<658 – Irresponsible Pleasure (6)>
Dressing as a woman was initially nothing but uncomfortable.
Women’s clothing restricted movement and made wielding a sword a hassle.
Why was the waist so tight and the chest so constrictive?
With a trained body that could easily tear through clumsy clothes and flaunt a masculine physique, the durability and binding power of the garments Professor Pinkberry provided were no joke.
Gasp!
At first, handling the sword was tough with these unfamiliar sensations.
It was challenging to fully unleash what I knew at 100%.
Yet, as time wearing women’s attire increased, and as I took on the challenge of various conditions for improving Professor Pinkberry’s disguise technique, change began to happen.
Whoosh!
“I’ve adapted!”
The long skirt, tightly clinging to my legs, now allowed me to take quick, small steps.
The side-slit Chinese dress taught me to control the angle and length of my strides, minimizing movement to avoid exposing the male center while creating blind spots with a single leg.
I learned how to breathe through the pressure on my abdomen and chest, to wield the sword with shallow breaths, and how to use the sword freely for longer stints without breath, gaining mastery in handling the sword and my body in countless situations.
This trained me in a swordsmanship approach, perspective, and completely new training that a man could never have understood.
[Swordsmanship Experience Points +30]
[Stance Experience Points +30]
[Breathing Experience Points +30]
“Dressing as a woman… helps in swordsmanship mastery!”
Unexpected benefits discovered, despite having no intention of finding them!
Conversely, the daring exposure typical of women allowed me to feel the wind on my skin, accept mana more sensitively, and expanded my awareness and territorial range, gifting me new sensations.
[Territorial range expanded by 20%.]
[Sensing ability of the territory increased by 200%.]
[Clue for Stage 4 of the territory detected.]
[Current progress in Stage 4 realization – 2/10]
Interest was no longer merely about vigilance.
The relational distance with Oknodie, which had previously been more liberated, expanded to be much wider and freer.
The change in how others treated me altered my attitude towards them.
Human to human.
There was a transformation in relational abilities and social intelligence as a person.
“Senior, please accept me as your apprentice!”
“I heard rumors that those who’ve approached you have gone missing. Surely, you’re working for a secret organization, right? Please let us join that organization too!”
“I only thought about becoming the talent that my family and country desired. Thanks to you, I’ve realized there’s another path. Please, guide us to the path of righteousness!”
… He was now collected enough to calmly scan the murmuring new students without paying them any mind.
This was a type of person he had never encountered before, and this new experience called for new responses.
‘… Speaking will yield a male voice!’
I hadn’t considered voice modulation in my disguise!
How lucky I was to realize this through practical experience.
What if I had gone to the Executive Meeting Room in this disguise and found myself in a situation where I had to speak out?
– “Truly a guard of Pasible Yep. To be seen with a mutation having a male voice in a female body. Truly an extreme possibility!”
– “Even so, would a man want to act like that? Truly, a shameless fellow who has ruined all male dignity!”
The storm of insults and disparaging glances. The shame of having to silently endure it all.
Recognizing how precious each moment of practice turned out to be, in what were painful trials imagined.
‘Professor Pinkberry wasn’t chosen by Oknodie as the teaching professor for nothing. The details are astounding!’
This was true education that encouraged students to realize their shortcomings.
A mentor guiding one to reach the completion of their abilities by compensating for flaws—what could be better than this?
If given the chance to assess, I could confidently declare Professor Pinkberry the best of all the professors I encountered at the Academy.
But even with deep realizations, enduring mishaps in practice could only result in bitter defeat and a dark chapter in my history.
First, I had to get through this moment.
Swish!
After a moment of contemplation, I swung my sword once through the air, returned it to its sheath, and slowly departed.
“My task is complete. I shall not receive questions or veneration. You all should ponder only the swordsmanship I’ve left behind.”
Imagining the back of Oknodie fading away once my task was done.
Like a small child who was exhausted from catching up, the students left in awestruck silence, eagerly chasing after the heroic figure.
Oknodie always vanished after leaving a challenge for those wanting to follow.
A task that couldn’t be solved on the spot, as if shouting, “I know your level completely, and I can show you your path forward.”
‘As expected, no one could keep up. The sword was a bit challenging for first-years.’
Having replicated not only Professor Pinkberry’s challenges but also Oknodie’s genteel ways of interacting with people, I managed to overcome one more trial today.
Heading towards the location where Professor Pinkberry awaited, I felt a strong sense of achievement.
*
“That was just so charismatic…”
To my juniors, I turned without a word, sheathing my sword dramatically and vanishing just like a true hero.
“That senior… while rushing to us out of concern, extinguished all the flames alone without needing help and left.”
“Are first-years supposed to just obediently listen to lectures and focus on training while receiving protection? How greedy can this hero complex be!!”
“Even in fireproof clothes, walking awkwardly in a skirt and high heels, there must be hidden meanings in that movement, right? Ugh, I can’t even fathom what those meanings might be with the sheer skill gap!”
The true essence of a senior setting an example in action, not just words, was coupled with a hero complex, making it hard for lower years to follow!
As the students who had gathered in admiration of the enigmatic female swordsman beheld this scene, their admiration only grew stronger.
“Jaku-senpai said the female swordsman was dangerous, but that’s simply not the case. They’re actually a good person, and everyone’s just misunderstanding them. We must actively spread the word of their kindness!”
“How can we trust and follow a female swordsman who undertakes good deeds for her own satisfaction without recognition or regard from the campus?”
“The reason that senior appeared here and there on campus was to protect us from threats we don’t even realize, through their volunteer work. It has to be true!!”
Amid the fervent students almost to a fanatical degree, one female student tilted her head.
“Then why does her outfit change every time?”
“Well, a senior’s entitled to at least one secret hobby! How can you understand the lonely heart of someone who, not receiving anyone’s recognition, shows off clothing they normally can’t wear?!”
“No, but how do you know that when it’s not even the senior who said so… isn’t that a bit over the top?”
“Shut up! What do you know about the senior’s plight?! They’re a lonely hero. We need to protect them!”
In truth, there was a reason why the juniors handling swords were so enthusiastic.
Swordsmen were much like guitarists.
A strong guitarist must not display interest in anything but the guitar.
The moment they become popular—which is to say, when they begin to feel arrogant—their strength stagnates.
Alcohol, cigarettes, and relationships with the opposite sex?
You can forget about further growth.
Swordfighters, keeping their distance from such relationships, have a gender ratio of 95% in male-dominated schools, making female swordsmen even rarer than unicorns.
From the perspective of female swordsmen, how could they not admire such an awe-inspiring senior?
Ultimately, as Sing became a popular figure transcending gender boundaries, they were seen as a half-idol, a revered figure among the new students, fulfilling the hidden criterion of “gaining respect through firefighting,” and the experience points for disguise techniques swelled.
“Whoa! Sing, why did you come without a top on?”
“…Because it helps with the disguise transformation technique. There’s no other intent.”
“Alright, alright! I totally understand! There are times when I want to paint my whole body purple, maximize the size of my eyes and mouth, and prance about in nothing but underwear!”
“…I don’t quite get that ambiguous feeling.”
Before the profound abyss of disguise techniques, even I felt fear.
‘This professor… getting too close could be dangerous.’
Some realizations come far too late.
The understanding I gained now felt like that.
“Eh? I don’t mind not knowing. You’re gonna do it too, Sing!”
“…You mean me?”
“Yup!”
“Dressing up as a purple naked underwear freak?”
“Yup, yup!”
Just as I had first compromised so much for the sake of disguise techniques.
“It seems I’ve gathered enough experience in disguise techniques for now. Thank you for all your teachings!”
If I don’t run now, my masculine dignity may not just be threatened but my very human dignity might be on the line!
