Chapter 164

Gentlemen.

I hated Macaw makeup.

I hated golden lipstick.

I hated bright red eyebrows.

I hated green mascara.

I hated painting eyelids in rainbow colors, and I hated sticking weird feathers on cheeks. I hated the lenses that dyed the whites of the eyes black, and I hated people hanging strange things on their ears, calling them accessories.

When I saw a woman at a party approaching me with her cheeks painted orange, I wanted to run away. When I saw a man show up with silver-painted lips, I wanted to strangle him to death.

I despised the fashion designer who recently developed a method of overlaying artificial skin, and when I saw someone who had cyberware implanted that made a Macaw-painted face pop out with a single button press, I let out deep sighs.

When I saw those who changed their once-white teeth to match their makeup, I felt anger boil up inside me, almost unbearable.

So, please, gentlemen.

Please don’t turn reality into hell.

……That was what I desperately wanted to shout, but if I actually said such a line, I’d no doubt be treated like a lunatic.

So instead, I just lightly tossed out a single sentence. The first line of the speech boiling up inside me.

“I hate Macaw makeup.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s disgusting to look at. So don’t even think about putting that weird makeup on her.”

I said that as I pushed away the hands of the wicked witches trying to turn Iri into a new frog. What were they planning to do to such a pretty face?

Thankfully.

My words seemed to carry significant weight. Maybe they heard me from the booth corner, but one girl who had been eagerly getting her makeup done immediately started wiping it off in a panic.

‘Thank goodness. One less victim…….’

That one line of passion saved a person from the curse of being turned into a frog.

……Well, in truth, it was probably less about passion and more because a handsome guy said it. Aaron’s handsome face was finally proving useful.

Either way, I succeeded in protecting Iri. With just a single sentence, the fashion club members seemed to give up on turning Iri into a frog.

What satisfaction. Was this the feeling of a hero who rescued a maiden on the verge of falling into the abyss of hell?

Meanwhile.

Serena staggered a little as she came close to me and asked.

“D-Do you really hate Macaw makeup?”

“Yeah.”

“D-Do you hate it that much?”

“I can’t even stand the sight of it.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything when we first met……?”

“What kind of man would criticize a woman’s makeup the moment they first meet?”

“Gasp……”

Serena looked shocked.

Hmm. Come to think of it, maybe that was the very reason why I still didn’t fully trust Serena. More than the fact that she was a transmigrator, or that I hadn’t known her long, maybe that lingering shock was the real issue.

As I was lost in thought, someone else approached us in place of the frozen Serena. Looked like a club member running this booth.

“Excuse me.”

“Hm?”

“There are plenty of normal makeup styles besides Macaw makeup. How about trying those? Since you even came here with Serena’s invitation, wouldn’t it be a waste to leave without doing anything?”

“That’s true. Iri.”

“……”

Iri didn’t answer, but she didn’t refuse either. The way her lips twitched oddly, it looked like she was holding back a smile. Seemed like she had secretly wanted to try.

“Then it’s decided. Serena, you do it.”

“Me?”

“She’s your friend, isn’t she?”

“……Fine. Come on over here, Iri.”

Serena led Iri to a corner of the booth. Their atmosphere felt strangely uneasy, but well, they were originally friends, so nothing should happen.

Another club member tugged at my arm.

“Then you, sir, this way.”

“……Fine.”

“Senior, if you try anything funny with Aaron, I’ll get mad.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Sheesh, scary.”

The club member laughed off Serena’s sharp warning—the warning of a politician’s daughter. This person either had nerves of steel or a lot of guts.

Well, anyway.

‘Guess it’s time to begin.’

Iri’s healing time—after being swamped with Student Council work and all sorts of tasks—was just one of the reasons I came here.

Now that Iri had left the Academy, this was the perfect chance to move in earnest for the next episode.

Alright, let’s start designing.

“Okay, close your eyes. I’ll start light, just with toner and lotion.”

“When do you do the powdering?”

“What powdering, seriously…… Call it foundation.”

“Pound, yard……?”

“……Wow, you really have never done makeup before.”

“You know exactly where I come from.”

“Well, true.”

Living as someone from the Fallen Sector meant every day was a war. In such a place, there was no leisure for decorating one’s face.

Of course, ordinary Fallen-born women often ended up in the bars or brothels run by the Mafia, so they might be used to it. But Iri had chosen to bare her teeth and fight rather than throw herself into someone’s arms. In other words, she was a rather unusual case.

“Still, since you agreed to try, I guess it means you’re not totally uninterested in makeup?”

“……I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to try once.”

“Really? Is that all it is?”

“What else would it be? It’s just the festival, so I felt like trying something I never have before.”

“Right, a festival. A fun festival.”

Originally, I had planned to enjoy the festival alone with Aaron.

I had intended to use this chance to proudly show off the kind of man by my side. But since Iri had tagged along, that became difficult.

A sigh slipped out of Serena’s lips.

“Haa……”

“What’s wrong?”

“You know you ruined my date plan, right?”

“That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t even know where we were going—I was just dragged along.”

“I’m sure.”

When Iri suddenly popped out beside Aaron, I thought she was deliberately here to get in my way again, like before. But soon I remembered she wasn’t the type to do that, and I dismissed the thought.

Still, maybe she took my reaction as sarcasm, because Iri hurriedly added, flustered.

“Y-Yeah, it’s true. I pushed myself a bit too much lately because of the Student Council, so he worried and made some time for me to rest.”

“I said I know.”

Yes, Iri was the main heroine.

A crucial character who should never disappear in this world, where even the protagonist had already vanished. It was only natural that Aaron fretted anxiously, fearing that something might happen to her.

‘Meanwhile, I was just a side character.’

I was the supporting role who only appeared in the middle to later part of the original novel, a helper character who aided the protagonist’s party in overcoming crises. After a few appearances, my name wasn’t even properly mentioned again.

‘……How unfair.’

She was a little rough around the edges, but pure.

She had the greatest talent in this world.

Her face, resembling her actress mother, was so beautiful that even another woman like myself had to admit it.

‘If she had just dressed herself up a bit and fixed her personality, men would’ve been following her around everywhere.’

The stigma of being from the Fallen Sector would peel off the moment the truth came out. And she would become one of the Academy’s most popular figures.

In any case.

A character born to monopolize someone’s love—including the readers’. How could I not be jealous?

‘Was this really the face of a girl who had been brawling with thugs in the back alleys for twenty years?’

Her skin was flawless without a single blemish or scar, and her pupils shone in vivid violet, even without any procedure. Sure, she was born under the overflowing affection of the author, but still—I couldn’t help thinking it was too unfair.

And what was even worse……

‘I think Iri likes Aaron…….’

Though it wasn’t certain yet.

Even in the original, it took countless developments before Iri realized her own feelings for the protagonist and fully fell in love. From the way I saw it, she hadn’t yet reached that stage.

Also, Aaron’s path seemed slightly different from the protagonist’s. I wasn’t sure if, with the way he had acted so far, Iri would come to love him.

Above all, Aaron himself seemed to see Iri not as a romantic partner but as someone to protect. Even if Iri earnestly tried to appeal to him, he likely wouldn’t respond.

‘But that’s just wishful thinking.’

The truth was, I didn’t really know how Aaron treated Iri at the Academy. For all I knew, when I wasn’t watching, the two might have been much closer.

‘……Should I test it?’

This unease inside me could only be resolved by checking reality for myself. I had to find out—would I be able to reconcile with Iri and return to being her friend, like in the original? Or was I destined to become her rival, fighting over Aaron?

Click.

Serena opened the foundation lid and picked up a brush. Choosing a tone that matched Iri’s skin, she began applying it to her cheeks and forehead.

At the same time, she asked lightly.

“Iri, can you do me a favor?”

“A favor?”

“I’ll do your makeup really pretty. Just grant me one request.”

“How can I agree without knowing what it is? You’re not going to ask something weird, are you?”

“No. It’s simple.”

“Now that makes it even more suspicious…….”

Iri narrowed her eyes at Serena. Serena told her to close them again and continued.

“Just today…… don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Ah, why are you dragging it out like this.”

“Could you give me some time alone with Aaron? Just for a bit?”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

Iri frowned.

Of course she would be suspicious, hearing something like that out of the blue.

“The truth is, I was planning to walk around the festival with Aaron alone. Your coming along threw off my plan.”

“……I figured. You’re basically telling me to get lost during today’s festival because I’m in the way.”

“That’s not what I meant. That’s why I asked you not to misunderstand. Stay with us during the day, but just for about an hour. Just give us one hour alone.”

“……”

“In return, I’ll buy you lots of delicious food. I’ll even give you my card, so you can go around eating whatever you want at the taverns or restaurants.”

“Serena, you……”

Iri asked with her eyes still closed.

“You like Chairman Aaron that much?”

“Yes.”

Serena answered immediately.

Then Iri asked again.

“Why do you like him?”

“Do you need a reason to like someone?”

If she had to pick, there were plenty.

Because he was handsome. Because he had a great body.

Because he was rich. Because his family was powerful.

Because his voice suited her taste. Because he was incredibly strong.

A man who perfectly met all those conditions—she would never find another like him in this world.

But if she were asked why she liked him beyond those ulterior motives, she could only answer, ‘just because.’

That was what liking someone was.

No matter how perfect the conditions, they were merely the triggers. Even if someone saved your life in a crisis, or comforted your wounds, if you didn’t choose to like them, that was the end of it.

In short, liking someone was a “choice,” and Serena had simply chosen to like Aaron.

“So, let me have him. Because he’s the one I chose.”

“……”

A moment of silence.

Now, it was time for the answer.

What feelings did Iri truly hold for Aaron?

The wariness she had shown me before—was it like a puppy wanting to monopolize its master’s affection, or was it the unconscious jealousy of a girl who hadn’t yet realized her love?

Serena wanted that answer.

Soon, Iri spoke.

“……Listening to you just made me realize.”

“Realize what?”

“That liking someone is a ‘choice.’ Thanks to you, I could decide clearly.”

Serena felt a strong premonition of doom.

And Iri finally gave her answer.

“My answer to your request is ‘no.’”

“Iri, you……!”

“Sorry. But the thing is—”

At her words, Serena stopped her hand mid-brush. Iri opened her eyes, and her vivid violet gaze fell on Serena.

“That man…… I think I was the one who liked him first.”

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