Makeup was forbidden in the Touri Medical Platoon. The reason was that makeup powder might fall onto patients.
The duty of the medical platoon was to treat patients, and makeup was considered nothing more than a distraction.
This became an official rule after Captain Aria's lecture.
"Do we really have to abandon our femininity because we joined the platoon?"
"Come on, a little eye shadow wouldn't hurt."
They wanted to dress up. After all, the nurses were young women of marriageable age.
Fashion is a form of entertainment. The desire to dress up to look good is one shared by both men and women.
At that time, flashy makeup, including thick eyebrows and bold eyeshadow, was in style. Being bare-faced was considered unfashionable.
That's why the makeup ban became a source of stress for some of the nurses.
It wasn't only the nurses. Arunoma, who had studied makeup as a stage actor, felt the same way.
"Guess it can't be helped. This is the military. Honestly, I'd also like to face my patients with a properly finished face."
"You'll be fine, Arunoma. You're naturally handsome."
"Thank you, I'm honored. You look lovely yourself."
"Oh, stop it."
Still, Touri would surely get beaten bloody again if anyone broke the no-makeup rule. She was not only their commander, but also just a young girl.
Arunoma, with his strong sense of justice, couldn't bear that.
"Besides, just because makeup's not allowed doesn't mean fashion itself is banned."
"What do you mean, Arunoma?"
Arunoma listened to the nurses' complaints with sympathy in an attempt to calm them down.
"Makeup's no good, but a little touch of style is allowed."
"…Where exactly do you draw the line?"
"Maybe the lips…?"
"Exactly. Now, look at Platoon Leader Touri's lips."
"Ah!"
As evidence, Arunoma pointed to Touri's lips as she chatted with Lakya. Strangely enough, her lips had a faint glossy sheen.
"He's right! If you look closely, they're glistening!"
"Wait! Did Platoon Leader Touri put something on?"
"It certainly does look like she applied something."
The nurses gasped at Touri's sneaky trick.
"Th-That's not fair! Makeup is supposed to be banned!"
"No, I bet the Platoon Leader would say something like: 'It has a medical application of preventing chapped lips.'"
Arunoma's words shocked the nurses. They knew that lightly applying Vaseline was effective in preventing dryness.
Touri, under the guise of "medical use," kept her lips moist and shiny.
"That's not all. Look at her fingertips."
"Ah! They're shiny too!"
"She must be moisturizing them as well. It's for medical use, not makeup. But it's still stylish, isn't it?"
Arunoma had noticed Touri's trick for some time. Apparently, she started doing it after going on a date with a male friend.
After all, Touri was still a girl.
"Platoon Leader Touri never said we couldn't be fashionable. She only said we can't do anything that would trouble the patients."
"Oh, you're right."
"Vaseline won't drip onto patients. It prevents skin from drying out, and it's also practical. No one should complain about that."
"N-Now I see…"
Yes. Despite her expressionless face, Touri Noel was also a girl.
Though she pretended not to care about makeup, she was secretly enjoying a bit of style.
"Vaseline is pretty expensive… I wonder where Platoon Leader Touri got hers."
"I want Vaseline too!"
The nurses suddenly grew lively.
There was a fashionable style that was officially approved by Touri and didn't cause any inconvenience to patients.
It was only natural that they'd want to do it too.
"Platoon Leader Touri is being sneaky all by herself!"
"Now that we know, we can't just stay quiet."
What's more, Touri had been hiding it from her very own subordinates.
How sly… No, how cunning of her.
"H-Hey, calm down, everyone. I don't think the Little Platoon Leader meant to keep it secret."
"No, we'll confront her directly!"
"Let's ask where she got it!"
The nurses' passion for makeup was far stronger than Arunoma had imagined. Their eyes lit up with suspicion, and they ignored Arunoma's attempts to stop them.
"Platoon Commander Touri! Can we have a moment?"
"Eh, me? What's wrong?"
The nurses surged forward in a pack as they surrounded her. Touri was a little shaken by their intensity.
"That's not fair, Platoon Leader! Putting that on all on your own!"
"What? Putting on?"
"What's that on your lips? You must have secretly put something on them!"
When they pointed this out, Touri instinctively put her hand over her lips to cover her mouth.
…She had a nervous habit of hiding her lips whenever she was flustered.
"Ah! She covered them!"
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
Touri truthfully had nothing to hide. It was just an unconscious habit.
The nurses only became more heated after seeing this.
"Platoon Leader, where's the Vaseline?! How did you get it!"
"Don't tell us you dipped into military supplies!"
"Eh? What?"
Touri was truly confused.
Seeing her glance around desperately for help, Arunoma sighed and stepped in to mediate.
"Calm down. The Platoon Leader will tell us even without pressing her."
"A-Arunoma… what on earth is going on?"
"Well, your fingertips and lips are glossy, aren't they? We thought maybe you'd been applying Vaseline."
"Eh?"
At that, Touri stared at her fingertips in surprise. Sure enough, there was a faint sheen.
"Makeup has been banned, hasn't it? They're jealous you used Vaseline."
"Vaseline…"
"That's right, Platoon Leader! Share some with us!"
Surrounded by the eager nurses, Touri thought for a moment.
Then, she let out a small, "Ah…"
"It's just wax from polishing my doll. It stuck to my hands…"
Apparently, Touri had been polishing the fox doll she'd been given every day since she'd gotten it.
She looked away in embarrassment, her hand one again covering her lips out of habit.