chapter 8

After I got home, Rinka sent me a message on Rine.

“Ritsuki, I’m really sorry about today. I’ll never do something that cruel ever again. I’m really looking forward to the movie.~”

Ohh! I never thought I’d see the day where a girl from my class sends me a message on Rine.

Nevertheless, Rinka’s really feeling guilty over borrowing my glasses for a bit.

As expected, she’s still pure because she doesn’t have any friends.

She isn’t suited to being a gang leader.

“I don’t mind at all. I’m also looking forward to it.”

Hahh… That sentence took me about 30 minutes to write.

I had to rewrite it so many times.

I was worried if I made it too long, it might creep her out. So I’d delete a bunch of stuff but then I’d look at it and think maybe I made it too short?

In the end, I didn’t know what to do, so I just sent it like that and went to bed.

～～～～～～～～～～

So this is Rinka’s house, huh…

It’s the day of the movie.

Right now, I’m standing in front of a fancy and elegant house.

Is it okay if I call her with the intercom?

Or maybe I should just send her a Rine message saying “I’m here”

I need to make up my mind before people think I’m a stalker.

“Hey Ritsuki, good morning!”

Just as I was trying to decide, Rinka immediately came out and opened the gate for me.

Eh, how did she know?

Was she looking outside the whole time? Like a house dog who can’t wait to be taken out for a walk…

“Ahh… Rinka, good morning.”

“Hey, why did you come here in your usual Kitarou getup? Are you going to disguise yourself again?”

“Ah, it’s just a habit. Every time I go outside, I usually wear my glasses like this.”

After I took off my glasses, Rinka stared at my face for a while.

Is there something on my face?

Rinka had a blank look on her face as she stared at me and sighed.

Sorry, I even made you sigh…

My face must look dull and boring…

I started talking to distract myself from it.

“Anyways, I have to make sure no one else in our class sees me here.”

“If you take off your glasses, I don’t think anyone will notice… B-but, if it’s with you, I wouldn’t really mind the rumors…”

Rinka suddenly got flustered and her voice progressively got quieter as she spoke.

She eventually was so quiet I couldn’t hear her finish the sentence.

“No, that’s not it. The only problem is that you’ll be walking around with a man other than Yoshiharu-kun”

“…..?”

Rinka didn’t seem like she understood my point.

She really must’ve been a loner.

But at least she has followers, which was way better than me.

“Ok then, you ‘like’ Yoshiharu-kun, but you’re walking around with another man. If someone saw that, what would they think?”

“Err… ‘Rinka has a lot of friends, so she’s a very dependable person!’, or something like that?”

“That’s not the kind of Rinka-chan they’ll see! I’m telling you, the rumors will be saying things like, ‘Rinka is a bitch who likes playing around with men”

“B-bitch!?”

Rinka looked distressed and had a ghastly look on her face.

Even though it’s unfortunate, she needs to understand the harsh reality.

“Not to mention your friends, everyone around you will look at you coldly all the way up until graduation.”

“No way… Just by walking with a man…”

“And if they find out that you were walking around with me, an antisocial and gloomy person, it might continue even after graduation… Sorry, I’m starting to feel miserable after saying that about myself.”

Rinka despaired for a while.

She must’ve sensed how terrifying society really is.

But suddenly, she looked at my face and had an expression as though she’d just discovered something.

“…But Ritsuki, if you leave your hair like that, people might find out that you’re actually Kitarou”

“W-well, that’s true.”

Certainly, what Rinka is saying is true.

When I become Shion, I get my hair styled by a makeup artist.

And of course, I’m going to have them style my hair again today when I get to the movie theater, before the surprise greeting.

But the question is whether they can deceive Rinka.

“Maybe I should tuck my hair back… Rinka, do you have any bands on you?”

“Err… ah! You mean hairbands? Of course I got some!”

Rinka’s face suddenly turned bright red.

Does she have a fever?

“But Ritsuki, if you only use a hairband, people might still find out that it’s Kitarou.”

“I guess… So, what should I do then?”

Rinka smiled like a child pulling a prank and grabbed my arm.

I wonder what kind of evil idea she’s plotting.

“We still have time until the movie, so… Let’s style your hair at my house!”

“No, won’t it be bad for me to go inside your house?”

“It’s okay, I made my family go… Err, I mean, my family went on a hot spring vacation! They won’t be back until tomorrow!”

“They left you behind, huh… How sad…”

“Never mind that, let’s go!”

I couldn’t refuse Rinka with how pushy she was being.

“My older sister is in the drama club, so she might have some stuff we can use, like wigs!”

“How rude, I’m not going bald yet.”

And Rinka started messing around with my hair and some other stuff for the next 10 minutes…

~~~~~~~~~~

“T-this is… me?”

“Wow, incredible… You look like an actress… Even though you haven’t done any makeup.”

I was standing in front of a mirror, completely dressed as a woman.

Sure, I look like a blonde woman on the outside, but it’s creepy to think that it’s me on the inside.

“With this disguise, it won’t look like I’m walking with a man, and no one will find out that you’re Kitarou either.”

“Rinka, you…”

I unintentionally sighed.

“…Are you a genius?”

Of course, I had noticed it on the way to her house.

And in the end, she told me to wear women’s clothes.

But still, I ended up going along with Rinka’s plan.

If my embarrassment is all it takes for Rinka to maintain her public image, then that’s a cheap price to pay.

Looks like my feminine face can come in handy every once in a while.