The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys
10. Somewhat Formal Dress
And so, before I knew what was happening, we’d decided to visit the gym of a certain middle school on Sunday night─but before we set out, I was going to need a little work.
As I’ve already mentioned a number of times, I─that is, Mayumi Dojima, Yubiwa Academy, year 2, class B─dress as a boy on a daily basis, but since I do the dressing up myself, I can’t say the level of accuracy is very high.
I might look like a male student from a distance, but despite the slacks and the short hair, if you took a good look at me from close up you’d know I was a girl.
At the very least, it would be easier to tell that Mayumi Dojima is a girl than it would to tell that she’s a twisted, obstinate, gloomy grouch.
Therefore, when it came to marching into a danger zone as a member of the Pretty Boy Detective Club (the obvious danger of marching into Kamikazari Middle School as students of Yubiwa Academy aside, doing anything with the Pretty Boy Detective Club seemed plenty risky on its own), I needed to up the level of my drag game a little─er, a lot.
I had to get fixed up so no one would figure out I was actually a girl─and that meant the time had come for our resident costume artist to do his thing.
Sosaku the Artiste.
I needed to ask a favor of the child genius who maybe, or rather quite likely, still didn’t accept me as a member of the club─after all, he was the one who had managed to turn me into a boy for the first time in my life the other day.
Setting aside personal feelings, he at least seemed to accept me as raw material for his art, so on Sunday I arrived early at the art room and he helped me morph into a magnificent boy yet again.
His skill with makeup was astonishing and his touch with the barber’s shears worthy of amazement─wait, we’re not using a wig this time? We’re actually going to cut my hair? But, I already cut it pretty short myself, didn’t I?
After that, he gave me a set of “casual dress” clothes that he’d altered to fit me, or more likely, sewn from scratch─which more or less fit the image of “casual dress” I’d had in mind.
For a scion of the Yubiwa Foundation, they may have been more like loungewear, but for a commoner like me, they were nothing if not dress-up clothes.
Naturally, Yubiwa himself, as well as the other members of the club who trickled into the art room after us, were all wearing what I’d call party clothes rather than casual attire (most likely haute couture numbers pulled together by their exclusive stylist). Even Mr. Bare-Legs’ shorts looked more like something off the Paris runways than a casual item of clothing.
Together they amounted to such a technicolor rainbow that I felt like I’d go blind even with my glasses on─if this was “somewhat casual,” then I couldn’t wait to see their version of “informal” someday.
“Oho, young Dojima, you’ve been done up! And thanks to you, Sosaku looks quite pleased with himself. Ha ha ha, what a beautiful exchange between fellow members!”
The perpetually high-spirited Sotoin seemed to be in especially high spirits tonight─although only the gods knew if Yubiwa was actually feeling pleased with himself.
“Well lads, shall we? The Pretty Boy Detective Club is on the case! As always, let us be beautiful, let us be boys, and let us be detectives!”
“Sure,” “Yup,” “Yes, let’s,” answered the delinquent, Mr. Bare-Legs, and the councilman in turn─with the child genius following silently after them.
Every time I witnessed their harmonious teamwork, I couldn’t help feeling inferior, like there was no room for me to join in─but thanks to the artiste, I was a pretty boy for the moment, even if only on the surface.
Mayumi the Seer, she (he?) of the beautiful eyes.
So.
“And let us be a team,” I mumbled, as I accompanied them out the door.