Tsuchimikado stood as stiff as a log of wood in the darkness, lost in a long-absent embarrassment.
This really couldn’t be blamed on him. It could mainly be attributed to the fact that the skirt of his sailor uniform was really a bit short.
When he attempted to muddle through the dancing with his otaku-level dancing, although the motions weren’t large, there was bound to be a symbolic twirl or two under the ‘spell of love’. In the end, good lord, when the system crammed a load of international ballroom dancing knowledge into his head, before his brain caught on, his body was already moving to the music.
And so Yin-Yang Master was horrified to find that his body had ceased his earlier movements and began to twist his waist and hips into what could be termed the upgraded version of ‘twirling under the spell of love’.
The waltz was known for its romance and magnificence, and the visual effect was extremely elegant and enjoyable. In early years, it was known as a ‘defiled, debauched’ dance, and many European countries had even explicitly prohibited married young women from dancing.
Tsuchimikado only thought the dance was pretty before; only after dancing it himself did he realise why the waltz was rejected by conservative England in the early years.
First of all, it was because the movement range was truly quite wide.
Tsuchimikado didn’t even find a partner. Just following the music, he danced from the left side of the dance floor all the way to the far right on his own, and his ultra-short skirt spread into a small cocktail umbrella.
Half a month ago, he had sought advice from the stylist at the fashion boutique in order to win the bet he made with the Exorcist.
After seeing him, the stylist praised him to high heavens, saying that he had a small bone structure, a delicate face, a slim and slender body full of an oriental charm. He was praised to be unmatched high above and down below in the world, an excellent potential for a cross-dresser—if he didn’t, that would be a waste of the motherland’s talent.
Barraged by compliments, Tsuchimikado actually started to believe that cross-dressing could work to conceal his identity. Furthermore, as a consequence of having been a shut-in gamer for years, his mind was swayed by the mischief of cross-dressing, and thus he pretended to reluctantly agree.
In order to possess a feminine physique, Tsuchimikado spent the whole day adjusting his proportions, making it look as real as it could get.
Whatever, it didn’t matter as long as no one saw. Nobody would imagine No. 10 cross-dressgin, after all.
As long as it was completely unimaginable, he still had hope. Besides, it was pitch black now.
While inwardly lamenting how hard it was to be a pretty girl, Tsuchimikado studiously ignored the discomfort of the chilly breeze lifting his skirt hems.
Thankfully, all lights were off in the banquet hall, otherwise he would really be facing social death today.
Just as Tsuchimikado sighed in relief, someone close by suddenly stepped over with his dance partner, waltzing past him.
He couldn’t tell what kind of inhumane fashion style it was, but there was the jingling of steel coming from all over that guy’s body—it was very gothic and punk rock. Even in the darkness, when he spun, one could almost feel like they were at a concert.
As it happened, one of those jingling accessories hanging from his clothes accidentally hooked the white silk stockings covering the Yin-Yang Master’s legs.
Tsuchimikado: “…”
He was screwed.
Rippp—
All beautiful girls who had ever worn stockings would have had a similar experience.
Stockings created a beautiful image when intact, but when hooked by accident, they would then, without exception… start to tear.
What was even worse was that a tear wouldn’t stay as a simple scratch; a whole strip would be torn apart. It would fray from the torn spot all the way down the leg like a piece of fauvism art and, just like that, become completely unwearable.
Kjxf obg fzjwqif, Kremtlwlxjvb.
Dfobgf tf mbeiv gfjma, atf atgfjv atja atf jmmfrrbgs tjv aeuufv bc qeiifv ab atf gbba bo tlr atlut, jcv atfc vbkc ab tlr abfr klatbea j qjerf, ifjnlcu j agjli bo gjuufv tbifr bo njgslcu rlhfr.
Pc atf rqjc bo j wbwfca, atf oifrt bo tlr atlut rmgjwyifv ab rdeffhf bea bo atf glq.
To make things worse, the rip was not in front but behind.
Woosh. A breeze went by.
Now, it wasn’t because of his ultra-short skirt that he felt chills, but because of the wind blowing his bottom.
Tsuchimikado bent down and touched the exposed flesh of his leg, trembling and thunderstruck.
The Yin-Yang Master, in the spring of his life, had his first taste of the woes of a pretty teenage girl.
Just then, the system announced that a trainee had found the instructor and was now dancing with him.
Dead. Once the third segment ended, wouldn’t the banquet hall return to normal?
It was salvageable if the lights remained off during the dance, but once they came back on, how was he going to face other people?
The Yin-Yang Master put his hands over his behind, shielding it from the intimate touch of cold air. He felt like weeping but had no tears left to give.
Why the hell had he chosen not to wear safety shorts?!
Was it because when he designed the model, he didn’t care due to his actual gender being male? Well, it was too late now.
Just as Tsuchimikado was scrabbling for a solution, considering if he could strike a deal with the system to get rid of these stockings and replace them with safety pants, there was an abrupt development.
The waltz ended and next came Por una Cabeza, a tango.
The trainees behind him were dancing the tango very rigidly. The male trainee being led was extremely uncomfortable taking the female role, not to mention that there was a high-difficulty dip at the climax of the piece.
Although they were instilled with knowledge, that and real-life application were two completely separate things. Many trainees could not actually put the theory into practice. Either too loose or too stiff, they were unable to replicate the aesthetics of skilled dancers.
Take for example, the makeshift dance partners behind Tsuchimikado.
Both trainees, whether it was the one leading or being led, obviously lacked skill.
The leader held the follower’s waist during the dip, and the momentum caused the latter to unconsciously kick up a leg to balance out the recline.
The pair of long legs were outfitted with four-inch stilettos which ruthlessly stabbed Tsuchimikado’s behind without any mercy whatsoever.
With the killing power that all stilettos possessed, the Yin-Yang Master was basically kicked forward instantly, and he tumbled onto the cold marble at the boundary of the dance floor.
Tsuchimikado: “…”
He’d just come to terms with the fact that he had forgotten to wear safety shorts, and now he was made to suffer pain that no human would ever have to suffer.
Tsuchimikado: Fucking hell, why am I always the unlucky one!
Seeming to realise that he had kicked something, that trainee apologised in the dark, expressing his sincerest apologies. He checked if Tsuchimikado was hurt and if so, the injured party could consider withdrawing from the masquerade—he would pay a thousand survival points in compensation.
The Yin-Yang Master was silent for a long moment. “No, there’s no need. I’m fine.”
First of all, while a thousand survival points was sincere enough, a small fortune for newcomers especially, would the all-powerful No. 10 be lacking a thousand points? Would he? Really?
Secondly, he truly had his eye on the Exorcist’s dagger. The latter had never budged previously no matter what he tried to exchange for it; now that he finally had the chance, he had to seize it!
Tsuchimikado smiled tiredly with some measure of embarrassment, and then rapidly clambered off the cold hard ground.
It was also at this moment that someone coldly dropped his name in the darkness.
“Tsuchimikado.”
The fine hair all over the Yin-Yang Master’s body instantly stood erect. He denied vehemently, “I’m not, that’s not me, don’t make up nonsense!”
Right after he said that, he came to his senses, and he was instantly silenced by the system notifying, [You have been identified by the trainee Zhuge An. 900 survival points have been deducted.]
The other man in the dark also lapsed into silence as a result of how easily Tsuchimikado had given up the game.
There were some who would rush to confess, but it truly incredible to see one in that much of a rush.
Zhuge An: “What are you lying on the ground for?”
The Yin-Yang Master silently covered his hips in the dark, quaking as he spoke, “I am… I am keeping a lookout for information.”
Zhuge An: ???
What kind of information required one to lie on the ground to keep a lookout? A peeping tom?
However, No. 3 obviously couldn’t be bothered to get to the bottom of such trivialities.
He was already inured to the bewildering behaviour of normal people.
“The Exorcist was looking for you just earlier.”
Tsuchimikado was instantly excited. “What? He’s looking for me? When was that, where is he? What is he wearing?”
Zhuge An glanced at him and was about to speak when suddenly light came from the crystal chandelier overhead.
Just as suddenly as the lights had gone out before, the crystal chandelier lit up again without warning.
Under such circumstances, when the crystal chandelier and pure gold chandeliers lit up in unison, the large banquet hall was illuminated with ethereal, rippling light.
And the first thing that entered everyone’s sight was the costume of the trainee closest to them.
A pretty girl covering her ass and an emperor penguin of the Antarctic stared at each other.
Seeing the other person’s costume, a complex look—three-tenths confused, three-tenths shocked, three-tenths bewildered, and one-tenth ‘so this is who you actually are, Zhuge An’—instantly entered Tsuchimikado’s squinted eyes.
The penguin: “…”
Mistakes were made.
Other than that, the most eye-catching sight was naturally the two people at the very centre of the dance floor.
They were dressed up similarly and nose-to-nose with each other. The tension between them was so thick a knife could slice through it.
Both of the white-haired Magician’s hands were caught by puppet strings, and a large red joker was clasped between his lips. Further, in spite of his hands being twisted behind him, there was also a black joker clipped between his fingers.
Letting a card magician play with cards was like a fish taking to water or a tiger with wings.
Zong Jiu didn’t believe that the Devil did not know this, so he was confident that the other had deliberately gone easy on him.
So… what was the reason for that?
Was it possible that No. 1 particularly disliked that A-rank trainee?
This conjecture was shot down by Zong Jiu as soon as it appeared.
It was as the Devil had said. Let alone the A-ranks, even most of the S-ranks were no different from ants to him.
Gods on high would not pay attention to ants, let alone go to such lengths because of one.
It was the first time that Zong Jiu was genuinely puzzled as to the Devil’s motives.
But this did not stop him from marginally inclining his head like a proud white swan. “How’s that, No. 1?”
The lights spun overhead.
The black-haired Devil shuttered the dark desire that blew up his pupils. The corners of his lips ticked up. He bent at the waist, white gloves gently sliding over the Magician’s lips and fingertips, slowly drawing the two jokers away.
All of a sudden, a heavy crown appeared on top of the white-haired Magician’s head.
The Devil was crowning a king.
The system announcement, long in coming, rolled in just then.
[Congratulations to Zong Jiu for successfully finding the instructor and deducing his true identity.]
[Congratulations to Zong Jiu for obtaining an S-rank instructor rating and successfully being promoted to No. 9.]
Tsuchimikado stood as stiff as a log of wood in the darkness, lost in a long-absent embarrassment.
This really couldn’t be blamed on him. It could mainly be attributed to the fact that the skirt of his sailor uniform was really a bit short.
When he attempted to muddle through the dancing with his otaku-level dancing, although the motions weren’t large, there was bound to be a symbolic twirl or two under the ‘spell of love’. In the end, good lord, when the system crammed a load of international ballroom dancing knowledge into his head, before his brain caught on, his body was already moving to the music.
And so Yin-Yang Master was horrified to find that his body had ceased his earlier movements and began to twist his waist and hips into what could be termed the upgraded version of ‘twirling under the spell of love’.
The waltz was known for its romance and magnificence, and the visual effect was extremely elegant and enjoyable. In early years, it was known as a ‘defiled, debauched’ dance, and many European countries had even explicitly prohibited married young women from dancing.
Tsuchimikado only thought the dance was pretty before; only after dancing it himself did he realise why the waltz was rejected by conservative England in the early years.
First of all, it was because the movement range was truly quite wide.
Tsuchimikado didn’t even find a partner. Just following the music, he danced from the left side of the dance floor all the way to the far right on his own, and his ultra-short skirt spread into a small cocktail umbrella.
Half a month ago, he had sought advice from the stylist at the fashion boutique in order to win the bet he made with the Exorcist.
After seeing him, the stylist praised him to high heavens, saying that he had a small bone structure, a delicate face, a slim and slender body full of an oriental charm. He was praised to be unmatched high above and down below in the world, an excellent potential for a cross-dresser—if he didn’t, that would be a waste of the motherland’s talent.
Barraged by compliments, Tsuchimikado actually started to believe that cross-dressing could work to conceal his identity. Furthermore, as a consequence of having been a shut-in gamer for years, his mind was swayed by the mischief of cross-dressing, and thus he pretended to reluctantly agree.
In order to possess a feminine physique, Tsuchimikado spent the whole day adjusting his proportions, making it look as real as it could get.
Whatever, it didn’t matter as long as no one saw. Nobody would imagine No. 10 cross-dressgin, after all.
As long as it was completely unimaginable, he still had hope. Besides, it was pitch black now.
While inwardly lamenting how hard it was to be a pretty girl, Tsuchimikado studiously ignored the discomfort of the chilly breeze lifting his skirt hems.
Thankfully, all lights were off in the banquet hall, otherwise he would really be facing social death today.
Just as Tsuchimikado sighed in relief, someone close by suddenly stepped over with his dance partner, waltzing past him.
He couldn’t tell what kind of inhumane fashion style it was, but there was the jingling of steel coming from all over that guy’s body—it was very gothic and punk rock. Even in the darkness, when he spun, one could almost feel like they were at a concert.
As it happened, one of those jingling accessories hanging from his clothes accidentally hooked the white silk stockings covering the Yin-Yang Master’s legs.
Tsuchimikado: “…”
He was screwed.
Rippp—
All beautiful girls who had ever worn stockings would have had a similar experience.
Stockings created a beautiful image when intact, but when hooked by accident, they would then, without exception… start to tear.
What was even worse was that a tear wouldn’t stay as a simple scratch; a whole strip would be torn apart. It would fray from the torn spot all the way down the leg like a piece of fauvism art and, just like that, become completely unwearable.
Kjxf obg fzjwqif, Kremtlwlxjvb.
Dfobgf tf mbeiv gfjma, atf atgfjv atja atf jmmfrrbgs tjv aeuufv bc qeiifv ab atf gbba bo tlr atlut, jcv atfc vbkc ab tlr abfr klatbea j qjerf, ifjnlcu j agjli bo gjuufv tbifr bo njgslcu rlhfr.
Pc atf rqjc bo j wbwfca, atf oifrt bo tlr atlut rmgjwyifv ab rdeffhf bea bo atf glq.
To make things worse, the rip was not in front but behind.
Woosh. A breeze went by.
Now, it wasn’t because of his ultra-short skirt that he felt chills, but because of the wind blowing his bottom.
Tsuchimikado bent down and touched the exposed flesh of his leg, trembling and thunderstruck.
The Yin-Yang Master, in the spring of his life, had his first taste of the woes of a pretty teenage girl.
Just then, the system announced that a trainee had found the instructor and was now dancing with him.
Dead. Once the third segment ended, wouldn’t the banquet hall return to normal?
It was salvageable if the lights remained off during the dance, but once they came back on, how was he going to face other people?
The Yin-Yang Master put his hands over his behind, shielding it from the intimate touch of cold air. He felt like weeping but had no tears left to give.
Why the hell had he chosen not to wear safety shorts?!
Was it because when he designed the model, he didn’t care due to his actual gender being male? Well, it was too late now.
Just as Tsuchimikado was scrabbling for a solution, considering if he could strike a deal with the system to get rid of these stockings and replace them with safety pants, there was an abrupt development.
The waltz ended and next came Por una Cabeza, a tango.
The trainees behind him were dancing the tango very rigidly. The male trainee being led was extremely uncomfortable taking the female role, not to mention that there was a high-difficulty dip at the climax of the piece.
Although they were instilled with knowledge, that and real-life application were two completely separate things. Many trainees could not actually put the theory into practice. Either too loose or too stiff, they were unable to replicate the aesthetics of skilled dancers.
Take for example, the makeshift dance partners behind Tsuchimikado.
Both trainees, whether it was the one leading or being led, obviously lacked skill.
The leader held the follower’s waist during the dip, and the momentum caused the latter to unconsciously kick up a leg to balance out the recline.
The pair of long legs were outfitted with four-inch stilettos which ruthlessly stabbed Tsuchimikado’s behind without any mercy whatsoever.
With the killing power that all stilettos possessed, the Yin-Yang Master was basically kicked forward instantly, and he tumbled onto the cold marble at the boundary of the dance floor.
Tsuchimikado: “…”
He’d just come to terms with the fact that he had forgotten to wear safety shorts, and now he was made to suffer pain that no human would ever have to suffer.
Tsuchimikado: Fucking hell, why am I always the unlucky one!
Seeming to realise that he had kicked something, that trainee apologised in the dark, expressing his sincerest apologies. He checked if Tsuchimikado was hurt and if so, the injured party could consider withdrawing from the masquerade—he would pay a thousand survival points in compensation.
The Yin-Yang Master was silent for a long moment. “No, there’s no need. I’m fine.”
First of all, while a thousand survival points was sincere enough, a small fortune for newcomers especially, would the all-powerful No. 10 be lacking a thousand points? Would he? Really?
Secondly, he truly had his eye on the Exorcist’s dagger. The latter had never budged previously no matter what he tried to exchange for it; now that he finally had the chance, he had to seize it!
Tsuchimikado smiled tiredly with some measure of embarrassment, and then rapidly clambered off the cold hard ground.
It was also at this moment that someone coldly dropped his name in the darkness.
“Tsuchimikado.”
The fine hair all over the Yin-Yang Master’s body instantly stood erect. He denied vehemently, “I’m not, that’s not me, don’t make up nonsense!”
Right after he said that, he came to his senses, and he was instantly silenced by the system notifying, [You have been identified by the trainee Zhuge An. 900 survival points have been deducted.]
The other man in the dark also lapsed into silence as a result of how easily Tsuchimikado had given up the game.
There were some who would rush to confess, but it truly incredible to see one in that much of a rush.
Zhuge An: “What are you lying on the ground for?”
The Yin-Yang Master silently covered his hips in the dark, quaking as he spoke, “I am… I am keeping a lookout for information.”
Zhuge An: ???
What kind of information required one to lie on the ground to keep a lookout? A peeping tom?
However, No. 3 obviously couldn’t be bothered to get to the bottom of such trivialities.
He was already inured to the bewildering behaviour of normal people.
“The Exorcist was looking for you just earlier.”
Tsuchimikado was instantly excited. “What? He’s looking for me? When was that, where is he? What is he wearing?”
Zhuge An glanced at him and was about to speak when suddenly light came from the crystal chandelier overhead.
Just as suddenly as the lights had gone out before, the crystal chandelier lit up again without warning.
Under such circumstances, when the crystal chandelier and pure gold chandeliers lit up in unison, the large banquet hall was illuminated with ethereal, rippling light.
And the first thing that entered everyone’s sight was the costume of the trainee closest to them.
A pretty girl covering her ass and an emperor penguin of the Antarctic stared at each other.
Seeing the other person’s costume, a complex look—three-tenths confused, three-tenths shocked, three-tenths bewildered, and one-tenth ‘so this is who you actually are, Zhuge An’—instantly entered Tsuchimikado’s squinted eyes.
The penguin: “…”
Mistakes were made.
Other than that, the most eye-catching sight was naturally the two people at the very centre of the dance floor.
They were dressed up similarly and nose-to-nose with each other. The tension between them was so thick a knife could slice through it.
Both of the white-haired Magician’s hands were caught by puppet strings, and a large red joker was clasped between his lips. Further, in spite of his hands being twisted behind him, there was also a black joker clipped between his fingers.
Letting a card magician play with cards was like a fish taking to water or a tiger with wings.
Zong Jiu didn’t believe that the Devil did not know this, so he was confident that the other had deliberately gone easy on him.
So… what was the reason for that?
Was it possible that No. 1 particularly disliked that A-rank trainee?
This conjecture was shot down by Zong Jiu as soon as it appeared.
It was as the Devil had said. Let alone the A-ranks, even most of the S-ranks were no different from ants to him.
Gods on high would not pay attention to ants, let alone go to such lengths because of one.
It was the first time that Zong Jiu was genuinely puzzled as to the Devil’s motives.
But this did not stop him from marginally inclining his head like a proud white swan. “How’s that, No. 1?”
The lights spun overhead.
The black-haired Devil shuttered the dark desire that blew up his pupils. The corners of his lips ticked up. He bent at the waist, white gloves gently sliding over the Magician’s lips and fingertips, slowly drawing the two jokers away.
All of a sudden, a heavy crown appeared on top of the white-haired Magician’s head.
The Devil was crowning a king.
The system announcement, long in coming, rolled in just then.
[Congratulations to Zong Jiu for successfully finding the instructor and deducing his true identity.]
[Congratulations to Zong Jiu for obtaining an S-rank instructor rating and successfully being promoted to No. 9.]
