Finally, the day of the birth ceremony dawned.
To be precise, it had just brightened up. Soft morning sunlight was slowly illuminating the dark garden of the mansion.
It was an early hour that felt more like dawn than morning. Normally, I would either be snuggled up asleep in someone’s arms or training through the night, but not today.
“Hayul’s hair is amazing every time I touch it.”
[Sleepiness]
[Sleep]
Today was different. I felt Elia’s hands fiddling with my hair as I gaped in surprise.
Due to the birth ceremony, the mansion was bustling in the morning. Everyone was waking up early and getting ready.
Despite my attempts to resist, I got swept up in the tide of preparation.
Snuggled in Professor Riana’s arms, I was pulled out of a deep sleep, boiled in the underground bath, and now here I was, seated in front of a large mirror getting my hair done.
I didn’t really want to get all dolled up, but since I liked their gentle touches, I obediently stayed seated.
“How can it be so soft…? It’s really amazing. No matter how much I care for it, I could never achieve this texture…”
[Itchy]
“Ah, don’t move~”
Elia’s hands danced through my hair, causing a ticklish sensation. Earlier, Baek Ahrin and Lady Ariel had come by to tousle my hair, but now they were gone.
As the ticklishness made me shake my head slightly, Elia gently held my head steady.
“Our Hayul is so good, right? Can we just hold still for a bit?”
Even as Elia cooed and soothed me, her hands continued to work. Her delicate fingers grazed along my hair.
…Honestly, I could bear the ticklishness, but pretending to whine seemed to comfort Elia, so I put on a show.
I knew it was a bad habit, but… well, I thought Elia’s sweet coaxing played a part in it.
If you soothe someone like that, anyone would end up pretending to whine.
Anyway, even though this kind of pampering felt awkward, it wasn’t my first experience like this.
When I visited the Gop-hwa Clan, I had been fussed over for the banquet preparations, right? This felt a bit less awkward than that.
But still, awkwardness was an undeniable companion.
[Elia… Do we really need to prepare this much…?]
As I swayed back and forth, Elia, who was checking my reflection in the mirror, flashed a gentle smile.
“Well… it’s not essential, but it would be nice if we did, right? Especially since there’s an opening ceremony today, and Hayul is going out as a representative? So, wouldn’t it be better if Hayul dressed up a bit?”
[Ugh]
“Hehe, just a little more, we’ll be done soon.”
As I let out a long sigh and slouched my shoulders, Elia chuckled and moved her hands quickly.
“Queen Elia, I’ve brought everything you mentioned.”
“Thank you, Oru. You did well.”
“Hehe.”
While I was caught up in this, fairies flew in, bringing the cosmetics Elia had requested.
Elia patted the fairies who had fetched the items multiple times and laid them out on the dresser.
“Hmm…”
But as Elia inspected the cosmetics, she let out an inaudible sigh. I tilted my head in confusion at her puzzling expression.
[Didn’t you bring them to use?]
“Yes, but…”
Elia trailed off, then fixed her gaze on me with a peculiar expression.
“…Thinking about it, there doesn’t seem to be much need to doll up. I think whatever is done to this face would still look pretty…”
Elia, who had scanned my reflection in the mirror, shook her head.
“Right, didn’t you say Hayul would participate in a beauty pageant?”
[Ueek…]
“Hehe, I think you’d look just fine like this.”
Elia bent her knees and snuggled up against me, her warm cheeks brushing against mine.
Feeling her warmth, which was still fresh from washing, I reflexively rubbed my own cheek against hers.
Elia, grinning, alternated her gaze between her reflection and mine in the mirror.
“Honestly, you look way prettier than me.”
[That’s definitely not true.]
Enjoying the feeling and warmth on my cheeks, I firmly denied Elia’s statement. Normally, I would let it slide, but that comment was one I couldn’t ignore.
[Elia is way, way prettier.]
“…Ahaha, hearing that makes me happy as the one on the receiving end.”
Elia’s eyes briefly went blank at my vehement denial. But just for a moment, as she smiled softly, she buried her nose in my hair.
“Sniff sniff…”
[?]
[Ticklish]
She continued to sniff and nuzzle my hair as well as my neck, changing positions repeatedly.
“Hah… Hmm… I guess there’s no need for perfume.”
With a deep breath, Elia nodded in satisfaction.
“Hayul doesn’t need to spray anything because you smell good all on your own. If you sprayed something, it might just mix with your natural scent. Plus, it smells really fresh since you just bathed…”
As she said this, Elia buried her face into my neck, taking in my scent repeatedly. I felt a mix of ticklishness and embarrassment.
So, I buried my face in Elia’s soft yellow hair in return.
– Sniff sniff…
…There really wasn’t any scent. I had expected it, but disappointment was unavoidable. It wasn’t just my hair that didn’t have a scent; my chest didn’t either…
As I felt a strange urge and some annoyance, I puffed out my lips.
– Smooch
[…Uhh!?]
I jolted at the sound of a kiss right next to me. My body shivered as if struck by lightning.
Startled, I pulled back, and Elia, with a playful expression, stretched her mouth into a wide grin.
“Hehe, just kidding~ I was just making a sound.”
Seeing my dazed expression, Elia chuckled and poked my cheek with her finger.
[Geez…]
With my cheek being squished and my mouth falling open for a moment, I soon realized I had been teased and pouted my cheeks out. The finger poking my cheek slipped away.
“Ehehe, so cute… Honestly, Hayul doesn’t need to dress up at all. You look adorable just like this!”
Elia burst into laughter at my puffed-up cheeks, resembling a pufferfish.
…And while I wanted to smile back at Elia’s compliments and laughter, I somehow held it in.
“But, I hope it’ll be real someday.”
[Hik]
Elia suddenly leaned in. I stiffened, thinking it was another joke again. The air I had been holding in my cheeks escaped.
“I also want to look into Hayul’s eyes and talk face to face. Last time I held back. I wanted to experience it first, you know.”
Elia’s eyes twinkled as she watched my frozen expression. Her yellow eyes captured the bewildered look on my face.
“I said Hayul is mine, right? So, I need something like a signature or seal.”
Tap tap… Elia lightly tapped her lips with her slender fingers and smiled sweetly.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
.
.
.
After a while, we finished getting ready and all gathered in front of the main gate.
Our attire wasn’t particularly special.
The students, including me, Hong Yeon-hwa, Baek Ahrin, and Elia, wore the student uniforms provided to us. The uniforms had a somewhat formal design, intended for ceremonies.
Professor Riana and our instructor were dressed neatly as usual, wearing proper pants and white shirts. Over them, they had draped robes and coats.
– Whirring…
“Hm…”
As we opened the main gate and stepped outside, something floated down towards us, pushing through the wind.
A black-bodied drone, the size of an adult male’s torso, glimmering lenses reflecting light and spinning wings whirring away.
It was a drone, something quite common in my previous world. Of course, it was infused with magic and had a more futuristic design.
“It’s a broadcasting drone,” Professor Riana, standing behind me, said while observing the drone. I nodded, having also examined its internal structure.
The drone clicked its lens while capturing my image continuously. I checked the hologram floating above it.
[Broadcast Drone (32) – Operating]
[Notice: Broadcasting with a three-minute delay. Sensitive scenes will be edited out]
‘So, this drone will be flying around during the birth ceremony.’
I observed the drone with a strange expression.
Looking around, I noticed similar drones flying all around Shio-ram.
There were minor competition events scheduled in between, but the basic premise of the birth ceremony was a festival for eating, drinking, and enjoying.
At the same time, it served as a showcase to the outside world of the tightly closed-off Shio-ram.
Shio-ram is the world’s leading institution for producing superhumans, destined to become the future’s backbone. There are many other institutions, but none can compare to Shio-ram.
Thanks to this, the attention pouring in from the world is overwhelming.
Yet, Shio-ram has been tightly locking its doors, blocking external access for security and safety reasons.
That’s why Shio-ram is generously opening its doors to satisfy the curiosity of outsiders during the birth ceremony.
As a result, they are broadcasting the event to the outside world, leading to many instances where students’ images are captured in the process.
…Especially the opening ceremony will likely be broadcasted around the globe.
Just the thought of the upcoming opening ceremony made me want to sigh heavily.
Suppressing my deep sigh, I munched on my lips.
– Zzzz…
The camera captured me doing just that.
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