Chapter 155: Miss Dungeon (Part 6)
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
I am seriously curious about what kind of outfit Shui will appear in. My bet is something outdoorsy, the sort of fashion you would see at a camping magazine. I remembered seeing some fiery headlines on a camping fashion magazine that goes ‘Be the summer heartthrob at barbecues and camping trips!’ or something like that. It seems to fit the boyish Shui best.
Oh, here she comes.
[1] At first glance, her outfit looked like a large white shirt with a touch of black trim at the sleeves and collar. There was a square patch on the chest, affixed with some text in the local language. I’m still in the middle of learning the language, so I can’t read the whole thing, but I think the first letter represents ‘sh’?If that’s the case, I think I can guess what the text on her chest means.
As I continued to scan her outfit, I had a bit of a shock. For a moment, I could have sworn she wore nothing but underwear under the shirt, but upon closer inspection, they looked like short black shorts?
I was trying to study the outfit calmly and finally realised that I was looking at… Japanese gym uniform.
It was a freaking gym uniform.
Goodness, who would have thought that she would pick something like this? [2] Wait, I think I remember seeing a special issue article that compared the past and present high school girl fashion. I think the title was ‘High School Girls Through the Ages’.
“I have never seen clothes like those before, but there’s a certain appeal to them.”
“Fumu, it’s hard to put into words, but I agree there’s something oddly captivating about it.”
“It looks easy to move in.”
Reactions from the judges were not bad. The men in the audience seat appeared quite excited too, so, I guess this outfit was a good choice.
As part of her act, balloons were set up at various height and difficulty. Shui shot down the balloons with her arrows as she did cartwheels and flips. This circus-like performance seemed to delight adults and children alike.
The only help I could give her was those helium balloons, but I think this has been the most interesting event thus far.
Once all the balloons had popped, Shui waved her arm at the audience before exiting the stage.
Next up is Hyurumi. I hope that my help ended up being a good thing for her.
“Our next contestant is Miss Hyurumi! At their request, both she and Ramis will be appearing together. Let us all welcome the next to contestants together!”
Oh? So, they plan to appear at the same time? This could work well if the two of them could play off each other’s energy. However, there was also the risk of losing votes if even one of them made a mistake. There won’t be a second go after this.
As I stared fixedly at the stage, the sound of engines grew louder.
Hyurumi appeared in a modest sailor outfit, distinguished by the large square collar and scarlet scarf fluttering down her chest. She was also wearing an ankle length pleated skirt and carrying a wooden sword-like object over one shoulder.
This… isn’t this the ‘Sukeban’ [3]? Favoured by gangster girls in the Showa era? Wow, that… sailor uniform fits her astonishingly well. The high ponytail was also a nice touch, I’ll have to give her some bonus points for that.
I had not expected her to choose that kind of style, as for Ramis…
Ramis appeared next in a navy jacket with a white shirt underneath with a striking blue ribbon bouncing perkily on her chest. A knee-length checked skirt completed the blazer-type high school uniform look.
I must say that it was a really charming look. If boys were to see high school girls in this kind of uniform, not a single one would be able to keep their cool.
Indeed, both have chosen uniforms that suited them well.
Hyurumi’s outfit might have come off as comical, but since these clothes [2] along with their cultural implications, don’t exist in this world, it just lends its wearer a touch of exoticism.
At any rate, the slightly wild and rebellious touch of the outfit really does fit her, even for this Other World audience. There was no sense of the clothes being out of place at all.
Still, I’m pretty sure that there were other, cuter outfits in the fashion magazine. The fact that Hyurumi had chosen this one must mean that she was… shy? While the outfit suited her in terms of style, the colours were a bit drab. In contrast, Ramis stood out more in stronger colours.
That’s right, with the addition of the bright colours and almost jaunty appearance, Ramis’ cheerful personality shone through even more. There was a great synergistic effect with her fresh-looking uniform that caused quite a stir among the audience.
And that was not the end of it. Both looked stunning… their faces that is. Moreover, this is not just me exaggerating their looks. Their faces actually looked a little different from usual.
Aside from a light application of foundation on their faces, both were also wearing lipstick. The make-up was the ‘natural look’ type and not the heavy type at all.
Since their features were already good, there was no need to apply too many tricks. Their eyes looked a little larger and their lips a little more outstanding. On stage, it was always better to have a bit of make-up on so that people at a distance could see them properly.
That’s right, I was the one who applied the make-up on those girls.
From the day they decided to participate, I spent every night looking through the fashion magazine and practising my skills till dawn. My reference was from an article called ‘Make-up Techniques to Capture Hearts’.
Each night, I lined up a row of plastic bottles and cans to test my make-up skills. Late-night customers who encountered this bizarre phenomenon must have been quite confused about what was happening.
Well, one might wonder how I happened to have make-up items as part of my inventory. After all, I could only reproduce items that I have once purchased from vending machines in my past life, right?
The simplest explanation was… I had once bought make-up supplies through a vending machine.
That’s right, vending machines for cosmetics did exist. It was for an overseas make-up company that appeared around 2009 and was placed around major shopping malls and the Ginza area.
Sadly, they were withdrawn after just two years. Naturally, as the true vending machine maniac that I am, I made a special trip by car to purchase it.
Ahh, the sight of a man buying make-up by himself!
“I think these are the ones Mom asked me to buy? Er, I think it’s this one, or maybe this one…”
I said out loud to anyone who would care to hear. I even brought out a notepad to ‘look through’ as I ‘reluctantly’ bought cosmetics for my mother.
Well, it was not a total lie since the cosmetics I bought were all sent to my parent’s house just in time for Mother’s Day. Still, it was quite an embarrassing moment.
Thanks to that experience, I could now provide my companions with an unexpected edge. Therefore, a man buying cosmetics is not wrong, right? Right.
Anyway, buying cosmetics was one thing. But what about the application of make-up?
I remember once thinking that ‘I prefer women without make-up’.
It was something I said out loud to a good female friend of mine who got really angry at me. Ahh, the details of that conversation are now flowing back to me…
Only naive men say ignorant things like ‘If the natural features are good, there’s no need for make-up’. It’s like you don’t understand that even idols and gorgeous actresses who are adored by everyone all wear make-up!
To which I replied with, “Erm, doesn’t that actress that appears in last Monday’s drama look beautiful in her after-bath scene? Surely she had no make-up on after a bath?”
Are you an idiot? She’s wearing the natural-look make-up. That’s completely different from being completely bare-faced. The difference between no make-up and make-up is like a black-and-white anime vs a coloured one. While a monochrome anime could still be enjoyed, adding colour multiply its charm by tenfold!
“I guess…?”
Moreover, make-up is not just about slapping some powder and drawing around your eyes. If you just colour in your face like a children’s colouring book, you might as well not use any at all.
“I… I suppose you’re right.”
Make-up is not just about enhancing beauty. It’s also crucial for concealing flaws. I can remove my make-up now and show you the me without eyebrows, pale lips, and all my pimple scars and blemishes!
What a memory that was. I recall apologising humbly after that scolding.
Just once, I met her outside of our usual social meeting and [1] found her in her casual dress taking the trash out. Her face was completely bare. I must say that she looked quite different, almost to the point that I could not tell it was her. Naturally, I told her that she did not look bad without make-up but she got even angrier at me and called me an ‘Absolute idiot’.
It was the ticking off from back then as well as my subsequent evening practices that helped me to become fairly decent at make-up. I think the art classes I took back in elementary school also came in handy.
At any rate, both girls were blessed with good features to start with, so my small effort gave them that little extra push. Still, if I could be of any help to them, it was all worth it.
While I was lost in nostalgic thoughts, Ramis had carried one of Hyurumi’s inventions onto the stage.
It was a life-sized doll, a mannequin rather. After Ramis put a bracelet on, the doll began to mimic her actions.
[1] So, was the invention the doll [4] or the bracelet? Or both? [2] When Ramis threw a punch, the doll also mimicked the action. However, the doll could not keep up with Ramis’ training routine in its entirety. It could not mimic the speed of her powerful punch, for example. [2] It copied everything that Ramis did, however, the synchronisation ended when it came to speed.Ramis effortlessly lifted the heavy platform that the doll had been brought on. [1] The doll naturally mimicked her movements, but carried nothing in its arms. Then, after setting the platform down, Ramis grinned and shuffled to the other side and ‘pretended’ to lift the platform, making the doll pick up the platform instead.
“Ah, you idiot, stop it!” Hyurumi shrieked.
Suddenly, with a dull crack, the doll’s arm broke off at the elbow. It still made the uplifted movement with its stumps, imitating Ramis’ movement all the way to the end.
Well, it could imitate Ramis’ movements, but not her monstrous strength.
Ramis flashed a look at Hyurumi, before tapping the side of her head with a fist and sticking out her tongue in a ‘silly me’ action [5].
The one-armed doll also mimicked this movement, causing a ripple of laughter to erupt through the audience.
The act closed with an angry Hyrumi chasing the doll and Ramis off the stage.
The energy within the room was very lively. I like to think that the duo’s make-up and outfit were well-received and fresh, but the main even has yet to come.
Everyone seemed to know this as the air started to buzz with anticipation as the lively air from earlier died down. Everyone was eagerly waiting for Shirley’s arrival.
“Now, for the person everyone’s been waiting for! Hm? What was that, Mother? Um, you want me to read this?”
The owner of the inn had rushed towards Munami as she was about to make her announcement and handed her a piece of paper.
Curious, we all watched as Munami’s expression changed from surprise to confusion. Something must have happened.
“Apologies everyone. It seems Shirley had suddenly fallen ill and would not be able to compete. With one less participant, we shall proceed with the contest with the nine contestants. Everyone, please cast your votes for our nine remaining ladies!”
There was a buzz of restlessness from everyone, but I guess it can’t be helped. With the top contender gone, the winner could be anyone.
What an unexpected retirement… while I was concerned about Shirley’s condition, I could not help but think that victory for Ramis and her comrades was now within reach. There was nothing much I could do now but wait for the voting results.
“Hakkon, you haven’t forgotten that you’re supposed to be judging too, have you?”
“Ah”
Right, I must decide on the scores.
[Gumihou: Oho, the favourite has pulled out, I wonder who will win~?]
[1] Adjusted details [2] Add details [3] Sukeban [4] It was actually マネキン or mannequin instead of doll, but since the understand of mannequin in the English language is ‘life-size doll used to display clothes’, went with ‘doll’ because that was actually more accurate [5] Specifically, it’s the てへぺろ or tehepero motion. ‘tehe’ being the ‘tee hee’ and ‘pero’ basically the ‘blep’ of tongue
https://www.cbr.com/anime-tehepero-explained-examples/
https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2019/12/tehepero.html
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