Chapter 221 The Cross-Dressing Beauty ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Say, why is a noble lady like you parading around in men’s clothes, peddling adult goods?” I asked.
”Wh—what… I, dressed as a man…? On what grounds could you possibly say such a thing?!” Ray stammered.
It was Viscount Nixfen¹, Ray, who was making her rounds through the town streets hawking the ‘Help Stick².’ The moment I pierced through her true identity, she fell into a hilariously conspicuous state of panic.
That reaction was practically a confession in itself. If she really was a woman, it cast serious doubt on whether she was truly the actual Viscount Nixfen at all… But no matter. I decided to methodically dismantle her disguise by pointing out the discrepancies I’d noticed.
”I have plenty of grounds. Once you view it through that lens, the world is full of oddities. Your unnaturally perfect posture, that voice you’re so carefully pitching low, the way you deliberate over every single word…” I explained.
”Th—that’s just your imagination! ‘View it through that lens’—why on earth would you even think such a thing?!” Ray replied.
She refused to concede, but to my ears, her performance was that of a ‘Prince’ who had practiced with desperate diligence. It was the conduct of someone striving to inhabit a role, like an actor in a play, because someone else required it of them. And furthermore…
”I mean, just look at those hips. At a glance, they’re undeniably feminine. The flare of the pelvis, the curve of the waist…” I said.
”Wh—! Wh—! Wh—!” Ray sputtered.
As I illustrated the point, tracing her silhouette with my hands as if carefully caressing the air, the Nixfen Lord turned a vivid shade of crimson and recoiled. Yeah, seeing that expression alone made the trip worthwhile, didn’t it?
I’m not one to boast, but this Lord Harvest³ is something of an expert on the female form. In my private hours, I spend night after night with women without ever growing weary, and even during working hours, my trade is almost exclusively feminine.
From the sway of her hips, I can tell the shape of her rear. I can see how she’s binding her chest and padding her shoulders, struggling to pass them off as pectoral muscles.
”Plus, when we shook hands, your skin had that supple, feminine softness. And while I was at it, I caught your scent—no trace of a man there. Heh heh heh, you have the sweet, floral fragrance of a woman, you know?” I said.
”Hy—hiaah?!” Ray squealed.
Letting out a dainty shriek, the Nixfen Lord turned tail and fled. Hmm, perhaps I should have engaged in a long, leisurely heart-to-heart before dropping the bombshell…? But then again, I was genuinely a bit disappointed, and I had a feeling we would have been interrupted mid-conversation regardless…
True to form, the interference arrived. Regrettably, the time for savoring her reaction had reached its limit. A group of ‘Older Sisters’—prostitutes with faces like vengeful demons—interposed themselves between us.
”You absolute deviant! Enemy of women! Die!” one sister shrieked.
”What do you think you’re saying to our Ray?!” another hollered.
”Gross! Gross! Gross!” a third chanted.
The Older Sisters descended upon me, raining down blows alongside a torrential downpour of vitriol. As suspected, they were in on the secret. Of course they were; there was no way they wouldn’t notice given how touchy-feely they were with her.
Or rather, they were acting as a barrier to keep men at a distance, collaborating to ensure her true identity remained concealed. If so, were they the ones who had coached her on how to carry herself…?
”Ora! Go ahead and die!” a sister yelled.
I nearly slipped back into my ruminations when a sharp fist surged toward my face. I’m not so sluggish that I’d let an amateur woman land a clean hit, you know. However, these gutsy Older Sisters swung with zero hesitation. Cornered by sheer numbers, I found myself gradually being overwhelmed.
”Ouch! Ow, ow! Hey, hair-pulling is a foul!” I cried out.
”Shut up, you pest! Go bald!” a sister snapped.
”Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!” they chanted in unison.
Older Sisters closing in from all quadrants. It was rapidly becoming a situation where I couldn’t even joke about it being a ‘reward.’ Well, for men of a particular inclination, this might be the sort of scenario they’d pay good money for… Unfortunately, I only have… the tiniest bit of that fetish.
I’d initially intended to take a few hits as penance for my own mischief, but the Older Sisters were playing for keeps. I was debating whether to deploy the ‘tear gas bomb’ I’d prepared in case the Nixfen Lord turned out to be a prick when Aerith, from the Garou Merchant Guild⁴, intervened on my behalf.
”Grrrrrrr!” Aerith snarled.
”What is this girl—eek!” a sister shrieked.
With her hair and the fur on her tail bristling, Aerith let out a feral, beastman growl.She began peeling the Older Sisters away from me with a level of raw power that defied her slender frame.
Truly impressive. Even after a long residency in the city, the wolf beastman clan hasn’t lost the pride or the prowess of warriors. Just as I was about to voice my gratitude, she shouted at the top of her lungs.
”Calm down, everyone! It’s true that even I found his behavior repulsive, but violence is not the answer! It’s just not!” Aerith shouted.
Ah, right. So that’s how you feel too, Aerith… If even she, who usually offers me nothing but total affirmation, felt that way, then I suppose I really did… well, significantly overdo the teasing.
I should reflect on my actions. I don’t particularly care if the Older Sisters’ opinion of me plummets through the floor, but if Aerith ends up hating me, I’ll never recover.
”Grrr…”
”Kuh…”
”Gunuuu…”
Aerith and the Older Sisters remained locked in a glaring contest. While I pondered how to resolve the impasse, my senior disciple, Barbara—who had been a mere spectator until now—stepped between the two factions, clapping her hands for attention.
”That’s quite enough, you lot,” Barbara declared.
”Teacher! Please, don’t interfere!” a sister pleaded.
”That’s right! This maggot said such awful things to our Ray…!” another protested.
Despite the blood rushing to their heads and the glares they sent my way, the Older Sisters heeded Barbara’s voice. She hadn’t spent years managing their health for nothing; Barbara was addressed as ‘Teacher’ and commanded immense respect.
”I saw the whole thing, so I understand. But listen, if you hit him anymore, you’ll injure your hands—the very tools of your trade. Besides, despite appearances, this man is a nobleman. If you take this too far, the constables will be crawling all over this place,” Barbara reasoned.
”That’s…! You might have a point, but…” a sister muttered.
Hey, senior sister? That makes me sound like some high-profile villain using my status to commit sexual harassment, doesn’t it? I wanted to object, but Barbara leveled a glare at me that screamed ‘keep your mouth shut,’ so I held my peace.
”I’ll take responsibility for this scene. There’s no point crying over spilled secrets. We might as well drag him into the fold and make him take some responsibility. This man is a leading authority in that specific field, after all,” Barbara said.
”Teacher, but—!” a sister started.
”I said I’ve got this. Now that I’ve given my word, I won’t allow any further harm to come to Ray. Think about it logically; if you can secure his cooperation, it’s hardly a bad deal for Ray’s objective,” Barbara said.
”……”
The Older Sisters exchanged glances at Barbara’s persuasion. ‘Ray’s objective,’ huh… I’m sure there’s a story there, but I wonder what exactly I’m being recruited for. Then again, I’m hardly in a position to be picky.
”Of course, all of this is contingent on Ray saying ‘yes.’ Now, Ray, my idiotic junior disciple has been incredibly rude to you. This guy has a habit of getting carried away… I’m sorry, but could you find it in yourself to forgive him for my sake? You can even land a couple of punches on him if it’ll help you feel better,” Barbara suggested.
”Ah, um, well…” Ray stammered.
Barbara addressed the Nixfen Lord, who was currently being consoled by the Older Sisters. Gone was the ‘Prince’ who had stood so tall and dignified earlier; she was now hunching her shoulders to downplay her height, making herself small. It seemed this was her natural state.
On a side note, I had been bound with my hands behind my back by the Older Sisters as the offender and was now being presented to her. Older Sister, I’d appreciate it if you stopped kicking my backside. I mean, sure, there are people of a certain persuasion who would find this mouth-watering, but… let’s just drop that thought.
”Ah—look, I’m sorry, Viscount Nixfen. I’d heard you were out here selling ‘Help Sticks,’ so I assumed you’d have a bit more of a thick skin about these things…” I said.
”You moron, Kento, that’s not the point…” Barbara sighed.
When I reflexively tried to excuse myself, Barbara delivered a resounding thwack to the back of my head. Yes… my deepest apologies, senior sister…
”I’m truly sorry. Do with me as you wish… stew me, fry me, whatever you like…” I apologized.
”N-no, I was just… so caught off guard. Besides, if I actually punched you with all my strength, I think you’d literally be split in two…” Ray admitted.
Whoops… I figured she’d be reasonably strong since she’s a noble, but that much? Yeah, from now on, I definitely need to be more discerning about who I choose to tease…
Eh? You’re telling me I shouldn’t be teasing anyone at all? Look, if you take the teasing away from me, there wouldn’t be much of ‘me’ left…
”Ah—yeah, point taken. I don’t know the whole story yet, but I’ll cooperate, so please spare me the ‘splitting in two’ part…” I said.
”Ahaha… yeah. Having Lord Harvest’s assistance would be quite reassuring. Thank you… I look forward to working with you,” Ray said.
As she spoke with a wry smile that was likely her most genuine expression yet, the Nixfen Lord was remarkably charming, regardless of her stature or appearance. Right down to the way she awkwardly retracted the hand she’d instinctively started to offer, her face flushing a deep red.
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Summary:
Kento deduces that the ‘prince’ selling adult goods is actually Ray, the daughter of Viscount Nixfen, in disguise. His crude method of proving it incites a mob of protective prostitutes to attack him. Aerith and Barbara intervene, leading to a truce where Kento agrees to assist Ray with her secret goal. Ray’s true, shy personality begins to surface after her cover is blown.
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Character Insight:
Ray Nixfen’s ‘Prince’ persona is a defense mechanism and a role she’s been coached to play, likely by the prostitutes who protect her. Kento’s lack of social boundaries is driven by his professional confidence in his knowledge of women, though it nearly costs him his safety. Barbara acts as the stabilizing force, leveraging her high status as ‘Teacher’ to turn a chaotic confrontation into a productive partnership.
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Behind the Scene:
The ‘Dansō no Reijin’ (Beauty in Men’s Clothing) trope is played for both comedy and plot development here. The ‘Help Stick’ is a recurring item in this series, functioning as a staple product of Kento’s shop that often leads to awkward social encounters with the nobility.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Ray – A Viscount with flaxen-gold hair in a men’s wolf cut. Possesses a sweet mask and a prince-like aura. It is revealed at the end that Ray is actually a woman. She has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district.
• Nixfen – A viscount aristocrat who has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district. He is described as a ‘pretty boy’ or ‘gentle-looking man’ (yasao) but is a territory-holding noble likely trained in combat.
• Aerith – A wolf beast-person and Ouka’s daughter. She is intensely attracted to Kento’s creative genius and is not shy about showing her interest. Have gray fur hair and tail, wearing elegant dress.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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