Chapter 5: 2.2

And here I was, shopping with Aoi-san.

I looked around again and saw that this place was full of people.

If I were to be careless, I might end up bumping into a classmate with so many people in the mall. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were one or two people I knew, and if someone saw me, I’d surely be in trouble.

Aoi-san and I were only classmates. We didn’t have any open conversation.

If we were seen together, people might think we were secretly dating since, for high school students, talking about who’s dating is the greatest gossip.

No, it wouldn’t just be limited to a simple suspicion of being in a relationship between a man and a woman.

Perhaps I’ll get the same kind of bad publicity as Aoi-san.

I don’t mind getting told this and that at all, but I have to avoid a situation where Aoi-san’s condition and the fact that she started living with me gets exposed because of it.

I’d better finish my work and go home as soon as possible.

“Thanks for waiting.”

While I got lost in my thoughts, Aoi-san came over to me after trying on a dress.

“Ah. That was quick…”

“W-what do you think?”

The moment I looked up when she called out to me, I couldn’t help but gasp.

The first time I saw Aoi-san in casual clothes, she was even prettier than I had imagined.

What are these feelings? Was it because I picked it out myself, and it looks way too good on her?

No, I just picked out a set from the mannequins, so the real credit goes to the store clerk who coordinated the outfit, but good job to me for choosing them.

I don’t know how girls can change so much just by switching between uniform and casual clothes.

She looked overall great, but there was one thing that bothered me.

“It doesn’t look good on me?”

Perhaps because I spaced out while admiring her, Aoi-san asked anxiously.

“No, it looks good on you.”

“Really? I’m so glad.”

“I’ll buy that. Also, let’s buy you a couple of other outfits.”

“I can’t have any more of that…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But…”

I knew she wouldn’t be happy about it, so I suggested,

“Well, just give it back to me whenever you can afford it.”

I knew Aoi-san would continue to look at me like this every time I offered her money.

Her feeling of being a nuisance to me outweighed her gratitude.

That’s why she didn’t smile even when thanking me and always had an apologetic look on her face.

Thus, I suggested a way to make her feel less troubled.

“You can repay it in small amounts from your part-time job. Maybe someday when you’re working. Until then, I’ll pay for you. Just pay me back when you can.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll take your word for it.”

Though the expression on her face was still slightly awkward,

“Let’s see what else we can find.”

“Sure”

I was glad to see her smile for the first time.

We then took another round the store, bought a few clothes and left the store.

We went to a pharmacy and a general store to buy daily necessities for Aoi-san, and by the time we had bought everything we needed, we realized that it had been an hour and a half since we arrived at the mall.

“Aoi-san, is there anything else you want to buy?”

“I think I’m fine… Ah!”

Aoi-san’s face lit up as if she remembered something.

“Hmm? Is there anything?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Although she said she was fine, she clearly realized that she had forgotten to buy something.

“It’s okay. I can go with you since I’m here.”

“It’s fine, really.”

For some reason, she tried to act reserved, as if she was impatient or embarrassed.

I didn’t know what she was embarrassed about…

Well, if it’s okay with her, I’m fine with it.

“Akira-kun, do you have other places to go?”

“Actually, I do. Can you hang out with me one last time?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

I took Aoi-san for a short walk through the mall and soon arrived at our destination.

“Is this a… hair salon?”

When I saw Aoi-san in her casual clothes, I couldn’t help but notice her blond hair.

I could see that her hair was damaged, partly because of the blond hair dye and because she had let it grow too long. It must have been a long time since she dyed her hard. The top of her head was in a pudding-like state.

I would like to say that she should have black hair to match her neat clothes, but it was up to her to decide what she wanted it to look like. I thought it would be better to, at least, remove the unevenness of her hair colour, even if she wanted to keep it blond.

“Now that we’ve bought your clothes, let’s get your hair done.”

“I’m fine without it. That’ll cost a fortune.”

“Come-on. Don’t be shy.”

I pushed the ever so hesitant Aoi-san’s back and half-heartedly walked into the store.

“Welcome.”

The hair salon was empty, probably because it was lunchtime, and the hairdresser who was available immediately noticed and greeted us… Damn, why are all male hairdressers so handsome?

Do they hire good-looking people, or do good-looking people become hairdressers?

If it’s the former, then I can only assume that there’s some sort of provision for facial features in the hiring criteria.

“Excuse me. I don’t have an appointment. Will that be okay?”

“Yes, sir. It’s okay. Are there two of you?”

“I’m fine. Please take care of this one.”

“Very well, sir. This way, please, Miss Girlfriend.”

“Ehh…”

As the hairdresser tried to guide her to her seat, Aoi-san stopped in her tracks, raising her voice.

“Aoi-san, what’s wrong?”

“Um, you know…”

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She tried to say something but couldn’t get it out.

After a while, she seemed to have made up her mind and said.

“I’m sorry. I’m not a girlfriend…”

“”… Hmm?””

She bowed her head apologetically.

Mr. hairdresser and I had a question mark above our heads about her reply.

“Well, Aoi-san… I don’t think he means girlfriend as in a relationship. It’s just a pronoun for a girl.” [TLN: He said “Kanojo-san,” which can mean “girl” or “girlfriend.”]

“Eh? Is that so? Oh no, I misunderstood…”

She seemed seriously embarrassed and covered her face with her hands, but she couldn’t hide the fact that her ears were red.

“And even if you did, I don’t think you’d have to correct it.”

“I thought I had to answer what was asked… because I’ve never been in a place like this before.”

Are you serious? A thought jumped in my mind!

I don’t know… what it is, but I felt like I was a natural or was out of touch with the world.

It was not the first time I felt this kind of discomfort, but I had been feeling it since the first day I invited her to my house.

Even though her appearance and usual behaviour would lead anyone to believe her to be a gal or delinquent, when I actually talked to her like this, I couldn’t help but feel the gap between appearance and her current behaviour.

It was also surprising knowing that she had a part-time job to make ends meet. Was this her true self?

But, seriously, has she never been to a hairdresser before?

“What have you been doing all this time?”

“I had my mom cut it for me. It wasn’t my idea to make it blond either. My mom offered to do it with her when she dyed hers. Though I didn’t expect the colour to be so bright…”

What would it be like to have my parents cut my hair when I was still in high school?

I stepped back from that thought and finally understood the discomfort I had been feeling.

“Can I ask you one question?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Are you sure you’re not a gal, Aoi-san?”

“Me? A gal? Why?”

She tilted her head and gave me a strange look.

Confirmed.

In other words, Aoi-san was neither a gal nor a delinquent.

Considering her family situation, it was understandable that she was absent from school to work part-time.

She may have had no choice but to have her hair cut by her mother for financial reasons, and even her blond hair was her mother’s choice, not something she liked to do.

If you were to remove all those filters, Aoi-san was just a normal girl who loves her mother.

“I understand. I’m honoured to be in charge of your beauty salon debut. Go ahead.”

Mr. Hairdresser was concerned about Aoi-san’s atmosphere of being out of place and led her to her seat with a smile, not seeming to mind. Seriously, he’s great not only in looks but also in personality.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Well, I don’t know…”

Aoi-san was troubled, probably because she was not used to it.

Now that I understood that she was neither a gal nor a delinquent, I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction.

Then she pleaded to me with her eyes through the mirror as if to ask, “What should I do…?”

“Anything is fine as long as you make her look good. I’ll leave her to you.”

“Very well. It is a great way to show off my skills.”

I replied on Aoi-san’s behalf, and Mr. Hairdresser immediately began preparing.

I watched him do it and thought about it as I waited in the waiting area for him to finish cutting.

I—no, we must have been mistaken about Aoi-san.

I had always thought of her as a gal or delinquent. Yet, in reality, she was neither, and instead, a modest, caring, and kind girl.

We kept our distance from her, believing her to be exactly like she looked, with her ostentatious looks and non-attendance at school, but she couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding because of her shy nature.

… Even though it was unavoidable, I couldn’t help but feel very disappointed.

If the environment surrounding Aoi-san had been closer to normal, things would have been different.

You can’t change the past by talking about hypotheticals.

“But I’m sure we can change the future…”

I muttered to myself as I sorted out my thoughts.

I felt like I knew what I could do.

“Thank you for your patience.”

“Y-yeah!”

It seems I had been thinking about that for quite a long time.

When the hairdresser called out to me, I came to my senses and walked over to Aoi-san.

“Whoa…”

I couldn’t help but let out a strange voice at the sight of such transformation.

“I-is it weird…?”

Aoi-san lowered her head in embarrassment as she watched my reaction through the mirror.

There she was, my ideal black-haired, innocent-looking beauty.

Her previously blond hair was dyed a natural black, and the split ends had been neatly cut. The hairdresser must have taken great care of it.

It was hard to believe that the damaged blond hair from the past could now shine so brightly.

A professional’s work is incredible.

If I didn’t know the situation, I would have shouted, “Who is she!?”

Just the transformation was that dramatic.

“It’s not weird at all. I think you look really good.”

“Really? Are you lying?”

“No, I wouldn’t lie.”

“Then that’s a relief…”

The way she patted her chest in relief, with her calm hair colour and clothes, she could be described as a gentle noirette beauty.

It was not an exaggeration, but I felt like I had seen Aoi-san’s true form.

“Well, shall we go?”

“Yes.”

We paid the bill, thanked the hairdresser and left the store.

I’ll get my hair cut here next time, too.

EN: This novel is going to be the end of me…
TN: Oof I’m confused about boba in Illustration, but well, next chapter be coming soon, that’s what i heard.

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