A Beautiful Girl Confessed Her Love to Me as a Punishment Game, but After We Started Dating, She Started Getting More and More Obsessive - Chapter 5

Kiryu-san asked me out on a date.

Well, to be more accurate, she said, “The day after tomorrow, you’re coming with me. I’ll treat you to some delicious cake.” But when a man and a woman who are, in some way, in a relationship go out together, wouldn’t that be considered a date?

Then again, Kiryu-san and I aren’t really in love or anything, and there’s nothing romantic between us, so maybe it’s not a date.

Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m going out with Kiryu-san tomorrow.

As I thought about it and stood in front of the mirror, I was horrified by how terrible I looked.

My hair was a mess, uncut for about six months now. I hadn’t trimmed my unkempt beard either.

There’s not much I can do about my naturally unattractive face, but what kind of mindset lets me neglect even the most basic grooming?

When I asked myself in the mirror, I got a feeble response, “I’m not good at talking to hairdressers, so I’ve been putting off getting a haircut…Also, if I wear a mask, no one will see my beard anyway…”

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I totally understand.

I don’t have any friends, so even if I groom myself, there’s no one to see it. Going for a haircut or shaving is such a hassle.

As much as I sympathized, I held back the urge to pat myself on the shoulder, telling myself it’s not my fault, and instead, I slapped my face in the mirror.

If only you had taken care of yourself regularly, I wouldn’t have to feel this despair right now!

It’s not just my neglected face that’s the problem.

I also have no decent clothes to wear tomorrow.

When I rummaged through my closet, all I found were my worn-out tracksuits that double as pajamas and an old, plain shirt that cost about 2,000 yen in total. It was wrinkled too.

Oh, and there was also an embarrassing T-shirt with a swimsuit-clad anime girl printed on it, which came as a special edition bonus with a manga.

This won’t do. I can’t walk outside dressed like this!

Well, I mean, I could if I were by myself.

But Kiryu-san is an incredibly beautiful person, so she’ll definitely attract a lot of attention just by walking around. She’s the kind of person that makes everyone on the street turn their heads.

And since I’ll be walking next to her, I imagine I’ll get some attention too.

When I see a beautiful woman in town, I also glance at her, and if there’s a man next to her, I wonder who he is.

Now, if that guy walking beside her is an unkempt loser like me, wearing a wrinkled tracksuit with messy hair and an unshaved beard…If people just think “he doesn’t match her” or “the guy next to her is lame,” I wouldn’t mind. But if they start thinking, “She has bad taste in men,” or worse, “Is she doing some sort of sugar daddy thing?” and Kiryu-san gets judged for it, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

It’s only polite to take care of your appearance when you’re going out with someone, and Kiryu-san seems like the type who values proper manners.

In fact, maybe she gave me a day’s notice for the outing as a subtle hint to clean myself up.

So, there’s no way I can go looking shabby.

With that decided, I went to ask my mom for some money.

“I want to get a haircut and buy some clothes. Can I have some money?”

“Sure.”

“Actually, um…Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I’ve been wanting you to do something about that messy hair for a while now. And your clothes are so worn out. You should get some new ones.”

“Wait, did you really think that about me? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I’ve told you plenty of times—get a haircut, or let’s go shopping for clothes. But you always said it was too much trouble.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

Mom squinted at me in exasperation.

“So, will 10,000 yen be enough?”

“Uh, well…Is that enough?”

“With 9,000 yen, you could get a haircut and still have enough for some clothes. You could even grab a bowl of ramen with the change.”

“I, uh…Actually, I was hoping to go to a salon instead of a barbershop today. And I want to get some proper clothes.”

“A salon? Why?”

“Well…I’m going out with a girl tomorrow.”

“A girl? Wait, what? Is she your girlfriend?”

“…Well, technically.”

“…Really?”

“It’s kind of true…I guess.”

“Wait, what? Who is she? Do I know her?”

“I don’t know if you know her. She’s someone from my class.”

“Are you sure this isn’t some kind of prank or something?”

“No, I don’t think it’s a prank…”

It’s true that this whole thing feels like a kind of punishment, but I don’t think it’s some joke where she’s pretending to date me just to mock me.

I dodged the question because explaining it would just cause more misunderstandings.

“Hmm. So Karasu has a girlfriend, huh? I didn’t think there would be a girl who’d like you.”

“That’s not something a mother should say…”

“Sorry, sorry. But well, I guess it’s your turn for a bit of romance, huh? Alright, I’ll spoil you a bit. Here, take 20,000 yen!”

“Th-thank you!”

“Hehe, it’s fine. So, which salon are you going to?”

“Uh, I haven’t decided yet.”

“Wait, you haven’t made a reservation?”

“R-reservation? Do I need one of those?”

“Of course you do!”

“My plans are for tomorrow. Will I still be able to get one?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Weekends are pretty busy.”

“Wait, what do I do? Should I just go to a 1,000 yen haircut place?”

“Hmm, well, it’s a long shot, but I can call the salon I always go to. The owner is a high school friend, so maybe she can squeeze you in.”

“Really?”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up. If they’re too busy, it won’t happen.”

With that, Mom called the salon. After a bit of back and forth…

“They’re too busy, but one of the trainee stylists is free. They said you could be a practice model, and they won’t charge you. Do you want to go?”

“Wait, a practice model?”

“They wouldn’t offer it if they didn’t think it’d be okay.”

“Hmm, well, I guess I’ll give it a try.”

“Alright then. My son’s going. Oh no, it’s fine. Thank you for fitting him in. Alright, talk to you later.”

With 20,000 yen in my pocket, I was about to step into a salon for the first time in my life.