The night I gave Saito my Christmas present, I had a part-time job shift.
The scrunchie I gave her looked better than I imagined, and I could see her wearing it in my mind.
I felt a slight tingle when I remembered her beaming with happiness when I gave her the gift.
In a way, it was thanks to Hiiragi-sanās advice that she gave me before, so I decided to thank her.
[Hiiragi-san, thank you for the advice]
[Yes?]
She tilted her head curiously, and looked at me as if she had no idea what I meant.
The eyes behind her glasses were puzzled.
[Hiiragi-san recommended accessories, so I gave her an accessory as a Christmas present and she loved it]
[Oh, I see. Iām glad to hear that]
She seemed to understand my explanation and nodded her head.
[Yes, I gave her a scrunchie, and she looked so cute with it]
Her body shook and jerked while she glanced at me.
[ā¦Did it look good on her?]
Her eyes looked at me as if she was expecting something.
She asked as if it was hard to say, but I couldnāt help but praise Saitoās appearance.
[Of course. I couldnāt help but be fascinated with her black hair and white scrunchie. The contrast in color stood out and looked great]
It was hard to describe the beauty of it out loud even when I remember it.
A white scrunchie that contrasted with her black hair that shines, just a quick look was enough to leave a strong impression on my mind.
The fact she didnāt usually wear accessories made it even more attractive.
[R-Really?]
Hiiragi-sanās cheeks were slightly red and her eyes began to wander around.
She squirmed a lot, looking uncomfortable.
[Her hair is really pretty. Itās attractive enough without anything on it, but it looks even prettier when she uses an accessory. I couldnāt help but want to pet it]
Once I start, itās hard to stop and I canāt help but talk about Saitoās charms.
Itās embarrassing to tell Saito herself, but when sheās that cute, I wanted to tell someone.
However, I couldnāt tell anyone at school, so in that sense, Hiiragi-san was the only option.
Maybe itās because sheās a good listener, but she doesnāt need to be too reserved, so she should talk about whatās on her mind.
[ā¦Do you want to stroke it?]
[Yeah, well. Her hair looked so soft and smooth, it really makes me want to stroke it.
The other reason was that she had a small animal-like cuteness during that moment, but I wanted to touch her hair at least once because I wasnāt able to see such beautiful hair often.
I know itās a bad feeling, but sometimes when I look at her black hair, I feel the urge to touch it.
[ā¦Isnāt it okay if itās just a little?]
Hiiragi-san glanced at me and said something while biting her lips.
I couldnāt help but widen my eyes at Hiiragi-sanās shocking statement.
[No, no, sheās the opposite gender. I canāt do that]
It might be acceptable if it was the same gender, but sheās the opposite gender. (TN: No, thatās sus in itself)
Even if we donāt have romantic feelings for each other, itās not a good idea to touch each other.
[But Iām sure she trusts you enough to stay with youā¦ So Iām sure she wouldnāt mind too much, right?]
She did say she didnāt mind being touched.
In a way, I thought she said that because she didnāt see me as a man, but if thatās the case, was it okay to pet herā¦?
[No, even soā¦]
After all, I believed that touching the opposite gender had a special meaning.
I was too embarrassed and self-conscious to touch her, so I couldnāt give a straightforward answer.