I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 43

Chapter 43: Costume Preparation

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《Hiroko Anno’s POV》

The preparations for the cultural festival had begun, and even I was surprised by how much I had started talking with my classmates. Until now, I had been too scared to talk to people and kept my face hidden, but after I started talking with Mukei-kun, and Miura-san spoke to me, and after studying for the tests, I ended up being noticed by everyone.

The teacher even recommended me for the cultural festival committee, and I was going to assist Mukei-kun. I had no idea what to do with myself in a situation I never could have imagined before. But I wanted to do my best together with Mukei-kun.

The day after we did the script read-through, Miura-san stopped me in front of the classroom after school.

“Anno-san, I want you to look at the costume ideas. Since you’ve read the script, just tell me whatever you felt.”

“M-Me? Are you sure?”

“Actually, for something like this, you’re way better than the boys. Come on, come in.”

Inside the classroom, there were fabric swatches, sketches, and two of Miura-san’s friends waiting.

“The small one is An.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“This dark-haired one is Fuu. She does makeup, so don’t be scared.”

“Heyyy.”

“And I’m Yua. Nice to meet you.”

Each of them smiled and waved at me. My nervousness eased a little.

“Okay, so could you give us keywords that match each role and the time period? Just in your own words, Anno-san.”

We had to make costumes not only for the four main roles but also for the others who appeared. I wanted to do my best so the atmosphere would come through and we wouldn’t ruin the scenario Mukei-kun had worked so hard on.

“First… The protagonist. The young man played by Hino-san. I think a medieval European commoner outfit would be good, something like this.”

“I get it. A soft shirt with overall-style pants. Shoes are sneakers that don’t make noise.”

Fuu-san took notes. Despite their appearance, all three of them listened seriously to what I said.

“The heroine… The ghost  played by Kiritani-san. A white dress, and makeup that makes her look pale would work well!”

“Then let’s use thin fabric but make it double-layered. Hem at the calves. A white dress with decorations that don’t shine too much.”

An-san and Miura-san listened to my explanation and began coordinating makeup and costume together.

“The partner, the scribe played by Akira-kun. We can adapt the school uniform, and add props like glasses and a pen notebook.”

“A vest with lots of pockets might be good too. A waist pouch, a quill prop, colors in the brown range.”

Fuu-san added it to the sketch. All three of them were good at drawing, and what I said was quickly taking shape.

“The rival knight played by Okabe-kun. An outfit that looks like armor, and props like a sword.”

“A light cape. Shoulder fasteners. Sword made of foam material. Colors in dark navy or red.”

Once Miura-san finished sketching the four roles, An-san spread out the fabric swatches.

“Let’s match colors. The young man is black combined with light gray with weak contrast. The ghost is white with a slightly bluish shade. The scribe is camel. The knight is dark navy.”

“Yes… I think this white one is good. It’s thick enough not to show through under stage lights.”

I pointed at one. We held the same swatch under the fluorescent lights.

“It really doesn’t show through. And shadows don’t stand out. Let’s go with this.”

Next was the placement of decorations.

“Since the script calls for a closed neckline, I think adding a thin ribbon at the waist would be good. Silver close to white. Something that doesn’t stand out too much.”

“Got it. One-centimeter width.”

We decided on the protagonist’s props as well.

“He uses a cane, right? Because he’s blind?”

“Yes. Having the cane makes it easier for the audience to understand he’s blind.”

“Okay. We’ll change the buttons to cuff-less ones and prepare the cane.”

For the scribe’s vest, we discussed the number of pockets.

“Are three enough?”

“Two on the front, one inner pocket. Quill, scroll, handkerchief. Three is enough.”

“Alright.”

For the knight’s cape, we decided the length.

“Is below the knee dangerous?”

“Above the knee is safer. It won’t catch on steps.”

“Then above the knee. I’ll add fake-leather fasteners.”

Once everything was decided, the three of them looked at each other and smiled.

“Anno-san, you really helped us a lot.”

“Your explanations were clear.”

“It sounded like someone who actually read the script.”

“N-No… I mean, thank you.”

Being praised by all three made me embarrassed.

“And also—”

Miura-san continued.

“We want you to call us by our nicknames. Formal stuff is hard for us.”

“Eh—”

“You can call me An.”

“I’m Fuu.”

“I’m Yua. I’d be happy if you dropped the polite speech too.”

I suddenly felt like the distance between us had shrunk, and my chest warmed. But there was no reason to run away.

“Then… Uum… An-san, Fuu-san, Yua-san. Please take care of me.”

All three whispered “Yes!” together.

“What about you, Anno-san? What should we call you?”

“Hiroko is fine…”

“Then can I call you Hiro-chan?”

“Hiro-chan!!! …Yes.”

Hearing my name called made my body feel lighter.

“Hiro-chan, hold this.”

Fuu-san handed me some pins.

“Fix it right at that position.”

I placed the thin ribbon at the waist of the torso. Yua-san looked from behind and adjusted the spot.

“Five millimeters lower. Yeah, there.”

We taped it temporarily. Yua-san measured the length and wrote the numbers next to the sketch.

“Okay. That’s it for today. Hiro-chan, help us with the color matching next time.”

“Yes. Please call me.”

As I was leaving, each of the three handed me a mini chocolate.

“Sugar’s important.”

“Eat it while you study.”

“Come again, okay?”

“Thank you. I will.”

At the door, I bowed, and Yua-san gave me a thumbs-up.

“Hiro-chan, it’s so nice to have you join us in the costume preparation. We’re counting on you next time too.”

“…Yes.”

I stepped into the hallway. As I walked, I quietly repeated their names.

“An-san, Fuu-san, Yua-san…”

The names settled comfortably on my tongue. I wrote tomorrow’s preparation plans in my planner.

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