Aren’t You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-San?

A man’s vanity is a trivial thing, but it is not something to be discarded lightly.

The only time he throws it away without hesitation is when he is chasing after his crush.

These are not the words of a wise man, but the words of my good friend, Misono Ren.

Incidentally, The day after he spit out these lines, Misono Ren performed a dogeza in front of his ex-girlfriend and asked her for reconciliation but he was despised and instead received a kick in his head.

He had even thrown away his pride, let alone a man’s vanity which was but this

I remember feeling a little sad although it was someone else’s affair…….it was quite a harsh treatment even though he threw away his pride as a human being let alone a man’s vanity.

Anyway whatever the result is, they are wonderful words.

The time for a man to abandon his vanity is when he is chasing after his crush.

———Then now is the time.

“I have a request.”

I opened up Misono Ren’s chatroom on MINE that night and sent him this message.

It was read promptly and after several seconds pause, he said,

“Depends on the thing”

Though he only says that, I quickly send him the next sentence I prepared.

“Help me choose the clothes to wear for Saturday’s date”

“Nevertheless Souta, you surely have aimed for a high place, it’s “Salt-god Sato-san”, isn’t it?”

It was After school time. The following day after I sent him a message on Mine, Ren who was walking next to me said that without any meaning behind it.

…….. It’s not hard to deduce, after all there is that “Mine clamor”.

“…… that’s right”

When I affirmed it with some embarrassment, “hahaha” Ren laughed.

“Just as I thought you weren’t interested in love but to actually aim for that Sato-san, no matter how prominent that position is, good or bad, I would have never aimed for it if it was me. You have my respect a bit.”

“……….”

Dammit, heartless…..if such a guy wasn’t my best friend, I would have broken our friendship.

What a contradictory feeling.

“By the way, everyone knows about it after all, right?”

“Huh?”

“Well, that I am aiming for Sato-san…….”

When I asked him nervously, Ren raised the corner of his mouth in a conspicuously evil manner.

……….By the way, I believe that a person’s character comes out in the way they laugh.

As far as I know, he is the only person I know with such a twisted smile on his face.

“No, I’m the only one who knows you are aiming for her.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s unexpected…….”

“The rest of the class think you are already dating for a long time after all”

“Pfft!”

I spat out.

“Hahaha” and Ren erupted into wild laughter, gleefull from the expected reaction he was aiming for.

“G-Going out, You…….I and Sato san have nothing…..!”

“Hahaha, I know–, I can tell from your virgin reaction.”

I gritted my teeth so hard one could hear grinding noise.

I wouldn have killed him if he wasn’t my best friend…….

“No, seriously, recently all the boys have been screaming like what hand Oshio used to have that “Salty Sato-san” fall for him”

“Why I’m hearing it from Ren……!”

“That’s because they are bunch of good for nothing who are afraid to talk with “Salt-god Sato san”, there’s no way they have the courage to ask from the person in question directly….hahaha”

“Ugh…”

“Hahaha” and Ren continued with his wild laughter.

There must have been one or two demons inside that stupidly open wide mouth.

I’m pretty sure there should be at least one or two demons in the mouth of that idiot.

“Well you are a virgin, but a virgin with enough guts, an accomplished virgin.”

“Don’t say virgin-virgin too much”

“Am I wrong?”

“………”

I gritted my teeth.

Ren is like a fish who has found the water, pressing for an answer as he laughs.

“Hahaha, without even asking, even though you are already in second year of high school yet requesting me to choose clothes for date somehow hahahaha”

“…….You will drop to hell someday”

“At that time I will take you alone too.”

Ren says it mischievously and poked me with his elbow.

His attitude of ridiculing people…… nothing has changed about him since the time of middle school.

I think you might have already understood by now, he has a bad mouth—or rather straightforward bad personality, arrogant and lazy, loose in everything yet somehow popular with women. He is a man whose very existence symbolizes the distortion of the world.

The only thing I blame myself for is the fact that I somehow find myself agreeing with such a person.

“You can tease me all you want, but please don’t start a rumor that Sato-san and I are dating.”

“Eh? Why is that? Isn’t it a matter of greatest happiness to you?”

“Sato-san will be troubled if she hears rumours of going out with a guy she isn’t interested in.”

It was now Ren turn to suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?”

I came to a halt and looked at him.

He stopped laughing and looked at me as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Eh? Are you seriously saying that? To hide your embarrassment? It’s a joke right?”

“Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“No, that’s why virgins are gross.”

“Huh?”

“This is terrible for Sato-san too.”

“Hey! What’s so terrible?”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up virgin!”

As I was about to say “don’t shout out virgin too much”, Ren abruptly stopped walking and I swallowed the words that were about to escape from my throat.

“We have arrived at my recommended place.”

Ren laughed meaningfully and pointed to a quaint store.

In the midst of a crowd of old houses and compact independent stores, there was one red-painted building that stood out.

The sign said “Europe Used Clothing MOON”.

“Oh…”

I was surprised since I had expected to be taken to a suitable chain store.

Is this really a place I can enter?

I didn’t feel like but as Ren went through without any questions, I also followed him nervously.

“I’m sorry for intruding…….”

After following him, I realized again how out of place I felt, and regretted following him.

First of all, there were so many clothes lined up in such a cramped space that I felt as if I had entered into a labyrinth of clothes.

Useless gloomy lighting, the dust dance mixed with the strong smell of incense, and the heavy bass background music coming from many directions. I am sure I would have been traumatized for sure if I had come here as a child.

It’s a fashionable store but in completely opposite of the “cafe tutuji”.

“Amazing…”

Awed by the spectacle, I couldn’t help but say in amazement.

Ren, on the other hand, seemed to be accustomed to this place and moved rapidly within the sea of clothes and said something like “hey, It’s not here?” In the backside of the store.

I can’t imitate his fearlessness..…. I thought and looked at the clothes nearby.

This is too “Eccentric” or perhaps I should say “brimming with exoticness” or rather “when does one even wear them?”

“What’s this?………Peter*n clothes and then these shoes here even have hair attached….?”

It’s like a fantasy world.

As I touched the mysterious white hairs on the shoes, I felt a certain eeriness in them………

“That’s a 70’s Swedish military pullover long shirt, and those boots are French seal fur Tyrolean shoes, maybe a little early for you.”

“Whoa!!”

I screamed reflexively at the sudden voice coming from behind.

I turned around to see a tall, slender woman dressed in an elaborately embroidered, antique denim dress.

“Haha, I’m sorry to surprise you, I’m the employee here.”

In front of me whose heart was still beating, she laughed while making a salute pose.

Then Ren, who heard my scream and came back to me, looked at her and said,

“Ah, Nee-chan, you were here?” (T/N : Nee-chan – big sister)

“Eh, N-Nee-chan?”

I compared Ren and her face alternatively.

Hereupon, as if she found my reaction interesting, “ahahaha” she laughed out like Ren.

“That’s right! I’ve heard about you from Ren! And so today this Misono Shizuku, who works at the MOON vintage clothing store will turn Sota-kun into the most popular man in the world! Yappy!”

Yappy! In the face of an unfamiliar greeting and a strangely high spirited sister of Ren’s, I was struck by an inexplicable anxiety.

♠️

A woman’s vanity is precious and it should not be discarded lightly.

Don’t let go of it at any time, and take good care of it for the rest of your life.

These are not the words of some great person, but the words of my mother, Sato Kiyomi.

By the way, when I unintentionally said “Oh, Okaa-san is a vain person isn’t she?”, she instantly smacked me hard.

Rather than pain, I was surprised to hear my head make an unexpectedly loud sound making me almost cry. No Violence.

Anyway, leaving aside that which made me teary-eyed and put my mom in a bad mood, they were indeed nice words.

A woman’s vanity is precious, and she should never give it up at any time.

——–If that’s the case, it would be the same this time, too.

That night, I made a phone call which I rarely make.

I was calling the number one girl closest to me in age among my few acquaintances, Sudo Rinka.

“Ah, hello, Koharu, what’s it……..”

I said it quickly before the girl on the opposite side could finish her words.

“I want you to help me choose an outfit for the date on Saturday.”

“Loud….…”

I heard the Rinko-chan voice from a little far away. It seems she had put the phone away.

Sudo Rinka is my mother’s little sister’s daughter—-In other words my cousin.

She has soft hair that extends to her chest, her small, doll-like white face and jewel-like shining shines filled with self-confidence.

Although she looks childish, like a middle school student, her strong gaze, maturish looks compared to her age, monotonous fashion and then looking at her long and slender limbs, “perhaps isn’t she more adult than me?”, I had such an illusion for a moment.

By the way, she is 15 years old this year, a junior high school student, which means she is two years younger than me but……

“Is Koharu’s boyfriend handsome?”

After school, Rinko-chan who was walking next to me said it suddenly to which “wha!” I let out a strange voice, unbefitting of a highschool girl.

Late, as “boyfriend” three letters fell into my ear, my face turned hot. (TN – Boyfriend in Japanese consist of three letter, ka-re-shi)

“B-Boyfriend! I and Oshio-kun aren’t yet like that…….”

“Hou~ so he is called Oshio huh”

“Guh….”

“And what do you mean by “still yet to?” you are in highschool yet saying things like that, at this rate he will be taken by someone else because you are bad at communication Koharu.”

“~~~~~guh!”

I bit my lower lip tightly and glared at her.

But Rinka-chan just smiled smugly and pretended as if she didn’t notice it.

Unlike me, Rinka-chan is Frank, speaks what’s in her mind and is confident. That’s why perhaps my hesitant feelings are just annoying to her.

She is always very mean to me, regardless of the fact that I am two years older than her.

Even though I’m two year older than her, she often overlooks this point and always aims to bully me.

……Even though I’m 2 year older than her!

“So? In the end, is he handsome or what?”

“……..”

However I shut my mouth tightly and didn’t answer.

It’s a pitiful story but I’m confident that if I were to have an argument with Rinka, I’d lose 100 out of 100 times.

Absolutely, “I will never say such a shameful thing myself”, absolutely…….