4: Chapter 3: Kitasan Black is Here!
4: Chapter 3: Kitasan Black is Here!
Since the dress didn’t look overly fancy, Keiko agreed after some hesitation.
She took the dress into the bathroom to change.
Diamond took the opportunity to call Kita-chan, inviting her to dinner and mentioning that she was bringing along a very cute Umamusume.
Indeed, even in Diamond’s eyes, Keiko’s looks were outstanding.
Even among the many beautiful Umamusume, she had an incredibly endearing quality.
She usually looked a bit messy because she didn’t style her hair, but if she cleaned herself up, she was sure to look stunning.
As Diamond patiently waited for her roommate to finish, she was completely stunned.
The messy hair was now neatly styled into two braids pinned to the back of her head.
Her pale skin, which rarely saw the sun, glowed.
Combined with her shy expression and sparkling red eyes, she looked like a helpless, adorable child that made you want to protect her at all costs.
Diamond hadn’t expected Keiko to look this stunning, and her brain completely froze.
The difference was night and day.
Before, Keiko’s hair hung down, completely covering her eyes and hiding her face.
She also used to wear a face mask all the time.
Even though they lived together, Diamond had severely underestimated her roommate’s hidden beauty.
“I’m not used to this hairstyle…
It took me forever to braid.
How does it look?” Keiko asked, unaware of the impact she was having.
She had modeled her hair after Asuna, the Queen of Doujins, which helped manage her thick hair.
Since she never went to a salon, her hair had grown incredibly long and needed a style like this to keep it under control.
“…It’s…
really nice.” Diamond tried to calm her racing heart.
“It…
really suits you.” “That’s good.” Keiko, whose mind was focused entirely on food, didn’t notice Diamond’s hesitation.
Honestly, Diamond was tempted to pull the braids apart.
If Keiko went out like this, she would definitely draw everyone’s attention.
Feeling a sudden pang of possessiveness, like a hidden treasure being made public, Diamond felt conflicted.
“If I had known…” Diamond muttered to herself.
But her whisper went unnoticed by Keiko, who was lost in thoughts of eating meat.
The simple joy had made her forget everything else.
She didn’t even bother acting like a socially anxious person trying to fit back into society anymore.
“So when are we leaving?” She asked.
“If it’s close, we can just walk.” “Let’s not walk.
We can take a car together.
I already called one, and it’s a bit far.” Diamond quickly stopped her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get back safely.
You don’t have to worry about finding your way home.” “I’ll do whatever you say, then.” Her go-with-the-flow nature kicked in again, and she immediately agreed to let Diamond lead the way.
After all, she had never experienced high society.
Instead of making a fool of herself, she would just watch and learn.
Meanwhile, Diamond carefully explained a few things to keep in mind.
Soon, the car dropped them off at a restaurant on the thirty-third floor of a skyscraper.
It was a famous Michelin-starred establishment.
Diamond could easily have booked the entire place, but she didn’t want to scare Keiko, so she settled for a private room.
Sitting in the room, Diamond looked at Keiko next to her and handed her the menu.
“Go ahead.
Order whatever you like.” “Really?” Keiko looked at the prices on the menu and felt dizzy.
As expected of Japan, the prices were insane.
Diamond truly was a rich young lady.
If this were a mobile game, she would definitely be an SSR or even a UR-tier character.
Compared to her own SR-tier self, Diamond was in a completely different league.
She was rich, beautiful, and had a great personality.
No wonder so many people wanted to cling to her leg and beg to be spoiled.
To be honest, living off a rich friend sounded amazing.
As Keiko lost herself in these thoughts, her serious face looked quite funny to Diamond.
“You don’t have to look so serious…” Diamond reminded her.
“My friend is going to order a lot once she gets here anyway, so it’s fine for you to order now.
Don’t worry about the cost.” “I’m not worried about that…” Keiko shook her head.
“I was just thinking that you’re really good at taking care of people, Diamond-san.” “Oh?
Flattery won’t get you anything now, you know.” Although Diamond felt a little happy inside, she pretended to be tough.
“But speaking of you, Keiko-san, we’ve lived together for so long and you barely spoke to me.
I actually thought I had offended you somehow.” “No way!
I was just too scared to talk to you.” Keiko shook her head quickly.
“Actually, I knew you were a very kind person early on.
But I’m kind of weird.
The nicer a person is, the more I hesitate to get close to them.
I was afraid of making you dislike me.
Being hated by someone you like is much more painful than being hated by someone you don’t care about.” She wasn’t lying.
These feelings were actually written in the original Keiko’s diary.
“L-Like?” Diamond was so startled she almost lost her composure.
Fortunately, Keiko was looking at the menu and didn’t notice Diamond’s rare moment of panic.
“What…
What are you talking about?
I told you, flattery won’t work.
I’m just treating you to a meal, it’s no big deal.” “But you’re genuinely happy for me, Diamond-san.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t have brought me to such an amazing restaurant and offered to introduce your friend just because I decided to change.
Even though I ignored you for so long, you wanted to help me the moment I showed signs of improving.
You’re a truly wonderful person.” Keiko spoke her mind without a filter.
“Oh, by the way, what does this ‘A’ followed by a number next to the Wagyu mean?” “…I-Is that so?” Diamond was completely overwhelmed by these direct compliments.
Combined with what Keiko said about “liking” her…
did Keiko actually have feelings for her?
But she barely knew Keiko.
In the past, she had simply ignored her back.
Even this dinner was just a sudden whim.
To Diamond, Keiko had always been just an introverted roommate.
Did her actions really mean that much to her?
Diamond felt flustered.
But as a proper young lady, she quickly decided she needed to gently turn down this confession.
On one hand, she didn’t know Keiko well enough.
On the other hand, she wasn’t someone who only cared about looks.
She valued character and ability more.
Being friends was fine, but to cross that line…
they would at least need to get to know each other for a week, right?
Wait…
they had already lived together for several months.
Diamond blinked, suddenly realizing this.
“…Ahem.
Anyway, Keiko-san, please stop praising me.
It’s getting a bit embarrassing.
We came out for a nice meal, but if the mood gets weird like this, it’s going to make eating awkward.” Diamond let out a strategic cough.
“You’re just too…
blunt.” “Oh, is that so…
Sorry about that.” Keiko nodded.
“You’re right.
Okay, I’ll just order this then.
Give me a plate of mixed vermicelli noodles, extra large.” “…” Diamond stared at her.
“You looked at the menu for that long just to order vermicelli?” “And Wagyu too!
But I need something to fill my stomach first.” Keiko replied seriously.
“In fancy restaurants like this, the food is sliced so thin it’s almost transparent.
I need to order something substantial so I don’t leave hungry.” “…” Diamond covered her face, suddenly feeling silly for blushing earlier.
“Don’t worry.
The Wagyu portions here are quite large.
You can order whatever you want.” Before Keiko could reply, a black-haired Umamusume with a white streak in her hair pushed the door open.
She greeted them warmly.
Her personality was the complete opposite of Diamond’s.
This was Diamond’s childhood friend, Kitasan Black, and she had arrived a bit late.
Although Diamond was used to it, she still complained, using it to change the subject.
“You’re late again, Kita-chan!” “Sorry!
Dia-chan, you won’t believe what happened!
On my way here, I ran into…” “An old lady crossing the street?” “Actually, it was an old man this time…
Eh?
How did you know, Dia-chan?
Do you have mind-reading powers?” Kitasan Black asked in surprise.
“Nine times out of ten, that’s your reason…
I’m used to it by now.” Diamond sighed.
“I know you’re just trying to help, but you seem to run into the exact same situation every single time.
I wonder if it’s some kind of curse.” “Well, helping people is a good thing!
Anyway—is this Tojo Keiko?” Kita-chan scratched her head and smiled.
Then she turned her gaze to the white-haired girl, who didn’t know what to do with her hands.
“Nice to meet you!
I’m Kitasan Black!
Dia-chan’s childhood friend and best friend!”