Chapter 333: The Allure of Trinkets and a Witch's Sentiments
Humans are, by nature, visual creatures. To see women of Lucifer and her companions' caliber walking down the street was to witness a spectacle that naturally drew every eye. This effect was demonstrated perfectly when Sonoko, searching for a hairband in a small accessories store, let her hair down for a moment, startling both Courage and Ichihara Yuuko.
At the time, Ichihara Yuuko's assessment had been delivered with her usual quiet precision. "Sonoko with a hairband and Sonoko without one are two entirely different people. Beyond sharing a name, it feels as though her very personality shifts."
This observation, however, sparked an interesting incident. Intrigued by Sonoko's changing—no, almost magical—accessory, Lucifer and the others grew intensely curious about this simple item called a hairband.
And so, one by one, they each tried one on to see the effect for themselves. The result, of course, was a wave of shared amusement at their own reflections. Even Ichihara Yuuko, the ever-composed Dimension Witch, had to cover her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she gazed at herself in the mirror. She looked so foolish, so endearingly silly, that she felt she might just cry from the sheer absurdity of it all.
But one thing was certain: despite how ridiculous they felt they looked, they bought every single hairband they tried on. It seemed they had awakened some new, unexpected hobby.
From this little experiment, they also learned a valuable lesson: certain accessories could truly seal away one's beauty. Hairbands were one such culprit, as were the novelty glasses and masks they purchased next. In short, these queens, demons, and otherworldly beings were having the time of their lives.
For Ichihara Yuuko, especially, the experience was utterly unmatched. When had she ever imagined a day like this? Shopping with friends and family like an ordinary girl, laughing and bickering over trivial things. She felt, with a strange sense of certainty, that this might be the first time in her long existence she had ever played and laughed with such unreserved freedom.
"Pfft... Lucifer, you look a bit silly with those glasses on," Yuuko teased, a rare, playful glint in her eyes.
Lucifer adjusted the frames on her nose with an exasperated sigh. "I believe the term is 'chic urban professional,' is it not?"
"Tch," came a unified, dismissive sound from her four companions.
Lucifer and the others were now completely enamored with these small, simple trinkets. It had to be said, however, that while the hairbands were a universal disaster, a few other items were a perfect match for them. Ichihara Yuuko, for instance, looked stunning when she adorned herself with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, delicate earrings, and a simple necklace. The accessories softened her queenly aura, replacing it with the sharp, commanding presence of a high-powered career woman.
In truth, their earlier jokes were just that—jokes. Aside from the hairbands, they all looked magnificent with the various other accessories they tried.
Cerberus tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Speaking of people who wear glasses... Pandemonica would look good! And Nene, too!"
"That's only because they're the only people you know who wear glasses," Lucifer replied, her exasperation returning. "Countless people look good in them. Now, Sonoko, where exactly is this cosmetics shop you mentioned?"
"It's the one with the pink sign, just up ahead!"
At that very moment, inside the shop, a girl with short, pink hair was rummaging through a shelf, muttering softly to herself. "Hm? Why can't I find the toner...?"
"Let me tell you, their cosmetics are all fantastic, and they have a huge selection!" Sonoko announced proudly as they approached. "Apparently, they're quite popular nationwide!"
"Oh? That's quite impressive, then," Courage noted.
"Exactly! Their toner, especially, has a ton of repeat customers! We're here! Shopkeeper! I'm back again!"
Sonoko pushed the door open with the ease of a regular. The shopkeeper, a friendly-looking woman, glanced up from the counter and smiled. "Ah, it's Sonoko. What brings you here by yourself?"
"Today's a weekday, so Ran still has school," Sonoko explained with a grin. "I had to take some time off for an errand, and since my afternoon was free, I thought I'd stop by! And I'm not alone, these are all my sis—er, my friends!"
"Oh, that's right! I forgot it was a weekday! For a shop like ours, there's not much difference," the shopkeeper laughed. "Wow... as expected of Sonoko, all your friends are so beautiful! True natural beauties!"
Hearing the shopkeeper's praise, Ichihara Yuuko and the others remained silent. It was the kind of compliment one expected to hear in a cosmetics shop. Besides, the woman was simply stating a fact, so there was nothing to add.
The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "So, Sonoko, what are you looking to buy today?"
"Shopkeeper! Are you out of toner?" the pink-haired girl called out from the aisle.
"We have it!" the shopkeeper shouted back. "It just hasn't been put on the shelves yet! Please wait a moment! Sonoko, why don't you and your friends look around first? You can try some products later; we have samples of everything. Only buy it if it works for you. It's so frustrating to get something home only to find it doesn't suit you."
As the shopkeeper bustled off to the stockroom, Courage smiled. "What a responsible owner. Other shops just push recommendations on you and pressure you to buy this and that."
"That's because she once bought cosmetics from another store that were recommended without considering her skin type, and she had a bad allergic reaction," Sonoko explained matter-of-factly. "That's why she's so careful with her own customers."
"Come on, I'll show you around," Sonoko said, taking the lead. "This place has everything. You can see if there are any skincare products you like."
While the shopkeeper was gone, the pink-haired girl began browsing other sections. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Courage, one of the WGO's few First-Class Inspectors, schooling the others on the finer points of face cream. What an incredibly high-class group of women.
However, there was no dramatic encounter, no sudden recognition or attempt to strike up a conversation. The girl simply walked over, picked up a jar of face cream she often used, placed it in her shopping basket, and continued on her way without a backward glance.
But as she passed, Lucifer's gaze lingered on her for a moment. She couldn't explain why, but she felt a distinct sensation from the girl—the same kind of faint aura she had sensed from Erina and the others. She was almost certain this girl had eaten at Ren's restaurant before. 'Another one of my utterly useless skills,' she thought with a touch of internal amusement.
"Eek! So cold! What is this?!"
Lucifer was pulled from her thoughts as Courage took her arm, dabbing a tiny amount of face cream onto her wrist. Courage gently rubbed the cream into Lucifer's skin, smiling. "This is for an allergy test. The skin here is very sensitive and close to the blood vessels, which makes it perfect for checking for reactions. Behind the ears works well, too."
Lucifer nodded, watching as the cream was completely absorbed. "And then? We wait?"
"Mhm. Generally, ten to fifteen minutes is enough," Courage explained. "They always say to wait for half an hour or more, but it's usually not necessary. This amount of time is typically sufficient. However, there are rare cases where something doesn't cause a reaction on your hand but does on your face."
Sonoko nodded in agreement. "I know all about that. I had a bad reaction once and had to wear a mask for days. It turned out to be a pseudo-allergy, though. It just meant my skincare routine wasn't good enough and my skin barrier was damaged. More hydration and repair fixed it right up."
Nearby, Ichihara Yuuko stood silently, observing the pearlescent sheen of cream on her own fair wrist. She brought it closer, inhaling the faint, clean scent. In that quiet moment, she found herself thinking that perhaps being a witch wasn't nearly as interesting as being an ordinary person after all.
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