". . . After I finished telling the story, the girls agreed to perform.
The order would be: Yumi, Kokoro, Mio, and Yua—but there was an argument about who would go first. Yumi begged me to let her be the first, but her sisters didn't like that.
So they decided by age, from oldest to youngest.
I'm nervous. How did this actually work? Four charming women are going to show themselves to me—a virgin.
They went off to get dressed, and I'm the judge. That means I'll evaluate every detail. I have to act like a true judge at the World Cosplay Summit.
I can do it. I've been in countless competitions.
Why are they taking so long? Did they give up? I gave them time to change . . .
Knock, knock!
Are they ready? My heart is almost jumping out of my mouth.
Calm down. Calm down.
I steadied my voice and sat on the bed.
"You may send in the first candidate."
My stomach is in knots.
". . ."
"My daughters, Mommy missed you."
Damn it—it's their mother.
She screamed when she saw me and said, "You pervert! What are you doing here in my daughters' room?"
Why did this have to happen right now?
"I'm a friend of your daughters," I answered, stuttering.
"They don't have friends, because men are forbidden in this house." After contradicting herself, she covered her eyes with her hands.
Their mother is very beautiful. She's wearing a white dress, high heels, and her hair is down, framing her face.
"Yumi and her sisters saved me from an orc and brought me to your house."
Even if it's true, no mother would easily believe her daughters brought a man home.
"I told them not to go into the forest, but they're stubborn. Fine, that doesn't matter. What I want to know is why you're shirtless, lying on the bed like you're waiting for something."
Older women are like that. She knew I was waiting for something?
I gave a slight wink and replied, "I was waiting for you, darling."
"Turn into a frog."
She used transformation magic. I couldn't dodge—she's faster than her daughters at casting spells.
I'm completely screwed.
She grabbed me, carried me to the window, and explained, "Tell the truth or you'll be thrown from here."
How does she expect me to answer? Frogs don't talk.
"Ah, I forgot frogs can't talk. Voice magic. Now you can. Spit it out—what do you want here?"
I guess she isn't very smart. Is that what they say—all pretty women are dumb?
"I'll tell the truth, but first put me somewhere safe—croak-croak!"
What is that?
Croak-croak!
Ah, that's just what I needed.
Croak-croak!
And while you're at it, get rid of this horrible sound—
Croak-croak! Croak-croak!"
She burst out laughing, set me on the floor, and replied, "No way."
"Liar—you're laughing, so you can remove it—croak-croak!"
Where is she? I saw her a few seconds ago, and suddenly she vanished.
"Where are you, old witch?"
"I'm right in front of you."
If she were, I'd see her.
"I can't see you."
She nudged me with her foot and explained, "A frog is practically blind. If something is right in front of it and doesn't move—if a fly lands in front of it and stays still—the frog can starve to death staring at dinner without realizing it's there."
"That's not funny—croak-croak!"
How am I supposed to see the girls with vision like this? And how does she know these details? They lied to me—pretty women are smart.
"Alright. You win. I'll explain."
"Before I got to your house, I was running from the Men's Club—croak-croak! And as you already know, they don't like women. So I ran to find some unbelievably beautiful woman."
Is she believing this? I can't see her—croak-croak!
Damn frog hiccup. Well, from the silence, she must be . . .
"After I escaped, some men came to capture me, and so I ran into the forest to avoid being caught. But I got lost and fell into a pit."
"Zzzzz… Zzzzz…"
"In that pit, I spent days begging for help, but no one came, until I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the bed in this room."
"Zzzzz… Zzzzz…"
That buzzing is drawing me in—where is it coming from?
"Zzzzz—"
"Chomp." Delicious. My tongue shot out in a split second and I caught the fly.
Let me test again: "Chomp." Incredible. Being a frog has some advantages.
"You're enjoying being a frog, aren't you?"
"Croak-croak!"
"Is that a yes?"
"No, I was just testing a few things."
Whew. That was close.
"You told me all that, but you still didn't explain why you were shirtless and lying there in that shameless position."
This woman is persistent.
"Well, my profession is chamberlain and tailor—not just any. I was responsible for analyzing every detail and making the outfit fit perfectly on the body. And what does that have to do with this moment?"
"Croak-croak."
"Since your daughters saved me, I'm in debt. So to thank them, I'm going to analyze their outfits—and the position you saw me in is how I work."
I can't see well because the light is terrible. I don't know what she's doing.
"Click."
"Who turned off the light?"
"I did."
It was you, old witch.
"Wow. I can see better now—croak-croak."
"Did you know that, unlike humans, frogs can see colors even in total darkness? In the dark, their world looks like a party under blacklight, while we trip over everything."
"And?"
Whose clothes are those under the bed?
"Look up here on the bed, ugly frog . . ."
What does she want?
Wow.!
"What a wonder. When did you put on that outfit, my kitty?"
She's stunning.
She's got a guitar-waist figure, pale skin, and a huge neckline.
"Did you like my beach outfit? Since you're an expert at evaluating, start with me first."
"No need to ask—croak-croak!"