Chapter 17 - The Mob Heroine Has Brightened Up, and Now She's Even Cuter
This summer vacation, Mogami-san's transformation had been remarkable. And that's not just on the outside, of course. Her personality had changed a lot, too.
"Sato-kun, do you have a minute? There's something I want to talk to you about."
There was only one week of summer vacation left. This happened right after we finished our now-daily morning run.
It had been a little while since she changed her hairstyle. For the first few days after the salon, she seemed restless and couldn't get used to it, but she seemed to have settled into it completely now.
Her hair, which now reached around her neck, swayed gently in the passing breeze. Because of that, I could see her sky-blue eyes clearly through the small gaps in her bangs. They were so clear and captivating that I couldn’t help but be drawn to them.
Her eyes were no longer always hidden. Still, if she stood still, her gaze would disappear behind her bangs again, so her 'mekakure' trait was still alive and well.
I like both her eyes and the way they are sometimes hidden, so I really liked her current look.
"Um... you paid for the salon thing the other day, right? I'm so sorry, I was just... so stunned back then that the whole money part completely slipped my mind... and I just suddenly remembered last night."
“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about it. I only lost a month’s worth of allowance, that’s all.”
"O-Of course I'm going to worry about that!"
"It's fine, really. It’s just something I wanted to do anyway, so please accept it."
“…Then, at least let me thank you properly!"
Hm? Well... if that's all she's asking, I guess I don't mind.
“You can thank me however you want. Just being able to say ‘thank you’ already makes you a really good person, Mogami-san.”
"A word of thanks is the least I can do! Not just that, but... won't you let me give you a present? As thanks for the haircut, I want to give something back."
Ah, so that’s what she meant. Honestly, just a simple 'thank you' is more than enough for me, but... it seems like Mogami-san isn't satisfied with just that.
She’s really such a wonderful girl. To have a girl like this into him… man, Sanada sure is damn lucky.
"A present, huh? I appreciate the thought, but there's really nothing I want."
If I had to choose, I’d say I wanted her smile. But I figured that’d sound way too creepy, so I kept that thought to myself.
"Really? In that case... maybe some cake? Or... perhaps some sweets?"
"Sorry. I'm actually not a big fan of sweets."
“Ohh? That’s surprising. You’ve got such a sweet-sounding name though, Sato-kun.” [TN: His name is Sato (佐藤) which has the same reading as the 砂糖 (Sato) kanji that means ‘sugar’ in japanese.]
“I don’t like sugar all that much, ironically.”
“Then, um… oh! I know!”
From the look on her face, she clearly wasn’t going to give up. She won't be satisfied until she does something to thank me. Even if I say no, she'll just keep coming up with other ideas.
“If it’s okay with you… how about we go out for a meal?”
“A meal? With me?”
“Y-yeah… if you don’t mind, Sato-kun.”
Mind? No way. Are you kidding me? If anything, I'm incredibly happy at the thought of getting to eat a meal with Mogami-san.
Still, while I was overjoyed, a part of me inside was secretly amazed.
(To think that… that Mobuko-chan invited someone out for a meal…)
This never would have happened, at least not before summer break. Before, she would have just thought, 'It'd be so rude for someone like me to ask him to eat,' and shot the idea down herself. Even if the thought popped into her head, she never would have actually said it out loud.
So yes, she’d definitely changed on the inside too. It is, of course, a positive change, not a negative one. Maybe that’s what people simply call growth.
“What kind of food do you like, Sato-kun?”
“Ramen. Whenever I traveled, I always made sure to eat at the famous local shops there."
“Traveled? Local? Sato-kun, you like to travel???”
Well, yeah. In my past life. I had a ton of business trips that sent me all over the country. Living out of business hotels was a pain, but it's no exaggeration to say that ramen was my main stress relief.
“In that case, um… h-how about we go now?”
Mogami-san was still visibly nervous about inviting me. But that's all it was. She was nervous, but she was still doing it. She was clearly communicating what she wanted to me.
And seeing that growth made me really happy.
"You bet. Actually, there's a place I've had my eye on for a while now."
“Really? That’s great… ehehe.”
And just like that, Mogami-san broke into a happy smile. It was a very cute smile.
If she's able to smile this freely now, I don't think I need to worry about her anymore. The mob heroine is steadily growing.
The time she fully blooms was probably just around the corner.
And the time we’ll spend together like this… was probably almost over too.
