While I was lost in thought, reflecting on the protagonist whom I was determined to find and eliminate, Friday evening arrived.
I assumed they’d arrange the order themselves, and I was able to meet the first target.
“I didn’t expect Miss Yunia to call me on a Friday evening.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I thought you’d invite me out on Saturday night?”
“Hehehe…”
Of the time allotted to me, it was Yunia who claimed Friday evening.
If you’re asking whether this had to be during Phoenix’s time, then yes, it had to be.
“So, just a quick magic check and a mana massage afterward, right?”
“Yes!”
This time was partly to test personal magic theories and partly for a mana massage.
My mana massage has a power that completely relieves the week’s fatigue. Yunia was the first to experience this benefit, and Instructor Esta and others, too, have felt its effects, if only for a short time.
“Shall we get started right away, so as not to waste time?”
With those words, Yunia stripped down.
She was wearing a light T-shirt and skirt.
Her outfit was even lighter than usual, and she created four spheres of magic around herself.
“Please step back a bit. Now… here we go!”
Yunia quickly channeled her magic.
Bang! Boom!
The mana spheres exploded.
It was an “Explosion” spell with its blast power reduced as much as possible, and the resulting shockwave briefly shook the decorations in the room.
Magic control failure?
Or was it that her attempt to create a new magic composition broke the balance, causing the mana to shatter?
No.
Yunia had intentionally used an explosion spell—directed at herself.
Swoosh.
A white smoke billowed out from Yunia’s position, and she boldly emerged from the swirling smoke.
“Ta-da! How does it look?”
“Hmm… quite something.”
Caught in the explosion, Yunia was not completely exposed—hardly.
She wasn’t completely exposed, but her clothes were heavily damaged. Less than 30% of the fabric remained intact, making it barely enough to cover anything.
The shirt and skirt were riddled with holes, and the bra’s strap, along with the bra itself, was exposed. Her underwear on the lower side had torn enough to reveal a hint of her pelvis.
“Impressive.”
It was clear what Yunia wanted to show me.
“Well, your Mana Skin is quite intact; your skin passed the test.”
I reached out toward Yunia’s proudly displayed chest.
Rustle.
My hand moved toward her collarbone, and as I gently tugged, something invisible clung firmly to my hand.
It felt like a transparent acetate film, almost like a thin protective layer covering her skin.
However, this coating wasn’t an actual transparent film adhered to the body; it was a transparent, close-fitting mana shield covering her skin.
“Even though it was a relatively contained explosion spell, it had some force, yet you managed to protect your entire body like this.”
“That’s not all.”
She said with a mysterious smile, tugging slightly at her clothes.
Rustle, Rustle.
The remnants of her shirt fell, revealing her midsection, and her underwear was now hanging on by the barest thread, only covering the essential areas.
“Wow.”
The magic and skill on display were truly impressive.
“How did you do it?”
“It’s a secret technique I learned from my master.”
Yunia pointed at her clothing.
“It’s a spell of ‘Absolute Modesty’.”
The clothes just barely covered the vital areas.
‘This is a technique that doesn’t even exist, even in Hell.’
Even the Seven Dukes of Hell couldn’t perform such a technique.
They might have the power to develop it, but not with the same precision that Yunia was demonstrating.
“It’s a spell to ensure that, no matter the crisis, the critical areas remain barely covered.”
“So, it’s like a spell to prevent things from suddenly turning into an ‘adult-only’ situation?”
“Exactly.”
Yunia lifted her mana pocket with her hand.
“The coverage might vary by person, but, you know, Academy regulations say that students shouldn’t expose certain areas in public places.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
It’s a sort of protection level unique to Bread Academy.
The kind that, if posted on a message board, would be flagged by the moderator, or directed to “Use the adult board instead.”
This spell is that “final frontier” of coverage, the last defense ensuring that, even if a single layer slips, the situation doesn’t become “adult-only” rated.
“This doesn’t fall off, no matter what?”
“Yes. It stays attached in place until I choose to remove it or run out of mana completely.”
“Usually, by the time you reach that level, it’s… well, let’s say the coverage might need to be more about… the grotesque side of things.”
A situation where you’ve exhausted all your mana, and further attacks tear your clothes until they’re completely gone?
At that point, you wouldn’t be screaming in embarrassment with a “Kyaa!” but rather worrying about survival—whether you’ll end up captured by the enemy.
“My master told me that with this spell, even if you go into a [Dungeon full of Slimes that dissolve clothes], you’ll only lose the clothes you’re wearing, but at least one last piece will be protected.”
“Sounds like some story about ancient tribal people from children’s books, using leaves to cover themselves.”
“It’s similar. Nowadays, we all wear clothes, but at the very least, it’s a social rule not to expose everything so freely, right?”
Yunia smiled faintly, tugging at the last layer.
“Showing this much means that a woman is allowing that person to see her body, right?”
“That’s true.”
Allowing someone to see you completely bare implies you’re accepting them handling your body in a way that’s rational, whether in a medical or s*xual sense.
“So, Phoenix, how about it? Want to try it once?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’ll teach you the magic. Ah, don’t worry. I’ll apply an extra protective shield on that tanned skin of yours, so you can relax and leave it to me!”
“To do that, wouldn’t you have to channel mana inside my clothes?”
“Um, well…”
“To demonstrate that ‘even if my clothes are torn, I can be at ease’ after a mana explosion, I’d first need to coat myself in mana after taking off all my clothes, then put my clothes back on…”
I pointed downward slightly.
“You’re planning to blow me up?”
“Uh, but Instructor Kadisha let me touch you!”
“What?”
“Oh, uh… maybe not?”
“Not really.”
Instructor Kadisha might make such jokes, but she’s someone who hasn’t even properly held hands with a man.
“And to be honest, that spell may be useful for the other girls in the Old School Building, but it’s not exactly necessary for me.”
“Wait, why…?”
“Because I know a similar, but slightly different spell.”
“…Really?”
Yunia looked at me suspiciously.
“What is it? Is there a better spell than this?”
“Of course. Just a moment.”
I turned away from Yunia.
Rustle.
Without hesitation, I took off my top.
I heard Yunia gasp behind me, but I continued.
Swoosh.
“Ph-Phoenix?!?”
“If you come over here, you’ll see.”
“Oh, sorry…! I mean, no, not that!”
I could hear Yunia stumbling backward in shock.
It couldn’t be helped.
Not only did I take off my shirt, but I went so far as to drop my pants.
Even my underwear!
Is this s*xual harassment?
No.
This is not harassment; it’s a series of actions meant to showcase a high-level work of art crafted by a Archduke of Hell.
‘And there’s no problem with any boundaries, either.’
Seeing women naked might be problematic, but when a man is exposed, it usually doesn’t raise censorship issues.
Just look at TV dramas; in scenes set in male bathhouses, a man only needs to cover the essentials, and it’s aired just fine.
‘Water, wind, light, dark, and illusion attributes. Activation of the recognition-blocking spell, using all five elements simultaneously.’
There is a spell that creates a similar effect.
“Ta-da.”
“…Huh?”
“How about that?”
I stood with both arms spread before Yunia, who covered her face in shock, then slowly parted her fingers to peek at me.
“Wait, how did you…?”
“How did I do it? It’s a simple application of an illusion spell. It’s similar to setting up a barrier.”
Currently.
“Can you see me, Miss Yunia?”
“…You want me to look?”
“Even if you want to, you won’t be able to see anything, which is why I can stand here so confidently.”
I struck various poses, like someone doing a body profile photo shoot.
“So, what do you think?”
“Uh, hmm…”
“While your spell ensures nothing falls off, mine works by blocking sight through recognition interference.”
If her spell preserves modesty, mine could be called “censorship”.
“It’s an illusion spell called [Mosaic]. What do you think?”
There’s no problem with boundaries here.
