Chapter 211
『Translator: RainTL』
༺ Autumn Harvest Festival (8) ༻
The plans that I had created until now had a high chance of going off-track in the strangest of places.
To be fair, I wasn’t the best thinker. In the past, Park Sihu had always been in charge of the brain while I was the brawl.
Because of all the bad luck that I witnessed until now, it became a habit for me to come up with Plans B and C.
The Crossdressing Contest was a Plan C, and naturally, I had already meticulously crafted the specific details of the plan beforehand.
“You seem very… calm?”
“Why wouldn’t I be calm?”
“Because you are a celebrity attending this contest? I thought you’d be more worried.”
Ms. Senior Shana of the reception desk seemed to know who I was and appeared surprised to see my composure.
“How many participants do you have so far?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Good. Not that many to beat.”
They were pretty mediocre in the last iteration as well, so I should be able to win this.
- Wait. Isn’t that Korin Lork?
- Is he attending the Crossdressing Contest? For real?
- Oh look! Korin is signing up for the Crossdressing Contest.
- Oh wow.
People recognized who I was and started staring at me with intrigue.
“We can hide your name during the contest if you want,” she prudently suggested.
“Fufu. Don’t worry about it. Senior. Did you know?”
I was not embarrassed in the slightest. Why, you ask?
“Crossdressing into a girl is the most manly thing that only men can do!”
“...Well, that’s obvious, I guess?”
“Since I have to do it anyway, why not enjoy it along the way!?”
“Ohh…”
She gasped as if she was surprised but… this senior – she was looking at me funny.
It isn’t that weird to join a Crossdressing Contest, is it? A gentleman crossdresses once or twice in their life, do they not?
Embarrassment is only temporary! These things will stay behind as good memories once the embarrassment disappears.
Like the man I was, I confidently signed my name at the reception before looking for a 3rd-year senior.
“Senior Elza! Gimme clothes! And makeup!”
“Oh wowww! Are you actually going to do it? Good on you! I have the perfect design for you!”
****
The Crossdressing Contest wasn’t an embarrassing and contemptible contest that some might think of it as.
The boys all looked quite horrible anyway, and they applied mostly because of peer pressure, a dare, or as a penalty for losing a game.
“Fuu… Fuck my life.”
Jaeger Hinzpeter.
The 2nd-year student of the Knight Department with a shaved head grumbled with a frown, which made his face look even more sinister.
“Wait a second. Let me make you look amazing.”
“Shut up, Lark!”
“Ah~ Korin is missing out for not seeing this.”
The reason why Jaeger and Lark were here was simple. After the shocking day job at the Magic Exhibition Contest, they were drinking with peers of the Knight Department.
『Oi. Should we play a game? The loser has to join the Crossdressing Contest.』
Jaeger, who was always a fan of mischievousness, came up with that idea. All of his peers were quite drunk and none of them were in their proper mind.
- Sure… Let’s do this.
- The loser has to join. Okay?
There was a saying that the reason why men died earlier than women across every culture was because of their tendency to rush into doing stupid things just for fun.
Of course, the price of embarrassment that had to be paid was solely on Jaeger to shoulder…
“Haa~. Done with the make-up.”
Lark finished his awkward make-up after a while. As a result—
“...”
“...Puhup!”
“Don’t laugh.”
Jaeger scowled at Lark’s reaction.
“As I thought… Crossdressing doesn’t automatically make someone look better or anything~”
“Shut up!!”
“It’s funny though. Kuhuhuk…!”
Having this reaction as the result after sitting still for an hour, Jaeger was quite irritated. The only saving grace was that the people around him were looking about the same.
“Look. You’re not the only one~. They’re all enjoying it.”
It was embarrassing that he would have to show this to others but he felt relieved to find that he wasn’t the only one. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people who joined this stupid contest.
With all these people, he felt a lot less embarrassed. After all, Jaeger was still young enough to be easily swayed by peers and the atmosphere around him.
“Haa…”
“Why am I doing this…”
Most of the participants were here after losing a bet and were therefore lamenting about their reality. Seeing them sigh and pull their hair out, Jaeger felt quite relieved.
He felt especially more relieved after seeing a guy who was taller than others. Despite being more than 2 meters tall and being massive, he was wearing a one-piece dress of flowers.
“Damn it…”
Quickly, he turned away from the horrible sight. Jaeger didn’t like how he himself looked, but at the same time, didn’t really enjoy staying in this horrifying waiting room.
“Korin that idiot should have been the one doing this…”
“He probably would have enjoyed it, saying that it’s fun. If only he wasn’t so busy this time around.”
The peers of the 2nd year Knight Department got along quite well, but Korin was definitely the most easygoing of them all. He had the relaxed attitude of, ‘We can only do this while we’re young,’ and didn’t hesitate to do anything.
He might not be fond of the Crossdressing Contest as a whole, but would certainly try his best to enjoy it if he had to do it.
It must be because of that attitude of life that he could do the Immortan head-banging while singing with a metal harmonica.
“They all look like they’re in it as a penalty for losing a bet.”
“I guess there’s a lot of people like us.”
The level of the boys’ cross-dressing skills was subpar.
Everything was within Korin’s expectations.
***
Again, for most of the guys, the Crossdressing Contest was a sort of penalty game.
In other words, the main reason for the audience being here was to tease their friends, rather than expect something amazing from the participants.
- Oh wowww~ Bongpal looking hot!
- So sexy haha!
- Did you film it? We have to show this to his future wife!
Both the participants and the audience weren’t here with much expectations so the auditorium was filled with deafening cheers and shouts.
“Huu…”
Seeing the other participants get roasted on the stage while waiting for his turn, Jaeger heaved a bitter sigh.
It certainly was funny. It was interesting to see teenage boys show off dresses and laughable makeup. Everything would have been good if only he wasn’t one of the ones doing it.
“Haa… Maybe I should have had a concept in mind like those guys.”
There were some who took a strategic approach while being fully aware of how absurd they would look. Some showed off their decent singing and dancing skills that they had honed for a while.
They were using the “self-appeal time” after the introduction to the fullest.
“...I should have prepared something too.”
Doing it like them would have been better. Everyone pretty much looked the same anyway, so the points had to be earned elsewhere, right?
They were of the mindset that, since it was going to be a ridiculous memory anyway, why not at least make something out of it by winning it?
It was a very logical approach.
- Puhahahaha! Look!
- Uwaaaaahk! So sexyy! Kyaaak!
“Damn it… Like, why are there so many girls? Wasn’t this mainly just a contest of boys?”
The male students weren’t the only ones here trying to watch their friends being reduced to laughing stock. There were a lot of female students and citizens of the city for some unknown reason.
It was weird.
Why were there so many people watching this weird contest, so much so that the auditorium was jam-packed?
- It’s here…
- Is he really doing it?
- Yeah… Because of the ribbon… I feel bad now.
- Boss wanted you to look forward to it.
“Mhmm?”
Jaeger found a group among the countless people in the audience that was much more eye-catching than anyone else in the building.
They were bigshots that everyone - whether it be people of the kingdom or the Academy - knew of. Those girls of a different league were here watching the contest unfold.
Now that was very weird. Why would people like them watch something like a Crossdressing Contest? They all had different likes and dislikes, and the only reason they would gather in one place was…
“...Wait. Don’t tell me…”
It was when Jaeger was thinking something like, “It has to be that guy right?”
- Here comes Participant Number 17! Aiya~ I certainly was not expecting this gentleman to attend this specific contest!
The host suddenly became more excited than before. Jaeger turned towards the one walking up the stage and ended up tilting his head.
“Huh?”
It was a rather familiar-looking face.
His sharp and wild appearance was not something that others could mimic, but the reason Jaeger still couldn’t tell for a split second was because of how he surprisingly looked decent when dressed like a girl.
- Korin Lork! That’s right! It’s the Korin Lork we all know! A round of applause everyoneeeee!!
The appearance of Participant Number 17, Korin Lork, was met with a loud round of applause that was different in nature from the cheers of ridicule that had been showered at the previous contestants.
- Hoh…
- Is that Korin? That’s…
- Not as bad as I thought?
Without any hint of embarrassment, Korin walked onto the stage with a confident set of steps. It was hard to call him “beautiful” by any stretch of the imagination.
Because of his tough body and muscles, he wasn’t the best fit for cross-dressing.
However, the difference in body shape was covered with make-up and clothes.
His muscles were concealed by a suit that didn’t reveal the lines of the body. He was wearing a skirt and tights to appear feminine, and those tights were of a higher denier level to conceal his muscles.[mfn]ED Min Note: A denier is a unit of measurement for the thickness of individual threads of fabric.[/mfn]
Of course, it was still difficult to completely hide his masculinity, but the right amount of make-up made his face look more feminine. Added on top of that was his confidence and composure which was in stark contrast to the previous contestants.
“Kyaaaahk! Korin-dongsaeg you’re so pretty! So cool! So handsome! Waaaaaak—!”
Estelle clapped and screamed like crazy once Korin was on the stage.
It was a very undignified set of actions considering her position as a princess and a religious leader of millions of believers, but the people in the Academy didn’t think much of it because of her recent actions making her more approachable, as if she were a lady in the neighborhood.
- Ohh… He gives off this cool older sister vibe.
- Is this a girl crush? He looks cool.
The reception from the audience was quite positive. Since he already had a good appearance to begin with, he didn’t appear ridiculous, even when crossdressed, and instead gave off a neutral appeal.
- Student Korin. You’re at the top of the 2nd year Knight Department if I remember correctly. Is that correct?
- Yes.
- Wow. You look very good. Ah, please don’t misunderstand. What I mean is that you have more of a special appeal going on compared to the previous participants.
- Pretty handsome, right?
- Hahahat! Look at you say that yourself! I like that!
- You can call me sis everyone.
Korin’s joke was well-received by the audience as they laughed and cheered in response. He was certainly different compared to the previous contestants who had been embarrassed and busy trying to pull their skirts down.
- Your make-up is fantastic. I didn’t recognize you for a second.
- Yeah? Honestly, I think I’m prettier than most girls.
Wahahahahaha!
The audience laughed without an end.
Normally, the people attending this contest tended to stutter from nervousness or embarrassment but Korin was looking confident with not even a hint of such emotions present in his expression.
Korin Lork.
Back on Earth, he used to be a part of the band at his university.
His characteristic amiability and social skills shone through even in a contest like this.
Since we’re at it anyway, let’s win it.
Since we’re at it anyway, let’s enjoy it.
Since we’re at it anyway, let’s have a blast doing it!
He was the type of person who was the first to go out to school festivals to enliven up the mood. He didn’t mind putting himself on the line to make things more interesting.
- Well then, Student Korin. Have you prepared anything?
- Of course. It’s a musical performance and a dance.
- Oh wow. A performance and a dance! Looking forward to what you will show us.
The host was indeed looking forward to his performance. He instinctively knew that people like Korin were great at lifting the excitement of the audience and was looking forward to how that would make the contest more exciting as a whole.
As if to answer his expectation, Korin put on sunglasses and—
- Come! Uaithne!
He shouted as a harp flew in from a distance.
The treasures of Dagda, the Danann of the Earth. Titan-killing harp, Uaithne.
The godly treasure that could fly from anywhere in the continent with the summon of its owner landed right before Korin with an aftershock left from its trail.
Leaving the harp hanging in the air, Korin smirked.
“Do you want music!?”
- What?
“If you want, clap aloud! Scream out of your guts!
- Right… Everyone, a round of applause!
- WAAAAAHHHHHH—!
The host reminded the audience to quickly clap, and only then did Korin pick up the harp. He then played the strings of Uaithne like it was a guitar.
“Hear MA MUSIC! Hear the echoes of MA ROCK N ROLL!”
- Diring~
He then let go of Uaithne, but that was when something shocking occurred. After leaving his hands, the harp started to perform on its own.
“Here we go. Heavenly Mic Hael Jackson. Billie Jean.”
- Clap! Clap!
Korin wasn’t the first one dancing and singing but he was definitely the most attention-grabbing with the self-performing Uaithne. On top of that, the song he was performing was what marked the turning point of the pop culture of Earth – an inheritance of a great musician.
- Ohh…
- That’s a good song.
It had a different style of music from what was common in the continent, but it had its unique charm to it.
However, the greatest reason this marked a historical moment on Earth was its unique dance performance that hadn’t been fully demonstrated yet.
In the middle of the harmony of beat and rhythm added to a sensational melody and choreography—
He suddenly turned his head with a flick.
The cheers started to settle. The audience was instinctively sensing a change.
It was then.
- Swish
Going against gravity; like a person walking on the moon… “Moonwalk”.
“Huh?”
“What…?”
“A human walking backwards?!!”
“Mommy! He’s walking backwardssss!!?!”
The Moonwalk only lasted a little. Korin rotated on the spot before abruptly coming to a stop and throwing a glance at the audience.
The crowd bursted in an uproar.
“UAAAAAHKK!!”
“KYAAAAAAAAAAHK! UNNI, PLEASE NOTICE ME!”
“OAAAAAAHK! WHAT DID I JUST WITNESSSSSSS!!?”
“IMMORTAAANNN! AS EXPECTED OF IMMORTANNN!”
Like the first time Moonwalk was introduced on Earth… Actually, the first demonstration of Moonwalk on this continent served as a greater shock than how it was received on Earth.
An incredible culture shock.
His dance and song shown in a mere Crossdressing Contest was put on the first page of the local newspaper the following morning.
* There is an illustration of him crossdressing.