“I can't show you.”
“Show us! Show us!”
Kono Lint felt like dying, biting his tongue as he heard the cries of the people in front of him.
'I've gotten myself into a stupid mess!'
The host, who knew nothing, thought it was something amazing because it was a superpower and asked for a demonstration, while the audience was excited to see the teleportation power of a Royal Class member.
If he suddenly teleported in just his underwear in this situation, the worst-case scenario would be the place turning into chaos, and at best, it would become a laughingstock.
There's a major flaw in his ability. That's why he can't show it.
He had to say that. It was already embarrassing to be in front of people like this, and he didn't want to do anything more humiliating.
People might want to see a skilled and flashy teleportation show, but what they would actually see is a pervert wearing only underwear teleporting here and there, which would undoubtedly be a dangerous scene!
That's right.
He had to say it.
“Show us! Show us!”
Kono Lint heard the cries directed at him, and saw the gazes focused on him.
Though he was standing in this embarrassing state, he saw their gazes.
They were gazes of admiration.
A look Kono Lint had never received before.
The subtle jealousy, envy, and admiration of people just because he was a Royal Class member.
The boy had never experienced it before.
In the Royal Class, his ability was long considered as a poor one.
-Hey! That's amazing!
-Soon you'll be able to teleport your clothes too, right?
-Congratulations, Lint...
When he could finally teleport his underwear with him, his fellow superpowered peers celebrated with him.
His ability was pitiful, but at least it had become slightly less pitiful, enough to receive support and praise.
He couldn't even dream of doing great things like Reinhardt, who kept achieving success with his powers.
Awakening his powers while fighting a senior.
Returning from Darkland after causing a huge commotion.
Awakening his mana reinforcement ability after a fight.
Winning the first-year tournament.
Those kinds of things.
He wasn't the one to do things that would leave everyone speechless and surprised.
But now, people were watching him.
Just for being a Royal Class member, just for being a superpowered individual.
There were even people whispering that he was cute.
For the first time in his life, he was getting attention. If he told them that he couldn't use his powers because his clothes would be stripped off, what would happen?
So, there's a useless guy like that in the Royal Class, huh?
Would their gazes change to that?
It was painful just to imagine their excited gazes turning cold.
A useless ability.
No, it's an incredible ability, but it's practically useless due to a significant flaw.
How long must I live like this?
Waiting to see what I can teleport along with my underwear, satisfied with such tiny progress. When can I become useful?
Kono Lint's ears feel distant from the people's shouts. The host's voice sounds like a distant echo.
Amidst countless gazes, Kono Lint feels utterly alone.
He doesn't want to be like Reinhardt.
That reckless guy only gets involved in dangerous situations.
He doesn't want to live like that, nor does he think he can.
He doesn't want to seek out danger like that guy with the annoyingly handsome face, but still...
Maybe a little.
Just like the world is strangely lenient with him.
Couldn't it be a little lenient with me too?
How long do I have to live this life, introducing myself as a Supernatural with a useless ability, unable to show it to anyone?
At least, he learned one thing from Reinhardt.
Sometimes, recklessness can bring results.
Recklessness doesn't always lead to failure.
For me, too.
There must be something prepared for me by the world.
And I know I won't grasp it unless I try.
If a fruit grows on a tree, it will never be mine unless I take the risk of climbing the tree.
"Show us!"
Kono Lint regains his sense of reality after a short but long period of contemplation.
The boy has made up his mind.
His classmates, who used to mock him, are now turning pale. They must have read something in his determined expression.
"No, don't!"
Especially Liana de Grantz, who had enjoyed this the most, shakes her head and cries out. She isn't an inherently evil person, but she wants to stop him from crossing a point of no return.
"No."
But Lint can't hear anyone else now.
I have decided to do it.
Even if I fail, there comes a time when I must move forward.
"Show us, senior!"
It's not because of the cute middle school girl in the front row who squeals.
"Lint, if demonstrating is difficult, you can show us something else..."
It's not because of the annoying host either.
"Show us!"
It's not because of the countless envious gazes.
"Don't do it!"
It's not for anyone else.
For himself.
He's fed up with this stagnation.
So, although he can't live like Reinhardt, he decides to follow the way that guy achieved things until now.
There are situations where he can't back down, and this is one of them.
Kono Lint pushed himself to the limit to advance to the next stage. If he failed, he'd be utterly humiliated. But if he succeeded, he wouldn't have to live as a nobody anymore. There was no situation more extreme than this. He had to do it, so he would.
"I'll show you something," he announced.
The crowd roared in excitement as Kono Lint, wearing a one-piece outfit, focused his eyes. He planned to teleport with his clothes, finally mastering his ability and stepping onto the path of a true Supernatural. His destination was the right side of the stage.
Using his ability was easy; the problem was that he couldn't overcome the penalty. He still didn't know how, but he resolved to awaken the true potential of teleportation in this extreme situation.
With his hands together, Kono Lint let out a powerful yell. In an instant, silence filled the auditorium. He had successfully teleported.
The audience gasped in shock, as did the host. Even his Royal Class peers were stunned by the unexpected scene. It wasn't their expressions at discovering the predicted side effect; it was amazement at something completely unforeseen.
Kono Lint was also wide-eyed. He had definitely teleported successfully, but his body remained in its original position. Only his clothes had moved.
Kono Lint had teleported all his clothes except his underwear to the right side of the stage. He was left standing there, bewildered, as were his classmates.
Kono Lint's ability had evolved. What had just happened was miraculous. Those who knew him understood that his ability had undergone a near-miraculous transformation, surpassing mere improvement.
"Is teleportation... like this?" he stammered.
"Well, no, it's not..." the host said, equally confused. But everyone else had no choice but to believe that Kono Lint's teleportation ability was originally like this.
Instead of teleporting himself, he had teleported the clothes he wore. Kono Lint had achieved a miraculous development in his abilities.
But in the end, it was still the same result: he was nearly naked except for his underwear. The crowd went wild.
"That was contestant number one, Kono Lint!" The host exclaimed as Kono Lint fled to the backstage, leaving the confused audience and students behind. It took some time for the chaos to settle down.
"What... what did I just see?" Liana de Grantz muttered, dumbfounded. Her reaction was partly due to Kono Lint's sudden underwear display but also because he had used a completely different ability than before.
Heinrich, Cayer, and Erich were equally baffled. It was understandable for people who didn't know Lint to be shocked and stunned. After all, teleportation didn't necessarily mean that the person had to move.
However, those who knew Kono Lint were astonished to see that he had succeeded in transporting an object, instead of just moving his own body as he had always done before.
Although the end result was a comical scene with his clothes being transported, the ability itself had evolved to the point where it could be considered more than just a significant development.
People who didn't know the truth were shocked and made incredulous expressions, while some peculiar individuals found the flustered and fleeing Kono Lint cute.
But the four who knew the truth couldn't speak for a while, their mouths agape.
"Next, let's introduce contestant number two!"
The host tried to continue the competition to alleviate the chaos.
The four of them were initially present just to see Kono Lint's comical situation, but now that it was over, there was no need for them to stay.
Of course, there were still the voting process to determine the winner after all contestants were introduced. However, that was something they could either participate in or not.
Although there had been a shocking result, their main task was over, so there was no reason to stay.
However, the four from the Royal Class and the other people couldn't leave easily.
"What did you prepare for your appeal time?"
"I will show you a dance."
The contestants' antics were amusing, and people couldn't help but watch. Both those who were forced to participate and those who seemed to have volunteered provided some entertaining sights.
"Hey, what's that? What is it?"
"Ah! Ah! It's funny, hey, why did you hit me?"
The shock from Kono Lint's incident was momentary, and Liana de Grantz laughed while hitting Erich sitting next to her.
"No, shouldn't you shave your leg hair before coming up?! Ah!"
Liana laughed while hitting the person next to her.
"This is crazy... Ah, my stomach hurts."
There were various acts, such as dancing, singing, and suddenly performing martial arts.
When a cross-dressing music major who looked quite good in women's clothing completed a sonorous baritone solo, everyone was dumbfounded and clapped.
As the cross-dressing contest continued, Liana suddenly seemed to remember something and clapped her hands.
"That's right!"
"What, what is it... Are you going to hit me again?"
Erich, who seemed to have been trained in the meantime, flinched when Liana's eyes lit up with a thought.
"That's right! That's right! You know what!"
-Clap clap clap!
Of course, she really did hit him again.
"Ah, why do you keep hitting me..."
Liana hit Erich's shoulder a few times and then spoke while looking at the hopeless trio.
"There was a strange kid in the waiting room earlier."
"A strange kid?"
Erich asked, and Cayer's expression became odd.
"If there's someone in that group who doesn't look strange, that would be even weirder, right?"
That was true.
In a waiting room filled with people who were enthusiastic about cross-dressing, someone who didn't look strange would be even more bizarre. In a place full of strange people, the normal ones are the oddities.
"No, I mean there was an incredibly pretty one!"
Liana struggled for a moment before choosing a rough expression.
"…?"
"…?"
"…?"
Liana used the intense expression of an incredibly pretty one.
Naturally, given the context, it must be a male. Liana recalled the strange one she had forgotten about due to the earlier shock and tilted her head.
"I think it was number 40."
Liana seemed to want to stay until then, just out of curiosity, and the other classmates also became curious since Liana was talking so much about it.
Just how pretty could he be?
It was simply curiosity.
What would they do if a guy dressed as a girl turned out to be that pretty?
All three didn't understand why they were still sitting there, but they didn't leave their seats.
"Now, introducing participant number 24, Richard Howlman!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Everyone wanted to cover their eyes at the sight of a two-meter-tall, muscular man in a dress, and the host also looked drained.
"…I want to leave."
Liana had seen it before but grimaced as if her eyes were being violated.
"Uh, hmm, er… um… ah… yes…"
It was certainly unbearable to see such a muscular man in a dress, blushing and fiddling with the hem of the dress, crossing his legs.
After an agonizing conversation between the broken host and the embarrassed cross-dressed human tank, the host decided it was impossible to proceed any further and went straight to the appeal portion.
"What have you prepared for your appeal?"
"Squats, I'll show you."
Everyone watched with blank expressions as the human tank, dressed in a dress, suddenly performed heavy squats.
It was so hard to watch in many ways that many people started leaving during that part.
Amid the madness and laughter, the cross-dressing contest reached its final participant.
"Now, we've reached the final participant in the highly anticipated 8th cross-dressing contest. A last participant who will undoubtedly surprise you in many ways. We cannot reveal his real name as he requested anonymity. Participant number 40! Please come out!"
It wasn't only the unknown participant 40 who was anonymous. Quite a few participants had kept their class and name secret, so it wasn't that unusual.
Liana had seen them once before, and the other three spectators were curious about what they would look like based on Liana's words.
And then, the final participant.
The mysterious 40th participant slowly came up on stage.
"Wow…"
As the 40th participant walked under the highlight, the audience's reaction was nothing but dumbfounded admiration.
"What…what is that?"
"No way…"
"What…is this?"
The reactions of the Royal Class students weren't much different. Even Liana, who had seen him once before, was just staring blankly at number 40 with a dumbfounded expression.
The silver hair, reflecting the lights and shining brilliantly, was obviously a wig, but the strands were so full of life that it seemed like real hair.
Golden eyes, enchanting and delicate rosy lips, a beautiful jawline and facial features, and a clean, slender white neck.
Delicate shoulders, and although hidden by the dress, a perfect waistline.
On top of all that, a warm and gentle smile.
Thus, everyone couldn't help but have the same question in their minds.
Is that really a guy?
It's a lie.
"Uh, excuse me for asking, but... are you really a participant in the cross-dressing contest?"
"Yes."
In response, a subtle, androgynous voice.
Rather than cheers or admiration, everyone was simply dumbfounded. It was a feeling of disbelief, like "Is this even possible?"
"You requested to keep your identity secret. Is there a reason for that?"
There was a slight crack in the impenetrable expression, but number 40 quickly recovered.
"...Well, everyone has secrets."
"I see... Do you often dress like this?"
"..."
Number 40 stared at the host for a moment, responding to the provocative question.
Everyone briefly sensed number 40's real expression, but no one could see it properly. Number 40 quickly recovered their smile and answered with a grin.
"No, not at all."
"So, this is your first time?"
"Yes."
He seemed fine, but people were watching.
His expression appeared calm and collected, but number 40 was tightly gripping the hem of his dress.
It was clear that he was extremely nervous. His face was gradually turning red, and it was evident that he was very embarrassed by the situation.
