Night finally arrived.
After spending the afternoon listening to each other's stories, the atmosphere at Unity HQ had now changed. The members who were still there began gathering and preparing to take part in the new event Emily had suddenly created.
Emily stood in front of them with her hands together. "Okay, before we start, I need a few things."
She then turned toward Lily and Mika. "Lily, Mika, can you please get a paper box and some pens from my room?"
"Got it!" Lily answered enthusiastically. Mika simply nodded.
The two of them went to Emily's private room. Not long after, they returned carrying an empty box and several pens.
Emily took the box and placed it on the table. "Alright, now everyone take one piece of paper."
Emily handed out the papers to everyone.
"Tear it into a small piece, then write your name on it. Once you're done, put it into this box. Later, we'll draw five people who will join the event with Shoko."
Everyone started doing as instructed.
Some people immediately wrote their names without thinking much. Others looked curious because they didn't know who would be chosen.
However, in the middle of all that, Lily looked different.
She lowered her head while writing something on her paper. Once she was done, she looked around for a moment.
No one was paying attention to her.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Lily then did something to the paper in secret before putting it into the box.
"Done!" she said casually.
No one noticed what Lily had just done.
After all the papers had been collected, Emily stood in front of the box. "Okay, is everything in?"
"Yes!" several people answered at the same time.
Emily nodded. "Then... let's see who will become gyaru tonight."
She started shaking the box.
Shake... shake... shake...
Emily then put her hand into the box and felt around the papers inside.
However, her expression slowly changed. "Hm?"
Emily felt something strange.
She pulled out one of the papers.
It turned out that the paper felt much bigger than it should have been.
Emily stared at the still-rolled paper in confusion. "...Why is this so big?"
She opened the roll, and the more she unfolded it, the longer the paper became.
Emily fell silent.
Everyone started paying attention. "Eh?"
Emily finally saw the name written on it, and immediately looked toward Lily.
Lily only smiled innocently.
Emily stared at her for a few seconds with a resigned expression. "...Lily."
Lily immediately stood up. "YES!"
Emily held up the long piece of paper. "Congratulations, Lily. You were chosen... You really are something else."
"YAAAAAY!" Lily immediately jumped around excitedly.
"I'm going to be pretty and sparkly like Shoko! I'll have cool makeup too!"
Shoko, who was standing not far away, simply laughed softly. "Hahaha, you're really excited."
Emily only let out a small sigh. "Alright... one has been chosen."
She put her hand back into the box. "And the second one is..."
Emily took out a piece of paper.
As soon as she saw the name, she laughed. "Hahaha... alright. This is interesting."
Everyone became curious.
Emily raised the paper.
"Fanny!"
Fanny, who had been standing casually, immediately fell silent. "...Huh?"
Emily smiled. "Congratulations, Fanny. You were chosen."
Fanny looked at the paper Emily was holding, then looked at the box. "...Out of all these papers, why did I get picked?"
She took her own piece of paper, which turned out to be extremely small. "And look at this. My paper is even the smallest."
Jenny, who was standing beside her, immediately laughed. "Hahaha! Big sis Fanny is going to be a gyaru!"
Fanny looked at her sister coldly. "Don't laugh."
"But I can already imagine it." Jenny started imagining her sister with heavy makeup, styled hair, and various sparkling accessories.
"A fighter like Big sis Fanny wearing beads and heavy makeup... hahaha!"
Fanny became even more annoyed. "Jenny..."
"Hahaha! If you don't want to, I can replace you." Jenny said while winking repeatedly.
Emily immediately raised her hand. "No, no. No replacing."
Jenny immediately stopped laughing. "Eh?"
"Those who were chosen have to participate. No replacements." Emily explained.
Fanny let out a long sigh. "...Alright. I give up."
Jenny laughed softly again. "Don't worry, Big sis. I'm sure you'll look pretty later."
"Hah, whatever."
Everyone laughed again.
Emily then took out the third paper. "Alright, number three..."
She opened the paper.
"Yui."
Yui, hearing her name, simply smiled and nodded.
"Alright. Yui will do her best to make the new member happy."
Vivi and Leona, who were not far from Yui, immediately approached her.
Vivi gently patted Yui's head. "Yui is really serious."
Leona also patted her head. "It seems you really want to become Unity's best member."
Yui smiled shyly. "I just want to help."
Emily put her hand back into the box. "And now... number four."
She took out a piece of paper.
"Rika!"
Talia, who was drinking at the time, immediately spat out her drink.
"PUH!"
Everyone immediately looked over.
Talia quickly wiped her mouth and looked toward Rika.
Rika herself was sitting while playing a game on her phone, but suddenly froze when she heard her name being called.
Talia pointed at her.
"Looks like you're going to be a gamer gyaru!"
Rika finally raised her head. "So...?"
She looked at Emily, then at Shoko.
Then she smiled casually.
"Tch, don't worry. I won't disappoint Shoko." Rika stood up and put her phone into her pocket.
"I'll show Shoko that gamers can wear makeup too."
Emily looked at her doubtfully. "Have you ever even worn makeup?"
Talia immediately laughed. "Of course not."
Rika turned toward her.
Talia continued casually. "All she does every day is play games and humiliate other players. When would she ever have time to do her makeup or think about style?"
Rika immediately looked annoyed. "Ugh, don't say that, Talia..."
"What? I'm just stating the facts." Talia said while waving her fan.
Rika took Talia's fan.
Smack!
She immediately shoved it into Talia's mouth. "Mmff?!"
"Quiet." Rika said.
Talia could only make an unclear sound while glaring at Rika.
Everyone laughed again.
Emily shook her head. "You two really can't stay calm."
After things became a little calmer, Emily took out the last piece of paper. "Okay, this is the last one."
She opened the paper.
"Julia."
Charlotte, who was sitting beside Julia, immediately raised Julia's hand high. "Hahaha, hooray!!"
Julia hadn't even had a chance to react.
Charlotte immediately said excitedly, "Finally, our hacker can look different! Not just hoodies and shorts all the time!"
Several people immediately laughed.
"That's true!" Monica said.
"When else will our top hacker get to turn into a gyaru girl?" Zestia added.
Julia only looked at them with a resigned expression. "Yeah, yeah... whatever."
She then shrugged. "Besides, this might actually be a good time to refresh."
Charlotte immediately smiled in satisfaction. "Now that's more like it!"
Emily looked at the five people who had been chosen.
"Lily, Fanny, Yui, Rika, and Julia."
The five of them stood in front of Shoko.
Shoko looked at them one by one and immediately smiled widely. "This is going to be fun."
Lily immediately raised both hands. "I can't wait!"
Fanny simply sighed.
Yui smiled calmly.
Rika already looked like she wanted to prove something.
Meanwhile, Julia still looked resigned to her fate.
Emily then turned toward all the other members. "As for everyone else, you're free to go home or stay and watch this event."
She pointed toward the five selected members.
"After this, we'll also be doing some activities outside, so there's no need for everyone to come along just to watch."
Some members eventually decided to go home because they still had personal matters to take care of.
Others stayed at Unity HQ to relax.
There were also some members who weren't selected but ended up helping because Emily asked them to support the event.
Not long after, the preparations were complete.
The five selected members and Shoko finally gathered in a special room.
The Dressing & Makeup Room.
Inside the room, there were already various makeup supplies, clothes, accessories, and other necessities.
Some of the items had even just been bought specifically for that night's event.
Shoko stood in the middle of the room with sparkling eyes. "Wow..."
She looked at all the supplies available. "It's so complete!"
Astrid was already there carrying her camera.
As Unity's photographer, of course she wasn't going to miss an opportunity like this.
Chloe was also ready as the fashion expert who would help determine their clothes and styles.
Lily immediately looked at all the supplies around her. "Suddenly, everything is completely ready!"
"Right, it's even better than what I have!" Shoko answered in amazement.
Fanny looked at the makeup table. "...I really have to use all of that?"
Shoko smiled. "Don't worry. I'll make it suit you."
Fanny sighed. "I'm starting to regret joining."
Rika was already looking at the various makeup tools with a serious expression. "Alright. Time to prove that gamers can be gyaru too."
Talia, who was also in the room, immediately commented, "Even though five minutes ago you didn't even know the difference between foundation and—"
Rika immediately turned toward her. "Want me to slap you?"
Talia laughed.
Julia herself only looked at the clothes that were available. "Hmm... at least I don't need a hoodie tonight."
Yui smiled as she looked at everything. "This event seems like it'll be fun."
Emily then clapped her hands twice. "Alright, everything is ready."
She looked around the room with a satisfied smile. "And this is the power of Unity."
Emily pointed at all the supplies that had been prepared. "We can provide all of this so quickly just for a small event thanks to Nic."
She then smiled. "As long as we stay united and harmonious, everything can be available to us."
Shoko immediately raised her hand. "Then..."
She looked at the five members in front of her with great enthusiasm. "Let's make some gyaru!"
Lily immediately cheered. "YEAHHH!"
Fanny covered her face with one hand. "...I really walked in here willingly."
And that night, Unity's first event for a new member officially began.
Inside the Dressing & Makeup Room, the six girls began getting ready.
Before starting, Shoko stood in front of them while holding various makeup supplies and accessories.
"Okay! Before we start, let me explain everything first!"
The five Unity members paid attention to Shoko.
"What we're going to use isn't just makeup. There'll be hair, accessories, nails, outfits, and a few other little things that will make your overall look feel like gyaru."
Shoko then pointed at some of the supplies on the table.
"But don't worry. I won't make all of you have exactly the same style as me."
Shoko smiled.
"Gyaru can have many different styles. So I want to adjust it to each of your personalities. The colors and details will also be different."
Chloe, who was standing near the table, immediately paid attention as well.
Shoko then turned toward her.
"Chloe, you know what kind of gyaru outfits would suit them, right? I'm still new here, so I don't even know where to find the right clothes."
Chloe smiled casually. "Don't worry. Just focus on their makeup."
Chloe then pointed at herself. "I searched for some references earlier too. I also already know their personalities, so I've prepared several options."
Shoko looked relieved. "Really? Wow, that's great!"
Emily, who had been watching them, immediately said, "Even though Chloe already knows, I still want all of you to explain yourselves."
The five girls turned toward her.
"Explain your personalities honestly. Don't make anything up. And tell her your favorite colors too. That way Shoko can understand you better."
Lily immediately raised her hand. "Me first!"
Everyone turned toward her, and Lily smiled widely.
"I'm very active and playful! I also like daydreaming."
Shoko raised an eyebrow. "Daydreaming?"
"Yeah!" Lily immediately smiled shyly.
"I usually meet Nic in my daydreams."
Several people immediately laughed.
Lily didn't care and continued casually. "Anyway, I like having fun and doing lots of things. Oh, and I like yellow!"
Shoko immediately wrote something down. "Yellow... active... playful... likes daydreaming..."
Shoko's smile grew wider. "Interesting!"
Fanny then stepped forward slightly. "My turn."
She spoke in a calm tone. "I'm calm and don't talk much. I'm also a fighter."
Lily immediately interrupted, "The monster feared at Solis Academy!"
Fanny glanced at Lily. "That doesn't need to be added."
Lily immediately fell silent with a smile.
Fanny looked back at Shoko. "I like black."
Shoko nodded. "Black gyaru with a stronger touch... sounds perfect."
Fanny simply nodded.
Then it was Yui's turn.
Yui stood calmly. "I'm calm too. A lot of people say I'm cute."
Yui paused for a moment. "But I don't know if I'm actually cute or not."
Lily immediately approached her. "Yui is definitely cute!"
She immediately pinched both of Yui's cheeks and rubbed them affectionately. "So cute!"
"Ughh, Lily, stop it!!" Yui tried to get away.
"Let go-!!"
"No way!" Lily got even more excited.
Yui eventually pushed Lily away. "Go away, you idiot."
Lily stepped back while laughing.
Yui let out a small sigh before continuing. "I also like painting."
She then smiled. "The colors I like are sky blue and cloud white."
Shoko wrote it down again. "Sky blue and white... soft and calm." She looked at Yui. "I can make that look really good."
Next was Rika.
Rika crossed her arms confidently. "I'm very confident."
Talia, who happened to still be in the room, immediately laughed softly.
Rika glanced at her. "What?"
"Nothing." Talia said while covering her mouth with her fan.
Rika turned back toward Shoko. "I also don't like losing. If someone says I can't do something, I'll prove that I can."
She pointed at herself. "I'm a gamer, and I've even been a world champion."
Shoko looked even more interested. "Wow, impressive..."
"And I like light orange."
Shoko nodded quickly. "Okay! I already have an idea."
Finally, Julia, who had been casually eating a lollipop, spoke. "Me?"
Emily nodded.
Julia shrugged. "I'm a laid-back person and very straightforward. I don't like complicated things."
She took another bite of her lollipop. "I'm a hacker, so I usually deal with computers more than things like this."
Shoko laughed softly. "Then what's your favorite color?"
"Purple with a blue gradient." Julia said with a smile.
Shoko immediately stopped writing. "Purple with a blue gradient?"
Julia nodded. "Yep."
Shoko smiled. "Okay, sounds good."
After hearing everything, Shoko looked even more excited.
She looked at the five girls one by one. "This is going to be fun."
Shoko clasped her hands together.
"I can pour the gyaru style I have into people who are all completely different from one another."
She then smiled enthusiastically.
"I'll make all of you look like your own gyaru versions!"
And from that moment, Shoko got to work.
She was very careful while applying the makeup. Every detail was adjusted to each person's face and personality.
The makeup was indeed thicker and more elaborate than their usual appearance, but Shoko knew how to make it suit each of them.
Lily got a brighter and more playful look.
Fanny got stronger colors.
Yui was given a softer look with a combination of colors that matched her preferences.
Rika got a bolder appearance.
Meanwhile, Julia got a more casual combination with touches of purple and blue.
After the makeup was finished, they started styling their hair and putting on various accessories.
Some time later...
"All done."
Shoko took a few steps back. "Now look at yourselves."
The five girls stood in front of the mirror.
Lily immediately opened her eyes wide. "Wow!" She blinked several times. "Is this really me?"
Rika smiled while looking at herself. "Not bad."
Fanny stared at the mirror for quite a while. "..I look weird like this."
Yui looked at herself. "It feels like I'm looking at someone else."
Julia was still chewing on her lollipop. "At least it's not bad."
Rika turned toward her. "You could say something a little more positive."
Julia shrugged. "I think that's already positive."
They all laughed.
Shoko then looked at them proudly. "You all look great!"
Not long after, Chloe arrived carrying several outfits. "Shoko, here they are."
She handed over the clothes she had chosen.
Shoko immediately looked surprised. "Eh?!"
She looked at each outfit one by one. "They all fit!"
Chloe smiled. "I told you."
Shoko then looked at the five Unity members standing in front of her.
She was even more impressed. "You really all suit different styles."
Astrid, who had been carrying her camera the whole time, immediately took several pictures.
Click!
"Don't move!"
Click!
Lily immediately posed.
Rika also posed confidently.
Yui smiled softly.
Julia simply held up two fingers.
Fanny was silent at first, but eventually joined them with a simple pose.
Astrid looked at the photos she had taken.
"Interesting."
She smiled. "All the Unity members really do have their own unique traits."
Astrid raised her camera again. "Whether it's something ordinary or something completely unique."
A little while later, everything was finally finished.
Shoko had also joined them.
The six girls were now standing side by side in front of the mirror.
Lily kept blinking while looking at their reflections. "This really looks like a group."
Rika nodded. "It really does look like a group."
Yui smiled. "An impromptu group."
Julia raised her lollipop. "And one hacker."
Fanny immediately turned toward her. "Why is that the part you're proud of? You're a gyaru now, not a hacker."
"Whatever." Julia said.
Astrid took more pictures.
Click!
Click!
Fanny then turned toward Emily. "What are we going to do after this?"
Emily instead looked at Shoko. "Shoko, what do you usually do when you're dressed like this?"
Shoko immediately looked a little embarrassed. "Usually... I just go for a casual walk outside."
She scratched her cheek.
"Sometimes people suddenly ask me to take pictures with them. If I'm in the mood, I usually say yes."
Emily smiled. "Then that's easy."
Emily then stood up. "Listen to what Shoko said. You guys are going for a casual walk tonight."
Lily immediately cheered. "Sounds fun!"
"Hopefully it'll be fun," Emily continued. "I'll follow from a distance with Astrid."
Fanny looked a little doubtful. "Isn't it dangerous to go outside at night like this?"
Lily immediately answered casually. "What's so dangerous about it?"
She pointed at Fanny. "Besides, if there's any trouble, Fanny will take care of it."
Fanny immediately turned toward her with an annoyed expression. "You're the one I'll take care of, you know?" She pinched Lily lightly on the waist.
"Ah!" Lily immediately screamed dramatically. "Ouchh, that hurts!"
She ran and hid behind Emily. "Emily! Help!"
Emily simply laughed.
Fanny sighed. "Seriously..."
They finally left the room and returned to the living room.
Several Unity members who were still there immediately turned around.
And...
Everyone fell silent for a few seconds.
"..."
Then some of them started laughing.
"HAHAHA!"
Lily immediately put on a proud expression. "Well? Pretty, right?"
Mika, who saw her, actually looked annoyed.
She looked Lily up and down. "Why did it have to be you who got to join?"
Lily smiled mischievously. "Because I'm the star."
She then deliberately posed in front of Mika. "Look at me."
Mika became even more annoyed, and her hand slowly reached for the burger on the table.
She was just about to throw it at Lily's face, but Olivia immediately stopped her hand. "Don't."
Olivia smiled elegantly while shaking her head.
Mika finally lowered her hand. "...Sorry."
She then pouted and went back to eating her burger.
Meanwhile, Jenny, who saw her older sister, was immediately shocked.
She stared at Fanny for quite a while. "Big sis Fanny..."
Fanny turned toward her lazily. "What?"
Jenny came closer. "You've changed so much..."
Jenny then narrowed her eyes. "It feels like I'm looking at myself."
Fanny frowned. "What do you mean?"
Jenny immediately said, "Big sis, you have to act pretty like me."
Fanny fell silent. "..."
Then she gently pulled Jenny's nose and pinched both of her cheeks with a fierce expression. "Say that again."
"Aaaah!" Jenny immediately pretended to cry. "Big sis Eliz!"
She ran toward Eliz. "Big sis Fanny is mean!"
Fanny immediately looked confused. "Since when did you two get so close? And stop acting like a baby."
Eliz laughed. "Jenny came up to me earlier."
"Why? What did she want?" Fanny asked.
Eliz pointed at Jenny. "She said she wanted to learn how to fight."
Jenny nodded seriously. "I want to hit my sister."
Fanny became even more annoyed. "Don't teach her that!"
Eliz then laughed. "I'm just kidding."
She held onto Jenny, who was still making an innocent face.
Jenny instead stuck her tongue out at her sister. "Or maybe Big sis Fanny is jealous because Big sis Eliz took me away?"
Fanny stared at her flatly. "That's nonsense and doesn't make any sense."
Jenny laughed triumphantly.
Emily then looked at the Unity members who were still in the living room. "Alright, we're heading out now."
She pointed at the six girls who were ready.
"We're going to walk around and record everything. That way, you guys can still see all the fun later without having to come along."
Emily then looked at Julia. "Julia, you're the one recording, okay?"
Julia nodded. "Um, okay?" Julia then walked toward the corner of the room.
Monica was doing a live stream there.
Julia stood beside her. "How do you vlog?"
Monica immediately fell silent.
"..."
Julia waited.
Monica eventually gave her a short explanation of how to hold the camera, record activities, talk to the camera, and point the camera at other people.
Julia nodded. "Okay, I understand."
Rika, who was watching from afar, frowned. "A top hacker doesn't know how to vlog?"
Yui answered innocently, "Her job is just to hack. Does she really have to hack while vlogging?"
Rika fell silent. "...That's true."
Finally, they all went outside.
They had only been walking for a short while when they already started attracting the attention of people around them.
Several people asked to take pictures with them.
Shoko immediately smiled and happily took pictures with them.
Lily looked even more excited.
"A picture? Sure!"
She immediately stood beside Shoko.
Astrid continued taking pictures from a distance.
Shoko and Lily became the two most active ones when interacting with the people around them.
They then continued their walk.
They walked around, went into the mall, looked around different stores, tried several activities, and enjoyed the night together.
Julia continued recording everything.
Every now and then, the camera pointed at Rika, who was taking something far too seriously.
Then at Fanny, who remained calm.
Yui, who occasionally laughed.
Lily, who couldn't stay still.
And Shoko, who seemed to be enjoying their time together more and more.
After walking around for quite some time, they eventually started getting tired.
They decided to eat at a nearby restaurant.
The six girls sat together.
The atmosphere was calm.
They ate while chatting and occasionally laughing.
However, in the middle of it all...
Shoko suddenly fell silent.
She lowered her head.
No one noticed her at first.
A few seconds later, a tear fell.
Shoko quickly wiped it away.
She tried to hold back her tears.
But the more she tried to hold them back, the harder it became.
Eventually, the tears began to flow.
Yui was immediately surprised.
"Shoko?"
The others also turned toward her.
Shoko covered her face.
Yui quickly moved closer and tried to hug her. "Shoko? What's wrong..?"
Julia, who was still recording, immediately turned off the vlog.
The camera screen went dark.
At the table beside them, Emily only glanced at them.
She didn't say anything.
But from her expression, it seemed like Emily already knew why Shoko had suddenly started crying.
To be continued...