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In the auditorium where ability measurements were taking place, the 10th generation students sat in the audience seats to watch their juniors.

Most of them were clearly still minors, but judging by the atmosphere each one exuded, they could easily be compared to active heroes.

“Hello, seniors!”

“Yeah, don’t mind us, just relax.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

The 11th generation greeted loudly first, and the 12th generation, who had been watching their seniors, also followed suit and greeted the 10th generation.

“Ah, hello.”

“Can’t say hello?”

“…Huh?”

“Just kidding, I was joking to ease the tension, but you got even more nervous. Sorry.”

“….”

Of course, Jeong Gyeoul just nodded slightly, pretending to go along with it.

“Check your student numbers, and from 120001 to 120010, come out in order.”

The ability measurements began in order of student numbers.

The grades and categories of the students who entered and exited the measurement machine were displayed on the electronic board in front.

The 10th generation, sitting in the audience seats, judged the 12th generation by looking at the names and grades on the board.

“The 12th generation is a golden generation…”

“There seem to be many outstanding juniors compared to when our generation first entered.”

“It looks like we’ll be pushed aside by the 12th generation in the final ranking match.”

“They can’t participate because they’re special admissions, right?”

“Jeong Gyeoul and Lee Ha-yoon? That’s not who I’m talking about. The 12th generation has the son of Hwarang and the son of the Immortal. I heard the president also enrolled his son. The daughter of Japan’s S-Class Susanoo is also here…”

“Crazy… Is this an S-Class family reunion?”

Jeong Gyeoul, the younger sibling of S-Class Demon King Jeong Ha-yul.

Jang Jin-su, the son of S-Class Immortal Jang Gil-yong.

Kim Heum-soon, the son of S-Class Hwarang Kim Yu-shin.

Kim Shin, the son of S-Class President Kim Bong-du.

And even Takehaya Mikoto, the daughter of S-Class Susanoo Takehaya Shusei.

Five Awakened Ones connected to S-Class.

Even Lee Ha-yoon, the sixth S-Class in the country.

It was almost as if all the S-Class, except for Park Seol-hwa, had gathered.

This 12th generation was an outstanding group, comparable to the founding generation, the 0th generation, which Park Seol-hwa and Jeong Ha-yul attended.

“It’s a good thing if aspiring heroes are outstanding, why are you lamenting?”

“…Are you an A-Class prospect? Must be nice to be carefree.”

“What’s the point of watching this? It’s meaningless. I’m going to train.”

“Let’s go together, we agreed to spar today.”

The 10th generation, who had been alternating between sharp glances at the 12th generation students and the electronic board, felt a sense of crisis from their juniors and headed to the training ground even though it was a holiday.

Even excluding the two who entered through special admissions, the 12th generation was not a group to be taken lightly.

Of course, the 11th generation was no different.

Originally, this time of ability measurement would have been used to discipline the 12th generation and recruit promising juniors into their factions, but…

Except for a few students pulled out for the proceedings, everyone had disappeared.

And the biggest threats to them, Lee Ha-yoon and Jeong Gyeoul…

Growl—

“Hungry?”

“Yeah, hungry.”

“Pig.”

“….”

Tension, crisis.

There was none of that.

And Jeong Gyeoul regretted it in less than 10 minutes.

The Hero Academy was not a place where you could let go of tension and crisis.

The Hero Academy was…

The most dangerous place in Jeong Gyeoul’s life so far.

***

“Come here.”

“…No. Please.”

Please… don’t do this.

Why are you doing this to me!

“Do as I say right now. Take it off.”

“No! I can’t! I can’t do that!”

I’m the Demon King’s sibling!

Behind me are Park Seol-hwa and the Demon King!

Do you think you can get away with this!

“If you keep being stubborn, you’ll only suffer. Just give up and accept it.”

“Please… I beg you…”

Please… spare me…. You don’t have to do this.

“Stop it and take it off already!”

“I can’t!”

I’ll kill you!

I’ll really kill you!

I’ll tell my sister!

I’ll ruin everything!

“Sigh… Am I not enough? Should I call more people to satisfy you? But you’ll only hurt yourself.”

“No, no. Don’t say such horrible things… You’re enough to torment me…”

…Please spare me, I won’t tell my sisters or the Association or anything like that.

I’m a good kid.

“So listen, take off everything and look straight into the mirror. If you don’t want to get hurt.”

“Please… I’ll do anything else. Just not that…”

“…You’re driving me crazy, what am I supposed to do if a student who enrolled in the academy refuses to wear the uniform?”

It’s not that I don’t want to wear the uniform…

It’s the skirt I don’t want to wear!

“It’s not that I don’t want to wear the uniform, it’s the skirt. Please do something about that skirt…”

“You can change into gym clothes when you need to use your body, so don’t worry about it, okay? Go take off your clothes, look straight into the mirror, and change. Don’t fall and hurt yourself.”

The reason I’m making a fuss here is simple.

Stupid Jeong Gyeoul.

If you enroll in the academy, wearing the uniform is a given.

And for girls, that uniform is usually a skirt.

….

How did I not think of that.

Jeong Ha-yul, Yoo Eun-chae, Baek Kang-woo.

No wonder they didn’t oppose much when I said I was going to the academy.

We have to live as a weekend family for three years, so why were they so calm…

They all knew I’d end up wearing a skirt.

Those bastards.

Even if it’s just three years, in the grand scheme of life, it’s just a blink.

They clearly planned to use this opportunity to get me used to skirts and then dress me up in dresses and whatever they wanted.

…But wouldn’t it have been the same if I had enrolled in a regular middle school?

Maybe it wasn’t the family’s scheme?

“Hurry up, should I call other female staff to force you to change?”

“Do you know that uniforms are remnants of the Japanese colonial era? Are you a pro-Japanese collaborator?”

“Why are kids these days all like this…”

I’m sorry for talking back to a staff member I just met, but I had no choice.

“Being an Awakened One is a crime, wearing a uniform in the academy prison… does that make sense?”

“Then do you want to wear a hanbok? I was thinking of implementing it next year, why don’t you try it and see how it feels…”

Huh? Hanbok?

That’s… even worse than a uniform.

“Students should wear uniforms, what are you talking about? Are you ignoring our country’s Education Office?”

“…?”

Defeated by the strong attack of the hanbok, I finally gave in.

“I’ll wear it! I’ll wear it!”

They said gym clothes are also provided.

Let’s just be satisfied with wearing gym clothes under the skirt.

Yeah… that much is fine!

For me, who has lived in this body for seven years and adapted to a female body, it’s very easy…

“By the way, mixing two will result in a deduction.”

“…What?”

“Wearing gym clothes under the uniform skirt will result in a deduction.”

“Where does that… exist…”

“Don’t argue with me, it’s the school regulations.”

Damn it.

The world is screwing me over.

What kind of school regulation is that?

Middle school and high school girls often wear it like that.

Jeong Ha-yul… True to her title as the Demon King, she must have meddled with the school.

With trembling hands, I received the uniform from the staff.

It’s pretty…

There was a place called Hanlim Arts High School in the world I used to live in.

It looked very similar to their uniform.

A white shirt with a navy vest.

A tricolor tie with a star-chasing person.

The logo embedded in the sophisticated tie completed the look.

Usually, adding a school logo makes it look tacky, but somehow this one became even prettier with the logo.

Gold-colored buttons added a touch of sophistication, and the gold line running down the collar was impressive.

It’s undeniably pretty, and if you just look at the top, it’s flashy but since everyone around is wearing it, I can wear it without feeling burdened.

The problem is…

The skirt, the skirt.

The gray skirt was showing off its overwhelming presence.

Are you telling me to wear this…

“Hurry up and change, you know you’re the only one holding things up, right?”

Some students were already changing in the fitting room, and some had even finished changing and were heading to the cafeteria.

Damn it.

I need to eat.

But I can’t wear a skirt.

This is insane.

“Gyeoul, haven’t you changed yet?”

“I… will.”

“Hurry up and change, we need to eat.”

“Yeah…”

Hayan, who entered with me, seemed to have already finished changing.

….

With my eyes tightly shut, I headed to the fitting room with the uniform.

Today, my gender identity will take a huge hit.

For seven years, I’ve lived in a female body but never lost my male identity.

I think it’s because I held onto my last shred of dignity.

But it looks like that dignity will crumble today.

If my last shred of dignity crumbles, my masculinity will surely crumble with it.

I…

Will no longer be a man.

‘I… I’m a eunuch…’

As I walked to the fitting room like a dead man holding the uniform, a staff member called me.

“Jeong Gyeoul, take this.”

Her voice sounded defeated.

Why?

I’m the one who lost to the staff.

If she’s handing me something with that tone…

Could it be… pants?

Has fate not abandoned me yet?

Can I protect my dignity and my masculinity?

Oh God.

I might start believing in you.

Are you showing me a miracle?

If the miracle of pants comes to me.

I’ll go to church and cathedral and live a faithful life.

Not a little demon king or witch.

I’ll strive to become a little pope, Mother Jeong Gyeoul!

‘Amen!’

Feeling my heart pounding as if it would burst, I turned around and looked at the staff.

In her hand was…

A pair of flesh-colored stockings.

….

Friedrich Nietzsche said it.

God is dead.

 

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