Unconventional Lessons

Unconventional Lessons

by BHS

"Kirara? What is this?"

Kirara Amanogawa leaned back in her chair with a playful sigh. Even after almost a month of living together, she still heard variations of that phrase a minimum of once a week from her roommate.

True, her roommate was more unusual than most transfer students. Hidden underneath her vivid red curls were a pair of pointy, elfin ears that marked Towa Akagi as not of this world. In truth, she was the Hope Kingdom's princess, once thought to be lost forever, now recovered thanks in part to the sacrifice of her devoted older brother, Prince Kanata.

With the doorway to Hope Kingdom now destroyed, there was no way for Towa to return to her homeland. Even if there was, the kingdom was still corrupted and locked in the grip of Dyspear, the Witch of Despair, its populace sealed away behind the Dark Gate... the Princess Precure were not nearly strong enough yet to reclaim the land from Dysdark.

So for the time being, Princess Towa was Towa Akagi, a new transfer student at the prestigious Noble Academy. A stranger transfer student than most, given that she still expressed ignorance of perfectly ordinary things such as television, cars, and parking meters... but there were more than enough eccentrics at Noble Academy for her to be passed off as just a little strange. As long as no one saw her ears, there was no real cause for concern.

As her roommate, it was Kirara's job to teach Towa about the human world. She was a quick study, with a child's boundless curiosity, and every day her knowledge grew... but the constant repetitions of "What is this?" were Kirara's reminders that there was always more that needed to be explained.

Today's new entry on the list of Human Things Towa Doesn't Understand appeared to be a fashion magazine. Strange, Kirara thought, she should be familiar with those by now. She tilted her head and examined the cover... oh. "Um, that's a swimsuit issue. They usually put those out in early spring, so that girls will know what kind of swimsuits are going to be in style that summer."

"Ah, I see." Towa flipped through a few pages, her ruby eyes widening. "Kirara, these girls are quite underdressed..."

"Well, yeah." The corner of Kirara's lip curled upward. "That's kind of the point. To show some skin."

"Skin?"

Hoo boy. This explanation was going to take longer than usual. Kirara shifted herself to straddle her chair, resting her chin on the back. "Most of the time, girls go around with their clothes covering them up, right? Normally, people don't get to see midriffs or butts or anything like that. Swimsuits are supposed to give people a look at what they normally can't see."

Towa's lips pursed into a cute little frown. "Is that not improper?"

"I- Look, being proper isn't an issue. It's about teasing."

Now the cute little frown was accompanied by a cute little wrinkled nose. "I was always taught that teasing other people is a horrible thing to do."

"Oh jeez," Kirara sighed. "This is a different kind of teasing. It's not to be mean, it's to show off."

"By exposing parts of a lady's person that would normally be covered by her modesty?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

"Why in the world would anyone want to do that?"

"It's..." Kirara paused, momentarily struck dumb. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. "It's fashion, Towa-chi. By wearing cute clothes and looking beautiful for other people, you feel better about yourself. It's empowering."