CH 33

The night I gave Saito my Christmas present, I had a part-time job shift.

The scrunchie I gave her looked better than I imagined, and I could see her wearing it in my mind.

I felt a slight tingle when I remembered her beaming with happiness when I gave her the gift.

In a way, it was thanks to Hiiragi-san’s advice that she gave me before, so I decided to thank her.

[Hiiragi-san, thank you for the advice]

[Yes?]

She tilted her head curiously, and looked at me as if she had no idea what I meant.　

The eyes behind her glasses were puzzled.

[Hiiragi-san recommended accessories, so I gave her an accessory as a Christmas present and she loved it]

[Oh, I see. I’m glad to hear that]

She seemed to understand my explanation and nodded her head.　

[Yes, I gave her a scrunchie, and she looked so cute with it]

Her body shook and jerked while she glanced at me.

[…Did it look good on her?]

Her eyes looked at me as if she was expecting something.

She asked as if it was hard to say, but I couldn’t help but praise Saito’s appearance.　

[Of course. I couldn’t help but be fascinated with her black hair and white scrunchie. The contrast in color stood out and looked great]

It was hard to describe the beauty of it out loud even when I remember it.　

A white scrunchie that contrasted with her black hair that shines, just a quick look was enough to leave a strong impression on my mind.　

The fact she didn’t usually wear accessories made it even more attractive.　

[R-Really?]

Hiiragi-san’s cheeks were slightly red and her eyes began to wander around.　

She squirmed a lot, looking uncomfortable.　

[Her hair is really pretty. It’s attractive enough without anything on it, but it looks even prettier when she uses an accessory. I couldn’t help but want to pet it]

Once I start, it’s hard to stop and I can’t help but talk about Saito’s charms.　

It’s embarrassing to tell Saito herself, but when she’s that cute, I wanted to tell someone.

However, I couldn’t tell anyone at school, so in that sense, Hiiragi-san was the only option.

Maybe it’s because she’s a good listener, but she doesn’t need to be too reserved, so she should talk about what’s on her mind.　

[…Do you want to stroke it?]

[Yeah, well. Her hair looked so soft and smooth, it really makes me want to stroke it.

The other reason was that she had a small animal-like cuteness during that moment, but I wanted to touch her hair at least once because I wasn’t able to see such beautiful hair often.　

I know it’s a bad feeling, but sometimes when I look at her black hair, I feel the urge to touch it.　

[…Isn’t it okay if it’s just a little?]

Hiiragi-san glanced at me and said something while biting her lips.　　

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at Hiiragi-san’s shocking statement.

[No, no, she’s the opposite gender. I can’t do that]

It might be acceptable if it was the same gender, but she’s the opposite gender. (TN: No, that’s sus in itself)

Even if we don’t have romantic feelings for each other, it’s not a good idea to touch each other.　

[But I’m sure she trusts you enough to stay with you… So I’m sure she wouldn’t mind too much, right?]

She did say she didn’t mind being touched.　

In a way, I thought she said that because she didn’t see me as a man, but if that’s the case, was it okay to pet her…?

[No, even so…]

After all, I believed that touching the opposite gender had a special meaning.　

I was too embarrassed and self-conscious to touch her, so I couldn’t give a straightforward answer.