"Eh? Become…ugly?"
The unexpected suggestion froze Shiginomiya's expression, as she briefly wondered if Kuroba Akira's tastes were oddly specific—maybe he disliked beauties and preferred plain girls instead? If that were true, wouldn't that mean her chances had just vanished entirely?
But Akira's reasoning had nothing to do with his personal preferences.
"Well, maybe 'ugly' isn't the right word. Think of it more as…looking plain."
After all, Shiginomiya's natural beauty was extraordinary; no matter how badly the makeup was done, she couldn't look genuinely ugly.
"It's mainly to ensure you have personal freedom when going out, and to limit your exposure before your official debut."
Lowering expectations and hiding her beauty would set the stage perfectly, allowing her to dazzle everyone once the time was right.
Like a celestial beauty descending upon the mortal realm—one smile enough to topple kingdoms.
"Remember the last time we went out together? Everywhere we went, people turned their heads. Especially at the mall, someone even asked to take a picture with you."
When they'd checked out, the shop assistant had enthusiastically proposed a collaboration, offering clothes for free in exchange for promotional photos. Shiginomiya's presence had single-handedly boosted the store's foot traffic.
But Akira had turned it down without a second thought. That kind of petty benefit was beneath consideration.
For a complete amateur outside the entertainment industry to draw that much attention solely based on appearance was incredibly rare—almost on par with a moderately famous idol.
"Maybe I should have declined back then…" Shiginomiya murmured, a bit embarrassed. She hadn't refused since it was another girl asking, but Akira clearly disliked that kind of attention.
Those women might have uploaded the photos online, sparking unwanted buzz. Once that happened, separating Shiginomiya's appearance from her skills would be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, the internet in this world wasn't yet so advanced, and the customer from the clothing store hadn't uploaded any pictures. For now, Shiginomiya remained under the radar.
"It's fine; it hasn't caused any harm yet. But if we keep attracting attention like that, people will focus too much on your looks. You said from the start you didn't want to be recognized for your appearance."
"Yes…"
Shiginomiya felt deeply moved. Akira had respected her somewhat selfish request from the beginning, weaving it firmly into his plans without ever suggesting she change her mind.
He's always thinking about me, isn't he…? Her affection meter surged upward again.
"Of course, we could disguise you with sunglasses, masks, and hats, but that feels too over-the-top. Before you're famous, it'd look presumptuous. So we'll have Benika-san use her makeup skills to tone down your looks to a more ordinary level."
"I see. I understand completely now. I'll rely on Benika-san's help then."
Even without Akira's explanation, Shiginomiya would have agreed immediately, but hearing his reasoning made her affection for him soar even higher.
Although, by now, Shiginomiya's affection had already smashed through the ceiling. Even if Akira did something utterly terrible, her feelings would still rise rather than fall.
It was the curse of hereditary romantic blindness—an endless spiral of affection where the loved one could do no wrong. She was now fully immersed in the stage of blind devotion.
Naturally, Akira's original intention of controlling her affection meter had completely failed! Utterly meaningless!
"Using makeup to tone down beauty, huh… I haven't tried that one before."
Makeup usually aimed to conceal flaws and enhance beauty. Doing the exact opposite was rare, usually reserved for amateurs making mistakes.
"Benika-san, corpse makeup is somewhat similar to special-effects makeup, right? It might be troublesome, but could you apply it thickly enough to slightly alter her facial contours? Maybe blemish her skin tone too, and add just a hint of imperfection."
Many people's faces weren't unattractive per se; it was just minor details that spoiled the overall impression.
For instance, someone might have lovely pale skin and a pretty face, but their eyes might be too small. Or maybe the eyes and face shape were perfect, but the complexion was too dirty. Tiny imperfections made a big difference.
Onee-san Benika quickly grasped Akira's intent. After briefly pondering which makeup to use, she nodded confidently.
"I see. I'll discuss it with my other self later, but it should be doable. We'll make it subtle enough that no one notices anything unusual. Just how much we tone down Shion-chan's beauty will depend on the actual results."
"Great. You're a lifesaver."
With a makeup proficiency of lv4 and the matching Talent, Benika could probably make Shiginomiya look like a zombie if she wanted to. Truly reliable.
"Then, once Shion is able to go out freely, we can finally start testing the results of your month-long training."
Testing the results!
Those words immediately energized Shiginomiya.
Finally—I can prove myself to Akira-kun!
"I originally intended to wait until your skills were polished before sending audio samples to various seiyuu agencies, ensuring your looks wouldn't skew their judgment. But now that we can tone down your appearance, changing strategies makes sense. It'd be better if you attended auditions in person."
"You mean…I'll be going to seiyuu agency auditions already?"
Shiginomiya's voice shook with nerves. It had only been a month, and she'd been self-taught at home. Would any agency really pick her up?
And if she failed…would Akira-kun abandon her?
No…I absolutely can't fail!
I have to succeed, no matter what!
Seeing Shiginomiya tense up as if readying herself for battle, Akira gently patted her shoulder to calm her down.
"You're partly right, but relax. Our goal this time isn't actually to join an agency outright—it's more like…storming the stage."
"Storming the stage?"
"Exactly. Every seiyuu agency holds auditions to recruit new talent. You'll participate in those auditions and aim to pass as many as possible, opening up more options later on."
In reality, it was purely for grinding proficiency.
Lately, Shiginomiya's voice acting skill growth had noticeably slowed down.
Of course, it was remarkable that her proficiency continued to rise at all, considering she'd been completely self-taught at home. Her consistent progress was purely thanks to her S-rank Talent.
Most people eventually hit a wall, never able to improve further.
But Akira was too impatient for that.
Now that he'd successfully convinced Tashiro Benika, he wanted to see Shiginomiya debut as quickly as possible.
The only way to speed up her proficiency now was to gather real-world experience.
She needed to immerse herself in the atmosphere of live auditions, experience firsthand the harshness of competing against others, and, under that pressure, evolve to a new level!