[Warning 15+]
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 217
What I Wanna Be
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 217
What I Wanna Be
The station specified as the meetup spot in the group chat was different from the downtown stations they usually used. It was a neighborhood even Hayato had heard of, one with a super strong image of being fancy and high-end.
Even though they were a bit confused about where the ticket gates were, they somehow managed to meet up.
"Let's pick up the pace a bit."
"Yeah."
"Yo."
They walked down the main street at a pretty brisk pace.
The streetscape, with its signature brick architecture givin' off a somewhat exotic vibe, was lined with stores sellin' fashion and high-end accessories, while the rich aroma of roastin' coffee beans drifted from a nearby cafe. The people passin' by on the street were dressed super sharp, and the crowd felt on the older side.
Lookin' back at how he was dressed today, there was no denyin' Hayato felt completely out of place. Luckily, since it was still pretty early, there weren't many eyes around to notice.
Before long, they turned a corner off the main street and ducked into the gaps between stylish buildin's.
The hair salon they were lookin' for was on the third floor of one of those buildin's.
With a storefront lookin' straight up like a classy, high-end cafe, you probably wouldn't even realize what it was unless someone pointed it out.
Could a place like this be members-only or closed to first-timers? Just thinkin' about that made Hayato feel a bit intimidated and shrink back, reflexively acting all sketchy as he worried about what was in his wallet.
Meanwhile, Iori was lookin' around the shop with super keen interest, and Hayato was low-key jealous of how gutsy Iori was.
As for Kazuki, he walked into the shop like a total regular, casually raisin' a hand and strikin' up a friendly convo.
"Hey, sorry about this, Yūsuke-san. Askin' for a favor on such short notice."
"Haha, well, it's the first time you've ever wanted to introduce your buddies, Kazuki-kun. Sorry for rushin' you guys on our end too."
"Right, right! I was so curious about what kind of boys you were bringin' that as soon as the Manager reached out, I came flyin' over too!"
"Even Makoto-san!"
Inside the shop, which seemed to still be before openin' hours, were two hairstylists.
The man called Yūsuke seemed to be around Hayato's Dad's age, yet he was super suave and exuded a kind of mature, manly charm.
The woman called Makoto was probably a dozen years older or so? She was glamorous and classy, yet burstin' with a friendly, welcomin' charm.
Both of them had the kind of magnetism that made any visitin' customer think, "Man, I wanna be just like them."
"Alright, shall we get right to it? It's not like we've got all the time in the world. Um..."
"Yūsuke-san, you take Hayato-kun. And since Iori-kun's got his girl to consider, he's with Makoto-san."
"Oho?"
Makoto's eyes gleamed like she'd just locked onto her prey, makin' Iori shrink back, silently prayin' for mercy.
Then, as prompted, both Hayato and Iori sat in stylin' chairs that exuded a chic and chill vibe. Compared to the purely functional ones at the cheap and quick place Hayato usually went to, not only was the design on a whole 'nother level, but the comfort was too, makin' him freeze up from nervousness without even meanin' to.
Just then, Yūsuke flashed a warm, approachable smile and struck up a convo through the mirror.
"Alright, so what kind of look are we goin' for today?"
"Um..."
Asked that out of nowhere, Hayato was totally at a loss for words.
Since Hayato'd never given a d*mn about this stuff before, he couldn't picture any concrete vision at all. Comin' in out of the blue like this made it even worse.
Hayato racked his brain for all it was worth. Glancin' to his side, he saw Iori red-faced, gushing about his girl (Ema) while flippin' through a catalog with Makoto.
"J-Just trim it short for now."
""...Pfft.""
Yet the words Hayato squeezed out were totally vague and useless like that.
Both Kazuki and Yūsuke burst out laughin' without meanin' to, leavin' Hayato with a totally awkward look on his face.
Yūsuke quickly spoke up with an apologetic tone, though.
"Oh, my bad. I'm not laughin' at you, it's just that your order was dead-on with what Kazuki-kun predicted."
"Kazuki predicted it?"
"Kazuki-kun said knowin' Hayato-kun, the first thing on your mind would just be doin' somethin' about your overgrown hair."
"Well, I mean, yeah..."
Feelin' totally read like a book, Hayato shifted his gaze with a skeptical look, only to see Kazuki shrugging with a dry chuckle.
"Alright, so how do you wanna transform yourself? Hmm, let's see. At this length, I can cook up pretty much anythin' with it. Spicy? Sweet? Or medium spicy that gets the best of both worlds?"
"I'm all about that butter chicken curry that's smooth and sweet at first, but hits you with that solid kick of spice after. How about you, Yūsuke-san?"
"Lately I've been super into that thin green curry with that unique kick. A Thai place just opened up nearby, y'know. How about you?"
"For me, homemade with seasonal veggies... wait, why the heck are we talkin' about curry!?"
Hayato's snappy retort set off a wave of laughter. Mumblin', "...Gimme a break.", he realized the tension he felt earlier had completely melted away thanks to this whole exchange. Looks like they were lookin' out for him.
Noticin' Hayato settlin' in, Yūsuke gave a playful wink and flashed Hayato a grin through the mirror.
"Ahaha, just feel free to spit it out like that. Let me see... ...what kind of person do you wanna be?"
"What kind of person, huh..."
Askin' himself that, the very first people who popped into Hayato's mind were Haruki. And Saki.
Both were charmin' girls who turned heads and lit up the room. Hayato's childhood buddies.
Thinkin' about the two of them—
"—A Big Bro figure you can count on, I guess."
Those words spilled out of Hayato's mouth without him even realizin' it.
Even Hayato was shocked that that was what he wanted to be.
Sure, Saki was a year younger, and Haruki bein' born early in the year might kinda count too, but man, what a cringe and embarrassin' thing to say out loud.
By the time Hayato realized his slip of the tongue, he was stuck watchin' his face turn bright red in the mirror.
"Heh, so Hayato-kun really is a good Big Bro after all."
"Kazuki...?"
Yet however Kazuki took those words, he didn't show a single hint of teasin', simply narrowin' his eyes as if lookin' at somethin' dazzlin'.
And Yūsuke nodded along too, as if totally understandin'.
"I see. Then let's aim for a slightly mature vibe. Alright, leave it to me!"
"O-Oh, okay."
No sooner had Hayato said that than Yūsuke started cuttin' away with his scissors.
There was zero hesitation or stutter in Yūsuke's movements as snippets of cut hair fluttered down. Even to an untrained eye, Yūsuke's high skill level was obvious. Hayato was completely spellbound, lost for words.
While Hayato was curiously watching his hair get styled, a high-pitched "Eek!?" burst out from the seat next to him.
Yūsuke stopped his hands without thinkin' and turned his gaze over there too.
"Wait, for real!? Kazuki-kun crossdressin'!? What the heck, I'm already hyped out of my mind just hearin' that! When is it!? The Cultural Festival!? I'm goin', I am SO goin'! Boss, I'm takin' that day off! Are there other cute f*mboys too!? There are essential nutrients you can only get from that, and lives that can be saved here, y'know!? Oh, can I bring my buddies too!?"
"Kazuki's goin' all out, to the point where he's havin' the girls in class and his Big Sis teach him makeup."
"Ahaha, that's why I wanted to ask Makoto-san about hairstyles that'd suit me."
"Whoa! Wigs! You're buyin' one!? I wanna come along! Boss—"
"Makoto-chan, let me see you get back to work, okay?"
"Right, of course—"
When Makoto slumped her shoulders in defeat, everyone burst out laughin'.
Still, the fact that her hands never stopped moving proved Makoto was a true pro. Even after that, she kept lively convo goin' with Iori about Kazuki's crossdressin'.
Then Yūsuke suddenly narrowed his eyes and spoke in a voice filled with emotion.
"Kazuki-kun's changed, hasn't he?"
"...I mean, Kazuki's been like this ever since I met him, though."
"It's probably cause Kazuki-kun made buddies like you guys. He laughs a lot more now, and lately it feels like he's cleared somethin' off his chest... ...hmm, how should I put it?"
"Well, that's..."
While feelin' a bit tickled by Yūsuke's words, Hayato thought Yūsuke was really observant.
"Like, maybe Kazuki-kun got a girl he likes?"
"...Huh?"
But at those unexpected words that followed, Hayato let out a dumbfounded squeak before he could stop himself.
Hayato's brain went into total overdrive.
Kazuki? With who?
Hayato glanced over at Kazuki, who was chattin' away with both Iori and Makoto next to him, but Hayato just had Kazuki's usual fresh, breezy smile. There didn't seem to be anythin' different about Kazuki's facial expressions or how he acted. Hayato knitted his brows.
"I wonder what kind of girl she is... ...do you know?"
"...Who knows, couldn't you just be imaginin' things?"
"Maybe so. But doin' this job, I've seen love change people time and time again."
"Oh..."
Yūsuke's voice was full of deep conviction.
That's probably how many changed people Yūsuke'd seen over the years.
But for Hayato, it was still somethin' he couldn't quite wrap his head around.
Before long, while Hayato was lost in thought about all kinds of stuff, the haircut came to an end.
"Alright, how's this look?"
"...Huh?"
Snappin' back to reality at the sound of Yūsuke's voice, Hayato let out a slightly dopey squeak.
Hayato's hair was neatly trimmed short with a natural flow to it, and even though it shouldn't have been too different from before, it gave off a fresh, slightly more mature impression.
It felt like Hayato wasn't lookin' at himself.
Hayato felt a bit embarrassed, but recallin' the faces of the two girls who had crossed his mind earlier, he stood tall with confidence.
"Thank you so much."
"You're very welcome. Oh, come back anytime, okay?"
◇
Comin' out of the hair salon, Hayato peeked into his wallet with a grimace.
"...Maybe I should pick up more part-time shifts."
"My family's place is always open to you. But man, a single haircut can really change your whole vibe this much, huh?"
"For real though."
Saying that, Iori struck a bit of a stylish pose. He had the same silly, lighthearted tone as usual, but unlike usual, maybe because he looked so polished now, he actually managed to pull it off surprisin'ly well.
Their skills were so incredible that it made them resolve to keep comin' back from now on.
Maybe it was just Hayato's imagination, but he felt like they were drawin' eyes from the people around them.
Right then, Hayato suddenly became self-conscious about what he was wearin'. Today was just like any other day, wearin' whatever he'd randomly grabbed.
As Hayato gripped his hoodie and knitted his brows, Kazuki clapped his hands together with a pop.
"Since we're already here, wanna go look at some clothes too?"
"Is that cool?"
"Oh, sweet! Your taste when pickin' out yukatas was top-notch too!"
Just as the plan was set, two loud stomach rumbles echoed out.
Hayato and Iori both made awkward faces.
Iori let out a word or two, lookin' pretty sheepish.
"Since we headed out in a hurry, I didn't get to eat breakfast."
"Haha, how about we grab lunch before shoppin', even if it's a bit early?"
"Man... ...please make it somewhere cheap with huge portions."
At Hayato's request, the two of them burst out laughin'.