Chapter 18: What’s Forgotten Becomes Clearer

Unaware that a wolf was prowling, targeting her benefactor, Sayo finished her long-awaited bath. Her 153cm short stature waddling as she walked looked cute to anyone.

Her long brown hair swayed gently. A sight that would stir anyone’s heart, but if it was after a week without bathing, the number of admirers might decrease.

Hopefully, the number of people who liked the fact that she, a short person, didn’t bathe often wouldn’t increase. There were still many people who wanted to love humanity.

Humming a cheerful tune, Sayo opened her closet, which she hadn’t touched in months, and rummaged through her clothes.

Even with dust covering her face, Sayo was simply happy. Even if the clothes she finally chose after much deliberation were torn, she just laughed. Because today…

“Today…! Is a date with Mama!”

She picked out some of the few going-out clothes she had, and after a long time, moisture returned to her body. Sayo’s faded beauty shone through the dust.

Her dull brown hair regained its vibrant color. With her blue contacts properly in place, Sayo was a perfect beautiful girl. Unbelievably so for a 2X-year-old.

Her unchanging appearance since high school and her decent outfit transformed Sayo from a beautiful girl into a ‘beautiful girl who dressed up after a long time.’

The fact that her height hadn’t changed since middle school was a secret. Something forgiven if you’re cute.

“Hehehe… As expected. I’m cute today.”

Her made-up face, unfamiliar even to herself.

The person reflected in the mirror – Takahashi Sayo – felt strangely unfamiliar. Was she always this pretty? Did she always look like this?

Sayo’s rock-bottom self-esteem, buried deep within the hikikomori Sayo, slowly began to rise. She actually had the looks to justify it.

“Eh. It’s been so long. I’m a bit embarrassed…”

Blushing, Sayo fidgeted.

Even though there were many beautiful women in Shibuya, she indulged in a bit of narcissism, wondering if she wasn’t the prettiest today.

The flowing beige pleated skirt showed off her white legs, and the light pink knit top, in a loose fit, emphasized her cuteness.

A perfect outfit for her, a coordination that seemed unbelievable for a shut-in nerd. The fact that she copied the outfit of the female lead in her favorite anime was a secret.

“Today, I might be the cutest in Shibuya…!”

Sayo didn’t know that her self-praise, which would have been a golden answer if not for the person she was waiting for, would soon be refuted in the most embarrassing way.

“Okay! Since it’s Mama’s first time in Shibuya, I have to show her around properly!”

Sayo, clenching her fist in a fighting pose, didn’t even dream of such a thing.

The meeting place, the Hachiko entrance.

The Hachiko statue and its entrance, famous as a meeting spot. Was it meant to symbolize waiting like a loyal dog for its owner? Perhaps the one waiting at Hachiko was clearly the submissive one in the relationship.

Like a dog waiting for its owner, the one who loves more waits. Holding onto a meaningless token called a promise, waiting for someone who might not even come.

“When… will she come?”

Sayo, fidgeting at the entrance, instantly captured the public’s attention. She was undoubtedly the cutest in Shibuya right now.

Her hair, shimmering in the sunlight, gave a soft and natural impression, and her blue eyes, with no sign of being contacts, sparkled beautifully.

Her petite figure, cute skirt, and knit top suited her perfectly, and a dozen men approached her to ask for her Line ID.

Of course, she managed to fend them off with her ‘pretending to be on the phone’ and ‘pretending not to have Line’ tactics. Being a hikikomori made it easier to set boundaries.

“Yes, yes~ Please go away~.”

“But, if you just give me your Line…”

After fending off the last man, Sayo happily typed a message to Soohyun. It was 10 minutes before their meeting time. But Soohyun said she was already on her way.

[Takahashi Sayo: Where are you?]

Sayo herself didn’t know why she was using formal language. She had never experienced the side effect of her body instinctively recoiling upon going outside after a long time.

[WhitePalette: I think it’ll take about 5 more minutes. Sorry.]

[Takahashi Sayo: Oh, no, it’s okay! Take your time.]

Sayo chuckled, thinking how kind she was. Even though it wasn’t their meeting time yet, Soohyun contacted her right away after noticing that Sayo had arrived early.

Sayo imagined White Palette’s appearance. An illustrator… an artist, so maybe paint splattered on her clothes? Or holding a pen in her hand…

Of course, her imagination didn’t even come close to Soohyun’s real appearance.

“Heehee… I’m excited.”

Sayo thought it would be okay even if she was ugly, as long as she was this kind. She was the first person to make Sayo feel like she had family.

That’s when it happened.

…Click!

“…Huh?!”

It was a faint shutter sound, but Sayo, more sensitive than anyone to being noticed, lowered her head. Thump, thump. Her heart pounded, demanding situational awareness.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the target of the picture, but the result might have been even worse for Sayo. Because they found ‘her’ first.

“Who is that?”

A high school girl whispered.

“A K-pop idol…?”

Someone else replied.

The murmur of the crowd and the clicking of camera shutters.

In the center of the commotion, oblivious to all the attention, was a girl looking at her phone.

“…Wow.”

Long silver hair, as if containing moonlight, and blue eyes, much clearer and deeper than Sayo’s fake blue eyes, the color of stars.

Clear, white skin, free of any blemishes, holding all that unique beauty, and a perfect body balance created an innocent and captivating figure.

Although her lower face was completely covered by a mask, her fully covered fashion and somehow hip-looking hat were enough to make her look like a K-pop idol.

Her figure, which couldn’t be hidden even by the black t-shirt and hoodie, and her face, which couldn’t be hidden even by the mask. The thought ‘Isn’t she an idol?’ had long since changed to ‘Idol-level visuals! Nice ww!’

Amidst the growing curiosity about where this K-pop idol (or not), who seemed to require a hefty sum to meet, was headed, she started walking towards Sayo.

She came closer.

Her appearance, shocking even from afar with its low resolution.

Close enough to touch.

Sayo held her breath at the unexpected, impactful visuals. The closer she got, the more flawless this omni-directional beauty appeared.

‘Eh? Eh?? Eh?!’

Despite facing such overwhelming beauty, Sayo’s self-esteem, which she believed to be the highest just moments ago, surprisingly didn’t falter.

Sayo was already a multi-billionaire. She didn’t need to be awestruck by someone from the Rothschild family. She was already wealthy herself.

Moreover, this beautiful girl, whom everyone admired, came to her. Sayo’s self-esteem naturally rose.

Their blue eyes met. Sayo suddenly felt embarrassed about her fancy contacts. The woman’s eyes before her couldn’t possibly be artificial.

“Excuse me.”

From an unexpected source, an innocent voice, more fitting than any other for her appearance, rang out.

Sayo, who had been staring at her eyes, immediately bowed upon hearing her voice. She knew it was rude to stare at a stranger’s eyes so intently.

“Eek! Yes!”

“Pfft. You don’t have to be so wary…”

Soohyun found Sayo’s reaction amusing. It was the first time someone other than Kyuseok and that guy hadn’t stuttered when talking to her. Sayo was definitely a unique case.

Sayo slowly opened her eyes and suddenly felt something strange. She was sure she had never seen this face before, but this refreshing voice seemed familiar.

Squeeze.

A small, gloved hand gently grabbed the back of Sayo’s head and pulled her towards Soohyun. Before she could even process the thought, a voice rang out.

“It’s me, Haru.”

“Huh…?”

Soohyun pulled down her mask with her index finger and grinned. Sayo finally realized that all her assumptions were wrong.

“You’re prettier than an idol…”

Long eyelashes fluttered elegantly, and soft, light pink lips curved into a smile. Her perfectly shaped nose was the icing on the cake.

A beautiful girl with an unparalleled beauty, a huge difference in class compared to anyone Sayo had ever seen, even in the media.

“What, is that flattery?”

Soohyun smiled brightly. In reality, Soohyun was an even bigger nerd and hikikomori than Sayo, but she had a playful and cheerful side when around people she knew.

“Um… Mama?”

“Yep. Correct. Inuko-san sent me a picture of your face… ah.”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard Inuko-san’s name. While Soohyun realized her mistake, Sayo was trembling with embarrassment.

A youthful appearance and a tearful voice.

“I… I’m twenty-eight years old… and I was fooled by a nineteen-year-old…”

Soohyun, who had acted rudely based on appearances, remembered that she was from a country that valued respect for elders. Her two hands fluttered pathetically as she tried to salvage the situation.

“Unnie? Calm down and…”

Seeing Sayo’s flushed face and the tears welling up in her eyes, Soohyun thought,

Ah.

This is f*cked.

“Wahhh!”

Takahashi Sayo, 28 years old.

Around 600,000 subscribers, 153cm tall.

She burst into tears like a child in front of the Hachiko statue, a popular meeting spot.

The fact that she continued to sniffle until they ate yakiniku was a secret.