Chapter 20 – The Rich Girl's New Look
Mugi's POV
"So. Today's the day. You ready for your new look, Mugi?"
"Um…I'm still not sure about this, Miharu." I said with a nervous tone. "Some stranger changing up how I normally look doesn't sound all that pleasant."
"Come on. You want to go to that…Octowa place with everyone, right? This is basically our only option."
"Okay, one. It's Okinawa. And two. I don't feel right deceiving my parents like this. I am still loyal to them. S-Sort of."
"Well, to be completely fair, Mugi. When you think about everything that's happened thus far…this is sort of like payback."
"Everything?" I then thought about everything that's happened since meeting Miharu.
Meeting Miharu…
Finding out that we're half-sisters…
Learning of our parent's…uh…sp-special rendezvouses…
Fighting with my father and getting kicked out because I refuse to leave Miharu…
This sheer sense of loneliness I get so often…
…
…
…
"Yeah…Yeah, you have a point, Miharu. After what we've been through together, this is totally like payback." I gained a serious smile.
"*giggle* See, I told you. We'll get back at them together. Us two half-sisters."
*sigh* Miharu. You always know how to cheer me up. Like any sister would.
"You know…speaking of which…" I turned around with a sour look on my face. "Why are the rest of you here?"
"What?! How rude of you, Mugi!" Ricchan yelled. "You really think I'm gonna miss you getting a makeover?!"
"A make-up designer working on Mugi-chan's face and clothes…I wonder if they'll be cute?" Yui-chan asked.
"Who knows. Mugi looking cute is an expert challenge on its own."
"Yeah, true..."
And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?! I was truly offended by such a claim.
"I was staying no matter what. Miharu-senpai invited me to spend the night here." Azusa-chan said.
"W-Well, I was just curious." Mio-chan said with a little nervousness. "Mugi getting a makeover did pique my interest a little."
"You just hoping you could get a few pointers from the designer for your own wardrobe." Ricchan said to her.
"I-I am not! I-I am strictly here for club purposes!"
"Right…" Ricchan didn't believe her.
"Well, I for one, came because I still believe this is a bad idea, Ojōsama." Sumire said. "Changing your appearance to deceive your parents is extremely improper."
"Oh, come on…Sunair. We're doing this for Mugi's sake. Don't you care about her and her happiness?" Miharu asked.
"I do not need you of all people to ask me such a question. And my name is Sumire! If I have to get used to you being around my Ojōsama, then at freaking least…"
"Sumire…" I said to her with a stern look.
"*sigh* Just…please try to remember my name. M…Miharu-Ojōsama."
"Yeah, sure thing, uh…Sundare."
"Tch! Grr…"
The one-sided hatred is still going strong…
"So, how long do we have to wait for this person?" Ricchan asked.
"Mikuru said that she'll be here in like a few minutes or so." Miharu said. "She and Yoriko went to the store. So, Mugi and I have to look out for her."
"Do you know what she looks like?" Azusa-chan asked.
"Not much. But seeing as how Mikuru knows her, I'm guessing that she's about the same height as her."
"The same height as Mikuru? Geez, and she's a college student?"
*POW*
"Ow! The hell, Mio?!" Ricchan yelled after getting hit in the head.
"You know why the hell. Don't discriminate against people for being short."
"I'm not discriminating. I'm just saying. When you think of a college student, they're usually tall, right? I mean, just look at me. I'm tall. At least for my age."
"Oui, mais vas-tu même arriver au collège?"
"Ooh. Burn. Nice one, Azusa." Miharu said.
"*giggle* Thanks, Senpai."
"And just what the hell did you just say?" Ricchan turned to Azusa with a pissed-off look. Giving Azusa-chan the chills.
"U-Uh…w-well…"
"Hello? Anyone here?"
"Hey, that must be her." Miharu said.
"*sigh* Je suis sauvé." Azusa-chan looked relieved. But the same can't be said about me at this moment.
*sigh* Let's get this over with...
Miharu and I went out to the hotel lobby to meet up with this art designer who is related by law to Tamura-san and Mikuru-chan. We saw a kinda short girl with long black hair and bright red eyes. She also had a bandage on her right hand. Which kinda made me worry about this even more.
Did she…get that injury because of the art she does? Just what am I getting myself into?
"Excuse me." Miharu called out. "You're the college art student from…Horojacko, right?"
"H-Horojacko?" The girl gained a sweatdrop. "Uh…yeah, I guess. You're…Miharu, right?"
"Yep. That's me. Thanks for coming and such."
As Miharu was talking with the girl, I stood there in shock as to who this girl was. I really didn't expect this "art designer student" to be her. Nor, did I think she would actually come here.
And more importantly…
Wh-What happened to her voice? Since when was it so…girly and monotoned?
"M…Matsumoto-senpai?"
"Mugi? What are you doing here?"
"Wait, you two know each other?" Miharu asked.
"This is Rise Matsumoto. She's the senpai of a group of friends that we know of."
"Really now? Small world, I guess."
"Who's this girl, Mugi? A friend of yours?" Matsumoto-senpai asked.
"Um…well…uh…"
*sigh* Might as well…
"…Th-This is Miharu Neroni. M-My half-sister."
"Half-sister? How did that happen?"
"I-It's a long story." We both gained a sweatdrop.
"Huh." Was all Matsumoto-senpai said.
"So, um…senpai. What happened to your voice?" I asked. "It's a lot…louder now."
"Louder?" Miharu was confused about what I said.
"Matsumoto-senpai was known to always be whispering. To the point where only a few people could hear what she's saying."
"Really? How come?" Miharu then asked Matsumoto-senpai.
"O-Oh, that. Well, you see…"
"Hey. Are you two done out here, yet?" We heard Ricchan's voice as she and the others came out after us. Probably because we were taking too long.
"Hey, everyone. Looks who's here. Apparently." I said while pointing towards Matsumoto-senpai.
"W-Wait, huh?"
"Matsumoto-senpai?" Mio-chan and Azusa-chan asked.
"Ooh! We are in a crossover story! Exciting!" Yui-chan cheered. Breaking the 4th wall in the process.
"Not you too, Yui." Mio-chan facepalmed.
"Wait, you're ALL here?" Matsumoto-senpai asked. "Did you girls move into a hotel or something?"
"No, it's just us two. We live here." Miharu said as she pointed to both herself and me.
"That's still weird. But I guess I'll let it sly for now."
"You're calling THAT weird? Senpai, what happened to your voice?" Mio-chan asked.
"O-Oh, um…that's a long story. To put it in layman's terms, it was a "life-changing experience" of sorts."
"I see…"
"I like your new voice, Senpai." Yui-chan said. "It sounds so spooky and mysterious. Almost like a ghost girl."
"My friend Iyo keeps saying the same thing…" Matsumoto-senpai gained a sweatdrop.
"So, this is a random surprise. Whatcha doing here, Senpai?" Ricchan asked.
"Uh, guys." I said. "I think she's the…"
"We're back, girls." Then came Tamura-san and Mikuru-chan carrying a bunch of groceries.
"O-Oh. Y-You are…M-Matsumoto-san, correct? My step-cousin's friend?"
"Huh? Step-cousin's friend?!" We all shouted.
"W-Wait, so…Matsumoto-senpai is not your step-cousin, Mikuru-chan?" I asked.
"N-No. I-I only just met her recently."
"So, you're not a college art student from…Hohobaro?" Miharu asked Matsumoto-senpai.
"Hohobaro?"
"She's a foreigner." Mio-chan said.
"I see. Well, I am a college art student from Harajuku. But I'm not Mikuru-san's step-cousin. I tagged along with her because she's never been down here before."
"Oh, I see. So, where is she then?" Ricchan asked.
"Wow! For a small hotel, this place has some fancy-like bathrooms. Rise, you gotta check this out." As Ricchan had asked that, a girl with ice-blue hair in such a style where the back is a long ponytail and the front is made to where it covers her right eye. And crystal-like eyes that really took a shine in direct sunlight.
Could this person be…
"Not now, Iyo. Your step-aunt is back."
"Huh?" Most of us asked.
"THIS is my step-niece." Tamura-san said. "Her name is Iyo Mitsui."
"We've been friends since our first year of high school and we go to college together." Matsumoto-senpai added.
"Oh…" We all said. Finally understanding what was going on.
"So, these are those band girls you were talking about?" The girl named Iyo asked. "They look pretty normal compared to some of our friends."
"Seeing as how you live in Takaoka and know those girls, I'll take that as a compliment." Mio-chan said.
"Those girls?" Miharu asked me.
"I'll explain later."
"So, you will be the girl redesigning my Ojōsama?" Sumire asked. "Let me make it clear…make one mistake on her and I will have no choice but to…"
"Yo. Sumoomoo. Calm down already." Miharu said.
"H-How in the hell did you get Sumoomoo?!"
"Well, your name's hard to pronounce for me. You can't really blame me for getting it wrong every single time."
"Why you…"
"*snicker* Sumoomoo…" Yui-chan laughed to herself.
"I know right? *giggle*" Ricchan added.
Sumire then turned to both girls with an extremely pissed off look and the two instantly gained a chill in their spines.
"These girls are pretty random, don't you think?" Iyo-san asked Matsumoto-senpai.
"Not as random as some of our friends…" Matsumoto-senpai gained a sweatdrop.
"So, anyway. Who's the girl wanting a new look?"
"Um…that would be me, Iyo-san." I said while raising my hand. "I'm Tsumugi Kotobuki."
"Hmm…"Iyo-san took a quick look at me. "…do you really need a makeover, Tsumugi-san? I mean, looking at you…you got nice long blonde hair, shiny blue eyes, skin tone's pretty good and your breasts are pretty damn impressive."
"Who freaking cares about her breasts?" Matsumoto-senpai asked.
"And of course you would ask that, Rise."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Anyway…" Matsumoto-senpai was flat-out ignored. "…you look like one of the last people to ever need one, Tsumugi-san. Why change up what you already got?"
"W-Well…I-I actually have a pretty good reason to. A long one, too."
Both girls gained a confused look on their faces as I grew a sad one on mine. Knowing that I would have to explain what brought me to this point in my life to want to change my look.
And it was going to be one hell of a ride.
*LATER…*
"Wow. That's pretty deep." Iyo-san said as we were all (minus Sumire. She went with Mikuru-chan to get away from Miharu) back in our room.
"So, what I'm getting at is…" Matsumoto-senpai said. "…Mugi and Miharu are half-related to each other…"
"Yep." Ricchan answered.
"…And a fight between Mugi and her father led to her being kicked out of her place and she's been living here ever since…"
"Yep." Mio-chan answered.
"…So now, six months later, you girls got invited to perform at a music festival for Golden Week…"
"Yep." Yui-chan answered.
"…But then Mugi said that her now estranged parents are going to be there. And you all came up with the idea to put her in a disguise to avoid any more conflict. Is that it?"
"Pretty much." Azusa-chan answered.
"Geez. What a crazy story. Probably the craziest I've heard."
"Eh. I don't know, Rise." Iyo-san said. "I still think you taking down a corrupt government, crooked police, and a sociopathic boy who had a huge grudge against you, to the point where he wanted to kill you, with nothing but an iron baseball bat is FAR more crazy than this."
"Wh-What the hell?!" The five of us who knew Matsumoto-senpai the most stared at her with a huge look of shock on each of our faces.
"I-It's a really long story. K-Kinda complicated." Matsumoto-senpai said nervously.
"Damn. Japan's got some badass people." Miharu said.
"Where is your sense of shock?" Mio-chan asked her with a sweatdrop.
"A-Anyway…" Ricchan said. "…That's why we asked Mikuru for your help. Think you can help us out, Iyo-san?"
"Sure. I got a few ideas in mind that could work. Hair, eyes, make-up…I could even give you a few facial scars if you want."
"F-Facial scars?!" I panicked.
"Don't worry. They're fake. But I can paint them to make them look totally real. Like this one time around Halloween last year, I gave one of our old kōhais a very detailed broken eye. One of my best works yet."
"I still think it's questionable." Matsumoto-senpai said with an exasperated tone.
"Wait, do you mean…are you the one who pained that "eye" on Akari's face?"
"That "eye"?" The five of us seniors asked Azusa-chan.
"Akari sent me a picture of a fake eye painted over where her left eye used to be. It looked so real that I was truly pissed when she explained it was fake. I digitally flipped her off for that."
Azusa-chan flipping people off? That's new...
"You still have that picture? Let me see." Ricchan said.
"Do you really want to see it?"
"Come on. It'll give us a better idea on what Mugi would look like after this."
"Yeah, but…*sigh* Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you, though." Azusa-chan then took out her phone and pulled up the picture Akari-chan had sent her.
Once we saw it…
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mio-chan screamed in fear.
"H-Holy crap…" Ricchan said in shock.
"Th-That's…t-terrifying." Yui-chan said in the same tone.
"I-It looks so real that I could puke." Miharu said. Again, with the same tone as the previous three.
"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself. Starting to regret agreeing to this idea in the first place.
"I told you." Azusa-chan said as she put her phone away.
"So. Ready to start?" Iyo-san asked.
"W-W-W-Wait a second!" I yelled. "I-I-I'm highly against any disturbing features being added on to me! I-If this is all you can do, then…"
"Don't worry, Mugi." Matsumoto-senpai said. "I'll watch over Iyo to make sure her love for horror doesn't clog up her sense of reasonable thinking."
"I don't need to be babysat, Rise."
"Please. After what you did with Akari, I feel like I gotta point a camera at you just to make sure you don't make people look like they belong in The House of the Dead."
"I don't go that far…s-sometimes."
Sometimes?
"Right…" Matsumoto-senpai clearly didn't believe her.
"M-Mugi, do you still…w-want to do this?" Mio-chan asked while still recovering from the picture.
"Well…I really want to go to Okinawa. And if I want that to happen, then I really don't have a choice. Let's just get this over with."
"You're rather brave for doing this, Mugi-senpai." Azusa-chan said.
"Yeah, no kidding." Ricchan said. "After seeing that picture, there was no way in hell I would've done it."
"Well, I'm not only doing this for myself. I'm also doing this for Miharu. Right, Miharu?"
"You play The House of the Dead? I LOVE that game!"
"Right?! I love the exhilaration you get from headshot-ing zombies and surviving mutated monstrosities! It's so freaking fun!"
"Damn right, it is! I play whenever I can!"
"So do I! I'm even trying to beat my high score! Such a tedious thing to do."
"I can so relate."
Miharu and Iyo-san were deep into a conversation about that thing Matsumoto-senpai had brought up. And both had completely ignored what the rest of us had said.
"Yep. I'm so freaking screwed." I said with an exasperated sweatdrop.
*2 HOURS LATER…*
"One more spot…and…THERE! All done!"
"Really? You sure took a while." I said to Iyo-san.
"Art takes time, Tsumugi-san. Whether it be on a piece of paper or somebody's face. You can't ever rush it."
"I see." I then turned to face the other girls. "W-Well…h-how do I look?"
…
…
…
"W-Wow…M-Mugi…" Ricchan said after a brief silence.
"Wh-What? D-Do I look bad?"
"N-No, not at all." Mio-chan said. "I-It's just…wow."
"Wow? Wh-What does "wow" mean?"
"W-Well, um…s-say something, Senpai." Azusa-chan said to Miharu.
"M-Me? Well, um…if you and I weren't sisters, I'd totally date you."
"Wh-What does that have to do with how I look right now?!" I asked with a full blush on my face.
"Uh…guys. Can't we just give her the mirror now?" Yui-chan asked. Surprisingly the calmest out of the five.
"Thank you, Yui-chan." I said as I took the mirror from her. Now finally looking at myself, I can easily see why the others were nearly speechless.
My hair looked lighter than its usual blonde color and was tied up in a ponytail. A style I don't normally make with it unless I'm taking a bath. And my eyes were no longer blue and instead a reddish-orange color.
I honestly couldn't believe what I was looking at. I wasn't even sure if it was still me. I look like a completely different person.
…
Then again…that was the whole point of this, wasn't it?
"W-Wow…Iyo-san…"
"Eeek! O-Ojōsama?!" Sumire yelled in a panic as she rushed up to me. "Ojōsama, what has she done to you?! This is a travesty on its own right!"
"Sumire-san. Please calm down." Mikuru-chan said as she joined us in the room.
"Um…Iyo-san?" I asked as I looked in the mirror again.
"You like? It took a while for me to change you up while still be recognizable. I did the best that I could."
"S-So…th-the hair?"
"I put a little bleach in it to make it lighter. Had to wash it a few times. Making it the most difficult to change."
"I see. And the eyes?"
"They're contact lenses that I got from a friend of ours. They apparently were discontinued because they change your eye color once you put them in."
"If they were discontinued, then how did you get a pair?" Yui-chan asked.
"This friend of ours can really pull some strings." Matsumoto-senpai said. "He's a real crafty one."
"Uh…"
"Anyway." Iyo-san continued. "I didn't do much to your skin tone since that's way out of my control. But I did give you something under your shirt."
"Under…my shirt?" I honestly didn't want to check with everyone here. But the thought was spamming my mind so much that I mentally said "screw it" and lifted my shirt.
And it was there, on the left side of my stomach, that I saw…
"Eeek! O-Ojōsama! Y-You have a tattoo!" Sumire yelled as she was beyond panicked.
"S-Sumire-san, please! I-I cannot breathe!" Case in point, she was squeezing Mikuru-chan with such force.
"Woah! Sick tattoo, Mugi! I wish I had one like that!" Ricchan said as she stared at this weird heart-shaped design that was now on my body.
"I-Iyo-san…pl-please tell me…" I nervously asked.
"It's not real."
"Oh, thank God." Sumire and I sighed with relief.
"It isn't real?" Ricchan asked. "But it looks so…well, the opposite."
"I drew the design and then Iyo painted it." Matsumoto-senpai said. "We did a similar thing as a class assignment at the college just recently. Only difference is that we didn't use an actual body to paint it on."
"Wow. Even after hearing all of that, I still can mistakenly think that it's real." Yui-chan said.
"It's truly nice art." Mio-chan said. "That school must be teach you rather well, Senpai."
"*sigh* Even I must admit. It is pretty good. Very well-detailed." Sumire said.
"At least it's not as disturbing as Akari's "eye"." Azusa-chan said. "In fact, it's rather cute-looking."
"You know, Mugi." Miharu said. "With this new look of yours, we look less like sisters now. Saying that we are is going to be even harder now."
…
…
…
"*giggle* Oh, yeah. I guess it will be harder now." I said with a smile. "Thank you both again for doing this for me, Matsumoto-senpai and Iyo-san. You really helped me out with my current situation."
"You're welcome, Mugi." Matsumoto-senpai said. "We're glad that we can help. Right, Iyo?"
"Yeah, it was no problem at all." Iyo-san said. "But now that it's all over with, I've been meaning to ask something."
"Huh?" We were confused.
"Miharu, you said that you were from France, right? What city is it, exactly?"
"What city? I lived in a small town outside of Paris named Sceaux."
"S-Seriously?" Matsumoto-senpai asked in shock.
"Just like…Hey, Miharu. Do you happen to know two girls named Ariana Chéry and Madeline Richelieu?"
"Ariana Chéry? Madeline Richelieu?" Miharu went silent for a bit. "Well...I know a girl named Zoé Richelieu. And that she has a sister that I barely knew. But that's about it. Sorry if that didn't really help."
"Nah, it's fine. We'll just ask them if they heard of your name. The fact that we know three people from France kinda sparked that question."
"I see."
Well, now I'm curious about it. Miharu hasn't really told me much about her life before her mom died...
"Well, Mugi." Ricchan said as she scooted up to me. "With this new look of yours, you think you can come to Okinawa with us?"
"It wouldn't be the same without you, Mugi-chan." Yui-chan added.
"The two are right. You not being there wouldn't be as fun." Mio-chan said.
"I would love to be in Okinawa with you, Mugi-senpai." Azusa-chan said.
"So, Mugi. What do you think?" Miharu asked.
"Well…" I looked at my new self with the mirror once more. Looking over my bleached blonde hair, reddish-orange eyes, and heart-shaped "tattoo". I look almost nothing like my old self. A change that, now that it actually happened, feels like it should've happened a long time ago. I feel…kinda reborn now. Like it's a fresh new start for me after years of living in solitude and stereotypes and such.
"Ladies…let us prepare for our trip."
"YEAH!"
And it felt…completely perfect.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait with this one. I was writing other stories and taking a bunch of days off and I just lost track of time. It happens.
Here are the guest characters I was talking about. Rise Matsumoto and Iyo Mitsui from my Yuru Yuri stories (the latter being an OC). It was originally just going to be Rise. But I included Iyo because it worked out more in my head. As I said before, these two are temporary. They will not appear in the next chapter or the rest of the story.
Speaking of which, the next chapter won't be for a while. As this story is going on a break. I want to continue working on a few new stories and I'll need time to work on them. Hope you understand.
Thanks for reading. Later.