episode_0008

“Then, we will announce the disciplinary results.”

A man in his mid-40s, who looked quite stern, opened his mouth while sitting down. His gaze pierced through the sunglasses, giving off an intimidating aura.

Surely, his temper must be foul. Unconsciously, I swallowed a dry gulp.

As if she had seen that, Lager subtly reached out her hand from under my arm.

Thud.

I swiftly slapped away the hand that was approaching mine with a simple snap.

“What’s wrong. Why are you acting like this.”

For some reason, I unconsciously glanced at Dakota, who was looking at me.

Our eyes met.

Her eyes, which already seemed cold, narrowed as she stared at my hand.

She saw everything.

Why did she suddenly do something so absurd… making people feel awkward.

While licking my lips in embarrassment, the instructor spoke.

“We have taken into consideration that both of you are freshmen and were lacking in knowledge of the school rules, as advocated by the defense of the Vanguard.”

“Thank you.”

“And as for Ael Chloe… although it is not acceptable, due to the broken door lock trapping her in the dormitory and the fact that there was no one else to call besides Lager Godin in this situation, we have also taken that into account to some extent.”

As a compromise, the level of discipline was lowered.

As he hid his smile and clenched his fist under his arm.

“However.”

At his words, I raised my head again.

The eyes of the instructor behind the sunglasses were still shining.

“Despite the circumstances, it is clear that the academy’s property was damaged. And the fact that you intruded into a space strictly separated for female students and caused unexpected mental harm to male students was also taken into consideration.”

In short, they will overlook some things, but they will definitely address the wrongdoings.

Will the disciplinary action be a warning?

Or will it be a more severe punishment?

As the instructor hesitated to speak, several thoughts crossed my mind at once, causing sweat to form in my palms.

“So, the predetermined level of discipline for both of you is…”

Why is he dragging this out? It’s not like it’s an entertainment award. At this rate, I’ll lose my mind.

As my anxiety grew and was about to turn into irritation.

The instructor finished his verdict.

“Four rounds of guard duty throughout the weekend. That is all.”

The moment those words were spoken.

Lager lowered her head and tried to hide her joy.

At the same time, Dakota’s face creased in displeasure.

“Do you have any objections?”

“No.”

Seeing Lager immediately respond, I also nodded in surprise.

“Well, then… we will conclude the disciplinary committee with this.”

The instructors finally got up from their seats, exchanging small talk about being hungry or still feeling the effects of yesterday’s hangover, and one by one, they left the meeting room.

The heavy and tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

Unknowingly, it seemed like we had avoided the worst-case scenario, so I also felt relieved for a moment.

Dakota passed by me with a cold gaze, muttering under her breath.

“This liar.”

What did she just say…

I turned to ask, but she left without looking back.

The sound of her footsteps echoing down the hallway sounded strangely nerve-wracking.

Lager, who didn’t understand English, also had a puzzled expression.

“Why is she acting like that all of a sudden.”

“I don’t know.”

What could have upset her so much.

With no clues to follow, I decided to go eat something. What should I have for today’s menu? Just imagining it made my previously sinking mood gradually lift.

As we walked out of the meeting room and towards the elevator, I asked Lager.

“By the way, what’s ‘Weekend Patrol’? You seem to know.”

“Yeah, of course. I pretty much wrote all the disciplinary regulations for this academy.”

His proud expression as he puffed out his chest was truly pathetic. If only he had put even 1% of his passion as a huge setting enthusiast into his writing, he could have made a big mark in the history of web novels. His writing skills just couldn’t keep up with the settings.

So, enough with the bragging.

“So, what is it then?”

“Just as it sounds! Patrolling all weekend.”

“Patrol? Where to?”

As I gave him a puzzled look, the elevator doors opened.

Lager entered first, pressed the button, and replied with a smug expression.

“Everywhere. Every nook and cranny of the city!”

“…All day long? With you?”

“Of course. Who else?”

“You do that four times?”

“You seem really not into it, huh.”

I won’t deny it, but that’s a problem for later.

As the elevator doors closed, I leaned against the descending elevator wall and let out a light sigh.

“To Dakota, it probably looks like we’re going on a date.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

That’s your business. I touched my forehead as a slight headache crept in.

I didn’t intend for this, and I don’t care, but I did say I wanted them to get along well, so creating this situation was a bit unexpected.

─A liar.

There was a reason for that growl.

But strictly speaking, it was a misunderstanding. Perhaps Dakota was unhappy because I didn’t object to the disciplinary facts.

Even if she knew what ‘Weekend Patrol’ was just now, objecting in that situation would have been a funny scene.

Thinking about it, it may seem more forced than a misunderstanding, but either way, I didn’t want to make a big deal with her.

I briefly thought about taking her out on the weekend.

Lager probably wouldn’t like it, trying to avoid contact with the main heroine.

“Sigh….”

Can’t do this or that.

I’ll have to talk to Dakota again later.

*

That night.

After showering and wrapping my hair in a towel, I took out my pajamas from the drawer under the wardrobe.

Since becoming this body, there were several uncomfortable things, but the most annoying was definitely this tail. Because of the tail, I always had to wear skirts with my uniform bottoms and could only wear pajama pants half off within the dormitory.

Losing one clothing option due to a random organ. That tail brat is like an enemy.

After my hair dried a bit, I took out the tablet from the drawer and lay on the bed with it.

I had developed a habit of always lying down with my front facing the bed. If I fell on my back, my tailbone would fold and it would hurt a lot.

Hugging a pillow, I placed the tablet in front of me and started the drawing app with the pencil.

“Oh.”

By the way, these were the equipment that had been stored in the desk drawer since the first day of possession.

─Ael, but where did the tablet go?

Recalling Lena’s words, I searched the room and found the tablet. There were hardly any signs of use, and it seemed like it was purchased not long ago.

“Thank goodness the tail isn’t the only special feature.”

I glanced at my tail swaying above my head and scolded it in my mind.

“What are you going to fight with without the tablet!”

By the way, what did Lena mean by that? How can you fight with a tablet? I thought it might be a way to become as sturdy as a brick, but seeing the pencil, it didn’t seem like that.

“I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Muttering to myself, I started doodling on the drawing app.

Actually, my childhood dream was to become a novelist. However, sadly, I lacked the talent for writing and had to give up on that dream. Instead, I realized early on that I had a knack for drawing, so I decided to tell my stories through art.

But, it was around that time that Jisoo started showing interest in novels.

─I’ll write the interesting stories, so will you draw my novel’s content?

─Sure. But are you good at writing novels?

─I’m going to try from now on!

…I should have stopped right then and there.

How many years have I been attempting to write novels despite having no talent for it?

Lost in thought, I began coloring the doodles I had drawn yesterday.

The doodles were akin to desires. Not the lewd kind, but the genuine desires that one wishes were real, depending on the need.

I was drawing a pair of pants with a hole near the tail, a design that allowed for not having to worry about covering the buttocks properly.

I lazily chose a pink color similar to the pajamas I was currently wearing. I didn’t particularly like why it had to be pink, but I decided to respect Chloe’s taste before possessing her.

“I’m done.”

My drawing skills are still intact in this world. I smiled satisfactorily, turned my body around, and put down the pencil.

That’s when it happened.

[Would you like to materialize it?]

A strange window suddenly appeared on the tablet.

Materialize… what does that mean? If I were to ask what to materialize, it would obviously be the pajamas inside the tablet.

…But what if it worked?

I swallowed nervously and pressed the accept button.

Then, another prompt appeared.

[Once you have finished drawing, you can materialize it outside the tablet by dragging the pencil.]

“Oh.”

Interesting.

With anticipation, I followed the instructions and dragged the pencil from the pajamas outside the tablet.

And at that moment.

With a fluttering sound, a strange pair of pajamas popped out.

Seeing the exact hole I had designed on the back of the pajama pants.

“Wow!”

I exclaimed in awe.

My heart swelled at the fact that I now had a tail and was able to wear pants properly for the first time.

“…Let’s stay calm.”

Come to think of it, there were no pants among the outfits in the wardrobe. Perhaps Chloe had accepted a life without pants. After all, she probably just received the uniform as it was given.

But not me.

I took out a pair of jeans from the wardrobe and hung them up.

Then, I started drawing on the tablet.

That day, I drew about five pairs of pants late into the night.

It was truly satisfying.