My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 648

They couldn't be saved. That's just how it is.

My bangs are probably... (tears) But I'm prepared. I was the one who agreed to let her cut them in the first place. The only thing I won't do is blame Yui. The light novels I love to read taught me: Don't make a girl cry in times like these!

I turned to her and said:

"Don't worry about it. I don't care about my hairstyle. So you shouldn't either..."

"puff--!"

Yui burst out laughing the moment she saw my face, causing my killing intent to immediately spike to MAX (not the MAX of coffee). At this rate, I'm likely to accidentally unleash my ultimate move.

So, how many different gauges do I have? This complex system is going to be hard to attract new players! Ah, is that why I can't make new friends? I'm more suited to being a hardcore gamer!

"...I want to ruin...your smile..."

"I'm so sorry... I'm the one who ruined it... I'm really so sorry... Pfft... But, but!"

Yuihama burst into genuine laughter. The reason she was trying so hard to look away from me was probably because staring at my face would make her laugh uncontrollably.

"sorry!"

She laughed for a minute, then finally calmed down and bowed deeply.

"...It's okay...it doesn't matter anymore..."

"Huh, I can't hear you. Your voice sounds like a distant radio broadcast!"

“…………”

I'm almost too weak to even speak.

"In short, I'm truly sorry. I sincerely reflect on my actions. I will take full responsibility to the end as a small apology."

"Oh, you want to keep trying?"

It seems she meant, "I've reflected on my actions, so I'll see it through to the end." Wait, is that what "reflecting" means? I thought "reflecting" meant "I'll never do it again"...

"It's because of me that things have become so terrible... I will definitely find a way to make amends."

"Don't worry about it. At this point, we can only leave it to the professionals, right?"

"Yes. That's what I plan to do. Let's go back to that shop, explain the situation, and ask for their help."

"What are you talking about? That kind of shop is a sacred place that only the chosen ones can enter. It's a shop exclusively for those chosen by God. I'm not chosen, and going in would only cause them trouble."

"Alright, alright, stop worrying about it. Let me take responsibility for you! I'll pay for it all! I'll also handle the styling! I won't let you stay looking like this! And... there's a coupon included..."

The person was about to cry.

I'm powerless against a woman's tears, her smile, and her angry expression. It encompasses almost all four emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Because women are terrifying...

Yuihama pulled me along, seemingly at a standstill but inwardly bewildered. I couldn't even muster the strength to stand firm and resist, and could only obediently let her drag me away.

Hmm, am I going to be taken to the agreed place? Well... since things have come to this, I can only let her see it for herself.

As Yamamoto Isoroku said, do it for her (see the shop assistant refuse me entry), tell her (see, I told you so), make her do it (apologize), (deliberately) throw a tantrum, only then can Yui understand.

I'm prepared to be humiliated at the trendy hair salon.

I was prepared to be laughed at the moment I stepped into the store, but the seemingly frivolous female store manager (nearly thirty years old) was not what I expected or what she looked like (it's rude of me to say that). I listened attentively as Yuihama explained the situation.

"Please! I'll pay!"

"Then I'll charge you 500 yen."

"Is it okay to be this cheap?"

"This is the price we always charge when hiring models. However, we only hire models when we need them; we don't usually accept client requests."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry to make such an unreasonable request!"

Yuihama kept apologizing.

The shop assistant led me to a seat inside the already closed store.

There was a mirror in front of me, of course. Seeing the person in the mirror, I almost burst out laughing. I'd never seen such an incongruous person before! But the ridiculous person was me, and the realization made me feel melancholic. Wait, did I walk into this store with this head? Under the gaze of so many passersby? Oh right, it seems a few people took pictures of me… Did my photos get uploaded online without my permission?

"Hmm—for a DIY project, that's quite a bold cutting method."

"That's the kind of look stylists give when they cut hair, so I accidentally..."

Upon hearing Yuihama's uninformed opinion, the store manager did not laugh at her, but nodded in understanding.

Ah, such a calm attitude is so reliable... That's how professionals should be.

"I need to make the whole shape more harmonious, so I'll trim it according to my personal judgment."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you."

"You prefer a simpler style, right?"

"Yes, don't make it too complicated..."

"Then I'll give you a haircut that will look natural once you let it grow long."

She quickly trimmed my hair.

It wasn't a snap. The sound of this person cutting hair wasn't a snap!

And he doesn't try to talk to me much; he'll even cut my hair for me if I don't know how to ask for something. It's amazing...

I'd quite like patronizing this kind of store, but I doubt it's like this during regular business hours. This is an exception.

"You are the third student from Soubu High School to come to our store today."

"...Could it be someone named Hubu?"

"Oh, is the Ministry of Revenue here?"

"Oh, are you two friends?"

"He's a classmate."

Yui answered for me.

"He went back while Ms. Yuihama was getting her hair cut, which is why the two of them didn't meet."

The restaurant has simple partitions between each seat, making it difficult to notice what other customers are doing.

This shop seems to be quite popular; Hubu is probably here to try it out. But his hair didn't get any shorter at all. What happened? Did he ask the stylist to cut it 0.2 millimeters shorter?

...I always feel like this is exhausting. You have to constantly keep up with the trends. Although following the latest Pretty Cure is as natural to me as breathing...

"We take Ichiran's approach as a guide and try our best to prevent guests from meeting in person."

What⁉

"Is it Ichiran Ramen?"

"Yes, each seat is separated, so you can't see the other customers' shops. I like ramen, but it takes a bit of courage for a woman to eat ramen alone. Ichiran doesn't have that problem. Isn't it the same with beauty salons? It's difficult to get inside. During my junior and senior high school years, I was also hesitant to step into upscale hair salons."

"I see... You look very fashionable."

"Because I put a lot of effort into dressing up. I was super gloomy during my school days."

"That's hard to imagine—"

Yuihama said.

The reaction was rather lukewarm. It was probably hard for Yui to imagine. She treated it as casual conversation and just let it go. But I completely sympathized.

"Okay, that's about right."

It's done. No hair wash or other services, just a haircut. But it was easier for me, and I'm satisfied.

"Your eyes make a strong impression, so I cut a natural style to match them. The length should be relatively short; it will look the same as before once it grows longer. It won't take too much work to style."

I looked in the mirror and was astonished by my new hairstyle. It was definitely shorter than before. It felt different. But there was a wonderful sense of harmony to it.

"Sorry, it's not a particularly fashionable hairstyle. But it's not weird either. Although it takes a certain level of skill to cut it like this. After all, if you can cut this style, you can be promoted from assistant to designer."

"...Thank you. That's perfect."

"Thanks."

Yui paid the bill, and we walked out of the store together.

Oh, the other people's reactions... were pretty normal. I wasn't ignored anymore, and I didn't attract any suspicious glances. The person who took pictures of me with their phone was gone too.

It seems that getting bangs and exposing my eyes has significantly lowered my skill level.

Stealth LV7

Temptation Resistance LV9 (MAX)

Wooden Dummy Fist LV9 (MAX)

...It doesn't seem to have decreased much, but let it be.

In short, I successfully escaped the shadowy state and became a real person. Today was a day that made me deeply appreciate how wonderful the ordinary daily life can be. Speaking of which, what exactly is this "Wooden Dummy Fist"?

A large group of people approached from the front. The entire road was so congested that Yui-bin didn't know whether to dodge to the right or the left.

"This way."

I led the way forward, charging head-on into the group.

"Oh no, that's dangerous."

"Don't worry. Just follow me... Excuse me, may I pass?"

I used a hand chop to clear a path. Also known as the "human wave hand chop."

"This...like this..."

"No problem."

If I don't activate my stealth skill, the opponent will usually avoid me. And I even used my human wave hand strike. It's arguably easier than navigating a deserted wilderness.

As I expected, the crowd parted. I moved freely through the gap, which was about the width of a person. Yuihama, following behind, muttered in fear:

Everyone's avoiding you...

Hmm, is she showing me some pity? Shouldn't she be praising me for being amazing? She should be praising my best qualities.

Hmm, there are way too many people. Some of them I can't shoo away even with my eyes, so my shoulder starts bumping into people. Oh no, at this rate I'll be in serious trouble for causing a traffic jam. Then, my body reacted instinctively.

I used only my shoulders and arms, barely touching people, to withstand the oncoming crowds and direct their flow backward. My movements were so fluid and precise, it was as if I'd reached the level of an expert. Ah, is this what they mean by "Wooden Dummy Kung Fu"? It's a skill I honed while constantly weaving through my classmates, saying, "Ah—I don't think I should stay here, I'll go now..."

We successfully made our way through the crowd. If I were fully stealthy, I would have been trampled to pieces long ago.

Yuihama waited until there was no one else around before speaking.

"...In the end, I got a regular haircut. I felt a little bad about it."

"what?"

"When the stylist cut my hair, I thought she was really good. Did I overestimate her? The hairstyle is definitely not bad now... but I'm a little disappointed."

"Hey, hey, hey, this hairstyle isn't that bad, is it?"

"It's not tragic, but it's not miraculous either."

What kind of hairstyle are you looking forward to?

"Something even more fantastical... like a spiky hairstyle like a game character."

Is this guy talking about Final Fantasy? That game isn't Final Fantasy anymore, it's Heaven's Feel.Oh? How could that hairstyle possibly suit me?

Ah, Yuihama doesn't understand. That shop manager is so perceptive, her skills are so exceptional. What kind of feelings did she have while living her life? Now that she's an adult, how have those feelings evolved? People born with a "normie" mentality would never understand this kind of background…

"Yuihama, I really like that shop."

"Oh, really?"

"And one could say I'm quite satisfied."

"You even use classical Chinese?! You like it that much?"

"Yes, I'd like to go again if I have the chance."

"In that case, I know a lot of hair salons! I can recommend some to you. There are shops that can give you a better haircut."

"No, I like my hair this way. I'd rather die than cut it into spiky hair."

"Huh? Really? Huh..."

Yuihama still seemed unable to understand.