Chapter 39

39 - The Difference Between Fake and Real <39 - The Difference Between Fake and Real> “There’s no doubt that pantyhose win by a landslide.” Just imagine the beautiful future that awaits when our frontier camp folks start wearing pantyhose. The confident thighs of Arcadia in a slit cheongsam. The healthy calves and leg lines of Isabel, tempered by her life as an adventurer. The shy ankles of Irene, the Northern Archduchess, usually hidden under thick trousers. The very thought of these making an appearance beneath thin skirts along with pantyhose. For such a beautiful future, perhaps the loyalty to comrades can be set aside temporarily? “Oknodie. Don’t tell me you’re coveting the nobles’ snacks?” “No! I've never even entertained the thought of their esteemed wine collections or the spirituous concoctions from illustrious cocktail houses!” “…If you’re that eager to try, you could side with them.” “Really?” “Though you’d miss out on my cooking.” “Sob.” “And I’ll make sure to tell Arcadia. You’d never be invited to a tea party again.” That’s a tough one. My wavering heart tilted heavily. ‘Still, the frontier is truly epic.’ From 10 denier ultra-sheer stockings that allow for sexy appeal to 150 denier thick ones that can withstand the harsh winter cold. Pantyhose can vary in thickness with the seasons, enabling a diverse array of allure. Meanwhile, those who sided with the frontier simply for the dolphin shorts wail in betrayed agony as the winter comes, unable to withstand the ridicule that doesn’t cease. -No way, where’d the dolphin shorts go ffs, why are there trousers? -Did the frontier folks wrap themselves in thick fur? They can’t come close to the dignified culture of winter pantyhose, can they? Barbarians are always betrayed when trusted, right? -Tsk tsk, this is the end fate for those who fail to grasp the grand intentions of the Empire The desperation of a veteran like myself is palpable on the gaming forums; supporting the dolphin shorts faction despite knowing betrayal looms every winter! “Stop tormenting our kids!” “Oknodie!” “A group’s top student stood up against the nobles!” Yet the reason I tearfully supported the dolphin shorts faction of the frontier lies therein. My comrades Giselle, Son Ohcheon, and Isabel are all from the frontier, and we want to keep enjoying the snacks provided by Arcadia’s tea parties. I want to continue hanging out with friends. I desire to fill my cookery book day by day. Humans are beings willing to give up skirt for pantyhose in the face of such desires. It’s not because I’m too embarrassed to wear the academy uniform with pantyhose and a skirt that I want to revert to the cold adventurer's default outfit and support casual wear, right! “What's wrong with dressing light after finishing training at the academy? Unless you came in sweating, everyone came in clean.” B group female students felt intimidated at the sudden confidence of the A group females. Of course, the feeling of being crushed in spirit was fleeting. As if their dignity as nobles depended on it, they glared fiercely. “Oh, look at her. Wide-eyed and talking back. Is she?” “In the capital, it's called barbaric for a woman to show her bare arms and legs during the day. That's basic knowledge you'd learn from your parents at age 5.” “Look at this one. If she's not 5 with that height, isn’t that somehow more repulsive?” “Cackle cackle!” “Ho ho ho!” A girl from the dolphin shorts faction, standing with Isabel, stepped forward. “There’s no need to speak like that to a child. If our attire is offensive, I apologize. Let's not harass the kid, okay?” Why is this person apologizing after all the support? Really saps my strength. “What are you apologizing for? Don't apologize over such things. If you keep training diligently, everyone will understand. Unless they’re lazy, that is.” “Kid. Are you making that remark for us to hear?” “That comment was meant for those who don’t like washing their hair and go around wearing too much perfume instead, bothering everyone with their stink. Surely you’re not one of those people?” Other newcomers from A group who disliked the tension joined in with their remarks. “The scent of that perfume is really gross.” “Please bath more often.” “Gross.” The B group newcomers, doubling in embarrassment, stormed out of the cafeteria with flushed faces. [You achieved the Group Competition (1) event.] [The affection of students who feel a belonging to A group has simultaneously increased.] [The affection of students who feel a belonging to B group has simultaneously decreased.] I’ve gone and done it. “Sigh…” A heavy sigh escaped me. Isabel, Arcadia, Irene, all in pantyhose... I really wanted to see that... “You did well, Oknodie.” “It wasn’t because of the food, really…” “Really? After all the effort you put in, I was thinking of borrowing ingredients from the cafeteria tonight and making you something special.” “It’s a lie. Of course, it’s because of the food.” What can I do? Since giving up the Imperial Skin of frontier female students, the only way to satisfy my emotional hunger is with food! * * The next day, as I lazily roamed the grounds picking up stat stones, I got a pleasant surprise. “Hello, Oknodie!” “Good morning, Oknodie!” “Oknodie, want some candy from your sister?” Female students jogging bare-legged since dawn greeted me by waving hands or coming closer whenever they spotted me. The bare legs effortlessly hopping in place and the tantalizing lines of the dolphin shorts beguiled my eyes. Pretty sisters, dolphin shorts, and a procession of endless candies. Am I happy right now? * * Instructor Myeongho chuckled at the instructors' reports. "Fortune follows virtue, and heartfelt devotion dispels calamity. It seems her kind heart has garnered favorable ties." Despite concerns that the title of the youngest top student in the advanced class could engender envy and jealousy, an unexpected event consolidated the support of A group female students. It was her courage to stand against the central nobles that everyone admired. There were rumors that it was all because of food that the turn of events happened, but the prestige of the Imperial nobles wasn’t so trivial to be compared with mere sustenance, so these rumors were quickly dismissed as baseless. "Hopefully, everything will go smoothly until the entrance ceremony." I wish that the child doesn't partake in some daring feat like climbing up to a bird's nest to pluck shining stones and descend without fuss, that would really ease my mind. The anxious heart of an adult secretly watching over a pitiful child was just so restless. * * The atmosphere at the academy calmed down somewhat after the emergency of the previous event was averted. I hope that A group and B group competitions will stay quiet until the start of the entrance ceremony. But the expression on Hestia, whom I met in the corridor, was grim. There could only be one reason for Hestia, a fellow A group member, to have such a dark expression. “It seems like the 0.1% probability event of contrariness has occurred.” Hestia is a chapter boss. Every chapter boss has a set time when they cause a ruckus, and unless something extraordinary happens, they adhere to that timing. For Hestia, it’s during midterms. But what if an 'extraordinary event' occurs? Then that time could be moved up several weeks before the midterms. The so-called Hestia Early Awakening Event. An event where B group senior class students pick a fight with Hestia of A group and engage in conflict, leading to unfortunate accidents and casualties. If it merely ends with some serious injuries, the Early Awakening doesn’t occur. However, if there’s a certain probability that it leads to death, Hestia’s reputation plummets into an abyss. She falls into a pitiable state, shunned even by her A group peers. ‘The only sanctuary left for such a Hestia is her classmate in the next room, who is actually the <Answering Door>.’ I can understand why she would turn into the <Frenzied Hestia>, deranged and in a rampage. It's a tragedy fueled by an unfortunate accident, a ghostly gimmick, and collective ostracization. ‘She should be having counseling around now.’ Somebody must have provoked her today, leaving her frustrated. What should I do now? She was probably discussing something along those lines. To prevent a tragedy, I need to intervene somehow. So I spoke to the wall. "Tell me about the conversation you had with Hestia." If I know what they talked about at night, maybe I can go to Hestia during the day, comfort her, and possibly get close enough to prevent her from engaging in wrongful conflicts. A veteran’s project to prevent a chapter boss’s descent into villainy! Chuckling at my own cleverness, I pressed my ear against the wall and received a curt reply. “No.” “No?!” I hadn’t anticipated this. The <Answering Door> gives answers, but there’s no guarantee those answers are what the asker wants to hear. Even my plan to use it as a personal collection of past exam questions and a private tutor is shaken to its core. This is a real emergency. “Why?” “Hestia talks to me more often.” “…….” The <Answering Door> had developed affection. Compared with pitiful Hestia, who mumbled to it nightly, my regard for it as nothing more than a compilation of past exam answers must be far lower. I would need to talk more frequently and desperately like a loner talking to a wall at night to get any information from it. But there’s a dilemma. If I raise the <Answering Door’s> affection in this way, and then it stops responding properly to Hestia. Wouldn’t I become a bad child who stole Hestia's one and only friend (not really)? ‘What to do? What on earth do I do?!’ Who would have thought there would be such a blind spot in a route I've never taken, having never been a female student myself. I feel like I'm going out of my mind...! A word from the author (author's postscript) The difference between a fake and a real hardship. An affection level with the door that is not permitted to a fashion outcast.