— — — — — —
Tony's Hair Salon
Ryo stood behind Asagi Aiba's chair and asked with a smile as the girl played with her hair:
"So? How does it feel?"
"Eh… not bad, I guess?"
Even though she was trying to play it cool, Asagi couldn't hide the grin tugging at the corners of her lips.
She twirled a lock of her now-silky hair between her fingers. Once jet-black, her hair was now a radiant shade of gold, gleaming brightly like it had soaked in sunshine. She couldn't help but stare at her reflection, dazzled by how good she looked.
Dang, am I glowing? I look like a whole new person...
Then, just as quickly, doubt started to creep in. She frowned slightly and said with a bit of hesitation. "Is it too flashy? I almost don't recognize myself like this…"
Ryo gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then gently turned her face toward the mirror.
"Just answer me one thing: do you like it?"
"…Yeah, I do. I really do."
There's not a girl in the world who'd turn down the chance to look prettier—and Asagi was no exception.
She hadn't thought much of her black hair before. But now, with the same golden shade as Avrora, everything felt… brighter, sunnier. Even her whole vibe seemed more upbeat.
Watching Asagi practically gushing over her new look, Ryo couldn't help but chuckle.
"As long as you like it, that's all that matters. No need to keep holding yourself back all the time."
"Mmph—!" Asagi let out a groan of surrender.
It's already done, so might as well enjoy it, right? That was her logic now—a bit of reluctant acceptance mixed with guilty pleasure.
Nearby, Avrora—her mouth smeared with ketchup from the sausages she was munching on—looked at Asagi with sparkling eyes.
"Ryo, Ryo! Can I dye my hair like that too?!"
Asagi nearly choked on a laugh. "Avrora… your hair's already blonde, remember?"
Avrora blinked. Then she reached up and tugged on her own golden locks, her expression lighting up in realization.
"Ohhh… right!"
That earned a round of giggles from Tony the stylist and Asagi.
Ryo shrugged and handed over a credit card to the cashier. "I'll pay."
"Wait, I've got it."
Asagi reached for her purse, but just as her hand touched the strap, Ryo casually said, "Don't worry about it. You already paid—" He pointed to the skewers in Avrora's hand. "—with those sausages."
"…That doesn't count!"
She was about to argue, but then caught Avrora quietly hiding the sausages behind her back.
'Seriously, no one's gonna steal your food,' Asagi thought with a sigh.
By the time she turned back, Ryo had already swiped the card.
Well, whatever. She'd just owe him one.
— — —
Outside, the shopping street was just as lively as ever, packed with people and buzzing with energy.
Asagi hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned to Ryo.
"I should probably head back now."
Ryo tilted his head, amused. "Wanna hit up a bar first?"
"Don't even joke like that!" Asagi's face turned bright red. "I just looked inside, okay? I wasn't gonna go in!"
"Ooh~" Ryo dragged out the sound, clearly enjoying himself.
Asagi looked like she was ready to kick him. She stomped her foot in frustration and huffed. "Whatever. What's your phone number?"
"Don't have one."
Ryo checked his pockets, but aside from a bank card Nangou gave him, there was literally nothing else.
"…Are you from the Stone Age?" Asagi deadpanned. "No phone, seriously?"
"Guess we'll fix that," she muttered, then suddenly grabbed Ryo's arm.
"Come with me. There's a decent phone shop up ahead."
And the second she did, she froze. 'Wait, am I seriously dragging some guy—who I just met today—to buy a phone? This looks way too sketchy…'
She blinked, then turned to look at Avrora, who was just biting into another sausage, eyes wide and innocent. Then a lightbulb went off in her head.
"Perfect! Avrora, you come too. I'll get you one too."
"Huh? A phone? What's that?" Avrora tilted her head in confusion.
"…Are both of you actually cavemen?"
Ryo let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, we just crawled out of the mountains. No money, no phones… life's rough."
That made Asagi laugh out loud. "Please. At least throw away that shiny credit card in your pocket before saying that."
Ryo shrugged, playing along. "Hey, it's not even mine. That's Natsuki's."
"…Oh yeah, that makes sense."
Then Asagi narrowed her eyes. "Wait a sec. How did you guys even meet Natsuki-chan? And why is she giving you money?"
Ryo raised an eyebrow and replied cheekily, "We are vampires?"
"Ohhh right."
Asagi nodded like it totally made sense. Avrora had almost tried to suck her blood a couple times before, but Ryo had explained that it was another personality. If Avrora was a vampire, and Ryo was her 'family,' then of course he was one too.
Seeing her actually buy the story, Ryo's grin widened.
"Hey, don't vampires usually have tombs to sleep in?"
"…That's true," Asagi said thoughtfully.
There had been lessons on that. Old vampires often built grand tombs and sealed themselves away for long sleeps. That's why vampire tombs were often targeted by grave robbers—some of whom sparked major incidents.
Ryo laughed. "Well, that's where I met Natsuki —in a tomb."
Wait. Hold on.
Asagi's eyes went wide. "You mean… someone raided your and Avrora's tomb, and then Natsuki —who's a state-certified magical enforcer—took them down? That's how you met?!"
Ryo grinned. "Why do you assume it wasn't Natsuki who raided the tomb?"
"…Huh?!"
Asagi was stunned. Natsuki-chan … raiding vampire graves?
No way, right?
Ryo turned to Avrora. "Hey, where did we meet Natsuki again?"
"Um… I think it was next to my coffin?" Avrora said after some thought.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
So Natsuki really did rob a vampire's tomb?!
This could be a whole light novel series! {During Summer Break, My English Teacher Made Bank by Robbing Graves—And She's a Legal Loli?!}
And right then, a cold voice cut in. "You two better not be making up weird stories about me."
.
.
.