Chapter 179 Secret to the Graves
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Oooh… that’s amazing talent, isn’t it?!”
Lately, Ayumu kept finding himself caught off guard by the unexpected talents blooming out of the former Kiritani clique girls. Honestly, he hadn’t expected much from them at all—if anything, he’d braced himself for them to end up as dead weight.
…But then one day, while one of them, Ms. Takanashi, was lying on the floor doodling out of boredom, he’d happened to glance at what she was drawing—and froze. They were fashion sketches. Sharp, clean lines, layered textures, trendy cuts like the kind you’d see in glossy magazines back in his old world. Something about them just… hit him.
When he asked why she could draw like that, she’d mumbled that she used to dream of becoming a fashion designer. Apparently, what she’d been doing now was called patternmaking—turning the designer’s concept sketches into actual clothing patterns. She even explained draping, where you took fabric and shaped it directly over a dress form while imagining the final design.
”Wonderful,” Ayumu had said, half standing as his mind began spinning wild. “You should use that gift. Why not chase your dream here, in this world?”
And just like that, he’d set things in motion. He threw money and materials at her, pulled every thread to gather female clothing workers from across the domain, built a whole small atelier around her.
At first she’d blinked at him, hesitant, whispering, “B-but… what if I fail…”
”That’s fine!” he’d said, grinning. “Even if you fail, who cares? I just want to see you try!”
And then—boom. In a world where people wore the same loose tunics and baggy underclothes like something out of medieval Europe, her stylish casual outfits exploded like wildfire.
”See? Just like I said you would,” he’d told her, smug and glowing.
His coffers had started filling right alongside the orders. Gappo gappo.
Uzuki, who used to want to be a hairstylist, had been folded into the team too. And Amagasaki—who’d been an idol since childhood in their old world—had been roped in as the instructor for the soon-to-launch idol division of the Keldan Domain Army’s band.
Of course, that was just the public cover. The real plan was subtler, darker. The cute songs, the coordinated dances, the perfect makeup and bright smiles—it was all going to be propaganda, carefully sugarcoated to win hearts and nudge minds, to shape public opinion and guide people’s behavior without them even realizing it.
Thankfully, the girls didn’t suspect a thing. They still thought he was just indulging a personal hobby.
People had given him frosty stares when they first saw the hand-picked candidates—pretty, bubbly, and ranging from delicate little A-cups to full-on bombshells—but he figured they’d forget that soon enough.
Because now, after a frenzy of trial and error, the prototype line of cosmetics, hair ornaments, and modern casual clothes was finally ready.
* * *
”Waaah ♡”
High-pitched squeals rose as Sashima and the rest of the girls crowded around the tables, their eyes sparkling. The surprise room was stuffed wall-to-wall with every kind of makeup, hair accessories, and trendy clothes they could’ve dreamed of.
”This is crazy! How did you get all this?!”
”Yesss ♡ It’s the lotion and toner I wanted forever! There’s even serum ♡”
”There’s eyeliner, mascara, blush, and eyeshadow too ♡”
”Lip tint—oh wow, and lip gloss! I haven’t seen these in forever ♡”
The room burst into happy chatter, bubbling like soda.
”Whoa, gel nail polish too… is there remover and peel-off base?”
”Near the eyelash curler! Maina, look!! These little faux pearls and cut glass gems are adorable!”
”They are! There’s even nail stickers shaped like flowers and hearts!”
”Hey, I found foundation but… uh, anyone see the puff?”
”I saw it by the exfoliating cream and nail polish remover ♡”
”Thanks ♡ that’s by the face cream, right ♡”
Ayumu leaned back, letting their voices swirl around him. If their faces were lighting up like this, then it had all been worth it.
They dove in, packing combs, face masks, false lashes, accessory cases, double eyelid tape, standing mirrors, hand mirrors, folding mirrors, compact mirrors, hair caps for the bath, rich moist shampoos, loop curlers, soap whippers for fluffy foam, cleansing sheets, facial wash creams, face rollers, body rollers, fake piercings, ear cuffs, bun nets, bracelets, hair bands, multi-ties, neck-back-hair ties, hair extensions, clips, pins, scrunchies, side clips, banana clips, pony hooks, wire ponies, vance clips, U-pins, pin curls, petite vances, stripper clips, line curlers, hair arrangement sticks, corsages, hair ties, silicone bands, hair ribbons, pom-poms, wool puffs for nail buffing—on and on until the air itself smelled like a beauty shop.
Time blurred into a chaos of giggles and clattering bottles. Ayumu sat there and waited. And waited.
When Sashima finally looped a white scrunchie into her side ponytail, he made sure to tell her it looked perfect. She’d blushed.
As for the clothing, the sample dresses had square necklines and big back ribbons. The girls slipped them on one by one—and then, right at the big moment, when they were about to show off—
”KYAAAAAA!!!”
Half the dresses just… fell apart.
Apparently the factory girls had skipped even basting and just stuck them together with glue.
”Wha—hey!! Sanai! Don’t look!!”
”You perv! You totally planned this, didn’t you?!”
”Sex offender!!”
Ayumu could only grin like an idiot as the flurry of frills and ribbons gave way to the frills and ribbons of their underwear.
Sashima just stood frozen, her face red as her bow. The others hurled insults, but he barely heard them.
(…Okay. Yeah. I should definitely never, ever tell them that back when they were half-dead and sedated, I was the one who used a speculum and a colposcope to clean and treat the abrasions inside their—)
…That little secret, he decided, was going to the grave with him.
…And of course, the part where he’d not only seen them stark naked, but had actually spread their soft flesh apart to check inside while performing medical treatment—that particular secret, Ayumu decided with a stiff little nod to himself, was going straight to the grave with him.
No question about it.
Notes:
• Kiritani – The class president who takes leadership and questions their situation. A smooth operator, laid-back and calm. The handsome one.
• Sashima – Family name of Hiyori. A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai. She followed as a Barrier Technique Adept.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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