“…….”
Selena is looking at me with half-closed eyes. No, it wouldn’t be wrong to say she’s glaring.
Well, the words I said might have been a bit too much. If I were her, I would have looked at me like, “What nonsense is this guy saying?”
Selena took a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself, and said, “So, let’s summarize what you said.”
“Yes.”
“It was fine that you went to return the letters you received yesterday to the cadets, without thinking too much.”
To be precise, it wasn’t exactly going smoothly. I made a huge mark in my life’s book of shame. Of course, I didn’t share that with Selena. I’ve never seen a good outcome from letting others know about my past embarrassments.
“But then, of all people, Erica saw that.”
“Yes.”
“Whatever she was thinking, she asked you to tell her the ‘secret to popularity.’”
“Accurate.”
Selena pinched the bridge of her nose.
“And you, not knowing what that meant, just said okay.”
“…… Yes, that’s right.”
To be honest, I wanted to refuse a couple of million percent, but how can you turn down someone looking at you with such pure eyes and a desperate voice? Even if I turned her down and she cried, I didn’t think Erica would spread rumors about it, but my conscience would definitely scream inside.
It would be right to find out and tell her, not that I didn’t know!
One problem is—
“So, you’re asking me ‘how can I become popular’ right now.”
—That’s correct. I’ve never been popular in my past life even once. I think the only time I got friendship chocolates was from my childhood friend who lived next door until elementary school, but at some point, we became awkward and I have never received any since.
Before I even had a chance to be popular with girls, I had never even had a proper conversation with one!
In college, I managed to talk casually with girls from the same department, but before I knew it, they all had boyfriends.
Of course, there was no girl among them who dated me.
So, I really had nothing to say to Erica.
No, even more than that, even if I did have popularity with girls, I wasn’t sure if that would help. The target of Erica’s desire for popularity was probably just Lee Ji-An.
You know what?
Sticking to the childhood friend archetype, Erica has liked Lee Ji-An since she was very young.
She’s saved his life a few times and helped him when being bullied by kids. Up until elementary school, she was the model childhood friend who woke him up every time he overslept so they could go to school together.
The problem is that she’s a character who has only been set up that way and hasn’t been used since, so there are no established reasons as to why they became awkward in high school, why they don’t walk to school together even though they attend the same school, or why they barely had any conversation until halfway through the first semester of freshman year.
Looking at her reactions, it seems like she likes Ji-An, but—well, if Ji-An asked someone out at this school, it would likely be faster to count the girls who wouldn’t fall for him than those who would—but despite that, it’s still a mystery why there has been no interaction between them until now.
And suddenly asking for my help, someone who she has never even talked to before, leaves me a bit confused whether she’s shy or just bold.
Well…… At least she’s probably more timid than Selena, who’s sitting in front of me looking super complicated.
“You know…… what are you asking me for, someone who received over twenty love letters just yesterday?”
“Uh…….”
I really had no idea why she was asking me.
By the way, the heroines’ appearances are exceptionally high in this world, even compared to others. Well, of course, they’re heroines in a harem light novel. Their bodies can vary from curvy to slim, but in terms of looks, they’re all pretty much equal.
Naturally, they are quite popular at school. They might not even realize it.
Erica probably became a target due to her looks. Hidden under her hair, she has a notably cute appearance.
Looking back, I must have been starved for attention.
For the record, none of them had ex-boyfriends or sexual experiences. All the heroines have such settings. I was a complete virgin at that time.
In reality, I was too scared to write any adult stories.
Oh boy.
“Phew, whatever. It’s still a big deal that you’re asking for help. The first request is a bit strange, but since it’s come to this, I’ll help.”
Selena, who had been covering her face with both hands, calmed herself and declared confidently.
Whoa, look at that reliability.
Sure, unlike me, who typically doesn’t wear makeup and just rolls out of bed, Selena probably does her skincare and hair care nicely. She also wears pretty clothes unlike the boring suits I rotate through while going to work.
I definitely made the right decision in asking for help.
“Well then, firstly, let’s talk about the cosmetics you use in the morning.”
“Cosmetics?”
When I repeated like a parrot, Selena froze up.
“No, not anything fancy, just cream or powder. Or maybe a tint.”
“Cream? Powder?”
What are those?
Ah, I’ve seen something like that. Are you talking about that thing you tap on your face? Cream, is that referring to moisturizer? I know lotion and skin care because I used to use them in winter, but I know almost nothing about cosmetics.
Even if I were to try, could I pull it off naturally?
By the way, what’s a tint?
As I tilted my head, Selena’s face turned into a look of horror.
Then, she reached out and grabbed my cheeks with both hands, squishing, pinching, and rubbing them.
“Ugh?”
“…….”
Temporarily lost in her examination of my face, Selena soon pulled her hands away with a dazed expression.
“You haven’t applied anything at all…?”
To be honest, I hadn’t even used lotion.
I didn’t feel the need to. Back in my previous life, every winter my face would become flaky and my fingertips would crack, so I consistently applied them, but since coming here, I haven’t experienced winter, nor have I ever had any skin issues.
I thought I was just healthy and fine!
Selena looked at Aurora and Linea with slightly trembling eyes. The two were shaking their heads with very calm expressions. Come to think of it, those two seemed to take care of their appearances. They didn’t have a makeup drawer as filled as my mother’s back in the day, but they definitely had something they regularly applied after washing.
Of course, I had never bothered with such care since I never had any intention of attracting anyone’s interest.
“……What do you want me to help you with?”
Selena said, looking at me with slightly subdued eyes. Uh…….
Well, if I want to attract attention, what should I do?
Is there even a need for Erica to wear makeup? She looks a bit gloomy mostly because of her hair. That could easily be tidied up to look more upbeat. To be honest, Lee Ji-An isn’t exactly someone who doesn’t have interest in girls; he notices their looks and bodies when he’s with them.
After all, it was a first-person narrative, and without descriptions there wouldn’t be any portrayal of appearances.
The real issue is dismissing it all with “Nah, that can’t be.”
“Is this also a miracle? Should I be more devout……?”
Mumbling something, Selena shook her head vigorously, shaking off her thoughts, then slapped her cheeks with both hands to compose herself.
“Well, fine. I feel like you don’t really need much guidance about makeup, so let’s set that aside. Then… how about outfits?”
I don’t have any casual clothes.
Come to think of it, do nuns have to wear just nun outfits? All the nuns at the convent I’m in wear them, and the priests wear only priest outfits. The nun outfit itself is quite functional, and depending on the weather, there are thicker and thinner versions, so it’s not uncomfortable at all.
It seems some nuns occasionally complain, but having lived washing and rotating just a few outfits, I see no reason to complain.
“…….”
Selena, who was resting her chin and looking at me quietly, seemed to reach the same conclusion and sighed deeply. Even if she explained to me how to match casual clothes, it was evident that I wouldn’t wear them anyway.
Yeah, honestly, instead of living as a fashion disaster, it’s easier to just rotate through a set.
“Well, fine…….”
Selena’s eyes started to shake a little again as she let out a heavy sigh.
“After all…… people really need to be born properly……”
When Selena said that, clutching her head, I didn’t say anything. Yes. I know that the body I’m using is quite attractive.
If a body made directly by a goddess isn’t attractive, that would be an issue.
From the reactions I see, it seems it’s not just that reason, but still……
What do I even say to her since she’s saying that even though she looks so good she could get scolded for saying it? Wouldn’t it be like hitting on her if I told her she looks pretty?
“Hmm.”
Selena, as if resolving something, let out a breath and looked up. Her face was the most serious one I had ever seen.
“Okay, I can tell you one thing immediately.”
Like a master of martial arts passing on vital secrets to his disciple, Selena spoke gravely, stood up, pulled the chair right beside me, and sat practically right next to me.
Selena’s long twin tails swayed, emitting a pleasant fragrance.
Oh man, this is a bit embarrassing.
Even though my body has become that of a girl, I still have no tolerance for being close to another girl. I’m getting used to being with Linea and Aurora little by little, but when another girl gets this close, it can be quite overwhelming.
That’s probably why I’ve never had a girlfriend. Damn it.
“Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I intended to point it out someday, and now it’s perfect timing.”
Selena said with a serious expression, causing me to unknowingly gulp. What’s going on? Is she going to say something important while getting so close?
“Since we’re on the topic, let’s discuss your underwear.”
“……What?”
That was completely unexpected.
“What kind of underwear do you usually wear?”
Uh, why is that coming up now?
“Does underwear have anything to do with popularity…?”
Well, I mean, I guess it might be relevant.
But does it?
I tried to picture it.
If I somehow found myself alone at home with an incredibly beautiful girl, and things got steamy, but then she happened to be wearing some awkward underwear… honestly, I wouldn’t care.
Or not. Actually, since I’ve never been on a date in my life, I wouldn’t really know. Is being good in underwear a popular thing?
I don’t remember hearing about that when talking with my friends. Some had girlfriends and regularly changed partners, but I don’t think that ever came up. Maybe girls have something like a sense of pride regarding that?
I’ve heard of “battle underwear” before but usually, there’s a commonality to almost all types of underwear unless it’s some overtly sexy stuff, right?
……I really don’t know.
I never expected that not having a girlfriend until the moment I die would come back to haunt me like this.
“Does it…… matter?”
But, honestly speaking, Selena didn’t have any experience with that either.
As I said, the main heroines are all supposed to be inexperienced romantically, regardless of age. That was the setting. While things might happen outside the story that deviate from the world’s established rules, those written settings were strictly applied.
There wouldn’t suddenly be another boyfriend pop up for a heroine who had scenes established with the protagonist.
So it’s only natural that she wouldn’t be confident when she was the one saying it.
“No, the way you’re beating around the bush makes it seem even less relevant.”
“Even so, um, well, you know… there might be a moment where it could be shown.”
……
For a moment, the area around my seat was enveloped in silence.
“…Have you shown someone?”
“…No.”
But is there even a need to prepare for that?
I mean, it’s supposed to be hidden, right? Unless you’re some ecchi character in a 19+ commercial, there’s no reason to show it off. Sure, I may inadvertently have shown it to Linea and Aurora since we live together at the convent, but that was not an intention of sex appeal.
Well, I mean, I guess it could be exciting if your girlfriend was wearing something sultry, but that situation is a hypothetical, right?
I’m still single, why the worry?
“Anyways! Even so, that’s just unacceptable!”
“Yes?”
Oh, so what are you trying to say?
Noticing how my credibility was apparently diminishing with every word, Selena clutched her head and let out a small squeak.
“…Phew, alright. You genuinely seem clueless about this, so let me get straight to the point.”
With a serious expression, she lifted her head.
“Clara, you walk around wearing bear-panties every day, don’t you?”
“……Huh?”
Bear-panties?
…….
………..
“Did you see them?”
When I asked with a blank expression, Selena ran her hand across her face, exasperated.
“You can’t help but expose them when you do a drop kick. I mean, it’s just physically inevitable! I wouldn’t even expect you to have noticed considering your personality.”
Selena said with an utterly exhausted expression.
“…Ah.”
Right, I did that without thinking.
And that was in a nun’s outfit.
Of course, nun outfits have skirts. And they’re somehow excessively short.
My face is burning.
Thinking about it, I’ve nonchalantly produced black history without realizing it. Why am I only now just realizing this?
Ah, that’s right, at that moment my head was too heated, and with arguing with Rina, I didn’t pay any attention to my surroundings.
When I focus on something, my awareness of my surroundings becomes extremely narrow, and that’s how I ended up getting involved in such shenanigans.
“…So, what I mean to say.”
Selena sighed deeply.
“We’re at a point where we know everything—well, you might not, though, but still. No matter how you look at it, bear-panties is a bit much, isn’t it? Do you also wear something like that on top?”
Thank goodness there were no boys around. I’m not even sure if even if guys were present, whether discussing this would be considered normal.
More importantly, with the content of this body, it’s profoundly embarrassing to hear such things directed at a fifteen-year-old girl.
“So, I’m not saying you need to wear anything overtly revealing, but you know? Let’s dress more normally.”
But I still don’t understand what this has to do with popularity.
Of course, now that the conversation has gone this far, trying to turn back wouldn’t work.
Even more, didn’t Selena herself have an issue with being quite the hypocrite here?
She wears plain white underwear with blue stripes. Isn’t that also a bit childish for her age?
……Let’s stop there.
Well, I think it would be better to acknowledge the things I need to accept.
I hadn’t noticed until now that wearing such childish designs for a girl who is already grown-up is quite concerning.
I think I saw adult Hello Kitty underwear on the markets back in my previous world, but let’s leave that aside.
The underwear I have—
That’s right. They’re all the underwear I originally had. While not all of them, most of them do have cute animal designs.
And those underwear were surely made by Ariel.
This whole thing about having no knowledge on the subject definitely seems true. The setting is working so well; I’d love to go back and fix it.
In the end, I also brushed my face with my hands like Selena did.
“…Well, fine. If you say so…”
I don’t know what Erica’s underwear preference is, but judging by her petite frame and youthful appearance, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if she wore genuinely childish underwear.
And even if someday I end up in the society… I mean, I have no intentions of having a boyfriend, but it’s not impossible that I could get a girlfriend, right?
I remember reading a story where a girl suddenly realized her boyfriend was wearing military-themed underwear and had an existential crisis about it. Whether it was true or made up, it wouldn’t hurt to know how to wear attractive underwear.
And Erica’s ultimate desire is to attract just one guy. So if situations align and I’m in one of those contexts, wearing something desirable wouldn’t hurt.
That goes for Selena too.
Since I haven’t written the story to the end, I can’t declare favor for either side.
“Well then, let’s go with that. What’s the best time for me to receive your teachings?”
The determination set in my heart, I declared that to Selena.
Of course, I do not trust Selena. I cannot believe that sensibility she has regarding her striped underwear.
Still, at the very least, for the sake of avoiding embarrassing myself alone, it’s probably better to say we should go together.
That’s right. I’ll trust the store staff rather than Selena.
After all, wouldn’t a saintess avoid recommending any strange underwear?
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