I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 69

Chapter 69: Being Cool Part 2

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

After leaving the studio, I was pulled along by Souma-kun into a select shop (a curated boutique) inside the station building. The person in the mirror wasn’t the me from earlier, the one who only ever flattened his bed hair with water. My sides were neat, my bangs moved lightly, and even my eyebrows were nicely shaped.

“The basics when choosing clothes are size and cleanliness. Today I’ll build it with versatility.”

Souma-kun spoke with the store clerk at a quick tempo, and what he handed me was a white crew-neck T-shirt, a black mid-gauge knit sweater, gray tapered slacks, white sneakers, and a charcoal stainless-collar coat over the top. Nothing unnecessary. And it didn’t stand out too much, nor was it too plain.

When I opened the curtain of the fitting room, Souma-kun gave me a thumbs-up.

“Oh, you’re starting to have the vibe. The shoulder line is perfect. Sleeve length is OK. Sora, just keep your posture in mind. Extend your neck just a little and raise your solar plexus. Yeah, like that.”

It sounded conceited to think so myself, but I looked like someone put-together. Clothes were amazing indeed. I had always been conscious of posture in karate, but doing this all the time sounded tough.

“Let’s go.”

After paying and heading toward the elevator, a girl doing stretches on the lobby sofa lifted her face.

“…Huh? Mukei-kun?”

“Kiritani-san?”

Mizuki Kiritani-san, one of the three great beauties of our class. Today she wore a monochrome sweat set-up—casual and cute. In her hands were a stack of scripts. The cover had the logo of a certain drama.

“I came to observe my brother’s workplace. Wait—eh? Eh? Who? A different person? Where is the old Mukei-kun from before?”

She blinked rapidly, then stood and circled around me once. Being examined at close range made my heart beat in a strange rhythm. She was usually the reliable class-representative type, loved by everyone. So when Kiritani-san stared at me like this, it made me tense up. As expected. Kiritani-san, just like Souma-kun, had a beautiful face. She was a real beauty.

“Your hair got lighter. Your brows are shaped. The clothes fit and your cleanliness is perfect. …That gap is pretty strong. Yeah. It’s good!”

Her voice only got small at the end. Her cheeks were a bit red.

“Mizuki, you’re surprising him too much.”

Souma-kun laughed as he gently stopped her.

“Sora said he wants to be cool, so I gave him a light makeover. Well, he still needs some training though.”

“You did all this in such a short time? Since it looks like pro-level work, did you ask Miyano-san for help?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Hey, Mukei-kun, turn around a little.”

“T-Turn around?”

“Yes, just spin in place… Yeah, the back looks good too. The nape is neat. The coat length is perfect. …This gap is the type that’s dangerous for my heart, here you go.”

“Isn’t that diagnosis a bit harsh?”

It seemed I was being teased by the Kiritani siblings. But being caught up in their atmosphere didn’t feel bad at all.

“Hmm, can I take a picture?”

“Uh? Yeah. That’s fine.”

Nobody would be happy to see a picture of me, though.

“I’ll post ‘Today’s Mukei-kun’ in the class girls’ LINE group.”

For some reason, she insisted on the right of first discovery. Holding her script to her chest, Kiritani-san stared steadily at me.

“Hey, Mukei-kun. Are you going home like that today? Or are you planning to meet someone?”

“No, not really…”

“Then one more. For the memory. Nii-san, light.”

“Yes yes.”

Souma-kun turned on the light from his phone and positioned me in front of a white pillar.

“Relax your shoulders. Lengthen your neck. Don’t smile too much, but raise the corners of your mouth three millimeters. Yes, just like that!”

Click. She gave me one for my own phone too. The me in the screen was still me, but with a bit of unfamiliar coolness added to it.

“…Wow. It’s like I’m not me, but I am.”

“Updating yourself while staying yourself. That’s the right answer. Hey, come to school with that hair next time. I think Anno-chan will be shocked.”

My heart went wild again. Just hearing her name made me pathetically weak.

“…Will it suit me?”

“It suits you. Because I’m the one saying it. Trust me.”

So smooth, yet strong. The certainty in her voice felt good.

“Mizuki, you have your show soon. Warm up your throat.”

“Show?”

“It’s still a secret, so don’t tell anyone. Oh, Mukei-kun, here.”

Kiritani-san pulled a clear lip balm from her bag and held it out to me.

“No color. Just moisture. In winter, when your lips get white and flaky, it ruins everything, so guys can use it too. It’s part of the cleanliness my brother mentioned.”

“Thank you. I’ll use it.”

“Yeah. Still… Mukei-kun, your gap is too good. You usually don’t stand out, but meeting you like this suddenly feels like meeting a celebrity.”

I never thought I’d be told I looked like a celebrity and by Kiritani-san, no less. She was probably about to debut as an actress. Being praised by a real person felt good.

“Sora.”

Souma-kun lightly tapped my shoulder.

“One last thing. Coolness isn’t about how to do it, but how long you keep doing it. What you did today—dry bed hair from the roots, fix your eyebrows once a month, wear clothes that fit your size, keep your neck long for posture—make all that a habit.”

“Yes. I’ll keep it up as a habit.”

“Good. Next is behavior. Close doors quietly, place things down gently, don’t throw your phone on the desk. Those things pile up. Actions with composure look cool.”

“Got it! Master!”

“Nii-san is in teacher mode, huh.”

Watching our exchange, Kiritani-san laughed.

“Yeah, you have to take care of younger ones after all.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Okay, I’m heading to the set for a bit. Mukei-kun, it’d be a waste to just go home like that. Go meet someone or something.”

Kiritani-san winked at me. It felt like my escape route had been blocked, but I didn’t mind. If anything, it felt like she pushed me forward. Kiritani-san would probably go on to live in a world that sparkled brightly. 

I wanted Hiroko-san to see me like this. Would I be able to meet her? I decided to send her a message.

『Can we meet now?』

While waiting for her reply, I practiced in the mirror, repeating the things Souma-kun had taught me, checking my posture and expression.

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