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Cutty sat in the lounge room with his gaze focused on the phone. He had both his elbows resting on the edge of the bar counter and his hands were gripping his phone. Next to him was a glass of whiskey. He watched and watched Cure Idol’s music videos. He had become so accustomed to his days being shrouded in a cloud of darkness, that he had forgotten what it’s like to feel キラキラ! Cure Idol was his favorite of the trio girl group. His days prior to the Precures were full of playing pool, darts, and occasionally getting drunk. But now he kept up with Precure shows and songs! He would even bond about it with Zakkuri and have their debates about who’s the best Precure of the trio. At that moment, Zakkuri was throwing darts (like always) and Chokkirine was playing pool (like always). It felt wrong of him to genuinely enjoy the songs of the enemy, but they’re so damn good! Who could blame him? This was a boring cycle that was part of his life. However, today, he was going to do something to get out of the monotonous day.
Without a word, he slipped to the town. He wore sunglasses as he walked around. It was a beautiful, sunny day. It was a month into spring and the air smelled of freshly bloomed flowers and the sun shone through the rolling clouds. The wind rustled the leaves on the trees into a calming song. What a beautiful day. Cutty began to walk along the sidewalk into the more commercial area. There are many restaurants, stores, and sitting space. While walking around, he saw a small cosmetics store. He wasn’t sure why he walked in, but he did.
“いらっしゃいませ!” A kind, older lady greeted him, “how may I help you today?”
Cutty was caught off guard, he wasn’t used to being treated so kindly, even if it was a simple greeting, “hello! I’m just looking around. Thank you.”
He went off to walk around and looked at the rows of different cosmetics. He was familiar with a lot of them, though he preferred to stick with the very dark eye shadow. Then, he stopped at the nail polish. There were rows of colors and their visual texture – ranging from neon to metallic to matte and more. Out of all of them, there was one in particular that caught his eyes: a bright, hot pink nail polish. He picked it up and noticed how small the vial was in his hand. The color was almost the exact one to Cure Idol’s nail color! He then picked up a top coat (a gel, clear nail polish). He stood at the counter, now feeling a bit embarrassed that he was buying nail polish.
“Is that all?” The lady scanned the items.
“Yes.”
“Did you know this color is very popular among Precure fans?”
Cutty fumbled a bit as he got money from his wallet, “I’m not surprised… she is very… amazing.”
“Aw, you’re a fan?” The lady glanced up with a knowing smile.
“I know it’s embarrassing, but yes! Her songs fill my heart with キラキラ!” Cutty’s lips slowly turned from his permanent frown to a shaky smile.
After he paid for his items, he went back to the lair. Zakkuri was still throwing darts. Chokkirine was lounging on the couch while scrolling through her phone. He sat at the bar, just as he did in the morning, and removed his gloves. Cutty set the two vials of nail polish aside. He began to file his nails away, then he used the buffer to smooth the surface of his nails. He was about to reach for the pink nail polish when a voice cut through his thoughts.
“What are you doing?” Mistress Chokkirine stared at him with an unreadable face. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her body weight on one foot, as if she was about to reprimand him.
“M-Mistress Chokkrine!” Cutty jumped, “I thought it was Zakkuri’s turn to go after the Precures?”
“Yes, it is.” Her answer was slow, as if analyzing the situation, “he just left.”
He could feel cool sweat run down his neck, “I am just… taking care of my hygiene! You know how much I love to take care of my hands.”
She was aware of that: sometimes he would be filing his nail or complain that his nail has chipped. That’s why he was the only one in the team to wear gloves! Sure, Zakkuri also wore gloves, but those are fingerless. That doesn’t count.
“I am aware of that,” Chokkrine motioned to the unopened nail polish, “care to explain why such a hot pink?”
“Well, uh, when I was in town I was going to get the same purple as your nails! But I accidentally got this color instead.”
She laughed, “I’m glad you made that mistake! I wouldn’t want you to copy my style!”
Cutty gave a rather unconvincing chuckle, along with an awkward grin. While he was distracted, Chokkirine reached over and snatched the bottle, then examined the color closely. Interesting choice. She knew that Cutty sometimes cracked under pressure, but he would never mix up with something like this. He admitted to going to a store and buying this, so at least he wasn’t hiding that detail. Yet, she knew he wasn’t telling the entire truth.
“Give me your hand.” She offered her hand to him, this time her voice was more welcoming.
“Why?”
“Because I know you won’t be able to paint your own nails.” Chokkirine stated flatly.
Cutty rested his hand on top of hers and she began to work her magic. She did two coats of pink on each finger, followed by her putting the clear top coat. He rested both his hands on the bar counter as he waited for the paint to dry completely.
“Thank you, Chokkirine,” he glanced over to keep eye contact with her, “you’re right, I wouldn’t have been able to do this myself.”
She shrugged it off, her air of superiority returned, “I will say, that’s so not your color, but it’s cute.”
Chokkirine watched as he eyed his very vibrant nails. She had never seen him with a facial expression that wasn’t a scowl. He even had a little glow in his eye. キラキラ! It wasn’t as strong compared to the people in the town, but the presence was still there. She wasn’t dumb: she knows Cutty loves the Precures. It’s quite obvious. He always claims he is “researching” or “trying to understand them better” when he’s watching their music videos on repeat. This lil’ interest of his kept his morale up.
A good leader wants to keep her teammates in good spirits and grow in their own ways.
Even if that includes painting his nails and turning a blind eye to his Precure obsession.