NOVEL NEXT chapter 148
148 – Masquerade – 2
It is said that the degree of completion of a piece varies as much as heaven and earth depending on the mastery of the craftsman who makes it. Between the wooden block I roughly carved with a carving knife sold at a stationery store when I was an elementary school student, who couldn’t even sharpen a pencil well, and the Pieta carved out of marble by Michelangelo, there will be a huge difference between the sky and the earth, no, it’s not enough.
Even if this is not an exaggerated example, the quality of handicrafts made by people is inconsistent, unlike industrial products that are roughly produced in factories. In this world, there are no plastic masks that can only be sold at Daiso’s party supplies section, and there are no factories to produce them. All masks are handcrafted. Whether it is a master craftsman, his apprentice, or simply a person with good dexterity, it means that a person makes it by hand.
Of course, there were far more apprentices than craftsmen, and people who were simply skilled with their hands. Naturally, most of the masks were of very poor quality. The sight of a bunch of opera masks hanging on the wall with their nose crooked to the left, as if they had been punched in the face. The other masks were also in the same serious condition.
And the sight was even grotesque. Distorted masks were scattered all over the street. I would say it feels like something that could be used as a background for a horror game. It was still broad daylight, so if he had come alone at night, he would have had to stroke his goose bumps. However, apart from my personal impressions, the three women seemed excited about shopping after a long time.
“That’s a lot.”
“I will.”
“Tada, how about this?”
While Hestia and Seol-ah were amazed at the overwhelming amount of merchandise, Cordelia took out one of her masks and held it to her face. It was a rabbit-faced mask that was too playful to wear to a masquerade. She was cute, but the mask she brought with her also had major flaws in her face. Seeing this, Seol-ah laughed.
“That, the eye sockets are even.”
“Eh, really?”
Cordelia ran after her, looked in her mirror, and politely put her mask back in its original place. She grunted Cordelia.
“Sheesh. I liked her quite a bit. It’s hard to find anything in good shape.”
“By the way, Cordelia, didn’t you prepare in advance when you went?”
“Huh? Well, I’m going to write that day, of course. No, you’re probably the only one out of these who wasn’t ready at all.”
“But why go shopping….”
In reply to my question, Cordelia asked what she was talking about. She had the look in her eyes when she saw something she couldn’t truly understand.
“That’s it, and if it’s pretty or something you like, you can buy something else.”
“I mean, why the hell would you buy something that already exists?”
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
My conversation with Cordelia ran parallel. I glanced at Hestia and Seol-ah just in case, but they also looked like they couldn’t understand what I was talking about.
Wrong. The mindset itself is different from that of men. You can buy something new, so why not buy it? Even Cordelia, who is relatively easy-going, had such an attitude. I was gripped by the fear of the unknown.
In the meantime, Seol-ah was already looking around and admiring other objects.
“By the way, this is really no joke.”
“Although the atmosphere is similar everywhere in the empire ahead of the masquerade. It’s hard to see masks and makeup tools displayed on this scale.”
Hestia listened to Seol-ah’s words with her eyes fixed on her long black wig. What else is that Was there a Sadako in this world? I pictured Hestia wearing that wig over her, and then she shook her head. Well, she’s still pretty, but I think that shiny silver hair suits her the best.
Anyway, maybe it was Halloween, so the atmosphere was a little different from what he had vaguely imagined. It’s not really a disguise or cosplay, but makeup like a wig is quite common. Same with the rabbit face mask.
And the story that there are many types means that there is a high possibility that shopping will increase as well. Already worried about the future, I sighed.
“Can I find a good one among all these masks?”
“So who said you would stay blank until right before the masquerade? I didn’t even bring it from home.”
Hestia put her hand on her waist and made her nag. It wasn’t that she didn’t bring it from home. It wasn’t exactly what I had, but one mask was included in the luggage I had brought from home. I’ve always wondered why this is there, and I finally figured out why. If there’s a problem, it’s too late to realize why, and the mask is now unusable.
After wearing that mask, I ran out of school, and came back after destroying a drug gang. She writes again, and Cordelia might bite her lather and collapse. So, is there a star? From now on, I will only use it when I have something to do secretly at night. If Bruce Wayne has the Batman mask, Mikhail has it.
I couldn’t honestly tell Hestia all of this, so I just laughed stupidly.
“hahahaha. I know.”
At my laughter, Hestia shook her head several times and pulled me by the wrist. Even though it was a gesture that she obviously had no answer for, she seemed oddly happy.
“Okay, so let’s look around to see if there are any good ones.”
“Will it take too long?”
“What are you talking about?”
Hestia smiled. Even though the smile was so radiant, I had to shudder at the sinking despair.
“Shopping usually takes a long time.”
–
And after a while, no, quite a long time. I was renewing the most horrible shopping experience in the world. The previous best record was walking around the department store with my mother after taking the college entrance exam. I just wanted to finish it and go to an internet cafe, but when her mother said she would buy her clothes to wear when she went to college, I vividly remember how she couldn’t show any dislike and was dragged around endlessly.
Now, compared to then, if it was more difficult, it would have been difficult, but not less difficult. Without a clear goal, being dragged around and putting on and taking off all kinds of masks, wigs, and accessories like a mannequin ate up my energy. I braced my broken heart and barely opened my mouth.
“Couldn’t we just pick something….”
“No.”
Hestia was adamant despite my earnest wishes. Her heart is broken Even Hestia wasn’t the only one. Cordelia and Seol-ah were enjoying themselves like fish in water. I was the only one whose HP decreased from shopping here.
Hestia, Cordelia, and Seol-ah looked at my face with all the things they had brought, and exchanged serious evaluations as if possessed by some great critic.
“How about this?”
“Hmm, everything is fine, but should I say it feels like the bridge of my nose is dying.”
“Then what about this?”
“Because my eyebrows are covered.”
The three of them were choosing my mask with a very serious and careful attitude, as if solving an age-old puzzle. Of course, I, the person in charge, was about to die. No, how the hell do you show your eyebrows and the bridge of your nose while wearing a mask to the world? What artifact are you looking for?
Of course, I didn’t have the right to speak, so I had to keep these opinions in my heart and quietly move around at their hands. How can I find something that looks good and say how about this to end the shopping….
“In this field, I am more expert than Mikhail.”
“Or perhaps, are you bored shopping with us?”
When Hestia said that, I had no choice but to shake my head vigorously and quietly follow her. Moreover, all these actions were for me and not for anyone else, so I couldn’t go out strong. How could I be angry when the three of them act so passionately for me?
“Uh huh, write. Stay still.”
“This is fine, but….”
Isn’t it? I’m a real mannequin and maybe they enjoy it. Faith is cracked
How long have you been there? It’s like being trapped in a room of mind and time.
-Growl
At that time, a cute sound rang from someone’s stomach. It was Hestia. She didn’t hear it directly, but she was sure because only her face was stained red. If you’re going to show off that much, wouldn’t it be better to say, “It’s me,” And raise her hand.
Hestia’s belly button clock was quite accurate. As the sunset slowly started to set in her, the evening time approached. The first time we got together was after lunch, so it was like hanging out for about 4 hours without profit shopping. Since I started living on my own, I didn’t shop for this long when I first moved out.
Anyway, Hestia herself might be a bit ashamed, but that growl sound felt like a rope to me. If you use the excuse of a meal as an excuse, you can just pick one and pay Shimai. After attracting their attention with a snap of my fingers, I suggested that we should eat first.
“Then, let’s have dinner first.”
“Still, I finish what I was doing and do it….”
-Growl
At that time, Hestia’s stomach growled again. It was a little louder than before. Cordelia and Seol-ah’s words were cut off by the sound. If that’s so clear to others, it means you’re quite hungry. Hestia pretended desperately that she wasn’t, she was distracted, but she was very clumsy at lying about her blushing earlobes.
“I can’t help it. Let’s eat first.”
I called for joy. She was about to thank Hestia by saying thank you to Hestia’s belly, but she stopped because she didn’t have the confidence to take care of it. Look, even now, you’re still glaring at me while frowning.
By the way, in the end, my mask was a very ordinary white opera mask that only half covered my face. No, if it’s like this, why the hell did you wander around for hours?