Kuu-Chan Changes His Style

“So, what do you think of this place? The cakes are delicious right?” Nonoka was sitting across from Tomohiro in a cafe. The business was bustling as it was open to the public a few days ago and went viral online for its concept. While the drinks and desserts were popular, what caught the attention of most people were the handsome and refined waiters that the business hired. This was also the reason why most of its customers were college-aged girls to young adult women with some guys here and there to check out what the hype was about. Tomohiro was one of only three male customers that the cafe had right now.

Tomohiro looked around at the waiters as they were doing their job. His eyes switched quickly from one to another; his expression was the same as always: emotionless.

“The waiters here are so good-looking, right?” Nonoka was blushing as she looked at the sight in front of her: handsome, tall, young, men in waiter attire, serving coffee as well as looks. Every time a worker made subtle eye contact with her, she would blush and look away. What’s even worse, every time their own waiter comes, she forgets how to speak correctly and stutters. “I really need a boyfriend like them,” Nonoka looked gloomy. She noticed Tomohiro just staring and teased him, “Hey, you’re totally checking all of them out, aren’t you? It’s okay, I won’t tell Noriyuki if you do.” All of a sudden, Tomohiro dropped his head onto the table with a gloomy expression. “Ahh! Are you okay?”

Tomohiro let out a big sigh, “I wish I looked like them.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“They’re all tall and handsome. They’re manly but also princely. I’m jealous.”

“It’s okay Kuu-Chan, you’re cute!”

“But, I want to be handsome!” Tomohiro gave Nonoka a death glare.

“U-U-Uh…,” Nonoka stuttered.

Tomohiro sighed again, “I’ve already accepted that I can’t change my height, and changing my face would be too expensive. If only there was a way I could look more handsome.”

“I didn’t know there was a side of you that was like this! But, hmmmmm, let's see…,” she snapped and pointed at him, “what about your style?”

“Style?”

“Mm. Sometimes, clothes can help give off a different vibe. Right now, you love oversized sweaters and hoodies which make you look more like a fluffy kitten.”

“I feel insulted,” Tomohiro retorted.

“Maybe we can help change how you dress and maybe your hairstyle and you could try and pull off a handsome guy look. We’ll get you from a newborn kitten to a handsome tiger!” Nonoka made a fist to show her determination.

Tomohiro looked somewhat annoyed by her comparison but wasn’t too hesitant to get on board with that idea. “I guess we can try that.”

“I'll help!” Nonoka had fire in her eyes as she loved styling others. “But, I’m going to miss my cute Kuu-Chan if you really want to go through with it. I honestly think you’re fine the way you are now, but I'll support you on this transformation since it seems like you want it.”

Tomohiro gave a small smile, “Thank you, Nonoka, you’re a good friend.”

“Excuse me,” their handsome waiter stopped by their table. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you two are friends right?”

Nonoka stuttered with a deep red blush on her face, “Y-y-yes, j-j-just friends.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear! One of my friends here is interested in you,” the waiter said with a smile. The waiter gestured to another waiter standing near the back wall. The guy had a blush on his face as he looked back at Nonoka and Tomohiro’s table.

“Ohmagosh ohmagosh ohmagosh!!! He’s totally my type!!!” Nonoka was screaming in her head at the thought of getting a boyfriend at this very second.

“I’m sorry to put you on the spot, but could you give him your number please?” The waiter handed his notepad and pen to Tomohiro.

“Eh…” Nonoka and Tomohiro gave each other blank stares.

“We start tomorrow,” Tomohiro ordered Nonoka.

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“Kuu-Chan! Have fun on your day with Nonoka! Oh, yeah, remember, everyone is going to have dinner here today. Make sure you and Nonoka come back on time. You know how Osuke gets when he’s hungry.” Noriyuki was washing dishes after he and Tomohiro had breakfast together. Tomohiro grabbed his bag and stood near the doorway, his hand on the handle.

“Mm. I’ll tell her.” Tomohiro opened the door and went out to meet Nonoka who was standing in front of the building. “Sorry, did you wait long,” he asked as he approached her.

“No, but we have to hurry if we want to catch the next train to the shopping district.”

Nonoka and Tomohiro wasted no time and were off to the train station. They arrived a little bit earlier than expected and stood near the tracks waiting for the train to come. The station wasn’t as busy as other days since it was the weekend and in the morning. Tomohiro was looking at the ground, spacing off while Nonoka was staring at him. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked up at her with an annoyed expression, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hmmm. I’m just trying to get a good look at what kind of style would fit you,” Nonoka had her finger on her lips as she was thinking. The train arrived, disrupting her thoughts which saved Tomohiro the embarrassment of being analyzed by his friend.

“You can do that when we actually arrive there,” Tomohiro quickly got on the train.

“Ahh, you’re no fun,” Nonoka whined as she followed him from behind.

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Nonoka and Tomohiro hopped off the train into the station that led to the shopping district. When they arrived, the area was full of people, tourists and locals alike. The population seemed to have more students than adults as the area had many trendy stores popular with younger people. Nonoka was looking at the map on her phone, “The store should be a 5 minute walk from here. It should be on the left near a stationery store. Do you want me to hold your hand in case you get lost,” Nonoka was genuinely concerned, even though it sounded like a joke, as Tomohiro could get lost in the sea of people.

“I can handle myself,” Tomohiro glared at her.

“O-okay,” Nonoka realized how embarrassed her friend must’ve felt.

They both reached the store which sold mainly men’s clothes. It was a medium sized building with a tan-colored exterior and sleek, clean-cut, modern design. On the left and right side were windows that displayed mannequin cosplaying outfits that they were promoting. In the middle was the front door that they both entered. The inside was also a color similar to the outside of the building, with racks of clothing strategically placed along the store to allow people to walk by while also capturing their attention with what was hanging on the racks. On the walls were shelves that held neatly folded pants and shirts as well as displaying some mannequins wearing those clothes too. Nonoka looked at the clothes with sparkles in her eyes while Tomohiro felt indifferent to what was presented in front of him.

“Hello, welcome to La Mode, my name is Kana. If you need help with anything, don’t be afraid to ask me at the front counter,” she gestured to the counter at the back of the store which was where you would purchase the clothes. She noticed Tomohiro and slightly bent down to match his height. Her smile got brighter as she saw him, “My, my, are you buying clothes for your little brother today? His taste in style seems mature for his age. Do you need help trying to find something that is stylish yet not too mature-looking? We carry plenty of options that extend even to younger boys.” She patted Tomohiro’s head.

Tomohiro looked at Nonoka with a cute-angry expression as his face was deep red due to embarrassment and blushing from the store worker’s assumption of him.

“U-u-uh, we’ll just look for now, thank you,” Nonoka was also feeling embarrassment for the both of them so she tried to brush off what the store worker said.

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“The first thing she assumed wasn’t that I’m your boyfriend, but your little brother.” Tomohiro looked defeated as Nonoka was browsing around the shelves. Her and Tomohiro have been in the store for a while now so she was carrying a bunch of clothes in her hands that she thinks would look good on Tomohiro.

“Ah, this would look good,” she reached up and grabbed a pair of black slacks. She unfolded the pants and saw that the size was too big for Tomohiro to wear and let out a nervous laugh, “Never mind, you wouldn’t fit this.”

“I think we should have enough,” Tomohiro looked through the pile of clothes in Nonoka’s arms. “I’m gonna go try these on,” he grabbed the pile and went to the changing room which was at the back of the store.

Nonoka was standing outside waiting for him when she realized that the back was selling men’s underwear. She blushed as she tried to avoid her eyes from looking at the models on the packs.

“Nonoka.”

“I wasn’t looking!” She looked at Tomohiro and was surprised to see that the clothes she picked actually looked good on him. “Kuu-Chan, that looks really good on you.”

“Really?”

“Mmmm,” she went off to grab a jacket from the rack and handed it to him. When he put it on, Nonoka let out a loud “Ah!”. “That pulls the whole outfit together.” She closed her eyes then opened it and snapped, “Now, you’ll be Tomohiro, not Kuu-Chan!”

“No more…Kuu-Chan…,” Tomohiro’s eyes had a sentimental look to them.

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As Nonoka and Tomohiro were walking back to Tomohiro’s apartment from the train station, Nonoka noticed Tomohiro was staring at the clothes inside the bag he was carrying. Worried, she called out to her friend, “Hey, Kuu-Chan.”

Tomohiro looked up, “Hm?”

“Why do you actually want to change your style? You’ve never looked at any handsome guy and thought you’d want to be like them before. What changed this time?”

Tomohiro sighed, “It’s just jealousy,” he stated without hesitation.

“But, why are you suddenly jealous?”

Tomohiro blushed, “Well…,”

Nonoka looked at her friend with concern.

“Noriyuki is popular with girls. Every time we go out together, girls assume we’re friends and they would always ask him out. Not once have I been approached by a girl before. Even today, the store worker thought I was your little brother. I guess, maybe people don’t see me as a real man sometimes.” Tomohiro realized that his reasoning sounded a bit superficial.

Nonoka smiled, “Kuu-Chan, you’re too cute. You and Noriyuki both have different charms. If anything, I’m jealous of you for being able to capture the heart of that handsome waiter yesterday,” Nonoka let out a sheepish chuckle.

Tomohiro slightly smiled, “I guess you’re right. But just once…just once…I want to reject a girl!!”

Nonoka was taken aback by what Tomohiro said but then chuckled, “You might’ve never rejected one, but I’m pretty sure you’ve made many jealous by dating Noriyuki. Plus, you never know, maybe Noriyuki gets jealous that so many guys hit on you. But, as long as Noriyuki finds you good for him, how other people perceive you shouldn’t matter, right?”

Tomohiro stopped walking and stared at the ground. Nonoka’s words made sense to him; he shouldn’t care that other people see him a certain way. If Noriyuki likes him the way he is now, then that’s all that should matter. Tomohiro realized how silly all of this sounded and let out a slight chuckle, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I realized how selfish this was of me. I probably wasted our whole weekend with this.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I never got to spend much time with you recently, so it was fun today,” Nonoka reassured him.

Tomohiro looked at the clothes in the bag, “Not to mention…all this money spent on nothing then,” he gave Nonoka a gloomy glare.

“Hmmm, say, why not surprise Noriyuki,” Nonoka smiled at the idea in her head.

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At the apartment, Osuke and Noriyuki were sitting at a table in the kitchen. There were plates of raw meat spread out across the table, a portable grill was connected to an outlet, and small plates of pickled veggies were also placed in front of each chair at the table. The door opened and Nonoka entered the kitchen with a serious expression on her face.

“Nonoka! Finally, you guys are here, I was about to get hangry,” Osuke exclaimed.

“Huh? Where’s Kuu-Chan,” Noriyuki wondered.

“Kuu-Chan…is gone.” Nonoka’s words made the other two gasp.

“What?” Noriyuki got up from his seat.

“Now, there’s only…TOMOHIRO-KUN,” Nonoka announced, which signaled Tomohiro to enter the kitchen. Osuke and Noriyuki stared in disbelief as they saw the clothes Tomohiro was donning.

“Hey, Noriyuki. He looks like a mini you,” Osuke was trying to hold back his laughter. Nonoka, upon hearing that, also stifled her laughter.

“Kuu-Chan? If you wanted to wear my clothes, you could’ve just asked,” Noriyuki went up to Tomohiro and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll share all of my clothes with you, if you want.” He looked at Tomohiro with a princely gaze.

“I didn’t do this to look like you. But now that I think about it, this is the same kind of clothes you wear,” Tomohiro took another look at the clothes. “I just…wanted to change my style so I can look more handsome,” he looked away and blushed.

“You wanted to look more handsome and the first thing you think of, is to look like me,” Noriyuki pulled him into a hug. “That makes me happy. I am your definition of handsome,” he proudly stated, disregarding what Tomohiro said before. But…,” he put both of his hands on Tomohiro’s shoulders and bent down to meet him at eye level. “You’re already handsome, so you don’t need to change anything to become what you already are.”

Tomohiro looked at Noriyuki with sparkles in his eyes and smiled slightly, which caused Noriyuki to blush.

“So, are we going to start eating,” Osuke gave everyone a glare that sent shivers down their spines.

“Osuke…is scary when he’s hungry,” they all thought in unison.

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Trivia: Tomohiro is 5’4 (163cm), Nonoka is 5’7 (170cm), Osuke is 5’11 (180cm), Noriyuki is 6’0 (183cm)