The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
After a while.
“Um… Subaru? Subaru-san?”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Mashiro?”
“No… What is this…”
I went to town with Subaru.
We decided on a gift without any trouble, and just as we were about to leave, Subaru called a taxi and we got in.
The taxi stopped in front of a building.
We were urged to go inside, sat down on chairs, and here we are now.
“Is this the best friend you always talk about? Oh my, what a handsome guy! He’ll shine even more if you polish him up!”
“Right. Well then, please take care of us.”
No matter how you look at it, this is a hair salon, and the tattooed person talking casually with Subaru, whether male or female, is a hairdresser.
“Wait a minute! I didn’t hear anything about getting my hair cut!”
“It won’t be that drastic. We’ll just style it nicely and change into new clothes.”
“Clothes… Why!?”
“Don’t worry, the clothes are already prepared. By the way, this is my regular place, and the stylist, Erin, is one of the best in the industry.”
“I didn’t hear that, and it doesn’t answer my question!!”
The hairdresser says, “Nice to meet you♪” and starts preparing for the treatment in a lighthearted manner.
I really have no idea what’s going on.
“I thought it wouldn’t be right for me to give you a gift and not give myself anything as your senior. So, I thought of a gift of my own.”
“…So, why are we talking about me getting a haircut and changing clothes?”
“Well, because the gift is you yourself.”
“I don’t understand what you mean…”
Subaru smiled at me through the mirror.
Her blue eyes seemed to say, “I’ve come up with something interesting.”
“There’s no girl who wouldn’t be happy if her favorite guy transformed into someone incredibly cool. Let me know how Arisa chan reacts later; I’m really curious.”
Click.
The scissors cut into my hair.
◆
“Ahhh I’m so happy!! I love Saeki so much!!”
As soon as I got home, I was writhing around in bed. Well, I guess it can’t be helped! It was the person I loved!
He’s been thinking about me for days, and even though he must be broke, he’s managed to scrape together some money and buy me a present! Just thinking about it makes my brain melt!
What’s up with Saeki? What? Does he like me?
Ahhhhh, I like him!~
Even if Saeki doesn’t like me, I like him!
I love you, I love you♡♡ I love you so much♡♡
“…No, no! I have to forget about it quickly!”
I remembered the exchange at school and slapped my cheek.
“This is a surprise… This is a surprise… I don’t know anything about the present! I don’t know anything!”
I clenched my face and kept a straight expression.
Ugh… No, no!
After a few seconds, my cheeks relaxed, and I made a sloppy face.
I need to do something to distract myself. Otherwise, I’ll be grinning until Saeki arrives. That would be creepy.
Alright! I’ll clean up a lot and invite him to my room!
I’m not very good at it, but maybe I’ll try cooking too? He might get excited about my homemade food!
I’ll buy some cake while I’m out shopping!
Today is the anniversary of my first gift from Saeki, so whatever I eat will be zero calories, right?
“Let’s do this!! Oh!!”
◆
“See you later, Mashiro. Good luck.”
“…Ah, uh, yeah…”
It was past 7 PM.
After being dropped off at my apartment by taxi, I gave a vague response to Subaru’s encouragement.
“Um… this hairstyle? And this outfit… do they really suit me? Maybe I should just stick to my usual style…”
“How many times do I have to tell you? They suit you perfectly. They’re so funny, it’s hilarious!”
“Are you complimenting me!? I don’t want to be laughed at!!”
“It’s a good kind of compliment. Haha… oops, my bad. That was also a good kind of laugh.”
“You think anything goes as long as it’s meant in a good way, don’t you!?”
Saying something vague, Subaru disappeared into the night with the taxi.
Watching the brake lights fade away, I let out a soft sigh and headed back to my apartment.
My feet felt heavy as I climbed the stairs.
Perhaps because I was wearing unfamiliar clothes, my joints didn’t seem to bend properly.
Ugh… I feel like I’m going to throw up from the tension…
Subaru and the hairdresser praised me, but does this really suit me?
I’ve never really cared about fashion.
My hair is always a thousand-yen cut.
My sister once played around with my hair, but she gave me a ridiculous hairstyle that was difficult to wash out.
My clothes are mostly hand-me-downs from my older brother or things my mother got from somewhere.
Since I started living alone, I’ve been to Uniqlo and Shimamura a few times, but I’ve only bought underwear and cheap T-shirts.
“This salon feels really expensive… How much did my haircut cost?”
“Two thousand yen, including everything.”
“Two… two thousand…!?”
“By the way, the clothes you’re wearing now cost about 80,000 yen in total.”
“…………”
I recall the conversation at the hair salon.
A total of 100,000 yen… For me, that’s an amount that could buy everything in the world.
I can’t believe they’d laugh at me for spending that much…
What if Amagi asks me, “Why are you trying so hard?”
Won’t she think I’m out of my depth?
Ugh… My head hurts.
“Come to my room…”
A message that came about two hours ago.
When I rang the intercom at her room as instructed, I heard her energetic voice say, “You’re here!”
“Saeki, Saeki! … No, no, that’s not it. I don’t remember anything, I don’t remember anything! It’s a surprise, right? Okay, I’ve forgotten! Completely!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her overly loud soliloquy.
You’re so excited, Amagi-san.
It’s cute, but… what if I disappoint her?
“What’s wrong, Saeki? At a time like this……..”
She opened the door with a big smile, looked up at me, and then froze.
She blinked rapidly, her wide eyes filled with my reflection. Her mouth remained open, like a broken robot.
“Ah, Amagi-san… Are you okay…?”
I asked.
—Bang!!
The door was slammed shut with tremendous force, and for some reason, it was locked.
Eh… ? Could it be that I’m that terrible…?
◆
“What’s wrong, Saeki? At a time like this… ..”
When I opened the door, Saeki was definitely there.
But he was very different from the Saeki I knew.
His hair was styled. He was wearing a white T-shirt and gray pants. He had silver earrings and round glasses. He was dressed in a textbook-perfect, neat outfit.
It was unbelievable.
It was crazy.
It was abnormal.
It suited him.
“Ah, Amagi-san… Are you okay…?”
When he spoke to me, I quickly closed the door.
I locked it with a click and crouched down on the spot, putting my hands on my chest.
…Huh, huh.
W-w-w-what? What is that handsome guy?
I mean, he’s always handsome, but today he was glowing! It was so bright I couldn’t look directly at him!
“Um… I’m sorry. I’m being weird, right? I’ll change back into my usual clothes right away…”
“No way!”
I hurriedly opened the door again and grabbed his sleeve as he tried to go back to his room.
He turned around.
His earrings reflected the light and sparkled
Wow, wow, wow…♡♡♡
So cool…♡♡♡
Saeki, you’re the coolest in the world…♡♡♡
No way, no way, no way, It’s already a world heritage site, isn’t it?
It’s so cool I don’t even understand it anymore♡ I might be getting annoyed now♡
Ahhhhh, noooooo♡♡♡
The butterflies in my stomach!! They won’t stop!!
I’m going to die, die, die!! Don’t look at me!! I want you to only look at me, but don’t look at me now!!
“Um… Amagi-san?”
“Hyo-wai!”
“…What kind of answer is that?”
I have to take a deep breath! I’m making Saeki uncomfortable!
Shoo-haa… Shoo-haa…
…Okay. I think I’ve calmed down a little.
“This outfit is a gift from Subaru to Amagi-san… She said that she would be happy if I dressed up and gave it to her… What do you think?”
Subaru-chan!
What have you done!
Your hairstyle, clothes, and accessories all match perfectly!
You can’t just casually create such an incredibly cool, handsome weapon! It probably violates some international treaty! I’m going to die from cuteness overload!
“It really….”
“It suits you!”
“…Huh?”
“This is bad, this is really bad, this is seriously bad♡ You’re too cool♡ Subaru-chan’s sense of style is too good♡♡♡”
“Are you just pretending to be happy?”
“Haaaaa!? Are you saying my excitement is a lie!? You’ve got some nerve, Saeki!! I’ll give you a kiss that’ll make you unable to get married!!”
“What kind of threat is that!?”
“Shut up!! Just go into the room and show me that unparalleled, one-of-a-kind coolness up close!! Come here, you!!”
“Wait a minute…! Ah, ha ha ha!! Don’t poke my side… It tickles!!”
And so, I successfully captured the handsome guy.
Maiban