Chapter 21: The Allure of the Dress

Late in the evening, I dragged my weary body back to the dorm. Clutching the newly bought clothes, I tossed them onto the bed. I had originally intended to buy two sets, but had been irresistibly lured into purchasing three, two of which were dresses!

Now, the thought filled me with utter regret, a profound sense of ‘I absolutely regret this!’ The shop owner’s words still echoed in my mind.

‘You’ll be a girl soon, so why not try it on now? Look how beautiful you are in it!’

‘We’re having a discount sale now, and new students get even more special offers!’

‘Boys who buy dresses can enjoy a discount and even receive free underwear…’

Under the barrage of temptations, I had spent over three hundred academic credits! Over three hundred! Even signing up for the Odd Jobs Agency membership hadn’t cost me this much!

I sat on the bed, my face clouded with gloom. ‘Never again! I absolutely will not buy clothes in person!’ I vowed inwardly. ‘I’ll just order online from the Odd Jobs Agency. What if the delivery fee is a bit higher? It can’t possibly compare to how much I spent when I couldn’t resist temptation!’

My gaze kept flicking to the dresses on the bed. They were in a Lolita-like style, thoughtfully accompanied by many other accessories, even a buckle strap for the Witch’s Heart pendant!

Most importantly, there were white stockings! Just imagining myself in white stockings evoked a truly indescribable feeling, a sensation of… of *that*!

But at the time, I had indeed gotten carried away. After all, in my mind, female clothing was always quite expensive. Getting two sets and receiving one free, with such good quality, made three hundred academic credits seem like a real bargain.

Among them, the only shirt set was still somewhat gender-neutral. The complimentary outfit, while not exactly a dress, had a slightly longer hem, fashioned into a skirt-like bottom.

The bottom consisted of pantyhose and ultra-short shorts. The clothes’ designs all seemed to have a spot to attach the Witch’s Heart accessory, which was something I had specifically requested. After all, if it were difficult to attach, holding it would make me look quite foolish.

Fortunately, a kind senior sister had given me some incense. If I were to sell it, I could directly earn a significant number of academic credits!

How to sell it, however, was another matter entirely. I carefully hid the incense in the closet. I wouldn’t need it for now. ‘Tomorrow’s class seems to be Alchemy Materials, doesn’t it?’ I mused.

Although other classes might make way for meditation, this one couldn’t simply be skipped, could it? I opened the wardrobe, revealing neatly arranged hangers. I draped the two dresses over them, thinking I probably wouldn’t touch them for a while…

‘As if!’ I scoffed internally. ‘I’m definitely trying them on after my bath! Especially that Lolita-style dress; I’m practically bursting with anticipation!’

Grabbing my bath towel, I headed straight into the bathroom. After shedding my clothes, I turned on the shower, letting the water stream directly onto my body.

The refreshing sensation was incredibly relaxing. My damp long hair clung tightly to my back, with some strands curling in front of me.

It was then that I truly felt the agony of long hair, constantly getting pulled and tugged, a truly maddening pain. I busied myself in the bathroom for quite a while, finally managing my hair.

I found a hair towel and awkwardly wrapped my hair, making it look incredibly messy, even uglier than a zongzi, but it was the best I could do. Next, I cleaned my body. I noticed my skin had become remarkably fair and tender, and its texture had improved significantly.

It no longer seemed to have that malnourished appearance. ‘The effects of witchification are this good?’ I mused. ‘Cosmetics must be a tough sell in the world of witches, then, right?’

After showering, I filled the nearby bathtub with warm water. My main goal was to experience soaking in a bath, that sensation of being completely enveloped by warm water; it should be excellent for stress relief and muscle relaxation.

An hour later, reluctantly, I wrapped myself in a bath towel and left the bathroom. I dried my body thoroughly with the towel. Then came my eagerly anticipated changing time!

I picked up a piece of fabric—the underwear the shop owner had given me, designed to match the dress. ‘Phew~ Let’s begin…’ I murmured, feeling the fabric against my skin. It was just putting on clothes, something I should have been completely accustomed to in my past life.

But at this very moment, I was intimately feeling the allure of clothing! The satisfaction of being adorned, and the secret underwear beneath the dress, felt as enticing as opening a mystery box.

And finally, there were the matching white stockings, silky smooth fabric making contact with my legs. The sensation of being tightly enveloped then extended all the way up to my thighs!

I stood before the dorm mirror. ‘Who is this perfectly adorable girl?’ I wondered. ‘It’s me!’

With a look of utter contentment, I fell back onto the soft bed behind me. I was already indulging in a bout of intense narcissism, hugging myself with crossed arms. ‘Perhaps it’s only when I’m alone that I allow myself to indulge my true nature like this?’

I slightly opened my eyes, gazing at the ceiling light, which appeared somewhat hazy and a little dazzling. After a moment of recovery, I finally stood up.

Still feeling a lingering sense of wanting more, I picked up the only other outfit left in the wardrobe. ‘They’re my own clothes anyway, what’s wrong with me trying them on?’ I reasoned. ‘I spent over three hundred academic credits on them, after all.’

I swiftly shed the clothes I was wearing. After taking them off, I suddenly realized I was still male. Holding the clothes, it was as if I had a moment of profound clarity, a stark return to reality.

A moment of stunned silence followed. I looked at the clothes in my hands, then at myself in the mirror. ‘…Sigh…’

I sighed, tossing the clothes onto the bed. ‘I’ll just put them on first, then think about it!’ With that, I quickly donned the other dress!

‘Hehe~ It fits perfectly! The black pantyhose are great too!’ I exclaimed, standing before the mirror. My somewhat petite figure, dressed in such clothes, made me feel a bit like…

‘That…’ I looked into the mirror, extended a finger, then smirked slightly before raising my voice to a higher pitch. ‘”Zako~ Absolutely zako~”‘

‘Oh, oh, oh! It feels even more authentic now!’ After witchification, I hadn’t even noticed my voice had changed. I could even produce a feminine voice quite naturally, almost effortlessly.

Now, with that affected tone, the ‘flavor’ was even stronger. ‘I feel like I’m developing some strange hobbies.’

I covered my face, feeling a little embarrassed. Yet, since no one else was in the dorm, I let myself go even more freely. Content, I took off the clothes. Then, I prepared the male attire I would wear tomorrow.

I glanced outside; it was already very late. I burrowed into the covers. Lying on this soft, large bed was truly comfortable!

I used to sleep on a hard plank bed, so for a moment, I was unaccustomed to this luxury. ‘But why would one remain unaccustomed to something so comfortable?’ I mused.

After a few turns, I happily embraced the comfort. However, turning over still meant crushing my hair, and that pain was excruciating. Yet, I couldn’t bear to cut it; I would rather endure this torment every single day than part with it!

So, I gathered my hair and hugged it while I slept! ‘Sleeping while hugging one’s own hair – perhaps I’m the only one who does that?’

‘What kind of day would tomorrow be?’ I wondered. ‘Probably a troublesome one? But that’s tomorrow’s trouble.’

‘Right now, all I want is a good night’s sleep!’ I had expended far too much energy today; without proper sleep, I wouldn’t have any spirit for tomorrow.