Chapter 146: Secret Trick

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Translator: Soafp

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In the classroom.

As usual, I sat down with them.

And then I started talking—explaining, bit by bit, about the new situation.

“Toumachi's family is coming back, huh…”

“Toumachi, you've got a little sister?”

“Well, yeah… she's been overseas, though.”

“Why don't you just meet her normally? Is there a problem with that?”

“Yeah, I mean… your hair's a bit more than just ‘different,' though.”

It seems like it's more than just ‘a bit.' 

Well, yeah, I know that.

It's true. Meeting her normally should be simple. 

If you think about it, it's not that complicated. 

But if Nina were to see me as I am now, what would she think?

When I think about that—

“I'm scared.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, sorry… I mean, she might think I've turned into some delinquent.”

“Well, you do look completely like a ‘party guy'☆”

“Not that I should be talking, but you really went all out with the hair dye.”

“I wasn't thinking about showing it to my family…”

“Yeah, if your family comes back and sees you like ‘this,' they're gonna freak out.”

“I mean, part of the deal for living on my own was that I'd stay focused on my studies… They might get worried.”

“You're pretty serious about school, though.”

“Well, you're out partying like crazy otherwise☆ Clubbing and mixers and all that☆”

“Haha… (nervous sweat).”

…No, this is bad. 

The hair color I impulsively chose because it was cheap, my hobbies. 

If you look at it from the perspective of someone who knows nothing, I'd seem like I've totally ‘gone off the rails.'

What would happen? It's unthinkable, but… what if they found out everything about me? 

Would they take me overseas with my little sister? 

That wouldn't happen, right? No, there's no such thing as ‘impossible.'

That would be awful.

“I still want to stay here…”

“I'd hate it if Toumachi wasn't around.”

“Huh?”

“That's obvious.”

“What?”

I lifted my head. 

I understood the meaning of their words, but I was frozen.

“Yeah. It's obvious. You idiot, Toumachi.”

“R-really?”

“I mean, look at what Rio did because of you.”

“Hey!”

“(On the verge of tears).”

I'm so happy. 

But still.

“Ahem! So, so, so, you want to keep that rainbow hair, right, Toumachi☆”

“…Yeah.”

It's simple. 

If I just dye my hair back to black—it'll be over. 

I can hide my hobbies. It's not like they'll find my club membership card. 

It's easy. I know that.

But I don't want to.

Even knowing my family is coming, still.

There's a part of me that just can't give up on this hair color.

“—‘Even if you ask me to recreate it next time, I probably couldn't. Those nine colors are a miracle. Truly remarkable… They could be a national treasure…'—”

I remember—the words of that sketchy hairstylist (seriously).

This hair is important to me. 

I don't really understand why, but I just can't let go of it.

“Sorry.”

“Toumachi, you're really serious, huh☆”

“Yeah.”

“…Thanks. So, I think I'll try to convince my family somehow. Even though I'm really scared.”

“Hmm… I think you could handle this situation a bit more cleverly and no one would blame you☆”

“Huh?”

“I used this on my hair today☆ It washes out easily with just one wash!”

“Yeah, the stuff they have nowadays is amazing. Doesn't even damage your hair at all.”

As she said that, she swung her black hair.

You'd never guess it was anything other than her real hair.

“For real? (Gal-level reaction)”

“For real!”

“Seriously.”

Looking at their faces, they didn't seem like they were lying. 

And they're not the type to tell such trivial lies anyway.

“You won't get it off just by touching it☆ You can touch it if you want☆”

“Ah, uh, ah (shy).”

“Look, look, it's a girl's hair~☆”

“Hey, Rio…”

Right in front of me, Hiiragi-san leaned in, brushing her hand through her hair, moving it away from her ear. 

A sweet scent. 

My eyes were captivated by the black strands.

Right, left, right, left…

“(Hypnotized).”

“Toumachi's broken.”

“What are we gonna do about this?”

“…Instant coffee, drip coffee—honestly, they all taste the same.”

“—Wait a minute. Drip coffee can change a lot depending on how you brew it, so maybe you're not doing it right? If brewed properly, drip coffee's quality is leagues apart from instant coffee. You might not be losing half your life, but to improve the quality of your life, Hiiragi-san, how about I brew you the best cup of coffee ever sometime? (fast talk)”

“…Gross☆”

“(Mentally shattered).”

“My hair smells better anyway☆ See, see.”

“This must be… heaven… (dies).”

“HR hasn't even started yet, you guys.”

As I held my dizzy head, I thought.

I remembered when my parents came to visit back when I was in my first year of high school. 

They were busy, so they only stayed for a day or two—it was useful back then.

A one-day black dye… I'll consider it as one of my options. 

But I'm not thinking about using it yet.