"Come on, !" Kenya called. He was beckoning me from the gates, where he stood with a bike he must have borrowed from someone. "Hurry up, or you'll miss your appointment!"
I gave Shiraishi a sidelong look. If only I'd seen past his mask of indifference.
"Sorry, I really have to go. No speed, no life." I said, winking. A grin cracked his face. "I'll see you."
"..." Shiraishi said, stopping me in my tracks. "Long is better."
At that time, I had no idea what he meant.
I sighed at Kenya. He looked as if he was going to, at any moment, burst out laughing. Was my haircut really that bad, or was it just because Kenya liked to laugh at me? There's also the possibility that no one's ever seen me with short hair, and it turned out looking more unnatural than I imagined it to be.
At least Kenya was my only audience. I didn't want to think what kind of mess would be created if someone like Zaizen were here with him.
The hairdresser let me out of the seat once she was done, and I felt a momentary relief—partially because my body was so stiff from sitting rigidly for so long, and partially because I was now less affected by the summer heat, thanks to my short hair.
But as I said, it was momentary. Because Kenya burst out laughing.
The hairdresser looked mildly offended, and I don't think she noticed my apologetic look. I just handed her the money, refraining from thanking her for doing such a wonderful job (she would have thought I was being sarcastic, I'm sure), and left with a laughing Kenya in tow. "Shut up, Kenya, the hairdresser did a good job."
"Oh, yeah, I'm sure she was good. But..." For a single second, he sobered. "What even possessed you to get a haircut?"
"It's nearly summer. It's hot." I defended myself. "What's so bad about wanting a haircut?"
"It's just... it's so weird having you with short hair..." And with that, he was laughing all over again.
I frowned. "I will never understand you."
Kenya wasn't listening. "Man, I can't wait to see Shiraishi's face..."
That alarmed me. "Shiraishi? Why?"
"Oh come on, , haven't you always seen him fawning over your hair all the time?"
"Fawning?" I said incredulously.
", did you dye your hair?" Shiraishi asked me one morning when I walked into homeroom and sat beside him.
I blinked, not thinking that my dyed hair was very obvious.
"Yeah." I said. "You're the first person who noticed. Thanks."
"It looks nice." He said.
", did you get your hair highlighted?" Shiraishi asked when I walked by his lunch table one day. He was peering at me closely. "It really adds dimension to your hair."
"Yeah, I... thanks." I said, feeling a little more optimistic.
Kenya looked more closely at my hair. "Hey, I didn't even notice."
"It looks the same." Zaizen said indifferently.
"No, it doesn't." Shiraishi begged to differ. "It looks nice."
", you did your hair differently this morning." Shiraishi noticed one morning. My hair wasn't in its usual ponytail, but in a messy bun.
"Yeah." I said, smiling. "I thought I might try something different."
"... long is better."
Oh, shit.
I whirled to Kenya. "Why didn't you tell me that before I went to get my hair cut?"
Kenya was taken aback. "I thought you knew! He dropped so many hints, I'm shocked you didn't notice it yet!"
"I thought Shiraishi was just interested in hair in general!"
"He makes an effort to walk past you in the hallways just to—I mean, don't you think he would comment on everyone else's hair if he was interested in hair in general?"
I stared at Kenya.
Kenya stared at me.
Oh, shit.
I sidled into class the next morning, feeling like an idiot. How was it that I didn't notice until after I got my hair cut that Shiraishi liked it better long? Great. Now what was I supposed to say to him?
Feeling exceptionally awkward, I took my place next to Shiraishi. Should I start a conversation with him, or should i wait for him to talk to me? Should I apologize fervently, or should I wait for him to talk to me? Too late to decide. My mouth had already run away on me. "Say, Shiraishi..."
"Hmmm?" He turned to look at me.
"I'm... sorry." I said with a sigh. "I didn't realize what you meant until after I got my hair cut."
I was confused when he smiled. "Short is cute, too."
Ribbon: So I had this sitting in my Inspiration folder for a really long time, and I also haven't updated for a really long time, so I decided, 'oh lol I'll just put this up.' So I did. There really is no other story to it. HAHA. This was my writing style before I evolved. Which do you like better? -laugh-
Princo: Ugugugu this is so cute. Oh Shiraishi, you and your hair sniffing. First DN I coded with <p>..I think. Well, first official one? It pained me a little since I hate typing "/." But that was solved with command c & v. LOL.