January 1st, 1835.
''...''
Somehow, I have gotten myself into participating in the academy's biggest, no, the empire's biggest beauty contest. Miss Astra. That is what its name is.
In this competition, beautiful women from all over the country or the world, if their claims are accurate, will come over to the academy to compete for the prestigious first spot and the title of 'Miss Astra.'
Apparently, this title is quite useful if one is trying to find a position in the high society, and the money is no joke either. Now, I frankly don't care about both of them. I don't want to join the high society, and I am not short on money.
Still, according to Chloe, this is not a stitch to try and prank me or anything. In the game, if the player invests in cosmetic stuff, they can participate in this, win it, and then receive a unique artifact.
[Charming Lipstick: Temporarily distracts other entities when exposed to its substance] [Rare]
At first, it might seem like a little gimmicky item and not particularly useful, yet when one really thinks about it, this artifact is quite overpowered. As long as the opponent does not have certain types of mental resistance, this will provide the user with a valuable opportunity to do whatever they want.
Moreover, it doesn't specify the application amount, so I don't need to go all red when I decide to use it. I am not a fan of anything more than natural makeup, after all.
''Hm... As expected, natural makeup fits you the best!''
See?
In any case, it is now slightly past noon on the first day of the year, and I'm already being treated like a doll—if this body is not a doll in the first place.
After going out to register me as a participant, Nydia comes back and applies her professional cosmetic skills to me, which leads to this moment.
Slightly pinkier and fuller lips, faint orange eyeliners, slightly pinkish cheeks, and something something else I'm not too sure about. It looks alright, I suppose.
As for why I am the one joining instead of them... Well, Nydia is too embarrassed, and Luxia is not really in the mood, either. Claire is not interested in it, and Chloe just wants me to join—they all want me to join, yes.
''Hm... Don't you think it's too similar to her original appearance?''
Right then, Chloe speaks up, rubbing her chin with a serious face.
''But Lady Luminous, Aurora is already too pretty. I'm afraid more will ruin it.'' Nydia replies.
''...I agree, but don't you think there needs to be a drastic change for a fresh look?''
I see Chloe is trying to score surprise points. It's not a bad tactic, really. But if that's the case...
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''Lady Amelia.'' I gently call, inviting Chloe over.
''Hm?''
''Maybe we can try long hair.'' I whisper.
''That's genius...!''
Still, I don't think swapping bodies now is convenient, as Nydia will have to apply the makeup again. Furthermore, I don't want to evict Claire and Luxia, who are sitting on the couch. They are having an emotional conversation, it seems.
In any case, maybe I can try...
Feeling a sudden rush of brain cells, I focus the glazing cool energy in my veins and move it toward my head. As soon as I imagine a wave of bleach-white hair flowing down my back, a mist of ice automatically takes shape for me, gradually forming a fake lower part of the hair.
When I look in the mirror, the usual image of my main body reflects. There doesn't seem to be a problem when I move my head as well.
'''' !!! ''''
Seeing this, the four women in the room immediately huddle over, clearly taken by surprise.
''How did you...?!''
''Miss Maid, you're amazing!''
''Wait, she's so pretty!''
''It's cold...''
As I silently watch my newly generated hair being violated by four women, a sense of victory emerges inside my heart.
Well, I guess we'll know until the time comes.
After Nydia adds a few finishing touches to my appearance, the sky has also turned dark, and it is about time the competition starts.
Kier Arena, usually reserved for duels and such, hosts this event today. After all, it has a stage, spotlights, huge screen projectors for better viewing of the candidates, and quite a few audience seats.
Right away, I can see multiple sources of light from inside the arena pouring into the night sky like a disco ball, not to mention the absurd number of people entering the area. It seems I might have underestimated the scale of this event.
Of course, as a candidate, I enter the arena through a backdoor, bringing my four friends as 'helping maids' along the way.
As soon as I step into the prep room, a hectic sight greets me.
Left and right, actual maids and beauticians are running around, trying to perfect their candidates as much as possible. A quick scan tells me that there are at least two people I know here—Scarlett and Sierra.
The former is cringing in absolute disgust as she stares in the mirror, making the maids work on her sweat buckets, while the latter seems too serene with her eyes closed, almost like she has passed away, troubling her subordinates.
Scarlett apparently lost a bet with her little brother, so now she has to do this. Poor girl didn't even have the time to hang out with us yesterday... I hope the time she had to spend grooming herself is worth it.
Now, there are about forty candidates in total, hand-picked, by the way, and their outfits are quite impressive.
Some are uniquely designed, some are a bit skimpy, some are traditional, etc.
They compliment the wearers well; that is the point. And clearly, I am an outlier here. For once, my outfit is still the maid dress. They decided that this fit me the most.
Also, apparently, I am the only new participant this year. The screening for the competition is strict—extremely strict, so as the years go by, generations of the same qualified candidates begin to form, and newcomers become rarer. I have a chance to get in this late because of Chloe's power and, I guess, my influence, yet that does not mean that I'm not qualified.
In any case, it's not strange that they're doubting me.
Do I care, though? Absolutely not.
Realizing that there are several empty seats beside Scarlett, I walk over and sit down casually.
"Hi, Lady Heisenberg."
"You..."
Perhaps too stunned at either my appearance or my participation, Scarlett is speechless for a while.
This is awkward. Well...
"You look amazing, Lady Heisenberg."
"Amazingly cringe, yes."
Although she grumbles like that, Scarlett is actually quite attractive. She has a wolf-like aesthetic to herself—a wild beauty and her maids clearly know that well.
No unnecessary cosmetics, no overpowering makeup; just pure stylish clothes, and light adjustments to enhance her figure.
It is clear that Scarlett will be loved by many girls.
In any case, it seems that the staff who assigns the number has come. This is sort of a preround between the candidates. Everybody knows for a fact that the later they go out, the higher the judges evaluate them.
If this goes according to the story, Sierra will be the last one—
''Ah, you with the white wings. A candidate, right? Can you go last for us?''
Immediately, the whole room falls into silence as I am being stared down from left and right.
...Well, this is not the game, after all.