"Prove it... with your body!?"
Hearing Marin's words, Shinju's expression turned into one of pure terror. Although she had never seen a smutty doujinshi or played an 18+ visual novel, she had spent enough time on the internet—especially while managing social media accounts—to know what she meant.
She had seen plenty of depraved comments online, so when she heard Marin speak, she immediately associated it with something sexual. Actually, she wasn't wrong.
"Prove your head! Stop talking nonsense." Rin Ito rapped Marin on the head. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in Shinju.
Shinju was naturally shy; if he was too blunt and scared her off, what would he do? He needed to get a little closer to her before bringing up that kind of thing.
"Hehe~" Marin stuck out her tongue. "Shinju-chan thinks she isn't cute enough and doesn't want to cosplay. As a 'Beautiful Girl Expert,' what do you think, Ito-sensei? Shinju-chan, don't be shy."
"Ugh..." With a soft whimper, Shinju raised her head under Marin's encouragement, looking at Rin with moist eyes.
Shinju wanted to be cute, too. She wanted to be validated by others just like her sister, but she was deeply insecure about her tall stature.
"Shinju-chan, what kind of girl do you think is 'cute'?" Rin didn't praise her directly but instead asked for her definition of the word.
Her sister, Sajuna, had probably praised her a thousand times. While praise from a stranger she just met might carry more weight, a simple compliment wasn't enough to erase years of being mocked.
"A petite frame... like my sister's... that's what cute is. A giant body like mine... is ugly. Not cute at all."
Rin nodded thoughtfully. In an environment where girls her age—and even her older sister—were petite, her tall, striking, and unique body would definitely be a target for ridicule. It wasn't because she wasn't cute, but simply because she was different.
"Tall isn't cute? Says who? You just haven't seen enough of the world, Shinju-chan. People have all kinds of kinks. Never mind being tall; some people even like girls as big as a skyscraper."
"Eh...?"
Her wide eyes were filled with even greater confusion. As big as a building? That... that wasn't even human anymore, was it? Macrophilia was definitely a niche fetish that was far outside her realm of knowledge.
"A building might be a bit niche," Rin laughed, his eyes scanning Shinju's frame. "But a tall, curvy, and firm body like yours is absolutely in the top tier of popularity."
"I am a Beautiful Girl Expert, after all. I draw manga for money, so I know exactly what types most people prefer. Have you ever heard the phrase 'Cuteness is nothing in the face of sexiness'? In terms of pure 'cuteness,' you might indeed lose to petite girls, but you can take a different path. Sexiness is just as popular as cuteness."
"Exactly, exactly! Don't worry, Shinju. Just come cosplay with me once and you'll see. You'll be incredibly popular!" Marin added quickly.
Moeha also nodded. "You're so beautiful, Big Sister. It's just that those people who say you aren't cute don't know how to appreciate you~"
Shinju's inferiority complex was deeply rooted. It would be hard to pull it out... even with a "thick root."
Since that was the case, he decided to take a different approach. The word "cute" was indeed suited for smaller girls, so switching to a different category might help her gain confidence.
However, it was no use. Shinju still hunched her shoulders, looking depressed. "I'm really not cute... I can't cosplay a magical girl like my sister."
"..."
Rin hesitated. With her height, cosplaying a magical girl was indeed difficult, given the objective physical reality.
Do I really have to do what Marin suggested and use my body to prove it?
"Shinju, is your sister a cosplayer?" Rin asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yes!!!" Shinju nodded vigorously, perking up immediately at the mention of her sister. "My sister is a very cute magical girl. I have photos on my phone. Do you want to see?"
"Sure, let me see."
Marin wanted to stop her, but she hesitated and stayed quiet. Sajuna had asked Marin not to let Shinju know that Rin knew her. This was because Sajuna was worried that if Shinju knew they were acquaintances, she would think Rin was in on a scheme to trick her.
Now... let's just let Ito-sensei improvise!
Shinju excitedly pulled out her phone and showed him a photo of Sajuna as a magical girl.
"Hmm? Isn't this Sajuna?"
"Eh? You know my sister, Sensei?"
"I met her at a convention a few days ago. She even joined my club. Didn't she tell you?"
"Eh? EEEHHHH!???" Shinju's eyes darted between Rin and Marin. She hadn't realized the "Beautiful Girl Expert" Marin brought was actually the president of the "Yearbook Cake" club. Was it possible her sister asked Marin to bring the president?
"So you're Sajuna's sister... I see. Having such a cute sister, it's no wonder you feel like you aren't cute."
"Sister is the cutest! As I thought, you like girls as cute as her, President."
"Sajuna is indeed cute, both in daily life and in cosplay. But... being different from a cute sister doesn't mean you aren't cute." Rin reached out and brushed a strand of coral-colored hair away from her face. "Like I said, many people prefer sexiness over cuteness."
The touch on her cheek and forehead made Shinju hold her breath. This was her first time having such intimate contact with a man. The contrast between her tall stature and her shy personality was incredibly adorable to Rin.
"Then... which do you prefer, President?"
"Me? I like them all. Whether it's a petite, loli-type girl or a tall, curvy one, I love them both. If you don't believe me, Shinju, how about we try what Marin said earlier?"
Shinju grabbed her hair and shook her head violently. Seeing her shy expression, Rin smiled and changed the subject.
"You don't believe me when I say you're cute, and you don't believe Marin either. That's normal; a few opinions don't mean much. But what if a hundred people said you were cute? What if a thousand did?"
"What do you... mean, President?" Shinju tilted her head in confusion. "I... I'm not going to cosplay."
"I'm not telling you to cosplay. I mean, I'll draw a few illustrations or a short manga based on your likeness. Don't worry, it'll be a normal manga. We'll let the internet judge if you're cute. If everyone thinks you are, you'll have to believe it, right?"