(Friends, there’s something I wrote in my drafts but forgot to mention earlier.
The upper limit of human charisma is 80.)
The morning sunlight was slightly dazzling.
Fujiwara Ai stood at the entrance of his apartment holding a black mask in his hand.
After hesitating for three seconds, he finally put it on.
Last night, after his charisma officially crossed the threshold of 75, the system’s so-called “qualitative transformation” proved to be anything but an exaggeration.
When he looked into the mirror this morning, he discovered that his originally messy black hair had become smoother and more glossy.
His skin condition was so good it looked like he had just undergone top-tier skincare treatment.
Even his dead-fish eyes had become deep and attractive because of subtle adjustments to their shape, carrying an indescribable sense of world-weary melancholy and soulful charm.
With a face like this, if he walked around uncovered, talent scouts would probably stop him every few steps, and strange older women might start trying to pick him up on the street.
“Troublesome.”
Fujiwara Ai muttered quietly before pushing open the apartment door and leaving.
On the road toward Sobu High School, even with the mask covering most of his face, countless subtle gazes still stuck to him like flies.
“Hey, look at that guy.
Even with a mask on, he still feels ridiculously handsome…”
“Is he a transfer student?
I’ve never seen someone with that kind of aura before.”
“That gaze is seriously killing me…”
The whispers of several girls nearby entered his ears clearly.
Fujiwara Ai stared straight ahead and silently increased his walking speed.
Was this the side effect of high charisma?
Originally, he only wanted to quietly live as a background passerby.
Now that possibility seemed completely impossible.
Just as he arrived at the school gate, a familiar figure appeared in his field of vision as though by coincidence.
Yotsuya Miko.
Today, she looked completely different from last night’s gloomy and heavy appearance.
The moment she saw Fujiwara Ai, her amber eyes instantly brightened.
“Good morning, Fujiwara-san!”
Miko quickly walked toward him with an unusually sweet voice.
Moreover, her actions today were incredibly bold.
Under the gaze of countless students, she naturally wrapped herself around Fujiwara Ai’s arm.
Not just lightly.
She pressed almost her entire body against him while hugging his arm tightly.
The sounds of gasps and shattered hearts instantly echoed nearby.
“Hey, isn’t that Yotsuya-san?”
“Who is that gloomy…
no, cool handsome guy?
Yotsuya-san is actually holding onto him?”
“Dammit!
Normies should explode already!”
Fujiwara Ai lowered his head slightly and looked at the girl hanging onto his arm.
Through the school uniform fabric, he could clearly feel the warmth and softness of her body.
“Yotsuya.”
His voice sounded deeper because of the mask.
“We’re at school.”
“I know.”
Miko raised her head and smiled innocently, though a trace of cunning flashed inside her eyes.
“But yesterday, Fujiwara-san only said not to bite you again.
You never said I couldn’t hold your arm.”
This girl had already learned how to exploit loopholes.
Moreover, she was openly marking territory.
She was silently announcing to everyone around them:
This man belongs to me.
Fujiwara Ai sighed inwardly but didn’t push her away.
Compared to being chased by evil spirits, dealing with an overly clingy beautiful girl was annoying but at least it didn’t damage his SAN value.
Besides, after last night’s purification, the clean aura surrounding Miko made him feel unexpectedly comfortable.
The two entered class 2-F together while enduring countless stares.
Just after sitting down, the system notification sounded once more.
[Ding!
New plot node detected.]
[Mission Issued: Savior of the Tailoring Club]
[Mission Description: The ace gyaru of the Handicraft Club and the school’s top-tier beauty, Kitagawa Marin, is currently facing the greatest crisis of her cosplay career.
Her cosplay outfit is on the verge of collapse due to severe sizing problems, and nobody can fix it.]
[Mission Objective: Head to the Handicraft Club and demonstrate your hidden God-tier tailoring abilities to save her costume.]
[Mission Rewards: Charisma +1, Skill: [God-tier Makeup Artistry (Mastery)], Kitagawa Marin Favorability unlocked.]
Fujiwara Ai raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kitagawa Marin.
The heroine of My Dress-Up Darling.
It seemed today’s lunch break definitely wouldn’t be peaceful.
Lunch break arrived quickly.
Fujiwara Ai escaped from Yotsuya Miko, who desperately wanted to eat lunch together with him, and headed alone toward the Handicraft Club room inside the Special Teaching Building.
Before he even entered, a cry of despair echoed from inside.
“Aaaah!
No good, no good!
It ripped again!”
“This fabric is way too fragile!
It’s supposed to be expensive satin!”
“Ugh…
at this rate I definitely won’t make it in time for Sunday’s cosplay event…”
Fujiwara Ai pushed open the clubroom door.
Inside sat a blonde girl with pink-dyed hair tips and a boldly modified school uniform.
Kitagawa Marin.
At the moment, she was sprawled dramatically across a desk while crying toward a half-finished black lace dress.
The stitching on the outfit was a complete disaster.
Loose threads hung everywhere like the survivor of a tragic accident known as beginner-level sewing.
Her crimson contact lenses still contained traces of tears while her exquisitely made-up face carried pure despair.
“Eh?
You are…?”
She stared at Fujiwara Ai standing near the doorway with a mask on and froze slightly.
Who is this person?
He looks so cool and aloof.
Did he walk into the wrong room?
Fujiwara Ai skipped unnecessary conversation.
He calmly walked toward the table before lowering his gaze onto the damaged cosplay outfit.
“Kuroe Shizuku.”
He quietly spoke the character’s name.
It was the heroine associated with this costume from a famous eroge.
Marin’s eyes widened instantly.
“Eh?!
You know Kuroe Shizuku too?!”
It was as though she had finally met a soulmate.
Her previous despair disappeared instantly as she jumped up and rushed directly toward Fujiwara Ai before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him frantically.
“You played that game too?!
Do you also love the drenched maid route?!
Oh my god!
I finally found another fan!
I knew that game’s setting was super amazing!”
Fujiwara Ai almost became dizzy from being shaken around but still barely managed to maintain his balance.
“Let go first…
please.”
Even while being shaken, his tone remained cold.
Marin finally realized she had gotten too excited and hurriedly released him before awkwardly scratching her cheek.
“Sorry, sorry!
I just got too hyped…
so why are you here?”
Fujiwara Ai walked toward the table before lightly pinching the damaged fabric between his fingers.
“You’re planning to wear this to a cosplay event?”
There was obvious disdain hidden in his tone.
“Y…
yeah.”
Marin looked somewhat guilty.
“I’ll try hard to fix it somehow!”
“It’s beyond saving.”
Fujiwara Ai mercilessly delivered the verdict.
“The stitching is crooked here, the edges aren’t properly finished, and…”
He pointed toward the waist seam.
“If you wear this and take one deep breath, it’ll definitely split open.”
“Sp…
split open?!”
Marin’s face instantly turned bright red.
If her clothes exploded open at a cosplay convention, that would absolutely become social suicide.
“T-Then what should I do?”
She looked at Fujiwara Ai uncertainly.
Although this guy spoke harshly, every issue he pointed out was completely accurate.
“…Do you know how to sew clothes?”
Fujiwara Ai didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he quietly took out a compact sewing kit from his school bag.
It was an item he had prepared thanks to the Housekeeping skill granted by the system.
“Take it off.”
He pointed toward the unfinished costume hanging on the mannequin.
“Eh?”
Marin froze for a moment before hurriedly reacting.
“Oh!
O-Okay!”
She quickly removed the outfit and handed it over.
Fujiwara Ai accepted the costume before sitting calmly on a nearby chair.
Although his normal skill was only [Housekeeping (Beginner)], the system temporarily upgraded it into [God-tier Tailoring] once the mission started.
Threading the needle.
Pulling the thread.
Fujiwara Ai’s movements became so smooth and quick they almost blurred.
His long slender fingers manipulated the silver needle through the black fabric like a precise dance performance.
Unstitching.
Restructuring.
Overlocking.
Resewing.
Every movement carried machine-level precision while still retaining the warmth unique to handmade craftsmanship.
Kitagawa Marin watched everything blankly.
She leaned against the table while resting her chin on both hands, her crimson eyes fixed completely on Fujiwara Ai’s fingers.
“S…
so amazing…”
“Are those really a boy’s hands?”
“And…
when he’s serious, he looks insanely handsome…”
Although half his face remained hidden beneath the mask, his focused eyes and slightly lowered eyelashes still caused Marin’s heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably.
Especially that gap between his cold personality and his honest willingness to help.
It perfectly matched her weak point.
Ten minutes later
“Done.”
Fujiwara Ai cut the thread before lightly shaking the repaired dress.
The outfit that originally looked ready to collapse now appeared flawless.
Every fold and line perfectly recreated the original character design.
“Try it on.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
He handed the dress over.
“Waaah!!!”
Marin immediately screamed while clutching the outfit like a sacred treasure.
“A miracle!
This is literally a miracle!
Are you some kind of god?!”
Excitedly, she almost rushed over to hug Fujiwara Ai, only to freeze from a single glance he gave her.
“Go change.”
“Yes sir, Great God!”
Marin grabbed the outfit before rushing behind the changing curtain.
A few minutes later
The curtain opened.
“Ta-da~!
How is it?!”
Kitagawa Marin stepped out while wearing the black maid outfit.
It had to be admitted.
She was naturally gifted at wearing clothes.
Her tall curvy figure was perfectly highlighted by the redesigned costume.
Black lace beautifully contrasted against her fair skin, and combined with her radiant smile, she looked almost identical to a real two-dimensional heroine.
Thanks to Fujiwara Ai’s alterations, the waistline fit perfectly without appearing restrictive.
“It’s seriously…
such a perfect fit!”
Marin twirled excitedly in front of the mirror while her skirt fluttered around.
“And I don’t need to worry about it splitting anymore!
Amazing!”
She turned around and looked directly toward Fujiwara Ai sitting calmly nearby.
Her eyes now contained admiration and something else slowly beginning to grow.
“Um…
Great God!
I still don’t know your name yet!”
“Fujiwara Ai.”
Fujiwara Ai stood up while calmly packing away the sewing kit.
“Fujiwara-san!”
Marin immediately leaned closer until he could smell the faint sweetness of her perfume.
“Can I ask for your help again sometime in the future?
I’ll treat you to food in return!
Or…
or maybe I can do anything you want!”
The moment she spoke the phrase “anything you want,” her face suddenly became slightly red as though imagining something strange.
Fujiwara Ai quietly looked at her.
[Ding!
Mission Completed.]
[Rewards Issued: Charisma +1]
[Current Charisma: 76]
[Skill Acquired: [God-tier Makeup Artistry (Mastery)]]
[Kitagawa Marin Favorability Unlocked: 20/100]
“Depends on my mood.”
Fujiwara Ai once again used his classic answer.
Then he glanced toward the clock.
Lunch break was almost over.
“Also, next time you choose fabric, don’t focus only on appearance.
Pay attention to texture and elasticity too.”
Leaving behind that extremely professional advice, he turned and walked out of the Handicraft Club room.
Marin remained standing there while staring blankly at his departing figure, both hands covering her burning cheeks.
“Fujiwara Ai…”
“…what a cool name…”
“And he understands cosplay and can sew clothes too…”
“Is this…
destiny?”
Meanwhile, back inside class 2-F
The moment Fujiwara Ai returned to his seat, he immediately felt a resentful gaze.
Yotsuya Miko was slumped across her desk while gloomily staring at him.
“Fujiwara-san…”
“…where did you go?”
“You smell like another girl.”
“A really sweet perfume scent too.”
Fujiwara Ai’s heart skipped slightly.
Does this girl have a dog’s nose?
Just as he prepared to explain, his phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from Bocchi.
[Um…
Master…]
[I…
I wrote a new song…]
[If…
if it’s not too much trouble…]
[Could you come listen after school…?]
[Just…
just the two of us…]
Fujiwara Ai looked down at the message before glancing back toward Yotsuya Miko, whose body was already radiating dark pressure.
A yandere JK in front of him.
A socially anxious guitarist behind him.
And a passionate gyaru caught in the middle.
This shuraba was escalating way too quickly.