Weren't Leotards Originally Men's Clothing?
Several pieces of underwear lay spread out before my eyes.
The day had come when I would unfold and examine women's undergarments. To make matters worse, the realization that I would have to wear several of them myself sent my already burning face flushing so intensely I thought it might explode.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed, Teacher. I've worn them, and the tailor has too."
"But Princess, you and the tailor were born women! I've lived as a man for twenty-two years!"
"From now on you'll have to live as a woman for far longer than twenty-two years, so you'll need to get used to it."
"Huh?"
What did she just say? Wasn't she supposed to turn me back into a man after two days?
"That's right, Teacher. As compensation, I can give you as much as you want, so..."
I was still processing her words when the princess pressed something into my hand.
I glanced down discreetly.
"...Princess, I no longer surrender to money."
It was a gold coin gleaming brilliantly.
But having received far greater sums before, I wasn't about to—
"Double. I'll give you double what I paid you last time. Just one month. Can't you live as a woman for just one month?"
"I am a woman for the next month."
"Hehe... You're just as cute as I thought."
—I had intended to refuse, but the amount was simply too large to turn down.
Right. I'd stay a woman for one more month. Even if she offered triple—no, five times the amount after that, I'd turn back into a man without fail.
Hehe. Double the previous pay.
With that kind of money, I might even be able to buy a game console more expensive than a camera.
I was practically drooling at the thought of experiencing modern conveniences that had become so rare since arriving in this world.
"Now then... please choose, Miss Melly."
The tailor presented several undergarments.
"I'll naturally create the perfect fit. You only need to select the design, Miss Melly."
"Ooh... I see."
Knowing this was the tailor for the Demon King's castle, her confidence put me at ease.
Let's see... First, I'd set aside all the cute ones like the bear and bee designs.
"Ah... Why are you excluding only the cute ones, Teacher?"
"Because they're cute."
Ignoring the princess's disappointed murmur, I carefully examined the other designs.
"Hmm... If I must choose, one of these two seems better. Which looks best to you, Princess?"
I held up the plainest options—a white bra and a black one.
These solid colors should be safe enough not to be too embarrassing.
"I... prefer the white one."
"Really?"
The princess's eyes sparkled as she pointed at the white bra.
"It's such a pure color that someone as cute as you, Teacher, would wear. It makes me want to—"
"I'll take the black one."
"Ah...!"
There was no way I could meekly choose white after hearing that.
I immediately handed the black bra to the tailor.
"Then... I'll go with black, Princess?"
Wait, why was I asking the princess for permission when I was the one who had to wear it?
Though if I were in the tailor's position, I probably would have done the same.
"Yes... Since you're the one wearing it, Teacher, you should choose the color you prefer..."
The princess's voice had gone completely flat.
It wasn't as if she'd even see me in it, so I couldn't understand why she looked so disappointed.
"Understood. Then... Miss Melly, do you know your size?"
"Size...?"
I glanced down at my chest.
It was certainly full enough that it couldn't be called small, yet compared to the princess's it looked rather pitiful.
Hmm... Since I'd never even considered wearing a bra before, of course I wouldn't know my size.
"No, I don't."
"As expected... Then I'll measure you first."
"Ah, yes, please—"
"I'll do it! Let me measure her!"
I had just raised my arms to make things easy when the princess snatched the measuring tape from the tailor's hand.
"Um... Princess?"
"I know how to measure sizes, so I'll do it, Tailor."
"But I cannot ask someone of your esteemed position to perform such a menial—"
"I'll increase your salary."
"—task, but such experiences can be valuable on occasion."
The tailor had surrendered to the money.
Still... the princess didn't seem like she'd simply measure quietly.
Having shown my own weakness to money in front of the tailor, I couldn't exactly blame her.
Yeah... There really is nothing money can't do...
"Then... shall we measure?"
"Yes... But please don't breathe heavily as you approach. It scares me, Princess."
The princess stretched the tape with a whir and stepped closer.
"Raise your arms, Teacher."
"...Alright."
I had no idea what she might do, but surely she wouldn't try anything inappropriate in front of the tailor. I obediently lifted my arms.
The tape wrapped around my body and...
"Eep?! Princess, you don't need to touch when you have the tape!"
"What are you talking about, Teacher? You must touch directly to get an accurate measurement. Isn't that right, Tailor?"
"Y-yes, of course... The princess is correct."
She was squeezing her eyes shut like it was obviously a lie!
Sexual harassment being tolerated for money... Where was I supposed to report this?
"Eek... Stop groping me!"
"Hmm... So this is your size, Teacher~?"
In the end, right in front of the tailor who had literally closed her eyes as promised, the princess thoroughly enjoyed herself feeling me up.
What was truly infuriating wasn't just that the princess had touched me, but that she had somehow measured my size accurately despite everything.
"Hmm... Understood. So Miss Melly's size is about this."
"When can it be ready, Tailor?"
"We happen to have the right size in stock, so you can take it with you."
"Oh my, thank you."
"Not at all. It's a small gift for the princess's... home tutor."
She almost called me the pajama teacher again...
Still, since I had no intention of wandering the castle in pajamas anymore, I let it slide.
"Hehe~♪ Now we need to choose your outer clothes~."
"Why do you look so excited when we're choosing my clothes, Princess?"
"Because I've already selected some outfits in advance!"
The haughty princess who could kill with a single glance was nowhere to be found.
In her place stood an incredibly excited princess.
If she were a beastkin, her tail would probably be wagging furiously behind her.
"Could you bring them, Tailor?"
"Yes, please wait a moment."
The tailor gathered up the underwear and disappeared into the wardrobe.
It sounded strange to say she went into the wardrobe, but it was so enormous it could have been a small room, so there was no better way to describe it.
When she emerged again, she was carrying several rather unusual garments.
"...Princess, those aren't the clothes I'm supposed to wear, are they?"
"They are, actually."
Ah... I felt a sharp throb at the back of my head.
I didn't know what I'd done wrong, but I bowed once more.
"As I said before, I'm sorry, Princess."
"As I said before, you haven't done anything wrong."
Then why was she doing this...?
I stared at the clothes the princess had selected with a complicated expression.
The tailor took my glance as a signal and began explaining hesitantly.
"Um... First, this is the maid outfit the princess wanted most."
"One moment. Princess?"
This was wrong.
It was wrong from the very first choice.
"Princess, just to be sure—you're not mistaking me for a maid, are you?"
"Of course not. My mind isn't that poor. After all, I make sure to call you Teacher at the end of every sentence."
Then why prepare a maid outfit?!
I could tell it differed from a standard maid uniform by its excessive frills and the heart-shaped cutout over the chest, giving it a rather lewd appearance.
Of course, that only made it worse.
"Having you wear a maid outfit and call me Master is my lifelong wish... Can't you do it just once?"
"We've only known each other for a week. Don't create lifelong wishes so hastily... And I won't do it no matter how much you pay!"
I was now confident that I could stand firm even against an enormous sum.
It definitely wasn't because I'd already saved enough for the game console.
I might waver once the money ran out in a month, but... no. Just no.
The princess must have sensed my resolve from my determined gaze. She clicked her tongue.
"Then show the next outfit, Tailor."
"Understood. This is the one the princess wanted second."
After the leggings the princess currently wore and the dolphin shorts...
"And this outfit is..."
The tailor continued explaining the pre-selected clothes one after another.
Naturally, I rejected most of them.
"Since you look so young, Teacher, this would suit you perfectly!"
"I'm not a student. I'm an adult."
I rejected the school uniform that looked like something academy students would wear.
"Isn't this... too cute, Teacher?"
"Hmm... I don't particularly want to wear it, but it's better than the previous ones."
I put the white tennis skirt and light blue t-shirt combination on hold.
At this rate, I'd have to give up on pants entirely...
Just as I thought that, the tailor showed me some pants.
"...Don't you have any longer pants than these, Princess?"
"Huh? Their shortness is the charm."
"I want comfortable clothes, not short ones..."
They were hot pants that left most of the thighs exposed, which gave me pause.
I wasn't sure if something shorter than a skirt even qualified as pants...
Hmm. I really couldn't decide.
"Please show me the next one."
"Understood."
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the princess had marked countless outfits.
The tailor explained every single one without her expression changing once, as if she weren't tired at all.
For two whole hours.
I really didn't want to say this, but...
"Princess, can I hit you? Just once?"
I finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Huh? If it's you, Teacher, I don't mind... Why?"
"It's not okay even if it's me, so please don't casually permit harm to your precious body... And what do you mean, why?!"
I pointed at the pile of rejected clothes crumpled in the corner.
"Asking me to wear nothing but an apron, telling me to wear only an oversized shirt with nothing underneath! And full-body stockings? Even from your perspective, Princess, aren't those quite far from everyday clothing??"
"Ahem, ahem... That's... true. I may have made a few mistakes while choosing your clothes, Teacher."
A few?
They were clearly choices dripping with dark desires, and she called it a few??
Seeing this shameless princess look awkward told me exactly how outrageous the previous selections had been.
At least she still had some final shred of conscience and readily admitted it. That was something.
"Still, Teacher, you've rejected or put on hold everything..."
The princess kept glancing at me, aware she'd done wrong.
"Couldn't you at least promise to wear the very last one?"
"Sigh..."
As the princess said, after going through so many options, I hadn't found a single outfit I was willing to wear without hesitation.
Still, the later ones had been relatively normal. Maybe I could choose one...
The poor tailor who had to explain all these clothes looked so pitiful too.
"Tailor, how many outfits are left?"
"Just two remaining..."
Her voice had grown hoarse from explaining nonstop without even drinking water.
The dark circles under her eyes combined with that dying voice made me want to let her rest immediately.
"Then... if I don't like this next one, I'll definitely take the final one."
"Thank you..."
The tailor's completely drained smile made my chest ache even more.
"This next outfit is..."
What the tailor presented was a cheerleader uniform that looked like something worn by dance teams on stage.
Ugh. Just when something decent appeared, why did it have to be this?
"...Rejected."
I rejected it immediately since this wasn't what I was looking for.
Alright. The last outfit should finally be something acceptable—
"Then the outfit you've promised to take is this one..."
"...Wait a moment."
"Hehehe... You promised, didn't you, Teacher?"
The final outfit and the princess's triumphant smile nearly made me lose consciousness.
And for good reason.
A choker with a butterfly bow.
Wristbands modeled after cuffed shirt sleeves.
A black leotard shaped like a corset.
Coffee-colored mesh pantyhose.
And as the finishing blow, bunny ear headband.
"...This is a bunny girl costume."
"That's right! Since you'll wear this for me, Teacher, I've fulfilled my lifelong wish!"
"You said it was a maid outfit earlier..."
Planting the maid outfit at the start and finishing with a bunny girl costume! I'd fallen perfectly into the princess's trap and could only despair.
"You'll wear it for me, right, Teacher?"
Seeing her innocent smile made me want to flick her forehead, but...
"Ahh... Quitting time... It's quitting time..."
The tailor, who seemed to have aged decades in mere hours, was already calling for the end of her workday.
If I refused now, I was afraid she might actually collapse.
How had we come this far without a single normal outfit...?
Filled with resentment, I asked the princess.
"Knowing I was a man until recently, how could you not include even one men's outfit..."
My hands trembled as I grabbed her wrist.
I didn't have the courage to grab her by the collar.
The princess tilted her head.
"Huh? There are men's clothes, though?"
"...Where?"
I hoped she wasn't about to make some gender-equality argument that women's clothes become men's when worn by a man.
If she did, I might not be able to control myself from throwing a gender-equality punch at her philtrum.
Of course, the princess—being far too extraordinary for someone like me to predict—gave an even more astonishing answer.
"Leotards were originally men's clothing, you know? It was only over time that women began wearing them frequently."
"...So what you're claiming is that since the origin is men's clothing, this bunny girl outfit counts as men's clothing?"
"Exactly!"
What did she mean, exactly...?
I broke into a cold sweat trying to suppress the urge to tear at my hair and scream.
What truly drove me insane was—
"M-Miss Melly... If you don't like it, shall I bring other clothes...?"
The tailor was looking at me with an expression that suggested she was about to burst into tears.
Why did she have to look at me so pitifully, like someone on the verge of death...?
Faced with the princess's expectant gaze and the tailor's desperate expression, I had only one choice.
"...Fine. I'll take the ones I put on hold along with this. That works, right?"
"Thank you, Teacher!"
"Ahh... Thank you..."
The thanks from the princess and tailor carried very different feelings, but...
If this situation could finally end, then somehow it was fine.
That's what I told myself.
The next day, a pile of clothes including the bunny girl outfit was delivered outside my room.