Mahiro Pretties Up (manga)

Mahiro Pretties Up (まひろと女の子のマンネリ, Mahiro To On'nanoko No Man'neri) is Chapter 37 of Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!. It was originally published on Pixiv on February 24, 2020.

Summary
Mahiro tries out the lip gloss that Kaede got her for her birthday.

Plot
While getting ready for school in the bathroom, Mahiro notices the lip gloss that Kaede gave her as a birthday present. She decides to put some on and smiles at her reflection after doing so.

As Mahiro walks to school, she runs into Momiji and Kaede. After Mahiro says good morning, Momiji thinks to herself that Mahiro is very pretty today. Mahiro asks her what's wrong, and Momiji apologizes, saying that Mahiro looks very mature today. Mahiro didn't notice, and Kaede immediately realizes that Mahiro is wearing the colored lip gloss she gave her for her birthday. Mahiro blushes and says that she didn't think that she'd like it, but also that she'd feel bad if she never tried it. Kaede says that it's fine, as she's just happy that Mahiro is using it. Kaede also points out that Mahiro is very pretty to begin with, which makes Mahiro feel better. Kaede tells Mahiro to let her know when she decides that she wants to doll herself up some more, and Mahiro agrees. Kaede also tells her to be careful at school, but since the color is fairly neutral she might be okay. Mahiro and Momiji have no idea what she means by that.

At the school, all the girls in Class 1-B crowd around Mahiro's desk admiring her new look. Mai asks to see it up close. Miyako says that she loves the color. Satsuki tells Mahiro that it looks so good on her.

Mahiro is overwhelmed by this, not being entirely comfortable with the "showy girls". Momiji tells them to let Mahiro sit down and all three girls apologize for all that.

Mahiro tells Miyo and Asahi that everyone seems to really like it. Miyo remarks that they are all old enough to be be into fashion. Asahi mentions that she doesn't give a crap about that, which leads to Miyo telling her that she doesn't need to butt in. Mahiro just laughs at that, while thinking that she herself isn't into it either but that it does feel nice to be fawned over like this. She also wonders why something so small would make her stand out so much and concludes that girls really do care a lot about their appearance.

As Mahiro sits down, Yuta and Minto approach her, which causes Mahiro to worry that she is attracting the attention of the boys as well. They each give Mahiro a present as thanks for giving them chocolate on Valentine's Day. Minato explains that it is White Day, and Mahiro understands what is happening. Mahiro tells them that she said that she didn't need anything in return, but that she's still going to eat it, with no takebacks. The boys stay silent, and Mahiro believes that they're not satisfied with a blunt response. Mahiro asks if they want something while touching her finger to her lips. The two get bedazzled by Mahiro's beauty and run away in fear, much to Mahiro's surprise. Satsuki remarks that boys are so dense sometimes, and Minori adds that they're the worst. Mahiro realizes what they were thinking, and collapses on her desk, thinking that she must be such an exasperating girl.

Momiji is confused by Mahiro's actions, then remembers and reminds Mahiro that she's on class duty today and should go pick up the workbook. Mahiro thanks her, as she totally forgot.

In the teacher's office, Mari gives Mahiro the class log. Mahiro apologizes for being late, but Mari lets it off as the bell hasn't rung yet, thinking how writing it out was a pain. Mari then notices that Mahiro is wearing lip gloss and asks her about it, saying that it looks so natural on her. Mahiro blushed and says that she's been the talk of the class since she arrived. Mari tells her that wearing makeup at school is against the rules, much to Mahiro's shock. Mari says that she wishes she could let this slide since it's not flashy.

She tells Mahiro that she understands that she wants to look her best, being a girl and all, but that she doesn't need to worry about that as she's already very cute. She adds that it is important to take care of one's appearance at school, but asks Mahiro to remove the lipstick in the washroom. Mahiro agrees while feeling embarrassed, as Mari is lumping her in with those "showy girls".

In the bathroom, Mahiro angrily wipes off the lipgloss and wonders how this isn't taking care of one's appearance. She curses the uniform code, as it makes them all soulless robots.

Mahiro returns to the classroom, and Momiji welcomes her back while Miyo asks her what happened to her lip gloss. Mai realizes that Mari found out, with Miyako saying that she looks like a softie but is as strict as they come. Mai puts her hand on Mahiro's shoulder saying that you win some and lose some. Mahiro admits that it isn't fair, and the girls have a good laugh. The shared adversity creates a stronger friendship between all of them.

It is revealed that Yuta and Minato gave Mahiro three times the amount of chocolate she gave them as part of a plan to get her to ask them out. They sulk over their plan having failed, and the others guys call them idiots saying that Mahiro is hardly as cheap as that. Momiji watches the conversation silently.

Characters

 * Mahiro Oyama
 * Mihari Oyama
 * Kaede Hozuki
 * Momiji Hozuki
 * Asahi Ōka
 * Miyo Murosaki
 * Nemu Fujimi
 * Nodoka
 * Satsuki
 * Minori
 * Mai
 * Miyako
 * Yuta
 * Minato
 * Mari

Trivia

 * The chapter takes place on March 14, or White Day, and at least a few days after the events of the previous chapter "Mahiro's Final Present" as Mahiro has the lip gloss that Kaede gave to her as a birthday present. Mahiro's Birthday was on March 6, her party was a few days later, so the unknown difference comes out to at least a few days to get to March 14.
 * Yuta and Minto reference when Mahiro gave them chocolate on Valentines Day in "Mahiro on Valentine's Day".
 * As mentioned in the chapter, in Japan on White Day boys return gifts to girls that gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day.
 * This is the last chapter which depicts Mahiro and her classmates in Class 1-B, though the last chapter where they are still considered part of it is "Momiji's Massage". Starting from "Mahiro's Big Secret (Part 1)", the characters from Class 1-B become second year middle school students and become a part of Class 2-B.