First Impressions (4)
“Ugh…”
This isn’t easy.
It feels awkward to say it myself, but I think I’ve adapted to possession pretty smoothly. Changing both gender and race without any major issues counts as smooth, right?
Yet even that smooth possession life had run into a new problem.
The thing fluttering at my waist, hidden yet full of dreams.
A skirt.
“A skirt? This really doesn’t suit me…”
Ever since possessing this body, I’d stubbornly stuck to pants. Even if they were short pants that exposed my thighs in a rather bold way thanks to my beastman traits, they were still pants.
There were deep reasons for that.
First, I was a fighter who relied on my exceptional leg strength as my main weapon. Kicking while wearing a fluttering skirt would obviously lead to a very predictable outcome. It’d just give the guys a free show.
If I were a bear beastman whose main strength was raw power, I probably wouldn’t have cared much about wearing a skirt. But since I’m a rabbit, and rabbits are cuter, I’ll take it.
Next—and honestly, this was the most important reason—I felt awkward wearing a skirt.
It made me feel like a real woman.
Underwear was fine. Plenty of guys wore briefs, and bras were functional items that kept things from bouncing around uncomfortably if you didn’t wear one.
But skirts felt more like beauty products because you chose them even when pants were an option… and that made me uneasy.
I was aware my standards were pretty arbitrary, but still.
Even so, I couldn’t avoid wearing one.
The academy’s dress code required pants for men and skirts for women.
It felt like some outdated rule, but the academy was built in an era that followed such customs, so there was no helping it.
The one saving grace was that the dress code wasn’t as rigidly enforced as Korean school uniforms.
It was more of a dress code than a strict uniform. As long as it was a skirt, the design didn’t matter at all.
Still… a skirt, huh…
Luna! Are you still asleep!? We have to go to the academy!
Oh. Already that late?
I’d been standing in front of the mirror, agonizing over the skirt, and before I knew it, time had slipped away.
Steeling myself, I put the skirt on.
Yeah. It’s just a skirt.
The only problem was my own stubborn boyish heart. Putting on clothes was nothing compared to the difficulty of wearing a bra.
Well, that’s what I told myself, anyway…
“Feels kinda ticklish…”
After fastening the buttons properly, I looked in the mirror.
How ironic. The girl in the skirt reflected in the mirror was incredibly beautiful.
Beautiful enough that if it weren’t me, I would’ve stared in a daze.
Luna~?!
“Ah! I’m coming out now!”
I quickly threw on the rest of my clothes and left the room.
Of course, I didn’t forget the short pants under the skirt.
◆
The academy divided classes by assigning students with high and low scores in similar proportions to each class based on their entrance exam results.
This created a wide gap in skill levels within each class, but that was fine.
After all, the real lectures weren’t held by class.
Core subjects that every student had to take, like Imperial history or basic physical training, were taught to combined classes. Since everyone had to attend, skill gaps didn’t matter.
Meanwhile, specialized lectures like swordsmanship or administration were chosen individually through course registration.
In short, the basic lectures followed a high school system, while the rest followed a university system.
That meant I wouldn’t know who was in my class until I actually saw their faces.
I was in Class B. With a mix of anticipation and nerves, I opened the classroom door.
“…Whoa.”
The moment I opened it, countless gazes flew toward me.
A mix of curiosity and wariness, roughly half and half.
It made sense—the academy’s entrance requirement was being an adult. It was hard to simply welcome a new classmate when everyone was already an adult with their own habits.
Plus, this was a medieval fantasy world, so political elements were heavily mixed in.
The gazes fixed on my face split in two directions.
The women’s eyes went upward to my rabbit ears, while the men’s eyes dropped downward to my chest.
Honest creatures, really.
I could understand the feeling. If someone could look away from a chest this size, they’d have to be either blind or gay.
So I was willing to generously forgive them for looking—as long as they didn’t stare openly or try to touch.
“Luna!”
I spotted Theo waving from one side, with Claire sitting next to him.
“Hey, you two are in this class too?”
“Yeah. What a coincidence.”
“Please take care of me.”
“Huh. Claire, your vibe feels a bit different from yesterday. Based on the image I had, I thought you’d boldly declare, ‘I’ll be in your care!’”
“I-I’m sorry. Yesterday, I was in front of… ahem, that person, so my old holy knight habits came out without me realizing.”
“So you don’t usually act like that.”
“I’ve been trying to fix it ever since I became a saint candidate.”
“Huh? Why fix it?”
“Pardon? But the Church says that kind of speech isn’t fitting for a saintess…”
“Come on, you talked to that person yesterday too, right? Did they say anything about your speech?”
“Well… no, they didn’t.”
“Then it’s fine. Don’t forget who you should believe in and follow.”
“The one I should believe in and follow…”
Claire seemed to have realized something and fell into deep thought.
Good thing I didn’t just brush it off as her suddenly acting pretentious. This could affect the story later.
“Luna. You’re surprisingly good at saying things that make you sound important.”
“What? Theo, did you think I was just some musclehead who’s only good at physical stuff?”
“I never said that. Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen this side of you.”
“Was it?”
I quietly searched my memories.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t shown off my smart side since meeting him at the hideout. If I counted the days, today was only the third day.
Given more time, I’d naturally be able to show off my brilliant brain plays.
After all, I was someone who’d gone to college—even if I got possessed in the middle of it.
“Still, I didn’t expect all three of us to end up in the same class. I heard class assignments were random.”
“It’s all thanks to me. Ahem.”
“It really might be. This was definitely good luck. But…”
Theo trailed off and suddenly looked around.
“Sorry if this sounds weird, but could you fix your posture?”
“Huh? …Ah.”
Following Theo’s gaze, I understood why he’d said that.
All the nearby guys’ eyes were focused on me—because I’d puffed out my chest while going “ahem.”
When they met my eyes, most of them quickly looked away.
“Hey. If anyone should be embarrassed, it’s me, not you, Theo.”
“…Yeah. Why is the embarrassment always my share?”
“What’s with this guy?”
While we were bickering, the front door of the classroom opened.
A woman walked in through the open door.
She had dark reddish-brown hair and a stern expression.
She didn’t do anything special. She simply stood straight, facing forward, and positioned herself in front of the blackboard at the front of the classroom.
That was all.
“……!”
My rabbit sense reacted violently.
She was an opponent I couldn’t beat no matter what I tried. If we fought, I’d definitely lose.
The only reason I didn’t immediately run away on instinct was because I knew she wasn’t my enemy.
Thanks to that, I managed to stop at just lowering my rabbit ears and trembling slightly.
I wasn’t the only one who felt her presence.
About half the students shut their mouths the moment they saw her, and the other half noticed the unusual atmosphere from the ones who had gone quiet.
Once everyone had fallen silent, the woman opened her mouth.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ines, and I’ll be in charge of Class B this year. Call me Professor Ines. I teach swordsmanship along with a few other lectures, so those of you taking my classes will see me often.”
The moment Professor Ines finished speaking, the pressure she’d been radiating throughout the classroom disappeared.
Only then could I finally breathe a little easier.
Ines. She was the protagonist’s mentor character who appeared in the game as well.
Since she was a close-combat weapons professor, you wouldn’t run into her often if you went the ranged DPS or support route. But because she was the homeroom professor for the protagonist’s class, she was a character you were guaranteed to meet no matter what.
Unfortunately, since Professor Ines didn’t possess a Soul Fragment, she couldn’t become a companion.
Still, despite her stern appearance, she had a kind and diligent personality, making her very popular as a supporter.
…Even knowing all that, I’d been completely intimidated when I first saw her.
I used to think it was unrealistic that she was still single despite being nearly thirty in a medieval fantasy world, but after experiencing that presence, I understood. Not many men would want to live being threatened by a woman.
Unless they had some rather unique tastes, or…
“Wow. Professor Ines is really cool. And pretty, too.”
…or they were a man with a big heart (to put it nicely).
Why was another woman telling me she was pretty? That wasn’t something you usually said to another girl, was it?
Well, from my perspective, it meant she didn’t see me as a woman, which was good, but still.
Even so, I couldn’t help wondering how someone like this was supposed to build a harem in the game.
With those mixed feelings, the basic lecture time passed by.