episode_0298

The drowsiness of sleep is not easy to shake off.

This is especially true when you first wake up.

Burying yourself in a soft bed, covering yourself with a thick blanket, and enjoying the languidness is a more comfortable feeling than you can imagine.

But anyone who has work to do will eventually have to get out of their soft bed.

I did the same.

In the past, I used to enjoy being lazy for a long time, but these days, when I have reduced my sleep significantly, even if I do fall asleep, I wake up right away.

today…

“Miss~ Should I wake up soon?”

[Gyaaaak]

I didn’t want to get up.

The will to stand up straight was suddenly broken by the mischievous tone heard from outside the blanket.

The sunlight was streaming in from outside the window. The morning of the fourth day of the birth ceremony, the day of the cross-dressing competition, had finally dawned…

‘Ugh… ‘

The leg that was sticking out of the blanket shook violently. I pulled my trembling leg back, curled up, and gathered the blanket and wrapped it around me like armor.

The mischievous tone made him chuckle.

“There’s still some time left, but wouldn’t it be better to get up and do something?”

Her blue eyes curved like crescent moons. Baek A-rin patted the blanket that was rolled up into a ball, not hiding the giggles with her mouth.

“Okay, good job, right? Let’s get up~”

– Thump thump thump…

As it had been to me all night, a rhythmic touch was felt on my body.

As the pats and soothing tones continued at intervals similar to my heartbeat, my trembling body and mind began to calm down.

‘… I’m going out soon… ‘

“Of course I know that Ha-Yul is acting cute and acting like this on purpose~ But she has to wake up now!”

[Ah!]

[sting]

[Shock]

[negative…]

My body shook violently when the slander that erupted just as I was preparing myself.

When I popped my head out of the blanket in surprise, Baek A-rin smiled brightly and reached out her hand as if she had been waiting for me.

A hand came in between the blankets and grabbed my armpit. My body was pulled out of the blankets as if someone was pulling out a radish.

“Caught.”

[oh]

Was it psychological warfare?

In the brief moment of surprise, Baek A-rin, who was giggling, sat me down in her arms. I was leaning my back against Baek A-rin.

I was already half-asleep. I moved my body to a comfortable position and gently rested my head on Baek A-rin’s chest.

“That’s right, you listen well… You’re so kind.”

Baek A-rin smiled brightly and moved her hand. When the cool fingers tapped her lips, her mouth opened reflexively.

– Boop

Water trickled out from the finger in my mouth. I had just gotten up and my mouth was dry. It was a reflex, but I happily gulped down the water.

“At the Tower of Growth, do you know the person who appeared at the event?”

The question came without warning. The mouth that had been sucking its finger diligently stopped for a moment.

Baek A-rin looked down at my head with a strange smile, still holding my finger.

I mumbled for a moment, thinking about it.

[…some of us know each other, some of us don’t]

“What is that?”

– Mu, Muae

Baek A-rin tilted her head. Then she tapped and pressed my tongue with the finger in her mouth.

– Eeee

It was like pointing a finger at someone with a grudge. I bit my finger and held it in place.

“Oh, it tickles.”

– Mmememememe

It’s a strange thing to say, but roughly speaking, it’s correct.

I know five rounds of the game, but I don’t know five rounds of actually living life.

To explain this in detail would require revealing many secrets, and it is not yet possible to explain them all.

Especially to Baek A-rin, there are still some things that need to be hidden.

“Well, I just asked because we seemed to know each other. Oh, right.”

Baek A-rin, who had been playing with my tongue for a moment, shrugged her shoulders. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she let out an exclamation and cleverly manipulated the hologram with one hand.

“Did you know that? There was a picture like this on the community. Ha-Yul, you don’t know because you don’t use the internet, right?”

A picture appeared on the hologram.

It was a scene taken from an internet posting, and in that posting there was a picture of me and Baek A-rin.

It was the scene on the first day of the birthday where I scared Baek A-rin on the street.

Baek A-rin rested her chin on my forehead and muttered while looking at the photo.

“Look at this. Isn’t it so well-taken? Since this one photo went viral, my profile subscribers have increased quite a bit”

[profile…?]

“Yes, my SNS account. Of course, my family takes care of most things… But Ha-Yul hasn’t made anything like that yet, right?”

[yes]

“You must have just had a birthday party, why don’t you try making one?”

[Uh… that’s a bit…]

I gently pushed away the finger I was biting with an embarrassed expression.

[ah]

And then suddenly, I opened my mouth blankly.

This photo has become a hot topic in the community. During the birth ceremony, drones are flying around, taking pictures and broadcasting the event.

Will the events that will take place today also be filmed by drones, broadcast, and circulated through the community as photos and videos?

Will we float forever in the sea of information?

[… … ]

Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach.

.

.

.

There are many small events on the fourth day of the birth anniversary.

The third day of the ceremony is over, and the only things left are the closing ceremony of the birth ceremony and the graduation ceremony that will take place later.

How to spend your vacation is a personal matter. According to the academic schedule, students are basically free until the new semester next year.

In that sense, there are many fun and enjoyable events on the 4th day.

A typical example is a schedule for entertainment purposes, where cadets directly participate and exercise their bodies.

Representative events for entertainment purposes include cosplay and dress-up competitions.

“Why, there are so many people… ”

The time when the sun is slightly tilted in the sky.

As I entered the venue, my face turned pale without me realizing it.

The gazes pouring in from the already packed audience seats.

Oh, there are so many. These are the views of people from outside, not students or residents of the dormitory.

It’s quite burdensome, but I don’t fuss over the gaze anymore.

But my complexion did not brighten.

From the perspective of the people watching, there were many participants as well as tourists.

These are the male cadets who will be participating in the cross-dressing event to be held at this venue.

“Everyone is participating to laugh and have fun. So, participate comfortably without any pressure.”

“The rewards are common, and the qualifications for participation are not that great. So if you apply carelessly and fail, it’s okay.”

Elia and Yeonhwa, who were following along, responded with a snicker.

I couldn’t agree with him.

Let’s laugh and have fun, without pressure, and apply roughly…

Most of the participants’ faces were haggard or wrinkled, making it difficult to say.

I remember coming into the venue earlier, looking like a pig being forced into a slaughterhouse on its own two feet.

I was one of those many, many pigs…

[… Mr. Baije?]

“… Mr. Lee Ha-yul?”

Among the pigs, there was also Baije. He was staring at the ceiling with a cold expression, and then he turned his gaze to me.

I also tilted my head with a cold expression.

[Why are you here…?]

In response to my question, Baijie averted his gaze with a puzzled expression.

“Ah, that’s… because I lost the bet… ”

[ah]

He was also a pig who had been brought in by force. A look of sympathy came to my face, but I quickly erased it when I realized that we were in the same situation.

[…cheer up]

“… Lee Ha-yul, cheer up too.”

He nodded and then walked away with an awkward expression on his face.

“It’s almost time to get ready. Should I go?”

“Hmm.”

Yeonhwa, who was stroking my head, and Baek Arin, who was next to me, also turned around.

At this event, both men’s and women’s competitions are held simultaneously.

Yeonhwa also felt it would be a bit awkward to send herself to the cross-dressing competition, so she participated in the men’s competition, and Baek Arin also participated because she thought it looked fun.

‘… … ‘

But honestly, both of them look cool and pretty even when dressed as men, so I end up thinking that the damage they suffer will be different…

“Hmm.”

However, when I turned around and saw Yeonhwa’s face expressing anticipation, I ended up nodding.

Yeonhwa is looking forward to it, so I’m a little embarrassed, but it’s not that important.

“… See you later.”

Eventually, I walked to the waiting room with the other participating cadets.

.

.

.

The waiting room you arrive at is not public, but a private room.

A chair and a large full-length mirror placed directly in front.

The surrounding tables are equipped with decoration equipment, including cosmetics.

My mouth trembled at the sight of the various wigs and flowing clothes hanging on one side of the wall.

“Wow, there’s a lot. There are wigs of all kinds here… and of course, there are no magic tools. Since the materials don’t seem to contain any magic power, I guess they’re all made with these materials?”

Most costume contests are held with poor preparation.

There are some events that are professionally decorated to a high standard, but most are just put together haphazardly.

Since this is an event where people just laugh, chat, giggle and tease each other, there is no need to raise the bar.

For that reason, the use of magic or unique abilities is excluded.

“… Why are you following me here?”

He fiddled with the chair and turned his head with a puzzled expression. Elia, who was looking at the wig, tilted her head.

“Of course I’m here to help you decorate!”

And then he answered confidently, pounding his chest. I was taken aback by his confident attitude, as if it were something very obvious.

“Uhh… You don’t have to help me… ”

“Of course, Harul would still win if he continued like this, but wouldn’t it be better if he decorated it more?”

“Bam… Don’t tease me… ”

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“That’s a joke… ”

“Hey, isn’t that right? Okay, while we wait, let’s make a price estimate.”

The cross-dressing and cross-dressing competitions begin immediately after the event, with each cadet going up on stage before disguising themselves.

In short, the cruel intention was to compare the appearances before and after the disguise.

Elia, who was laughing bashfully, gently grabbed my shoulder and sat me down on the chair.

“Um… ”

Soon, bright yellow eyes seriously examined my reflection in the mirror.

“There’s really nothing to decorate… Should we just leave it like this?”

“Ugh… ”

“What, even if I put cosmetics on my skin, it seems like it would have the opposite effect… Hair?”

Elia tilted her head and stroked my hair.

“If you put a wig on this head, it’ll be too obvious… Your hair is so pretty, it’ll look like you’ve put some weird seaweed on it… ”

“… … ”

I shut my mouth at Elia’s serious muttering. Seaweed? A wig? I don’t know. If I just put something on roughly, it would probably look similar…

‘You’re wearing a wig?’

When we think of cross-dressing, we usually think of wearing long wigs.

‘You have long hair…’

With a similar intention to escape reality, I fell into deep thought for a moment.

Many people keep their hair long. It’s common for women to do this, and many men also grow their hair long.

I never thought about growing it out long.

Aside from the simple appearance issue, I know that long hair can be a hassle to maintain.

Even if you search the Internet, aren’t there a lot of articles complaining about how bothersome it is to take care of long hair?

To begin with, I had a strange body in which my hair and fingernails didn’t grow properly. Having long hair was even more unthinkable to me.

For a moment, I imagined myself with longer hair.

… I wasn’t particularly impressed. My hair just grew longer… It’s going to be a hassle to take care of, I’ll have to be careful with my hair during battle…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Elia let out a gasp. I opened my eyes to the voice full of questions and surprise.

“Why are you like that?”

Despite my question, Elia just blinked blankly. I felt something was strange about him and turned my head away.

– Slurp

“?”

Something brushed against my neck. I blinked like Elia.

The power of observation. Something brushed against my neck. It wasn’t a threat…

“… … ”

The information coming in is strange. With trembling hands, I touched the back of my neck.

It’s soft. It’s divided and clumped countless times between your fingers. If you slightly release the force, it slips away and hangs down.

The information from the observation was not considered threatening or particularly strange.

Of course.

It was my hair that was hanging down.

[What the fuck?]

My hair grew long.

This crazy body.

* * *

[Player Compensation System: Pioneer]

[Complete the subquest “Birthday Festival: Day 3”]

[Subquest “Entry to the Tower: 5th Time” Completed]

[Points accumulate]