I remembered, I knew her. If I said I couldn't recall who she was, I'd be lying.

I'm talking about Sara Macleishia. She didn't appear much in the game, but currently, she often talked to Saashia. I have also talked to her a number of times.

It was true that she was cute and bright. When you saw her, she instantly gave off the impression of a normie. I could understand why she liked things like make-up.

"Speaking of which, I heard that Sara-chan also likes hair-styling. She has to get up early in the morning for class, so she doesn't do her hair elaborately, but apparently on days off she does her hair in a variety of styles." (Primella)

Was she the embodiment of girl power? Her appearance and her insides are too in sync. As someone whose appearance and insides don't match, I'm jealous.

"She's supposed to be able to do make-up. There's no harm in asking her, right?" (Primella)

"Yeah… I'll try asking her."

If I can, I'd rather not talk to more people about this, but this wasn't the time to be saying that. In order to decrease the chance of me winning, I must pick mediocre people over the elite. I don't know how skilled Sara was, but it's highly unlikely that a middle school student could beat a professional, right? As long as she's not a super talented genius at using make-up.

"I'll move with haste, I'll go now."

"Kay, take care~" (Eru)

"It would be nice if she helps." (Primella)

I waved good-bye and left my seat.

Sara was… probably with that guy right now.

×　×　×　×

"Excuse me."

"Oh, Maria-san?"

I found her. As expected, Sara was next to that person. Saashia, who was tilting his head with his eyes wide open, was surrounded by several boys and girls., who all looked perplexed.

"I have something to ask Sara-san, is it alright if I borrow her for a bit?"

"Me?"

At my words, Sara pointed at herself and looked at me blankly. Our classmates became noisy with chatter. Maybe there were people who weren't even in our class, but I didn't know their names or class.

"Yeah, that's fine! I'll be right back."

"Okay, see you."

Her blank look was quickly replaced with a smile. She bounced up and stood next to me. The only one who spoke energetically was Saashia. The rest of the students were staring with a worried look on their face… It was probably just my imagination.

Seriously, sorry for the misunderstanding, but it wasn't like I called her out to beat her up or anything. Please relax.

We walked a little until we reached a landing of stairs that was rarely frequented by students. I mostly talked to Kei or Cattleya-sama her, but there are plenty of other well-ordered facilities in the school.

"Umm… What did you want to ask of me?"

"Sara-sama, I heard that you were skilled at using make-up and doing hair."

"I don't know if I'm skilled, but… I like doing it. It's like a hobby."

"Well, I'd like to ask you to do my make-up for the cultural festival's contest."

"… Eh?"

Yeah, of course she'd have that kind of reaction. She would have been surprised even if a friend asked her, and I'm just a classmate, so of course she'd be surprised. Even though it was a custom to ask a professional, so asking a middle schooler student who does it as a hobby was… Huh, could it be, I just did something brash?

"Eh, eeeh!? M-me!?"

"Of course, I won't force you to, so it's fine if you decline but… If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it."

"That's, umm, I'm happy but… Is it fine to not ask a pro? I learned it through self-study and I just do it as a hobby…"

"If I ask a pro, I don't think they will follow my ideal image. I'd rather entrust this to a fellow classmate that I know."

It wasn't a lie. I just wasn't saying the full truth.

I had asked Primella because she knew what I was really like. I didn't want to look beautiful on stage, I just wanted to look like a slightly embellished middle school student.

Even by mistake, I didn't want to win. A consistent hobbyist was much better than a professional for my purposes.

"… I understand. If you're fine with me then… I'll support you!!"

She blinked incessantly and she had her hands clasped in front of her chest. Perhaps it was to help her calm her nerves or perhaps it was to show that she had resolved herself in some way.

Whichever it was, she had arrived at a single conclusion. As proof, she stared straight at me, eyes filled with determination.

"I'll make you exceptionally cute!!"

"Thank you."

"Then, shall we talk about what kind of look you're aiming for?"

It was helpful that she was quick to talk. However, if possible, please be less enthusiastic. It was just a cultural festival that was ridiculously large. Even if its budget was on par with a national level festival, in the end, it was just a contest for a school's cultural festival.

"What kind of outfit will you be wearing?"

"I was planning on having several dresses delivered from my home. My only request is… to help me aim for a tidy image."

A plain image. Also known as tidy if you were mature. I was planning on refraining from using too many ornaments and I wanted my make-up and hair to be simple. I would say it repeatedly, my goal was to be plain so I wouldn't stand out. I wouldn't be remembered nor even enter people's line of sight.

"Tidy, huh… When your dresses arrive, can I see them?"

"Yes. They will be delivered to the waiting room, so when they arrive, I'll bring you there."

"Okay!"

Having finished our talk, we returned, side-by-side, back to the classroom. I wouldn't say that I had made more friends, but it was a fresh feeling to have talked to a classmate like this. It had been quite some time since I had entered the school, so I felt that it was a little bad that it was my first time speaking to a classmate like this.

For now, I would just be glad that I had reached my goal.