NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 204
“My teacher… seems like a pretty prickly and unusual person.”
When I first met her, instead of being scared or curious, she just stared at me for three whole minutes without a word and then proceeded to critique my styling skills.
Surprisingly, her critique hit the nail on the head. After saying that, she exclaimed in disbelief how I could maintain such skin and appearance without any care.
In a good light, one might say she was a master of her craft, but in a bad light, she gave off more of a bizarre genius vibe.
I looked at Harane as if to say, “Is this normal?” but she just casually remarked that there weren’t many people in the world better at styling than this person and walked out with indifference.
Her back seemed to wear a strange smile, but I couldn’t confirm that.
Thus began the styling class I never thought I’d have in my lifetime.
My teacher, who was surely quite a strange individual, immediately asked me what kind of cosmetics I used without even bothering to share her name.
Cosmetics? I don’t use stuff like that. My body doesn’t need it. But I could tell that saying that would send her into a fit, so I hastily made something up.
“I wash my face in the morning and use lotion…?”
“Hah, so you use lotion, huh?”
She said this while suddenly placing her palm on my cheek and tugged at it lightly while frowning intensely.
“Wh-what are you doing…?”
Before I could protest and ask what on earth this was about, she cut me off as if she didn’t want to hear me and asked if I really only used lotion.
…Actually, I don’t even use lotion. But upon answering that, she said it was wrong to start with a lie.
“No matter how well you know how to take care of yourself, you shouldn’t make it obvious that you’re not interested in learning. That’s just rude. Harane asked me to come help you out specially, and this is your attitude?”
It seemed she thought I was trying to trick her or act all high and mighty.
Feeling wronged and insisting that I really only used lotion, she told me to keep my lies within reason.
“No, I’m seriously telling you I only used lotion! That’s the only cosmetic I know of! Even if you think I’m a total liar, what gives you the right to assume I’m pretending to know more?!”
After saying that much, she asked if I was being serious.
Feeling wronged, I insisted on it, and she took off her bizarre sunglasses and stared at me intently.
“…You haven’t taken care of your skin at all, yet it looks like this? Are you perhaps a Returner?”
Then she began playing detective. It wasn’t like I was spending my days pondering what was wrong. I simply proposed that I was an Abilities User.
“Why are you asking if you already know…”
In disbelief, she muttered to herself how it was possible for someone to have such good skin without putting in any effort.
“…Is this really unusual?”
Since I genuinely didn’t know, she retorted that if anyone else overheard me making such a statement, I’d be swiftly ridiculed.
“Some people spend hours trying to make their skin look nice, and you’re saying all you do is slap on some lotion? Life is just unfair.”
…Returner, or something like that. It wouldn’t do me any good to discuss it, so I kept quiet. She then sighed dramatically and pressed her temples, saying we needed to start with just one thing.
“So, do you know what toner is?”
“…No?”
“Harane, that damned girl…”
Holding her head, she groaned for a while before saying we’d start from the very basics and told me to sit.
Slightly dazed, I sat down as she rushed to pull a table over and began piling up all sorts of cosmetics on it.
The sight made it seem like she was about to set up a vanity here, and despite having no clue about any of it, I couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.
“What’s all this?”
“I can’t teach styling to someone who doesn’t even know what these are… we need to start with memorizing them.”
After asking, it became clear that today, I had to memorize everything about what these were and what they were for.
“…All of this?”
“All of this? You should be grateful it’s only this much!”
What do women typically do to get ready daily that makes this seem like just ‘this much’? Ah, is it just the high-society folks who slather on this much?
That world was something I had to know, but since I didn’t know anything about it, I couldn’t dispute it.
“Still, I did study well at the Academy, so I should be able to memorize this. Pull yourself together, let’s get started. Alright, this is toner…”
And so, for an entire three hours, I was brainwashed about which cosmetics women used and in what order.
During those three hours, I managed to find out my teacher’s name—Ribet, I think—and that she was an Abilities User.
However, knowing that didn’t change anything.
Having had no interest in this at first, it barely sunk in, but with nothing else to focus on, the information seeped into my brain somehow.
“So, what order was it again?”
“So, um… After washing my face, I use a cleansing pad, apply toner, use essence, then put on lotion, and finally cream…?”
“Correct, that’s how skincare is done. You’ll be tested on this next time, so make sure to memorize it.”
Besides that, I memorized makeup order and hair care, which felt more akin to what a makeup artist would know than styling.
This felt a bit off, so I asked, and Ribet confirmed that it was indeed right. She then said:
“Are you trying to learn how to run before even learning how to walk? You need to learn to crawl first, then walk, and only after that can you learn to run.”
…Right, or whatever.
She firmly warned me not to even think about tampering with clothes or hairstyles until I had a solid grasp of this, and all I could do was let out a tiny sigh inside.
It’s better than death, I suppose… but it sure seemed it could be as boring as dying.
– – – – –
“At that time, Minho, with the help of Seolhwa and Ageha, crossed the ice and fire barriers to snag Jinhyeon’s headband! Though they were enemies, it was super cool… Ah, Yeonhwa was quite sad about it though…”
Lapiz was telling me about what happened during the 3-on-3 tournament today.
Of course, it wasn’t the whole story, just what involved her and my friends. So it wasn’t boring.
“Looks like they’re doing fine without me.”
When I thought that it was nice that everyone was getting along without me, it felt strangely bittersweet yet relieving, and I said so.
Immediately, Lapiz shook her head, denying my words.
“That’s not true, Blanca. The Sports Festival is just a few weeks away, and everyone still misses you. It would be great if you could join us…”
I replied, “I wish I could, but what can I do, dear lady? This is how it turned out. Instead, I’ll go watch with your family members.”
“…Yeah, I’d really like that. Cheer for us hard when you come! This time, we’ll crush Changwon’s nose and secure first place!”
Lapiz confidently made a peace sign as if she was really sure of her words.
“Got it. I’ll cheer so loud that it’ll be obvious to everyone.”
Having secured my promise, Lapiz seemed pleased and snuggled up to me affectionately.
…Her horns jabbing into me were painful, but there was no need to spoil the mood by saying anything.
“Oh right, dear lady. By the way, do you know what toner is?”
“Toner…? Yes. It’s what you put on after washing your face in the morning, right…?”
…So she does know?
I thought Harane did her makeup every day, so I assumed Lapiz wouldn’t know, but it surprised me that she actually understood.
“Th-then, do all your friends use it too…?”
“Of course! But why do you ask?”
Lapiz nodded in agreement yet looked puzzled as to why I was asking that.
…Well, she had no idea that I was forcibly enrolled in the Styling Academy, so no wonder she was confused.
I thought about keeping it a secret, but I figured there was no reason to hide it.
So, I said everything honestly as I wanted to test if what Ribet said was true.
“Dear lady, do girls typically apply a lot of stuff after washing their faces? I’m fine without putting anything on.”
“Whaaat?! For real?! You look like this without anything on?! No way!!! Are you using some power to do that or something?!”
At that, Lapiz gasped in shock, asking if that was the truth.
Judging by her strange choice of words, this must be level of shock she could hardly handle.
“Ah, well. I do use my powers to keep my skin hydrated, but besides that, I don’t really…”
“Wow… I’m so jealous… You’re like a grandmother… My grandmother doesn’t need to apply anything either…”
Lapiz looked at my skin with eyes full of envy.
…So it really is that shocking.
I resolved to be more careful with my words in the future and asked Lapiz to stop touching me.
However, my request was not accepted.