Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Wearing Pretty Pink Underwear
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As the maid had said, there were clothes prepared for me to change into in the changing room.
For now, it was yesterday's tracksuit.
The tracksuit had been washed and dried overnight, feeling soft and fluffy to the touch.
But...
"No underwear..."
Come to think of it, my underwear from yesterday had been tossed into the trash can.
It seemed the maid had forgotten to prepare some for me.
Calling the maid felt like it'd be a hassle. Besides, there might be spare underwear in my bag back in the room.
With that in mind, I quietly opened the changing room door to head out.
And there, standing right in front of the door like she was waiting, was the maid—our eyes met.
"Oh my. Where are you going without getting dressed?"
"Uh, no, that is... You're right. I don't have any underwear, so could you maybe bring some—"
"Oh dear, that's a big problem."
The maid just kept smiling brightly even after hearing me out.
Maybe it didn't get through properly? Just as I was about to ask again, her expression shifted to one of distress.
"What should we do? This morning, we burned all of Lady Gyeol Ryeong's belongings in the incinerator. There were just so many dangerous-looking items."
"W-Wait, all of them?!"
"Yes. We did salvage your wallet and ID, but everything else went up in flames."
Why on earth would you burn someone else's stuff...
It was certainly enough to get mad over, but for some reason, I didn't feel angry.
If anything, I found myself nodding in understanding. Well, my bag was full of weapons that looked sketchy even at a glance. Talismans and the like, too. To a normal person's eyes, it probably seemed risky. ...Still, burning my clothes too felt a bit excessive.
"I'll prepare some clothes and underwear for you to wear in the meantime by the end of today. No need to worry."
"But I have nothing to wear right now..."
"Is that so? Then what's that you're wearing now?"
What was she talking about?
I wasn't wearing anything at the moment—just barely covering myself with a towel.
"No. Lady Gyeol Ryeong is wearing underwear right now. Pretty pink underwear."
And once again, that bizarre sensation washed over me.
My mind grew foggy, my vision blurring for a split second.
It was so brief that I couldn't grasp what it was.
Then my consciousness snapped back to normal.
"...What... uh...?"
When I looked down at my body, I realized I was somehow wearing underwear.
When had I put it on?
Both top and bottom—definitely a fresh set of pink underwear.
It felt nothing like a sports bra. This was my first time wearing something like this.
For someone who wasn't originally a woman like me, slipping into such feminine undies brought a twinge of reluctance... but they were already on, and there were no others anyway.
"Now, hurry and finish getting dressed so we can go eat. The master is waiting."
For some reason, the maid was chuckling at the sight of me in just my underwear.
I slipped yesterday's tracksuit on over the underwear I'd somehow (though I couldn't remember) put on, then followed the maid to the dining room.
'Feels so empty...'
I was definitely wearing underwear, but it felt like I had nothing on at all—like there was nothing there.
It was as if my skin, my bare flesh, my sensitive spots were brushing directly against the tracksuit's lining.
Since I'd never worn anything besides a sports bra, I started wondering if women's underwear was supposed to feel like this.
Ugh... it's so distracting...
On top of that, my body felt strangely sensitive. Even the slightest graze of fabric against my skin made me flinch every time.
My chest and nipples were especially bad, forcing me to hunch over and walk gingerly.
'Was my body always this sensitive... or is it because it's not my usual underwear...?'
My regular underwear was designed to suppress the 'Succubus Curse' inflicted on me.
But even without it, I'd never felt my body get this sensitive before.
I somehow endured the unfamiliar sensations and made it to the dining area.
The Chairman from yesterday was sitting there, looking relaxed and at ease.
"Good morning, Miss Gyeol Ryeong. Ah, we said to keep it casual, right? Anyway, have a seat there. Breakfast with bread, or rice?"
I usually skip breakfast...
...but I couldn't say that, so I vaguely asked for bread.
Soon enough, a perfectly made sandwich and coffee arrived.
'Just in case.'
Like with yesterday's tea, I tried to inspect it for anything suspicious inside.
But the maid caught me.
"What are you doing? That's rude."
"Ah, I was just—"
"Unnecessary suspicion is prohibited. This food was prepared with care in a thoroughly hygienic space, so eat without worry."
"Y-Yes..."
I dispersed the half-formed spell and picked up the sandwich to eat.
Mm. It was delicious.
The veggies were incredibly fresh, the meat tender and fresh. The bread was perfectly toasted, filling my mouth with a nutty flavor with every bite.
You could really tell they'd used extravagantly expensive ingredients.
"Don't leave any—eat it all. Chew slowly so you don't choke."
I wouldn't have left any anyway.
Exorcists are big eaters by nature. And most food converts to spiritual power and other energies rather than fat, so weight gain isn't an issue.
Great taste, perfectly balanced nutrition.
Anything more would be greed.
But with every bite—of the sandwich, the coffee—I could feel a strange energy seeping into my body.
Yokai power, lustful energy—call it what you will, it was some kind of impurity.
Why did eating the food they gave me cause this every time? I couldn't think about it. The maid had told me not to worry and to eat up.
'It's fine... this much is fine.'
For a normal person, accumulating this negative energy would be dangerous.
But an exorcist's body has resistance to it. It might affect me briefly, but in time, my own spiritual power would purify and expel it.
Even so, ingesting large amounts repeatedly would have some impact, but one meal should be okay.
"Drink the coffee, too. Our maid's not just great at tea—she's a wizard with coffee."
"I've got tea ceremony certification and barista certification★ Please enjoy~."
Couldn't refuse after that.
I don't know much about coffee flavors, but this one tasted good, so I finished it all without leaving a drop as I continued eating.
The whole time, the Chairman and the maid watched me with these weird looks... it felt kinda uncomfortable.
The delicious, nutrient-packed meal left my body satisfied, but my mind felt strangely languid, thoughts sluggish.
Probably from all that lustful energy I'd taken in.
Circulating spiritual power through my body to purify it helped—a little.
After finishing, the Chairman called me over, and I followed him back to yesterday's study.
For some reason, the furniture arrangement and layout felt slightly different from yesterday, but I couldn't be sure. And it didn't seem worth fussing over.
"So, you came to this village for an investigation? Got any plans for what to do next?"
I'd already spilled everything yesterday.
About being an exorcist, the commission from the Association—everything.
I couldn't understand why yesterday's me had done that, no matter how much I thought about it now.
I couldn't understand it, but what was done was done, so I decided to accept the situation as it was.
'And somehow... I feel like I can trust him... no real reason, though...'
"I was thinking of wandering around the village to investigate."
"About that—I can't just let you go. Like I said yesterday, this city is special. You need to learn its unique rules to move around safely. And prep, too."
How exactly was it special?
More importantly, learning rules just to walk around the city? It made no sense.
But since the Chairman was saying it, it somehow rang true.
I accepted it without question.
"I'm not saying you can't go out at all. As I mentioned, as chairman, I have to screen and train new residents. So before you start investigating, stay here at the mansion and go through the training. It won't take long—a week at most."
"A week...?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. We'll handle room and board, and there's plenty to do here for fun—you won't get bored. Everyone who's gone through it before said it flew by and they wished it lasted longer. Oh, and there's a little training stipend, too."
And, he continued.
"I admit there's something off about this city. So I'll help with your exorcist investigation or whatever as much as I can. Just finish the week's training properly."
Honestly, I didn't have to listen to him.
He hadn't restrained me physically, and I could use spells to sneak out into the city.
But causing a fuss wouldn't help, and getting assistance from this guy—who apparently managed the whole fog-shrouded city—would make future investigations smoother.
After sorting my thoughts, I accepted the offer.
...Definitely not because of the training stipend he mentioned or how much it was.
Man, stipends this good... wonder if I could just train forever.
"Alright, that's settled then."
With that, the Chairman picked up a small bell from the corner of his desk.
He shook it.
Ding-a-ling—a pretty, clear chime rang out.
'Huh...?'
A strange exhaustion hit me.
A sense of helplessness, like being dragged into an antlion pit—my body swayed for a moment.
The chime continued. My mind drifted further away with it.
Thoughts slowed, consciousness sinking into darkness.
Soon the bell stopped.
By then, my awareness had fully submerged into the dark.