"What...!? Ray!?"
"I don't believe it! He's the spitting image of a beautiful girl!"
Deruku and Howard were the ones shouting in surprise. For the upcoming mission's briefing, Ray had arrived in full cross-dressing attire so he could transition directly into the operation.
At first, both men had been baffled, wondering why a random, strikingly beautiful girl was present.
Clad in a pure white one-piece dress, her glossy black hair reaching down to her chest, her delicate facial features left no room for doubt—she looked like nothing but a lovely young lady.
However, once Henrick informed them that this was Ray, their confusion transformed into total shock.
"N-No way... Is it really him?"
The last to find her voice was Flor. Trembling where she stood, she tentatively reached out a hand toward Ray.
"Yes. There is no mistake."
The voice that answered was not Ray's usual one. It was the perfect voice of a young girl. He was playing the part so flawlessly that it was still hard to believe this was the same boy they knew.
"Ray... how did you become such a beautiful girl?"
"It is for the mission."
"Even so..."
Flor stared intently at him. He was likely wearing makeup, but his face looked so naturally beautiful that it was hard to tell. His skin was as white as fresh snow. His eyelashes were curled more than usual, making his eyes appear wide and clear.
They were so lovely one felt as if they might be drawn into them.
"Ray. You really do have an incredible talent for this..."
"I am humbled."
"Yeah. This surprised even me... truly."
Ray accepted Flor's praise with calm composure. But why was it that Ray, who had been so flustered just a short time ago, was now able to maintain such a professional demeanor?
To understand that, one must look back a short while.
"...It's no use. I'm finished. I just can't do this..."
Ray had been cooped up in his room, still dressed in girl's clothing. He had eaten dinner with the other three as usual, but the food had tasted like nothing at all.
Ray was a genius. He possessed outstanding sorcery sense and a brilliant mind. But emotionally, he still had parts of him appropriate for his age.
His mind simply could not keep up with the reality of his current situation.
He sat in the dark corner of his room without turning on the lights, hugging his knees to his chest.
This mission didn't just require wearing the outfit; he needed to actually act as a girl. Only a week remained, during which he had to acquire the knowledge and mannerisms of a female child.
Between the outfit and the looming expectations, Ray was profoundly depressed.
"Ray. Are you alright?"
"Master..."
Lydia entered the room, her long golden hair swaying as she approached his side.
"...Master. I do not feel as though I can complete the mission in this form."
"Ray. Rest easy."
"About what?"
He looked up. His eyes were still a bit watery.
"You are a peerless beauty. I, your Master, guarantee it. From now on, the technique of cross-dressing will be of great use to you. It is a skill that a soldier loses nothing by possessing."
"A... technique?"
"Exactly."
Lydia was exceptionally good at persuading Ray. Furthermore, Ray respected her from the bottom of his heart. Because of that, a slight spark of light returned to his eyes.
"Sorcery is a technique. And cross-dressing is the same. It is nothing to be ashamed of. You are a genius in all things. Therefore, it is only natural that your cross-dressing is also genius-level, right?"
"M-Master...!"
The logic that being a genius in sorcery somehow made him a genius in cross-dressing was completely flawed, but Ray accepted it with deep emotion.
Ah. Master really is an amazing person! he convinced himself.
There was no longer any need for him to shed tears.
"I'll leave your training in feminine arts to Carol. Understood? That woman is usually out of her mind, but she is capable. She will surely teach you everything you need to know. After all, you are a professional—a specialist!"
"...Yes!"
It was all a matter of framing.
Thus, a skewed version of feminine knowledge was implanted into Ray, which would lead to various complications in the future... but that is a story for another time.
"Ray-chan. Let's make sure you can do your makeup yourself, okay?"
"Of course."
The next day, Ray was enthusiastically receiving an education from Carol. They began with makeup.
"For makeup, let's see. You have such good natural features, Ray-chan, so it's better not to go too heavy."
"Is that so? Wouldn't it be better to be flashy like you, Carol, so that my identity is more obscured?"
"Hmm. This really depends on a person's facial structure... You should go with a pure and refined style. Part of it is because of your age, but it's also what suits your face best."
"I see."
Ray diligently summarized her points in his notebook. He looked entirely serious. He no longer felt any aversion toward cross-dressing. Rather, the mindset of I must do this properly since Master told me to! took precedence.
"Curl the lashes, give the lips a healthy bit of color, apply a light layer of foundation, and then lightly shape the eyebrows. Make sure the wig is on securely so it doesn't slip."
"Understood."
Under Carol's guidance, Ray went through the process himself. True to his reputation, he had completely memorized the steps Carol had performed the day before, and his execution was flawless.
It was no exaggeration to say the results were identical.
"Yep! Just as expected of Ray-chan!"
"Of course. I am a professional and a specialist."
A smirk played on his lips, making him look exactly like his Master, Lydia. Carol was beaming, clearly delighted that Ray was so invested.
Then Ray put on the prepared dress—a white, one-piece garment adorned with delicate frills. It was an appearance that could only be described as pure and refined.
The cross-dressed Ray—Lily—was born.
He was as exquisite and beautiful as a porcelain doll. If someone were told the current Ray was a doll, many would likely believe it. That was the extent of his beauty.
"Now then, shall we start by studying your tone of voice?"
"Master and Abby-san are a bit masculine, so I should just copy you, Carol?"
"Hmm. Well, the persona is that of a young lady, so I want something more refined... but..."
"Would this be acceptable?"
"Whoa! Ray-chan, you can even make a voice like that!!?"
"Yes. I am slightly tuning my voice with sorcery."
Indeed. Ray had produced a feminine voice in an instant. Not only was the pitch correct, but his intonation was perfect as well.
Since his voice hadn't broken yet, he had thought he only needed to be careful with his mannerisms, but Ray was being extra cautious by using sorcery to tune his vocal cords.
"Ray-chan...! You really are a genius!!"
"Hehe. I am a professional and a specialist, after all."
As he offered a gentle smile, he looked exactly like a sheltered young noblewoman. Ray's cross-dressing was already approaching the level of perfection.
"Then all that's left is your gait and posture."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
And so, Ray completely traced the persona of a woman. What emerged was... undeniably, a genuine beautiful girl.
"Everyone. I look forward to working with you."
He gave a polite bow to the assembled unit members and offered a slight smile. Seeing this, everyone except Carol began to murmur in shock.
"Hey... what kind of training do you have to give someone to turn them into such a beautiful girl?"
Lydia's question was perfectly reasonable. No one had been allowed to see the two of them studying, so this was her first time seeing the finished "Lily."
Lydia was simply stunned. Abby, too, was standing there with her mouth agape.
"Fufufu! It's because Ray-chan's genius sense and Caro-caro's genius training clicked together perfectly!!"
That claim wasn't wrong, just for this occasion. Ray's talent and Carol's education had merged. Carol, in particular, was relentless in her pursuit of beauty, and she had hammered all of that knowledge into Ray.
A perfect beautiful girl designed to appeal to anyone.
That was Lily.
"...Caroline. To think you'd go this far..."
Henrick, who had given the order, was equally surprised. He hadn't expected the results to be of such startlingly high quality.
"L-Lieutenant Colonel... is it really all right for him to be this... convincing?"
Flor voiced her concern. Everyone except Carol felt an almost instinctive sense of dread. The Ray standing before them was so beautiful that they feared it might actually cause unforeseen complications during the mission.
"I-It should be fine. Right, let us move on to the strategy meeting."
And so, the curtain finally rose on Lily's first operation.