Chapter-23 hair salon.

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Words counted-- 1800

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Enjoy--

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As Aki wondered about his feelings, Noriko came out wearing a long skirt paired with a t-shirt and heels. She stood silently, shyly waiting for Aki's response. Inside, she thought the dress looked beautiful but doubted if it suited her.

Seeing her, Aki pondered for a bit and then said, "It looks good on you, but it will be more adorable if you let your hair down," he advised, noticing her hair tied up.

"Um, okay, like this?" she asked, following his instructions and changing her hairstyle.

"Hmm, we need to get you a hair cut. I think a visiting salon will be nice after this," Aki suggested to himself.

"What is he talking about?" she wondered, seeing Aki mumbling about.

Shrugging that off, she said, "I should change my clothes," and was about to head back to the changing room.

"Are you going to change?" Aki asked, surprised. "You look good in that. Are you going to go on a date with me wearing those work clothes?" he teased.

"Hah? Date? What date? Where? With who? Me and you? Why didn't I hear about that before?" Noriko, shocked by Aki's behavior, shouted.

More importantly, she thought, "Why are you cheating on your girlfriend? That's what I've been wanting to ask you for a while."

"What are you babbling about, girlfriend this and girlfriend that?" Aki asked, wanting to playfully argue with her as he found it quite fun.

Aki now found this intriguing; there was no more fun than teasing a pure girl.

"I mean, look! Aren't you buying all of this for your girlfriend?" she pointed at the clothes in the cart and noticed the makeup too. "And there's makeup too!" she exclaimed.

Seeing her reaction, Aki laughed.

"What's so funny?" Noriko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, clearly showing her anger.

"Oh, nothing... Really, I wasn't laughing at you... Or maybe," Aki laughed again, holding his stomach.

"Youuuu!" Noriko ground her teeth in frustration, seeing Aki making fun of her.

"Well, I have no girlfriend... yet. These clothes are for my friends," Aki replied to her previous question.

"Just friends?" Noriko asked, not believing his words. "Who in this world buys such expensive clothes and makeup for a girl -friend?"

"It's because they helped me before. I won't go into detail, but why are you acting like this? Don't tell me, are you jealous? Hey, hey girl, we only met 20 minutes ago. Don't fall for me yet," he said, laughing again.

"Tsk, don't be narcissistic. I wasn't jealous of you, I was jealous of your friends before, but not now... And..."

"And?"

"That... date... is it true?" the girl asked.

"Oh, you helped me after all, so I want to take you out today as a thank you," Aki responded.

*Crack*

A dream world shattered.

"Is he really dumb? I bet those friends he mentioned are also in love and he is just so dense that he didn't notice their feelings. Poor girls," Noriko sighed.

"Okay, okay, I will come after my shift ends," she replied.

"No need, I talked to your managers. Your work shift is over... permanently, that is."

Hearing him, she fell to her knees. "Permanently? You promised me you wouldn't complain about me if I followed you," she asked, her eyes teary as she looked at him.

"Um, did I do something wrong?" Aki asked, genuinely confused.

"Youuu! I will bite you!" she launched at him.

But Aki caught her in an embarrassed hug, holding her forehead to stop her from biting him. "Hey, are you a dog? Stop trying to bite me. I was joking, okay?"

He confessed.

"Hmmph," but Noriko wasn't in the mood to talk. This bastard had teased her more in one day than her friends had in years.

"Don't be mad ok, or else wrinkles will form on such a lovely face!" Aki grabbed her and put her down.

Hearing Aki's compliment, Noriko's heart pounded. The curtain to the changing room flapped slightly as she stepped back, her mind racing with confusion and curiosity.

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After some time, both Aki and Noriko approached the cashier, pulling their carts. It had taken some effort to convince her to go with him.

"Are you sure about this?" Noriko asked, still hesitant as she glanced at the overflowing carts.

"Absolutely," Aki replied confidently. "Just think of it as a fun outing."

Noriko sighed, still feeling the sting of his earlier teasing but also curious about the strange boy who had so easily turned her day upside down.

As the cashier scanned the items, Aki glanced over at Noriko, who was still visibly flustered. "You know, I really do appreciate your help today," he said, offering a genuine smile.

Noriko looked at him, slightly taken aback by his sudden sincerity. "Well, it's not every day you get roped into an adventure like this," she admitted, a small smile creeping onto her face. "And you also gifted me these clothes so it's ok I guess." She admitted that aki wasn't as irritating now.

"Exactly," Aki laughed. "Let's make the most of it, then."

As the cashier finished ringing up the items, Aki paid and they started to head out, pushing the now considerably lighter carts.

"So, where to next?" Noriko asked, still a bit wary but also intrigued.

"First, let's wait for my driver. He went to talk to the manager about your leave. Then he will drop these off at my place, and we'll head to a salon," Aki replied, his tone full of excitement.

Noriko nodded, her curiosity growing. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

As they waited for the driver, they made small talk. When the driver arrived, Aki handed over the bags and instructed him to drop them off at his place.

Now, only Aki and Noriko were left walking on the street. Aki turned to her and asked, "Um, do you have any idea where we can find a salon nearby?"

Noriko looked at him, surprised. "You don't know where a salon is?"

Aki scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. 'Well, my mom always cut my hair, and in my previous life, I had a friend do it to save money.'

Noriko laughed, finding his honesty refreshing. "I think I know a place. Follow me."

As they walked through the bustling streets, Noriko led Aki to a small but chic salon tucked away on a quieter side street. The sign above read "Elegance Hair Studio," and the inside looked cozy and inviting.

"Here we are," Noriko said, opening the door.

Aki stepped inside, taking in the elegant decor and the faint scent of hair products and fresh flowers. "Nice place," he commented.

As Aki continued looking around, he saw a really familiar person he knew.

"Komi-san!" he exclaimed, causing two women to look at him—one with curiosity and the other with fear.

"Shoko, who is he?" asked the more mature one out of curiosity. She deducted that if he knows there family name it much due to her daughter. As the boy in front of her looks around her age.

"I-I-I..." Komi trembled, struggling to pronounce a word.

"Did you do something to scare that girl? I knew you were a bad boy from the beginning," Noriko scoffed, leaving Aki to deal with his own problems alone as she went to sit on a chair.

"You're not helping at all here, Noriko," Aki sighed, watching her leave.

"Komi-san, you don't need to force yourself," he sighed again. "Hello, onee-san, nice to meet you. You must be Komi-san's sister. I am her classmate. Both of us are in the same classroom, but Komi-san doesn't really talk to me. I think she hates me," Aki sighed with a depressed face.

He looked at Komi for a second. Showing a bit of hesitation in his eyes, he tried to call her but then took his words back and shook his head, looking away.

"Um, sister?" Komi's mother exclaimed, her excitement apparent, but Komi was panicking, seeing Aki look away from her with such a sad expression.

Komi wanted to make friends with him; she didn't hate him. She just couldn't talk properly to him, not that she didn't want to. Thinking all this, Komi started panicking, searching for her notebook to write and solve the misunderstanding.

Komi quickly found her notebook and scribbled down a message, her hands shaking slightly. She tore out the page and thrust it towards Aki, her eyes wide with anxiety.

Aki took the note and read it:

"I don't hate you. I want to be friends, but it's hard for me to talk. Please don't think badly of me."

Aki's eyes softened as he read the note. He looked up at Komi, who was anxiously waiting for his response.

"It's okay, Komi-san," he said gently. "I understand. We can be friends, and you don't have to talk if it's hard for you. We can write notes or find other ways to communicate."

Komi's eyes filled with relief, and she nodded enthusiastically.

Komi's mother, witnessing the exchange, smiled warmly. "Thank you for understanding, young man. Shoko has always had trouble expressing herself verbally, but she genuinely wants to connect with others."

Aki nodded. "I get it. Sometimes it's hard to find the right words. But friends don't need to always talk to understand each other."

Noriko, observing the scene from her chair, softened her stance. She got up and walked back over to them. "Sorry for leaving you to handle that on your own, Aki. Now I am back."

"It's fine," Aki replied. "I'm just glad you still came." He jokes to make the mood lighten.

Noriko turned to Komi not wanting to embarrass herself. "It's nice to meet you, Komi-san. I'm Noriko."

Komi smiled shyly and nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, what brings you two here?" Aki asked Komi and her mother, trying to keep the conversation light and friendly.

"We were just out shopping and decided to stop by the salon," Komi's mother explained. "And you? You haven't introduced yourself?" Shoko's mother asked, her finger on her chin.

" Onne san, I am Aki shijo and she is Noriko" Aki replied, gesturing to Noriko and himself.

Komi's mother nodded with a smile brighter than the sunlight. "Well, it's nice to see Shoko making new friends. Perhaps we can all grab a coffee or tea sometimes? Oh I forgot to introduce myself I am komi shouko mother, komi shuuko. forever 17, nice to meet you."

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Humm adding both name and surname is tasksing so u all jus imagine it good bye.... Oh also the background....

But goddamn I just found out a ffc. Around 9 chapter and it already 200k+ view's and 100+ Power stone am i really that inferior to them...

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