Chapter 185
After scolding Darling once, Kraush explained why he needed a potion to turn into a woman.
After hearing the explanation, Darling rubbed the bump on her forehead with her hand and tilted her head.
"So, you need the potion to sneak into the women's dormitory?"
"Don't omit all the context leading up to it."
As Kraush showed signs of scolding her again, Darling quickly took out a potion from her pocket.
"Here, this is a TS Potion that lasts about a day."
Does "about a day" mean it could last longer than that?
Kraush received the potion with a sense of unease.
Although he felt a strong urge to shatter it, he held back.
"So, are you planning to go in right after drinking the potion?"
"Of course, that's the plan."
"You're wearing a men's uniform."
Upon hearing the next question, Kraush blinked.
Then, he looked down at his own clothes.
Indeed, as Darling said, even if he appeared as a woman, entering while still wearing a men's uniform would raise suspicion.
After all, even Violen had caused a commotion for a while when she transformed from a man to a woman.
"Should I lend you some clothes?"
Darling readily offered as if it was no big deal.
Kraush didn't find the suggestion bad either.
"Alright, lend them to me."
"Got it. Then I'll need your measurements, so go ahead and drink the potion."
And Kraush realized why Darling was being so accommodating.
This guy wanted to see him transform into a woman right in front of his eyes.
He considered hitting her once more, but Kraush quietly opened the potion bottle.
After all, he did need the uniform.
Kraush promptly drank the potion.
'It tastes like strawberry milk.'
He wondered why a potion would have such a flavor.
As Kraush smacked his lips, a cracking sound came from his body.
Since he had previously experienced transforming into Krad, he waited with some familiarity.
Then, his field of vision gradually lowered.
He was shrinking in height.
Shortly after, he felt a suffocating pressure on his chest and a tightness at the back of his pants.
At the same time, Kraush's throat began to feel ticklish, and he let out a cough.
"Ahem, ahem."
The voice that came out was unusually high-pitched compared to before.
Moreover, when he reached back to touch the heavy sensation on the back of his neck, he found that his hair had grown longer as well.
Kraush turned his head.
There, Darling was staring blankly with dazed eyes.
"Does it look good?"
The high-pitched voice coming out in his usual tone felt strangely mismatched.
However, even at Kraush's question, Darling just stared at him blankly.
Then, something suddenly dripped from her nose.
It was a nosebleed.
Feeling an inexplicably unpleasant sensation, Kraush took two steps back, wrapping his arms around his body.
When Kraush's eyes filled with contempt, Darling belatedly covered her nose with her hand.
"Ah, sorry. I stayed up late last night. This happens sometimes."
Why does it have to happen at this timing?
Darling, who plugged her nose with tissue, then took out a hand mirror.
"Here, take a look."
Receiving the hand mirror from her, Kraush checked his face.
Soon, Kraush felt the urge to shatter the hand mirror.
The reason was that the face in the mirror resembled his mother in her younger days.
"Damn it."
Kraush hated his mother to an extreme degree.
Naturally, he was repulsed by the face that looked exactly like hers.
However, apart from that, it was undeniable that the appearance was exceptionally attractive.
The sharpness that had been present when he was a man was softened by femininity, making it all the more striking.
Perhaps due to the Lunar Body, his skin had turned exceptionally pale, giving off a cold impression.
"Why do I have to look like her in such an annoying way?"
Kraush put the hand mirror away as if he had seen something unbearable.
Meanwhile, Darling, who had stood up, was staring intently at Kraush's body.
"Hey girlfriend, mind taking off your clothes for a moment?"
At some point, Darling had even changed the way she addressed him, making Kraush's glare turn icy.
Then Darling waved her hands as if to clarify a misunderstanding.
"I mean, I think we have different body shapes. Women's clothes are quite particular about fitting. The size might not match."
Clicking his tongue, Kraush took off his coat.
Then, Darling, who had approached from behind, tugged at Kraush's white shirt.
Darling examined the taut front briefly and nodded.
"I got to see a nice scene."
And Darling had to endure another hit from Kraush.
* * *
In front of the women's dormitory.
A woman stood there, fiddling with the hem of her skirt as if it were extremely uncomfortable.
Her breathtaking beauty drew attention wherever she went.
[Don't fidget. You're only drawing more suspicion.]
From the roof of the women's dormitory, Crimson Garden chuckled.
Easy for her to say when it's someone else's problem.
Grinding his teeth, Kraush let out a light sigh.
Then, shaking his dyed black hair, he began to move.
Originally, his natural hair color stood out too much, so he had dyed it on purpose.
As he walked into the women's dormitory, he saw several women passing by.
None of them showed any suspicion toward Kraush entering.
This was proof that Darling's potion had worked quite well.
"Phew."
Kraush let out a short sigh after safely passing through the entrance.
Perhaps due to the nobles' politeness toward each other.
Even though it was a space exclusively for women, everything was neatly organized without any mess.
It was so well-maintained that, unlike the men's dormitory, it even had a subtly sweet fragrance.
Probably because many of the dorm residents used perfume.
'Mary was on the third floor.'
Having learned Mary's floor in advance, Kraush headed straight for the stairs.
"Is it true? Did he really confess?"
"I'm telling you, he did!"
From upstairs came a chorus of giggling voices.
Unlike the outside, they were dressed in relatively comfortable clothing and were chatting as they came down the stairs.
When their eyes met Kraush's, their eyes widened in unison.
And for good reason—this coldly beautiful woman with black hair fluttering behind her was ascending the stairs.
"Wow."
One of the passing girls let out an involuntary exclamation.
However, Kraush, without even glancing at them, continued upstairs, leaving the children staring blankly at her back.
"Who is she? Was there someone like her here?"
"She's so pretty. Her hair color is one thing, but her eyes look like jewels."
Just as men admire beautiful women, women were no different, and they gazed as if spellbound at Kraush's retreating figure.
As for Kraush, she felt a simmering unease, wondering if these gazes might stir unnecessary doubts.
After all, if she were exposed here, the image Kraush had painstakingly built would be utterly smashed.
A Balheim direct line infiltrating the women's dormitory in disguise.
Even imagining it was beyond horrifying.
As Kraush nervously stepped onto the third floor.
A familiar figure came into Kraush's view.
The person walking down the opposite corridor yawned carelessly.
Perhaps she had taken a nap after class, as her black and purple hair was slightly pressed on one side.
Her attire, too, reflected the nearing summer, consisting of just a sleeveless T-shirt and shorts.
It was none other than Haring Lagrain.
A female classmate of Kraush's.
Though she usually appeared well-composed, she looked like this in the dormitory?
Kraush, who had unintentionally followed Haring with her eyes, turned her head away.
If their eyes met and Haring recognized her, it would be troublesome.
It was at the moment Kraush brushed past Haring.
Halt-
Suddenly, Haring stopped in her tracks as she passed Kraush.
Turning her head abruptly, Haring stared with eyes filled with curiosity instead of the drowsy look she had moments ago.
"...Kraush?"
The moment she opened her mouth, Kraush's hair stood on end.
However, Kraush did not react to her words and continued walking.
Watching Kraush's retreating back, Haring tilted her head.
Sensitive to smells from handling poison, she was certain she had just caught Kraush's scent.
But the person walking away was a stunning beauty with black hair, seemingly unrelated to Kraush.
After a moment of tilting her head, Haring suddenly remembered her own attire and stood awkwardly.
If that really were Kraush, she'd have been seen in an unflattering state.
Thinking it was a relief that it wasn't Kraush, she quickly moved on.
'That was nerve-wracking.'
Once Haring stopped calling out and left, Kraush barely managed to calm her racing heart.
The frequent shameless acting seemed to have helped in this situation.
After calming her startled heart, Kraush finally stopped in front of the door to her original destination.
Room 311.
It was Mary's room.
The area in front of the door was completely deserted.
No students came near, as if they wanted nothing to do with this place.
Thanks to that, fewer eyes were on her.
After taking a deep breath, Kraush knocked on the door.
"Mary."
Along with the knock, Kraush waited silently for a moment.
Because no sound came from inside the room.
'I can sense a presence inside.'
She was clearly ignoring her on purpose.
Probably hiding under the blanket or something.
Clicking her tongue briefly, Kraush knocked harder on the door.
"Open the door. Let's talk."
But still, there was no response from inside.
She thought coming directly would make her open the door, but Mary was tougher than expected.
'Come to think of it, my voice is different now.'
Realizing belatedly that her voice was different, Kraush decided to reveal her identity first.
"It's Kraush..."
"What are you doing here?"
At that moment, Kraush flinched at the voice coming from beside her and turned her head.
There stood someone holding a lunchbox.
Healthy skin and reddish hair.
Adorned with various accessories, it was none other than the 9th princess of the Poseus Kingdom, Karandis Poseus.
Karandis tilted her head as she looked at Kraush.
Despite her striking appearance, she had never seen her before.
Yet, for some reason, she seemed familiar.
While she was showing her curiosity, Kraush straightened her posture.
"I have some business here."
"With Mary Diana?"
Karandis stared blankly at Kraush.
Then, as if realizing something, her eyes turned doubtful.
"You must be here to criticize her again."
And so, an odd misunderstanding arose.
As Kraush blinked, Karandis let out a short sigh.
"You're one of Sigrid Ephania's followers, right? The commotion that day wasn't entirely Mary's fault, so please don't be too harsh on her."
Kraush looked at Karandis with a surprised expression.
That was because Karandis had always acted like Mary's nemesis.
For Karandis to defend Mary.
It was completely unexpected.
"Weren't you on bad terms with Mary?"
When Kraush asked, Karandis gave a sly snort.
"Of course we're on bad terms. But we're still in the same special class."
Even though Mary had failed the midterm evaluation, she was still part of the special class.
Even the professors recognized Mary's skills.
"You have to take care of your own. What good is camaraderie otherwise?"
Was this what Karandis was like?
Until now, Kraush had only seen her as a schemer trying to change her life by seducing men.
But it seemed there was an unexpected side to her.
"So, please leave. Mary will be better off alone if she's going to eat. She hasn't been eating much lately."
Saying this, she hung the lunchbox by the door.
It seemed Karandis had been taking care of Mary's meals while she holed up in her room.
"No. If that's the case, I should go in even more."
It was when Kraush made that statement that Karandis tilted her head.
Kraush raised her hand and knocked loudly on the door.
"Mary, it's Kraush. Let's talk."
The moment Kraush said those words, Karandis's eyes slowly widened.
And soon, as she realized why Kraush's appearance felt familiar, her face turned flustered.
"K-Kraush..."
"Shh."
Kraush brought her face close to Karandis's and placed a finger on her lips.
At that, Karandis's face began to flush bright red.
Seeing her up close, Karandis found her looks even more stunning, enough to shake her heart.
As Karandis's lips quivered, a loud thud came from inside the room.
It was evidence that someone inside was listening to the noise outside.
After a moment, as a creak was heard and the door slightly opened, Kraush, holding Karandis's lunchbox, waved his hand slyly at her.
"Lady Karandis, we meet again."
Leaving those words behind with a gentle smile, Kraush stepped into the room, leaving Karandis standing there blankly.