Lifting Her Clothes in a Cramped Stall
She had forgotten she was a woman and walked straight into a stall in the men's restroom.
The moment Lua realized her mistake, her heart dropped.
Okay, fine, that was on me—but what kind of nerve does Himari have, following me into the men's room?
Even if she needed something, who just trailed someone all the way in here?
"Stop stalling and spit it out already."
As the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, Lua's mind spun into overdrive.
The goal she had just set for herself was to raise the students and prepare them for the final battle.
Himari was a powerhouse character—an essential pick.
If word got out that she had been caught in the men's restroom, her reputation at the academy would take a serious hit.
And that could throw a wrench into Lua's entire plan!
"Tch…!"
—Clack!
"You—"
"Get in here!"
Lua steeled herself.
She unlatched the stall door, yanked Himari inside, and shut it again.
The entire sequence finished exactly two seconds before the first male student walked into the restroom.
"Swordsmanship class is definitely the most fun."
"That's just because it's the start of the term. I heard it gets brutal later."
"How do they even test us, though…?"
The once-quiet restroom filled in an instant. Chatter about classes, teachers, and whatever else held their interest flooded the space.
"……."
"……."
Inside the closed stall, however, the two women said nothing.
Lua clamped both hands over her mouth for fear of being overheard, while Himari simply looked down at her, expression unreadable.
I'm terrified…
Himari's sharp gaze brought back what had happened on the training field, and Lua's courage shrank to the size of a pea—but she forced herself to raise a finger to her lips.
"Shhh."
"…Hm."
Himari nodded as if she understood. She seemed to have grasped the situation as well.
"Ugh, I wish class would just end already!"
"You've only been enrolled a few days."
"I don't care. It's boring either way…."
The boys kept talking. Lua checked her watch. Of the ten-minute break, only two minutes had passed.
—Rustle.
"?!"
That was when Himari quietly shifted forward. Standing face-to-face in the cramped stall, Lua had no choice but to give ground.
"W-wait…."
She almost told her not to come any closer, then clamped her mouth shut again.
Lua tried to push her back with both hands, but Himari drove her all the way to the wall behind the toilet. Lua couldn't make a sound, and she couldn't escape.
—Thud.
Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to retreat, yet Himari still refused to let her go.
Please…! Why are you doing this…!
They were close enough that Lua could feel Himari's body heat. A faint lavender scent—shampoo, fabric softener, or maybe perfume—tickled her nose.
Worse, Himari's chest brushed against the base of her throat, soft and yielding. Himari herself didn't seem aware of it.
Being this close to another person—another woman, no less—was something Lua could count on one hand. No: this was only the second time. The first had been when Sua captured her.
"Any closer and I—"
The knowledge that people stood just beyond a thin plywood partition, while she was being pressed helplessly like this with no one the wiser, created a dissonance so sharp it made her head spin.
Just as Lua's thoughts began to blur—
—Thump!
Himari's hand planted against the wall beside Lua's face.
"Hiek?!"
Lua sucked in a breath and snapped back to herself without meaning to. Himari looked down at her from a shadowed face.
"…You."
A whisper pitched low enough not to carry outside.
"I came here knowing everything."
Himari's voice slid into Lua's ear.
"My father sent you, didn't he."
"W-what are you talking about…?"
"He disapproved of my studying abroad."
"……?"
Still trembling, Lua tilted her head.
What is she talking about?
"Your father? Hoshikawa Toshio?"
"Is that not the case?"
"N-no, it isn't…."
Himari's brow twitched.
"Then how did you know about this?"
She thrust the ring finger of her left hand in front of Lua's eyes. A teddy-bear-patterned bandage was stuck on in a clumsy, lopsided mess—clearly applied with one hand.
Ah…!
Only then did Lua understand the full picture.
I overplayed my hand back then….
The injury on her left ring finger was a weakness Himari wanted to keep hidden. She hadn't told anyone except her father—and Lua had not only mentioned it outright but offered to treat it. Of course she would be suspicious.
I dumped game knowledge too early.
In the original scenario, that event came much later. Acting on it ahead of schedule made Himari's misunderstanding only natural.
"I told Father I would go alone, and I passed his trial."
Himari whispered with iron resolve.
"I told him to keep his promise—"
"I get what you're saying, okay?"
Lua nudged Himari back a little with her shoulder and carved out some space.
"I'm really not who you think I am."
"You still insist on that. Then I ask again: how did you know?"
"Well—"
Lua thought for a moment, then met Himari's eyes and continued.
"—because I'm the school nurse."
"……."
Even to Lua, the explanation sounded thin, but Himari unexpectedly eased back and tilted her head. Her long, soft hair spilled down like a waterfall.
"Because you're the school nurse…."
Himari echoed the words.
"What is a 'school nurse'?"
"…Excuse me?"
"I have never heard the term."
Lua pressed a hand to her forehead.
She had known Himari's general knowledge was severely lacking. Selected as heir from a young age, she had never attended school and had learned nothing from her father but the sword. But this was worse than expected.
"It's, uh… a non-academic subject, basically…."
Himari tilted her head again, still lost.
"Then does the teacher in charge of 'school nursing' also know about injuries?"
"Th-that's right."
Lua nodded quickly.
"Exactly! When it comes to students' bodies and health, I know everything! That's how I knew about the injury on your left ring finger! So if anything's troubling you, come find me! I'm here to help you, Hima—Hoshikawa!"
"Ahh… I see. So the Korean academy has someone like that."
Himari finally nodded as if it made sense. A faint smile even touched her lips. Compared to moments before, she looked almost innocent, and some of the tension drained from Lua's shoulders.
Right. That was the kind of character she was.
Because her common sense was so thin, Himari hungered for anything new—and lighting up with joy whenever she learned something was simply who she was.
They had nearly soured their relationship, but it seemed they had cleared the crisis. Privately impressed with her own diplomacy, Lua let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Maybe I'm actually a smooth talker?
—Ding-dong-ding-dong.
While they spoke, the break ended, and the sound of every last boy filing out of the restroom reached them.
Silence settled over the bathroom once more.
"Well then, Hoshikawa, you should get to cla—"
"Wait. One moment."
Himari stepped in front of Lua just as she reached for the stall door.
"One final confirmation remains."
"Confirmation?"
"Confirmation that you are not one of our family's people."
One more thing.
Himari might lack common sense, but she was no fool.
"School nurse. Show me your stomach."
"My… stomach?"
"Those employed by our house bear a tattoo on the abdomen. If you show me, I will drop my suspicions."
Himari clasped her hands behind her back.
"Rest assured. I will not force you."
"Th-then…?"
"Show me yourself. Just a little. Only here."
Himari stood blocking the door and did not move. She clearly had no intention of stepping aside until Lua produced proof.
"W-well, if that's all…."
Lua took hold of her collar and loosened it a little. It wasn't like she was stripping naked—just flashing a bit of stomach. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Guys didn't even count bare torsos as sexy, right? Well. She was a girl now, but still.
The fact that Himari was staring straight at her did bother her a little, though.
"D-do you really need this?"
"I want to be certain."
Himari's gaze was firm.
"So that I can trust my 'school nurse.'"
Put like that, how could she refuse?
"Fine."
In the end, Lua hesitated only a moment before fumbling her top upward. The soft, pale skin the shirt had been hiding came into view—a gently rounded, plush little belly, almost childlike.
"Hmm."
Himari bent her knees and peered intently at Lua's stomach. When her breath brushed bare skin, Lua squirmed, ticklish, and her waist twitched.
This isn't embarrassing… this isn't embarrassing… this isn't embarrassing….
Lua chanted it to herself.
She had definitely been a man, so showing her stomach shouldn't have been mortifying—and yet her face was burning red before she even realized it.
"Please wait a moment."
Himari's hand touched Lua's skin.
"Hyaah!"
Not content with mere contact, Himari pressed a finger lightly into Lua's belly.
—Squish.
—Squish, squish.
"Kh… nn…."
There wasn't a scrap of muscle to be found; the small, cute stomach yielded wherever it was pressed. Having someone else poke and prod at her abdomen was an entirely new experience.
It was ticklish, and embarrassing, and somewhere underneath all that the delicate touch felt strangely pleasant—
"Uuuuh… h-how much… longer…."
—Stroke.
"Kyaah!"
The instant Himari's fingertip brushed her navel, Lua finally broke and folded at the waist.
"No tattoo. Confirmed."
"What kind of confirmation… is done like that…."
Maybe it was her imagination, but something almost playful seemed to flicker across Himari's face.
Whether from nerves or something else, Lua was soaked in sweat in the space of a few moments. As she sat on the toilet lid, gasping, Himari's hand suddenly approached.
"……?"
In it was a handkerchief. Teddy-bear patterned.
"Wipe your sweat."
Lua did as she was told. A moment later, Himari unlatched the stall door for her.
"Am I… free to go…?"
"Yes. I no longer have any doubts."
Himari offered Lua, who was stepping out, a courteous, graceful bow.
"I apologize for the unreasonable request. Forgive my rudeness."
"N-no… it's fine."
"Then I look forward to working with you, 'School Nurse.'"
Lua started to leave the restroom, then suddenly stopped.
"Ah—wait…."
"Yes?"
Even with the aftershocks of what had just happened still lingering, Lua caught Himari's left ring finger.
Healing
"……."
"W-well, goodbye!"
Before Himari could get a word out, Lua fled the restroom as if running for her life. Left behind, Himari stared for a long while at the wound that had healed clean.
A short time later, Lua returned to the conference room—but she couldn't focus at all.
The sensation of Himari's hand trailing across her stomach was still far too vivid.