Mob Heroine - Chapter 40

Chapter 40 - Is She Cute Because She’s ‘Cute,’ or Is She Cute Because She Was Told She's ‘Cute’?

Mogami-san took a small sip of her milk tea, looking a little bashful.

As her head moved, her long bangs swayed, revealing her eyes. Her sky-blue eyes were looking straight at me, and only me.

“…Sato-kun, you’re always looking at me, aren’t you?”

Oops, I guess we were staring at each other. Well, that figures, if I was watching her watching me, then that was bound to happen.

“You know, at first, I couldn’t believe it when you called me cute. I thought, just for a second, that you might have some ulterior motive."

"An ulterior motive? Like what?"

“Like… cultist stuff, or money, you know? Something shady like that.”

"There's no way any high schooler would run scams like that, right?"

...No, wait. Are there? 

In this day and age, with social media everywhere and kids having access to all sorts of information, I wasn’t so sure anymore. But I've certainly never done anything that shady. I'm pretty sure that kind of stuff, like MLMs or cult recruiters, mostly happens in college. I really don't think it's something she needs to be wary of in high school.

“That's just how weird I thought it was. Still, I was happy. Even if you did have some ulterior motive, it made me happy to have someone who wanted to be with me, it was fun. So at first, I even thought… maybe it’d be okay even if I got tricked.”

“T-that’s a dangerous way of thinking. What if I really had been a bad person?”

“If you had been a bad person, Sato-kun... I'd probably be completely ruined by now, wouldn't I? I'm sure I'd be in a terrible situation!"

Please don’t say something like that so cheerfully. She was too cute, I almost just wanted to nod and agree with her. Anyway, I'm just a normal, decent guy. I'd never do anything like that.

“I mean, if it was for you, Sato-kun, I probably would’ve joined any cult, you know? I would’ve paid money, or even gotten involved in some shady business deals. If that were the case, I'd probably be in a really bad spot right now, right?"

"Good thing for you I'm not a bad person, then."

“Ehehe. Honestly, that surprised me more than anything. I was like, ‘Ah, so Sato-kun really likes me.’ It was such a weird feeling.”

“It’s nothing to be surprised about. You’re getting so much attention from everyone right now, aren’t you? I just happened to notice your charm before they did, that’s all.”

It wasn’t like I’d done anything special. At least, that’s what I thought. But apparently, she didn’t see it that way.

“…It’s the other way around, actually, Sato-kun. I started trying to be cute because you called me cute. If you hadn’t said that, I don’t think I ever would’ve even tried.”

Her words were almost philosophical like the famous, ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’

Did she become cute just because I told her she was cute?
Or was she cute from the start, and that's why she was able to become cute?
Or perhaps both?

“I honestly thought you were trying to look cute for Sanada’s sake.”

“That’s not it. So from now on, don’t ever say that again, okay?”

"Ah, yes. My apologies."

That was scary. I wished she wouldn't suddenly go dead serious like that. I just slipped into formal language without even thinking. I'm supposed to be the older one here, mentally, but she completely intimidated me. I guess girls just have this mysterious, intimidating aura they can turn on sometimes. Even though she's usually so adorable.

“I worked so hard so that I could become exactly your type, you know? I started exercising, changed my hairstyle, even adjusted how I wore my uniform, all because I wanted to be your type, Sato-kun.”

…W-wait, seriously!? No, but still.

Now that I thought about it... I did feel like she was asking me what I liked, every single step of the way. I was the one who said she should exercise. I was also the one who said her hair should be about this long. And how to wear her uniform... she just did exactly what I told her to do.

Of course, I only said those things because I thought they’d help her appeal to Sanada. But apparently, she’d been following my advice to appeal to me.

And the result of that misunderstanding… was the creation of this monstrously beautiful girl sitting in front of me.

“Thanks to that, I’ve become a girl who doesn’t look out of place standing next to you… right? I-I know I should still lose a bit more weight, but I’d like a couple more months for that!”

“No, no, that’s not true at all.”

If anything, I'm the one who's not good enough for her level now.

(I see… So, Mogami-san’s efforts weren't for impressing Sanada at all…!)

If she had been working this hard just to be worthy of me... didn't that mean her opinion of me was... abnormally high? 

Even after becoming this stunning beauty, she still thought she wasn’t enough. It was as if she were saying, ‘I still have to do better to deserve him.’ She was just so unbelievably modest.

And I couldn’t help but think—

To Mogami Fuko, I, Sato Satoru, might just be someone placed incredibly high up in her world.