Chapter 13 - My Personal Take on the Mob Heroine’s 'Mekakure' Trait
"Welcome. You must be Mogami Fuko-chan, for the appointment?"
The one who greeted us as we entered the salon was a slender woman who looked fantastic in denim jeans. She was tall and slim, just like a model. Her hair had red and blue highlights, which radiated this super stylish, professional vibe.
Feeling the pressure from such a stylish woman, Mogami-san stiffened up.
“Y-y-yes!”
Her voice was all shaky with nerves. Honestly, her every reaction was both funny and adorable.
“You’re a high schooler, right? So pure and innocent. Nice to meet you. And, that boy with you must be your boyfriend?”
“B-boyfriend!?”
Mogami-san's panic level shot up even higher.
Well, if a guy comes along with a girl to a salon, it's a natural assumption to make.
…I could just say we’re friends, but if the stylist starts grilling us about our relationship, Mogami-san would probably struggle to respond. In that case... maybe I should just roll with it.
“Yes. We’ve been dating for about a month.”
“Wha—Sato-kun!?”
“Fufu, I see. You two are so pure, it makes this onee-san happy. Alright, come on over here... let's get you all fixed up."
The stylist seemed quite fond of us. She didn't seem to mind that Mogami-san was a nervous wreck, either.
Anyway, Mogami-san was led over to her chair. When I followed behind, the stylist turned around and gave me a curious look.
“Boyfriend-kun, don’t you want to wait and rest at the lounge over there?”
“No, I’m really interested to see what kind of hairstyle she wants to get.”
“Ah, of course. It’s your girlfriend’s hair, after all. Makes sense”
“Yes, since she’s my girlfriend.”
“G-girlfriend…!”
Well, technically, that wasn’t true. But since Mogami-san had been worried about not being able to talk much out of nervousness, it was better if I stayed nearby. Posing as her boyfriend was the perfect cover so it made it natural for me to stay beside her.
“Then you can sit on this chair over here, boyfriend-kun.”
“Thank you very much.”
It was probably meant for other staff, but whatever. I sat down on the chair that was placed just behind Mogami-san and the stylist. From there, I could see her reflection perfectly in the mirror. It was the ideal position.
“So, what length are you going for?”
“A-about this much!”
“And what kind of style? Do you want to look through some magazines?”
“U-um, well…”
See? Mogami-san was already freezing up, so I immediately jumped right in to help.
"We heard you were highly skilled, which is why we made an appointment. We'll just specify the length, would it be alright if the rest is up to you, onee-san?"
“Skilled, huh? Well, sure, you can leave it to me. I don’t make mistakes, you know?”
Ooh. She sounds so cool. She must really have pride and confidence in her skills. Still, hearing her say that actually made me reassured.
“But if there’s anything you’re concerned about, don’t hesitate to say so. I'm not stubborn, so I'm not going to do anything you hate, Mogami-chan."
She wasn’t just confident, she was considerate too. I was glad she wasn’t the type of grumpy old man stylist Mogami-san had worried about earlier. I was glad she was the kind of cool stylist who actually listens to what the client has to say.
“Fufu. My hands are itching to work… I really love high schoolers’ hair. It's still a blank canvas, you know? This natural, glossy hair… is just so good, which means it's all up to the stylist to either bring it to life or totally ruin it."
As she said that, she lightly ran her fingers through Mogami-san’s hair. The way she handled it was unmistakably professional. She was probably checking the texture and quality.
“It’s your first time coming to a place like this, isn’t it, Mogami-chan?”
“Yes! I, um, usually just cut it myself…”
“I could tell. Still, I’m really glad you came. You’ve given me a great challenge to work with.”
"Um... Sato-kun was the one... who made the appointment for me."
“Oh? Well done, boyfriend-kun. Thanks for bringing me this wonderful material to work with.”
I didn’t exactly provide her, but okay. Anyway, she seemed motivated now, so that was a good sign.
At this rate, leaving everything to her might give us the perfect result, or so I thought, until she suddenly brought up the one important detail we had completely forgotten to mention.
“So, what do we do about the bangs?”
Ah, right. The only thing we'd decided on beforehand was the general length of her hair. We hadn't talked about her bangs at all.
(Was I so obsessed with her mekakure trait that I just... I just assumed she wouldn't be cutting them?!)
For me, personally, cutting her bangs was unthinkable. That's why I hadn't even considered it. But, Mogami-san's bangs were incredibly long right now. Long enough to completely hide her eyes. Objectively speaking, any stylist would probably suggest them to be cut.
And besides... even though they're usually hidden... Mogami-san has another powerful weapon.
"Oh! Mogami-chan, your eyes are gorgeous... You should definitely go shorter with the bangs so people can actually see them."
That's the thing. Mogami-san's eyes are one of her most captivating features. They're so powerful that just a single glimpse was all it took to make her my favorite. And that's... that's exactly why I'm hesitating.
(If she’s trying to catch Sanada’s attention… would cutting them be better?)
If we were prioritizing her chances of being chosen by Sanada, and not my personal preferences—then maybe… her mekakure trait wasn’t necessary anymore.
