part2 · 089-ep89

Episode 89: A Haircut After Ten Years

The next morning.

Ren woke early, as he always had.

Ten years living in the dungeon. Without any alarm, his body simply woke on its own.

He rose from the bed and slipped out of the room without a sound. A while later, Mizuki got up too.

"...Morning, Ren."

"...Morning."

Mizuki looked at him, still a bit sleepy-eyed.

And then—

her movements stopped.

"......"

"...?"

Mizuki stared hard at Ren's face.

"...Ren."

"...What?"

"That hair. And that beard..."

Ren touched his own hair.

It wasn't as if it had grown long. He kept it out of his eyes. Kept it from getting in the way when he fought.

Every time it grew, he'd trimmed the bare minimum with a knife. So the lengths were uneven — no one could call it neat.

And then—

the beard.

That one had gotten almost no care at all.

"...Is there a problem?"

"There is."

The reply was instant.

"Let's go to a hair salon today."

"...A hair salon?"

"Yeah. My regular one."

Ren thought it over.

It wasn't that he didn't know hair salons. He'd lived an ordinary life on the surface until fifteen. Naturally, he'd been to one before.

It was just—

the last time had been ten years ago.

"...Okay."

"Good."

Mizuki nodded, satisfied. Then her eyes happened to fall on Ren's clothes.

"......"

So much had happened yesterday.

The reunion after ten years. The dealings with the police. Bringing Ren back to her home and hearing about his ten years.

Then the meal, on top of it all—

Honestly, Mizuki's head still hadn't caught up. That was why, yesterday, she hadn't thought twice about what Ren was wearing.

But—

looking at them now, the clothes he wore were clearly not ordinary either.

Black-based clothing. At a glance, it could pass for ordinary wear. Up close, though, the difference showed.

The texture of the fabric. A toughness beyond all reason.

And—

the faint magic drifting off of it.

"...Ren."

"...?"

"Those clothes too... did you get them in the dungeon?"

"...Yeah."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed.

Just as she thought.

She hadn't noticed yesterday. No — she hadn't had the room to notice.

Her childhood friend, returned after ten years, was standing right in front of her. That alone had filled Mizuki's head to bursting.

"...You'd better not go outside wearing those."

"...I shouldn't?"

"You shouldn't. Let's get you into normal clothes."

"...Okay."

"Do you have clothes you can change into?"

"...I do."

Ren reached a hand toward his waist.

And then—

a space tinged with pale light appeared before him.

"...What?"

Mizuki's eyes went wide.

"That's..."

"...Item Box."

Ren answered as if it were nothing.

"Ren... you have Item Box?"

"...Yeah."

Mizuki was astonished.

Any adventurer knew of Item Box. But it wasn't something just anyone could have. Even Mizuki, an A-rank adventurer, knew how rare it was.

"...Since when?"

"...I got it in the dungeon."

"...I see."

While Mizuki was still reeling, Ren searched through his stored clothes.

And—

he drew one out.

"Will this do?"

"Hold on!"

Mizuki hurriedly stopped him.

"What is that?"

"...Clothes."

"That's not what I meant!"

The clothes in Ren's hand looked, at a glance, like ordinary black clothing.

But—

Mizuki could tell.

A faint magic drifted from the garment itself. Clearly not ordinary clothes.

"...That's dungeon-made, isn't it?"

"...Yeah."

"You absolutely cannot go outside in that!"

"...I can't?"

"You can't!"

Ren looked at the clothes, puzzled.

To Ren, they were just clothes. Equipment he'd gotten in the dungeon. Perfectly wearable. It had never occurred to him there was a problem.

But through Mizuki's eyes—

worn out in the streets, they would stand out, no question.

"...You have others?"

"...Yeah."

Ren reached for another set of clothes.

"Wait!"

Mizuki stopped him again.

"Not that one either!"

"...This one too?"

"No!"

Ren looked at another outfit. It was the same story.

It carried magic. Clearly different from ordinary clothing.

"...They're all dungeon-made?"

"...Yeah."

"......"

Mizuki clutched her head.

"Ren..."

"...?"

"We're buying you normal clothes."

"...Okay."

"For now, I'll go buy some nearby."

"...Nearby?"

"The convenience store close by. I'm sure they have sweats."

Mizuki picked up her smartphone and wallet.

"Wait here, Ren."

"...Yeah."

"I'll be right back."

With that, Mizuki left the house alone.

　　　　　◇

A few minutes later.

"I'm home."

Mizuki's voice came from the entryway. Ren turned around.

In her hands was a convenience store bag.

"Here. This'll do for now."

Out of the bag came a simple set of sweats, top and bottom.

"We're just going to the salon, so this is fine."

"...Okay."

Ren took the sweats.

From dungeon gear to ordinary clothes.

Such a small thing, really—

and yet, he felt a little like he had truly come back to the town.

"We'll get you proper clothes later."

"...Yeah."

"Go on and change, then."

"...Okay."

Ren went back to his room and changed into the sweats. A little while later, he returned.

"Well?"

"Yeah. That works."

Mizuki smiled, relieved.

"Then let's head to the salon."

"...Yeah."

Mizuki took out her smartphone.

"First, let me give them a call."

She called her regular hair salon.

"Hello? It's Mizuki."

After a short exchange, Mizuki went on.

"About today... would it be possible to have the place to ourselves, first thing in the morning?"

An answer came back from the other end.

"Yeah. Sorry for the short notice."

Mizuki bowed her head several times as she spoke.

"...Thank you. This really helps."

She hung up.

"...A private booking?"

"Yeah."

Mizuki looked at Ren.

"Even just me going out, there's a chance of being recognized."

These days, Mizuki was an ex-model. And an A-rank adventurer — known as well for leading 《Astra》.

Walking into a salon like anyone else, of course, meant a good chance of drawing eyes.

But—

today, that wasn't the only reason.

Ren would be at her side. Hair trimmed only minimally, by his own hand. A beard barely tended in ten years.

If the two of them walked the streets like that—

it wouldn't be only Mizuki drawing attention.

If anything—

"Who's the man next to her?"

curious stares like that would likely land on Ren. She didn't want him — just home after ten years — exposed to more eyes than necessary.

"...It's because you're with me."

"...?"

"Alone, I can manage, more or less. But..."

Mizuki smiled a little.

"Walking with you right now? We'd probably really stand out."

"...Would we?"

"Yeah."

Mizuki nodded.

"So I'd rather keep us out of sight as much as we can."

"...Okay."

"First thing in the morning, there won't be any other customers."

"...I see."

"That way you don't have to worry, right?"

"...Yeah."

Mizuki laughed, softly.

"Then off we go."

　　　　　◇

Early in the morning.

There wasn't a single other customer in the salon.

"Good morning!"

"Morning, Mizuki-chan!"

The stylist greeted them with a smile.

"Thank you so much for today."

"Oh, it's nothing. You're always coming to see us, Mizuki-chan."

And then—

the stylist looked at Ren.

"...?"

The stylist's eyes widened a little.

Uneven hair — though not extremely long. And on his face, a beard barely tended in ten years.

"...You cut it yourself?"

"...Yeah."

The stylist studied Ren's hair.

"I see... You kept it trimmed yourself, so it wouldn't get in the way."

"...Yeah."

Then the stylist's gaze moved to the beard.

"The beard... hasn't had much care, I see."

"...No."

Mizuki gave a wry smile.

"The beard's pretty much untouched."

"I see."

The stylist looked at Ren.

"Well then — shall we tidy up that hair?"

"...Please."

Ren sat down in the chair.

And—

his first haircut in ten years began.

The scissors moved through his hair. The uneven strands were tidied, little by little.

It hadn't been in his eyes. Even so, merely tidying hair that had gotten only the bare minimum of care changed the impression he gave, more and more.

Before long—

"All done."

Ren looked in the mirror.

"......"

His hair was neatly in order.

But—

the beard was still there.

"...What about the beard?"

Mizuki looked at Ren.

"...Shave it."

"Right. Then we'll stop by the barbershop after this."

"...A barbershop?"

"Yep. There's one close by."

"...Okay."

They left the hair salon. And the two of them headed for the barbershop nearby.

　　　　　◇

"Welcome."

Once Mizuki explained the situation, they were shown right in.

"Could you shave his beard for him?"

"Of course."

Ren sat down in the chair.

The beard, barely tended for so long, was shaved away little by little.

His cheeks. His chin. Around his mouth.

The face hidden for ten years emerged, bit by bit.

And—

"All done."

Ren raised his head.

"......"

He looked in the mirror. Beside him, Mizuki looked at him too.

"......"

Her breath caught without her meaning it to.

Without the beard, the lines of his face stood out clearly. Fine features. Sharp eyes.

And—

somehow different from ten years ago. Or so he seemed to Mizuki.

Ren had always had well-set features. But. A body changed over ten years. And now the tidied hair, the shaven face.

That face of his—

was even finer than before.

The fight with the Ancient Dragon. 《Transcendent》, activated at the very brink.

That power had evolved Ren's body further still. His skeleton. His muscles. The very structure of his body.

All of it had shifted toward a more ideal form.

And that—

had reached his face as well.

As if everything extraneous had been pared away. As if the bone beneath had been set into a more ideal frame.

The change, hidden all this time beneath the beard, now stood out plain as day.

"......"

Mizuki couldn't take her eyes off him.

"...Mizuki?"

"...Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Nothing..."

Mizuki hurriedly looked away. Then, just once more, she looked at him.

"...You've really changed."

"...Have I?"

"Yeah."

Ren looked in the mirror. But he couldn't quite see it himself.

"...We just cleaned up my hair and beard."

"I don't think that's all it is."

"...?"

Mizuki smiled, a little.

"Your face was always well-set, though."

"...Was it?"

"It was."

Ren tilted his head.

He had hardly given his own face a thought in ten years. In the dungeon, how his face looked had nothing to do with staying alive.

"...You're handsome now, huh."

"......?"

Ren's face said he genuinely had no idea what that meant. Mizuki burst out laughing despite herself.

"You really can't tell, huh."

"...Not really, no."

"I see."

Mizuki's smile turned delighted.

"But I like this look better."

"...I see."

Ren looked at the mirror once more.

And—

his eyes narrowed, just slightly.

"...It feels strange."

"Well, it has been ten years."

"...Yeah."

Mizuki stood up.

"Okay, next—"

she looked at Ren.

"let's go get you some clothes."

The two of them left the barbershop.

His hair, tidied for the first time in ten years. His beard, shaved for the first time in ten years.

Even looking at himself in the mirror, Ren couldn't quite feel it yet.

But—

Mizuki knew.

The one standing before her was not the boy from ten years ago.

He was the Kurose Ren of today—

the man who had lived through ten whole years and survived.