Merlin thought back to everything that happened there.
The fact that her own legs were very fragile was true, so after trying pantyhose once, Merlin never wore them again.
But strangely, Merlin’s legs could never forget that silky, smooth, tight-fitting sensation of being wrapped.
Pantyhose might be too difficult a level. Merlin didn’t intend to lie to herself. ‘Anyway, let’s try thigh-highs first.’
Merlin bunched the stockings down to the toes, gently pulling them up until the silky sensation covered half her thigh.
Merlin took a deep breath, hooked her fingers on the glossy, finely oiled black stocking top, and gave one final hard pull upward.
snap
With a crisp sound, the stocking top bit hard into the soft flesh of her mid-thigh, leaving a slightly indented, plump arc on her fair skin.
The other leg was the same.
The feeling of being tightly bound by the highly elastic fabric instantly sent a tingling numbness through Merlin’s calves.
The special shiny material was smoother and cooler than ordinary cotton socks, wrapping her legs like a second sealed layer of skin. Every subtle muscle twitch was clearly transmitted back to her brain.
Without slippers, walking on the wooden floor was a bit slippery.
Merlin turned to the black-and-white jirai-kei dress hanging nearby.
‘Whew… Next is the main event.’
She carefully unzipped the back, holding the layered, delicate garment in her hands. Though the dress looked light, because the hem was lined with multiple layers of stiff tulle and lace, it was unexpectedly heavy.
Her glossy toes entered the encirclement first, followed by her oiled-stocking-clad calves and knees. She spread the hem open, and when the dress’s inner lining reached her thighs, Merlin couldn’t help holding her breath.
The inside of the dress was a layer of smooth, cool satin. As the satin passed over her thighs, it came into contact with the incredibly silky, shiny stockings on her legs.
rustle, rustle…
The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, but in Merlin’s ears, it was like the crackling of electric current.
The satin fabric slid upward along the lines of her legs, brushing over the stocking-clad skin without any resistance.
The sensation of slick upon slick made Merlin feel as if countless feathers were lightly sweeping across her inner thighs.
Especially when the edge of the hem passed over the stocking top and touched that small exposed section of absolute territory.
The delicate lace lining edges lightly scraped that tender skin, forming a stark contrast with the tight pressure from the stockings below.
‘Mmph…!!’
Merlin’s legs suddenly trembled, and her knees involuntarily knocked together.
Her two legs, clad in shiny stockings, touched each other—a slippery, almost impossible-to-hold sensation that sent a strange feeling straight from her tailbone to the top of her head.
‘So strange… It’s just putting on clothes, right?’
‘That’s why I didn’t dare try this before.’
Merlin bit her lower lip, suppressing the urge to collapse, and quickly pulled the dress up to her waist, then slipped her arms through the sleeves.
She awkwardly zipped up the back by reaching around.
As the zipper closed, the waistline instantly tightened.
The dress’s waist-cinching design was excellent, making her already slim waist even more hand-span slender, while also forcing her to straighten her back.
The hem fluffed out thanks to the built-in stiff tulle, swaying lightly by her legs with Merlin’s movements.
With each step, the inside of the hem would brush over her thighs again, bringing waves of faint, elusive tickling.
‘T-This… Can I really go out like this?’
Merlin looked down at herself.
Black lace, cute bows, and those legs glowing temptingly under the light.
The girl in the mirror looked both gloomy and sweet, exuding an aura that made one want to both destroy and protect her.
Though she was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole, Merlin had to admit…
‘This version of myself is really cute.’
‘Forget it… Ophelia bought it for me and told me to wear it. It’s not my fault.’
Merlin took a deep breath, struggling to control her legs that had gone weak from the slippery stockings, and pushed the door open with as steady a gait as she could manage.
Outside the door, Ophelia was lounging lazily. She slowly lifted her head at the sound of the door.
“Oh my…”
Ophelia put down her book, her gaze unabashedly sweeping over Merlin’s chest adorned with a black bow, finally lingering on the long, beautiful legs encased in shiny stockings.
“Not bad, huh.”
Ophelia’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“I thought you’d wear white cotton socks like before, but I didn’t expect you to pick these shiny black thigh-highs… Not bad at all. My Merlin is so cute, getting more girly every day. Good. Your body is still honest.”
“It seems our daughter, when it comes to aesthetics, though she says ‘anything is fine,’ her body is still honest.”
Ophelia stood up and circled around Merlin.
Merlin’s cheeks flushed red. Subconsciously, she tried to pull at the hem to cover her thighs, but found the fluffy hem couldn’t be pressed down; instead, it swayed even more with her movement, revealing more of the stockings’ shine.
“Mhm, being shy is also cute. You’ve already learned to love beauty. I’m really happy. Seems being turned back into Adult Merlin isn’t so bad.”
Ophelia laughed, took Merlin’s hand, and pressed her into the chair at the vanity.
After changing clothes, Merlin endured the electric sensation in her legs and slowly walked back to the master bedroom. Ophelia looked at her daughter with satisfaction.
“Not bad, huh. You even take the initiative to match stockings. You chose well.”
“Let’s comb your hair.”
Ophelia led Merlin, now in her new dress, to the vanity to comb her daughter’s hair.
Ophelia reached for Merlin’s gradient blue hair, sliding her hand from top to bottom, her fingertips pressed against the scalp, bringing a tingling, blissful sensation.
“After turning back into Adult Merlin, your hair has gotten longer too.”
As she spoke, Ophelia picked up a wooden comb and combed smoothly from the crown to the tips.
“When you were a little one, you also had long hair, but back then it was thin and soft, easy to manage. Now… though it’s prettier, to comb it perfectly takes some effort.”
“Mhm…”
Merlin didn’t quite understand why Ophelia had to bring up the Little Merlin days again. Maybe elders are always nostalgic, even though she herself was in Little Merlin form not long ago.
Back then, whenever she visited those aunts and relatives during holidays, they would always hold her hand and prattle on about “when you were little, like this and like that.”
“Alright, stop daydreaming. Lower your head a bit.”
Ophelia raised her hand in a gesture as if to hit.