I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 76

Chapter 76: Going Shopping

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《Hiroko Anno’s POV》

With only a few days left until the weekend, the outdoor bench where I ate lunch with Sora-kun had become too harsh because of the strong wind. While the two of us were talking about what we should do from now on, my smartphone gave a small vibration.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“No, go ahead.”

After excusing myself to Sora-kun, I looked at my phone.

『Hiro-chan, we’re having a Halloween party this weekend. Do you want to think about costumes together?』

It was a message from Yua Miura-san. Right after that, fireworks stamps popped up, followed by the names 『An』 and 『Fuu』. I was happy to be invited by the three of them, whom I had grown close to through the school festival. But I already had plans with Sora-kun this weekend. And I had planned to choose my outfit with my older sister.

A thin orange ribbon, star stickers, a burgundy scarf. Last night, a tentative outfit had already been completed in my mind. But during the school festival, when I had frozen in front of the mirror, Yua-san had said this to me.

“Don’t worry. Cute is something you build carefully, step by step.”

The warmth of those words was still lingering inside my cheeks. My fingers trembled slightly as I typed, 『I want to go』. I liked Sora-kun. But Yua-san and the others were my first friends since starting high school, and I wanted to treasure them.

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We met at the open atrium of the station building. A golden ornament spun lazily, carrying the season over our shoulders. The three of them who arrived first were good at making light their ally. Yua-san had honey-colored curls, An-san’s hair flicked like a cat’s, and Fuu-san had autumn colors glowing at her fingertips. The three gyaru girls, wearing makeup that was the complete opposite of mine, laughed brightly, like soda fizzing in a glass.

“Hiro-chan, you made it! Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Accessories first~!”

“Our budget isn’t infinite, so we’ve gotta be smart and cute.”

They took my hand and started walking. Since entering high school, this was my first time going shopping with other girls. The warmth of the crowd, the four overlapping shadows in the shop windows.

My chest grew busy with an unfamiliar heartbeat. Happiness mixed with confusion. At a small accessory shop, ribbons lay lined up on trays like morning dew.

“Hiro-chan has a clean, elegant frame, so thinner widths work best.”

“And for color, not too strong… Orange, no, more like persimmon wins.”

Yua-san’s instructions flew out one after another. She had said she wanted to become a hairstylist, and she was peculiar to fashion and knowledgeable about small accessories.

“Let’s try tying this around your neck.”

In front of the mirror, An-san adjusted the knot. Her fingers were nimble, as if even the air took shape in her hands. Her makeup looked a little bold, but An-san was very beautiful, and she smelled nice.

“Yeah, it’s good. It’s a color that makes your voice sound one note gentler.”

Next was a hat. A black beret with just a hint of tulle.

“Witches are a symbol of strength, but Hiro-chan suits a praying saint, don’t you think? Well… With a black beret, maybe a witch?”

Fuu-san spoke in her relaxed tone, telling me how she saw me, and the word prayer somehow felt like it suited me, too. At the drugstore, we performed a small ritual in front of the testers.

“Glitter should be applied like a constellation.”

“Blush is like the memory of body warmth.”

Each time a circle was drawn on my cheeks, the version of me in the mirror softened its outline just a little more.

“For lips, no color. Just enough to keep your lips moisturized. On the day itself, red might be good, though. Yeah, this is a face that doesn’t lie, even in costume.”

A costume that doesn’t lie? 

I liked that expression. It felt contradictory in a way I found charming. I stayed true to myself, borrowing just a small seasonal mask. At a general goods store, I bought a single star sticker.

“One on the wrist is enough. It’s a signal to remember the day every time you see it.”

Yua-san’s voice itself became the signal. At the food court, the four of us took a photo together while sharing the warmth of paper cups.

“Hiro-chan, your bangs are god-tier.”

“Clean elegance vibe is totally unfair.”

“But today, that aggressive thin ribbon totally suits you too.”

They teased my changes while praising me gently, protecting me. Within that circle of laughter, the shape of a place where I belonged formed. On the way home, just as I stepped on the white stripes of a crosswalk, Yua-san tugged lightly on my sleeve.

“Hey, Hiro-chan. Shopping with girls makes your feelings lighter than your bags, right? And this weekend… You’re going on a date with Mukei-kun, right?”

My heart jumped at Yua-san’s words. It was something I should have said myself, but she had sensed it.

“…I’ve been invited by Sora-kun.”

“I see. Yeah. There are two days in a weekend, so let’s plan around the day you’re not on a date with Sora-kun. And let’s punch Sora-kun with Hiro-chan’s cuteness.”

“Eh!? Ah—yes!”

Yua-san’s smile gave me courage. In my pocket were a thin ribbon and a star sticker. The bag was light, but my heart was full.

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When I got home, my older sister was waiting as she opened the front door. Maybe she had been worried, since I’d told her I was going shopping with friends.

“How was it?”

“It was fun. It was really fun.”

When I told her that, she didn’t say anything. She just hugged me tightly.

“That’s wonderful. I’d be so happy if Hiroko keeps becoming happier and happier.”

“Yeah. My friends chose things for me, and it was fun.”

A black beret, a star sticker, a persimmon-colored ribbon. Even after teaching me at the school festival, they continued to treat me with care. I wondered if I had given anything back to them yet. On top of this, I would also wear a witch’s outfit and cosplay.

They had joined hands with today’s friendship and chosen an outfit for me. In front of the mirror, I checked the knot. It was tight enough not to come undone, but not so tight that it hurt. A group message arrived from Yua-san.

『Halloween Party Prep Committee—mission complete!』

『We’re taking tons of photos on the day, so be ready~』

『Hiro-chan is the “Witch of Prayer,” okay』

Witch of Prayer. That name tag glowed quietly deep in my chest. I also sent a message to Sora-kun.

『I’m looking forward to it』

The blue of the sent message faded, and the screen reflected the light in my room. The glow of the mall we walked through together, our laughter, the star on my wrist, the persimmon-colored knot…. Pulled along by the hands of other girls, I grew just a little bit bigger. The word cosplay no longer scared me. It felt like a beautiful piece of armor that protected me inside a festival.

At night, I placed my hand on top of the beret and closed my eyes. Against the wrist where the star sticker had yet to be placed, my heartbeat brushed softly. That rhythm resembled the pattern of the floor we walked across together. The small lace of friendship woven by our footsteps. So that it wouldn’t come undone tomorrow, I gently tied the ribbon one more time.

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