[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Looks like we're kickin' off Part 3 Sub-Part 3 from here.
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 98One Cute-*ss Uniform
Closing ceremony day, right after school.
Shouts of joy and screams of despair were echoing all over the campus.
Hayato's classroom was no exception, and there he was, scowling with his report card in one hand.
"Hehe, so how'd you do, Hayato-kun?"
"...Eh, it's alright. Nothing to write home about."
"Is that so? Well, I'm ranked first in the entire grade. Number one. I totally win!"
"Yeah, yeah, good for you. But it's not like we were even competing, right?"
"Since I won, I wonder what I should make Hayato-kun do for me-?"
"Not a d*mn thing!"
"What—?"
The finals themselves had passed by with Hayato feeling a bit out of sorts.
Since it was Hayato's first set of exams after transferring, he'd actually put in some effort, and his results weren't half bad.
The reason for Hayato's scowl wasn't his grades, but Haruki sitting next to him, looking all smug.
Even though Hayato's usually close to Haruki and sees her goofing off or acting like a total klutz, right now, "Nikaidō Haruki" is in full stealth mode—acting like the perfect, top-tier Yamato Nadeshiko student-athlete.
So, even when Haruki casually mentions she ranked first in the grade, it feels so surreal that Hayato feels like he's being scammed.
"By the way, what rank did you get, Hayato-kun? Lemme see that real quick!"
"Oh—hey, wait!"
With those insanely sharp reflexes of hers, Haruki caught Hayato slipping for a split second and snatched his report card away. But after taking a look, her expression softened into a worried frown.
"...Eh, my bad."
"Wait, why are you apologizing?! It's not like these grades are trash or anything!?"
"Well, it's just... ...there's zero entertainment value here. You didn't lose to me by a hair, it's not so bad that I can't even look at it, and it's not like you're a genius in science but a total flop in lit..."
"Are you stupid?! Don't go looking for drama in my grades!"
For the record, Hayato ranked 106th out of 251 students. Overall, he was average or slightly above, and just like he said, it was totally middle-of-the-road.
If anything, it was actually decent, but it's true there was nothing noteworthy enough to be interesting.
"Huh, 106th? Considering you just transferred in, that's actually pretty solid, isn’t it? By the way, I'm 122nd—looks like I lost. So, does that mean Hayato-kun is gonna do something to me?"
"Hey, Kaidō!"
"Kazuki... ...I'm not doing anything to you. In fact, I wouldn't even want to."
Before anyone noticed, Kazuki had waltzed over and was peeking at Hayato's report card right out of Haruki's hand.
Haruki recoiled in disgust and, making no effort to hide how annoyed she was with Kazuki, shoved the report card back at Hayato. Seeing that only made Kazuki's grin even brighter. A pouting Haruki tried to snap at Kazuki, but he just brushed her off like it was nothing.
Even now they're bickering—"Peeking without asking makes you a total creep!", "Oh, so snatching it away is fine then?", "Nngh..."—leaving Hayato to just sigh with a look of pure exhaustion.
It was a scene that had become a total staple around there lately.
Everyone else was so used to it that they just watched them with that "There they go again" look on their faces.
"Alright, alright, what are you guys even doing? More importantly, summer break starts tomorrow, right?"
"Summer break, huh—Hayato, you got any plans? My schedule is a total blank slate."
"I'll probably be busy with club stuff. Oh, but I'm keeping the swimming pool day open. Did we ever settle on a date?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't heard anything yet."
"I haven't even bought a swimsuit yet. The second the design gets cute, the price just sky-rockets. Even though there's, like, barely any fabric."
"Haha, well, I guess you're paying for the brand and the look, right?"
While they were all bouncing ideas off each other, Iori—the boy who started this whole thing—strolled over with a goofy grin and a wave.
"Yo, Hayato, you free after this?"
"Nothing special. Why, you wanna grab a bite to celebrate finishing finals or something?"
"Oh, nah, I mean, that sounds cool too, but... ...eh... ...my grades are kinda trashed this time around..."
"...Iori?"
But unlike his usual self, Iori was beating around the bush. He said his grades were a mess, but he wasn't really getting to the point.
As Hayato tilted his head, wondering what was up, Iori suddenly slammed his hands together in a prayer pose.
"Man, I'm sorry! On the days I have remedial classes, could you cover my part-time shift for me!?"
"Part-time shift?"
"Yeah, even just for the rest of July is fine. Please, I'm beggin' you!"
"Oh— I mean, well..."
With someone beggin' him this hard, it was tough for Hayato to say no. Plus, he'd actually been kinda curious about getting a part-time job.
"You sure I'm gonna be okay? I've never actually worked a part-time job before... ...and what exactly would I be doing?"
"Just kitchen prep and a bit of customer service at a restaurant. It's nothing too crazy. Weren't you, like, a total pro at cooking?"
"Oh, for a 'mom-mode' boy like Hayato-kun, that might actually be the perfect fit."
"Pffft—! 'Mom-mode'...!"
"...The heck do you mean, 'mom-mode'? I mean, yeah, I can cook well enough, but it's just my own style, y'know?"
As Kazuki poked fun at Hayato, Haruki couldn't help but burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking.
Hayato shot Haruki a deadpan stare, but Kazuki just shrugged it off with a bright grin, while Haruki just quietly looked away. Hayato let out one long-*ss sigh.
(...Well, I have been bleeding cash lately, so.)
Hayato had his doubts. Being a countryside boy, he wasn't exactly a people person and didn't think he was cut out for customer service, but he figured being a kitchen assistant meant staying behind the scenes anyway. He turned back toward Iori.
"Alright, I'm down. If you're okay with me doin' it, I'll take the shift."
"Man, you're a lifesaver! Mind if we kick things off starting today?"
"That's fine, I guess... ...but where is this place exactly?"
"It's a traditional sweets shop called 'Okashizukasa Shiro', two stations away. There's a classic Japanese-style cafe right next to it where people can eat in."
"Oh, wait, I think I know the place."
"Oh, for real? You've been there?"
"Just know where it's at."
Now that Hayato thought about it, it clicked. The place Iori mentioned was right by the station near the hospital where Hayato's Mom was staying. Hayato remembered seeing a traditional sweets shop around there that occasionally had people lining up out the door.
Even though it was a bit of a walk from the station, the place looked huge and old-school, with a serious traditional Japanese vibe—the kind of shop that just screamed 'Legendary Establishment.'
Hayato, who still hasn't quite vibe-checked the flashy city life, let out a sigh of relief, thinking he could actually handle a place like that.
Just then, Haruki blurted out, "Oh!". Her eyes went wide like she'd just realized something, and she practically cornered Iori.
"Okashizukasa Shiro... ...you don't mean that place with those crazy cute yabane hakama uniforms!?"
"Yabane hakama... ...oh, right, that place. Even the girls in my class are always talking about it."
"Heck yeah. And it's not just the uniforms; The girls working there are top-tier, too."
"Iori, dude, watch your mouth..."
Haruki was looking seriously restless.
Haruki kept glancing back and forth between both Hayato and Iori, muttering, "They've got a few different patterns for those uniforms, right?". It was pretty obvious what was on her mind. But Hayato was the one being recruited here, and his job was strictly kitchen prep.
Hayato tried whispering to her on the DL.
"Haruki, you actually interested in a part-time job?"
"Eh, more like the uniform, honestly."
"I see."
"I mean, even I wanna be thought of as cute, y'know."
Haruki didn't say "by who."
Haruki had that same mischievous grin as always, but her cheeks were definitely flushing a little.
Hayato's heart skipped a beat before he even realized it. To play it off, he looked away and scratched his head.
"Haha, Hayato-kun, might be a prime chance to meet some cute girls, huh?"
"Oh? Hayato, hitting on girls is fine and all, but keep it out of the workplace, okay?"
"Hmph!"
"...I'm not doing any of that, so give me a break."
When both Kazuki and Iori started teasing Hayato, Haruki's face clearly shifted into a sour mood. Hayato just scratched his head like, 'Give me a break, guys.'
"Gotta admit, I'm surprised Iori. Never pegged you as the type to work a part-time job at a place like that."
"Haha, tell me about it. Honestly, if it wasn't my family's place, there's no way I'd be helping out with a part-time shift there."
"...Wait, what? Your family's place... ...huh!?"
"So yeah, cute girls are always more than welcome to join us anytime, even if it's not just to cover a shift, right, Nikaidō-san?"
"Wait, what—!?"
With that, Iori shot a wink at the stunned both Hayato and Haruki, looking totally smug like Iori'd just pulled off the ultimate prank.
Author's Notes:
You know the one.
The motif is based on that Bashamichi uniform that's pretty famous in certain circles. Though I guess you barely ever see it around anymore...
Basically, yeah, that.
Meow.
／l、
(゜、 。｀フ
」 "ヽ
()ιし(~)～
Meow.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Closing ceremony day, right after school.
Shouts of joy and screams of despair were echoing all over the campus.
Hayato's classroom was no exception, and there he was, scowling with his report card in one hand.
"Hehe, so how'd you do, Hayato-kun?"
"...Eh, it's alright. Nothing to write home about."
"Is that so? Well, I'm ranked first in the entire grade. Number one. I totally win!"
"Yeah, yeah, good for you. But it's not like we were even competing, right?"
"Since I won, I wonder what I should make Hayato-kun do for me-?"
"Not a d*mn thing!"
"What—?"
The finals themselves had passed by with Hayato feeling a bit out of sorts.
Since it was Hayato's first set of exams after transferring, he'd actually put in some effort, and his results weren't half bad.
The reason for Hayato's scowl wasn't his grades, but Haruki sitting next to him, looking all smug.
Even though Hayato's usually close to Haruki and sees her goofing off or acting like a total klutz, right now, "Nikaidō Haruki" is in full stealth mode—acting like the perfect, top-tier Yamato Nadeshiko student-athlete.
So, even when Haruki casually mentions she ranked first in the grade, it feels so surreal that Hayato feels like he's being scammed.
"By the way, what rank did you get, Hayato-kun? Lemme see that real quick!"
"Oh—hey, wait!"
With those insanely sharp reflexes of hers, Haruki caught Hayato slipping for a split second and snatched his report card away. But after taking a look, her expression softened into a worried frown.
"...Eh, my bad."
"Wait, why are you apologizing?! It's not like these grades are trash or anything!?"
"Well, it's just... ...there's zero entertainment value here. You didn't lose to me by a hair, it's not so bad that I can't even look at it, and it's not like you're a genius in science but a total flop in lit..."
"Are you stupid?! Don't go looking for drama in my grades!"
For the record, Hayato ranked 106th out of 251 students. Overall, he was average or slightly above, and just like he said, it was totally middle-of-the-road.
If anything, it was actually decent, but it's true there was nothing noteworthy enough to be interesting.
"Huh, 106th? Considering you just transferred in, that's actually pretty solid, isn’t it? By the way, I'm 122nd—looks like I lost. So, does that mean Hayato-kun is gonna do something to me?"
"Hey, Kaidō!"
"Kazuki... ...I'm not doing anything to you. In fact, I wouldn't even want to."
Before anyone noticed, Kazuki had waltzed over and was peeking at Hayato's report card right out of Haruki's hand.
Haruki recoiled in disgust and, making no effort to hide how annoyed she was with Kazuki, shoved the report card back at Hayato. Seeing that only made Kazuki's grin even brighter. A pouting Haruki tried to snap at Kazuki, but he just brushed her off like it was nothing.
Even now they're bickering—"Peeking without asking makes you a total creep!", "Oh, so snatching it away is fine then?", "Nngh..."—leaving Hayato to just sigh with a look of pure exhaustion.
It was a scene that had become a total staple around there lately.
Everyone else was so used to it that they just watched them with that "There they go again" look on their faces.
"Alright, alright, what are you guys even doing? More importantly, summer break starts tomorrow, right?"
"Summer break, huh—Hayato, you got any plans? My schedule is a total blank slate."
"I'll probably be busy with club stuff. Oh, but I'm keeping the swimming pool day open. Did we ever settle on a date?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't heard anything yet."
"I haven't even bought a swimsuit yet. The second the design gets cute, the price just sky-rockets. Even though there's, like, barely any fabric."
"Haha, well, I guess you're paying for the brand and the look, right?"
While they were all bouncing ideas off each other, Iori—the boy who started this whole thing—strolled over with a goofy grin and a wave.
"Yo, Hayato, you free after this?"
"Nothing special. Why, you wanna grab a bite to celebrate finishing finals or something?"
"Oh, nah, I mean, that sounds cool too, but... ...eh... ...my grades are kinda trashed this time around..."
"...Iori?"
But unlike his usual self, Iori was beating around the bush. He said his grades were a mess, but he wasn't really getting to the point.
As Hayato tilted his head, wondering what was up, Iori suddenly slammed his hands together in a prayer pose.
"Man, I'm sorry! On the days I have remedial classes, could you cover my part-time shift for me!?"
"Part-time shift?"
"Yeah, even just for the rest of July is fine. Please, I'm beggin' you!"
"Oh— I mean, well..."
With someone beggin' him this hard, it was tough for Hayato to say no. Plus, he'd actually been kinda curious about getting a part-time job.
"You sure I'm gonna be okay? I've never actually worked a part-time job before... ...and what exactly would I be doing?"
"Just kitchen prep and a bit of customer service at a restaurant. It's nothing too crazy. Weren't you, like, a total pro at cooking?"
"Oh, for a 'mom-mode' boy like Hayato-kun, that might actually be the perfect fit."
"Pffft—! 'Mom-mode'...!"
"...The heck do you mean, 'mom-mode'? I mean, yeah, I can cook well enough, but it's just my own style, y'know?"
As Kazuki poked fun at Hayato, Haruki couldn't help but burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking.
Hayato shot Haruki a deadpan stare, but Kazuki just shrugged it off with a bright grin, while Haruki just quietly looked away. Hayato let out one long-*ss sigh.
(...Well, I have been bleeding cash lately, so.)
Hayato had his doubts. Being a countryside boy, he wasn't exactly a people person and didn't think he was cut out for customer service, but he figured being a kitchen assistant meant staying behind the scenes anyway. He turned back toward Iori.
"Alright, I'm down. If you're okay with me doin' it, I'll take the shift."
"Man, you're a lifesaver! Mind if we kick things off starting today?"
"That's fine, I guess... ...but where is this place exactly?"
"It's a traditional sweets shop called 'Okashizukasa Shiro', two stations away. There's a classic Japanese-style cafe right next to it where people can eat in."
"Oh, wait, I think I know the place."
"Oh, for real? You've been there?"
"Just know where it's at."
Now that Hayato thought about it, it clicked. The place Iori mentioned was right by the station near the hospital where Hayato's Mom was staying. Hayato remembered seeing a traditional sweets shop around there that occasionally had people lining up out the door.
Even though it was a bit of a walk from the station, the place looked huge and old-school, with a serious traditional Japanese vibe—the kind of shop that just screamed 'Legendary Establishment.'
Hayato, who still hasn't quite vibe-checked the flashy city life, let out a sigh of relief, thinking he could actually handle a place like that.
Just then, Haruki blurted out, "Oh!". Her eyes went wide like she'd just realized something, and she practically cornered Iori.
"Okashizukasa Shiro... ...you don't mean that place with those crazy cute yabane hakama uniforms!?"
"Yabane hakama... ...oh, right, that place. Even the girls in my class are always talking about it."
"Heck yeah. And it's not just the uniforms; The girls working there are top-tier, too."
"Iori, dude, watch your mouth..."
Haruki was looking seriously restless.
Haruki kept glancing back and forth between both Hayato and Iori, muttering, "They've got a few different patterns for those uniforms, right?". It was pretty obvious what was on her mind. But Hayato was the one being recruited here, and his job was strictly kitchen prep.
Hayato tried whispering to her on the DL.
"Haruki, you actually interested in a part-time job?"
"Eh, more like the uniform, honestly."
"I see."
"I mean, even I wanna be thought of as cute, y'know."
Haruki didn't say "by who."
Haruki had that same mischievous grin as always, but her cheeks were definitely flushing a little.
Hayato's heart skipped a beat before he even realized it. To play it off, he looked away and scratched his head.
"Haha, Hayato-kun, might be a prime chance to meet some cute girls, huh?"
"Oh? Hayato, hitting on girls is fine and all, but keep it out of the workplace, okay?"
"Hmph!"
"...I'm not doing any of that, so give me a break."
When both Kazuki and Iori started teasing Hayato, Haruki's face clearly shifted into a sour mood. Hayato just scratched his head like, 'Give me a break, guys.'
"Gotta admit, I'm surprised Iori. Never pegged you as the type to work a part-time job at a place like that."
"Haha, tell me about it. Honestly, if it wasn't my family's place, there's no way I'd be helping out with a part-time shift there."
"...Wait, what? Your family's place... ...huh!?"
"So yeah, cute girls are always more than welcome to join us anytime, even if it's not just to cover a shift, right, Nikaidō-san?"
"Wait, what—!?"
With that, Iori shot a wink at the stunned both Hayato and Haruki, looking totally smug like Iori'd just pulled off the ultimate prank.
Author's Notes:
You know the one.
The motif is based on that Bashamichi uniform that's pretty famous in certain circles. Though I guess you barely ever see it around anymore...
Basically, yeah, that.
Meow.
／l、
(゜、 。｀フ
」 "ヽ
()ιし(~)～
Meow.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: