The Woman Whose Life I Saved Turned out to Be the Mother of the Popular Twin Sisters in My Class - Chapter 16 - Hikari’s Amazing Communication Skill

Chapter 16 – Hikari’s Amazing Communication Skill

“I’m not a bro-con, I’m far from it, in fact. But I still think you’re a decent person when you put your mind to it.”

Shuka hopped down from her chair and squatted down to meet my gaze. Her eyes were fixed on me, and I could tell that her words were genuine.

“Girls are attracted to confident boys, so if you keep acting like that, they’ll abandon you.”

“Do I really come off like that?”

“Yes.”

She answered immediately, nodding without a moment’s hesitation.

“Well, I guess I don’t have much confidence.”

“I’m not saying you have to brag, but, you know, as my Onii-chan, I want you to be someone I can be proud of. Someone…I can brag about to my friends.”

“What does that even mean?”

The latter part of her words came out mumbled, so I couldn’t quite catch it.

Shuka just shook her head when I asked her.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, it’s time for you to finally change, Onii-chan. Make sure you don’t get left behind by that pretty girl!”

She pointed her finger.

Sure, they like me now, but who knows what will happen in the future.

If a guy cooler than me comes along, they might be drawn to him. In fact, that’s more likely.

I wonder how that will play out.

“For now, aim to get out of your introvert mode!”

“Yeah, but I can’t become a party guy. I don’t have the kind of extrovert energy to hype things up with a simple ‘Hey!’”

“You’re thinking too extreme. I’m not asking for that. Honestly, if you became the kind of guy who shouts ‘Hey!’ all the time, I’d cut ties with you. That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s important to be positive, of course.”

“So, what should I do?”

“Just start by graduating from that introvert mode.”

Let me explain.

By introvert mode, Shuka is referring to me with my messy hair and glasses on.

Akina doesn’t like this look and insists on styling me herself whenever we go out together to make sure I look presentable.

“How?”

“I don’t know. Maybe start by getting a haircut?”

That’s a pretty random suggestion.

◇

I’ve never been that concerned about my appearance. If I started gaining weight or losing my sense of cleanliness, I’d be concerned, but otherwise, I never paid much attention.

As a result, my hair has grown out messily.

I’m not growing it out on purpose, it’s just that it keeps growing. In fact, I’d prefer shorter hair because it’s less hassle when washing.

So why don’t I get a haircut?

The answer is simply because I don’t have the money. To be precise, I don’t have the money to spend on a haircut.

However, I’m going to meet Kotobuki Father.

In that case, it would be good manners to dress appropriately. I can wear the clothes I wore last time, so I’ll take this opportunity to get a haircut too.

“Hey, Hibino.”

“Hmm?”

It was lunchtime the day after Shuka had said all sorts of things to me. I asked Hibino, who was sitting in front of me and picking at her lunch.

Hibino was still on the vegetarian menu, and deftly picked up a cherry tomato with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.

“I want to get a haircut.”

“Then go get one. You didn’t really have to tell me that.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m asking if there’s a salon you’d recommend.”

“You definitely didn’t ask that.”

Hibino munched on lettuce and looked at me sternly.

“I wouldn’t call it a recommendation, but I can tell you about the salon I go to. Where do you usually get your haircut, Kirishima?”

“The 1,000 yen haircut salon in the neighborhood.”

“Why not just go there?”

“Well, this time, it’s…”

Hibino looked puzzled at my answer. “Fine,” she sighed, and tapped her smartphone.

“Here.”

Then she sent me the URL of a salon. I tapped to open the page and checked the address.

“It’s close by, huh?”

“It’s a hassle to go all the way out to get a haircut.”

Right.

Hibino and I have been classmates since middle school, so our houses aren’t that far apart. So, if the salon is near her place, it’s naturally not far from my house either.

“If you don’t have any particular preferences, give it a try. I’ll tell them to give you a discount.”

“What, you’re not coming with me?”

“Am I your mom?”

◇

After Hibino showed me how to make a reservation, I decided to head to the salon after school that day.

“You’re really not going to come with me?”

“I already said no. I’m not that free, you know.”

“Your only friend is in trouble. Don’t you want to help him?”

“The lion pushes its cubs off a cliff. That’s something you do out of love.”

“That’s because of the parent’s ego. From the child’s point of view, it’s only depicted as, ‘Why was I pushed? Does my dad hate me?'”

When I said that, Hibino sighed dramatically, as if to show her exasperation.

“No one beats you when it comes to arguing nonsense. You’re still the same old Kirishima, and that’s a relief. With that attitude, you’ll probably manage just fine talking at the salon.”

“It’s not just about whether I can talk or not… Well, that’s part of it, too, though.”

“Good luck.”

I left the cold Hibino and headed to the entrance.

Everyone should feel a little anxious when doing something for the first time. People who don’t seem that way are just good at hiding it, but deep down, their hearts must be pounding with nerves.

Well, I guess I need to handle at least this much like it’s no big deal. For an average high school student, going to a salon should be a piece of cake. I wouldn’t know, though.

“Oh?”

Reaching the entrance, I changed my shoes.

There were quite a few students around me also heading home. Some were listening to music alone, while others walked, laughing with friends.

“Oh my, oh my?”

I’m nervous.

What makes me most nervous is opening the entrance door to the salon. Not knowing what’s inside makes it terrifying. Just thinking about what kind of people might be there makes my legs freeze up.

“Oh, look who it is~”

While lost in my thoughts, a student suddenly appeared in front of me, and I hastily stopped.

“Whoa.”

I almost bumped into her.

I looked up to see who it was, and it was Kotobuki Hikari. She peered into my face with a puzzled look on her face.

“You didn’t notice me at all, did you?”

“You startled me. Don’t just pop up like that.”

“I was calling out to you the whole time, though.”

“Actually, didn’t we agree not to talk to each other inside school?”

When I said that, Hikari’s eyes widened.

It seems like she had completely forgotten. If Yuzuki saw us like this, it could get troublesome.

“See you later.”

I said that and started walking.

Hikari couldn’t react and was a step behind me.

“Aw, come on, we’ve come this far, so let’s walk together!”

“Yeah, but…”

“It’s totally normal for classmates to head to the station together. You’re overthinking it!”

Hikari ran over to catch up with me and stared intently at my face as she spoke. No, it might be more accurate to say she was glaring.

“But it’s weird because we’re not that close.”

“I’m known for getting along with everyone in our class, so I don’t think it would be that strange.”

Honestly, Hikari’s communication skills really are impressive.

I sometimes see her talking in the hallways with classmates who she doesn’t talk to much in the classroom.

When I think about it, she’s right.

The important thing is that she has the persuasive power to convince others even if they have doubts.

I can see that I’m just overthinking it.

“Are you convinced now?”

“…Yeah.”

“Well then, let’s go?”

Hikari stood next to me, facing the same direction and said with a happy look on her face.

Of course, I was left with a puzzled expression.

“Go where? I mean, I’ve got plans right now.”

“I know. That’s why we’re heading there!”

“Wait, what?”

I didn’t understand what she meant and had a confused face.

However, Hikari paid no attention to that and continued with a smug look on her face,

“I heard about it. I’ll accompany you to the salon!”