I got out of the bath and went to let everyone know.
Everyone was gathered in the living room.
The companions I lived with knew that I usually finished early, so they must have passed that information along to the new members.
If people got scattered around the house, the water would cool down while we were gathering them all up.
In that case, it would be better to fill the tub after everyone had assembled; they must have considered my convenience and done it this way.
“I’m done, so you all go ahead and get in. — Oh wait, before that, let me give you this.”
I pulled out one of the prototype colored lipsticks from where I was keeping it and handed it to Mabé.
It was a lipstick housed in a stick-shaped container, the kind I often saw on Earth.
The stick itself was made of wood, and unlike a plain balm, this one had color.
I planned on heading back to my room shortly, so I thought it best to hand it over while everyone was still gathered together.
“For now, is it called ‘light pink’? I tried making it look like the color of lips.” “Hyah! Kuno, you’re the best~”
With that, Mabé immediately applied it to her lips. After applying it, she pressed her lips together and pulled them apart with force. “How’s it look? How’s it look?”
Even from the distance of before applying it, the difference was undeniably clear.
Combined with its quivering, glossy texture, the added color made her complexion look remarkably healthy and vibrant.
While it lacked the bold impact of lipstick applied in a straight line, that subtlety seemed to enhance its natural allure instead.
“Oh… I see, so that’s the effect. It really suits you.”
“Woah, Tamano! You’re such a smooth talker. That was a very classy compliment.”
Seemingly unprepared for such straightforward praise, Soubu appeared somewhat flustered.
”…Sousuke has grown on this island too.
If we were in the past, you surely would have been too embarrassed to say that,” Chiiyu remarked with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Before, even if he found her cute, his full-blown puberty had prevented him from voicing his feelings honestly, or embarrassment simply stopped him from speaking at all.
Plus, he wouldn’t have even noticed such subtle changes.
Perhaps coming to this island and having women around as a matter of course, along with growing closer to everyone, had faded that kind of hesitation.
“Sousuke! I don’t want to beg or make demands, but it feels wrong to give it only to the new girl, Runme!”
Tsukiko declared in a deliberately sulky tone.
“Of course, I’ve got portions for everyone too. I went ahead and stocked up on a variety of shades, so feel free to use whichever ones you like.”
I arranged the small baskets containing lip gloss on the table.
In front of each basket, I placed one of the wooden round cases used when filling the lotion bottles. The lids were off, and a dab of the lip product had been smeared on the inside to serve as a color sample.
This meant they could check out the colors without even having to unscrew the caps.
In an instant, the women swarmed around the table.
Professor Luminas was just as eager and quick on her feet as the girls.
Back at school, I only ever saw his side as a grown-up, but I suppose he was just a girl like the rest of them.
Only Yume kept a step back from the crowd, though she kept glancing over at me.
“These are part of the basic perks for being on the team, so it’s going to be a problem if you don’t take them~”
When I said that, she lowered her head slightly and said, ”…I see. Thanks,” before joining in with the rest of them.
She probably felt like accepting them would put me in debt, but it seemed she couldn’t bring herself to openly accept a favor that would be repaid later. I had to prompt her just to get her to take them.
I found Yume’s sense of integrity quite appealing.
The point isn’t about having a “just return what you borrowed” mentality, but rather feeling the weight of the act of borrowing itself.
That doesn’t mean the rest of my companions are useless, though.
While expressing their gratitude for my actions, they maintain an attitude of giving their all to whatever tasks they can handle.
The Yumezai world, with its focus on settling each specific debt and credit, simply operates with a different mindset.
“Oh, and it’s not cosmetics, but I tried to prepare one of these for each person too.”
At the perfect moment, I placed the second item on the table.
What I had prepared was a glass nail file.
Even though I thought worrying about nail length was the last thing on anyone’s mind after being stranded on a desert island, nine days was certainly enough for them to grow out.
It isn’t uncommon for women to keep their nails long, but that doesn’t mean they never use clippers either.
But on this island, we currently can’t obtain any minerals.
I had been quietly struggling with the problem and even considered buying nail clippers in the bonus area, but when I peeked into a drugstore, I discovered this instead.
Made of reinforced glass with an extremely fine grit, it’s said to file nails down beautifully.
I built it on my own and gave it a test, and it turned out to be pretty handy. “Eh?! Whoa…!”
The person who reacted the most dramatically was Genchu from the volleyball club.
Since long nails get in the way when touching the ball, she might just be more sensitive about it than anyone else.
If that’s the case, she must have been quite distressed by her nails continuing to grow on the desert island.
When what you consider “normal” gets shattered, it can take a toll on your mental state, so I get how she feels.
Not as much as Genchu, but the rest of the girls were happy too.
The earnest Fukaho smiled and said, “Thank you. It made me feel uneasy seeing them grow out, so I’m glad,” while Loa, who is conscious of her appearance as a maid, curtsied and said, “Now I can keep my nails neatly trimmed. Thank you.”
“Be careful with this one point: the impact can sometimes cause them to break. You can always make more nail files if needed, but watch out for injuries.”
“Mm. Thanks, Sō-kun. If anyone gets hurt, I’ll heal them.”
“Since Chiyu is here, I can rest easy about that. Though not getting hurt at all is the best option.”
With life becoming more comfortable and our numbers increasing, anyone who wants one can choose a nail clipper from the bonus area.
After saying all that, I realized I had messed up on the timing of giving this as a gift.
「Ah, let’s put the other cosmetics on hold until after the event is over」
Watching her scrutinize the lip products with such intensity, that was my call.
If I brought out everything else right now, she’d probably spend a considerable amount of time trying them all out and testing combinations.
Even if Shoubu’s ability could finish the makeup application itself in an instant, deciding ‘which cosmetics to use’ beforehand would still take up quite a bit of time.
「Also, the bath is going to cool down, so how about choosing your lipstick after you get out?」
「Ugh. Y-yes, that’s a good point. I wouldn’t want to have to ask Sou-suke to refill the water just because of me」
「I forgot myself and got too into it, even though I’m supposed to be your teacher… I’ll be more careful in the future」
Shion and Teacher Luminus were expressing their regrets.
「I’ll leave them here until tomorrow morning, so take your time picking after you’ve had your bath」
I could just stash whatever was left over into my 『Inventory』 later.
Heading toward my own room, I checked on the expanded space one more time before turning my thoughts to tomorrow’s event.
After a while, a voice drifted in from the hallway. “I’m turning off the lights now.”
It was Master Luminous speaking.
The light orb hanging from the ceiling, having bathed the room in radiance for about thirty seconds, suddenly flickered out.
I’d been told the lights would go off, so I had also lit the lanterns.
It was darker than before, but we still had some illumination.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
I turned to the door and welcomed the visitor.
“C-come in.”
“O-oh, sorry to bother you.”
Tension hung heavy in the air with the arrival of the earnest, ponytail-wearing class president—Shinpo Yonzae.
Yes. It was her turn tonight.
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