Chapter 144: Got Caught by Gyaru Girls

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Translator: Soafp

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After a whole day of pampering Ginji, Sora—now glowing and radiant—was seeing him off at the front door.

“You could've stayed for a bath too, you know. I've got some bath salts and stuff.”

Sora swayed their clasped hands back and forth, clearly reluctant to let go. She lowered her head—half sulking. Ginji always gave in when she got a little selfish, and she loved that about him.

“I'd just end up sweating again on the bike ride home.”

“Then just spend the night.”

“…Well, next time.”

“Geez, fine. Then at least—”

“You've really gotten good at being spoiled.”

She gave him a quick, feather-light kiss and then rubbed her head against his chest. Ginji gently patted her head.

“Alright, I've got work tomorrow, so I'll see you the day after.”

“Got it. And the custom steel plate we ordered won't be ready until next week anyway. I'll probably just do some drawing.”

Sora waved him off until he disappeared down the road on his bike, then stretched her arms up wide.

She turned on the light in the first-floor studio and began tossing off her clothes, grabbing a work jumpsuit to change into. She'd planned to do some sketching practice, but maybe because she'd spent the whole day with Ginji, she felt like painting something in color instead.

“There's that open art competition this winter too. Maybe I should get started on something…”

She set up a canvas, lined up her gesso, and sat down to mentally plan out the underpainting. The quiet was so deep she could almost hear the dust floating in the air. Layer by layer, she imagined the colors she would build up. Hours passed as she sat in front of the canvas, but she ended the session without laying down a single brushstroke. It wasn't a waste—there were just too many ideas she wanted to explore.

The feelings that had built up after her day with Ginji—feelings she couldn't quite name—were now something she wanted to give shape to. How should she express them? With a new method? Or something she had studied before? Should she rely on her strengths, or challenge herself with something difficult? What she sought wasn't just technical skill—it was something beyond that.

After hours of sitting, Sora stretched and closed her eyes.

“Okay, I've decided.”

She made one decision that night: to paint a picture that would express her feelings for Ginji. That seemed like the most interesting theme. Even if the piece would be displayed for everyone to see at the art festival, the one person she wanted to understand it most was Ginji. And she was okay with that.

Calling it a day, Sora changed out of her jumpsuit and tossed it into the downstairs washer. Wearing only her underwear, she climbed to the second floor and hopped into the shower. After a thorough skincare routine, she changed into her loungewear, downed a glass of cold milk in one gulp, and flopped onto her bed on the third floor. Her phone screen lit up.

“Hm? It's from Suzu.”

The message was from her friend Suzu.

Suzu: “Hey Sora-chii, how was the beach?”

Sora: “It was amazing!”

Sora sent a sticker of a robot taking off.

Suzu: “Nice~ So, uh… are you free tomorrow? If you are, wanna hang around the station? Ginji can come too if he's free!”

“Hanging around the station, huh… Might as well, it is summer break. I don't really get to hang out with friends that often anyway. Okay. I'll let her know Ginji's working tomorrow and probably can't make it.”

She typed out her reply.

Sora: “Sounds good! Ginji's working though, so it'll just be me.”

Suzu: “Yay~ I actually wanna rent a yukata and check out some shops. Looking forward to it!”

“Ooh, a yukata, huh? I haven't worn one in ages. I bet Ginji would look good in one…”

Sora pictured Ginji in a traditional summer yukata. With his intimidating face, a more mature look suited him—maybe something in a calm gray or indigo.

“Oooh, nice. Even though this is Suzu's shopping trip, I hope we get to see some men's yukata too… Ehe, this is totally the kind of summer break I dreamed of. Haha, I've really turned into a proper high school girl, haven't I?”

Reminded of how much her life had changed, Sora smiled with satisfaction and turned off the lights, drifting off to sleep.

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The next day, Sora arrived at the meeting spot early and stood in the shade of a roadside tree to avoid the crowd. She wore a loose, long-sleeved shirt over denim overalls, with her favorite oversized sneakers and a wide-brimmed newsboy cap. When going out with Ginji, she always tried to dress more femininely, but since this was a casual outing with Suzu, she opted for a boyish, comfortable outfit. Lately, she'd been getting approached more in public, so this baggy, face-obscuring style had become her go-to for solo city outings.

After a short wait, Suzu came waving excitedly.

“Sora-chii! Sorry for the wait!”

She was wearing a T-shirt with a light cardigan and wide pants—cute and casual.

“No worries. So, where's the shop?”

Sora asked, tilting her head. Suzu's eyes flicked awkwardly to the side.

“Uh, well… slight change of plans…”

“?”

Sora blinked in confusion—just as two girls popped up behind Suzu. One was tall with a wide forehead, the other had lightly dyed hair just within school rules and totally looked like a gyaru.

“Whoa, it really is Takagi-san! You look totally different! So cute~!”

“You do look different! So stylish! Hey, do you remember us?”

“U-uh… um…”

Sora froze up for a moment, but her memory kicked in. They were classmates from her private middle school days. Before she could say anything, Suzu quickly stepped in.

“Hey—guys! You're totally overwhelming her. Sorry, Sora-chii. We just ran into each other by chance, and I let it slip.”

While Suzu looked apologetic, the two girls were clearly excited and kept talking rapidly.

“I mean, Suzu was acting all excited, so we thought she was on a date with some guy, but then she said she was meeting up with the Princess's old right-hand girl! Since we went from middle school straight into an all-girls high school, we never get to hear this kinda stuff. And we're super interested in yukata and all that—let's go look around together!”

“Totally! And there's a fireworks festival this weekend—perfect timing, right? C'mon, let's go!”

They closed the distance fast, and though Sora instinctively nodded, her brain was still short-circuiting.

GYARU. I'VE BEEN SURROUNDED BY GYARU.

Sora screamed silently in her mind.