A Young Male Hairdresser, Assigned To help Out At The Branch, Finds Himself Bothered By The Playful Antics Of A Lively High School Gal Model Who Seeks Attention. - Chapter 29: Early-morning soar.

Early-morning soar.

Ring ring♪ Ring ring♪

Morning, 6:30 AM.

In a room in an apartment where the morning sun shines through the gaps in the curtains, a loud alarm is ringing.

“Uwaaa, it’s morning…”

The one uttering this voice has orange hair with permed curls. Nonoka, reaching reflexively, stops the mushroom-shaped alarm clock and stretches her upper body as she gets out of bed.

“Wait, huh… Why is this my room? We were supposed to be at the izakaya with Shuuto-kun…”

Nonoka remembers. And at the same time, there’s a gap in her memory.

After spending time at the izakaya, she doesn’t remember what happened afterward.

“Um, let’s see… I slept at the izakaya! So, Shuuto-kun must have brought me here!?”

Gradually understanding the situation.

“I’m glad he cleaned up the room… No, wait.”

Her relief comes from a different place. As she reassures herself, she rolls her eyes and reveals her agitation.

“To make Shuuto-kun carry me… My reputation as a senpai… is in ruins…”

When the two of them were about to catch a taxi, she showed a senpai-like gesture, saying, ‘I’ll walk on the road.’ Not only that, but she took the initiative to place an order at the izakaya.

Thinking that Shuuto might not have had enough to drink, she tried to enjoy the time more with him, wanting him to feel even more comfortable relying on her.

Contrary to those intentions, Nonoka messed up at the very end.

“Ugh, this is the worst… I had a chance to get closer to Shuuto-kun…”

Though she had sat up, she collapsed with a thud.

Rotating her body, she turns face down and kicks her legs while groaning.

“It’s really the worst… My own stupidity…”

Although she has work today, it’s not easy to switch her feelings. Shuuto is not just an ordinary hairstylist for Nonoka.

And, even if she regrets it now, it’s too late.

“For now, I need to apologize to Shuuto-kun… It was his celebration party, and I caused trouble…”

Stretching her hands to grab her smartphone while still face down – a voice like, ‘Aaaah’ is let out.

“I-I haven’t exchanged contact information with Shuuto-kun… What do I do? I need to apologize quickly…”

A situation where she wants to apologize but can’t do anything about it. Even if she wanted to rely on her senpai, it’s too early in the morning to contact her.

Groaning again, trying to distract herself from the embarrassment, she picks up her smartphone and turns it on. At that moment, a notification appears on the screen

“Eh!?”

Shuuto’s name and a message.

“Thank you for yesterday. I had a lot of fun. Let’s do it again if we get the chance!”

Nonoka sits up abruptly, her eyes fixed on the smartphone, her mind going blank.

“W-why do I have Shuuto-kun’s contact information!?”

She’s perplexed because she has no memory of it. But soon, she is enveloped in a feeling of joy.

She wanted it for so long. Shuuto’s contact information. They even practiced exchanging contact information.

“But… I did it!”

She smiles alone. Immediately, she opens Lein and sends a reply.

“Good morning, Shuuto-kun. I’m really sorry about yesterday! I caused a lot of trouble. I’m truly sorry!!”

At this hour, he might be awake. With that hope, Nonoka stares at the screen, and her wish is granted.

In about a minute, the message is marked as read, and there is a reply.

“Good morning. Don’t worry about yesterday’s matter. More importantly, I’m sorry for entering Nonoka-san’s room without permission.”

“N-no! Shuuto-kun, it’s not your fault at all! I fell asleep, so it’s my fault. Thank you for taking me home.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Along with these words, a stamp of hands stacked on top of each other is sent.

“I’m relieved he’s not angry…”

Feeling relieved, Nonoka brings up the topic of what happened yesterday.

“Um, by the way… Wasn’t I heavy? I have memories of you carrying me on your back… Shuuto-kun?”

“You weren’t heavy at all. Besides, you didn’t move at all, so I thought you had good sleeping habits.”

“I-it’s kind of embarrassing and yet… it makes me happy.”

While the conversation is teasing in nature, it also contains a compliment about her sleeping habits.

“Um… Can I ask one more thing?”

“Yes?”

“It’s mentioned in the message, but… did you really have fun yesterday? Do you want to have a meal with me again? I feel really bad about what happened yesterday…”

“I mean it. Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had so far.”

“Um… What made it fun? Because I fell asleep, I left you alone, right?”

Nonoka wants to go out for drinks with him again. She wants to get closer to someone she respects and build a stronger connection.

“Normally, I thought it would get boring…”

“Oh no, I was able to see a lot of sides of Nonoka-san that I usually don’t get to see.”

“Eh?”

“Like using ‘〜mon’ at the end of your sentences, getting a bit sloppy with alcohol, or your sleeping face.”

“H-Hey! Were you really watching me do that!?”

“You looked very cute, so I couldn’t help it.”

“G-Geez… You’re still teasing me like that. Always making fun of your senpai.”

Nonoka returns with teasing remarks, but she does so with a shy smile.

Each concern she had was being met with positive responses.

“Oh, how much was the total bill at the izakaya? I’ll pay you back today, Shuuto-kun.”

“I’m sorry, I ate the receipt, so I don’t know.”

“Come on! Tell me properly.”

“I’ll be serious, but I paid because I wanted to. Don’t worry about it. If it bothers you, how about considering it your treat next time? Let’s go out for drinks together again.”

A smiling stamp that felt like a nail being driven in was sent, leaving Nonoka unable to respond.

“He’s really too good with words…”

Nonchalant communication skills, superior language choice – Nonoka is completely defeated. She expresses her gratitude with a simple ‘Got it. Thank you.’

“Well, then, since it’s almost time for work, let’s meet at the workplace again.”

“Yes. Oh, sorry, there’s one more thing I forgot to mention.”

“Hmm?”

“It might be a bit intrusive, but I’ve left some light snacks on the doorknob. If you’re okay with it, please have them. I apologize for the convenience store assortment.”

“Eh!?”

“Also, I’ve left the room key inside the doorpost, so please check that too. Well then, let’s continue our conversation at the workplace. Goodbye.”

That was the last exchange in their email conversation.

Nonoka placed her smartphone on the bed and rushed towards the entrance. Just as Shuuto had mentioned, there was a convenience store bag hanging on the doorknob.

“…”

Silently, she reached out and took the bag. Peering inside, she found a selection of considerate items.

Rooibos tea, instant rice porridge, microwaveable soup, and two fruit jellies.

Drinks and easily digestible meals perfect for recovering from a hangover.

“Shuuto-kun…”

Her heart warmed involuntarily.

Not only did he escort her home, but he also considered her well-being.

“Well, he’s being mean, but he does things like this…”

Blushing, Nonoka mumbled as she placed the jellies in the refrigerator, the instant rice porridge on the shelf, and the rooibos tea and soup on the table. Finally, she flopped onto the bed.

“Hehe… I’m so happy…”

And so, unable to contain her emotions, she happily swung her legs back and forth.

***

“At last, you’ve arrived.”

“Here she is.”

“The central figure of our discussion.”

“Huh, did something happen?”

Neatly dressed and ready for work, Nonoka received sly looks from a few colleagues.

Soon, they didn’t waste time in teasing her.

“Yesterday, you know, we witnessed a certain female hairstylist cuddling with a certain male hairstylist. Any explanation for that, Nonoka-san?”

“What!?”

That day, the atmosphere within Shall Tier was buzzing with excitement all day long, fueled by the ongoing talk about Nonoka and Shuuto.