Chapter 151: Cheerleading Squad (7)

Undoubtedly, Sion has never once felt self-conscious about her chest since reincarnating.

From the very beginning, her mind has been that of a man.

She has always been a man, is a man now, and will continue to be a man in the future.

While her natural beauty could offer small moments of amusement, it could never be considered one of her core values.

Moreover, to be frank, large breasts are nothing but a nuisance for a swordsman.

Just imagine having to carry around a 1kg dumbbell on each side of your chest, totaling 2kg, at all times.

The mere thought of it is unbearably cumbersome.

On top of that, having a large chest obstructs the downward field of vision, making one vulnerable to low attacks, and also makes it more difficult to twist the body sideways to evade incoming strikes.

No matter how you look at it, it’s nothing but a disadvantage.

That is why Sion has always thought that her current chest size is just right.

A measured B-cup.

She could never be called busty, not even as a joke, but on the other hand, she wasn’t flat-chested enough to be considered lacking.

It was an average size—just enough to avoid being a hindrance in movement while still maintaining a certain level of feminine charm.

However, that was only true for everyday clothing—when wearing outfits that weren’t revealing.

When it came to high-exposure outfits like a bunny girl costume, the size of one’s chest was directly reflected in the wearer’s overall attractiveness.

And in an environment where many people wore the same outfit, attractiveness became a form of personal competitiveness.

Unfortunately, in this place overflowing with glamour, Sion’s competitiveness was far below average.

A bottom-tier competitor.

If there were rankings, she’d likely be within the bottom five from the back.

Not a good sign.

Especially considering the reason she had joined the cheer squad in the first place.

‘If I go up on stage with them like this… what will happen?’

It wasn’t hard to imagine the scene that would unfold.

A grand fleet of majestic battleships lined up in formation, with a tiny, shabby rowboat squeezed awkwardly between them.

A scene that would instantly kill the excitement of every male student—except for those with particularly unique preferences.

One thing was certain.

By the end of this sports festival, her popularity would plummet into an abyss.

She’d be lucky if she wasn’t publicly ridiculed by the Espera faction.

‘What should I do? Should I use magic to make my chest bigger?’

For a moment, the thought crossed Sion’s mind, but she quickly shook her head.

Using transformation magic, it wouldn’t be difficult to increase her chest size.

She wouldn’t even need a perfect polymorph spell—just a basic polymorph would suffice.

But what if people started saying she used magic out of insecurity? What if rumors spread that she “stuffed” her chest?

The ridicule she’d face then would be beyond imagination.

Even if she made some flimsy excuse about the side effects of a magical potion, it wouldn’t matter.

They’d just see it as a desperate justification and mock her even harder behind her back.

That left only one option.

“Um… Captain.”

Blushing, Sion hesitantly raised her hand.

Half pretense, half sincerity.

“Is this really the best outfit we could have chosen? I heard that, traditionally, different outfits have been worn during past sports festivals… Was it really necessary to change it this year?”

“Oh? What do you mean, ‘this year only’?”

The towering cheer captain, Charlotte—who stood close to 180 cm tall—responded with a cheerful smile.

“There are records showing that different outfits were worn in the past, you know.

Like in 1283, 1300, 1342, and 1408, about every 30 to 40 years or so, a completely different cheer uniform was used.

So there’s no issue with us wearing bunny girl costumes.

Besides, if it was a problem, the student council would have rejected it during the approval process, right?”

“..…!”

Sion, having heard the behind-the-scenes story of that “approval process” from Lancia, found it difficult to accept.

After all, hadn’t they caused absolute chaos throughout the entire school, sparking a literal chase?

And yet, here she was, speaking so shamelessly.

However, instead of pointing that out, Sion decided to exaggerate her shyness.

“Even so… standing before a crowd in such an embarrassing outfit… I do have my honor to consider…

If I have to wear this, I should probably talk to the teachers about quitting the cheer squad and joining a different event—”

That was her plan—to pretend to be embarrassed and sneak her way out of the cheer squad entirely.

Sure, it would mean giving up on her initial goal, but that was still a far better alternative.

Anything was better than being publicly humiliated in front of everyone.

However—

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Before she knew it, Charlotte had approached and firmly grabbed her shoulder.

Her smile was chilling beyond words.

“Listen, Hero. The news that you joined the cheer squad has already spread throughout the entire school. Everyone is eagerly anticipating your passionate performance.

If you back out now, what do you think will happen to all those excited students? Won’t they be incredibly disappointed?

As someone meant to inspire and uplift others, do you really think it’s right to let them down?

Isn’t that the truly disgraceful thing here? Hmm?”

“B-but the outfit is too embarrassing! How can I possibly go out in front of everyone like this—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! That’s only because it’s your first time. You’ll get used to it soon enough, I promise.

I’ll give you my full support. If you ever need help, just call, and I’ll be there 24/7 to help with practice.

And don’t worry, we’ll adjust the choreography. Anything you find difficult or uncomfortable, we’ll take out.

We’ll keep it as wholesome as possible, okay?

So let’s do it. Hm? Hm??? Hm????????”

“Eek…?!”

Sion let out a small scream upon seeing Charlotte’s face.

She had seen this expression once before.

It was the same look Esther had when Lier tried to tell Mana,

“Wouldn’t it be better to at least cover up your lower half? By the standards of the outside world, that’s an indecent outfit. There’s nowhere proper to look.”

It was a look that made it clear—if such a thing were to happen, there would be no forgiveness.

Childhood friendship or whatever else be damned, she would chase her to the ends of hell and exact her revenge.

That same murderous glare was now present on Charlotte’s face, right in front of her.

The eyes of a madwoman who would stop at nothing to fulfill her desires, using any means necessary.

Sion felt a cold sweat trickle down her back as she thought to herself,

‘This is bad. There’s no way out of this.’

Of course, in terms of both logic and ability, she had the upper hand.

If she truly wanted to, she could forcefully withdraw from this situation.

Who in this world could stop the hero if she decided she didn’t want to do something?

But if she did that, this woman would be left with an overwhelming sense of regret.

And she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had repaid it at least tenfold.

Becoming the target of such an obsession was a nightmare.

Especially for someone like Sion, who had far too many secrets she didn’t want uncovered.

At this point, it was best to simply accept her fate.

At least, that was what Sion’s survival instincts were telling her.

“Ah, fine! I’ll do it! I’ll do it, okay?!”

“Great!!!”

At Sion’s reluctant surrender, Charlotte finally let go of her shoulders and clenched her fists in victory.

She wasn’t acting—she was genuinely thrilled.

And apparently, she wasn’t alone in her enthusiasm.

Several of the girls standing behind her visibly sighed in relief.

Sion glanced at them with a drained expression before clearing her throat and speaking.

“But let me make this clear. If the routine contains anything excessively provocative, I’ll absolutely demand changes.

Since you personally promised, I trust you’ll keep your word.”

“Of course! I, Charlotte Leonard-Sinclair, never go back on my word, so don’t worry.

As long as you wear the bunny girl outfit, I’ll let you do whatever you want.

Heck, I can even give you the center spot if you’d like?”

“No, absolutely not. Sincerely.”

If anything, she wanted to be as far in the background as possible—a spot where she’d draw the least amount of attention.

That way, she could minimize any potential damage to her reputation.

“Fuuuu.”

Sion sighed as she looked down at her own chest again.

She truly felt like prey caught in a hunter’s trap.

Beside her, Exia smirked and teased,

-“Well, well, looks like you’ve got no escape now~ In the end, you’ll have no choice but to perform the Courtship Dance, right?”

-“Shut up.”

Sion snapped, visibly annoyed.

Exia chuckled as she enjoyed her irritation for a moment before moving on to the main topic.

-“So, what’s your plan? Are you going to expose Lancia’s secrets and flip the whole situation?”

-“No, I can’t do that. That would make me a liar.

I already told them it’s fine, and it’d be pretty low to go back on my word now.”

-“Then? Do you have another way out of this?”

-“…..”

At her question, Sion stared at the cheer captain for a moment before murmuring,

-“Well, don’t worry too much. I’ve got a little trick for situations like this.”

-“Huh? A trick? What kind?”

-“There’s something I can do. You don’t need to know just yet.”

Sion kept her answer vague.

If she told Exia, she’d just nag her about it incessantly.

However, for some reason, Exia seemed to interpret her silence in the worst possible way.

A moment later, her voice turned pale with horror.

-“W-Wait, you’re not going to summon a bunch of monsters and attack the school to cancel the sports festival… are you?”

-“What kind of lunatic do you take me for?! No way!”

Not only would that be insane, but she’d also never be able to face Mana again if she did something like that.

That wasn’t the kind of thing she could get away with by simply kneeling and apologizing later.

Sion still had at least a shred of conscience left.

-“It’s nothing that drastic, so don’t worry.

You’ll find out in due time anyway.”

-“Ugh…”

Exia let out a doubtful groan.

She didn’t trust her at all.

And honestly, given her history of causing trouble, she had every reason not to.

Sion ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.

-“Well, for now, I guess I’ll just have to focus on learning the dance properly.”

If she couldn’t avoid it, then she would face it head-on.

That ability to shift her mindset was one of Sion’s strengths.

Letting go of any lingering thoughts of escape, she quietly focused on Charlotte’s instructions.