My name is Kato Megumi, 15 years old. Just an ordinary… or maybe even excessively inconspicuous high school girl.
From the time I was small, I've always had a faint presence. So faint that even my parents and my own onee-san would occasionally overlook me. My name was common, my grades equally average. I had never been part of the class committee, I didn't have many friends, and I lacked the courage to make more. I was… plain. And to be honest, I had already accepted that about myself.
After entering high school, I finally joined a club for the first time. Nothing special—just an ordinary little club. Though, strangely enough, two campus celebrities were in it. But even that had little to do with me. At least, that's what I thought.
Until that afternoon.
In a sparsely populated corridor, the windows bathed in the orange glow of sunset, I learned something unexpected. A fellow club member—Kasumigaoka Touji—was actually the creator of two rock songs I had been listening to nonstop recently. In that moment, my heart gave an uncharacteristic ripple, like a stone dropped into still water. My calm, uneventful life… trembled, just a little.
Of course, it wasn't because of admiration or longing—don't get the wrong idea. I've never been the type to chase celebrities. It was just surprise. Astonishment, really. That someone like me—ordinary, unnoticed—happened to know such a remarkable person. And maybe, just a little disbelief.
After that day, I caught myself secretly observing Kasumigaoka Touji.
At first, I thought he was just a hopeless sis-con, but over time… I realized he was also quite the ladies' man. Hmph, talented people get called dashing and romantic. Untalented ones? They're called philandering perverts. That's not me being hypocritical—that's just how society works.
Overall, though, I thought Kasumigaoka Touji was… a pretty good person. Flirtatious tendencies aside, he was generous, approachable, and unpretentious. He helped others when they were in trouble and never looked down on anyone. Warm-hearted—that's the word.
And then… there was me. I found myself holding a surprisingly good impression of him. Why? Maybe because he once praised me as "cute." Me—Kato Megumi. The invisible girl. He also said strange things like, "Beauty is not lacking in life, only the eyes to discover it." Or, "I want to be a Bole for once." Honestly, I didn't even know how to react.
(saying you want to be the one who sees value or beauty where others don't. The one who uncovers what's hidden.)
Was he… flirting with me?
The thought made my cheeks warm. I mean, I'm clearly ordinary. An unremarkable high school girl. Yet, for the first time in my life, being called cute—being flirted with—by a boy my age… it was a little flattering. And secretly, I felt pleased. Just a tiny bit.
That day left a deep impression on me.
So, when Kasumigaoka Touji later sent me an image online—of a girl with a bob haircut, very similar to mine—along with the words:
Kato, do you want to try a new hairstyle? I feel like this one suits you very well (☆▽☆).
My heart… skipped. Without thinking, my fingers typed out a reply:
Am I your target too? Σ(゜△゜|||).
Yes, I was a bit mischievous. Maybe bolder when chatting online than in person. That was the truer me.
But the moment I pressed send, I panicked. Wasn't that too much? Embarrassed, I immediately tried to recall the message.
Too late. He had already seen it.
Almost instantly, he replied with just an ellipsis. Then—
Oh, is that so?You scared me!
Reading those words, I could almost hear his startled tone. I covered my mouth, stifling a laugh. Me—laughing! For someone who rarely showed emotions, the small upward curve of my lips was already a big deal.
Still smiling faintly, I tapped on my keyboard again:
Kasumigaoka-san, why did you suddenly think of recommending a hairstyle to me? (｀_´)ゞ
I was genuinely curious. Do normal male and female classmates recommend hairstyles to each other? Because this… this felt a little too much like something a boyfriend would do. Advising his girlfriend on how she'd look cuter.
Wasn't this flirting… again?
The truth was, I hadn't just been teasing him earlier. I'd wanted to confirm his intentions, too. My heart gave another tiny, traitorous flutter.
...
Kato Megumi held her phone, her eyes shimmering faintly with an unusual light. The quiet hum of her empty house only made the vibration of her phone feel louder, more significant somehow. Another message popped up on the screen:
"I just happened to see it, and I felt it suited you, so I mentioned it." Touji-san said.
Megumi blinked. Just happened to see it? What exactly had he been looking at before? A whole gallery of bob-haired girls? Or was he secretly researching hairstyles just for her? The thought made her cheeks warm in a way she wasn't used to.
Before she could dwell too long, another message arrived almost immediately:
"Do you have a hair straightener at home?" Touji-san asked.
Her fingers moved almost automatically as she replied: "Yes, my sister uses it sometimes." Ghost Girl answered.
Kato Hiromi, her older sister, would occasionally style her hair before going out. Megumi herself had never really bothered with such things.
"Oh, Kato has a sister? Then why don't you borrow it and try it? I think it would suit you very well." Touji-san suggested.
Megumi froze for a moment. Question: what's it like to be recommended a hairstyle by a boy… and then urged to try it right away? Somehow it felt like more than a casual suggestion. It was subtle, but the intimacy in it made her chest tighten slightly.
Should she actually do it?
Her fingers trembled just a little before she quickly typed: "Okay, I think this hairstyle is pretty cute, and it's not much trouble to do." Ghost Girl replied.
She justified it to herself. It wasn't a big deal, right? If she didn't like it later, she could always straighten it back. Still, her heart thumped faster than usual as she padded downstairs with her phone in hand.
The house was silent. It was the weekend, and she happened to be the only one home. The stillness almost felt like it was urging her on. In the bathroom, Megumi picked up the hair straightener from the shelf.
Though it was her first time actually holding it, she had watched her sister countless times. She at least knew the motions.
Opening Touji-san's message again, she glanced at the hairstyle in the picture, then carefully held a small strand of her own hair in front of the mirror. A few cautious tugs and twists later…
"It actually looks… pretty good." She muttered softly.
The slightly upturned ends gave her hair an airy charm, as though adding just a little spark of life. A touch of youthfulness, maybe even cuteness, peeked through. Her expression remained its usual calm poker face, but there was no mistaking it—she felt a little more noticeable than before. Presence +1, she thought half-jokingly.
Turning her head side to side, she tucked a strand behind her ear, revealing her delicate ear. Somehow, the subtle difference made her reflection look less like a background character and more like someone standing under a gentle spotlight.
Her lips pressed together as she hesitated. Then, before she could overthink it, she raised her phone, snapped a quick selfie, and hit send.
"I think it looks pretty good, what do you think?" Ghost Girl messaged.
The reply came almost instantly:
"Beautiful, (*￣▽￣)b!" Touji-san wrote.
Megumi blinked. He had praised her without a shred of hesitation. For someone like her—who had spent her whole life being overlooked—it was almost too much.
Her heart gave a small, unsteady flutter.