-san?”

“Yes, they are. That’s why I’m always really grateful to everyone in my class.”

She wouldn’t go so far as to say she didn’t mean it. But every word of her response had been carefully decided in “consultation” with her teacher. Still, the fact that she had managed to recite the whole thing to the end gave Riko a certain sense of satisfaction.

Of course, she still had all kinds of feelings deep down. Naturally, the sense of embarrassment hadn’t gone away. And there were still moments – more than a few – when she wondered why she alone had to endure something so unreasonable. But even that, she had grown used to… or rather, she had convinced herself she was used to it, just to get through each day.

“By the way, it’s snowing today. Even in weather like this, you’re still completely naked, right, Kurito-san?”

“Ah… y-yes…”

Until now, Riko had answered every question smoothly, but this time, the words didn’t come right away. This question had been added at the last minute after the TV crew saw the snowy weather – it hadn’t been included in the list she’d been given in advance.

Even so, she’d had a rushed “consultation” with her teacher to prepare an answer, but she hadn’t quite managed to memorize it.

“Well… of course that’s the case. But still, since winter can be a bit harsh, they’ve made a special exception for me. On snowy days like today, I’m allowed to wear a scarf and gloves when going to and from school.”

When the segment aired, footage of Riko filmed during that morning’s commute was inserted at this point.

As the heavy snow fell, the other children bundled up as best they could.

Amidst them, Riko – her teeth chattering, lips turning purple, and goosebumps covering her bare skin – stood out starkly, wearing nothing but her yellow school cap and carrying her aqua-mint-colored randoseru.

Still, the fact that she was allowed to wear snow boots, a scarf wrapped around her neck, and thick gloves might have been a small act of mercy.

Not that such things would have made much difference.

“I’m relieved to hear that. Please keep doing your best as the NAKED Elementary Student.”

“Yes, thank you! I only have a little over three months left, but I’ll do my best to live up to everyone’s expectations!”

Riko’s cheerful voice echoed through the classroom, followed by a brief silence. But the director broke it.

“Alright, that’s a wrap.”

At that, Riko let out a long sigh. She realized – now that it was over – that she’d been more nervous than she’d thought.

But this wasn’t the end.