BHSAF 176: School trip 4

　In addition to the first shrine they visited, Yu and his friends also visited other famous shrines, as well as less famous but historically important temples. Now they have arrived at a certain store.

　The large store was packed with colorful, expensive-looking kimonos and the obi sashes that tie them together.

　The traditional kimono, which has been passed down in Japan for a long time, has a beauty that has not changed since ancient times. Its beauty is captivating, and even female students who normally don't wear traditional Japanese clothing and only look at the fashionable clothes worn by models in magazines have their eyes shining as they look at kimonos.

　And as for the boys...

　From a door at the back, a stream of male students dressed in traditional Japanese clothing came in. Their reactions varied, from shy to confident, from those who were chatting with their friends without seeming particularly bothered to those who were fidgeting because they were worried about their female classmates.

　Meanwhile, Yuu looks around at the female students who will soon be wearing kimonos in their place. He is not doing this to get any squeals from the girls, but to look for Yui, of course.

　After making eye contact with several female students, I made eye contact with Yui.

　Yui smiled happily and, because they were far apart, she didn't say anything out loud but just mouthed, "It suits you." Yu returned the smile, and then Yui disappeared inside to change into a kimono.

　Then the boys gradually start to get restless.

　One reason may be that they feel uneasy wearing unfamiliar clothing, but that's not the only reason.

(Well, I know that feeling.)

　After all, even though they are just friends who usually study together in the same classroom, Yui is a full-fledged actress.

　Although they usually see her in school uniforms and gym clothes, they have never seen her in anything else. Most people would love to see her even in casual clothes. Now they will be able to see Yui in a kimono. As far as Yu knows, Yui has never worn a kimono while working as an actress. In other words, it is a privilege for classmates to be able to see Yui in a kimono.

　By the way, in order to dress her in a kimono, the staff at the store need to be in close contact with her for a certain amount of time, and it was decided that it would be impossible to keep it a secret during that time, so the school informed the staff of Yui's true identity.

　Time passed as the boys became impatient...

"…………oh"

　A male student who had been watching the girls disappear let out a voice full of anticipation. As if taking that as a signal, all the boys turned their gaze in that direction.

　Walking in front of the crowd was a petite female student who usually wore her hair in pigtails. She had had her hair styled like that until just a moment ago, but perhaps as a courtesy from the store, her hair had now been styled to match her kimono.

"I see."

　One of the male students exclaimed in admiration.

　She's usually loud and noisy, just wanting to have fun without regard for the inconvenience it causes to those around her, and is often the target of the boys in her class. However, right now, perhaps thanks to the kimono, her demeanor softens a little, creating a contrast to her usual self. She's not a bad-looking girl to begin with, and dressed up in a gorgeous kimono, she evokes more emotions in the boys than they'd expected.

　The girls followed her one after the other. The patterns and colors of the kimonos looked well-suited to each student.

　Among them, some male students ran up to the female student who had appeared and began to shyly compliment her on her appearance. The two were a couple who had just started dating the other day.

　As the boys get excited at the unfamiliar sight of the girls appearing one after another, the person they are looking for has yet to appear. The noisy boys gradually begin to realize this and eagerly await Yui's arrival.

　Yu understands that feeling all too well. In fact, Yu's feelings are even worse than theirs. That's because Yu only sees the female classmates who appear from the beginning as an opening act to liven up the atmosphere until Yui appears.

　Then Yui is the only female student left who hasn't shown up, and it's finally her turn.

　As her figure slowly came into view, the atmosphere around them was completely saturated with Yui's color. Yu could feel it firsthand.

　The kimono she was wearing was of the same quality as the other female students, of course. However, Yui's kimono seemed to be in a class of its own, as if it were a high-end, expensive kimono. And yet, it was Yui herself who shone just as brightly, if not more so.

　As expected of an actress who plays a variety of roles, she wore a kimono, which was supposed to be her first time wearing it, as if it were something she always wore.

"…………"

　Everyone present was stunned and speechless.

　Meanwhile, Yuu realizes why Yui took so long to show up.

　If Yui had come out first, the girls who followed would not have paid her any attention, even though they were all dressed up. Yui's kimono was so attractive that it surpassed all the other girls combined.

　That's why Yui gave up her turn last, careful not to overshadow the other students.

　However, this also had the opposite effect, as the boys, who had been eagerly awaiting Yui's appearance, quietly rejoiced at her appearance, which exceeded their expectations.

　Naturally, Yu was one of them, and just like Yui had done earlier, when their eyes met he simply lip-synced and said, "It suits you well and you're cute."

　Yui then blushed and replied "Thank you" in the same way.