Chapter 13 ~ Slicing

An involuntary stretch took the maid as he knocked on the pupil's door. He normally was a morning person, but a lack of sleep got even to him. He was in the middle of idly wiping the sleep from his eyes when something looked extremely off.

"Good morning, pupil. It's time to get... up?" He vigorously rubbed at his eyes now, if trying to wipe a mirage from sight. The clarity of vision only confirmed what he thought he was seeing. Rather than a small thing, in the pupil's bed was a very well-endowed woman instead. She was far removed from any form the pupil had taken before. Shocking as that would be on its own, of course she had to have been unclothed as well. The pupil's clothing was dutifully set on the top of the desk. It wasn't hard to guess that nothing was being worn under the rest of the bedding either.

"Mm... Good morning, Robin," Kurai spoke in a vastly different voice than usual. It was a deeper, mature register that would have sounded sultry on anyone else, but for the novae it had a much more innocent, almost naïve quality. "Hehe... Is everything alright? Your face is red as strawberries." She did sound amused, but she lacked the tone that would make it feel like teasing. She sat up in bed, showing no efforts to try to prevent the blanket from dropping from her upper half. "I told you I had a surprise, didn't I?"

"I-I-I can see that!" He kept averting his eyes, but it was getting more difficult to do so each time. Did she even mind being looked at? It was easy to assume with that gentle, kindly smile she had even during something like this. "What the heck, pupil...? You have a strange, strange idea of pranks. W-Well, you got me. You can go back to normal now. And please put your clothes back on!"

"Um... I don't want to change back. I... like this form. This is who I want to be, Robin." The small frown was practically begging for a comforting hug. Robin proved to be completely stumped, so it was up to Kurai to break the silence. "...Does it look that bad? Is that why you dislike it?"

"No, I... It's not that it looks bad. It's just..." His eyes kept flickering back to her instinctively as he failed to find the right words in a way even a socially stunted novae could understand.

"Then why is it that you refuse to look at me?"

"...I don't know what I'm supposed to say to you here, really. I'm... I'm going to get the professor. He's going to want to know about... this."

"Alright... Could you find clothing for me too? My old threads proved too small," Kurai explained, shifting aside to get out of bed.

"Don't! Stand up. Just... don't. Please stay in bed and keep yourself covered with the blankets, please. Please." After his insistence, Robin hurried off, leaving the novae sitting alone and dejected.

That wasn't a warm welcome at all...
It would be one thing if I was trying to show off and got a poor reaction.
But just sitting here, existing?
He acted so negatively about it.
As if me getting out of bed would be an unbearable sight.
...Did I make the wrong choice?
Should I give up now to avoid being such an embarrassment in front of the professor?
Maybe I really did have this all wrong...

Her musings only lasted so long before a double-knock heralded the opening of the door again. Meus took up the doorway this time. The novae looked up at him with the same pitiable eyes as before. Unlike Robin, Meus did not show any particular signs of embarrassment. The look in his eye was closer to one examining a broken doll.

"...Is this really you my pupil?" His voice was calm and steady, though clearly forcedly so.

"Yes, Mr Meus."

"...Why?" He didn't need to be any more specific. The weight already was crushing the novae's shoulders.

"I just..." She hesitated, letting the dejection wash over her. She found no comfort in accepting the facts, nor did it provide any deeper insight. All she could do was be honest about that lacking. "I don't know. It just felt right. I spent a lot of time working on this appearance, hoping people would enjoy it as much as they do for the women on the stage. Yet judging by Robin's reactions as well as yours, I think I was mistaken about all this..."

"It's certainly unexpected to see you this way. I didn't think a single outing would compel you so much." He stroked his goatee, eyes locked with hers despite how much as she kept looking askance. Her bare state had a lot less effect on both of them than one might expect.

"...I felt inspired by what Miss Irene said. To try and spread my wings so I can live in this world, rather than only observe it."

"I see... And if you were not allowed to take this current form of yours, what else would you do? Did you have any Plan B or other ideas you were eager to try?"

"No," she muttered, shaking her head. "This is all I had planned. I don't know what else I would do. Frankly, I don't think I'd want to try again anytime soon..." She gave a heavy, resigned sigh. "...I'm guessing you ask this because I am not going to be allowed to stay like this, right? I... I mean, I have to trust your judgement, sir, but..."

"...But?" The professor pursed his lips to one side, one arm across his chest while the other raised to his chin.

"But I did feel happy about this being who I am. I don't know what I'm doing that's so wrong. And, well, I wish I didn't have to change back."

"I have some good news then. When I asked that what-if, it was purely to see how much this meant to you. All these assumptions of yours... I suppose it just goes to how strongly you feel about the matter. Had this been some whim you were fine letting go of, or one idea of several, I would have told you to try something else. Seeing how important this is to you, though... I'll give you a chance. See if this is really what you want."

"Sir, you... you really mean it?!" Her eyes sparkled in delight. "Th-thank you so much!" Feeling a sudden desire to hug the professor, she scrambled to get up. He immediately held a hand up to stop her.

"Hold. Before anything else, you are clearly going to need some lessons in etiquette for how a woman should act. Namely, you should learn that being seen topless as you are is something you really should not be so nonchalant about in front of your father of all people. Having your entire naked body seen in this kind of situation would be even less acceptable. So please, stay under the covers until you get properly attired."

"...Ahaha... Robin said something like that too." She sheepishly scratched her cheek. "Alright... Well, when I am dressed, can I hug you then?"

"We'll see about it. Still, it seems like we're going to have to have a change in lesson plans for the foreseeable future." As Robin arrived, he got ready to leave. "Get yourself situated, my pupil. I need to go consider where to start."

"Understood, sir," Kurai nodded as he left, taking the clothing into her hands. "And thank you, Robin."

"You're welcome. And, ah, if you need any assistance putting them on, I would be more than willing to..."

"Ahem." No sooner had the professor taken a few steps before he reappeared in the doorway, giving Robin The Look. He did not need to say anything. Nobody ever misunderstood The Look.

"...Right, I actually needed to do something elsewhere. Erm, see you around, pupil." The door shut behind them as they left the novae alone and slightly confused.

As the Selland Estate was predominantly male until today, the options for feminine clothing were lacking. In fact, finding clothes around the manor that would fit a woman like Kurai with any semblance of elegance was next to impossible. Still, fashion aficionado that Robin is, he managed to get together something that wouldn't completely clash with her frame. His own dresses were naturally far too lacking in the upstairs department to fit her. Instead, Kurai became the proud owner of a large cotton shirt, worn under a blue lounge robe. With no trousers accommodating enough either, a long wrapped cloth would have to make a substitute for a lengthy skirt, with several pins to fasten it. There were no undergarments provided. At the very least, the socks and slippers fit without issue.

Regardless of whether one is a novae, a human, or anything else, there was only one possible course of action anybody could take. Looking herself over in the mirror with satisfaction, Kurai lifted one leg slightly up and spun on the other heel. She spun again and again, giggling more each time as the skirt twirled all around. It couldn't be helped. This simply was on the foundational level of the hierarchy of needs.

Tumbling down onto the bed did nothing to suppress her laughter, dizzy as she was. She kept playing with the long, flowing fabric of the faux-skirt as she lay there. It had started to come loose from all the twirls, so she made sure to do a better job of securing it with the pins. When she finally calmed down, she was left infinitely more optimistic than earlier. It seemed neither of the boys were entirely happy with this change, but at least she had a chance now. Come to think of it, she did have more she was wanting to say to Meus.

Glancing at the door, she recalled the only other time she ever walked out of her room on her own. It was humbling in more ways than one. Still, it's not as if they actually locked the door. Robin's request was only for last night as well... While she had her worries, it wasn't like she was planning to do anything big this time. Hopping out of bed, she hesitantly opened the door. She was just going to find the professor, simple as that. There was nothing to worry about.

The halls of the manor were still only somewhat familiar, but as there was no hurry, Kurai was fine exploring around. She recognized most of the rooms, even if the placements were fuzzy. Here was the kitchen, there was the lab, over here was the storage closet... The dining hall was nearby too. It was often underutilized, with the members of the manor taking their meals in more informal contexts. Now, though, there was clearly someone inside. At least two people, talking and moving around. No sign of the professor, but one voice was clearly Robin's, and the other... Was that Irene? Right, she did mention stopping by today to check on him...

Kurai felt tempted to walk in and greet the woman, but it was clear that would come with problems. How would she explain transforming from the unassuming pupil to this? She was hoping to avoid causing trouble while out of her room this time. Besides, the apothecary was probably busy with the maid. It was best to leave them be.

The professor himself proved to not be too far away. He sat in the reading room, a stack of books on one side, a pen against a clipboard on the other. Mrs. W. D. Borrose's Advice and Guidance to the Mannerisms and Activities of Young Ladies of Noble Pedigree accompanied the spine of one of the tomes, with a book charmingly titled Dr. Timothy Spector's Findings on Behaviorisms and Manifestative Qualities for the Common Woman of Esteemable Estates; Or, The Inspirative Femininity as Perceivified in the Society of Modernity. It wasn't hard to guess what Meus was taking notes on. From the unimpressed look on his face, it also wasn't hard to guess the level of value these kinds of literature actually held.

"Hello, Mr Meus?" the novae cleared her throat, lightly knocking on the door as an afterthought. They always did it to her door, so it must have been a common courtesy.

"Why hello there, my pupil. It's good to see that our favorite maid's choice of attire fits you after all," he began, setting his reading glasses on the table beside him. "I trust everything feels alright with it? I realize that we don't have much in the way of feminine attire on such short notice, but it's nothing a bit of shopping won't fix."

"It does! Take a look." She excitedly spun on a heel again, just once this time. The skirt twirled beautifully. She also unwittingly revealed that she was, unsurprisingly, not given a bra. "I can see why Robin likes wearing those dresses when they're so flowing like this, hehe!"

"Yes, I can see that." Meus offered a smile, keeping his tongue bit on any indiscretions. It's not as if there was much the novae could do about her attire at this time, and it was nice to see her so happy anyways. "So, what brings you here? I understand it's not the first time you've left your room on your own, but it's not something you have historically done often..."

"Right, that was... one of the things I was hoping to talk to you about. Is it fine for me to start leaving my room like this from now on?"

"...You never were strictly forbidden from leaving, you know. I had simply preferred to let you remain in your room when not being guided. You seemed quite content for the longest time, as long as your biological needs were met. In hindsight, it's not too dissimilar to human infants. Little bundles of needs that are willing to accept simple lessons on their level, but really all they want is to be fed and kept warm." He set the clipboard and a currently-opened book to the side. "But humans don't remain infants forever, do they? All the books and toys in the world were only going to keep you preoccupied for so long. Very well, I'm fine with you going about the manor at your leisure. All I ask if that you don't go into anybody else's bedroom without permission and that you don't go outside, the garden excepted of course. Is that agreeable for you, my pupil?"

"Yes! Well, um, actually that was something else I wanted to bring up, calling me pupil. I... have a name I'd like to go by now." Again, she waited for a reply instead of continuing with the thought. Whatever the novae thought she was accomplishing by this, it was entirely unappreciated every time.

"...I see. I suppose it makes sense when you've decided on an appearance already. Well, do go on. What is it?"

"I would like it if you could call me Kurai from now on."

"Kurai, eh...?" It garnered much less of a reaction than she imagined. "Does it have any particular meaning to you?"

"It does, in fact! It has multiple meanings in different context, such as—"

"Oh, let me stop you there. You don't have to defend your decision here. All I need to know is that it has some meaning that's important to you."

"Then... yes, it does. It would mean a lot to me if you would call me that."

"Of course. It's nice to finally meet this side of you, Kurai." There was a sense of fatherly pride hanging about the professor.

"Thank you, sir. And... there's one last thing that's very important. You said we'll see about it when it comes to hugging. So, could we...?"

Meus did not respond to such a request. In fact, he didn't speak at all. In lieu of any of that, he stood up from the chair, spreading his arms wide. Even Kurai wouldn't misunderstand this look. She ran in, wrapping her arms around him with a squeeze. In turn, he gently held her as well. They both closed their eyes as the silence of the library faded away in favor of the novae's light giggling.