Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Noldrei watched the news, somewhat perplexed.

The broadcasted video was clear, especially since he'd specifically requested no censorship. However, a puzzling scene unfolded during a female-to-male transition: the man emerged sporting twintails.

"Why the twintails?"

He questioned Tesla directly. If he recalled correctly, the technology didn't include hairstyle customization.

Tesla, cheeks flushed, explained, "I added a hair-styling function for user convenience. It's a mechanical feature."

Noldrei glanced at Tesla's familiar red twintails and quickly grasped her personal bias. Tesla was a classic example of saying one thing and doing another. Drunk, she'd ramble about not caring about gender identity or female expectations. Yet, in public, she meticulously groomed herself, piling on high-end cosmetics. She was particularly proud of her aesthetic sense. She claimed indifference while simultaneously obsessing over appearances.

"Wh-what are you looking at? Even though I'm a Herrscher and can maintain my skin, it still needs a little… enhancement, for a better image!"

Dr. Tesla, like a lobster with its nerve cord severed, frantically tried to prove she wasn't two-faced.

Kiana, surprised by Tesla's vanity, asked, "Tesla, can you explain this? You can perceive such minute details, yet you still wear makeup. Can't you control your abilities to resist UV rays? Or do you just enjoy putting stuff on your face? We young girls don't bother with such things."

Tesla, mortified by the attack on her vulnerability, especially over a simple twintail function, retorted, "What choice do I have? The skin color potion isn't a panacea. Even if I change my skin color, it's different from a natural complexion. And it needs careful adjustment for the best results! Little details matter, don't they?"

Kiana's face cycled through a rainbow of expressions. She couldn't understand the fuss. Tesla could control her DNA, yet she resorted to archaic methods of self-decoration.

"Dr. Tesla, you're a Herrscher! Why bother?" The white-haired dumpling couldn't fathom Tesla's behavior. Was she just playing with her powers?

"I don't know the exact DNA structure for perfect skin, and I'm not experimenting on my face! What if it goes wrong? I'd be ridiculed! Even if I can reverse it, what if the distorted image sticks? How could I face anyone?"

Tesla envied Kiana's ability to freely change her form. She wished she could be a slime.

You use your powers for that?

Noldrei wondered if he'd chosen the wrong person. He hadn't expected Tesla to be so fixated on her appearance. Usually a grease-stained electrician happy tinkering with wrenches, she was surprisingly stubborn about her self-image.

Noldrei didn't see the need for makeup. Tesla looked the same with or without it. What was the point?

"Tesla, have some faith in your natural beauty. As a Herrscher, you shouldn't have skin problems… right?" He wasn't entirely sure. He didn't know if other Herrschers suffered from skin ailments.

"But many Valkyries have skin problems! They get pimples and blemishes! They can control Honkai energy, so why?"

Kiana wasn't sure either. No longer entirely human, she'd never used makeup and couldn't understand the appeal.

The white-haired dumpling shook her head, giving up on the topic.

"The gender transformation news has been out for a while. Why no uproar? I expected major unrest."

Kiana's question was understandable. Such a significant announcement required a buffer period, which Tesla estimated to be one to four weeks.

"It's not that simple. Not everyone wants to change their gender. I suggest promoting it in prisons next."

Noldrei pointed to a newspaper. Japan was peculiar. Despite long-standing internet connectivity with the West, newspapers remained prevalent. This one reported a double-homicide case with a death sentence.

Noldrei's "promotion" involved testing the legal system's response to a death row inmate transitioning and becoming pregnant.

"Damn it! You're truly wicked!"

Tesla knew about maternity stays of execution and malicious pregnancies. If a death row inmate transitioned and became pregnant by a male inmate, she would be granted a reprieve. She hadn't imagined Noldrei would weaponize this technology against the Japanese legal system.

"Won't this hinder our promotion?"

Tesla saw nothing wrong with promoting gender freedom. She even worried about societal resistance hindering Noldrei's new era. Unburdened by gender limitations, they couldn't grasp the impact of such changes on others.

"Don't worry, laws are easily changed. Academy City needs suitable prisons. What if a Valkyrie goes rogue? We need somewhere to hold them. This is just a test, a gauge of public opinion."

Noldrei was more interested in the changes within the Stigmata space, observing the evolution of human willpower.