Chapter 286 (Bonus chapter from donation)
The cross-dressing contest, although a ludicrous and baseless competition, still bears the title of a contest. It is officially organized under the endorsement of the Student Council and the Temple's approval.
Of course, there is prize money for the winner, and the competition is well-structured.
Thankfully, there are very few participants, so there's no need for preliminaries.
Men dressed as women don't have to partake in absurd activities like appealing their charm to qualify for the finals.
The contest proceeds directly to the finals. Participants take turns coming out in order, showcasing their appeal, and then returning. The winner is determined through voting.
While it is impossible to become a completely different person, by slightly altering one's face, wearing entirely different clothes, and changing the atmosphere, no one who might recognize me should be able to tell.
That's because I have Sarkegaar's ring, a cheat key to prepare for this situation...
As humiliating as it sounds...
There's no way someone prettier than me could exist in that place...(?)
So, first, I need a dress for the contest.
And I need to decide on what kind of ridiculous thing I should do to appeal to the audience...
Should I dance? Or sing?
Honestly, I want to cry. I've experienced countless instances of injustice and sorrow since living here, but this is the first time I've felt so wronged that tears might actually fall.
Why... Why are they doing this to me?
I must not be exposed as Reinhardt. I must be unrecognizable even if someone looks at me. I also need to suppress my usual hot-headedness.
If I suddenly lose my temper and cause chaos, someone might suspect, "That person might actually be Reinhardt."
While the majority of those attending the contest won't know me, there's a possibility that someone might have heard of my infamy. Also, Kono Lint is likely to attend with high probability.
Eleris returned after not too long.
Empty-handed.
"Um... First, about the dress... I went to the boutique, and most of their dresses are custom-made... They said we need to take measurements and make the dress... They do have some pre-made ones, but they might not fit you..."
"..."
My height is around 181 centimeters.
I can change my appearance using Sarkegaar's ring, but adjusting my height could be risky in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Why did you participate in the cross-dressing contest?
No, but you were shorter back then, right?
What did you do?
I may hear such questions, so it's better to appear shorter.
"Let's go with a dress that has a long hem. I can pretend I was bending my legs. We can make myself look shorter that way."
"Ah, you mean a hoop skirt?"
I don't understand the term, but it seems that what I had in mind is called a hoop skirt.
I reduce my height using Sarkegaar's ring. If I wear a voluminous hoop skirt dress that hides my legs, I can later use the excuse of bending my knees if I'm exposed.
With my height reduced, the chances of someone recognizing me will be even lower.
All that's left is for the organizers to keep the secret well.
It's frustrating to have to prepare for the possibility of being discovered, but there's no choice. My body shape can be adjusted considerably, so rather than finding clothes that fit me, I can make my body fit the clothes.
Eleris said she would go back to the store again.
"Um, the sleeves should be long too."
If my arms are visible, wouldn't that be strange as well? Hearing my words, Eleris trembled her lips and nodded her head.
"Ah, um, yes… Your Highness."
Damn it.
Really, damn it.
I hate how I'm seriously considering what I should do to properly cross-dress!
Still… I have to win, don't I?
I have no choice if I want to win… If I end up in second place half-heartedly, I'd feel like committing suicide…
As I waited for Eleris to return with the dress, I stared blankly at the ceiling with my mouth open.
How should I appeal…?
Someone, please kill me.
In the end, preparing for the cross-dressing competition consumed my entire Sunday.
I should be focusing on the main tournament that starts tomorrow…
Why does it feel like I'm taking the cross-dressing competition more seriously?
Eleris brought back a catalog of dress designs from the boutique, which we looked through. The design was an issue, but it was more important for the sleeves and skirt to be large. We chose a hoop skirt, a wedding dress style.
We then purchased the dress and put it in a trunk to bring back.
It was a continuous feeling of self-disgust, but I couldn't just ignore it.
As I said.
There's no point in half-heartedly placing near the top if I'm not properly prepared.
If I don't win first place, this ridiculous endeavor will be a waste.
"…"
"…"
At this point, I had tried on the dress Eleris had bought. The most important condition was included.
Being able to put it on by myself.
So, right now, I was wearing the dress Eleris had bought.
Without changing my face, I adjusted my height to fit my hair and dress length.
To ensure nobody would recognize me, I changed my usual blonde hair to a completely silver color. If the hair color is drastically different, my impression will change significantly.
Eleris was looking at me with a warm expression.
"…Say something."
If it looks ridiculous, say it's ridiculous!
"I can't understand why Your Highness has to do this…"
Eleris trembled her lips as if she was in trouble.
It's not surprising that the lord of the demon realm is having his cross-dressing examined by a subordinate, it would be strange if he didn't experience a mental breakdown.
"But, still… It strangely… suits you well."
Damn it!
Don't be proud of it!
"The important thing is this. Can you recognize me?"
"Um? Since you've only changed your hair color… Your impression hasn't changed much…"
Of course. After all, my original face is the same, and I haven't even applied makeup, so there's no way they wouldn't recognize me.
"Do you want to look in the mirror?"
"…"
I don't want to look.
I loathe looking at it.
"Show me..."
Still, I have to see.
Eleris summoned a reflective barrier in the air. My reflection appeared in the magical mirror.
In the mirror was a haggard Reinhardt (with silver hair and wearing a dress) who seemed to carry the weight of the world's troubles and worries.
I feel nauseous.
Dizzy.
Why am I... Why am I doing this?
Was this my comeuppance after all? It all started when I used the trick of transforming from Sarkergaar's ring and receiving a confession from Kono Lint, right? The trickster didn't even know the possibility, but I showed it, didn't I? Thinking about it, this is all my fault and my retribution?
Sadly, because I made the appearance of Reinhardt quite handsome, it didn't look terribly strange.
However, the problem was that even if I looked, anyone who knew me would be able to recognize me at close range.
The next step was necessary.
"May... may I start?"
Eleris carefully laid out the makeup tools she brought in front of me.
Eleris claimed she didn't know anything about applying makeup. It was a skill she had no reason to learn.
So, while browsing for a dress at the boutique, she said she learned how to apply makeup using her elemental powers.
I wasn't sure how much she learned in that short period, but I didn't need to worry. Eleris was Eleris, so she would do well.
The problem was that she would apply makeup on my face instead of her own.
For now, I took off the uncomfortable dress and slumped into a chair.
I had tried on the dress, so I didn't need to wear it anymore.
The only time I would wear it after this was during the cross-dressing contest's main event.
"Phew... Alright. Let's do it."
"Yes..."
It felt like being led to the gallows.
If I were to participate in the Miss Temple event, the situation would be better. I could just transform into a completely different appearance. It would actually be more comfortable that way.
However, this was a cross-dressing contest that I signed up for under Reinhardt's name.
I had to achieve the bizarre goal of maintaining Reinhardt's appearance as much as possible while appearing as a completely different person. The organizers would keep my identity a secret, but they knew who I was. If a completely different person showed up, they would find it suspicious.
So, I changed the color and length of my hair and said it was a wig.
And then there was makeup. With heavy makeup, I could look like a completely different person. Surprisingly, Eleris seemed to be doing quite well considering she learned it in a short time. Her manual dexterity was far beyond average. She probably had seen it done before, even if she hadn't done it herself.
I had no choice but to entrust my face to Eleris with a dying expression.
The important thing was, Eleris couldn't enter the Temple.
There were two methods.
Either learn the makeup techniques from Eleris or go to Eleris on the day of the contest, get the makeup done, and return to the Temple.
Both options were terrible.
"..."
Both Eleris and I seemed to be dying a little with each passing moment.
Eleris appeared to have no idea what she was doing, her eyes spinning wildly, but she was applying makeup to my face regardless. And as for me, there was no need to say anything.
However, as Eleris applied more and more makeup, her expression became increasingly bizarre.
Her face seemed to be saying, "What on earth...?"
"Why are you making that face? It's making me uneasy."
"Well... um... it's just that..."
Eleris's lips trembled.
"It suits you too well..."
"Give me the mirror."
I could see my nearly finished makeup.
"Damn it."
Even I had to admit.
The makeup worked too well.
It wasn't just that Eleris had done a fantastic job with the makeup; it was also that the base material was already good enough that no matter what was done, the outcome seemed to be precisely what was desired.
After all, Reinhardt's face wasn't originally my face. If you get down to it, it was just a customized character's face.
A face that could be changed easily.
I couldn't quite remember what the original Valier looked like. Of course, if I were to compare, both versions were fine.
Having spent more time as Reinhardt, this face felt more like my own.
Anyway.
It was irritating that it looked so strangely good.
That was the problem.
"No matter how I look at it, I still look like Reinhardt."
"That is... true."
Reinhardt's face wasn't deliberately made to be imposing, but it had become so over time.
So, it felt like a real-life version of "What if Reinhardt were born a girl?"
Even if I couldn't recognize myself immediately, anyone who knew me would inevitably say, "Isn't she Reinhardt's sister?" or "Does Reinhardt have a sister?"
I couldn't help but imagine Kono Lint asking me to introduce my sister to him.
It was the worst...
There were limits to what makeup could do. It made me look plausible, but it didn't hide me well enough.
Now, it was time for the final step.
"First, I have to do something about these detestable eyes."
I made very subtle adjustments, like fine-tuning a sculpture. I used the power of the Sarkegaar ring.
I slightly refined the unpleasant-looking eyes, slimmed down the jawline, and made very small, incremental adjustments without making it too obvious.
I put self-loathing aside for the moment.
I will win.
No matter what it takes, I will win!
It took an age to finish the fine-tuning while looking in the mirror.
I stored this appearance in my memory, just as I had done with Reinhardt's.
By the time I finished all the work, I felt as if my eyes were about to fall out.
"Your Highness."
"What?"
"Now, it seems that if you were not a girl... it would feel strange... I think... Um, I'll stop now."
As Eleris praised me, I felt even more defeated, so she stopped speaking.
Right.
If this face weren't a girl's... that would be even stranger...
"However... the more I look at this, it's either Reinhardt's older sister or younger sibling..."
"Yes..."
Since I couldn't change the overall structure, no matter how I changed the hair color or minutely adjusted the face, it would inevitably become a derivative of Reinhardt.
And I couldn't completely overturn it either.
It was hellish. Eleris hesitated and opened her mouth with difficulty.
"Your Highness... I think I know what the problem is..."
"What is it?"
"Your expression."
Eleris pointed to my face in the mirror.
"It's your expression that's the issue."
My expression in the mirror was that of someone dying, and it was clear that I was under a lot of stress. My nerves were on edge, ready to explode at any moment.
That's right.
That's the default expression of Reinhardt Mk.I.
My typically sullen face wasn't due to my naturally unpleasant eyes, but rather, the expression I wore that made my eyes seem that way.
Now, with the stress of preparation, my already unpleasant expression was ten times worse.
Therefore, I was now in a state that was ten times more like Reinhardt than usual.
"Could you... try smiling...?"
"...I'm really not in the mood to smile right now."
How could I not laugh after all this, looking in the mirror?
I tried, but it didn't work.
The corners of my mouth trembled, threatening to rise but not quite making it.
Forcing a smile was harder than I thought.
Damn it, practicing smiling in the mirror like I'm preparing to be an announcer?
"More, um, brightly..."
"I'm trying..."
My mood was plunging into the depths of despair, yet I had to create a bright, smiling expression.
It was pure torture.
Eleris was right in pointing out that the expression was the problem.
"Indeed... It seems to be effective."
Just by changing my expression, I looked like an entirely different person.
I didn't even resemble Reinhardt anymore.
So, as time passed and the night wore on, I practiced smiling in Eleris's basement room until midnight.
Finally.
"At this level... it seems perfect. You look like a completely different person."
"Really...?"
In the mirror, my mental state had been reduced to dust and scattered, but my expression, at least, was disgustingly bright and cheerful.
Even I could see it.
I absolutely didn't look like Reinhardt.
With this, the preparations for the cross-dressing competition were complete.
This is what it feels like to have bile rising in your throat. No, it's worse, like having bitter water come up.
That night, I almost cried in my sleep.
No...
I really did... shed a few tears.
