Cat Conditioning
This was a mistake.
Nene hums, tail happily swishing as she combs out Yui's white locks. The still-damp hair has a soft, silky texture that the feline stylist enjoys playing with, to the delinquent's dismay.
"When did you get so much hair, Yui-chan?"
"Uh, I started growing it a while ago. Are you almost done?"
"What!? We've barely started! I can't take any shortcuts after you asked me so cutely!"
Yui groans and tries to get comfortable in her seat. Even with how long she'd been attending classes, staying still for so long wasn't something she could ever get used to. Still, Nene was right. With the Festival coming up soon and everyone else intent on dressing up, she felt like trying to as well. The only problem was that anything beyond the bare minimum of grooming escaped her. Orochi and Ashleigh could have helped, but something felt awkward about suddenly springing this on them. She considered asking Hailey but shot down the thought when she realized she might have to deal with the rest, and she wasn't quite ready for that. Eventually, she settled on Nene since the bakeneneko was unlikely to refuse her or ask too many questions.
Students filter out of Shiketsu's front gate, chattering with each other and planning how to spend their evening. Yui leans against the gate with her arms crossed as she taps her foot restlessly. Her eyes stay fixed on the crowds as she looks for a certain upperclassman to no avail. Part of her wanted to forget the whole thing and catch up with her usual group, but just as she was about to relent and storm off, a set of arms wrapped around her from behind.
"The hell do you think you are!?"
Beating someone up in front of the school wasn't really an option. Still, being grabbed so suddenly had the delinquent on edge. She whips around with a scowl on her face and ready to get rough enough to scare her attacker off, only to come face-to-face with the person she was looking for. Her scowl softens to a look of mild annoyance and relaxes her posture.
"Aww, what's that look for?"
Nene rocks back and forth while giving Yui an innocent look of faux confusion.
"Tch. I told ya not to do that."
Hugs she knew were coming were already awkward, so sudden ones from behind weren't great surprises in her book. Nene only pouts, a hint of mischief in her gaze as Yui prepares to groan at whatever she's about to say.
"But then you'd never let me hug you! Besides, you act all cute when I do it~"
The edges of Yui's mouth dip into a frown and her cheeks burn slightly. Arguing with the catgirl never seemed to go her way.
She always manages to make shit even more embarrassing.
The delinquent shakes her head and refocuses, giving Nene a stern look.
"Look, you busy? I, uh, need a favor."
She scratches her cheek and looks, already dreading how her companion might respond.
"Oh? What kind of favor?"
Nene grins, practically beaming as she leans forward in anticipation. Yui shoots her glare and glances around before speaking in a softer tone than usual.
"It ain't anything special. I...I just want you to do my hair is all."
Making such a mundane request shouldn't have left her feeling so sheepish, but the oddly pleased look on Nene's face made her think that maybe this was the wrong call.
"Aww~ I'd love to help make you even cuter! Just give me some time to get ready, and I'll be over!"
The catgirl is off before Yui can't get another word in. After a second of deliberation, she starts sprinting in the opposite direction.
Dammit. Now I gotta clean up. Where am I even gonna put all that crap?
A sweet, fruity scent that can't quite be placed fills the air alongside another spritz of detangler. To her credit, Yui had tried to manage the extra length to the best of her ability. She wasn't totally clueless — she kept her hair long when she was younger and was at least able to prevent anything from nesting in it. Until she took Ako in, that is. The cat had taken a liking to playing with her hair.
"Hiiiiiiiiiss!"
The cat in question bats at Nene's swishing tail with her paws. Ako was less than pleased to see Yui bring home some other cat. Even worse, she was playing with her. It had been years since she had gotten to play with Yui's hair. If Ako didn't show this intruder her place now, she might even start eating her food and asking Yui for toys too.
Nene ignores the mundane cat's attempts to fight with her. Instead, she focuses on her work as she studies the references the delinquent texted her. It wasn't anything too difficult — the bulk of the length would be neatly tied back while her bangs and sidelocks were left to frame her face. If she were to guess, the style seemed picked to soften Yui's features a bit.
"Hey, Yui-chan? What made you decide to choose this?"
Yui's brows furrow. Her inexperience meant that she hadn't actually put much thought into it. After finding something she liked, she just asked Hailey for a second opinion since she figured the diva wouldn't have trouble telling her how ugly it actually was.
"Just thought it was cute. Why? Is it bad for me?"
A slight bit of doubt creeps into Yui's voice, but Nene dismisses her worry with a giggle as she finally gets to twisting her hair.
"Nope! I'm sure it'll look extra cute on you~"
The delinquent grumbles something under her breath and relaxes again. She does her best to follow along with Nene's motions. However, despite her initial reservations and impatience, the experience was surprisingly enjoyable. With the catgirl's humming acting as a kind of lullaby, Yui finds herself drifting off before she realizes it.
"Yui-chan?"
The delinquent jumps slightly as her cheeks flush. Falling asleep after bothering someone like this wasn't a good look.
Did she notice?
"Y-Yeah?"
"Why's all your stuff up there?"
Nene's gaze shifts from Yui to the ceiling of her quaint home. Several net-like objects hang down, containing the delinquent's clothes and other items she usually left lying around.
Yui's blush deepens and her voice takes on a defensive tone.
"It's not like you gave me a lot of time to clean up, okay?"
Or like I have anywhere else to put all that crap.*