I Managed to Bring Down the Entire Family of That Impossible-To-Conquer S-Class Beauty, Completely Filling in Her Outer Moat
โWell then, Nozomu-chan, I’d like you to do nails that match this girl’s fashion sense.โ
Hina-san, the president of the fashion modeling agency, said this and brought the person behind her forward.
I almost blurted out, โYou’re so beautiful, I thought you were the model,โ but I held my tongue.
The person introduced was a red-haired woman with slanted eyes. She was cool and elegantโthe word โbeautifulโ suited her better than โcute.โ
Her outfit consisted of a black jacket, a cropped top, and skinny pantsโฆ In short, it was a cool, stylish look.
โHmmโฆ Cool black style, huh? How about navy blue nails?โ
โI’m totally fine leaving it completely up to you~. I’m looking forward to itโชโ
โP-pressureโฆ Got it. I take my work seriously, so leave it to me.โ
โYes, that’s the right attitude~โ
Enjoying your hobbies is important. But when it comes to work, you should put away the playful atmosphere.
And now is the time to put the nail skills I practiced on my sister to use.
I had the model sit down in the chair at the back and immediately began working.
Thinking things like โTouching the model’s hands is embarrassing~!โ shows a lack of sincerity.
Right now, it’s like I’m betting the shop’s future on this. Show them you mean business, me.
โWell then, excuse me.โ
โPlease do.โ
Taking the model’s hand, I started with nail care. I trimmed the cuticles, shaped the nails, and applied oil.
After that, I applied a navy-colored gel polish as the base color, let it dry, and applied another coat.
โPhewโฆโ
I was so focused I couldn’t hear the sounds around me anymore. My own sweat trickled down my cheek, and I didn’t even feel it fall.
After finishing the base color, it was time for the main event.
I dabbed with a sponge to create a gradient, applied glitter with a brush, and drew stars with a dot pen.
I did this on all ten nails, then finished with a top coat for shine.
Then cure it under the gel nail lampโฆ and it’s done!
โIt’s finishedโฆ!โ
โOoooh!!โ
The Milky Way appeared on the model’s nails.
Using navy blue as the base, I drew countless stars to create the Milky Way.
โUmโฆ what do you thinkโฆ?โ
โNozomu-chan, you’re amazing~! Perfect! So incredibly beautifulโฆ Hehe, I want you to do mine tooโชโ
โAhaha, I’m honored by your kind words.โ
Hina-san, Nanoka-san, and the reader model all had eyes sparkling just as brightly as the nails she’d just finished.
It felt so genuine, it was almost embarrassing.
โHonestly, I was a little nervous at first. But I could feel your sincerity. Thank you.โ
โNot at all! Good luck with being a reader model! โฆUm, what’s your name?โ
โOh, I didn’t tell you. I also do video streaming, you know. I go by the name Higure Naku.โ
โHuh~, that’s amazing. โฆHm?โ
Huh? I feel like I’ve heard this reader model’s name recently.
If it’s a streamer named Higure Nakuโฆ
(Isn’t that the one I jumped in and beat last time?!)
โFufufuโฆ I was furious after losing to that sudden newcomer Hope just recently, but these nails cheered me right up.โ
โTh-th-th-that’sโฆ that’s great. Ahaha!โ
โWould you like to exchange YINE?โ
โEh, ah, sure!โ
I ended up exchanging contact info without really thinking.
As I stood there trembling in fear, someone with a camera came over and called out to her
It seemed filming was about to begin, and we were to move a short distance ahead.
The threat appeared to have passed.
I let out a sigh of reliefโand then, in the very next instant
โโโNext time, I won’t lose. Hope-kun.โ
โHiiii!?โ
โWell, see you later.โ
As she left, Higure-san whispered that in my ear.
I don’t want horror ASMR! How did she find out!? Hah, the championship commemorative keychain is on my bag!
I might have caught the eye of someone truly terrifying.
I’d better be careful walking home at night from now onโฆ
โNozomu-kun, thank you so much! This will make our shop famous and rake in the cash!!โ
โYour eyes are like a Wado Kaichin coinโฆ Nanoka-san, so you were after the money all along.โ
โOf course I was! So, work’s done, but what are we doing after this?โ
โI’m just going home. โฆThat’s what I was going to say, but I got a little creative urge. Can I make one piece?โ
โOf course! Nozomu-kun is an important future employee, after all.โ
โI’m not!!โ
We moved to the break area, where she prepared gel polish and nail tips.
Since she said I didn’t need to pay as thanks for earlier, I could fully focus on creating my piece.
โฆOr so I thought, but something felt off beside me.
โUm, excuse meโโ
โHmm? What is it, dear?~โ
โIsn’t Hina-san supposed to go to the shoot?โ
The president, Hina-san, was sitting right next to me, staring intently at me.
She was staring so hard it felt like she could bore a hole through me.
โI’m just here because I’m interested in this nail salon~โ
โI-is that so?โ
โAlso, about the nailsโฆ Nozomu chan might get a little mention in a magazine. Is that okay?โ
โProbably just my name or somethingโฆ Yeah, it’s fine.โ
โThat’s good. Thank you.โ
โฆโฆโฆโฆ.
Silence fell between me and Hina-san. She showed no sign of leaving.
โโฆAren’t you leaving?โ
โBecause I like Nozomu-chanโชโ
โH-huhโฆโ
What should I do? I think I’m starting to like this person.
To avoid any misunderstandings, let me clarify: I mean I’m starting to like her as a person. Getting lustful feelings for a married woman would be way out of line.
(Focus, focus. Right, this time I’ll make it while thinking of someone. Someone who’d look good with nailsโฆ Yeah, I’ll make it for Amagiri san.)
Once I started working, maybe Hina-san would get bored and leave.
Thinking that, I began working on my task.
ใใ๏ผใใ๏ผใใ๏ผ
โโฆAlright, done! Huh!? It’s kinda dark outsideโฆโ
By the time I finished, it was so dark even the crows wouldn’t be cawing.
I stretched with a groan and took a breath, when something plopped down on my head.
โGood job~โช Those nails turned out super pretty~โ
โH-Hina-san!? You weren’t gone!?โ
There stood Hina-san, patting my head with a voice so full of maternal warmth it made me want to cling to her, saying โGood boy, good boy.โ
โWell, I am the president, so I can be a little flexible~โ
โI’m glad you’re enjoying yourselfโฆโ
โBut anyway, are you going to give those nails to someone?โ
โHuh? No, I hadn’t really decided yet.โ
True, I made them, but what should I do?
They’d definitely clash with my sister’s style, so that’s out. Having the shop display them feels kinda annoying, so no thanks.
What should I doโฆ Hmm.
โThey really are lovely~โ
โโฆUm, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind taking these?โ
โHuh? I-is that okay~โฆ? Did I look that eager? How embarrassingโฆโ
Hina-san’s expression as she looked at the nails I made reminded me of a child staring at a cake in a display case.
It might just be my imagination, but I felt this was something I should give to someone who truly wanted it.
โYou gave my work some appreciation, and today’s experience was incredibly valuable. So, this is likeโฆ payment?โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆ. You really are such a good kid~. Yeah, I understand.โ
Hina-san reached out her hand and took the nail art I’d made.
โOh, feel free to use it however you like! Give it to someone else or whatever!โ
โWell then~. I’d like to give it as a present to my precious daughter. Would that be alright?โ
โYes, of course! If it’ll make her happy, absolutely!โ
โNozomu-chan. Thank you so much.โ
โEh, ahโฆ yes.โ
Hina-san’s eyes, which had been narrowed the whole time, opened wide.
My gaze was almost stolen by those gentle blue eyes, but I shook my head vigorously to snap back.
โWell, I guess I’ll be going then! Goodbye!โ
โEh, wait a minute, Nozomu-chan!?โ
Without another word, I fled the shop as if escaping.
Maiasa