I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

The President stepped out of the restroom inside the tourist information center about five minutes later.

“Did I keep you waiting long?”
“No, I was just looking at a map of the Asakusa area.”
When I said that and pointed at the large map on the bulletin board in front of the information center, the President peeked at it with a curious expression.

The path we’d walked, centered around Sensoji—Asakusa’s landmark—was shown in summary on the map.
“Come to think of it, I heard there’s a famous walking path nearby.”
“Shall we check it out once we’re done choosing a gift?”

“That sounds lovely. The wisteria should be blooming right about now.”
When people think of flower viewing in Japan, cherry blossoms usually come to mind first, but the wisteria flowers that bloom around April to May are just as beautiful.
The sight of purple flowers hanging in clusters along the path is truly breathtaking.

Chatting softly, we headed to our final destination—a kimono shop in Asakusa.
***
The kimono shop was located inside an arcade shopping street a little away from the central area of Sensoji in Asakusa.

With fabrics of all colors hanging outside like a curtain, it gave off a distinct feeling of an old-fashioned textile shop.
Drrrk—
“Excuse us.”

We slid open the wooden door and stepped into the aged store, where a middle-aged shop owner at the counter greeted us warmly.
“Oh my, students? What are you here to buy?”
Then the President snapped her fan lightly against her palm and said,

“I’d like to look at some kimonos and yukatas. The price doesn’t matter—please bring out the best items this store has to offer.”
Hearing that, the shop owner flinched slightly, then stood up with a chuckling “Ohoho.”
“In that case, just give me a moment~”
As the shop owner began rummaging through a drawer behind the counter, the President turned to me and asked,

“What color do you think would suit a foreigner well?”
I rubbed my chin and replied,
“Colors that suit people differ from person to person. I think something neutral would be best. Maybe black, white, or blue?”

“Hmm. Then let’s take a look at them first and narrow it down to whichever looks best.”
Soon, the shop owner brought out five boxes woven from bamboo.
Placing them on the table, he explained what was inside.

“These three are kimonos, and these two are yukatas. Of course, prices vary a lot with clothes, but among the ready-made items, the best kimono in our store goes for about 500,000 yen. The yukatas are cheaper.”
Opening the first box, he revealed a black kimono adorned with a vivid floral pattern.
It was clearly on a different level from the average-priced kimonos.

However, the President, who had quite a discerning eye for such things, seemed slightly dissatisfied and pointed to the next box with her fan.
“May I see the next one as well?”
“As much as you’d like.”

The second box contained a beautiful kimono embroidered with plum blossoms in gold thread on a white base.
Unlike the showy black one, this had a restrained elegance to it.
It seemed to be more to the President’s taste, as the stiffness in her expression softened a little.

Still, perhaps intending to see all of them before deciding, she asked to open the next box without hesitation.
One by one, one by one, one by one.
After checking all five kimonos and yukatas, the President ultimately selected two.

The white kimono she had liked from the start and a slightly more modest yukata with morning glories drawn on a blue background.
Honestly, both looked beautiful to me, but the President had a deeply contemplative look on her face.
As her indecision dragged on, the shop owner who had been watching nearby came up with a clever suggestion.

“Miss, if you’re having such a hard time deciding, why don’t you try them on?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Even if it’s a gift, trying it on when you’re unsure isn’t a bad idea.”

Perhaps it was a tempting offer, because the President hesitated slightly and asked me,
“What do you think, Kim Yu-seong?”
I hadn’t expected the question to come my way, but to me, it didn’t sound like a bad suggestion either.

“I think trying them on would help you make a decision.”
The President gave a gentle smile and nodded.
“Fufu, then very well. I’ll try them on.”

“Then please come this way. There’s a room available inside.”
Following the shop owner’s guidance, the President stepped into a spare room in the back of the store.
Trying on a kimono takes quite some time, so I figured I might as well play a mobile game while I waited.

***
“Young lady, welcome.”
“Hiiik!”

Saionji Kumiko, who had followed the shop owner into the spare room, was startled to find Minami already waiting there.
“M-Minami, what are you doing here?!”
“While you were buying time, I came ahead and rented the shop for one hour. The owner kindly agreed.”

“Fufu, acting for the first time like this is rather fun.”
“You’re doing great. Just keep it up.”
The two conversed as if they had rehearsed this all in advance.

Watching them, Kumiko covered her mouth with her fan and said,
“Then the suggestion to try on the kimono too…!”
“That was my doing. It seems you didn’t catch on.”

“Kh! You’re right, I didn’t notice at all.”
As Kumiko clenched her fist in frustration, the shop owner placed a hand on her shoulder and said,
“Come now, we don’t have much time. That boyfriend of yours must be waiting impatiently outside.”

“W-W-W-What! We’re not in that kind of relationship yet!”
“Yet, huh? Ufufu. How adorable.”
Though the shop owner had been acting all innocent outside, she now laughed behind her sleeve, making Kumiko’s face flush bright red.

Guided by the shop owner’s hand, Kumiko stood in front of the mirror, and Minami bowed her head slightly before placing her hands on her body.
“Now then, young lady. Excuse me.”
“Auntie’s gonna make you look as pretty as possible.”

“Kyaa! Not there!”
Srrk! Srrrk!
***

Drrrk!
At the sound of the sliding door opening, I lifted my gaze from my phone screen.
And I unconsciously held my breath.

“W-What do you think?”
The President turned her eyes slightly away, brushing her hair behind her ear as she asked.
But I couldn’t immediately respond.

That’s because the sight of the President in a kimono was beyond what I had imagined.
Golden plum blossoms were embroidered along the white sleeve hems.
The red obi wrapped around her waist to keep the kimono from loosening added vivid color to the otherwise pure white garment, making it even more stunning.

And what completed the look was the President’s delicate features.
Her long black hair, neatly trimmed, scattered beautifully over the white kimono like a scene from an old tale.
Her lips, perhaps tinted with rouge, looked redder than usual—contrasting with her naturally pale skin and making her appear even more enchanting.

“…You’re beautiful.”
It was the only thing I could say after much mental scrambling.
To be honest, I couldn’t come up with anything better.

I found myself thinking: “It’d be nice if she always dressed like this…”
“R-Really?”
Her face flushed red as she nodded, and perhaps to hide her embarrassment, she snapped open her black fan and resumed her usual tone.

“Ohohohoho! I usually keep my power sealed away, but when I get serious, this is the result!”
It felt like she had finally returned to the President I knew, so I clapped and played along.
“Remarkable, President.”

“Good! Then I’ll go change into the yukata next, so wait here for just a moment!”
She pointed her fan at me dramatically and hurried back into the room.
Watching her all-too-familiar retreating figure, I gave a wry smile and returned to my phone game as I waited for her to change.

***
Saionji Kumiko thought to herself.
That if she showed Kim Yu-seong what she looked like in a kimono, he would surely fall for her.

She was that confident in her own beauty. So she opened the sliding door without hesitation and stepped forward to face him.
But the moment their eyes met, her mind went completely blank.
Just moments before stepping out, she had rehearsed countless flirty lines, but now that she had to say them, nothing came to mind.

It felt like her brain had become an empty sheet of paper.
Avoiding Kim Yu-seong’s gaze, she barely managed to whisper,
“W-What do you think?”

But perhaps her voice was too quiet, or maybe he just needed time to think, because he didn’t respond right away.
Maybe he doesn’t like it? Was I the only one who thought I looked good? What if he says it doesn’t suit me?
In that fleeting moment, all sorts of negative thoughts flashed through Kumiko’s head.

“…You’re beautiful.”
But the one sentence Kim Yu-seong finally spoke melted all those fears away like snow.
“R-Really?”

Her face grew hot.
She hadn’t done anything, but it felt like the whole store had suddenly turned on the heating.
Just like that day—

The day she met Kim Yu-seong again under the pretense of scouting him for the student council—
That irrepressible affection tried to rise to the surface again.
“Ohohohoho! I usually ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) keep my power sealed away, but when I get serious, this is the result!”

And so, she covered her face with her fan.
Because she could no longer bear to meet his eyes directly.
“Remarkable, President.”

“Good! Then I’ll go change into the yukata next, so wait here for just a moment!”
Drrrk!
Tap!

Quickly ducking behind the sliding door to escape his gaze, Kumiko pressed her burning cheeks with both hands and murmured,
“…What do I do.”

Saionji Kumiko—direct bloodline of the great Saionji family and student council president of Ichijo Academy—was now—
Completely caught in the fever of love.