[TSSIM] Chapter 457: Sun Hats

"Uruka, what you said only resonates with the big-cup people."

Homura spoke to Uruka, explaining why he had tried to stop her.

"However, for the small cup people… the more you talk like that, the more they'll resent you."

"Did you know that, from their perspective, everything you said before seems like a boast, or rather, a humblebrag?"

"W-What? No, that wasn't my intention..." Uruka mumbled, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Yeah, I get it. I know you didn't mean that..."

Homura gently patted Uruka on the head to calm her down.

"Still, even though I understand, what you said earlier only hurt Fumino. She'd give anything for that kind of trouble, but you're looking down on it, even hating it. People always chase after what they lack... that definitely applies to this situation too..."

Uruka nodded silently, realizing Homura was right.

Maybe she found having big breasts a bit inconvenient, so she preferred being smaller, but Fumino must have longed to be a bit bigger herself, right?

Homura walked over to Fumino, who wore a pitiful expression and gently patted her head before pulling her into a gentle embrace.

Fumino: "!!!"

"No matter if you're big or small, I like you just the same, Fumino." Homura reassured with a gentle voice.

Fumino: "!!!!!!"

"You should know I'm not just saying that for show..." Homura continued. "You might still be tangled up in this, but at least you know my feelings for you won't change because of it."

Uruka watched with envy, unable to fantasize about such a scenario when it didn't involve her.

Rizu looked at Homura and Fumino, her expression subtly shifting.

'Aren't I the only one who hasn't been hugged by Homura-san? So sly—wait! Why am I thinking like this? Am I secretly hoping for that too?'

With such a thought, Rizu's expression turned confused.

"Umm, thanks, Homura-kun..." Fumino replied softly.

After gently patting her back, Homura nodded and released her.

"Alright, let's get going!"

Picking up Haru, Homura was the first to head out.

Fumino patted her slightly flushed face, gathering her spirits as she grabbed Rizu and Uruka, following after Homura.

And so, the four of them, plus one cat, set off.

===

After meeting up with Mafuyu in front of the Furuhashi residence and then with Miyako at the mall entrance, all six of them finally gathered together.

"Mou... the sunlight today is really strong…"

Fumino remarked while shielding her eyes from the glaring sunlight and glancing around with a hint of exasperation.

"Let's go inside the mall. It's cooler in there." Miyako chimed in.

Everyone agreed and immediately walked into the mall.

However, as they passed a hat shop, Homura stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, should we check it out?" Homura asked, gesturing toward the hat shop with his thumb.

"Hats?" Miyako blinked her eyes in surprise. "Homura, you wanna buy a hat?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the other girls turned their attention to her, wondering when her way of addressing Homura had shifted.

"Come on, let's just take a look." Homura said with a smile, then walked into the hat shop.

Seeing this, the girls exchanged glances, surprised to see a man so eager to shop in the mall. 

In the end, they followed him to the hat shop. 

Once inside, they spotted him trying on a sun hat, the kind with a wide brim.

Meanwhile, seeing the girls coming, he waved them over.

As the girls approached, he reached for a blue sun hat and placed it on Fumino's head.

'Eh? What?' Fumino thought, confused.

Homura gazed at her appearance for a moment before nodding in approval.

"Umu, not bad, Fumino! As I thought, this one is perfect for you."

After saying this, Homura took the blue sun hat off Fumino's head and helped her fix her hair.

While holding the blue sun hat, Homura continued browsing.

However, Fumino was completely in a daze through this process.

Soon, Homura spotted a rosy red sun hat, causing his eyes to light up.

He casually grabbed it and put it on Uruka's head.

Seeing his actions, Mafuyu raised her eyebrows before speaking up.

"Are you trying to get everyone hats, Homura-kun?"

"Yep." Homura nodded with a smile. "I know we don't need them indoors, but they'll be handy once we're outside."

In the next moment, he raised his eyebrows as he gazed at Fumino and Uruka.

"Wait..."

He suddenly swapped the two sun hats between Uruka and Fumino.

"Ohh! You two look good!"

Homura couldn't help but marvel.

"Yeah, the hats suit your hair colors perfectly, and swapping them works! As they say, red and blue really make a great combo."

"Homura, that saying isn't used like that, you know?" Miyako rolled her eyes.

"Didn't expect you to know about otaku culture so well, Miyako…" Homura looked at her in surprise.

'After hanging out with you guys, it'd be weird not to know.' Miyako remarked inwardly.

In the end, Homura decided not to swap the sun hats, as he figured it was better to go with the hair colors.

He picked out a pink sun hat for Mafuyu, an orange-and-white sun hat for Rizu, and a yellow-and-white sun hat for Miyako.

Needless to say, these sun hats would look great as long as they matched the outfits and gave off a vibrant vibe.

As for the four high school girls, they were definitely going to rock them. Even Mafuyu, an adult and teacher, kept it casual on the weekend, dressed lightly for the hot weather, so wearing a sun hat was no big deal.

"Umu, that's perfect!" Homura said, stroking his chin and nodding in satisfaction.

He casually glanced around and picked up a gray sun hat, placing it on his head.

"Alright, from now on, you guys are the main force." Homura smiled as he headed to the counter to pay.

"Fufu, it's not the first time we've gotten gifts, but it is the first time for something like this." Fumino suddenly said with a giggle.

"Now that you mention it…" Miyako pondered, tapping her chin with her index finger. "Before, it was always games, manga, posters, and then you started giving us those handmade snacks. However, this is definitely the first time for a clothing-related gift."

Mafuyu fiddled with the brim of her sun hat, rotating it slightly, and nodded.

She decided to wear it for now!

As the girls walked outside the hat shop and approached Homura, he suddenly asked them.

"By the way... do support T-shirts count as a clothing-related gift?"

"..."

Fumino responded with a blank stare and then spoke in a hesitant tone.

"Probably not, right...?"

She was a bit uncertain about whether a support T-shirt qualified.

If it was worn, did that count?

Unfortunately, one couldn't wear it all the time since that kind of clothing was only for special events to show their support for a particular event, group, artist, or cause.

It was definitely a dilemma.

"Actually, I happen to be pretty decent at sewing..." Homura nodded. "I could make you all some clothes when I have time."

Upon hearing this, the girls stared at him in surprise.

Was this an unexpected bonus?

Realizing this, the girls felt a wave of delight in their hearts.

In truth, Homura just thought it would be nice to make them a few clothes as gifts, knowing that with his Sewing at Level 6 and a head full of design ideas, making clothes wasn't a big deal for him.

Moreover, he knew these good girls would rather receive a thoughtful gift from him than something expensive.

After all, what could be more meaningful than a handmade gift?