Chapter 12 - Just How Much Can A Haircut Really Change the Mob Heroine?
The salon I booked is apparently pretty famous. The fact that it's located in the main station building probably means it's doing really well for itself.
We were super lucky to even get an appointment since apparently, there had been a client who called for a last-minute cancellation. I'd looked up the reviews online, too, and they were almost all positive, so I figured we could expect good things.
Anyway, I was explaining all this to Mogami-san as we were walking, but...
"W-w-w-what am I gonna do? I'm getting so nervous... Is it... is it really okay for someone like me to go to a place like that?!"
She looked genuinely anxious. Her face was even a little pale. It seemed like just the thought of a popular salon was enough to deal her a critical hit.
"A-And my clothes... are these okay? Do I... do I look weird...?"
"You're fine. They look great on you, so don't worry."
Mogami-san was wearing a loose, comfortable-looking dress. It was the kind of modest, elegant outfit you'd see a TV news anchor wear.
(To think that I’d be able to see Mobuko-chan in her casual clothes… I’m so moved!)
Come to think of it, there was never a scene like this in the manga. So her casual style is in this modest, clean-cut direction, huh? It hides her huge chest, but that's what makes it so good. The "secretly stacked" look is like a hidden blade. It's perfect—like a weapon she keeps concealed until just the right moment.
"B-But, I'm just... I'm so nervous! Sato-kun, are you sure this is okay? What... what if the stylist takes one look at me and says my hair isn't even worth cutting...?"
"Don't worry, they're not some grumpy old man from a 50-year-old barbershop. You'll be fine."
"Still, uuu... I... I don't even know what kind of hairstyle I should get…"
“You could always just leave it to the stylist, no, wait. That might not be a good idea.”
My original plan was to just leave everything to a skilled stylist, but... I suddenly reconsidered. There's a chance she could end up with a style that she doesn't like at all. And... no matter how cute it turns out, if she hates it, then the whole thing's a wash.
“What kind of length do you like, Mogami-san? You’ve kept it long until now, so maybe something around that length would be good?"
“Hmm, well… I don’t really think I’m that attached to long hair? It’s just that I’ve always cut it myself, so I never had the courage to go shorter.”
"Okay, so if the stylist thinks you’d look better with short hair, you'd be cool with that?"
“...B-by the way, Sato-kun, what length do you like?”
“Me?”
She doesn't really need to worry about my preference, though... Oh, wait. I get it.
(She’s probably thinking about what kind of hair Sanada likes.)
She's just too embarrassed to ask directly, so she's asking my preference as an indirect way of figuring out what kind of hairstyle a guy would be into.
Well, it's not like I actually know what length Sanada prefers. So, I'll just give her an answer that's generally popular with guys, and, you know, one that I happen to like, too.
“About neck-length, maybe? Though I also like it just as it is now.”
“I-I see… then, um… which do you think would be better?”
So it looks like she's just going to go with my opinion. Is she really letting me decide? I mean, personally, I'm fine with how she is now, but if we're strategizing for Sanada... then yeah, a big image change probably isn't a bad idea.
“I think it’d be nice to try going shorter. I’d like to see it, too.”
“...Okay. I’ll do that.”
So she’s really going to do it, huh?
She’s really such an obedient and kind girl. The way she is willing to go along with others is also one of her charms. I’m not saying that she’s a pushover, rather, she simply has a really strong desire to live up to other people's expectations. She's not selfish at all. She's just an altruistic person, and that's why she values what other people think.
“I wonder if it’ll look good on me… I've had my hair this long ever since I was little... This is the first time I’m ever going to have it cut short."
"It'll look great. Because you're cute, Mogami-san. Don't worry about it."
“C-cute…! You’re the only one who ever says that, Sato-kun!”
For now, yeah. But that wouldn’t stay true for long.
I know how things like these work. Usually, for a so-called 'plain' character like her, one single hairstyle is all it takes to completely flip their image.
(She probably would have refused to even think about cutting her hair before... but she’s been much more positive lately. This is probably a result of that.)
This might sound like I'm patting myself on the back, but honestly, having someone who regularly talked with her and continued to validate her had probably helped her open up so much.
It's weird, isn't it? When people feel like they're finally being acknowledged by someone, they just naturally become more positive. And thanks to that, she didn't shoot me down when I suggested a haircut. The Mogami-san from before? I'm sure she would have said 'absolutely not' without a second thought.
She was definitely changing, step by step.
Just a little more, and she’d be ready to bloom completely.
Until then, I decided, I’d keep watching over her, right by her side.
