CH 5

COMPLEX AND THE FEMALE KNIGHT.

Episode 5: Complex and the female knight

“I think I’d like to go somewhere different today if that’s okay?”

“Y-Yes.”

It was noon of the next day, a day after yesterday’s incident, in front of Yui’s house.

Yui looked relieved that I had come to pick her up as usual, but as soon as I said that, she was immediately worried.

“This isn’t our usual internet cafe, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“…..Can’t we just stay at our usual internet cafe…? It’s a little scary…to go elsewhere…”

Yui looked as anxious as a frightened little animal. Seeing her like this, I felt like indulging her, but I held back.

“Just to reconfirm, Yui still wants to overcome her communicative disorder, and she wants my help with that, right?”

“….Yes.”

“Okay. And you’ve gotten pretty used to me over the last few days, am I right?”

“….Yeah. At least I don’t get nervous and lose my voice anymore, right?”

It reminded me of the day we first met.

（Really…it was such a mess at that time….）

And now, she could look me in the eye and talk to me. That alone was a very big improvement.

But at the same time, I don’t think we can make any more progress if we continue as we are.

I was originally a friend of Yui’s from the start, so I was able to fit in easily.

But as of now, other people are still tough. I can’t help but get nervous whenever she’s in front of others.

A particular problem was Yui’s complex in regards to her white hair.

Even if she doesn’t completely overcome it…I need her to do a little better in order to move forward. …I want to help her feel a little more confident about herself.

“Hadn’t I told you that I used to be bad at communicating, too?”

“Eh? You did?”

“Yeah. Well, what can I say? I was the same as you, and I wanted to make friends with you while we were playing games together.”

“… Ehehehehe ♪”

Yui showed a shy, bashful smile.

“I’m so happy. Yuuma was the same as me.”

“Well, yeah.”

“But were you really bad at communicating? From the very first time I met you, I always thought you were a very communicative person.”

“Ah, well, that’s because I was blessed with the people around me, such as my sister and others. My sister is a very communicative person, you see. Don’t you remember seeing her yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like you to meet my sister, or at least get to know her…… What do you think?”

“…………”

Yui lowered her eyes, looking a little uneasy.

“….I-Is it really okay? Will Yuuma’s sister think that…my hair is weird or something…?”

“No, it’s absolutely fine. You can stay rest assured about that.”

Yui’s eyes fluttered as Yuuma answered immediately.

“A-Are you sure it’s going to be okay?”

“Yeah. In fact, I’ve already told her about the situation, and she’s been very enthusiastic about it, saying that I should bring you over……Oh, but of course, if you don’t like it, I won’t force you to do it, so there’s that……”

“….I-I think it’s okay.”

Yui looked frightened, but she still said so.

“If Yuuma says it’s okay…then I’ll believe in him…”

I could feel Yui’s trust in me.

I felt my cheeks heating up, which made me happy but somewhat embarrassed.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

†

Our destination was a little far from the bustling station area.

It was quite a distance away, so we took the bus.

After about 10 minutes on the bus, we came off and headed to…

“Eh…”

“Yeah…I thought you’d react that way given this was a hair salon after all…”

A little outside the city’s centre lay a privately owned beauty salon called World breaker. …As always, the name sounded like the special move of a boss, which made Yuuma chuckle.

The signboard depicted beautiful girls fighting with scissors and combs.

I wonder how many people would be able to recognize this as a hair salon at first glance.

And next to the entrance was a sign that read,

『For those who want to change themselves. Now’s the time』.

On the other hand, there was a picture of a girl with beautifully braided hair, bleeding and fighting. I wonder what kind of change is this?

Rather, isn’t this change a little too much in the wrong direction?

Yui looked up at me with a subtle, drawn-out expression.

“…..H-Here?”

“Er, this is a proper hair salon, okay? You don’t have to look so anxious.”

“But it says it’s for private use.”

“Yeah, they did that for us.”

“Eh? Are you sure about that, Yuuma? The money….”

“It’s okay. My sister’s the one who runs this place. Well, I was surprised when she insisted on reserving the place entirely for us.”

“Your sister’s the one managing the store?”

“Yeah. She may be a little pushy and quirky, but she’s definitely a good person, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Y-Yeah.”

I smiled as much as I could so as not to make Yui nervous.

（……Even though I said that, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. My sister has an extreme difference when it comes to being reliable and not being reliable.）

I chuckled a little, remembering all the things I’ve done in the past. However, I couldn’t just stand here forever, so I pushed open the glass door at the entrance.

“Ojamashimasu.”

Unlike the overly unique exterior of the store, the inside of the store was a stylish cafe-like barbering space.

Yui came in after me, looking around nervously. She was not accustomed to this kind of place. While hiding behind my back, she scanned the area curiously.

“Onee-chan? Are you here?”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”

When I called out to the back of the store, a cheerful voice answered.

However, despite this, I could hear the sound of clanking, along with some scraping metal footsteps.

Then──a woman wearing a full-face helmet and dress armour appeared from the back of the store.

“Eh!?”

Yui froze. I placed my face with my hands as if I didn’t want to face reality.

The kind of dress armour that my sister was wearing was the kind you could only see in manga or anime──it’s the kind of thing supposed to protect your vitals, but why was her chest area exposed? That dress armour just makes you want to poke your head in.

Her head was covered with a rugged full-face helmet. Her hand was equipped with a giant sword made of papier mâché, which was as tall as she was. This was the look of Nene’s favourite anime character.

“Hahahaha! I’ve been waiting for you! Now it’s time to put an end to our war that’s been going on since the last time I saw you!”

“…..Eh!? What!?”

Yui started panicking when she was suddenly asked to take a specific pose.

Well, that’s understandable.

“….What are you even doing?”

“What? Well, I heard that she’s the type of person who gets nervous in front of other people, so I thought I’d ease her nerves. Also, first impressions are important, aren’t they?”

“And what makes you think this is a good first impression?”

“Yuu-kun’s….eyes…are cold….”

“Just take off the helmet for now. It’s well made, but it’s too ugly looking. Yui’s scared of it.”

“Okay.”

She replied and took off her helmet. Out from inside came a woman with beautifully braided blonde hair and an innocent smile resembling that of a naughty child. It was Nene, my older sister.

Yui was hiding behind my back, looking at her cautiously. Sure enough, she looked pretty frightened. But I didn’t think she’d make that much of an impact.

“……Yui, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine.”

Yui fearfully emerged from my back.

“Hello, Yui-chan. My little brother’s been taking care of me. I’m Sugisaki Nene. Nice to meet you♪.”

Nene said so and held out her hand.

Yui looked up in a panic and waited for Yuuma’s confirmation. Yuuma nodded, and she shook her hand,

“….N-Nice to meet you…I’m Kamishiro Yui….”

Nene gazed at Yui as she shook her hand.

“A-Ah, um……?”

“You’re so cute~~!!♡”

“Mugu!?”

Nene tugged on Yui’s hand and brought it towards her flabby chest.

Yui was drowning in her breasts as she was jiggled around.

“Yuu-kun, how is this girl so cute!? She’s got this frightened, little-animal look that’s right up my alley! Hey, hey, can I take her home with me!? Can I!?”

“Of course not! What are you talking about!?”

“No? ……I see.”

“I don’t know how I should react if you look that stumped…”

When Nene released Yui from her chest, she ran back to my back, whimpering.

“Y-Yuuma…”

She pulled out her phone and looked over at me.

It seems that she was so flustered that she lost her voice. Seeing that she wanted to chat with me, I took out my phone as well.

I had already explained the situation to Nene beforehand, so she watched over Yui and me without saying anything.

『Yuuma is this person okay!? She’s not going to eat me, is she!?』

『No, I think it’s fine.……maybe.』

『Maybe!? Why don’t you sound confident about that!? Or rather, she’s an obscene older sister!? Isn’t she the kind of naughty older sister you only see in mangas!?』

『It definitely looks something like that, but could you please be more subtle about it!』

As we were talking about this, Yui suddenly noticed something.

『Yuuma, do you like your sister after all?』

『What are you talking about!?』

『Isn’t that a standard thing to do when your parents get remarried and bring home a naughty, older sister?』

『S-Standard!?』

（Well, actually, there was a time when I longed for her! There was a time when I was in agony over all the teasing! It’s no use. Junior high school boys just can’t compete with breasts like that!)）

──And that was when…

“Hmm, so this is what you’re like when you chat, Yui-chan. You’re a really funny and interesting girl.”

Before I knew it, Nene was looking at my phone.

“Hey!? Isn’t it a breach of etiquette to look at other people’s phones without permission!?”

“Oh well. By the way, do you actually like me, Yuu-kun? Well, if you’re actually into it, I might consider it, you know～?”

She happily said and crossed her arms, showing off her ample breasts in a generous manner.

Her ample chest peeked out from her clothes, and I couldn’t help but glance at them.

──By the way, I won’t tell her this even if it kills me, but the reason why I fell in love with older women with big breasts in high school was due to the fact that I met Nene. I was just an adolescent boy during that time, so it was a little too stimulating for me.

“Yuu-Kun, to look at your older sister’s breast so much…it’s embarrassing, you know…”

“No, no, that’s wrong…!”

“But Yuu-kun’s also a boy. There’s no other way then. Why don’t you try squeezing them?”

“N-No, no, no, no! I won’t do that!”

“Ufufu ♪ I love that kind of innocent reaction. ♪”

“No, please forgive me…”

I was already getting a little tired somehow.

Nene chuckled and now turned her attention to Yui.

“So, Yui-chan, Yui-chan. You like anime and games too, don’t you, Yui? I like them too, so let’s be friends~.”

“Y-Yes…”

“So, Yui-chan, are you interested in roses and lilies?”

“Eh? I-I’m not much of a flower person…so…”

“That’s not what I meant, is it? Oh well, I’ll just lend you a recommendation later when I have more time, okay?”

“Y-Yes…”

Yui has been overwhelmed by Nene’s momentum since a while ago.

Nene, on the other hand, seemed to be in a good mood. Humming, she walked behind Yui and lightly pushed her shoulder.

“Well, let’s get going then.”

“Going….? W-Where…?”

“Well, this is a hair salon. I’m going to cut your hair, so you can sit on that chair.”

“……”

The mention of hair clearly made Yui’s body tense and stiffened.

Nene saw this and smiled gently.

“I’ve heard about your situation. You have a complex about your white hair, and you get embarrassed when other people see it, don’t you?”

“………”

Yui nodded her head hesitantly.

“I know what you mean. It’s scary to be different, isn’t it? But is that why you’ve given up on dressing up? If you dress up nicely, it will make you feel more confident, you know?”

“B-But…”

“I’m a professional in this field, so even though we’ve never met before, can you trust me? Don’t worry; I won’t let you regret it. Okay?”

Yui looked over at me as if to say, “What should I do?”

“Don’t worry. My sister may be like this, but you can trust her.”

“Mo, Yuu-kun, you’re so rude! But he’s right. I’m very good at what I do, so don’t worry about that, kay?”

Yui still looked anxious and gave me a sullen look.

“Uh….uh…Y-Yuuma …”

“Hmm?”

“Y-Yuuma, I want you…to stay by my side. I-It’s been a long time since I’ve had my haircut…in a store…so I’m a little nervous…”

“Wait, how do you usually cut your hair?”

“Oh, I had my father or mother do it……or I just do it myself…….”

“Oh my. Well then, I guess I have a big responsibility. It’s all about making the customers feel relaxed. What about you? If you want, I can give you a haircut too, Yuu-kun?”

“……My hair’s still growing.”

“Okay. Nyufufu ~ ♪. It’s been a while since I’ve cut your hair…”

And so the two of us stood side by side, and the haircut began.

Yui, who had a cloth wrapped around her neck like a cloak, was still scared and stiffened as she froze on the chair.

“If you’re feeling nervous, you can chat with Yuu-kun, Okay? It’ll make you feel more relaxed, right? Here.”

When she handed Yui the phone she had left on the luggage rack, she fluttered and glanced at me.

Additionally, I received my phone and gave a slight nod before I started chatting.

『I haven’t been to a hair salon in a really long time, so I’m nervous.』

After such a message, I receive a stamp of a teary-eyed anime character.

『Sorry. Did I push you too hard?』

『That’s fine, but……why did you bring me all the way to the beauty parlour?』

『There are several reasons, but most of all, I just felt that my own strength was inadequate…so I felt frustrated….』

『Inadequate? Frustrated?』

『You said I don’t know how your feeling, right?』

『You were worried about that!? It’s really just something I said, so don’t worry about it! I’d rather be the one feeling sorry for myself!』

『No, I don’t think you really understand what I’m trying to say. Despite knowing about your complex, I still tried to make you bear your embarrassment so that you could walk out the door. But truth is, I should have tried to make you like yourself more. 』

『That’s a bit……harsh, don’t you think? It’s nothing more than an old complex….』

『I’ll say it again. You’re really cute.』

I heard Yui screaming strangely next to me, “Hui !?”.

I also felt my face getting hot, but I continued.

『I was really frustrated that someone who didn’t know you well was saying whatever he wanted and hurting you when you were really a cute and interesting girl. But no amount of words from me will convince you, so I thought I’d get you cleaned up here and make you admit that you’re pretty.』

My face was getting hotter and hotter as I typed that.

(……This is bad. I’m getting more and more embarrassed as I type this. Isn’t this a very embarrassing thing for me to say? I don’t want to go back and read what I’ve typed.)

I sent her a stamp of an anime character blushing and hiding his face with his hand as a sign that I was too embarrassed to go any further.

When I didn’t get a reply for a while, I glanced to the side and saw that Yui had also covered her face with her hand, just like the stamp I had sent earlier.

『Me too. In fact, I used to hate myself.』

After a while, I received such a reply.

『But after playing with you every day, I’m starting to like myself a little bit more. I was able to meet Yuuma in real life and tell him that I wanted to be his friend.』

I could feel my heart burning at those words. I glanced to the side again and saw that Yui’s face was also red, but she was still trying her best to type the message.

『I have a lot of complexes, and there were times when I even wondered why I was born this way. But I was brave enough to become best friends with Yuuma, and I love myself now. I also love Yuuma.』

After that message, an anime stamp with the sticker “I love you ♡” was subsequently sent.

I’m glad…….I’m so happy that she cared so much about our friendship.

I tried to send a message saying, 『I’m glad to be your friend to』…… But, I suddenly noticed that Nene had stopped moving her hands.

“….Onee-chan?”

“……This isn’t good, Yuu-kun. I’m so full of respect that I feel like I’m going to die a noble death…….”

“Don’t tell me…you’ve been stealing glances at our phones again!?”

Nene hugged me from behind.──Feeling something at the back of my head, a munching sensation, I instinctively screamed.

Nene quickly pulled away from me and hugged Yui this time.

This time, Yui let out an inaudible scream and jittered.

“That’s impossible! I just can’t! I’m really weak to this kind of thing….If anything, this is even more precious than the time I’ve seen Yuu-kun at his unsociable period. That once timid boy brought back such a cute girlfriend and worked so hard for her…..hah, god.”

“No, it isn’t like that with Yui and me!?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. As of ‘now’, you’re still friends, that’s right. That’s okay. Onee-chan loves that kind of thing too.”

Nene was already in a state of ecstasy.

──It took her about ten minutes for the work to resume.

The look on her face was unusually serious, as if she was uncomfortable being that way at work.

“I’m sorry, Yui-chan. That’s how I get when I become excited.”

“Oh……um…..but …….”

“But?”

“I”m pretty glad…that you’re complimenting Yuuma and me on our relationship.”

“Oh no. Are you trying to kill me, Yui-chan? You’re going to make me go ‘Kyun-Kyun’ again. Calm down. Calm down me.”

Nene continued to work while mumbling such things.

Although Nene’s personality was a bit of a mess, her skills were certain. No hesitation was evident in her movements as she cut up Yui’s hair. Little by little, more silky hair fell to the ground.

“You’ve got such beautiful hair, and yet you don’t seem to be paying much attention to it. Your face is all bare, and your clothes are just boorish…plus, you don’t seem to be caring much about fashion at all, or is it perhaps that you feel too embarrassed to dress up?”

“A-Ah…uh…yes…”

“That’s no good. Okay? Fashion is like a maiden’s armament. The more particular she is about it, the stronger she becomes, you know?”

“B-But, I’m….weird and….”

When Yui said this, Nene softy wrapped her arms around her back.

Instead of the slapstick feeling she felt earlier, it was a gentle embrace, like a mother holding her own child.

“Hey, Yui-chan? From your point of view, do you think it’s weird that I’m old enough to wear cosplay?”

“U-Uhm….”

“It’s okay, be honest with me. I won’t bite.”

After hesitating for a while, Yui opened her mouth to speak.

“I think……it’s cool.”

“Oh?”

“I think it’s amazing that you can do what you love so openly.”

“Ufufu, you don’t know that.”

Nene lightly stroked Yui’s head.

“Do you know Yui-chan? Being different doesn’t mean you’re inferior.”

“…….”

Her words were quiet, but powerful without hesitation. I felt Yui’s breathe caught at her words.

──In her former days, Nene used to be a serious honour student with irreproachable conduct.

However, she loved cosplaying and secretly worked behind the scenes….One day, she suddenly said that she wanted to pursue a career relating to cosplaying and had a huge fight with her parents, which resulted in her running away from home.

The reason why Nene was so kind to Yuuma and Yui is because of this experience. People who want to change, people who want to step forward, she just can’t seem to leave them alone.

…Incidentally, after she left home, she set up a store all by herself, which became a big hit. In just a few years, she has become very successful, establishing several branches across japan and making a triumphant return.

“You should be more confident. You’re so cute, and you can’t get hair this beautiful even if you wanted to.”

“Hmm…”

“Above all, you have a friend named Yuu-kun who works hard for you. That’s a great thing to be proud of, isn’t it?”

“……”

Yui gave a small nod and glanced at me, her face reddening with embarrassment.

….My cheeks were burning too. But when I nodded to her, she smiled happily and muttered, “Ehehe!”

“Ah, it’s no good. I’ve been talking about it seriously for quite a while now. Tee-hee♪. Thanks to you, I got to see something good.”

“No, you went out of your way to reserve this whole place just for us. I couldn’t ask for any more than that, so, thank you….”

“No, no, I’m just doing this for my cute little brother and friends.”

When Nene said that, she stopped her hand and walked to Yuuma.

“What is it?”

“No, it’s just that Yuu-kun can properly speak and look at me now. When I first met you, your eyes were hidden by your bangs, and you looked like a gloomy person with no life at all. But now you’ve grown up so well.”

“…… No, I can’t do anything on my own. After all, I’m always relying on my big sister like this….Ouch!?”

A finger was flicked to my head.

“You’re the one who decided to help Yui-chan. You were the one who actually met her and did all the work. You’re also the one who bowed to me when you decided that your strength alone wasn’t enough. So puff out your chest. This isn’t something that just anyone can do.”

With a chuckle, Nene resumed her work.

As Yuuma rubbed his forehead, he smiled a little and said,

“As expected, I’m no match for my enemy.”

†

Despite all this, the work continued.

“Oh, you read Maoshitsu too, Yui-chan? I like it too. Which character do you like?”

“Uh……Fee-chan.”

“Fee-chan is good～. I could feel the yuri vibes coming off of her when she was entangled with Sara-sama.”

“Uh-huh?”

Yui was very nervous at first, but she seemed to have relaxed a lot as they talked.

In addition to being a professional, Nene can draw out Yui’s story very well.

She cut her hair, shampooed her hair, and even did her makeup.

“Head……light……”

After the work was done, Yui looked in the mirror and muttered to herself with a somewhat puzzled expression.

She took up a tuft of her hair and smelled it.

“It’s smooth and fluffy……and it smells kind of good…….”

“Ufufu, do you like it?”

“Mmm…….”

She obviously likes it. When she first came here, she wouldn’t even look at the mirror, but she now stares at it and views it from every angle possible.

“Y-Yuuma.”

Yui turned towards me.

──I’ve always thought that Yui was cute, but now she was on a different level altogether.

A face makeup done by a professional, you could tell that she has put on makeup, but it didn’t look thick at all.

Her skin was a milky white, making the most of her original skin texture.

Her lips looked soft and cherry-red.

Her hair, carefully shampooed and conditioned, had a light sheen to it and formed an angel ring around the top of her head.

There she was, a beautiful girl without question, reminiscent of the finest dolls he had ever seen on the Internet before.

“So…how is it?”

It was different from her usual anxious expression. It was an expression of hope, a desire for someone to call her cute. ….And she wanted that person to be me.

For some reason, the mere thought of that makes my heart pound. However, I couldn’t seem to get the words ‘cute’ out of my mouth.

“I-Isn’t it cute?”

But I managed to squeeze it out, albeit awkwardly.

It sounded even more awkward than usual, but Yui was still happy to hear it. Even mumbling to herself, “Heh heh.♪” ….Without knowing why, my sister, Nene, clutched her chests.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now, all that’s left is this.”

Nene handed Yui a paper bag. Yui tilted her head, with a question mark appearing over her head.

“I’ll share the shampoo we use at home with you. Next time it won’t be free, but we do stock it up cheaply for business use, so do come back when you run out.”

“O-Oh, but…”

“No, no, really, don’t hold back. If anything, I should be the one paying you for witnessing something so fantastic today. Ahh, it’s so nice to be young～♪.”

“Eh, uhm….then, thank you for today!”

Yui did her best to raise her voice.

“I’m not really good at this kind of thing, but I had fun today…and Yuuma called me cute…so I’m happy….”

“Nfufu, I wonder what this atmosphere is…”

“Eh?”

“If anything, for me, it’s just the beginning.”

“Eh? Um, what? From now on……?”

“Of course, once you’ve done your hair and makeup, clothes are next, no?

I mean, having a beauty wear boorish and unrefined clothes makes her seem innocent with personally is totally A-okay to me. After all, we’re here to dress you up, are we not? Don’t you want to dress up in all kinds of ways? So, let’s go, Yui-chan, to infinity and beyond!”

“Hey, come on, Yuuma～….”

Nene grabbed Yui’s arm and took her away.

“….What are you getting all excited about….”

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Yuuma followed them.