Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

“…Excuse me, but who are you?”

The door opened, and hesitant footsteps followed. The novelist, unable to move on the hospital bed, turned his head—fixed in place by a brace—by shifting his gaze toward the door.

As a result, a somewhat unfamiliar figure entered his field of vision…?

“Ahem… Has Assistant-kun suffered head trauma from the fall? Can you not even recognize the dignified presence of the great detective, Yuko-sama?”

It was indeed Senpai, no doubt about that.

…However, why did her tone seem somewhat more arrogant than usual?

The girl standing at the door, as if finally having made up her mind, walked toward him.

Asami Yuko approached him, and this time, he could clearly see her full figure. It was precisely because of this that the novelist couldn’t help feeling surprised.

Senpai’s appearance and the atmosphere around her had clearly changed, which was why he instinctively asked that question before even seeing Yuko’s face… The current Asami-senpai and the impression she had given him before had an obvious discrepancy, with a surprisingly drastic change.

Her hair, which had previously grown past her knees because Senpai couldn’t be bothered to cut it and was usually unkempt, had evidently been professionally trimmed and maintained.

Her black hair was cut to the perfect length, gleaming with a silky luster under the light as it cascaded down like a waterfall. The bangs that used to cover half her face were similarly cut into a hime-style, revealing Senpai’s small, oval face and proper features.

Unlike when she first met the novelist, when she might have left others with psychological trauma due to her appearance resembling a long-haired monster or school ghost, the current Asami-senpai would give anyone who saw her at first glance the impression of “a well-bred, pure and adorable good girl.”

Additionally, her once oversized uniform with drooping sleeves and a conservative below-knee skirt had been replaced by a light-colored, fitted blouse adorned with a ribbon at the collar, emphasizing her youthful vitality, paired with a short red jacket and a plaid skirt. Below the skirt, white thin socks wrapped around her beautifully contoured calves, and her feet were in black leather shoes.

…Impressive. This was a fresh summer outfit that wouldn’t look out of place on a student model featured on the frontispiece of a fashion magazine. The novelist couldn’t help but admire it.

As mentioned earlier, if not for her completely careless appearance and attire due to her disregard for her looks, plus her aura of lethargy, Asami-senpai would not have transformed from a genuine pretty girl who could easily win others’ favor into a strange person who made others want to keep their distance at first sight.

Now, the gloomy atmosphere that had previously enveloped her had completely vanished, replaced by the charm of a young woman. Perhaps at the current Yuihara High School, Senpai could replace Yayoi as the school idol…

“Hmm, how about it? Is Assistant-kun dumbfounded?”

Standing before him, Asami-senpai placed her hands on her hips and displayed a smug smile.

“I didn’t recognize…”

“Sorry, sorry, I was just joking earlier. How could I possibly fail to see Senpai?”

The novelist smiled.

Though he couldn’t move his body.

However… in his case, he could still “tease” her with words alone.

“Asami-senpai, aren’t you terribly embarrassed right now?”

A direct hit to her weak point.

“Uwah…!”

Asami-senpai placed her hands on her skirt hem, fidgeting awkwardly; her cheeks flushed bright red, and her gaze avoided meeting his.

I see. Completely unaccustomed to this style of dress, Asami-senpai was feeling embarrassed about it. That’s why she had deliberately put on that confident air…

“Not used to it?”

“…Mm.”

After a moment of silence, Asami-senpai honestly nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Why does becoming a great detective require learning how to dress up and apply makeup…”

The girl muttered complaints quietly, curling up her petite body on the bed like a stray cat in a cardboard box, hugging her knees.

“And they say this is just the first version… Depending on the response later, I might need to learn how to cultivate attributes like tsundere, assertiveness, or airheadedness to attract popularity… Of course, such proposals will definitely be rejected by me!”

A detective trusted by others needs not only brains but also needs to be liked by the public. If they were male, it would be much easier; if they were female, if they were an older woman, they wouldn’t need to go to this extent…

Regrettably, reality is what it is. Although a person’s abilities have nothing to do with age or gender, the social climate and public opinion are not things easily changed. The current Asami-senpai still needs to use her appearance, not just her intellect, to advance toward her life goal of becoming a great detective… This point is certainly a justified and correct approach. But it’s also natural for her to feel displeased and uncomfortable with it.

“Haha, actually, I’m quite looking forward to it.”

“R-really?”

“Yes, because you truly look cute.”

Honest praise from the opposite sex made Asami-senpai’s cheeks grow even redder, but emotionally, she seemed to feel a bit better.

“Actually, I was mentally prepared for this. But I still find it troubling. It’s just a small matter, yet I’m bothered. I’m not mature enough.”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s only natural.”

“…Assistant-kun is only skilled with words. I heard that you almost reduced that mastermind to tears and near fainting just through verbal conversation; the police were shocked when they arrived.”

Is this… a compliment?

“Using words rather than violence to defeat enemies is a privilege reserved for righteous protagonists. So without a doubt, it’s a compliment, right?”

Senpai, you really are a mind-reader…

Asami Yuko raised her head, staring at something unknown—then, she turned her face and quietly gazed at the young man lying on the hospital bed.

“On my way here, I met several girls who know you well and spoke with each of them briefly.”

“…”

Eh…?

What-what-what-what should I answer at this moment? Oh no, I’m panicking too much!

Of course, the subsequent conversation didn’t develop in the direction the novelist feared.

“It might be impolite to say this, but some of them seem rather… no, very troublesome. Although I’m not entirely clear… my detective’s intuition tells me so. Are you really going to be alright?”

Senpai’s words were vague.

“W-well, I’m completely uninterested in Assistant-kun’s relationships! But, but if you get involved in some dangerous incident because of this, then at that time—”

Just as Asami Yuko was about to continue, he grasped her hand.

With the novelist’s uninjured right hand.

“At that time, naturally, we’ll rely on the great detective to resolve the problem.”

A completely serious answer.

“By the way, I’ll properly record Asami-senpai’s brilliant moments and make them known to the whole world—that’s why you chose me back then, isn’t it?”

…Is that so?

Asami Yuko tilted her head.

She was a bit… unable to remember. Despite her memory being strong enough to recognize ants she’d seen the day before, she couldn’t recall the answer to this question.

But…

“Hmph, that’s right. That’s exactly it, Assistant-kun! Just wait there in anticipation! For the era when the great detective displays her prowess!”

The girl laughed happily.

“…I-is that so? Then I’ll look forward to it.”

The novelist breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, the future might become more dangerous and chaotic, but that should be set aside for now.

Ah, though seeing Asami-senpai becoming spirited again made him want to tease her… of course, he would restrain himself for the time being.

“I heard everything! Is Assistant-kun planning to commit insubordination? Such a thing will not be allowed!”

The young detective puffed up her cheeks, shooting him a disapproving glare.

You’re not even trying to hide your mind-reading abilities anymore?

“I already said it out loud just now—you stupid assistant!”

All in all.

Not changing is good.

That’s just fine.

Reality and fiction always diverge.

…However.

If, just if.

If a protagonist truly existed, everything would be different. Even if what just played out was a romantic comedy with clichéd plot structure and character lines, it would be perfectly fine.

Because, as the “protagonist,” she…

Is truly adorable!

TL Note: Hey Guys, it’s your friendly translator. I have some bad news to share regarding this novel.  Given the poor performance of this novel in terms of views and lack of interest from the readers, I’ll be reducing the release rate to around 3-4 chaps/week. Please don’t worry about the novel being dropped as I already have started working on the next volume but yeah due to IRL reasons too, I’ll be reducing the release rate of this novel. Please let me know in the comments if anyone is still reading this novel.