Vol 2 Chapter 2 – Let’s Fix the Mood【Volume 2: The Flirting-All-Over-the-Place Second Semester Arc】

The makeover plan — which Sandai had gone along with partly because he thought it might make Shino happy — had, in the end, failed.

He’d made her angry enough to be on the verge of tears, and her mood had only gotten worse from there rather than better.

She had come back to the apartment with him, but no matter what he said, she kept puffing out her cheeks like a hamster and turning away.

(At this rate it’ll be time for Shino to leave and nothing will have been resolved. This is bad…)

Sandai scratched the back of his head with a slightly pained expression — and Shino, catching it from the corner of her eye, slowly let her puffed-up cheeks deflate.

Her anger seemed to be settling, just a little. She spoke, quiet and subdued.

“You’re not allowed to, okay. Even if other girls come near you — you absolutely cannot go to them. You can’t.”

Most of Shino’s anger was jealousy, and Sandai found, to his own mild surprise, that knowing that made him feel a small, warm thing in his chest.

“I won’t. I’m not going anywhere near any other girl. Ever.”

“Promise…?”

“I promise. I told you before, didn’t I? That I was going to keep you. …I’m not looking at anyone else. Not ever.”

The words were plain and direct, and their effect was immediate.

Shino’s expression softened — and she dropped herself neatly down into his lap.

“Are we good now?”

“…Yeah.”

She’d finally come around.

Sandai breathed out in quiet relief, and then proceeded to explain the whole chain of events — how it had all started, how it had escalated, how he’d ended up in a hair salon.

☆

“…And that’s basically what happened.”

When Sandai finished recounting everything, Shino let out a very long sigh.

“Those girls…”

“Well, the mixer aside — halfway through the makeover, I’ll admit I got a little into it myself. I thought maybe if I got better-looking, you’d be happy.”

“…I don’t need that. You’re already more than good-looking enough for me. And next time my friends tell you to do something — don’t go along with it.” She paused. “Think about it. If the situation were flipped — if one of your guy friends convinced me to do something and I suddenly showed up completely different — wouldn’t that bother you?”

When she put it that way — yes. Obviously.

“I don’t have any friends, being a social hermit and all — not that that’s relevant — but honestly, if I try to imagine that scenario, it does sound genuinely awful.”

“Right? Things like that are a big no, okay?”

“Meeeh…”

“That’s a sheep. Not what I meant.”

“I know. I’m sorry…”

“Good. …And for the record, I’m not going to the mixer. I’m turning them down right now.”

Without waiting for his response, Shino pulled out her phone and made a call. Whoever she was calling was clearly one of the five.

“Shino? What’s up~”

“— I am absolutely, one hundred percent not going to that mixer!”

“Yikes, she’s genuinely mad…”

“Using my boyfriend as a prop and then trying to drag me out as part of the scheme — you should be ashamed of yourselves!”

“…Okay, fair. That backfired.”

“Reflect on your actions!”

“Yes ma’am. …Though honestly it’s not fair. You’re the only one who gets a boyfriend~”

“Then put in the effort! I worked for this!”

“…Yeah, I know. It’s just hard. …Actually though, getting Shino to work for anything when it comes to guys is pretty impressive, Fujiwara. Most of the time they’re the ones coming to her on their knees.”

“Don’t tease me. Anyway — goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Shino ended the call with a huff, wrapped her arms around Sandai’s neck, and announced — “mood repair” — as she tilted her face up for a kiss.

He had no reason to refuse. Naturally, he gave her exactly what she asked for.