Nishimura Noriyuki Is Not Stiff

[So this was your first time wearing makeup, Tsuki.]

Nishimura Michiko looked a little surprised.

After I nodded, she sighed in admiration.

[Looks like you’ve got quite the talent, Tsuki.

You know, the first time I put on makeup, I almost scared my family half to death.]

As if recalling that scene, a trace of a smile slipped onto her lips.

[According to them, it was like seeing some kind of Great Oeyama Demon King on parade.]

[So Michiko-oneechan even has experience playing a demon.]

I replied playfully while she led me from room to room.

[Pfft—hahaha.]

She laughed openly, squinting her eyes, which slightly broke her gentle beauty.

[That’s such an interesting way to put it, Tsuki.

No wonder Noriyuki considers you a close friend.

You’re really interesting.]

Interesting—

Using that word to describe someone whose heart has long since rotted might be a bit inappropriate.

Or rather, this performance has once again perfectly deceived someone.

The smile on my face grew even brighter.

[I should say, Michiko-oneechan is much easier to get along with than I imagined.]

[Oh.

Do I really look that scary.]

[After all, I was pretty shocked by this place.]

[Relax, relax.

We’re not the kind of people who bully others with our status.

Alright, this is my room.]

A room completely unbefitting her status.

Quite simple, and very messy.

The contrast with her image was striking.

[Sorry about this.

I didn’t expect anyone to visit my room, so I didn’t prepare anything.]

If we’re talking about that—

This level of messiness is even worse than mine, a shut-in on the verge of rotting away.

Since she was only a side character I hadn’t had much contact with, I was surprised.

Though only a little.

What caught my eye were the scattered items—female face models.

That made sense.

After all, I knew this side character’s hobby very well.

[Just like you can see.]

At this point, she no longer hid it.

[I love makeup.

Especially doing makeup for others, creating all kinds of looks that can stun everyone.]

[So that’s why Michiko-oneechan paid so much attention to my makeup.]

[That’s right, Tsuki.]

She smiled.

[Honestly, seeing such a beautiful face like yours paired with such immature makeup felt like a waste.

I thought that in my hands, you’d definitely attract everyone’s attention, so I couldn’t help but pull you along.]

As a member of the Nishimura family, she had this hobby that seemed unproductive and was looked down upon by the family.

Yet driven by passion, she had reached a professional level.

[Don’t underestimate me.

My skills are amazing.

I can even turn men into women.]

That was also shown in the game.

For example, turning Ichijou Rikou into a girl to investigate a pervert.

It was a brief episode, but thinking about that illustration still brought a faint sense of pleasure.

Rikou after makeup was incredibly cute.

Of course, compared to how he is now.

While indulging in that little bit of dark amusement, I was also listening to what was happening on the other side.

[Rikou, are you deciding what book to read.]

[Do you have any recommendations, Noriyuki.]

[Hmm, how about Don Quixote.]

[Then I’ll give it a try.]

After that, silence.

It seemed that even after drawing Nishimura Michiko away, things weren’t going smoothly between them.

[So, Tsuki, would you be my model.]

I snapped out of my thoughts and saw the expectant look on Nishimura Michiko’s face.

[Of course.

And I can also learn some techniques from you, Michiko-oneechan.]

[I’ll teach you too, Tsuki.]

She seated me in front of the mirror and took out makeup remover, gently wiping away the result I had spent half a day on.

There wasn’t really anything to regret.

[By the way, Michiko-oneechan looks really young.

If Noriyuki hadn’t introduced you, I would’ve thought you were her older sister.]

[When I was born, my parents—Noriyuki’s grandparents—were already fifty.

So I’m not that much older than Noriyuki.

I’m only twenty-one now, a student at Sakurano University.]

As she worked on my makeup, Nishimura Michiko explained her situation.

[So I bought a place near the university.

It makes it easier to go home.]

[I never expected that I’d end up living together with Noriyuki.

I didn’t think she’d come to stay with me.]

[By the way—]

Following her words, I asked.

[You’re not originally from Sakurano Village, are you.]

[We’re from Kyoto.

It’s quite far from here.

Here, Tsuki, turn your face a bit.]

[Mm—]

I slightly turned in front of the mirror.

After powder was applied, my pale cheeks looked even softer, like a newborn’s skin, glowing faintly under the sunlight.

[Tsuki’s skin is really incredible.

In all these years, this is the first time I’ve seen truly perfect skin.]

[That’s not true, Michiko-oneechan.

You’re exaggerating.]

[It’s better than the face models I buy.

Don’t be modest, Tsuki.]

[Hehehe.]

I let out a soft laugh, then turned my head slightly, deliberately letting my long hair cover the ear with the earphone.

[Talking like this is better.

If it stays silent, there’s no way to learn more.]

With a strange tone, I was actually reminding Ichijou Rikou on the other side.

This atmosphere couldn’t continue.

[Tsuki wants to know more things.

I wonder what about.]

[I’ve known Noriyuki for a while now, but I still don’t understand her very well.

Sometimes, I want to know what she’s thinking.]

Those were actually Ichijou Rikou’s words to Nishimura Michiko, which I merely repeated.

I could hear his heartbeat speeding up slightly.

He was clearly paying attention here too.

[I don’t know Noriyuki that well either.]

Nishimura Michiko replied.

[After I entered high school, I rarely spent time with her.

But when Noriyuki was little, she was a very lively girl, and it showed.

As for now—]

She sighed, clearly troubled by Nishimura Noriyuki’s inability to communicate easily with others.

[I don’t know what happened to her after I left that made her like this.]

Her hands didn’t stop as she chose eyelashes for me.

At the same time, sounds began to reach my ears.

When I closed my eyes—

[Noriyuki—]

[What is it, Rikou.]

[Let’s talk about the thing that left the deepest impression on us.]

[Are you bored, Rikou.]

[No.

I just thought this would be a good chance to understand you better, Noriyuki.

And also let you understand me a little.

Of course, that’s just my wish.

If you don’t want to, that’s fine too.]

[…]

[I’ll go first.]

[When I was in elementary school, Tsuki and I raised a dog.

It was a common village Shiba Inu.

It had been abandoned and was wandering around, so I picked it up and named it Inumaru.]

[I decided to take full responsibility for raising it.

Tsuki would come by from time to time to look after it—really, to play with it.]

[Inumaru was a strange dog.

It didn’t like barking, and unlike other Shiba Inus, it wasn’t clingy.

It obeyed my commands, but usually just lay in its kennel, spacing out.]

[This continued until it got injured.

After school every day, Tsuki and I stayed by its side until it healed.

Only then did it begin to grow attached to us.]

[Rikou, you’re a very gentle person.]

[Gentle might be too much.

It was just the care I was supposed to give.

After all, I was responsible for it.]

His calm voice didn’t change because of Nishimura Noriyuki’s comment, and he continued his story.

[As for why it left such a deep impression on me—]

He seemed to sigh.

[After it grew attached to us, Inumaru disappeared.]

[It was a rainy day.

We turned off the lights early and went to sleep.

When we woke up, it was gone.

Some people said they saw it run into the mountains and vanish.]

[—Why did that happen.]

[I don’t know.

It’s a question that’s haunted me for a long time.]

His voice, filled with confusion, reached my ears.

At the same time, I opened my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror, now incredibly beautiful.

[By the way.]

As Michiko drew my eyebrows, she suddenly spoke.

[The reason Noriyuki changed so much is probably related to her father—my older brother.]

[My brother, Nishimura Kenji, is an extremely rigid person.

He controls most of the family’s businesses.

He’s the head of the Nishimura family and the highest authority of the Nishimura Group.]

She spoke as if casually chatting, slowly revealing information.

[I was afraid of him ever since I was little.

Even with my parents’ protection, I still restrained myself in front of him, binding myself to the rules he approved of.]

[To be honest, one reason I chose to distance myself from home after high school and university was because of him.]

[You can feel that scary pressure on Noriyuki, right.

Let me tell you, my brother is even scarier than her.

No one dares to speak loudly around him.

I’ve even heard that he once scared an employee to tears just by questioning their work.]

That was quite an exaggerated description.

[But there was one exception—Noriyuki’s mother.]

[She was an extremely gentle person.

Someone who could talk easily with anyone.

Once you spoke with her, you’d naturally grow fond of her.

She had that kind of healing presence.]

As she mentioned this, she sighed.

[Noriyuki’s mother’s original name was Maekawa Nagare.

After marrying my brother, she became Nishimura Kawaru.]

[Their marriage was a political family alliance.

They barely knew each other before, yet after marriage, they became unexpectedly loving.]

[Only she could ignore my brother’s pressure and speak to him freely.

She could even scold him for his faults.

And only she could make him yield.

Even when scolded, he never showed the slightest anger.]

[At the same time, she was a perfect sister-in-law.

Whether dealing with my parents or with me, she treated everyone sincerely.

She paid attention to countless details in daily life and responded appropriately.]

Nishimura Michiko let out a small laugh.

[My interest in makeup was something I kept going thanks to her support.]

[Perhaps because of her, Noriyuki wasn’t infected by her father’s rigidity.

When she was young, she was a very lively and sensible girl.]

[But—]

She sighed again and didn’t continue.

However—

[Rikou.]

Nishimura Noriyuki spoke.

[The thing that left the deepest impression on me.]

[Is the day my mother passed away.]