Humans evolved to cooperate with one another. While there are still disagreements, evolution generally occurs through natural selection, and humans, being part of nature, sacrificed much and gained a lot during their evolutionary journey.
Humans don’t have sharp canine teeth to tear through animal hides like carnivores, nor do they possess strong stomachs to digest grass and other nutrients thoroughly like herbivores. Their physical strength is also mostly inferior to that of most primates.
While humans have gained endurance, they are still not at a level where they can compete with carnivores one-on-one. If they were to fight bare-handed, they would surely end up as mere snacks, with only bones left behind.
…It seems that such laws don’t universally apply here, but let’s sidestep that minor detail.
In any case, humans gave up all of that and instead obtained “wisdom.”
However, even this wisdom proved to be insufficient. Human wisdom could sustain life day by day, but that was all. Threats to humanity still overflowed everywhere, and that wisdom was simply too limited to grasp them all.
The paths of predators, fruit trees that only grew in specific locations, poisonous plants and mushrooms, how to weave nets, how to fish…
So, humans began to share knowledge. Farmers farmed. Knowledge on how to grow crops was entirely owned by farmers.
Hunters hunted. Skilled hunters knew best how to approach wild animals without getting caught. Fishermen knew well which area had which kinds of fish. If someone wanted to know whether to catch fish with nets, traps, or rather by fishing rods, it’s best to ask the local fishermen.
A professor from the world I lived in once said something like this.
The ability to empathize possessed by humans was, in fact, an instinct developed through natural selection to survive in the world, and the higher one’s intelligence, the greater their empathy and the better they could help others. In media, psychopathic characters who cannot feel emotions are often portrayed as highly intelligent, but in reality, they tend to be distracted, lack focus, and have poor learning efficiency.
Indeed. Despite the capacity to become stronger biologically, humans evolved in such a way, sacrificing much to become wiser and enhance their intelligence.
But there is one problem.
It’s great that this intelligence allows them to share knowledge, but what should they do when they “initially lack that knowledge”?
Yes, knowledge often also requires practical application.
Tales of how significant knowledge accumulated before the Dark Ages vanished, or how weapons and technologies that once existed became mere folklore, are common.
That is precisely the situation we find ourselves in now.
What kind of underwear should one wear to avoid embarrassment anywhere?
If one needs to strip in front of someone they like, what kind of underwear should they wear to ensure that person falls entirely for them?
“……”
It seems that among the group of women who came with me to the underwear store—namely, Selena, Aurora, Linea, and Erica—there wasn’t a single person with that kind of knowledge.
Of course, Rina and I were there, but naturally, we are out of the equation.
Currently, I’m a guy. In fact, I’ve never even seen women’s underwear in my previous life. Sure, I’ve seen them in bad scenes from movies, adult cartoons, and, uh, those ahem… but let’s be real, I can’t choose the right kind of underwear from that limited understanding.
It’d be so embarrassing.
If I choose the wrong type, they might think, “Oh, this guy must be really suppressed in various ways.”
Not that I’m saying I’m not suppressed. Just because I’ve transformed doesn’t mean my sex drive has completely vanished.
…If I say any more than that, I fear I’ll spiral into severe self-loathing, so I’ll skip further explanations.
Rina was dragged along as she was deemed “probably the most knowledgeable among people we know in this area.” By the way, Satsuki refused to join because she had things to do to help her parents and wasn’t keen on this.
But I knew very well that Rina wouldn’t be of much help.
Why? Because Rina was a harem member and a heroine.
Though she died in the amount I wrote down, I claimed that “as a heroine, she must have no male experience.” Back then, I was a staunch virgin enthusiast, and even though she died early, she was set up as a heroine. In fact, she’s a succubus.
So, Rina’s possible reactions toward us would be one of the two:
One, like the other girls, she wouldn’t know the male mindset well enough to suggest what kind of underwear to choose.
Two, driven by her succubus instincts, she would pick exceedingly provocative underwear, horrifying everyone.
“……”
In contrast to us, who were seriously deep in thought, Rina was simply following along with a pouty face.
“I can’t take this anymore. We’re going nowhere.”
In the end, Selena, who suggested we come to the underwear store first, was the first one to voice her thoughts.
“Just wandering around without saying anything will lead to no ideas! We’ll just waste time and end up going home empty-handed!”
“Even so, do you have any ideas, Selena?”
“Ugh, not like that…”
At my words, Selena’s face turned slightly red. It’s understandable since it was her idea to come here, but now she was speechless.
“What about you guys?”
Selena looked over at Aurora and Linea, but I bet there was no way they’d provide a decent answer since they’d likely only ever worn church-issue underwear in their entire lives. I’m confident that if they were asked to wear casual clothes, their fashion sense would be disastrous. I’ve never seen them wear any outfit other than the nun’s outfit.
Andrea would probably be in a similar situation, though considering she wore proper clothing, it was uncertain. However, given how she carried around a flask on her belt instead of a purse, it was clear she didn’t care much about appearances.
Aurora and Linea quietly shook their heads.
Watching this, Rina sighed heavily, “Why did we even bring Lee Ji-An along?”
Then she asked with a very puzzled expression, “What do you guys wear normally?”
“Uh…”
Of course, it’s obviously the underwear I usually wear.
Thinking back, the academy rarely required changing outfits. There were swimming classes, but that was an elective, so only those who wanted to attend did. During duels, I just wore my uniform. Naturally, I’ve been in the saintess robe the whole time in the academy.
That means, unless I decide to drop-kick someone in front of them, no one would ever see my underwear.
Thinking about it seems weird—though I just hastily designed settings where characters were in uniforms during duels.
It seems that over here, the lesson was “real combat doesn’t only occur when wearing comfortable clothes,” and that has become my excuse.
Maybe that’s why it felt awkward to answer directly. Wouldn’t it be a little embarrassing? No, it’s only natural not to want to respond openly in such a public place, right?
So I said, “Isn’t it just fine to wear whatever you think looks pretty and cute? What’s the point of having this serious discussion together?”
“There’s a problem with that ‘what’s pretty and cute’ for one person, you know,” Selena said, casting a firm gaze at me. Following her gaze, the others did the same. All with that understanding look, except for Erica, who was just confused.
Rina put a hand on her forehead.
Indeed, there was a reason it was hard to say out loud. Today, I was wearing those cute, deformed animal character print underwear.
Not that I wanted to wear them. It’s just that those were the only kind I had…
But to request new stock due to not liking the pattern would be somewhat daunting. When asked what kind of pattern, I wouldn’t have the courage to answer proudly with “They’re bear prints, cat prints, and dog prints!”
I would rather wear them all day.
“Ah, right. You were here…”
Rina, giving me a very sour look, seemed unable to retort this time. It felt like the first time.
Even if she wanted to say something back, it was too valid of a point to effectively respond. Any protest would just seem like I was being stubborn.
A high school girl wearing extremely childlike design underwear—this could, in a sense, be considered a certain trait.
Not exactly a nice one, though.
“Sigh, well, whatever. Fine.”
With an expression that screamed she absolutely didn’t want to do this, Rina grabbed my wrist. Well, more precisely, she was holding onto the ‘sleeve’ with just her fingertips.
So after constantly fighting and bumping into each other, this was where we ended up?
But I found it hard to imagine Rina being that affectionate. Though her clothes were studious, she still had her thorns directed at others. In the past, they were razors, so I’d say this is a vast improvement.
Then Rina led me to a section where she found quite standard-looking underwear hanging up.
Simple white ones, without any flair or complex designs—just practical.
“How about this?”
“Yes? Oh, yeah.”
It’s perfectly fine. At least it’s better than my animal-patterned underwear.
It’s fine, but…
Umm, it doesn’t seem like the kind that would be popular with guys. Honestly, it’s so simple that it wouldn’t need a serious discussion for deliberation.
Our stated objective was “How to gain popularity with guys,” and bringing Erica along only to select such plain underwear is a bit absurd, isn’t it?
Regardless of my expressions, Rina seemed eager to wrap this mission up fast and head back home.
While she moved along briskly, she suddenly paused, “Oh, but what’s your size?”
That stopped me cold.
Ah, right.
I should know my size to buy underwear, huh?
“Um…”
The problem is, I have no idea what my size is.
The nun robe was based on the first one I wore when I initially transferred here, and while I got a few more outfits, the saintess robe was tailored but I didn’t get a proper size from them. Everything moved fast before the anointing ceremony… there was no time to worry about such trivial matters.
So, although I’ve measured myself, I have no clue whatsoever.
Well, there might be a record of my size just in case there’s a need for spare saintess robes, but I wouldn’t want to contact the Central Church just for something like that.
“You don’t know…?”
I felt nervous wondering if the next question would be how I managed to buy underwear before, but Rina merely sighed and called over a staff member.
“Welcome, Saintess!”
A staff member who brightly smiled while bringing over a measuring tape made me a bit uncomfortable.
*
To cut to the chase, apparently, I was an F cup.
Yeah, I had a feeling that sounded quite large. Growing rapidly at fifteen, right?
That size, which might be discontinued in Asia due to being below demand numbers, didn’t seem so rare, particularly in subcultures.
Selena might not reach that level but still was enough to feel big. Rina also seemed to be around that size. Even Seo-A, who would surely be bigger than me. Given that Seo-A was set to be of Korean descent, it would likely be a size commonly sold at ordinary underwear stores without needing to calculate proportion percentages just for this world.
Maybe that’s why the others didn’t seem surprised. It could be that it’s really quite common, or they just inferred “Yeah, she probably would be around that size.”
Anyway, well.
There was success at least. From now on, I’d no longer have to wear cute underwear with animal friends on them. The staff member seemed eager to recommend more, but feeling drained from discussing underwear with teenage girls while having the mindset of a twenty-something male, I politely declined.
Selena, Aurora, and Linea didn’t seem inclined to purchase anything, and since Rina was dragged here, she had no plans to buy anything. I thought we could finish the outing with Rina at least helping me find semi-normal underwear when—
“I wonder if wearing such underwear would help to gain popularity…?”
I completely forgot about Erica, muttering from beside me, until after I finished paying.
“…”
Silence fell over the group.
To be honest, if I were to say something from my experience as a man for over twenty years, I would assume guys wouldn’t care about underwear, unless something really bizarre occurred that set the mood; but I couldn’t openly say that, leaving me speechless.
The problem was that I was the one receiving the request.
Given that the reasons for gaining popularity stemmed largely from very unique personal circumstances, I really had nothing to advise Erica on.
The body I’m inhabiting—that’s playing a huge part. Then, the revealing nature of this outfit, and lastly, my position as a saintess probably plays a role too.
But to tell Erica those things would simply be mocking her.
Of course, Erica had an appealing appearance, and I believed most boys her age would fall in love with her if she confessed, but I couldn’t say anything to a girl who was struggling due to lack of confidence.
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”
The problem is that Rina had come along not completely understanding what was going on.
Rina knew who Erica was. While they weren’t close, today was presumably the first conversation they had. Usually, Rina treated most people coldly, but for some reason, Erica seemed to pique her interest.
Could it be because she’s a succubus?
“Anyway, guys don’t really care when they’re with a girl they like.”
And she bluntly stated that.
Well done, succubus! What would feel so awkward if I said it instead sounded perfectly sensible coming from Rina. She carried a certain aura—one like a “girl with potential experience.”
Though in reality, she likely has none.
“If you don’t like the underwear, then just take it off, right?”
Ahh,
That’s what’s often called ‘the answers to foolish questions.’
If it’s badly designed, just take it off!
Thinking about it, it really is true. What if your girlfriend showed up wearing no underwear under her school uniform, or even if she wore whatever but nothing underneath? That would inevitably trigger a positive reaction.
Genius, right?
It seems like the fallen race has quite the understanding in this regard.
Even if there was no practical experience, they logically knew more than anyone else about such matters.
Not that I’m envious.
Besides, even if they knew, those aren’t the kind of things I can say. If a saintess spread such words, it would definitely lead to being criticized somewhere.
“But still…”
While Erica trailed off.
Through talking with Erica, I realized she has a stubborn side to her. Though her voice sometimes falters, and she trails off, when she desires something, she tenaciously expresses her intent. At least when she asked me how to gain popularity.
Rina tilted her head in thought, quietly observing Erica before shrugging.
“Well? Then, let me ask you. What kind of underwear do you normally wear?”
At Rina’s words, Erica’s face flushed slightly as she scanned the underwear store. After some time, flustered and glancing around, Erica pointed at a particular set.
“I wear something like this!”
At the end of Erica’s finger was—
“Ah.”
You see,
A human’s experiences and knowledge are limited.
Thus, humans evolve to cooperate, sharing knowledge and experiences to pass them down and advance.
One scholar claimed that humans no longer simply evolve biologically, but have opted for progression through records and materials.
In that context,
“Erica, we need to talk.”
Gripping Erica’s hand tightly, Selena said with a serious expression. Aurora and Linea’s cheeks turned slightly pink.
“Um…?”
Erica’s expression was one of sheer confusion.
For reference, Rina was barely stifling her laughter. Just like when I first arrived wearing the saintess robe. It appeared she was holding it in since we were in public.
“Hey, you shouldn’t just be learning, it’s time to teach them!”
Rina, struggling to suppress laughter, gave Erica’s shoulder a light pat.
Indeed. Each person has a different perspective on the world. Occasionally, unexpectedly talented individuals emerge, and they can share bits of their talents with those lacking in skills.
For that reason, we can share experiences and grow together.
It may seem a bit trivial to use something so grand as knowledge-sharing simply for choosing underwear, but that aside.
So if you were to ask how Erica’s chosen underwear looked?
Well, it was certainly far more decent than the blue-striped or bear print ones.
I can only say it was a stylish set of underwear that wouldn’t embarrass anyone even if shown to their favorite guy.
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