Bound By the Standard

With an attempt to instinctively sit up and stretch her limbs, Alice found that she was tied down on the hospital bed. Before she made sense of everything as her mind reeled, Yuri entered the room, locking the door behind her. Alice leaned up the best she could to take a look at Yumi, and Alice couldn't help but raise a brow at the…bizarre sight. "Um, Yumi... is there...a good reason why you look like a mummy from the waist down?"

Yumi chuckled at the comment, a hint of mystery in her eyes. "Oh, you've noticed, huh?" she said nonchalantly, taking a seat near Alice's bedside. Her skin was so fair that it blended quite well with the white bandages, giving the impression that she's nude below the waist besides her heels.

Alice nodded, her confusion still evident. "It's hard not to notice." She paused, trying to make sense of the situation. "But seriously, why the bandaged legs?"

Yumi leaned back in her chair, her expression enigmatic as ever. "Well, my reasons for wrapping my legs are... a little personal.”

Alice couldn't help but persist a bit further. "Can I at least get a glimpse of what's underneath?"

Yumi chuckled at her insistence. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. But I'm willing to take the risk."

Yumi smirked, her gaze never leaving Alice's. "Fine, then. But only because you've been such a...curious little thing.”

Yumi then began to unwrap the bandages, slowly exposing the pale skin underneath. As layers upon layers of fabric were removed, Alice's eyes widened in surprise. But as more and more of Yumi's legs were revealed, a mix of curiosity and concern replaced her surprise.

The pale complexion of Yumi's legs contrasted starkly with the rest of her body, and that's saying a lot. The skin was so impossibly pale that it almost appeared transparent, with a faint blue tint that was subtle yet undeniable.

"Yumi... Your legs..." Alice whispered, a mix of awe and concern lacing her words.

Yumi chuckled softly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. "Quite the sight, aren't they?"

Alice couldn't tear her gaze away from the mesmerizingly pale legs. "Why are they so...pale? And why do they look so translucent?”

"Ah, straight to the point." Yumi chuckled again, the bandages slipping off her legs entirely. "It's a...condition, I suppose. My legs lack pigmentation, or melanin, to be precise. This causes the skin to appear deathly pale, lacking the normal rosy or pinkish undertones of healthy skin. The blue tint you're seeing is due to the veins being more visible through the thin skin. That's one of the reasons I cover them up. People tend to...overreact when they see them."

Alice's eyes were fixated on Yumi's legs, her curiosity now morphing into bewilderment. "Overreact...because they're pale? That doesn't make sense.”

"Not just pale," Yumi clarified, her gaze fixed on her bare legs. "They're abnormally pale, almost transparent."

Alice nodded, her eyes still glued to the otherworldly sight. "Yeah, I can see that. But that doesn't explain why people would overreact. My best guess is it's a beauty standard thing? I know that where you're from, ghostly pale skin is this super huge thing.”

"Not just a huge thing. It's practically an obsession." Yumi agreed, her voice tinged with a hint of disdain. "It's a symbol of purity, elegance, and sophistication. I've even heard people say it's the epitome of beauty, and that those born with pale skin, like myself, are considered... superior.”

Alice couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Superior? That sounds like some messed-up societal standard."

Yumi chuckled bitterly. "You have no idea. The pressure my society has to maintain a ghostly pale complexion like mine is immense. People will go to extreme lengths to achieve it. Skin lightening creams, surgery, even injections, you name it.”

Alice's eyes widened at that. "Whoa, that's intense. Do people really go to such extreme lengths just to have pale skin?"

Yumi nodded, her expression solemn. "Unfortunately, yes. It's become a status symbol, a symbol of wealth and prestige. The paler your skin, the higher your social standing. I may fit that standard, but don't let my complexion fool you—I'm vehemently against it.”

"You're against it?" Alice repeated, surprised by her statement. "But... don't you fall right into that standard yourself? You're...extremely pale yourself.”

Yumi sighed, her gaze falling to her legs. "Yes, I am. But just because I fit the standard doesn't mean I endorse it. I was born this way, and it's part of me, but I strongly oppose the idea that pale skin should determine a person's worth or status. It's a toxic mindset. People with darker complexions such as yourself shouldn't have to suffer for something you were born with and have no control over. Just because something is ‘culture’ doesn't make it infallibly moral.”

Alice nodded, understanding Yumi's perspective better. "True. Yeah, I get that. Skin color shouldn't define a person's value. But..." Alice couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her again.

Alice was stunned, unable to believe what she was hearing. "...That sounds horrible. But I still don't know why you cover your legs with those bandages. Why?”

Yumi leaned back in her chair, her expression growing more mysterious. "Ah, about that... Alright, you're now well aware that I have an unusually pale complexion, correct?"

Alice nodded, her gaze fixed on Yumi's legs. "Yeah, I've never seen someone with such pale skin before. It's... quite striking, to be honest, and it's hard for me not to stare."

Yumi chuckled softly, amused by Alice's remark. "Yes, I'm quite aware of my pale skin. But what you don't know is..."

Alice's curiosity deepened as she leaned in, eagerly waiting for Yumi to finish her sentence.

Yumi chuckled at Alice's insistence. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. But before I do... I need you to promise me something, okay?" Her tone becoming more serious.

Alice, eager to know the truth, nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, sure. Of course.”

Yumi leaned forward, the intensity in her eyes growing. "Promise me you won't freak out when I reveal my secret, okay? It's a lot to take in."

Alice hesitated for a brief moment but nodded, determined to learn the truth. "I promise, I won't freak out.”

Yumi's gaze remained locked with Alice's as she finally revealed the truth. "It's because...my legs are...transparent.”

Yumi nodded, her smirk slowly returning, finding Alice's dumbfounded expression amusing. "Yeah, you heard that right. My legs are so pale that you can literally see through them.”

Yumi snickered at Alice's stunned expression, finding her bewilderment rather amusing. "Well, it may sound unbelievable, but I assure you, it's 100% true. You could literally hold a flashlight behind my legs and the light would shine right through without any obstacles whatsoever."

She reached for a flashlight behind her and held it out for Alice. "Want to experiment that?”

Alice, her curiosity overpowering her disbelief, nodded and took the flashlight from Yumi's hand. She held it at the back of Yumi's legs, expecting some kind of trick.

To her shock, the light shone through without any obstruction, completely illuminating the other side as if there was nothing there. Alice was left utterly speechless, her mind struggling to process the visual contradiction in front of her.

Yumi shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a genetic anomaly. A rare mutation. My skin lacks any pigmentation whatsoever, meaning no melanin production at all. Which, in turn, results in my abnormally pale skin color and, as you've just witnessed, my transparent legs.”

Alice shook her head, still struggling to wrap her thoughts around the astonishing revelation. "That's... that's just... incredible. I've never heard of anything like that before."

Alice shook her head, still struggling to wrap her thoughts around the astonishing revelation. "That's... that's just... incredible. I've never heard of anything like that before. But... Why is it that only your legs are transparent? Why aren't other parts of you transparent too? You're pale all over, not just your legs.”

Yumi smirked, clearly enjoying the fact that she was the one blowing Alice's mind. "A good observation, indeed. And the reason why only my legs are transparent while the rest of my body isn't is because, well... my legs are the most severely affected part of my body."

Alice's curiosity piqued even further. "What do you mean, 'most severely affected'?”

Yumi nodded, her smirk turning into a slight frown as she recalled the extent of the damage. "Well, as I mentioned, I lack any melanin production entirely. But the lack of melanin isn't distributed equally over my entire body. My legs happen to be the area where the melanin deficiency is at its most extreme, making them practically transparent. Other parts of my body, like my arms, face, and torso, while still pale, have a slightly different level of melanin deficiency, which makes them not as translucent as the skin on my legs. It's a rather unique condition.”

Alice was so amazed by this information that she forgot she was even bound down to the hospital bed. "U-um...why am I...bound…?

Yumi chuckled softly at the question, amused by the sudden shift in topic. "Oh, right. I suppose you're curious about why you're restrained here, aren't you?”

Alice nodded, a mixture of curiosity and mild concern on her face. "Yeah...I'm not gonna lie, being tied up like this is kinda making me nervous. Can you at least tell me why you have me tied here?”

Yumi's smirk grew a bit wider, finding a certain amusement in the situation. "Of course, I can tell you, but I hope you won't get too upset by the reason.”

Alice felt a slight shiver run down her spine as she tried to brace herself for the answer. "I-I won't get upset. I promise. Just...tell me the reason.”

Yumi leaned back in her chair, her smirk still in place. "Alright then. The reason you're restrained here is...because I plan on studying you, essentially. Experimenting with you, to be precise.”

Alice's heart skipped a beat as she processed Yumi's words. "Experimenting... on me?" she repeated, the uneasiness in her voice growing. "W-what exactly do you mean by 'experimenting'?”

Yumi's smirk grew into a slight grin, her gaze fixed on Alice. "I intend to run some tests on you. Examine you, so to speak. Analyze your behavior, your psychological makeup, possibly even your physical characteristics. It's all for scientific research, you see. In particular...your Miracle Eyes.”