The First Skirt and the Teasing Mirror

“I had assumed she would refuse to lend us the school uniforms.”

Clutching the school uniform, Li Yue stepped into the changing room.

“Though she’s a bit quick-witted, isn’t she actually quite upright?” Mo Linyu remarked, offering a surprisingly high appraisal. “At least when short-staffed, she chooses to exert herself rather than press-ganging others into service.”

“…Huh? Who precisely are you implying?”

Li Yue narrowed her eyes, retorting, then pressed, “Wait, why did you two come in if you aren’t changing?”

“St. Mary’s school uniform appears rather intricate; its design seems to draw inspiration from a nun’s habit, doesn’t it? Once you’re dressed, I’ll even do your makeup. Just bear with it until the photoshoot concludes.”

As Mo Linyu spoke, she produced a makeup bag from behind her back.

Alezno, meanwhile, remained with her head bowed, murmuring gloomily, “You… you mean to leave me alone in the gymnasium? Please, spare me that fate. Pan Qi will surely kill me.”

While she was never particularly optimistic or cheerful even outside of school, Alezno appeared even more despondent within its walls.

“No, I hardly think she’d do anything of the sort,” Mo Linyu countered, adopting a mildly didactic tone. “Alezno, others act as a mirror; your own conduct dictates their attitude towards you.”

Li Yue, however, paid them no mind, merely chastising, “In any case, both of you, out now! We can discuss makeup once I’ve changed, can’t we?”

Mo Linyu, however, merely retorted, “Oh, my? What difference does it make? This is a public changing room, after all, and we’re all girls. What is there to be shy about?”

Mo Linyu was certain Li Yue wouldn’t expose the fact that she was originally male in front of Alezno.

And indeed, that proved to be the case.

“It is truly my great fortune to know you, Miss,” Li Yue ground out, gritting her teeth as she began to undress.

“Indeed, mine as well~”

Though her heart was rife with resistance, Li Yue found herself with few alternatives…

Moreover, they had already shared a bath; to remain coy now would only seem affected.

Silently, she unfolded the black-and-white, dress-style school uniform, holding it before her to scrutinize every detail. While she had seen Pan Qi wear it earlier, the reality of donning it herself was now imminent…

Lowering the uniform slightly, her gaze drifted back to Mo Linyu.

“You would do well to remember, this marks my very first time wearing a skirt.”

“Oh, wow, how truly momentous!” Mo Linyu exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “But it certainly won’t be the last, I guarantee you that.”

Li Yue took a deep, steadying breath, allowing her racing heartbeat to gradually settle, thereby completing her mental preparation.

Setting the uniform aside for a moment, she then shed her white jacket. Her fair fingers deftly unbuttoned her shirt, revealing an undergarment whose simple, understated style seemed a stark contrast to her generally uninhibited personality.

The gymnasium’s air conditioning was quite robust, a chill Li Yue felt keenly against her skin.

Her physique, while not rivaling Mo Linyu’s, was certainly a more curvaceous specimen than Alezno’s petite, flat frame—one could almost ‘study functions’ from it.

“…Tsk, can’t you two at least try not to stare?”

As her shirt slipped from her shoulders, it revealed skin subtly flushed with shyness. In the changing room’s somewhat dim light, her form seemed to shimmer faintly, as if illuminated by its own personal spotlight.

An unusual silence descended upon the changing room, broken only by the soft rustle of fabric as she moved. Mo Linyu’s and Alezno’s gazes were naturally drawn, both women holding their breath as they intently observed Li Yue’s every subtle motion.

Next, her fingers hooked the edge of her denim shorts, gently drawing them down to slide along her long, delicate legs.

Li Yue’s movements were noticeably awkward; she was unaccustomed to exposing her body in front of others, much less before other girls. The intensity of their gazes made her body temperature climb.

Finally, she bent to retrieve the school uniform from the stool.

The school uniform’s design leaned towards simplicity, surprisingly devoid of any lace or elaborate embellishments. Given that it needed to suit the majority of students, a basic and versatile aesthetic was undoubtedly paramount.

Li Yue carefully slipped on the uniform, then drew her long golden hair out from beneath the collar, allowing it to cascade freely down her back.

“Hmm, quite nice indeed~”

Mo Linyu offered her praise, then reached out to zip up the uniform’s closure at the back.

As the adage goes, ‘fine feathers make fine birds.’ Simply by donning the nun-like school uniform, her inherent sharp, heroic aura was replaced by a gentle grace, imbued with an added sense of untouchable sanctity.

“Indeed, had you charged at me dressed like this back then, I might well have offered you a chance to surrender.”

Mo Linyu delivered a truly enigmatic appraisal.

“Hah? But weren’t you the one who lost?”

“Yet you never granted me the opportunity to surrender.”

“And would you have surrendered, then?”

“Indeed, now I would.”

Li Yue arched a brow, turning to exit the changing room, only to be promptly pulled back by Mo Linyu.

“Wait, you’ve forgotten this.”

From the long bench, Mo Linyu picked up a fresh pack of socks: a pair of over-the-knee stockings.

“…These are part of the school uniform, too?”

Mo Linyu clarified, “Well~ since it’s a skirted uniform, St. Mary’s uniform collection encompasses various hosiery. I felt this particular style would suit you best, though if you prefer white, I can certainly acquire a pair.”

These were bought separately!?

Ah, that certainly made sense… A uniform meant for trying on wouldn’t possibly include hosiery.

Li Yue glanced at Alezno’s legs, noticing she, too, wore the same style of over-the-knee stockings, adorned with gleaming school emblem decorations at the cuffs. It appeared to be a distinctive feature of this school’s uniform.

“…Then I don’t have to wear them, do I? It’s dreadfully hot today, in any case.”

“Absolutely not. The role you’re embodying is that of a young lady! How can you possibly expose your skin so readily before others?”

Li Yue cast a quick glance at Mo Linyu’s lower attire—she herself wasn’t wearing any!

“Ah, but I need to conceal my true identity, you see. Therefore, not wearing them actually makes it less likely for anyone to discover I’m a young lady.”

Hah, just listen to this twisted logic!

Li Yue was exasperated to the point of laughter, yet she reluctantly accepted the stockings. Settling onto the long bench, she somewhat dramatically tore open the packaging.

The black over-the-knee stockings brushed softly against her palm. On the bench, Li Yue lifted one leg, then carefully rolled the sock, slowly easing it onto her toes. It then clung snugly to her ankle, ascending to tightly embrace every curve of her calf.

Hmm, a peculiar sensation.

Though her male psyche stirred beneath the surface, Li Yue resolutely pushed away any thoughts of that nature at such a moment, particularly with Mo Linyu present…

Being a summer style, the stockings had a low denier count. Li Yue’s fair skin showed through them faintly, yet demurely half-concealed, rendering her appearance even more alluring than if she wore nothing at all.

Hah—

‘My own legs are rather damn attractive.’

Perhaps sensing the subtle stirrings within Li Yue’s heart, Mo Linyu teased, “Hmm, no need for instruction, I see? Hero, you haven’t by any chance watched some peculiar videos, have you? Or perhaps secretly experimented at home?”

As she spoke, she once more picked up the makeup bag.

Then, deliberately lowering her voice and adopting a suggestive tone, she purred, “Now then, Yue~ while you put on the other one, allow me to ‘commence operations’ on your face~”

Not only was this her first time in a skirt, but it would also be her first time wearing makeup.

“…Please be merciful.”

Li Yue began to suspect that agreeing to accompany them today had been a monumental error…

No, she had known from the very beginning.