Chapter 1 - Ann Gets Schooled

"Eeeeeh... I still don't know about this, Panther..." Futaba whines, a stick of pocky bobbing in her mouth as she studies several screens within Necronomicon. Front-and-center, she sees Ann standing at Shujin Academy's gate - or... Something that very well resembles it. 
 
Believing herself alone and unwatched, Ann adjusts the breasts of her catsuit. "C'mon, I told you - it doesn't hurt anybody. I know it's not exactly noble... But c'mon, you know she's way too hard on me!" Ann walks up the front steps, looking upward at a twisted reflection of her school. It's much the same - but, like most constructs in the metaverse, it's recognizably different. The sky above is grey and smoggy; wisps of smoke spiraling down to several smokestacks sitting on Shujin's roof - and others in the distance.
"Only from what you've told me." Futaba murmurs laconically. With exams over with, Ann's grades came in... Less than satisfactory. Her grades were rather average - with one exception: math. She always got a negative vibe from Ms. Usami - and as any aspiring phantom thief would do, so Ann believed, she checked if the uptight teacher had a palace. Lo and behold, she did - but one that wasn't nearly as grand as those she'd seen prior. It was hardly distorted at all; so the Meta-Nav said - it was centered around Shujin, and the keyword was... Factory. A plaque on the school's gates, in this world, proclaimed it to be a place where the raw material of uncouth youth was refined into the product of a responsible adult. It wasn't nearly as cruel as other palaces'... But, by both Ann and Futaba's account, it was worth removing. In any case - with little distortion, it seemed to have rather few shadows haunting it; and those that did weren't particularly strong. "Look," Futaba chides. "just get in, and get out. I've got Makoto and Haru on standby in case anything goes wrong."
 
Ann beams. "It won't, don't worry." she assures, walking through the doors. "I'll just be-" As soon as she passes the threshold, the doors shut - and Futaba's transmission is cut off. While she scrambles to regain connection, Ann is blissfully unaware. She stands in the main hall of the academy, tapping her chin. "Now... Where would Usami's treasure be...?"
 
Upon entering, Panther was met with almost a parody of a dystopian factory, one coated with an ugly brown and constructed entirely with cement. Nothing appeared to be in service of aesthetic, only pure pragmatism. Massive machines whirled with loud clangs, bringing the young woman's attention to the rather rusty assembly line aligned with equally aged automatons working completely in sync. Even more strange, all the automatons were painted as if they were dressed in standard business casual wear with beige jackets and a long-sleeve undershirt. Their faces were painted with what appeared to be permanent scowls underneath a pair of round spectacles. Buncha nerd bots, she assumed. Still, considering the robots didn't appear to recognize her as a danger just yet, she saw it fit to approach the assembly line for a closer look.
 
Being shot down from a chute onto the conveyor belt were dolls with Shujin Academy uniforms, each their own special visage. Strange. Why would already completed dolls be loaded onto a massive conveyor belt? But that was whenever she saw the robots do what they were programmed to. They ripped the dolls apart, stretching them out, coating them with identical business casual wear and a haircut resembling Ms. Usami's before placing glasses and sending them down another chute into...somewhere. It was definitely one of the weirder manifestations of cognitions the Phantom Thief had experienced. Still, at least nothing appeared to be murderous at the moment. That was a welcome change of pace, at least. Still, there didn't seem to be any additional doors or even windows. Where could the treasure be if there weren't any other rooms to explore? Save for maybe one of the chutes.
 
Panther wrinkled her nose as she surveyed the inside of the school - or, er... Factory. She could still recognize a good portion of it - the halls were laid out similarly; the doors were in the familiar places, the stairways... But it was all covered in the dark and industrial aesthetic. The scent of iron and ozone wafted faintly around the place - hanging poignantly around the robots that milled about the assembly lines. 
 
She moved over to one of them, peering over to get a good look at the dolls... When she found herself nudged by one of the robots. "Hey-!" she begins, taking a step back. The robot's head turned in her direction - and its bespectacled eyes seemed to narrow on her. There was a brief flash; and a sensation like air rushing over her body... Looking down, she wasn't treated to the familiar sight of red latex covering her body - rather, her school uniform. "What the-?" she murmurs, taking a step back. Removing herself from the robot's line of sight seemed to be enough to break whatever it was doing to her - and her rebellious mask returned in kind. She rubbed her arms worriedly, keeping far away from the line after that.
"If I'm in my uniform... She sees me as a threat. But she knows me, and doesn't see me as a threat?" she murmurs, trying to find some reasoning. Looking at the uniforms being ripped off of the dolls and replaced with suits, she shudders. "Better not toy around with that." Despite the doors being laid out similarly to the school - every time she tried to open one was met with a soft thud. They all seemed to be for show - with as little as the cognition was warped here... Places where it was weakest in Usami's mind seemed to be excluded altogether. With no other options, she looked over one of the chutes - watching little Usami-dolls roll into them; their plastic glasses clicking on their way down the metal chute. Grabbing hold of her outfit's tail, Ann hopped over the side of one of them, bracing herself on the sides as she inched her way down.
 
Rather unfortunately for the lone Phantom Thief, the production line was very efficient. Ann found herself being pelted with Usami-doll after Usami-doll. It was only a mild annoyance at first, but then a torrent of porcelain came pouring down on the young woman, causing her to lose her grip and fall to her doom...or at least atop a massive pile of Usagi-dolls. More specifically, she was dropped into a massive crate full of the things. The moment her weight was added to the pile, however, giant scale underneath was suddenly sounded by the irregularity. The entire room suddenly became basked in a red glow as alarms blared, the security system none too happy to have an intruder in its midst. More than that, she appeared to be in her school uniform once more, her mask completely evaporated into the wind.
 
A giant metallic claw descended from the ceiling, coated in a thick layer of rush from its lack of regular use. Anne hardly had time to escape her prison before being snatched in its dirty hand. Despite Ann's flailing, it was to no avail. Without Carmen, she was left without a way to fight against the cognitive mechanical machinations of her teacher's mind. She was merely dropped down just slightly, still suspended a good 10 feet above the concrete ground. And that was whenever she appeared.
 
Out from the shadows emerged a familiar figure clapping slowly with oh so much sarcasm. It was a familiar face, albeit one with glowing yellow eyes and a dark aura surrounding her. She could recognize the gaze of condescension from anywhere, though. "My, my, Miss Takamaki. Seems you live to cause disruptions wherever you go."
 
Ann's suit squeaked as the rubbery material rubbed against the matte metal innards of the tube; shimmying downward and angling herself against the walls to avoid the dolls dropping on her. If nothing else, the assembly line was... Regular - so after a good five dolls unceremoniously fell on her head, she managed to get the timing down to shove herself out of their path. At least, until the torrent came - and she found herself swept up in a torrent of cloth and porcelain. She - like her suit, rubbing the walls on the way down - squealed when she found herself buried - her arms lashing out to grab the sides of the box and heft herself out. 
 
"Gotta get- Ah! Hey!" She'd latched onto the sides of the metal crate by the time she felt the metallic pincer wrap itself around her waist. She could feel a tangible resistance to its movement - the rust, cascading off in dusty rivulets, making it slow both to open and close. Now that she was locked in, no matter how much batting she did at it, it'd do no good. Her eyes went wide as she saw her bare arms beating at the rusty metal - first, she scanned the ground below for any robots that might've had an eye on her... But, as she spotted the palace's owner, she realized that she was being watched by someone considerably more dangerous. 
 
She crossed her arms and hung still in the pincer's grip, her cheeks puffing out a little in frustration. "Yeah, it's a habit of mine." she grumbles. Her legs kick a little in vain. "Tell you what - why don't you just throw me outta here and we call it even?"
 
The woman simply adjusted her glasses, shooting a glare that likely could have killed small animals. It was one Ann was all too familiar with, sadly. It was like her teacher had resting bitch face. "You expect me to allow you to break into my factory of perfection and tamper with it, just to get off scot-free? I'm afraid I cannot let you do that. You shall be punished severely for your crime!" She snapped her fingers, causing the crane to squeeze the teenage girl even tighter. The pain was as excruciating as the situation was humiliating. However, it suddenly stopped as the Shadow seemingly had a change of heart.
 
"Or...perhaps...this can be a learning moment," Usami muttered as she adjusted her glasses once more. "I'm almost certain I can find a way to squeeze the rebellion out of you without squeezing out all the other stuff."
 
Ann yowled as she felt the pincer constrict upon her waist; the uncompromising and inflexible steel digging into her skin through her uniform. Futilely, she tried to brace her hands against its rusty arms, trying to force them apart - moreover, trying to summon her Persona - but to no avail. A cold feeling coursed through her body as she feared that she wouldn't be walking out of this palace...
 
But then she heard a metallic whine, and felt the pincers cease their torturously slow constriction. They didn't relax at all - but they weren't getting any tighter, which was a good thing. They were already pinching tightly against her back and sides, and a look of discomfort was readily apparent on Ann's face. "If you think you can do it, I dare you!" she taunts. While that possibility wasn't particularly enticing... It was better than being crushed to death. Whatever Usami had in store surely had some means of escape - and Ann was willing to bide her time.
 
A smirk grew across the teacher's lips. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. "Very good." Usami snapped her fingers once more, causing the claw to start whirring around elsewhere as the sounds of loud machinery returned. From the ground, yet another gigantic contraption arose from some hidden compartment. It was even larger than the doll assembly line, in addition to being eerily similar. The claw swerved around before dangling Ann over a giant funnel at the very start.
 
"Perhaps I can make you a decent member of society yet, Miss Takamaki. I believe the main problem is your youth. Kids these days know nothing of respect or discipline. But I intend to make you a product of a much more enlightened generation. All that entails is getting rid of that pesky youth." And with that, the girl was dropped in.
 
"Whoa-" Ann murmured as the claw began to move; swinging her gently around. Between the discomfort in her midsection and the mild vertigo of being held so high off the floor, she was beginning to feel a little queasy. Even so, she tried to steal herself - looking for some means of exit. The only way she got in was through the chute above... And even if she did see a few doors here; she didn't know for sure how many of them were... Real or not. As of now, she was in some sort of basement level - hell; she didn't know if the school actually had a basement, so she wasn't sure if it was purely the product of cognition or not. Either way - it didn't give her any easy answers as to how to get out of this situation.
 
Shadow Usami's words weren't making the situation any easier. "So, you think I'm some sort of problem child... So you want to fix the child part?" she reasons, scratching her head. "I..." She pauses. She wants to say that it's not possible - but... Well, this was the metaverse. She'd been turned into a mouse before, if only temporarily. Surely any changes that'd happen to her could be fixed if she couldn't avoid them... Right? There was a foul smell rising out of the funnel she was held over - giving her a sick sense of anticipation to be dropped into it if only to get out of it as soon as possible. When the pincer shot open, she stretched herself out - trying to reach for the edges of the funnel... 
 
But she fell short. Her hands slid smoothly on the walls; which seemed lubricated to prevent any chance of escape as she tumbled inward.
 
Ann probably should have been thankful the chute didn't lead into a furnace or anything. Not that where she ended up wasn't as hot as one. For whatever reason, through some weird Metaverse logic, the machine lead directly into a sauna. A scorching hot sauna to which there appeared to be no escape, though. Even the tube she had fallen from disappeared entirely, leaving only her, the steaming room, and...
 
"Enjoying yourself, Miss Takamaki?" There was Ms. Usagi butt-naked in a steaming hot room. All of her body was left bare, from her perfectly trimmed black pubes to her glowing golden eyes no longer obscured by spectacles. There also appeared to be a mole on her right thigh that was normally hidden. "I figured you might want to relax some first. Melt off those unnecessary years."
 
Ann found herself plopping straight down onto a padded wooden bench; the suspiciously Ann-sized vent she'd arrived through promptly sliding shut. Steam rising from the coal basin in the center of the sauna slowly rolled against the now-sealed ceiling, leaving Ann to rub at her sides. Even before she'd arrived, Ann had already worked up just a bit of seat from struggling against the claw - which she delicately wipes from her forehead before she spots the nude Usami before her.
 
"Sensei!" she shouts, holding her hand over her mouth; a furious blush coming to her face. She'd... Seen Kamoshida in his undies before; but she'd never seen a Shadow fully in the buff... Let alone one of her actual teachers. She rises off of the bench and takes a few steps back, averting her eyes. "I never would've thought you'd be so shameless in private..." she grumbles. While her eyes are off of her teacher, she scans the room - and, with her entrance sealed... There didn't seen to be any exits. The benches ringed the room in its entirety - leaving no room for exit. Taking a glance back at Usami didn't help. Ann didn't know if it was worse whether her shadow was so... Anatomically-correct or not. The faint bit of sweat-slicked chub on her teacher's body made her shudder - she knew full well that even when she escaped the Metaverse, that'd be a mental image she'd never forget.
 
The teacher simply chuckled to herself. It was so adorable seeing her student this flustered in the face of beauty. "I know I may not be the model of traditional beauty in these days and times, but I see no reason to be modest in such a situation." That said, her mouth curled into a smirk as she leaned in close to Ann, spreading out her bare body even further. It may not have been the most shapely or the most fit. but that didn't mean she wasn't hot in her own mousey way. The way she loomed over her student forced Ann to take in nearly every crevice of her teacher's body, unfortunately getting a waif of her body odor in the meanwhile. Did...did Usami not shave her pits?
 
"Sure you want to keep those clothes on?" she asked with a lecherous grin. "It's a little steamy in here for those, don't ya think?"
 
Ann stood up and slowly backed away from Usami - but it wasn't like she could get far. The room itself was cramped; cramped enough that there was only, perhaps, three feet between the benches on the opposite sides of the room. In the process of backing up, she bumped into the one on the wall opposite Usami and tumbled down into it. Was Futaba watching her, she wondered? If she was, why wasn't she saying something? Damn - without her Persona, she doubted she'd have any way to contact her anyway. The cramped nature of the room made it much easier for the heat to circulate; and furthermore, the scent. Beads of sweat rolled down Ann's face now, and she could feel her shirt and tights getting sticky. She removed her hoodie and tossed it onto the bench, but glared at the Shadow when she suggested she do any more.
 
"You're more twisted than I thought. I was just coming in here to get you to fix my grade - but maybe you need your heart changed for more than just that." Before she knew it, Usami was on her again - her sticky, plain body almost brushing against Ann's. Her nose wrinkles, and she tugs at the collar of her shirt. "Y'know, if this is your palace, why can't you make it so you smell better? You reek."
 
"I smell exactly as I should," the woman replied simply as she inched even closer until her sticky, stinking body was pressed up against the girl's. Their incredibly sweaty bodies messed together as Usami playfully played with Ann's top, piling the incredibly moist strap before letting it snap back lamely. "This is only natural, after all. True beauty comes from how you are regardless of the makeup you wear or diets you go on or deodorant you apply. True beauty comes from flaws, not perfect forms such as you."
 
As she said that, the steam poured in with even greater force than before, making the small room unbearably hot. At this point, Ann could smell every inch and crevice of her teacher, from her pits to her butt sweat to the dew forming around her pubes. "Sure you don't want to take off a little more, Miss Takamaki? You really have to exude all that sweat. How else are you planning on maturing?"
 
Ann had tried to back away until she was well and truly forced into a corner - her back against a rather uncomfortably-warm wall and her front blocked by the sweaty cognitive version of her math teacher. Truth be told, she'd always been intimidated by the stern woman in reality - after all, she held her grades in her hand, and Ann wasn't a star pupil by any means - but she'd never anticipated that her Shadow would be this intimidated. In fact, she expected it to be downright passive. 
 
Ann's hair had begun to look just a little greasy - and her clothes covered liberally in dark spots as she manages to sweat through them. The heat was starting to get to her - she was beginning to feel dizzy. If she passed out in the Metaverse, there was no telling what could happen to her... But, if she wanted to stay conscious... Ann bit her lip. She looked down at Usami's body - the teacher's sweat dripping liberally onto her own now. One of her hands reached up to wearily support her head... And the other, defeatedly, reached down to her top and began to unbutton it. 
 
"F-fuh-fine." she stammers out, her eyelids flitting. "You win. Perv." she grumbles. As her head goes hazy, Usami's words manage to slip inward and bounce around her skull - her assertions on perfection; on beauty. Ann's shirt fell heavily upon the bench with a wet squish when she finally removed it, followed by her skirt, tights, and shoes. She left her underwear on; even then, holding one hand over her cleavage so her teacher didn't... Get any ideas.
 
Usami couldn't help but grin, pleased with her incredibly easy manipulation of the girl. Then again, Ann never was one of her brightest students, so it was no wonder it didn't take long to get her into her bare essentials. "Hey, I'm just trying to help you out, Miss Takamaki," she smirked as she took a deep whiff, taking in Ann's pure, undiluted body odor. "Ah~! Not half bad, Miss Takamaki. Appears all that makeup and skincare products have simply melted away! Welcome to your natural state." And it was at that moment that a shrill PFFFT! echoed throughout the room.
 
Ann was forced to confront a torrent of different smells and sensations that only became worse from being trapped in an incredibly small enclosure. She could smell her sweat, her teacher's sweat, her greasy hair, her ruined clothes, and a whiff of Ms. Usami's gas all at once. It was more than overwhelming, it made her skin feel like it was burning. In a way, it was. Wrinkles start forming around her face as she gained a noticeable frown line forming around her mouth. Even her perfectly pert tits began to sag as her chest lost a fair amount of its youth.
 
"If you wanted to help me out, you'd turn down the..." She feels a wave of dizziness wash over her - but she can't tell if it's due to the heat or the smell; as both seem to be intensifying well beyond her capability to contend with. "Heat..." Her body is quite the opposite of Usami's - fit and athletic, fair-skinned, and smooth all over; nary the faintest hint of any unwanted hair. Her only hair; at the top of her head, now sticks to shoulders - and she fights to remove. Ultimately, she removes her hair ties and lets it fall limply across her back and shoulders - her fingers curling at the greasy sensation of the elastic bindings. 
 
She can feel a curious sensation in her breasts as her breasts begin to lose a bit of their pertness - resting a little more awkwardly in the cups of her bra. "What the hell...?" she whines; her brow furrowing and putting on display just a few more wrinkles than normal. "Warn a gal before you do that." she gripes.
 
"Sorry, just kinda snuck out, ya know?" Usami asked with a sly giggle. That said, she wrapped her stinking hairy pits around Ann before pulling herself in close, once more slapping their sticky moist bodies together. The teacher traced her finger down the girl's very moist chest, collecting a fair amount of her moisture before popping said finger into her mouth. "Mmm~! Tastes like perfume. Guess you don't need any more of that."
 
Even more concerning was the color seemingly being drained from Ann's hair, her now frizzy moist hair losing its natural blondness as if it were cheap artificial dye. Instead, dull black hair took over her scalp, washing away her uniqueness as her wavy hair turned nothing short of straight. A natural beauty didn't rely on something like exoticness, after all. They were perfect in their averageness and uniformity. At the same time, Ann could feel herself plumping in the butt and waist regions, as if her years of endless sweet consumption were starting to catch up to her.
 
"Mmh!" she whines, feeling the greasy mass of hair roll across her already-sticky skin as Usami wrapped an arm around her. By now, Ann wasn't just feeling weaker because she didn't have her Persona - no; instead, she just felt... Feeble in general. As the steam and heat forced her to sweat out years at a time, her stamina went with it - she couldn't force her way out of Usami's grip if she tried. With her hair clinging to her back - and now, in part, to Usami's side, she couldn't see its hasty degradation - but she could feel it compounding in her body. The flatness of her stomach had begun to round out into the slightest of curves as her metabolism began to slow.
 
She tries to brace herself against Usami to shove her off - but all she manages to do was wrap an arm around the teacher; her hand coming to rest around the nude woman's hip. Her fingers sink just slightly into the soft and sweaty flesh; and she nudges just a little closer - so that her covered breasts nudge gently against Usami's own. Her brow continues to furrow as she sits up, her face mere inches from her teacher's. "If I wasn't so wiped from this heat..." she begins to threaten, but then trails off. "Ugh, this is disgusting."
 
Years upon years seemed to melt away as Ann lost all of her youthful vigor. Her skin lost most of its natural luster as her perfectly taut stomach started poking out, all those years of snacking finally catching up to her. A few aging spots even popped up as the girl aged past into her 30s, her face maturing from one of exuberance to pure exhaustion. Slight bags appeared under her eyes as if she possessed a job that took a little bit of her soul each day. Almost like a teacher!
 
Usami simply giggled as she lightly cupped the girl's face, forcing her to focus on her face. "I don't think this is disgusting at all," she insisted. "There's nothing wrong with a couple of average women sweating together. You may not be model material, but I certainly wouldn't call you disgusting." That said, she inched her body a little bit closer, smooshing her sagging breasts against Ann's diminishing breasts. "In fact..." She started running her hand through the woman's bland, greasy hair. "You look more beautiful than ever to me~"
 
The look of disdain on her face only seemed to magnify as the wrinkles and creases upon it grew deeper and more emphasized. The fatigue, too, manifested as her bright blue eyes grew much less exuberant; much more tired. Her body wasn't just tired now - moreover, it was a little... Sore. Enough to nag at her with faint pangs as she tried to squirm away from the teacher... Enough to encourage her not to fight. Besides, a dark thought teased her, what was the point of fighting a battle she couldn't win?
 
Usami's fingers pressed into the faintest hint of chub framing her face; the angular nature of her features having faded away in the slightest under a thin layer of fat; enough so that she wasn't particularly striking. Ann's eyes - whether she liked it or not - bored into Usami's golden ones; feeling locked onto her gaze almost as if entranced.
 
The idea of a teacher hitting on her wasn't anything new - but what was new was how she felt about it. Her first instinct was to be revealed, but she had to force a negative reaction simply to feel one. Instead her gut instinct was just to react... Plainly; even be a little flattered. She'd always expected lecherous old men to be drooling after her young and supple form - but for a... Plain woman to be praising her plainness? Even if she wasn't aware of what made her plain, the sheer reasoning behind Usami's attraction made it feel just a bit better. Even more importantly... It just felt like too much effort to force a negative reaction when it wasn't coming naturally. "You... Really think so?" she mutters. She sits up a little - feeling her bare breasts nudging against Usami's. Paying less and less attention to her own clothes - and Usami doing the same - made them simply fade from the cognition; leaving Ann utterly bare.
 
Usami smiled back with genuine warmth. The fact that Ann was now completely bare was not lost on her. It was simply the two of them now, each reeking from every crevice of their bodies. She noticed damp black hair poking out out of the woman's armpits in addition to a healthy black bush around her newly aged vagina. It appeared a lot more used now, even though Ann couldn't recall ever having her purity taken. It was simply older and a lot more experienced one way or another. It didn't smell the greatest either, but Usami loved nothing more to inhale its dampness.
 
The teacher learned even closer towards the woman, even wrapping her legs around Ann's waist, causing their naked crotches to collide as well. "Of course I do," she smiled back. "You're perfectly imperfect. You're over the hill, exhausted, burnt out, and yet..." Usami finally leaned in, smooching her lips against her transforming student's with a loving passion that could not possibly be faked. It was a simple gesture, really, a single smooch that she disconnected after a couple seconds to meet eye to eye with her plaything once more. "...you're the most beautiful specimen I've ever known~"
 
Whereas Usami's body hair seemed... Trimmed; acknowledged and appropriately tamed, Ann's seemed more wild - ignored and uncared for. Even the minimal effort Usami seemed to put into her appearance seemed leaps and bounds greater than Ann's in her new state. She had nothing on her body to cover up her scent; to disguise her tired look, to rein in the unflattering flab of her now rather bottom-heavy figure. And yet...
 
Hearing Usami praise it sent her heart aflutter. "Th-that's not something to celebrate..." she begins, placing her hands delicately on Usami's shoulders, wanting to push back, but simply... Leaving them there; leaving her dense thatches of pit hair exposed and dripping onto the bench below. The look of disgust on her face has melted into one of trepidation; her aged face now marked with a distinct blush. "... Is it?" While she aspires to be absolute - she can't help but wonder if this cognitive Usami was onto something. Her eyes widen as she feels the teacher's lips fall upon her own - tasting of stale coffee and just the faintest bit of saline sweat. Ann's once well-coordinated body didn't know how to react - and rather than shove her off, her hands pulled back and pulled the teacher even closer; unwittingly forcing her into an even more intimate kiss. 
 
When the kiss broke, a rope of saliva connected their lips together. "That's..." Ann murmurs, pursing her lips. "That was... The best kiss I've ever had." Was it? She couldn't recall any other time she'd kissed a...has anyone else.
 
The teacher simply giggled, happily cuddling her stinky, sticking body to Ann's as she wrapped her arms her, exposing her dense arm hair even closer to her lover's nose. She squeezes their bodies even closer together, until they were literally up against the wall and smushed together. There was no escaping their embrace now, even if Ann wasn't sure she'd ever want to escape. This was the most anyone had ever loved her, after all.
 
"There's a lot more where that came from if you let me help you~" Usami cooed before leaning over and giving the woman an even longer smooch, allowing her tongue to wrap hers. "We could have a lovely life together as something far more powerful than some pesky Phantom Thieves. We could be educators, influencing the younger generations and putting them on the path for greatness~!"
 
More? There was more of this - more than this? Ann's eyes widened further, and rather than even try to struggle against the next kiss, she passively allowed Usami to ravish her with affection. A soft squeak wormed its way up her throat; the faintest, stifled hint of a moan. Her puffier nipples sat perked on her smaller, saggier breasts; and her thicker, hairier sex grew even wetter than it had from the inundation of sweat. When Usami pulled back, Ann followed for a little; even if unconsciously, she longed for more.
 
She couldn't deny that she wanted more - she couldn't deny how she felt... Right here, right now. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt even more... Excited beyond that. Her eyes lowered, rolling over Usami's body in kind for the first time. Taking in the greasy sheen of sweat over it; the sallow complexion, the flabby curves and dense hair. It was the figure of a woman; a working woman. And to her - that was the most beautiful thing she could recall seeing. "Please..." she whimpers. "I want... I want to see more. I want to be..." Her voice rises to a squeak. "Together."
 
Usami flashed a warm smile as she stared back at Ann's pleading eyes. They were certainly duller than before, even losing any and all sense of Caucasian ancestry as they became dull, brown, and completely Japanese. She was the kind of girl that could easily get lost in a crowd, a completely mundane woman that would turn almost no heads. But it was just the woman she wanted. "Alright then. I can't wait to show you more~"
 
That said, she finally got off her partner, rather disappointed to do so. But there was much more to be done. She snapped her fingers, causing an opening to suddenly appear within the sauna. A door, it appeared, the first exit presented thus far. She turned around and offered her hand to her disgusting lover. "Shall we go, Miss Takamaki?"
 
Ann gave a soft huff as she felt Usami's skin peel off of her own; the sweat building back up on her body so as to remove all evidence that she'd ever been making contact with the other woman. She didn't know how to refer to Usami anymore - it was hard for her still-rather-hazy head to conceive of her as her teacher, but yet she still felt... Grounded enough not to refer to her as anything grander - as a coworker... Or a lover. And yet, there was a growing sense within her that wanted to shed that mentality that was keeping her from coming to such a terminus. 
 
She felt a cold rush of air wash across her sweat-soaked form as the benches seemed to slide apart, and the wall behind them opened. Steam billowed out of the opening in dense clouds, and a chill began to overtake the sauna. The longer she waited in here, she realized, the more miserable it'd get. Ann reached out to take Usami's hand... And she could distantly recognize how her own had changed. The dull and short nails, the slightly darker complexion, and the faint thickness of her arm and fingers... It all looked different. And still, the same hand clasped tightly, with sweaty palms, around Usami's, allowing her to lead her, wordlessly, deeper into her palace.
 
The teacher wasted little time guiding her lover into the next room. The change in climate was  immediate, cold wind splashing onto their previously superheated bodies. It did little to alleviate their smell and they were still very much soggy wet, but it did a fair amount to dry off a lot of the remaining sweat. The room itself turned out to be a gigantic walk-in closet arranged from head to toe with the exact same ensemble: a dull brown jacket with an equally dull brown skirt and black top. It was Usami's outfit of choice, after all.
 
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Usami remarked as she looked at her uniformed uniform room. "Completely conservative, completely professional, nothing for immature male students to gawk out. I took years finding the perfect ensemble and I take great pride in my discovery." And just like that, without even moving an inch, the uniform appeared over her, even neatly fixing her hair into its usual braid. "Brilliant."
 
When Ann got off the bench, she hunched over a little, unconsciously giving off a little grunt when she got up. Her body felt odd - much too heavy; lacking the grace she was used to. As a model more as a phantom thief, she was used to having a rather good sense of her own body's range; its flexibility and posture, but when she moved now, she couldn't sense any of it - like a part of her perception had simply been walled off... Or, more likely, just been sweated out. The cooler air outside of the sauna didn't really keep them from sweating - their bodies were still radiantly hot... But it just seemed to shift the rather fresh and glossy sweat into something much more stale. 
 
The room they entered smelled musty even before they stepped in; fouling it up further. Ann tentatively stepped over to one of the racks, running a hand over one of the suit jackets while Usami seemed to suit up behind her. "It might not give the students much," she began, her voice sounding just a little huskier than before. "but it's certainly a treat for a woman like me." Woman, she thought. The word evoked a rather nice sensation within her. The thought of wearing an outfit like that like an... Aegis against the prying and perverted gaze, while also showing off to other professionals of her caliber... Her model fashion sense was slowly crumbling as she beheld the bland, earth-toned wardrobe.
 
And with that change in fashion came a change in cognition. The moment the clothes became an object of her desires, they became her clothes, adorning her still musky body perfectly. Usami smiled at her lover's new wardrobe, walking over and leaning her head over Ann's shoulder before giving the new woman a loving peck. "You look beautiful, sweetie~" she cooed into her ear. "You're just missing one vital component."
 
That said, Usami reached over to the pocket of Ann's jacket, making sure to cop a feel as she did so, before pulling a pair of spectacles. They were a lot like her own, far from fashionable but completely utilitarian. It was likely no coincidence that Takamaki's vision began blurring at that very moment. "Glasses tend to represent wisdom. I also find them cute. And necessary, of course." She gently placed the spectacles over Ann's eyes, sharpening her vision once more, only to find the closet coated with mirrors.
 
The clothes, as they swirled around her and forced her limbs into them, felt distinctly... Tailored. Not for her, however - and that was a bit of a problem. When the shirt slid her arms through it, the sleeves were too tight. The buttons fought against her pudgy, treasure-trail-covered gut as they closed up. The conservative, plain underwear dug into her thicker thighs and hips... Until they relaxed - progressing from Usami's fit to one made specifically for her. She breathed a cathartic sigh of relief as everything came together - tight and rigid; giving her body just the right amount of structure...
 
And moreover, making her look nice in front of Usami. When she looked over her shoulder at the teacher, she gasped - hardly able to make out the sight of her face... Before the glasses were placed over her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered a little as she got used to seeing perfectly again - and she couldn't help but reach up to adjust them. As low as they sat on her nose, she had to tilt her head upward to get the best view - to Usami, it'd look normal. But to anyone shorter; it may look like she's looking down at them. "I..." she begins, clearing her throat. "I'm inclined to agree, Ms. Usami!" She tries to take on a stuffier tone - but her lips curl into a smile and she can't help but giggle. Even as far gone as she's become, she couldn't take herself seriously as somebody so stern.
 
Surprisingly, Usami didn't scold the woman at all. In fact, she found herself giggling along with the woman, wrapping her arms around her as the two had a good laugh together. "Hahaha~! You do look quite beautiful, aren't you?" she laughed with her still stinking pits still shoved in Ann's face. "A look fit for an educator, don't you agree? And please, call me Kuriko. I think you more than deserve it at this point."
 
One of the mirrors suddenly popped open, seemingly into a new area altogether. Kuriko was sure to point it out as well. "So...might we move forward towards your destiny...oh, Ann doesn't sound quite fitting for someone like you, does it? Stands out way too much."
 
Even through the stuffy fabric of their uniforms; Ann could still smell Usami-... No, Kuriko's body. It felt odd to be on a first-name basis with one of her teachers, but... She supposed it should feel exceptional. No, special, even; honorable! She looked at herself and Kuriko in the mirror - and even if they were still sweaty; and her dark, straight hair was still greasy and limp... The two of them looked like the two most beautiful women in the metaverse. She shuts her eyes and takes on a bold smile, adjusting her glasses again. "I'm the very model of a proper educator!" she boasts, her following giggle fit just a bit shorter.
 
"Or, I will be soon. My hair is pretty dreadful." She pinches a greasy lock between her fingers before letting it fall heavily downward. She walks side-by-side with Usami as they walk into the new passage; their hips rubbing together fondly. "And, maybe you're right... Hm. Maybe my surname is good for now? Ms. Takamaki..." She purses her lips. "Mmmh, no, that might be a little too exceptional too..."
 
"Perhaps we ought to adjust your name a little then~" Kuriko cooed as they entered into their latest passage. Same as before, the room smelled of a certain musk, though now it was even stronger and more pungent, as if their natural body scent had been rubbed all over the place. The smell of bodily fluids were immediately noticeable even before anything properly came into view. Once it did, however, the cause of the smell became abundantly clear.
 
It was a simple bedroom, honestly. There was a twin size bed against the wall, very obviously used with sheets still ruffled and rather stained. There was a TV in front playing nothing but static, along with a bookshelf loaded with encyclopedias and various non-fiction, not to mention teachers' guides. It was a completely mundane room, one of a modest house that was likely affordable with a teacher's standard salary. Most curious of all, however, was a little stool beside the bed with a framed photo beside it. One of Kuriko and the woman Ann had become, both in wedding dresses and both holding hands while smiling into the camera like it was the happiest day of their lives. "...perhaps Mrs. Usami would suit you better?"
 
The bedroom was everything Ann expected of Kuriko's home. Plain. Boring. Safe. Filled with valuable information and no more than an ounce of personal flair. The instant she walked in, she was smitten. She sniffs a little - and the air itself bears the familiar scent of her teacher. Yet; it wasn't as thick - it was... Staler; a constant cloying musk comparable to one expected of a library. Ann took a deep breath, a weary smile coming to her lips. It smelt like home; or at least that's what her mind was connecting it to.
 
When she saw the picture frame, she picked it up with one hand, her eyes widening. Her other hand reached backward, brushing against Kuriko's wrist before working its way downward, entwining her fingers with... That of her wife. Each could feel a faint coolness around their ring finger as their bond was solidified - cemented in the cognitive world and in both their hearts. "Mrs. Usami..." she says - her voice a little huskier, but drooling with affection. "And her beautiful wife." She turns back, pulling the nude, sweaty teacher closer. One hand remains locked with Kuriko's, while the other wraps around her back. She pulls the woman in for a deep kiss - memories flitting about her consciousness. For an instant, she can feel the warm sun on her back, the wedding dress around her unshapely form, her lips against Kuriko's... And when she breaks the kiss, she comes back to 'reality', beaming.
 
And with that acceptance of her new cognition, the entire scene began to ripple. No longer was Ann in a musty bedroom within Metaverse at the mercy of a lewd double of her math teacher. Instead, she was in her musky bedroom in the warm embrace of her equally lewd wife.
 
 "I take it you're in quite the mood tonight, my dear Akeno~?" her wife asked with a lewd smirk across her slightly chapped lips.
 
Yes, that name seemed so much more fitting for a frumpy average Japanese woman. Ann sounded way too foreign and way too distracting, after all. The woman's previous name was very quickly discarded from her memory, along with all her friends, thoughts of rebellion, or those silly modelling misadventures! Akeno could barely qualify for a stock image, much less a modeling shoot. Then again, she was much more concerned about tomorrow's class more than anything. Well...besides this very moment with the love of her life~
 
The telltale signs of the Metaverse began to melt away slowly - the slight inconsistencies; the truncations and distortions caused by the one whose heart she'd infiltrated. It all bled away; leaving only firm reality behind... But not the one Ann had entered from. Not exactly. The Metaverse was one and the same with mortal perception - so if something is changed there... It would be appropriately different in reality. Now; Ann Takamaki's existence had been overwritten with Akeno Usami. A studious woman - but one of no great standing. Not that she minded. She was happy where she was - in an institution of education, and in the arms of her lover. 
 
Akeno pulled her lover downward, onto the bed. Their bodies were rank and slick with sweat - just how they liked it. It was their day off, after all - they could look however they chose. Her hand released Kuriko's, to rise up over her lover's shoulder, locking with her other hand and pressing their soft bodies together. "If I said I was feeling adventurous, that might be an overstatement... But I'm definitely excited." she admits. "Do you want to..." A wry look spreads over her face. "Go over our lesson plans first, or maybe have a little fun?"
 
The changes to the cognitive world had naturally affected Kuriko as well. Her longing for companionship and repressed sexual desires had managed to herald her a loving partner just as plain and lewd and plain lewd as her. Where once was an unhappy mess of a woman was now one happily married for over a decade. The love that now filled her heart made her feel like much more of a complete human being. Of course, she was still tough on her students. Even tougher, actually, since that was just what turned her wife on.
 
"Mmm...both seem equally enticing~" Kuriko giggled lightly as she began casually smooching Akeno. "Perhaps we could go over the syllabus real quick? We did just get a new shipment of...teaching material~"
 
"You really know how to get me going, Kuriko." Akeno says - while she intends to get it across as a lusty purr; the resting dull tone of her voice stops short of being particularly suggestive. She stands up, throwing one leg over her wife's lap and leaning in for another kiss. She pushes forward - leaning into Kuriko until she's pinned beneath the unathletic woman's sweaty body... Where she'd stay for a while.
 


 
Of course, even as the ripples in the real world began to settle - those still in the cognitive world had yet to feel the breadth of its effects. Not two minutes after she'd begun her excursion, Futaba lost connection with Ann. She couldn't get any messages through - and tracking her proved fruitless, as her signature kept bouncing all over the school... Until it disappeared entirely. Thankfully - she had Makoto and Haru on backup. She didn't have any faith in Ann's plan to begin with, she admitted - but she hoped, for both their sakes, she wouldn't have had to call for help. 
 
"She did what?" Makoto cried up to Futaba, hovering safely out of her reach inside of Necronomicon. 
 
"Eheheh... She, uh, thought you'd react that way..."
 
"And she still went through with it? And you helped her?" 
 
"Well, it seemed like a good plan. I mean, statistically speaking, she's capable both as a combatant and in a support role, like a hybrid class, or-"
 
Makoto held her head in her palms. The stupidity of the plan aside; she was worried for Ann. She never knew what to expect from the Metaverse - so she was rightfully concerned about what Ann's disappearance meant. "I'm going in to find her." she resolves. "Try your best to keep track of me. If not... Then just keep an eye out. I should be out with Ann shortly." she assures. Makoto walks closer to the school's gates, throwing them open harshly as she marches inward.