655 – Irresponsible Pleasure (3)
The disguise expert, Professor Pinkberry, was hiding out, insisting that outside the blanket is dangerous, and didn’t budge even when Sing knocked on the door.
“Siiing! This is all Insano-di’s fault!”
Year 981 of the Empire, 3rd Quarter.
Class 981, 1st Year, 2nd Semester.
During the midterm exam for the lecture Basics and Understanding of Disguise, Professor Pinkberry had to attend a masked ball without revealing her identity and complete the missions on her mission list.
The mission to stir things up in another professor’s exam venue while avoiding detection was perfect for testing her disguise technique, but getting caught would earn her some serious backlash.
‘It’s bad enough getting bitten by mosquitoes, but I swear Oknodie is up to something as Mosquito Master, and now she drew me into this ridiculous exam!’
Contrary to her plans to cause trouble, Oknodie had disguised herself as Professor Pinkberry and was flaunting her social skills like a true insider.
“All the global ladies and other insider professors invited to the banquet know my name, so I can’t even go to the Staff Cafeteria or step outside!”
Professor Pinkberry fumed.
She was in a position to be treated as a thoughtless drink thief, sucking on drinks from the ball like a vacuum.
It didn’t stop there.
The icing on the cake was when Prof. Destroyer had a conversation with Oknodie disguised as Professor Pinkberry.
That conversation became the root of her troubles.
– “I received a confession about Destroyer’s distorted castle wall…”
– “…What? Are you messing with me?”
– “It’s true! I heard he loves children, specifically impoverished and adorable children. I was so flustered, I didn’t know what to say…”
Loving children, huh.
That could only mean… not me, right?!
At a petite height of 144 cm, an impoverished yet adorable child was definitely a description that fit her.
Caught in Dragon Principal’s prank, she transformed into a principal every week, substituting for upperclassmen education.
As for adorableness, just being pretty was a sufficient condition!
It effectively felt like being openly confessed to right in front of her.
“Uuuaaaaaaah!!!”
Bam bam bam.
Terrified of encountering Professor Destroyer if she opened the door, Pinkberry was too busy pounding a cushion with her fist.
It was on one particular day that Professor Pinkberry, usually timid, was drawn in by the tantalizing sight of Children’s Cookies at the cafeteria.
“Professor Destroyer was seriously injured!”
“I heard he can’t even return to the Academy!”
“An entire semester has gone by. Honestly, he probably wouldn’t make it back, right?”
“Well, the corpse of a hero has quite the value, so to avoid being used by some wrongdoers, all evidence needs to be buried—location of the grave included.”
“…!”
That delicious Children’s Cookie fell to the ground with a crunch and broke in two, but Pinkberry didn’t notice.
She returned to her office in a daze.
“Destroyer is… dead?”
That guy confessed to me last year!
But why dead…?
Suddenly, Pinkberry’s gaze drifted to her pile of borrowed books from the library.
━━━
[How to Understand Men’s Feelings]
[Reasons Why Men Confess Suddenly]
[How to Handle Being Confessed To?]
[Why is This Man Acting Like This?]
[A Beginner’s Guide to Love]
━━━
Starting her hermit lifestyle in panic, she began to reflect upon her feelings and discovered they weren’t entirely negative— those complicated emotions were reinterpreted through the lens of romantic theory.
– “People wounded from heartbreak tend to place themselves in difficult situations. It’s a psychological tactic for distracting the mind from emotional pain.”
– “During the Era of Peace, one can easily exhaust themselves without trouble, but in troubling times, caution is advised. The risk of perishing on the battlefield is high.”
So, Professor Destroyer got himself killed because he was hurt by my rejection!
An overwhelming sense of guilt swept over her.
What on earth have I done?!
I just needed a bit of courage!
I only panicked at the confession, and it wasn’t even that repulsive!
Uuugh, I’m trash.
I’m not even human.
I’m like mint chocolate, wasabi, and seaweed rolled into one!
Knock knock.
“Are you there?”
Sing visited Professor Pinkberry’s office at a time when Pinkberry was consumed by regret and despair.
Lost in guilt, digging into the ground, Pinkberry lacked the mental capacity to realize someone was looking for her.
Even if she had heard, she wouldn’t have believed anything like a proper visitor had come.
– “Oh, you’re sad that Destroyer died? Well, that’s unfortunate. Go teach his class for 4th year while you’re at it and ease that gloom!”
Regardless of what others said, Omoshiroi Principal’s rotten personality meant she had to ensure her lecture wasn’t missed!
When an angry Pinkberry holed herself in her office and did not leave, Omoshiroi Principal had to escalate things.
– “Delivery!”
– “B-but there’s no food.”
– “Well, I came here to deliver… teaching! Professor Pinkberry, if you don’t leave your office, I’ll open a dimensional gate to the Spirit Realm here!!!”
– “Kyaaaaaaaah!!!”
Having become overly distrustful of others after an incident involving ordering delivery services within the Academy to avoid the cafeteria,
Sing had somehow reached Pinkberry’s office without being able to get the consult she aimed for.
*
The rumors that Professor Pinkberry was avoiding her students turned out to be true.
Sing left feeling disappointed.
‘The only one I thought could help me with this was the disguise professor…’
With a heavy heart, Sing trudged along slowly, suddenly stopping in her tracks.
She witnessed a bizarre scene of a tree serpent, concealed among the windowsills, slyly sticking out its tongue near a statue of Professor Plato soaring in the sky, while shadowy figures wearing military caps rushed around.
What in the world is this?
Did I stumble into my senior’s trap zone or something?
With a tense grip on her sword, her anxiety eased as she saw the person that appeared along with the supernatural phenomena.
Tap tap.
Though not quite as small as Oknodie, this character was also 144 cm tall with the unusual hairstyle of pink twin-tails.
A petite figure paired with a strong gaze— and there she was, the notoriously rude professor appearing.
‘She’s just as scary as the stories say!’
How terrible must her personality be to frighten students like this?
But to Sing, it felt welcoming.
So Pinkberry must not be in her office after all!
“Professor Pinkberry, I was eager to meet you!”
“Sing?”
“You know me?”
“Ah, that’s… I heard from a student in Class 981.”
“Got it. By any chance, haven’t you had any of my classmates as your assistant?”
“No, why do you ask suddenly?”
“Actually, I want to consult you about something secretly without my classmates knowing.”
Sing didn’t realize, but she had just encountered Oknodie.
She purposely arranged four Guard Golems to masquerade as Professor Pinkberry, but assigned inspecting the golem that returned from a lengthy trip to another golem, leaving her Guard Golem utterly vacant.
In this very context, other professors were secretly lurking, watching Oknodie hoping for a chance to approach. In order to ensure a safe Academy life, masquerading as Professor Pinkberry when moving around campus had become an essential condition.
“Where to?”
Oknodie, disguised as Professor Pinkberry, took an interest.
Shrugging off any doubts, she felt stronger after leaving her hideout, but did she lead a ‘hidden life’?
A hidden life is often born of an imbalance within the core essence.
Trying to achieve enlightenment when one’s stats can’t hold it can result in strange anomalies.
If that’s the reason, she could see why Sing would seek counsel from the disguise professor.
But why must it be the ‘Disguise Professor’ in particular?
“I want to consult on disguise.”
“Ah! It’s a psychological issue, right?”
If one lacks the necessary stats, they might throw them into dungeons where they’ll suffer to boost their strength, but in matters of spirit, accumulating mana through various experiences certainly helps.
“So what kind of disguise do you want? A friendly neighbor who doesn’t look like a serial killer? A senior who doesn’t seem scary to juniors? Or a rhinoceros beetle that’s easy to gather?”
“None of those. I want a hardcore disguise that no one can detect as my manly self.”
The Children’s Cookies that had come out as a side dish fell from Pinknodi’s hand.
Sing… wants to dress as a woman?
Did she just open a crossdressing costume???
That marked a first for the swordsman who only wore swordsman costumes throughout the year!
Who would’ve thought Sing had such a hobby!!!
“You’re just in time! Let’s try on 10 costume sets today!”
As feelings of humiliation washed over her, Sing couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of reassurance.
It felt like getting help from a specialist in this field!
Just like a true Disguise Professor, the confidence radiated from her without needing to start anything, bringing a sense of calm!
