Chapter 14:
However You Look
“’SUP?”
“Ooh! Ririka!” Identifying the elf by voice alone, Mina dashed into the drugstore.
This was the first time Ririka had dropped by since she first used Sun Friend, and I wanted to ask how things were going. Poking my head into the store, I saw the two bubbly girls chatting happily.
“Like, oh my gosh, yeah?”
“I just could not, you know?”
Mina had always been cute, with strong features; Ririka, meanwhile, was famous for her good looks. Although the girls had turned into gyaru, neither had lost those qualities—rather, they were cute and beautiful as always. I’m okay with both versions, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer the original Mina…
“Ah, Mr. Reiji!” Mina called. “’Sup?”
“’Sup?” I replied in kind, but I wasn’t sure why.
“How’re sales going?” she asked.
“Super well, actually!”
Ririka nodded, satisfied with how things were turning out. “I totally knew that tons of people wanted to tan!”
“Darn right, Ririka! Plus—”
Before Mina could finish, another customer arrived—a somewhat rotund forty-something housewife. “I’d like some of that new product,” she asked. “Do you have any?”
“Sun Friend, you mean?”
The woman nodded. “Exactly! Everyone around me’s gotten so nice and tan! I’m the only one who isn’t! And they all look much slimmer to boot!”
That was what Mina had been on the verge of saying too. Sun Friend was originally designed to make muscles look more defined, but these days, most folks were using it for the purposes the woman described. They felt it made them look slimmer. I’d heard as much from other customers, and looking at Mina, she did seem thinner. Sun Friend’s new application surprised me, but I was glad the product was selling, at any rate. There was no point restricting how people used the stuff.
Mina returned to chatting with Ririka. “Ririka, babe. What’s up anyway? Just chilling?”
“Nah, no way, girl,” Ririka teased back. “I’ve got a request for Reiji.”
“Wait. For me?” What is it?
“Well, I totally think I’m, like, just the cutest now.”
I went along with that. “And…?”
“You should make something that’ll make me even cuter! You know?”
“Ooh!” Mina exclaimed. “I want it too!”
Eyes sparkling, the two chic chicks waited for my response. I always had trouble dealing with girls like these two in high school. Why am I remembering that now, of all times? At the moment, I wasn’t too freaked out—maybe it was because I was used to Mina and Ririka.
I tried to get the two off my case a little. “There’s no way I can make something like that. It would totally depend on who you wanted to look cute for. Everyone has different tastes, you know.”
I expected them to agree, but I was way off the mark. “Who we want to look cute for?” Ririka repeated. “Isn’t that obvious? It’s for us, man.”
“Yup,” Mina agreed. “We wanna get cuter for ourselves, Mr. Reiji—not for anyone else!”
For themselves, huh? High school girls always said they dressed cute for themselves, not because they wanted to show off for other people.
Both Mina and Ririka had found something they wanted to focus on when they first used Sun Friend. Mina always put everyone else first; she supported Noela, the part-time workers, and me as if it were no big deal. It was fine for her to be a little selfish for once, wasn’t it?
I didn’t quite understand Ririka’s motivations, but maybe she simply enjoyed dolling herself up too.
Peel had actually told me something that seemed relevant: “Bodybuilding improves my confidence, and seeing my muscles grow makes me want to work harder.” Bodybuilding and primping yourself up were two sides of the same coin. I’d have to remember that.
Besides, I could concoct a perfect product for making the ladies cuter. In fact, I even made it once before.
“I’m not sure my definition of ‘cute’ matches yours, okay?” I warned them. “The product I make might not suit you two. Is that all right?”
“That’s totally fine!” they chorused.
“Seriously,” I added, trying to give myself as much leeway as possible. “I might end up creating something weird.”
The girls exchanged looks.
“Mr. Reiji, you’d…”
“Never give us anything legit weird, you know?”
The faith they had in me was plenty of pressure. Still, there was no way to duck out of this after what I just said, so I headed into the lab.
Noela poked her head in. “Master make product?”
“Yup. One I’ve made before, actually.”
“What?”
“You’ll just have to see when it’s done,” I teased, but then I let Noela help out anyway.
“Want Mina back to normal,” Noela confided in me.
“Look,” I sighed. “I know you’ve nicknamed her ‘Evil Mina,’ but she hasn’t messed with you in any way, has she? And she still makes you delicious meals, right?”
“Groo…” Noela seemed to follow me. Still, she loved the old Mina so much that accepting this new persona was a tall order.
I wondered whether Noela would understand if I explained Mina’s insecurities about her appearance. “Look. Mina died young because she was sickly,” I explained. “She never got to play outside in the sun like she wanted to—and she was always pale. It’s due to those sad memories that she doesn’t like her complexion.”
I tried to come up with a comparison with one of Noela’s sore spots, but nothing came to mind.
Noela just kept working silently, and thanks to her help, I finished faster than I expected.
Shiny Nails: Brush onto nails. Produces beautiful fingertips. Fast drying.
It was the same stuff I created for Stella, but I made a bunch of colors this time—pink, white, light blue, yellow, orange. Hopefully the girls would like at least one shade.
Noela’s reaction was positive. “Groo! Pretty colors.” Her tail wagged slowly back and forth behind her.
“You paint your nails with these,” I explained.
“Nails?”
“Uh-huh.”
I already had Stella test the product, so there was no reason to limit myself to trialing it today. I handed Noela the bottles of Shiny Nails, explaining how to use it. “Could you deliver these to Mina and Ririka?”
Noela hesitated and thought about it for a second. She then slowly nodded. “Mm-hmm. Noela deliver.”
I gave her a couple of tiny brushes, and she headed out. If Kirio Drugs was going to sell Shiny Nails regularly, I’d need to order tons of those brushes from the general store.
I discreetly peeked into the drugstore as Noela explained the product to Mina and Ririka.
“Noelly, sweetie, whatcha got?”
“Ohmigosh! These are like, so adorable!”
“Brush on nails,” Noela replied stiffly. In her own way, she was trying to adjust to the new Mina. “Super shiny. Pretty.”
“No way would I skip something Mr. Reiji made,” exclaimed Mina.
“For real!”
The bubbly girls chose the shades of Shiny Nails they liked best. Mina picked light blue, while Ririka went for the white. Then they picked up the tiny brushes and started painting their nails.
Afterward, both young ladies gazed at their new manicures from all angles.
“Amazing! This is so gorgeous!” Mina stared at her light-blue fingertips, stunned.
Ririka’s white nails moved her just as much. “Whoa! They’re so sparkly, like gemstones!”
“Want me to paint your nails too, Noelly?” Mina offered.
“N-no thanks.” Noela shook her head and headed back toward my hiding place.
Shoot! She’ll notice that I’m peeking! Panicked, I rushed back to the lab to await Noela. She came in not long after. “Well? How’d they react?”
“Perfect.” Noela looked tired, like she’d just finished a long, hard workday. “Master’s treatment amazing.”
I stroked her head to thank her for working so hard, smirking. “It’s not really a treatment, to be honest.”
“Groo?” Noela just looked confused at that.
Soon after, Mina and Ririka came in, grinning.
“Like, wow, Mr. Reiji! Thank you so much,” Mina chirped. “Our nails are so darn cute!!!”
“I knew you could do it, Reiji!” agreed Ririka. “You’re the bestest.”
Frankly, their nails looked fantastic. “I’m just glad you like them.”
Just as some men desired strength, perhaps some women sought beauty. And not just fashion-obsessed types either. I wonder whether Noela’s the same? She refused to paint her nails previously, but…
When the two young ladies excitedly left again, I turned to Noela. “You sure you don’t want to paint your nails?”
“Groo. Werewolf. Nails important.”
“You don’t want to mess around with them, huh?”
“Right.” Noela nodded, yet as far as I could tell, she was pretty intrigued. Mina had noticed that too, which was why she offered to paint Noela’s nails in the first place.
“I don’t know anything about being a werewolf,” I added, “but it isn’t like you’re always digging your nails into things.”
“Just in case,” Noela insisted, although I doubted she’d ever rely on her nails with our current lifestyle.