Just found out that it's rude to let your long hair down in the public bath… I will give them a pass considering the situation. Next time he will have it tied up in a bun for sure!

Artwork sauce: https://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1485327

“C’mon, you’re gonna have to take it off anyways,” Rika teased, greatly enjoying the situation of her friend. “Or are you really that scared of a man seeing you?”

Even though Hikaru’s body was absolutely nothing like usual, she could still easily see through his fake prudish expression. His face had always been slightly feminine, but now – framed by his long, flowing red hair – it let on an air that begged her to see how far she could go. The problem with using the stone’s magic was that, if he was seen naked by a member of the opposite sex, the permanence condition would be fulfilled. But the men’s and women’s baths were well separated…

Rika had always been a fan of traditional bathhouses, but it was something that she couldn’t enjoy together with Hikaru. The two had been friends since childhood, but some things just had a hard time crossing the gender barrier – unless you have the help of magic. Hikaru, on the other hand, never really cared for them, as the men’s side was usually a sausagefest of old guys, and he didn’t really like the way it made his skin feel. He never even really thought of what goes on in the women’s side, but now that he was actually entering, he found that his heart was beating fast. He kept touching his hair and his chest – as if checking whether his body was still female – while firmly holding the towel wrapped around his breasts. There was no way a man could peek unless they suddenly came running in, but the new girl was already very apprehensive about showing some skin.

Once he was out of the towel, showered (using bubbles to cover himself as long as he could), and in the bath, some of the tension finally left his body. Rika went up to him, sitting next to him along the edge. Warm water covered all the way up to their shoulders – he was the same height as her, but somehow it just made him feel very short. He tried not to stare at his breasts – they were no longer weighing him down, now that they were supported by the water, and it was already a relief.

Something pulled on his wet hair. Rika was holding it, brushing through it with her fingers just below the surface of the water. She used to tell him about how she wanted to have long hair so she could style it however she wanted, but she was never able to grow it out anywhere near as long. He wondered if she might actually be jealous. He tried his best to relax, letting the cumulative feeling of all his body parts blend together, eventually becoming one with the water and the misty air. Slowly, a warm, comforting feeling came across his back end. He let his mind run empty as he embraced the soft, gentle feeling of the massage, as it ran over his butt and touched –

“Eeee!” He instantly shut up after hearing his lewd voice echo through the large room.

It wasn't until evening when they left, their skin wrinkly from staying too long. Hikaru, lightheaded from the hot air and only wearing a bath towel, absentmindedly walked through the empty changing room and into the entranceway – freezing up as he came face to face with a group of old men staring right at him! Rika came out right away, reaching to grab her friend’s shoulder – accidentally pulling the towel instead! It fell down in the gap under his breasts, opening up after catching on the round shape of his butt. He quickly grabbed for it, but caught a handful of red hair instead…

It turns out girls really do scream and run away if you happen to see them nude.