End of May.
During three practice sessions, we successfully repelled A-rank magical beasts in the northern part of the Marquisate of Ludvecia’s Demonic Land, increasing our practice scores.
Fortunately, there were no large-scale beast outbreaks. Since the one that occurred in March, there had been no major outbreaks originating in the Demonic Land.
However, such outbreaks were not uncommon elsewhere. While at the Academy, it was hard to grasp the frequency of these incidents, but outside its walls, large-scale beast outbreaks occurred relatively often.
Even an appearance of more than 100 C-rank beasts would qualify as an outbreak.
The scale of these events depends on whether the hunters in the area can respond immediately, whether reinforcements from nearby regions are enough, or if the situation escalates to the point of requiring S-rank hunters.
Thankfully, the worst-case scenario didn’t occur. That scenario would involve failing to repel the beasts, causing them to swarm and requiring all available experienced personnel who had previously handled beast outbreaks, possibly even dragging our [Team Phoenix] into the chaos.
The Academy functioned smoothly without any noteworthy incidents.
That calm was interrupted suddenly.
“The special rules for this October’s Great Martial Tournament have been decided.”
Instructor Esta announced, dropping a bombshell.
“Isn’t it usually just sparring during the Autumn Festival? What kind of special rules are we talking about?”
“Nothing major. Just a decision to standardize the attire for participants.”
“Attire…?”
“Yes, this.”
Without hesitation, Instructor Esta took off her uniform, revealing what she wore underneath.
“Cover your eyes!”
“Miss Yunia, I don’t think shielding Phoenix’s face with your hands will make much difference.”
The outfit she revealed was striking enough to make Yunia instinctively cover my face. But I had already seen it.
It resembled the attire often seen on fitness influencers on Stargram—tank tops and short leggings that highlighted every curve of the body.
It was hard to call it clothing; it seemed more like a form of display designed to accentuate one’s physique.
“Are you saying we’re really going to wear that for the tournament?”
“Yes, Ludmila. Both Dean Ederson Lionheart and Student Council President Julius approved it.”
“Of course, they would.”
“…”
“They’re men, so it’s obvious.”
Ludmila’s sarcasm wasn’t unfounded. It was hard to imagine men objecting to such attire, provided there were no safety issues.
“Why are we wearing these outfits? Are there… certain guests at the tournament who are keen to see the female body lines?”
“Not p*rverts, but something close to that.”
“What?”
“Let’s just say a lot of factors from the past six months played into this decision. Miss Yunia, can you let go of Phoenix’s face now?”
At Esta’s urging, Yunia reluctantly moved back to her seat.
Esta’s revealing outfit, while visually arresting, didn’t seem like something she was entirely comfortable with.
“By the way, male participants will only wear bottoms.”
“Wait, what?”
“Basically, they’ll just wear boxer briefs. Consider it a victory for ‘gender equality.’ Without it, both men and women might have had to wear triangular swimwear.”
“What is even happening to this tournament?”
“I’m wondering the same.”
Esta gestured at her exposed skin, hinting at the absurdity of the situation.
Yet her casual tone also suggested a subtle confidence in showing off her toned physique.
It’s a hint that when the Great Martial Arts Festival begins, many female students will make all sorts of appeals to show off their bodies.
“Anyway, let’s revisit how the tournament works. Since none of you have participated before, we’ll review last year’s final match.”
Instructor Esta activated a magical screen on the blackboard.
“Student Council President Julius, huh?”
“And his opponent… wait, is that?”
“Indeed. Last year’s final was between two people you all know well.”
The two figures displayed in the arena were both blond.
One was the current Student Council President.
The other, a first-year at the time, was Yurha Silverstar.
“I didn’t expect Senior Yurha to compete in something like this…”
“Was she after the tournament’s grand prize?”
“Perhaps. Only Yurha herself knows for sure. Ultimately, though, Julius won. What matters here is their attire.”
Esta pointed at the clothing worn by the finalists.
“They’re wearing casual battle outfits?”
“Exactly. Personal combat gear. As you can see—”
“Ah, I get it!”
Evangeline suddenly stood up, exclaiming.
“Silverstar must have designed some sort of combat suit, right? To prevent the tournament from being dominated by wealthy participants who can afford advanced gear, they’re standardizing the outfits!”
Was it an inference based on hostility toward Silverstar, or an inference based on consideration for those without capital?
Since the person who spoke was Evangeline, it would be both.
At least for now, I would lean more toward the latter than the former.
“Close, but not entirely. For clarification, the outfits worn last year weren’t specialized combat suits. That was Yurha’s personal attire.”
“Really?”
“Yes. However, this year might be different. Specifically…”
Instructor Esta said, pretending to poke her mana pocket with her finger.
“Some participants might show up with fake mana pockets.”
“Fake…? What do you mean?”
“Chest Manipulation devices.”
“…!”
“Weren’t those banned from the Academy already?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Instructor Esta flipped the screen, revealing a photo of a female student who had performed decently during the practical training in May.
March, April, and May—the difference was immediately clear to me.
“Her chest size grew by a cup in April alone, didn’t it?”
“Phoenix!”
“Miss Yunia, what can I do? It’s obvious. You can tell at a glance what’s real and what isn’t.”
“Maybe it’s the clothing that makes it look… oh.”
“Exactly. Clothing. While she might fool her teammates, she can’t fool my eyes. Is that padding?”
“If it’s just padding, that’s fine. But the problem is when it becomes a magical issue. That’s where chest augmentation devices come into play, and it’s one of the reasons for the new standardized outfits in the Great Martial Tournament.”
Instructor Esta turned around and reached toward a circular device at her back.
Whirrr.
As she activated the mana flow, her top suddenly loosened.
The fabric, which had previously been snugly supporting her mana pocket, slackened and slightly lifted, draping loosely over her chest in a manner reminiscent of lower chest exposure.
“If it’s just to appear more endowed, that’s one thing. But when people use ‘fluid-enhanced auxiliary mana stones’ for this purpose, it becomes a problem. Take a look for yourselves.”
Clap, clap.
Esta clapped her hands and pointed toward the door.
“Kadisha, come in.”
“Ugh, how did I get roped into this…?”
The door opened, and Instructor Kadisha entered the room.
“Oh my!”
“Wow.”
Yunia and the others gasped in shock, while I couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation at the sight of Kadisha’s drastically augmented mana pocket.
“It seems to have grown at least two cup sizes since yesterday.”
“Phoenix, what do you mean ‘since yesterday’?”
“I gave her a massage yesterday. The difference between then and now is at least 10 centimeters.”
“Exactly. Want to verify it for yourself?”
Instructor Kadisha raised her arms, stepping closer to me.
“You’ll understand if you touch it.”
“You’re asking me to…?”
“Phoenix, you’re the most experienced in this area, aren’t you?”
“Well, if it’s for research, I suppose I have no choice.”
This was purely for experimentation. I stood up and positioned myself behind Kadisha.
“Oh, I thought you’d check from the front.”
“To properly confirm, it’s best to grasp it from behind.”
Squish.
“Hmm.”
I flowed mana into the area.
The expressions of those watching turned increasingly odd.
“Phoenix.”
“Yeah.”
“Why does your face look so disturbed? Are you saying it’s fake?”
“Exactly.”
Acknowledging Yunia’s guess, I lightly tugged at the concealed area beneath Kadisha’s clothes.
“Found it.”
Beneath Kadisha’s garments, I located the “fake” object, and with a precise application of mana, I extracted it from between her cleavage.
Squish.
It felt like a hardened slime or silicone implant.
Kadisha didn’t need any augmentation—she was naturally well-endowed.
Adding such massive, unnatural attachments only made the sight awkward and excessive.
Why would someone choose such suspicious and unpleasant enhancements unless it was for beauty or a tactical advantage?
“So this is the problem, isn’t it?”
I held up two translucent, squishy objects.
“Exactly. This is ‘Fake Chest Manipulation Device, Type II.’”
Instructor Esta took the mana-enhanced padding from my hands with a grave expression.
“The previous version was wearable. This one is inserted directly into undergarments. And these tights I’m wearing…”
“Are perfect for detecting fake mana enhancements like this, right?”
“Correct. As Miss Evangeline pointed out…”
Instructor Esta channeled mana into the device, causing it to shimmer with RGB-like light.
“We can’t allow participants to hide such devices and fight as if their augmented mana is their own during the sacred Great Martial Tournament.”
* * *
Currently.
“Even so, wearing this every day feels… excessive, don’t you think?”
“It’s summer.”
“It’s hot! This is all for practicality.”
“This is the only place with functioning cooling magic, after all~.”
We were now getting accustomed to the new attire in preparation for the Great Martial Tournament.
