I turned the pages of the album. The first couple of pages were just pictures of cats all the way through, but as I turned another page, a new picture appeared.
[Ah, is this Saito?]
The photo displayed Saito and her cat. She was younger than she is now, but her eyes and nose were well-defined, and her eyes were still as bright as they are now. Her black hair is a little more pigmented than it is now, perhaps because she was a child, but itās still shimmering and beautiful. She looked like someone whoās innocent, yet calm.
[Ah, yes. Maybe that was when I was 5 years old?]
[Heeee, I see. Youāve been a book lover since then huh]
In one of the photos, Saito was happily reading a picture book with her cat. Apparently, sheās trying to show the cat a picture book.
[Well, yes. I did. I think it was probably around that time I really started to enjoy reading]
[Wow, you really do love books]
[Yes, I think Iāll still lose to Tanaka-kun though]
[No, Iām about the same. I started reading at the same time as you]
[Really?]
We moved on to the next page while having such a casual conversation. Then I saw Saito again, but with an unfamiliar haircut.
[Wow, you did twintails too]
Her hair was tied into two little buns in the middle of her head, creating a cute twintail hairstyle. At her current age, I wouldnāt normally see her with twin tails, so itās refreshing to see. Perhaps because of that hairstyle, she looked more proactive.
[Thatās right, but is there anything weird about it?]
[No? Iāve never seen Saito in twintails before, so I was just a little curious]
[I seeā¦ Wait a minute]
[Eh?]
When I said that without thinking of anything in particular, she replied in a somewhat serious tone and went to the next room.
(Whatās wrong? So suddenly?)
Iām puzzled as to why Saito suddenly disappeared. Did she remember a separate album and went to get it?
I waited for her, looking at the album as I saw fit. And a while later, the door opened and Saito appeared.
[ā¦Ha?]
A stunned voice came out. Her hair, which she had down earlier, was now tied in two and in twintails. Her appearance was so unexpected that I was at a loss for words. She looks up at me with a slightly weak voice, perhaps feeling uneasy because I have remained silent.
[H-How is it..?]
[Umā¦. Why did you do that?]
[Eh? Didnāt you say you liked twintails?]
At any rate, when I asked her why she suddenly wore twintails, she rolled her eyes and froze. Apparently, she thought what I meant by [Interested] as [I like it].
[No, I didnāt mean it that wayā¦ W-Well, you know. I think you look younger and cuter than usual. Yeah]
The usual tense atmosphere was gone, the twintails worked really well with Saito, who had an innocent atmosphere.
Itās justā¦ As a high schooler, having twintails looked a bit odd and made me laugh somehow. This was especially true for Saito, who was usually more mature.
Itās not that it doesnāt suit her, but when I told her I didnāt know what to say, her eyes wandered from side to side, and her white cheeks gradually became vermillion.
[Ah, uhā¦ thatā¦ forget about it!]
She said this and scurried to the next room. Only the sound of the door slamming echoed through the living room. She came back soon after, with her usual, hair down style.
[Now, Tanaka-kun, letās look at the rest of the album]
[A-Ah. Hey, āitā you meanā¦]
[Letās look at the album, okay?]
When I tried to mention what happened earlier, she just said that in a stronger tone. Apparently, she doesnāt want it mentioned. I nodded and turned over the pages of the album.
AN:
Loli Saito-san and twintail Saito-san. Rare(*Ėļø¶Ė*)
As Author said, rare indeed. I slacked a little cuz exam week but now itās over so, hopefully I donāt get too immersed in my LN works.