"At first, I thought it was a voice I'd heard before."
After school, Himeji-san and I were walking along the school route together.
"When I heard your voice on the day we met, it felt strangely nostalgic. And then when I heard your name, I thought there might be a connection between 'Himeji Tsukiyo' and 'Hoshizuki Kaguya.' You see, 'Himeji' and 'Kaguyahime,' plus 'Tsukiyo no Hoshizuki' makes 'Hoshizuki,' right? And you both love strawberries, so I started thinking about the link..."
Himeji-san listened to me intently, looking straight into my eyes.
"And that was the deciding factor."
I pointed to the keychain dangling from my bag.
"Is this...?"
"Yes! That's the 'Chii-chan' I drew for Hoshizuki Kaguya a long time ago, right? It was an original mascot character I made for Kaguya, who loves cute things, so no one else should know about it. Back then, she mentioned on stream how much she loved it and said she even turned it into a keychain."
"Y-yes..."
"And look—she really did make it into a keychain!"
"I-I really love it...!"
Himeji-san clutched the keychain tightly, gazing at it with pure affection.
I'm glad she liked the cute little mascot I drew.
Seeing her like this made me fully realize that the person in front of me really was Kaguya-chan.
"So, here's the main question. Himeji-san, you can speak perfectly normally when you're streaming as a VTuber. So why is it so hard for you to talk in real life?"
"Well... that's because... I'm tall, and I have sharp eyes... I didn't want to be like this. I wanted to be small and cute... That's why I started being a VTuber. If I'm a VTuber, I'm not really 'me'... so maybe I could talk freely...?"
"Himeji-san has an amazing figure, and I think your eyes are cool and beautiful..."
"Huh...?"
"Hmm, then let's make you cute!!"
"...Huh?! W-what do you mean by that!?"
I took Himeji-san's hand and headed straight for our destination.
Later on....
Shopkeeper's POV
I'm just a beauty consultant.
I used to work as an assistant to a famous makeup artist, but after getting married, I returned to my hometown and now work part-time at a small cosmetics shop in the shopping mall in front of the station.
I still love makeup, but the passion I once had has long since faded, and these days I just keep going through the motions out of habit.
Then, a boy and a girl walked into the store.
A small-statured boy and a tall, slender, extraordinarily beautiful girl.
Even back when I assisted celebrities, I rarely saw beauty like hers.
Thinking they must be high school students from their uniforms, I greeted them with a smile.
"There it is!"
"This place is..."
"Yes, it's a cosmetics shop."
"I... I haven't done much makeup before... and, well, I'm not good at it..." The girl said, which shocked me.
"Ah, I'll ask the shopkeeper... don't worry! Leave everything to me this time! It looks like you can try out samples here yourself, so this is perfect."
Wait... that boy is going to put makeup on this beautiful girl?!
She already has perfect natural beauty!
I'm worried he'll ruin it if he goes too far...
"I still think you're incredibly beautiful and accomplished just as you are, Himeji-san, but you want to be cute, right? Then let's use makeup to become the version of yourself you want to be! You don't have to be locked into just one 'perfect' you."
Hearing the boy's words, she seemed stunned. Makeup as a way to transform into the person you truly want to be...
Maybe I had been discarding other possibilities because I thought my natural look was "complete."
Meanwhile, the girl flushed bright red when he called her beautiful.
Even as another woman, I think she's just too cute!
"Okay, here we go. Close your eyes..."
"...Y-Yes!"
The girl closed her eyes, cheeks slightly pink, looking as though she'd resolved to accept whatever came next.
Um... he's really going to do her makeup, right?
"First, let's remove any existing makeup. Himeji-san is basically bare-faced, so we'll just do a light cleanse here..."
The boy soaked a cotton pad in cleansing water and gently wiped her skin.
His technique is incredibly skillful!
He doesn't seem like an ordinary boy at all...
"First, I'll use a purple-toned base to even out the skin tone. People with darkness around the eyes usually need heavy concealer, but Himeji-san has flawless, clear skin with no dullness, so just the base should be enough!"
"B-beautiful...?"
"Yes! It's really beautiful. Plus, the cool blue undertones give it such a translucent, ethereal feel. I think the makeup style I'm planning will look amazing on you!"
"...Ugh..."
"Apply the primer with a brush, then blend it thinly with your fingers. Next is foundation. This time, we'll choose one that's neither too matte nor too dewy. Just like the primer—apply and blend for a radiant glow."
This boy instantly reads skin tones and selects the perfect primer and foundation from dozens of options.
He works quickly, yet with delicate precision. Incredible...
"Next, this vibrant pink blush. You might hesitate to wear it alone, so we'll mix it with the earlier base... and it becomes a soft pink that blends naturally into your skin without being overpowering! Just doing this already gives you that innocent, girlish vibe—super cute!"
"Squeak... squeaky... so tight...!"
"If we leave it like this, it'll look heavy, so we'll set it with powder... This creates a soft, natural radiance. Your skin is complete!"
This boy knows so many techniques. Who on earth is he...?
Even so, the way he compliments girls is so natural!
The girl is getting even more embarrassed—stop it!
...No, wait, she's so cute when she's shy—please keep going!
"Now for the most important part: eye makeup. We'll use a pink eyeshadow gradation for dimension, then add glitter above and below the pupils for that cute sparkle. Curl the lashes and tighten with black mascara. There's always a gap at the lash line, so we'll fill it with black liner too. Himeji-san, your natural lashes are so long they already look like falsies—they're gorgeous!"
"A-amazung..."
"Most people can't get this volume without falsies!"
"Hehe... hehe... pshhh."
Oh dear, she overheated from all the compliments...
"And now eyebrows. We'll go a bit darker, but draw them hair-by-hair so they don't look flat. Then add the same glitter under the eyes to emphasize the tear troughs and boost the cuteness. Finally, put a touch of glitter on the tips of the brows and lashes—so every blink sparkles!"
I can't look away from this boy's makeup work. Every single explanation is educational.
I forgot I was even working—I was completely absorbed.
"Last is lips. We want that juicy, inner-stained look. Start by over-lining from the center, then layer color for depth. For extra shine, apply lip balm first, then top with glitter. You get glossy yet elegant lips!"
Just on lips alone, so much technique... incredible!
"And finally, a bit of highlight, blend everything together... and done! Himeji-san, open your eyes?"
I gasped.
There stood a refined young woman—cute yet mature, elegant, and captivating all at once.
Makeup can... do this much...
I hadn't felt this way since I saw the legendary makeup master Oda-jo's work at a seminar years ago.
I felt the passion for makeup that I thought I'd lost reigniting inside me.
Atsumu's POV
"Su-sugoii... is this really me?! So cute—!" (Sugoii means amazing or incredible)
"Yeah, you're insanely cute! This is what's trending right now—'pure desire' makeup. Himeji-san already has that mature, mysterious, bewitching aura, so I kept that and just added the cuteness on top."
"Amazing, amazing, Sakasegawa-kun! I don't even feel like myself!"
"I'm not that great at all... compared to real pros, I'm still nothing. I just took the incredible potential you already have and directed it in a different way."
"No way! That's absolutely not true! It's amazing! Even when I try myself, it never turns out like this. Even when I went to a beauty counter, it wasn't this good!"
"Haha, you're exaggerating."
"Uu... but it's the truth..."
Himeji-san looked so happy, and that made me happy too.
I handled makeup for my sisters as part of my support work, so I can do it to a certain level.
(Well... my makeup skills are probably something anyone could do...)
"By the way, Himeji-san... you're speaking completely normally now, aren't you?"
"Ah, you're right! Maybe because the makeup made me feel like a different person? It feels like I'm talking as my V-body instead of myself."
"I knew it! I was hoping that would happen."
"This is the first time it's ever worked like this. I feel reborn! Thank you, Sakasegawa-kun."
"...! N-no, it's nothing..."
The brightest smile I'd ever seen from her caught me completely off guard.
A supreme beauty gaining cuteness on top of everything else? That's just unfair! The shopkeeper thought.
"Excuse me... I believe a customer's makeup has the power to change someone's life." A female customer spoke up.
"Eh...?"
"I've been watching the whole time. Please... take me as your apprentice!" The shopkeeper spoke up, begging.
"Ehh?! No, someone like me taking an apprentice...?"
(Wh-what should I do...?)
"Sorry, but we're about to go on a date!"
"H-Himeji-san?!"
"I see... I apologize for the interruption." She said in an understanding voice.
"Sakasegawa-kun, let's go!"
I was pulled out of the store by Himeji-san.
(Ugh... my face is burning up.)
After that, I didn't mention her earlier comment, and we wandered around town together.
She was probably just saying it to get us out of that awkward situation.
Hanging out with Himeji-san was incredibly fun.
We went to clothing stores and tried on outfits that suited the new her, hit the arcade for purikura photos, and walked around eating crepes.
(This is what a "normal" student life is like... hanging out with friends is the best! It's completely different from being glued to a smartphone or computer doing work alone all day!!)
I was still lost in that emotion, comparing it to my old life, when—
"Areee? Isn't that Sakasegawa-kun?"
Someone called my name from behind. I turned around on the spot.