Chapter 184How to Enhance Your Charm
"What do you think I look like? Does this look good on me?"
"Yeah, it's cute."
"Hehe."
"You're in a good mood, huh?"
"After all, this is my debut in wearing earrings, though!"
Ashida, spinning around in high spirits, wore small pearl earrings in her ears. It looked like a replica, but it was actually much smaller than the real thing, didn't stand out too much, and had a pinkish hue, which seemed to suit Ashida's taste.
The members of the Handicrafts Club only consisted of girls, and many of them seemed to belong to a very high social class. Apparently, there were always a lot of students from the "West Side" active in this school. I was a bit nervous because I had heard from the Student Council that they had a history of poor relations with students from the "East Side" but they treated us equally and without discrimination — They treated us well, but they kept talking about how we dressed.
'In terms of appearance, you should wear something a bit more aggressive. Judging from your body shape and hairstyle it shows that you're involved in sports club activities, but that opens up a lot of possibilities. In particular, those pale cherry-red lips of yours, which have more charm than any high-end accessory. If that's the case, when should you unleash that charm? Of course right now.'
Ashida was given a detailed compliment by the senpai that sounded like a high-end jewelry store salesman and she was mesmerized, so she bought a pair of earrings that could be considered rather expensive for the Cultural Festival project. To this day, we even receive excellent after-sales service on how to use the products properly. Is that senpai a professional? I'm sure that senpai's future is already secured.
"Aichi, take a picture of me, take a picture of me!"
"Yeah — Okay, say cheese."
"Ehe."
"...It turned out to be a video, though?"
"Gosh–!"
Even though she said this, Ashida smiled. Watching Ashida like that, Natsukawa felt happy and was so excited that she couldn't help but play with Ashida. It's true; Ashida, who has more smiles than usual, would probably be much cuter in a moving video than in a still photo. Since this is Natsukawa, that must be his true intention.
Ashida once again posed properly for the photo. Natsukawa said that she would process the photo, and then, she showed us her skills for a while.
"Fufu."
"Okay, okay. That suits you very well."
"What do you think? Does it suit me well?" Ashida gave me a satisfied look as if to say so. It's rare that Ashida is so confident in terms of her charm as a girl. Ashida, who monopolized the movements of the subconscious, was a formidable opponent when she appeared like this.
"Eh, that's still not good enough. You should compliment me better."
"Your face looks really pretty."
"I think there's something wrong with you, though!"
I turned my face away from Ashida in front of Natsukawa out of embarrassment. Like what senpai said just now, the earrings really accentuated Ashida's cherry-red lips. I couldn't help but stare at her face, and it made me feel embarrassed.
"—Hey."
As I regretted having been humiliated by Ashida in front of Natsukawa, Ashida brought her face close to mine and I gasped without realizing it. She seemed to misleading people a little.
"Wouldn't it be nice if you also bought something for Aichi?"
"No, didn't you hear? Didn't you hear what Senpai said just now?"
"It's true, though..."
Ashida voiced her dissatisfaction to me secretly, but I, as an amateur, didn't dare to choose a gift for Natsukawa in front of that professional-level senpai. It would be a different story if it was that senpai who pushed me.
'I don't see any accessories here that suit you. You're full of charm, not least in your jewel-colored eyes, but that's why you don't need anymore to make you look fashionable for the sake of fashion. It's ironic, but instead of wearing fancy and elegant accessories, it would be better if you applied mud scrub on your cheeks to enhance your cuteness.'
That was one of the scenes that made Natsukawa feel disappointed by those words. It was hard to be mad at the senpai because the senpai wasn't making fun of her. And of course, Natsukawa didn't have a hobby for safari. You fail as a professional if you try to stop her from buying new accessories. But I'm not a professional.
"Anyway... ...I've also prepared something for Natsukawa..."
"Eh? Ah..."
That's it, Ashida looked worried as if that was the case. Yeah, Halloween at the end of this month is Natsukawa's birthday. Ashida is the only person I've told about what gift I've prepared for that day.
"Maybe I should stop giving her rings... That senpai also told Natsukawa that it's better if she doesn't wear any accessories."
"Eh, is that your reason? Aren't there other issues that are more fundamental than that?"
"Will the charmed Natsukawa be burdened by a greater charm than this...?"
"I think she'll feel a different burden."
Ashida looked at me as if she was seeing something very unfortunate from me. Every time the small pearls hanging from her earrings swung, my eyes were drawn to her lips. D*mn... ...What the heck are those lips...? ...They're so suggesting!
Even though Ashida said "Huh?" like that, I think the fact that the handmade aspect is much better than in previous years, because I usually give her branded items as gifts. Considering the price alone, this is already suitable for a regular birthday gift. It's just that the time and effort required to prepare it was different from previous years. The fact that it was a ring was just a coincidence.
"That may be so, but I think what Senpai said was about 'no need to add more', not entirely about accessories."
"Eh?"
"Silver, jewelry, and so on. It's just that it's not that kind of stuff."
"No? What do you mean?"
"—Kei, I sent you the photo earlier."
"Eh, really?"
"Oh, wait a minute..."
Natsukawa called Ashida, then she started checking her smartphone. But I couldn't hear the important part. For the average high school student with a sense of humor like that, it's beyond their limits. We should get the answer on Natsukawa's birthday. There's still some time left, so maybe I'll ask her about it again sometime in the future.
"...Eh? Where is that photo?"
"I just sent the photo to Kei, anyway."
"Oh... ...I see."
"Do you want that photo too? Do you want that photo? Do you want me to send that photo to you?"
"D*mn... ...Come on. I want to make Big Sis learn from you."
"Don't use it for weird things!"
"You should respect your big sis more..."
♦
After Ashida's photo was polished, we went back to our classrooms to put our things away, and then it was time for us to go to the fashion show in the gymnasium. Specifically, it was a costume contest. It's probably no exaggeration to say that this was the main event behind the scenes of the Cultural Festival.
As we entered the dark and noisy gymnasium, the room was filled with many people, both boys and girls. As I looked up at the stage, I noticed a male senpai lifting a bass drum and carrying it heavily. He had probably just finished playing in a band. If I looked closely, I could feel the excited atmosphere around them as if they were having a lot of fun.
"Don't you want to see that too?"
"Not really, though. I'm sure you're having fun, but Aichi isn't the type of person who likes things with a lot of noise like this, is she?"
"Ugh... ...That's right. She'll probably reject it..."
Recently, I have finally understood that Natsukawa's standard of behavior is whether Airi-chan can have fun or not. Even if she couldn't participate in some of the events at the Cultural Festival, she probably wouldn't mind the noise at the amusement park.
Ashida, Natsukawa, and I lined up beside the stage in order in the space reserved for the current students.
"I wonder what this upcoming fashion show will be like? Honestly, it's a girls-only event, right?"
"I'm looking forward to it! I've heard about how to choose accessories before, so I think it'll be even more interesting!"
"Yeah. I'm probably looking forward to something like this too."
On the other hand, if they asked me if I was interested in this event, I would probably have a hard time answering. I was just asked directly by Young Lady Shinonome. There were indeed many girls around me, to the point that I felt a bit awkward. I was directly asked by her to come and had no intention of coming here. I can only expect one thing and that is for a beautiful girl wearing beautiful clothes to walk towards me.
"Oops. Oh, yeah, the application, the application..."
"Oh, that's right. There's an app used to select the contestants, right?"
"That app can be installed from the school website, right?"
I had already installed the app, so I showed them how to operate it. It was a hastily designed app with a very simple design, and there wasn't much I could teach them. Who made the app is still a mystery to me. I think it had been around for years.
"I wonder if Rin-sama will come along too or not..."
"She's not that kind of person... ...But I'd like to see her participate too, though."
"..."
She is the type of person who has a strict personality, so the possibility of that happening is very small. If Shinomiya-senpai showed up, she would probably come with her other family in the Disciplinary Committee namely, Inatomi-senpai and Mita-senpai who used to wrap her arms around her waist at her side. The loud screams of girls flashed through my mind.
"...What about your big sis?"
"I don't want to imagine that."
"You don't have to rub your head like that as if it gives you goosebumps..."
"I don't know what kind of face to put on when I see my own big sis as she walks by flaunting her sexiness in front of me? I can still tolerate it if it's a professional wrestling scene."
"I think your big sis would be a good fit for this event..."
It's sad that Natsukawa and I can't understand each other, but that's not something that can be changed. I'm sure it's a unique feeling that only siblings have. I wonder how people feel when they watch their parents and siblings perform as idols on a television show. I'm sure it's very complicated.
"Wow, that's really amazing..."
While we were talking, I noticed that the stage had been ornately decorated and the lighting colors had been changed to match the event. The usual banners that used to be displayed at the back of the stage had been replaced by giant, modern monitors. In my middle school, there was also one like that...
"I think this event is about to start...!"
Along with Ashida's excited voice, American pop music began to play.
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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