episode_0036

“So you want me to wear a skirt?”

I looked at the clothes on the bed and was dumbfounded.

A white blouse, a long navy skirt, and black high heels.

Compared to ordinary women’s clothes, it could be called very simple, but even so, how could I wear a skirt?

“No pants? Do I absolutely have to go wearing a skirt?”

“Asha, I kept explaining. You want to enjoy the festival too, right? But what are you going to do if other people find out who you are?”

“Even so, why a skirt…?”

“Among the women who hang around with me, is there anyone else besides you who wears pants? If you want to imitate other women, you should at least wear a skirt.”

“Alright! I get it…. Just go out for a bit.”

I finally picked up the skirt, feeling as if I were swallowing glass shards.

The design itself was simple, but it had no wrinkles, looking like newly made clothes.

“Hoo…. Damn it.”

Muttering curses, I took off my pants and threaded my legs into the skirt.

And when I pulled it up, a different sensation greeted me compared to pants.

A feeling of wind coming and going inside? What’s more, it felt subtly unsettling, like the skirt would flip right up if a strong gust of wind blew.

Furthermore, just then, a gust of wind blew from outside the window and swept through me. Goosebumps crawled all over my legs.

“Ugh…”

I really hate it more than death, but I can’t help it. I wore a skirt when I tried to cross the border, so I should get used to it.

A real man’s characteristic: Doesn’t whine about trivial stuff like this.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror after putting on the blouse and high heels. In the full-length mirror stood a woman with short bobbed hair wearing a navy skirt.

‘Awkward…’

Seeing my feminine appearance after a long time gave me a slight chill. I’m going crazy, if I look like this, I’ll seem completely like a woman.

Knock knock

“Asha, are you all dressed?”

“Yeah yeah, come in.”

Mihail opened the door and came in. Now that I think about it, that guy was wearing clothes that matched mine.

The same simple white shirt and navy pants. He really put a lot of effort into it, huh.

“It suits you well.”

“Uh….. yeah….”

Mihail scanned me with his eyes and complimented me. I accepted the compliment with a slightly awkward feeling.

Now I just need to wear a wig and change my eye color.

In a way, this is the most important task.

Because only I have pink hair and golden eyes. If I cover just this, most people won’t recognize me, right?

…. Still, it’s better to be thorough when doing it once. It’s not like I’ve been completely reclusive, and someone who knows my face very well might come out and spoil things.

I tried to gather my short hair and tie it up. But a few strands kept sticking out, and it wouldn’t tie easily.

Ah, it won’t tie up, damn it. I need to put on a wig quickly and go to the festival.

“Shall I do it?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve tied up women’s hair many times. Don’t you want to go to the festival quickly? Give me the tie.”

“Uh… uh…. Thanks.”

I gave Mihail the hair tie with a bewildered feeling. Mihail stood behind me and tied up my hair right away with skillful movements.

How many women must he have charmed to even master how to tie hair? As expected of a novel protagonist.

After that, Mihail quickly put on the hairnet and wig, and even fixed it with pins.

In less than 5 minutes, in the mirror sat a woman with chest-length blonde hair.

“Ohh…”

Since it was a wig of much better quality than the cheap one I used when I escaped, it looked as real as true hair.

Finally, when Mihail dropped the eye-color changing medicine, there was a woman in the mirror whose original appearance was completely unrecognizable.

This is me…?

My appearance changed so drastically, it was a refreshing feeling.

How should I put it, if looking in the mirror while reluctantly wearing a dress before felt like ‘I’ am standing there in a dress, now it feels like a pretty bishoujo is standing there?

I didn’t feel like myself.

Mihail seemed to think so too, looking surprised by my clearly changed atmosphere.

“Can changing just a wig and eye color change the atmosphere this much…?”

Yeah, right?

While I was at it, I also asked Mihail to do my makeup. Mihail was surprised but soon agreed and did my makeup for me.

After putting on makeup, my impression had changed a lot. Well, the makeup was just applying lip color and simple eye makeup, but even that made a clear difference before and after.

“How is it? Is it okay?”

“…… Pretty.”

Mihail’s appearance, mumbling with a red face, was annoying as hell, but just for today, I decided to bear it and move on.

More than anything, I didn’t want to break the excitement that had finally risen!

“Really? Let’s go! Let’s go! We’ll be late!”

I grabbed Mihail’s hand and pulled him outside.

It was the start of a long night.

—

The Panzica Square Festival. With the holiday and victory celebration combined, the square was hotter than ever before.

Merchants generously released the stock that had been sleeping in their warehouses, and the people enjoyed alcohol and meat to their heart’s content, as if releasing the sorrow they had to endure by living on the long rationing system.

Clowns and musicians who had been dragged away as soldiers picked up their instruments again and showed off their skills, and soldiers on leave after a long time were busy trying to pick up women.

In a word, the heat was tremendous, enough to make any other festival step aside.

Moreover, since the disguise was so thorough, not a single person recognized my identity.

Having only received gazes filled with malice and resentment until now, receiving indifferent or friendly gazes felt like I was soaring.

How should I put it, if before the gazes themselves pulled me down, now that feeling is gone?

Anyway, it was absolutely great!

Unlike my usual tension, I bounced around as if I had taken drugs.

“Let’s eat skewers first!”

“Wait… Asha, a little slower!”

Leading Mihail with one hand, I decided to target the skewers first.

In a corner of the square, a shaggy-haired old man was grilling skewers.

Beef, lamb, pork, sprinkled with salt, coated with sauce, and so on, there were various kinds of skewers, as much as the stored goods were released.

“Hello! How much are the skewers?”

“Beef is 10 Kupper, pork and lamb are 8 Kupper. The price for salt-grilled or sauce-grilled is the same.”

“Give me the beef sauce-grilled! Misha, what do you want?”

“The… same pant… ing…. one….”

Mihail replied with difficulty, panting as if something was very hard.

Tsk, that guy’s so weak.

“He’s only big in size but very weak! Haha! Miss, you’ll have quite a hard time. Here, two skewers!”

The old man mistaking Mihail and me for lovers was a little annoying, but with one bite of the skewer, that annoyance melted away.

Although they were already cold, the sauce was sweet and savory, and they were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, which was excellent.

Mihail also seemed to find it delicious, opening his eyes to the taste and being surprised by his refined palate.

“This is really delicious. Want to order more?”

“That’s fine by me. Mister, give me 2 more of the same!”

“You have a good appetite!”

Sizzle-

“Here you go.”

“Thank you!”

In less than 5 minutes, the old man grilled two skewers right away and handed them over.

They were piping hot, clearly showing they were freshly grilled.

Taking a bite, the smell of fire spread widely, and the hot meat came in. Since it was definitely freshly grilled, the taste, flavor, and smell were all much better than before.

However, if there was a drawback…

“Ah hot! Aah!”

It was too hot. I made all sorts of exaggerated movements, burning my lips and inside my mouth severely, and barely managed to swallow the skewer.

Mihail saw my unsightly display, bit off a small piece of the skewer to cool it down, and ate it deliciously. Smart guy…

“Mister, that’s mean….”

“See? Why didn’t you eat it a bit slower? You just bit off a piece right away, and that’s what happened.”

“Did I know it would be this hot…? Ugh…”

Mihail chuckled, finding something funny. I lightly punched Mihail like that.

But Mihail smiled and dodged all my punches. How did the guy who was panting and finding it hard to keep up with me dodge all this?

I was a little annoyed, but that was only for a moment; seeing the people dancing in the square, my mood quickly changed.

Young lovers, families, friends, people of all ages and genders were gathered in the square, dancing to the music.

Dancing a group dance to the song of an unknown musician, not the waltz that nobles usually dance, was the perfect scene of a medieval festival.

“Mihail, let’s go dance! It looks fun!”

“Stop for a moment.”

“Why?”

Just as I was about to run out to the center of the square, Mihail grabbed my arm and stopped me.

Wondering what was happening, I turned my head and saw Mihail pointing his finger towards my face.

“You got sauce on you, Asha.”

Then he swiped the sauce from the corner of my mouth and licked it.

As if in slow motion, Mihail’s action was clearly imprinted on my mind.

From swiping the sauce to licking it.

“Ugh… ugh…”

I couldn’t react at all, only letting out stupid moans.

Inexpressible emotions swept over me. Annoyance as hell, doubt, and embarrassment…?

“Why are you so surprised? We should dance now.”

“Uh… yeah…! Yeah… That’s right.”

Feeling bewildered, I was pulled towards the center of the square by Mihail’s hand.

Just then, perfectly timed, new music began to play.

‘If I dance, this feeling will disappear too…’

Thinking that, I surrendered myself to the melody.

—

After that, it seemed I lost track of time.

As I danced, I accepted and drank all the alcohol people offered me, so I got completely drunk.

If Mihail said I looked like a crazy woman while laughing and dancing, then I must have been properly drunk.

In the end, I danced a group dance with the people in the square until Mihail, unable to watch any longer, pulled me out.

Clapping my hands and moving my feet, I locked arms with strangers, spun and jumped, and held hands with everyone to form a circle and spin.

As I danced to the music of the street musician, all sorts of sorrows seemed to disappear.

It felt like I forgot all the times I had to watch others’ moods, the sorrow, and the hatred I had experienced, and danced with genuine joy.

Of course, given my state, there were many times I almost fell, but each time, Mihail caught me.

He’s really skilled.

Anyway, laughing, crying, and having fun, I enjoyed the festival.

As I was enjoying the festival, Mihail said I seemed too drunk and took me up to a hill to sober up.

Surprisingly, there weren’t many people on the hill right next to Panzica Square.

Perhaps everyone had gone to the babbling stream below the hill, as that area was noisy.

Still full of excitement, I rushed up the hill ahead of Mihail.

Beyond the hill, the night view of the square stretched out.

“It’s prettyyyy….”

Even with my blurry vision due to being drunk, the medieval night view, illuminated by candles in various places unlike the modern era, was very beautiful.

Red lights filled various parts of the square, brightening people’s eyes.

People moved along the lights, enjoying alcohol and meat and laughing heartily.

As if trying to forget all the hardships from the civil war, everyone, drunk, was humming along to the musician’s music or dancing to the rhythm.

I turned around and shouted for Mihail to come up quickly.

“Come up quickly! It’s really prettyyy-!!”

At my urging, Mihail quickly climbed the hill and stood beside me.

With a large person right next to me, it seemed to block the wind and make me a little warmer.

“It’s pretty, just like you said.”

Mihail smiled and looked at me. Not the fake smile he usually gave, but a genuine smile coming from his heart.

The faint light of the night view illuminated his face. The moderate shadows on his face further emphasized his deep features.

Thump-

Seeing that look, my heart seemed to beat a little faster. Slowly, slowly growing in intensity, gradually, gradually faster.

Thump- Thump-

‘Huh?’

Why is it pounding like this? Just seeing a friend, and a male bastard at that, smiling, why is my heart pounding so fiercely?

It must be because of the alcohol. If not, there’s no way my heart would beat like this.

There’s no way I’d get fluttery over a guy. Even if my outer appearance is a woman, the core is male.

There’s no way….. There really was no way.

But as if betraying my will, my heart pounded even more fiercely, showing off its existence.

As if I had fallen for this guy’s face. Stronger, more fiercely, my heart pounded.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

As if responding to me like this, Mihail brought his face closer to me.

Starting with making eye contact – he gradually closed the distance, and finally, his lips narrowed to the distance where our breaths would touch.

The wind brushing against my skin was certainly nothing but cold, so why was the breath brushing against my mouth so warm?

It was truly an unknowable thing.

“That woman is behind you.”

Mihail whispered. His low, deep voice tickled my ear.

“Uh-huh…”

Woman…. Woman…. Ah, he means that ex-girlfriend. She must have come to the festival too, so they ran into each other by chance.

“Kiss me.”

Mihail commanded me. As if he were my superior, he commanded me.

My consciousness, half-drowned in alcohol, couldn’t make a proper judgment.

Hmm… It’s a jealousy tactic… That’s why he’s doing it…

Just this once is okay….. Uh-huh….. It’s okayyy….

“Yeah….”

As soon as I gave a positive answer, Mihail kissed me.

Wrapping one hand around the back of my neck to hold me, he slowly pushed his tongue into my mouth.

After tapping my teeth with his tongue, when my teeth parted, he wrapped around my tongue as if greeting it and entwined it.

As soon as his tongue was fully inside my mouth, he breathed out strongly, as if to imprint his breath.

His hot breath violated my airway and entered my lungs. Although I knew there was no way, his breath seemed to be imprinted in the blood circulating through my body.

“Hah… Huh… Ugh…”

‘It’s strange… It’s strange…’

My body heated up to a strange degree. My lower abdomen pulsed as if it wanted a man’s thing right away.

I desire a man? There’s no way…. No way…..

‘But I’m a man…’

This is just to make her jealous… That’s why…

Since we’re just friends, it’s something we could do…

Since the atmosphere is romantic, it would have been the same even if he brought a woman…

That must be why… That must be why…

I rationalized it that way and kept kissing Mihail.

Until the traces of people disappeared, and only the two of us remained on the hill.

Until the lights of the square gradually went out.

We kept kissing.

Regarding all of this as a midsummer night’s dream.