Hungover in Academy Uniform
"Ugh... my spot... 'My head hurts.'"
My head throbbed from the hangover. A fishy taste lingered in my mouth alongside a familiar minty scent. Recalling last night's memories made my body shudder. The sensation of Claudia pressing down, kneading firmly as she slipped it inside. Just thinking about it sent tremors through me. The raw pleasure that hammered home how much my body had changed. Who would've thought I'd start thinking it was better to be thrust into roughly...
The ecstasy that etched deep into me: your body is a woman's now. I shook my head and staggered out of bed. Considering what had happened, I was surprisingly fine aside from the hangover. And... that mint chocolate flavor in my mouth. Someone must've fed me one of those potions.
"Hoo..."
As I swept back my hair and headed toward where I'd left my bag, I heard a soft rustling—like fabric dragging across the floor. Dazed, I looked down to find myself wearing what looked like an oddly thin dress.
...Why the hell was I wearing this?
Clutching my pounding head, I shuffled over and opened the bag. It was completely empty. To be precise, there wasn't a single piece of clothing inside.
"...What the?"
Did we get robbed? But that didn't make sense—the most valuable stuff like my potions and materials were still there intact. Revisiting last night's memories only made my lower belly thump anxiously. Nothing useful came to mind.
As I shivered and hugged my arms around my slightly chilled body, the door opened. Veronica and Cecil appeared from beyond it. Cecil held a tray, while Veronica cradled what looked like bundles of clothes. I gave an awkward smile and greeting to Veronica, who stared at me with a strange look.
"...Good morning."
"..."
Veronica stayed silent as ever, but Cecil beamed and returned my greeting. She balanced the tray in one hand, grabbed mine with the other, and led me to the bed.
"Lady Claudia said you'd probably want to eat in bed once you woke up!"
"..."
I plopped down onto the bed, and Cecil set the tray on my lap. ...It felt terribly awkward, but with her eyes sparkling expectantly, I had no choice but to pick up the spoon. I'd assumed it'd be the usual thick soup, but instead, it was something like the soup from the restaurant. A weird feeling washed over me as I took a bite—it was refreshingly cooling, soothing my insides. A sensation I hadn't felt in ages... coolness, I guess. Claudia must've made this.
I slurped it down eagerly when Veronica approached. She set the clothes down lightly without a word and stared right at me. For some reason, tension knotted in my gut.
"...Looks like you told Claudia who you really are."
"Cough!"
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah... fine."
Did Claudia spill it? Well, it was something I'd have to tell everyone eventually, so no big deal—but it still threw me off. Once the coughing subsided, Cecil smiled and said,
"So... does that mean we don't have to call you Lady Sha'a anymore?"
"...Yeah, probably."
No need to use my full family name anyway... should be fine. When I proved my identity at the guild and switched back to normal... maybe it'd be easier to do it through the guild. Announcing another change would just be a hassle.
...Though they might accept the new me right away anyway.
Anyway, did Claudia only tell Veronica? How come Cecil didn't know? She'd brought this soup—no, stew—from somewhere, so they must've met.
...Eh, she probably forgot.
Veronica was quiet for a moment. My turn to ask, then.
"Veronica."
"...What?"
"Um... do you know where the clothes in my bag went?"
"Ah."
Veronica turned her head and murmured softly,
"...You came back drunk last night and did something unspeakable on them... so I threw them all out."
"What?"
"You don't have anything to wear right now, so I brought some old stuff of mine... put it on."
With that, Veronica bolted out like she had a guilty conscience, not giving me a chance to argue how ridiculous that was.
In the end, only Cecil and I were left, with her giggling away. No choice—I kept sipping the stew she'd brought and picked up the clothes Veronica had left.
...They looked familiar. It was an academy uniform.
"Such pretty clothes!"
Cecil's eyes sparkled as she alternated glances between the uniform and me. Of course it was pretty. It wouldn't have been chosen as the uniform if it didn't satisfy the picky tastes of those nobles.
Why the hell were they doing this to me? But...
...I was a little curious. Fine, think of it like Halloween from my past life. Wearing an academy uniform to the guild might smooth things over!
I sighed, stood, and slipped into the uniform. Now that I noticed, even my underwear felt different from usual. Nicer material... softer somehow?
...My mind was wandering everywhere. I fumbled into it all and checked the mirror... no one would bat an eye if I walked into an academy classroom right now. White shirt, form-fitting blazer. Red necktie and the proud academy and empire emblems on my chest. And... a skirt that felt surprisingly short. Was it because I wasn't used to it, or was it actually that short...? Hard to tell.
Combined with my messy bedhead, I looked exactly like a student who'd just rolled out of bed. Not liking the disheveled hair, I grabbed a comb—then Cecil came scampering over with something in hand.
"Lady Asha! Don't you need to wear this too?"
"What is it...?"
As I combed my tangled hair and looked, I saw a coffee-colored lump.
...The thing I'd been ignoring. Yeah. Stockings.
"...Eh, probably don't need 'em, right?"
Cecil unfurled them with a whoosh, tracing the silhouette of my legs. Pantyhose, even.
She eyed my bare legs—exposed plenty by the short-feeling skirt—with a worried face.
"But... Cecil thinks you look cold, Lady Asha. Wouldn't it be better to wear them?"
"...Hmm."
She had a point; I did feel a slight chill. I swept my long hair back and pondered. If I had to wear something, better pantyhose than nothing—like pants, kinda. I could just buy new clothes later.
Yeah... let's do it.
"...Hand 'em over?"
"Yes!"
The pantyhose Cecil gave me had an odd texture. Like soft scales, maybe. A slight coolness when putting them on, but once they were in place, they were warmer than expected. The pants-like sensation dulled the skirt's awkwardness quite a bit.
...Probably just psychological.
With Cecil's help, I tied my hair into a ponytail, and now I could've been tossed into any academy classroom without a second glance.
"...Not that that'll happen."
"Lady Asha?"
"Nothing."
As I dazedly stared at my cleanly exposed neckline, Cecil's hand came up to my nape. Soft, warm touch.
"Nng..."
It felt weirdly good. Then came Cecil's puzzled voice.
"Does it hurt somewhere?"
"No... just a bit stiff. But why the neck all of a sudden...?"
"The part where it connects to your hair is so fascinating!"
...Everything about me fascinates her. When I didn't respond, Cecil pouted and mumbled,
"Was it... something Cecil shouldn't touch?"
"Ah, no, it's not like that. Just... surprised since it was sudden, so I got curious..."
"Then... can Cecil touch it?"
"Uh... yeah. Go ahead."
"Hehe... thank you."
Her soft hands began kneading my neck. Somehow, my headache started fading. Was this the magic of a massage? In the mirror, I saw myself with flushed cheeks, getting rubbed down. I didn't feel any dissonance thinking of it as my reflection. Just that with glasses, I'd look like some academy girl tucked in the corner window seat.
Realizing that lack of dissonance, I shook my head vigorously. Amid Cecil's tinkling laughter, I stood.
...What the hell was I even doing?
Heading down with Cecil, I found Master, Veronica, and Claudia whispering about something. Master looked reluctant, Veronica conflicted. Only Claudia seemed pleased. Their mysterious conference broke up the moment I appeared.
Master blinked and muttered,
"...You're wearing something you never even wore back when you attended the academy?"
"Wh-what can I do? It was all I had..."
Suddenly embarrassed, I averted my eyes, and Master replied in an odd tone,
"Well, it suits you fine, but..."
"S-suits me?!"
Meanwhile, Veronica came over and straightened my clothes.
"...Can't even dress yourself properly, idiot."
"F-first time trying it on, so I might mess up."
"And yet you even tied your hair...?"
"It was uncomfortable..."
Veronica snickered and yanked my necktie tight. It clung snugly to my throat... stifling.
"Even if it's tight... deal with it."
Claudia watched with a pleased smile. Memories of last night made it hard to meet her eyes. I needed to head to the guild quick, then buy new clothes.
...Nothing bad'll happen, right?