Though Eri Hii was usually buried in her studies and not one for dressing up, she was still a girl—and no girl could fully resist pretty clothes.
She adored the new work uniform, but the fact that Yukiko Fujimine had made it made her hesitate to accept it.
"Well? Isn't it gorgeous?" Yukiko whispered enticingly in Eri's ear. "If you wear this, that guy won't be able to take his eyes off you."
"W-what are you talking about!" Eri's face flushed red. "Whether he looks or not has nothing to do with me!"
"Heh, don't play coy," Yukiko said with a knowing smirk. "I was wrong to alter your old uniform yesterday—it was just too ugly to wear as is. This new one's my apology. Take it."
"…Fine, I'll accept it," Eri said, unable to resist her love for the beautiful garment, giving a small nod.
"Here, let me help you try it on!" Yukiko said eagerly, pulling out the uniform. "This is the fruit of a whole day's hard work. I was up all morning finishing it, didn't even stop for lunch!"
"Thanks," Eri said softly, genuinely touched.
She didn't have many female friends. Her closest confidante, Ruri Doigaki, had left Mihama after junior high due to family reasons.
With Yukiko's help, Eri quickly changed into the new uniform.
They stood before a dressing mirror, and Yukiko beamed. "Well? Looks great, right?"
"Yeah," Eri said, gazing at her reflection, unable to tear her eyes away.
"Your hair's a bit off, though…" Yukiko tilted her head, studying her. "Why pin your bangs up? Showing your forehead isn't flattering."
Before Eri could protest, Yukiko began undoing her ponytail.
"Hey—"
Eri wasn't used to Yukiko's overly familiar demeanor, but as her hair was let down, she gave up resisting. "Keeping bangs out of the way makes it easier to do homework or read without them blocking my view."
"Ugh, are you seriously all about studying?" Yukiko said, astonished. "Didn't any friends ever help you dress up?"
"Ruri was like me—only into studying, not fashion," Eri explained. "Besides, Shuichi always said a girl's inner beauty matters more."
"Don't listen to that guy's nonsense," Yukiko scoffed. "Inner beauty and outer beauty are equally important! My mom told me only women who know how to dress up can live happily."
"Is that so?" Eri nodded, half-understanding.
Under Yukiko's deft hands, Eri's high ponytail stayed mostly the same, but her bangs were let down to frame her face. The effect was striking—her charm instantly soared.
"See? Much better, right?" Yukiko said, eyeing the mirror with a hint of regret. "If I'd brought my makeup kit, you'd be stunning—almost as pretty as me."
Eri ignored Yukiko's self-congratulatory remark, staring at her reflection in disbelief. All her life, she'd focused on studying hard, aiming to study abroad and become a renowned lawyer. This was the first time she'd seen herself look this beautiful in a mirror.
She'd always known she was attractive, but Shuichi's past comments—things like "pretty women are just vases" or "vain women aren't liked by men"—had made her steer clear of makeup and fashion, fields she wasn't skilled in anyway.
"If you walk downstairs like this, that guy's gonna be floored," Yukiko said with a playful grin.
"I don't care if he notices," Eri said with a haughty toss of her head, though her beaming smile betrayed her.
Sensing the moment was right, Yukiko rubbed her hands together and grinned. "By the way, I need a favor."
"What is it?" Eri, in a great mood, didn't think twice. "If I can help, I will."
"I want to work at the izakaya," Yukiko said, pouting. "But that guy said I need your approval first. So, about that…"
"What? You want to stay at the izakaya?"
Eri's smile froze, and the reflection in the mirror suddenly seemed less dazzling. Shuichi was right—caring too much about looks will only lead to trouble!
"So all this was for that?" Eri asked, her face stern as she clenched her fists.
"Hey, you already promised to help!" Yukiko said, stepping back nervously. "If you can't keep a promise, you'll never make a good lawyer!"
Downstairs in the izakaya, Kogoro Mouri glared at Shuichi Hayashi emerging from the storeroom, grinding his teeth. "Shuichi! You said 'brothers are like limbs'—so why'd you throw me under the bus?"
"Don't blame me," Shuichi said with an innocent shrug. "I thought you knew the second half of that saying."
"What second half?"
"Brothers are like limbs—centipede limbs."
"Centipede?"
Kogoro pictured the insect with its dozens of legs. Losing one wouldn't make much difference, would it? "Shuichi, you jerk, you're messing with me!" he roared, lunging forward.
"Calm down, Kogoro," Shuichi said kindly. "You know you can't beat me."
Sure enough, Kogoro was pinned to a table in seconds.
"I told you, you can't—"
Shuichi's words were cut off by a girl's scream from upstairs.
Their scuffle stopped instantly.
"They… they're not actually fighting, are they?" Kogoro asked, worried.
"It's not impossible. You know Eri's temper," Shuichi said, releasing his friend. "Better start preparing for the possibility we won't open tonight."
"Ugh, women are such a hassle," Kogoro said, baffled. "I don't get why Eri's always picking on Yukiko. Yukiko's so cute and has such a nice voice…"
"You're not thinking of switching teams, are you?" Shuichi teased, nudging him. "Ruri's only been gone a couple of months. If she found out you moved on so fast, she'd be heartbroken!"
"What's this got to do with Ruri?" Kogoro huffed. "I never even accepted her confession!"
(End of Chapter)
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