Chapter 18

A carefree young man, even in a different world, gets into all sorts of trouble.

"Here, how about this?"

"Wow! It's amazing! Thank you, Yuri-niichan!"

"No, I'm glad you like it."

Yuri smiled, and the girl smiled like a flower in bloom. It was a truly heartwarming scene. The girl's hair was neatly braided, not just in a simple braid, but in a beautiful loop from the top of her head to below her ears. She had made a long, long braid and wrapped it around, and the braiding was so beautiful that it made her look adorable just by itself. However, not all of her hair was braided. She had made a single braid like a headband, and the rest of her hair flowed down her back. Her straight, smooth hair, combined with the braided headband, was truly beautiful.

By the way, the girl had been crying just a moment ago.

Yuri, who had gone out for his daily walk, found a girl being teased by some boys who were pulling her hair. The girl's friends soon came to her rescue, and the boys were chased away. Still, her hair was a mess, and she was crying.

Yuri, without panicking, took out his favorite brush from his school bag, which had been transformed into a magic bag. Even boys care about their appearance. Moreover, this brush was a magic tool with a special effect, making hair smooth and shiny. He didn't tell anyone about this, fearing the reaction of the girls, as their passion for beauty was formidable. As a carefree young man, he understood this passion all too well. To avoid any trouble, Yuri kept quiet. It was a wise decision.

After brushing her hair neatly, Yuri asked the girl, who still had a tear-streaked face, if he could braid her hair. The townspeople had welcomed this unusual foreign boy warmly, and the girls, who found him somewhat clumsy and natural, treated him like an older brother. Yuri didn't reject this, and their relationship was good. ...By the way, boys are quite easy to handle if you grab their stomachs.

The girl, with teary eyes and sniffing, nodded. The result was the braided headband hairstyle.

"Yuri-niichan, can we do this too?"

"If you can make a braid, I think you can. But you need enough length to wrap it around your head, so it might be difficult for shorter people..."

"Got it!"

The girls, in pairs, started making braids. The shorter girls were having the longer girls make braids for them. Sometimes they struggled, but Yuri helped them out.

By the way, the hairpins used to secure the braided headbands came from Yuri's magic bag. You shouldn't question a carefree young man's belongings. You shouldn't ask why a boy has so many hairpins. You really shouldn't.

Watching the girls, Yuri approached those who had hair long enough to braid but not long enough to make a headband. The shorter girls had given up, as they couldn't braid at all. However, those who could braid but not long enough to make a headband looked disappointed. Even as girls, they were sensitive to fashion.

"Why don't you try a half-up braid?"

"Huh? How do you do that...?"

"You make two braids on the top half of your hair and tie the rest of your hair below them. It will look like a headband."

The girls were excited by Yuri's smiling suggestion. One of the girls asked for a demonstration, and Yuri grabbed her hair, combed the top half, and skillfully made two braids. He then tied the braids under the rest of her hair with a hair tie. The result was a half-up braid.

The girls with braided headbands had braids on top, but the rest of their hair was almost the same. The girls, who had been gloomy, suddenly lit up. Yuri watched with a smile as they tried the half-up braid one after another. He liked seeing girls and women dress up and helping them do so. After all, he was a carefree young man.

Then, girls with hair too short to braid but too long to be considered short hair entered his field of vision. They couldn't give up like the short-haired girls, but they couldn't braid either. Seeing their struggle, Yuri took something out of his school bag.

It was a colorful collection of scrunchies. Yuri had a bundle of hair ties, and he used leftover fabric to make these scrunchies. The fabric store had given him the scraps, which they would have otherwise thrown away, making it a win-win situation. Using his sewing hobby, he made several scrunchies.

Scrunchies are essentially decorative hair ties. The fabric covers the elastic part, making them look cute. Yuri used various scraps, so there were many patterns. It was just a hobby.

Holding the scrunchies, Yuri approached the girls.

"If you can't braid, why don't you try tying your hair with these?"

"Huh?"

"These are scrunchies I made. If you want, you can use them. I have short hair, so I don't use them."

The girls looked at the scrunchies Yuri offered with wide eyes. They saw them as beautiful rings. Confused about how to use them, they looked puzzled.

Understanding their confusion, Yuri asked one of the girls for permission, combed her hair, tied it with a hair tie, and then put the scrunchie over it. Of course, the scrunchie alone could hold the hair, but the hair tie provided a more secure hold. The girls were amazed. Just tying the hair with a scrunchie made it look much more fashionable than a plain hair tie.

"Everyone, please. I don't have many, but here you go."

The girls fought over the scrunchies Yuri handed out. Even the girls with braided headbands and half-up braids joined in. The only ones who didn't participate were the short-haired girls, as they had no hair to tie.

However, even they were interested in fashion. They touched their hair tips, thinking about growing their hair longer.

Yuri then offered hairpins to the girls. These were not the black ones he had been holding earlier. The pins themselves were black, but the part that held the hair had decorations.

"Yuri-niichan?"

"Those who can't tie their hair can use these to hold their bangs, right?"

"Thank you!"

The girls answered in unison.

The hairpins Yuri handed out had decorations made from fabric, either shaped like beads or tied in knots, securely fixed with thread. They were well-made and wouldn't break easily.

The short-haired girls, who couldn't braid or tie their hair with scrunchies, happily shared the hairpins, discussing which ones suited each other best. Yuri watched, smiling.

...The hairpins he had casually thrown into his bag were doing a good job. By the way, these hairpins were in a similar state to his notebook. He had a plastic case with about 20 hairpins, but no matter how many he took out, the number never decreased. His magic tools were often like this.

Surrounded by the girls, Yuri was honored to accompany them on their walk. You shouldn't underestimate girls. The young ladies in the capital, who explored stores with their mothers, knew which stores had what and which were fair. They didn't forget to introduce Yuri to the shopkeepers they knew.

Thanks to this, Yuri had a more meaningful walk than he had expected. He was able to visit stores he hadn't approached before. Being with the girls allowed him to enter women's shops, which was a pleasant surprise.

At a miscellaneous goods store, he discussed which accessories were cute and easy to use with the girls. The old woman running the store initially looked suspiciously at Yuri, but seeing him happily spending time with the girls, she smiled softly. Of course, Yuri didn't notice.

...As a side note, after that day, the scrunchies and hairpins became a big hit. Yuri, at the request of the fabric store, started making scrunchies and hairpins as a side job, earning some income.

Even though he couldn't use them himself, making hair accessories was a hobby for Yuri. Or rather, he enjoyed making small items. He had found a way to earn cash through his side job.

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