Chapter 9
Belver was on his way to their meeting place, feeling like he was about to go crazy.
It was because of this scrap of cloth he was wearing beneath his academy uniform.
Even ordinary underwear felt strange to him, since he’d never worn it before, but this underwear, the height of indecency, was driving him mad.
Though he knew no one could see it, he kept tugging his skirt down, and his steps had grown shorter and more demure than usual.
“Sigh… How did I end up like this…?”
If Bellatrix hadn’t insisted he wear it, there was no way he’d be wearing a scrap of cloth like this.
Why had she told him to wear something like this?
He felt like she was sexually harassing him every time he breathed.
“What?”
It was unusual for her not to come and get him. When he was almost at the agreed meeting place, he saw something strange.
A crowd of female students had gathered around something.
Curious about what they were looking at, he slipped closer and got a good view.
The female students were all watching Bellatrix.
And she seemed to be enjoying their attention.
Seeing her do things in Belver’s body that he himself couldn’t do made envy well up inside him.
He envied how composed she looked, and it only made his already bad mood worse.
Why did she seem so much better at handling that body, despite having been a woman her whole life, than he was, despite having been a man his whole life?
She even suited it so well that the jealousy creeping up on him vanished.
The biggest challenge was getting through this huge crowd to reach Bellatrix.
So much for managing their image. It was practically an announcement that they were incredibly close.
Bellatrix had intended to make them look that way, too.
She’d noticed Belver staring at her with an envious expression from the moment he arrived.
“You’re here?”
Bellatrix rose from the bench, pretending she’d only just noticed Belver, who’d been hovering awkwardly instead of approaching her.
Every unhurried movement as she stood, the smile playing at the corners of her eyes—how maddeningly attractive and handsome she looked to Belver.
Meanwhile, Bellatrix found his jealousy adorable in every way.
“What are you doing here? I’ve been waiting.”
Bellatrix held out her hand as boldly as if inviting him to escort her, and Belver was done for.
Her effortless composure, the innate grace etched into her bearing, and her overwhelming confidence came together to make the scene look like something out of a play.
Of course, Belver, cast as the heroine, was having the worst time of his life.
“Yes. As you wish, my lady.”
Belver said nothing and silently held out his hand.
Speaking up in a place this crowded would only count against him, no matter what he said.
Even if he was annoyed out of his mind, he had no choice but to endure it for now.
The two made their way through the crowd, looking every bit like a loving couple.
It was the moment a rumor that almost no one had believed began to spread in earnest.
Phew. Only after they’d reached somewhere secluded did Belver finally relax and let out a deep sigh.
The eyes following them everywhere and the feeling of their hands clasped together had been unbearably embarrassing.
He had no idea what she’d been trying to accomplish with all this.
She’d even made him wear that awful scrap of cloth.
It seemed she’d made up her mind to tease him mercilessly today.
The only future he could see was one where she teased him to pieces, and tears welled in his eyes.
How had things come to this?
He’d lived his whole life as a man among men, yet here he was wearing underwear that hardly counted as clothing and being escorted like a real young lady.
And the whole reason was Bellatrix.
Belver glared at her with narrowed eyes full of resentment.
Bellatrix, for her part, felt no guilt whatsoever.
She was having a wonderful time.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?”
Bellatrix replied with an easy smile.
Belver wanted to beg her not to smile so handsomely, but he kept that to himself, knowing she’d only tease him for it.
If you want something, you should say so plainly, but Belver had no idea how to do that.
He was the sort of person who just went with the flow.
“I really didn’t like it, okay? What are we doing now?”
“Oh dear. I put so much effort into it because I thought you’d like it. I even coordinated my outfit to set the scene.”
Belver looked over Bellatrix’s outfit.
She wasn’t wearing her usual academy uniform, but casual clothes instead.
And she’d dressed them up quite a bit, too.
So that was why she’d taken his wallet yesterday.
It had originally been hers, after all, so she’d taken it to spend a little.
Belver didn’t have any particular use for the money himself, so he’d simply handed it over.
“You think I’d like it?! You even made me wear that…! That indecent thing…!”
Belver couldn’t bring himself to call it sexy underwear, so he’d softened the wording.
Even now, those things were making their presence felt beneath his uniform.
No matter how hard he tried not to think about them, he couldn’t stop noticing them.
If anyone happened to see them, he’d beat Bellatrix to a pulp.
Bellatrix was briefly taken aback by what Belver said.
It was true she’d planned to make him wear all sorts of things today.
But she’d only planned to make him wear them. She hadn’t actually done it yet.
Looking at the tears of embarrassment in his eyes, she could tell he wasn’t lying.
Suddenly, she remembered what she’d said yesterday before they went back.
“Did you… wear that…?”
“Yes!! You told me to wear it!! Do you know how nervous I was because of this?!”
Belver shrieked, full of resentment.
Only then did Bellatrix understand why Belver seemed so demure today.
He’d been trying his hardest to make sure no one saw.
After all, he was wearing a skirt.
There was no way he’d know that wearing shorts beneath it was an option.
He’d come wearing something Bellatrix herself had never once worn.
If Bellatrix had been in Belver’s shoes, she’d never have worn it.
She’d told him to wear it, but seeing that he really had made her think something that would’ve made him freak: he was the very picture of a girl—no, a natural-born female.
‘What was I supposed to do in a situation like this again?’
Bellatrix had read books called How to Handle Difficult Women and Things Girls Like to get a little closer to Belver.
She’d lived her whole life as a woman, but she knew she wasn’t an ordinary one, so the books hadn’t been much use.
The girl right in front of her was overwhelmingly feminine in her manners, thoughts, and tastes.
Both books had said to do this if the woman in front of you looked upset.
“It’s okay. I’m sure it’ll look good on you.”
“How would you know that, Lady Bellatrix?!”
The books had said to start with a compliment, but apparently that wasn’t right.
Bellatrix had only read the first few pages, so she didn’t know any other methods.
So she decided to do what she was good at.
“Then let’s take a look. There’s no one around, so lift your skirt. I’ll judge for you.”
One of the basic qualities of nobility was shamelessness.
At least this ought to chase away his bad mood.
It was so obviously a joke, after all.
A chill suddenly swept through Bellatrix’s mind.
Would Belver really understand that she was joking?
He didn’t even understand jokes that came out of nowhere.
And now, when he was so worked up?
Belver’s face flushed so red it looked ready to burst.
Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head low.
He meant to do as Bellatrix said, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes.
It was such an indecent and humiliating thing to do.
He could feel tears gathering, one after another.
He truly resented Bellatrix for making him do something so humiliating.
As his trembling hand reached for his skirt, Bellatrix hurriedly stopped him.
“I was joking. I’m sorry. You don’t have to. Come here.”
At once, Belver fell into her arms, and his embarrassment and hurt burst forth as he began to sob uncontrollably.
If he’d been in his right mind, he would’ve pulled away at once out of embarrassment, but just this once, he stayed quietly in Bellatrix’s embrace.
She was the one who’d made him cry, yet paradoxically, being with her was where he felt safest in the world.
He absolutely didn’t want to admit it, but being held in Bellatrix’s firm embrace made him feel at ease.
He was a disgrace to all macho men.
Belver thought to himself that at this rate, he was no different from a girl.
‘I’m so embarrassed I could die… I’ll never let this happen again…! My inner macho man, help me…!’
Along with that, he resolved never to cry like a girl again.
So he felt as if the macho man in his heart was cheering him on, albeit in a rough tone.
Thanks to that, he’d almost calmed down.
“I’ll take it easy from now on, so calm down, okay?”
“Just please stop altogether…”
“That might be difficult. You’re just too cute, commoner.”
“I’m manly…”
Bellatrix couldn’t bring herself to lie, so she answered honestly.
How could she resist teasing him when he was this cute?
No matter where she teased him, she got a better reaction than she’d expected.
Just look.
If she poked him here like this, he’d jolt in response.
“Eep?! Where are you touching me so sneakily?! Pervert!”
“Your side?”
This was why she simply couldn’t stop teasing him.