Two days passed.
The impending chaos at the Academy, centered around the male dormitories, concluded without major issues.
With the introduction of remote classes.
The instructors, with the assistance of several mages, recorded lectures late into the night on magic stones (special recording stones), then distributed copies of these stones to the students as lecture replacements.
Whether students truly listened or not depended on their own consciences, but everyone seemed unusually engaged in the lectures.
– How are these male students focusing so well?
98.2%.
Out of 1,000 students, 982 attended lectures via magic stones on the day.
Academy instructors confirmed this attendance through hidden devices embedded in the stones, revealing that a whopping 98.2% played the lectures.
Some students listened intently, while others played the lectures while multitasking, lying down, or doing other things.
The important point was that attendance was as active as it would be in a regular lecture hall, despite being in the privacy of their dorm rooms—a near miracle.
– Maybe the students actually like remote classes?
Rumors spread that perhaps students actually preferred remote learning.
Then, the instructors realized the reason.
– I will declare in the name of Ederson Lionheart.
The reason male students actively participated in remote classes was due to an incentive.
– Students who actively participate in this week’s remote lectures will be given priority to receive ‘Kegel Pants’.
This behavior score wasn’t a standard metric; it was just a loose expression of “seeing how hard students work,” but the reward was crucial enough to refocus the male students from protests to studies.
[Kegel Pants].
A magic item created with the Kegel technique.
Since only a “limited quantity” was produced daily, the number of students who could receive it was highly restricted.
And not only students but faculty members also wanted it.
– Dean Ederson, among the students, this is…
– Spread it more, no problem.
– Excuse me?
– Even put it in a thesis, why be ashamed? If this allows students to walk around with pride, it’s fine! Hahaha!
Ederson Lionheart openly expressed himself without any embarrassment.
– But, there seems to be a slight side effect.
– Side… side effect?
– Yes. It’s a serious side effect that might be a big issue for some. It feels like a new growth spurt is starting.
-…Yes?
– No, it’s like they’re getting bigger. Academically speaking, it feels like… [a third puberty]. Hahaha!
Dean Ederson’s playful comment spread from the faculty meeting to the students.
“Mass-produce Kegel Pants for the Academy!”
“””Mass-produce! Mass-produce! Mass-produce!!”””
This sparked a new protest.
The students demanded more and faster access to these “magic pants”, leading to continuous real-time production somewhere within the Academy.
– They say the special class in the Old School Building is making the magic pants themselves?
Currently, all the male students’ attention shifted to the Old School Building.
* * *
[Afternoon, Old School Building Classroom]
“Human greed knows no bounds, repeating the same mistakes.”
“Is it really the same mistake?”
“Just a joke.”
I infused mana into the inner part of the magic pants Ludmila handed over, establishing the Kegel technique magic circle.
“There, finished. Evangeline, can you fold this and put it in the package?”
“Ugh, how did I end up doing this…”
Evangeline carefully folded the magic pants with her gloved hands and packed them.
“Don’t be like that. The male students will actually like it. Imagine if they knew the one folding these was the Princess of the Ercy Empire.”
“Isn’t that just creepy?”
“Name one guy who isn’t a little creepy.”
“Can’t believe you’re the one saying that.”
Evangeline glared at me with a fierce look, but her hands continued to skillfully fold and pack the magic pants, reaching for the next pair with practiced ease.
“Huh? Miss Yunia, your hands have stopped?”
Yunia was staring at a magic stone in front of her with a perplexed expression.
“Are you tired? Want to take a short break?”
“No, it’s not that.”
In front of Yunia sat a magic stone larger than a tennis ball, placed between her hands as if she were clutching a treasure.
“I’ll make it right away.”
As Yunia channeled mana into the stone, it began to emit a rainbow-colored glow.
The once-solid stone gradually transformed, unraveling from the outer layer in a delicate thread-like form.
The stone turned to thread, which began shifting rapidly, taking shape as if fed through a loom.
“[Shape Transformation], [Form Control], [Flexibility], [Lightweight].”
Pa-ah!
With a flash, Yunia extended her hands to either side, causing the magic stone to quickly reshape itself into a new form, now held between her hands.
A perfect pair of magic pants. Yunia lightly shook them, verifying they had the comfort of regular fabric before handing them to Evangeline.
“Sorry, Evangeline. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Hmm… Phoenix? It seems like you’ve hit your ‘quota’ for today. Why not take a short break?”
“Since it’s not class time, I think I should get permission.”
I pointed to the clock on the wall and to one person standing at the podium.
“Instructor Kadisha, what do you think?”
“You all can take a break. No, make that self-study. I’ll keep working on this.”
Instructor Kadisha, equipped with magical goggles to protect her vision, was absorbed in transforming magic stones into magic pants.
Though her pace was slightly slower than Yunia’s, her magical tools were designed to work autonomously with just a bit of mana, functioning like an automated factory for producing magic pants.
If Yunia was a craftsperson, then Instructor Kadisha’s setup was like a small-scale factory, utilizing magical conveyor belts for automation.
A genius with overwhelming talent crafting items by hand versus technological prowess achieving mass production.
Right now, the one with extraordinary talent was producing faster, but if Instructor Kadisha perfected her process efficiency, mass production would become possible.
To spread this item across the entire population, mass production would be essential, especially since these magic pants had their own “durability”.
“Let’s all have a cup of tea and chat.”
Ludmila brought beverages tailored to everyone’s preferences.
Next to her were various types of mana bread I had baked at dawn, and Yunia and Evangeline immediately lit up, reaching for their teaspoons.
“Cake?!”
“Mana bread doesn’t have to always be in a loaf form, does it?”
I gestured to a sliced piece of cream cake.
“In terms of taste and texture, it might be a bit lacking compared to actual bread. After all, it’s ultimately an illusion created with magic.”
While it looked like whipped cream on the teaspoon, it was merely “mana,” mimicking the appearance, texture, and flavor of real cream.
“The upside is, it’s zero calories.”
“I always trust what Phoenix says.”
“Right?”
“Yes. When it tastes good, it’s zero calories!”
Yunia held the entire slice of cake in her dish, scooping up a big bite.
“Enjoying mana like this is nice, and it’s tastier than anything from Silverstar Bakery.”
“I’m glad you like it. Tastes good?”
“Yes. Although it can’t compare to the real baked goods you make, Phoenix.”
“But that version has calories.”
“If it’s that tasty, I can just train harder to burn it off!”
“Agreed.”
Nodding in agreement with Yunia, Ludmila, who had also tasted my cake, nodded enthusiastically.
“If this were a real cake, I could easily eat a whole one, not just a slice.”
“Hmm…”
Evangeline, less eager than Ludmila, laughed awkwardly but had already polished off more than half her slice.
“Oh, Evangeline.”
“What?”
“That one isn’t mana bread. It’s the real thing.”
“…”
Clink.
“Just kidding.”
“Hey!!”
“It’s a highly realistic mana bread I created. One random piece is real, though, and you got it.”
“…Is that so?”
After shouting briefly, Evangeline fell silent, glanced sideways, and offered her cake to Yunia.
“Yunia, mind switching with me? Just to check.”
“Alright, one bite each.”
Yunia and Evangeline extended their teaspoons towards each other’s cakes.
“Ludmila, would you like some too?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Though Ludmila politely declined Evangeline’s offer with a shrug, I knew the truth.
She was the one who had already taste-tested that mana cake back in the baking room, making sure it was good.
She had, in fact, taken on the role of a royal taster and managed to eat three slices.
But I kept that thought tucked away as I sipped my coffee.
“So, Yunia, what made you pause earlier?”
“Oh, that…”
Yunia took a bite of her cake before replying.
“You know the Kegel technique?”
“Yes?”
“Well, it’s basically mana skin, right? But does it only work on guys?”
So that’s what was on her mind.
“Does it not work on girls?”
“That’s what I was curious about.”
Kadisha chimed in, slipping into a seat nearby.
“Instructor?”
“People who think a lot need sweets to keep their brains sharp. I don’t care if it’s mana bread or real cake.”
Kadisha eyed the cakes on the table, and without hesitation, reached for the calorie-loaded slice that no one else dared touch.
“Uh, Instructor… that slice is more than a full meal…”
“No problem.”
Kadisha grinned mischievously.
“All it does is add to my figure.”
“…”
All three girls suddenly wore crestfallen expressions.
“So, Student Phoenix? Is there something like mana pants for women?”
“Mana pants would feel restrictive for them. It’d be like a straitjacket from a woman’s perspective.”
I wasn’t aiming to make something uncomfortable.
“But maybe something like a Buxomize Pill.”
“A Buxomize … what?”
“A Buxomize Pill.”
Believe it or not, in this world of Bread Academy, unlike the magic pants, Buxomize Pill actually exist.
