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.