Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume16 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 4===

Maximilian Pendragon halted his footsteps.

Staring at ''that scene'', he cocked his head.

He had walked here simply to eliminate the possibility without getting his hopes up. Rather, one could say he had come here to confirm that nothing had happened. After ordering his subordinates to investigate, visiting this place that was found, then breaking and entering on his own, doing a quick search and rummage, then thinking "Where did she run off to?" before moving onto the next place&mdash;That was how he envisaged the process. Originally.

"..."

The sun was setting. The shopping street was quiet all around.

However, the Dan-no-ura beauty parlor in one corner there still had its lights on.

Stuck to the glass door in front of Pendragon was a notice reading "Appointments Only."

Clinging to his hand, Riko exchanged puzzled glances with Granaury on the side.

"No way..."

He walked inside.

It would be a stretch of flattery even if one were to call this place "not very big." Also, ''she'' was sitting on the innermost chair in the shop.

Talking on the phone. She threw a glance at Pendragon but still kept her cellphone against her ear.

"Yeah, so you guys will return home first? Got it. I heard that Ficchi was quite shocked... Haru, you must comfort her properly... Me? Well, I'm... Hmm, perfectly fine."

Then she hung up. Smiling sweetly, she stood up from her chair and bowed to the latest arrivals.

"Welcome, dear customer. I've been waiting for you a long time."

"...What are you planning?"

Pendragon looked around. He first suspected a trap, but there were no presences of people hiding.

Wearing an apron, Kuroe did not show any hostility or murderous intent. She was no different from usual.

"This mess of hair looks like it's really worth a cut~ Come come, please sit over here."

Kuroe spun the chair next to her hand once and waved to him. Unknown intent. Frowning, he looked at her.

"Oh~ Looks like we have a shy customer today~"

Kuroe walked over to him and even pulled him by the hand forcefully. Because she was too unguarded, too natural&mdash;Just as no one would feel afraid if they saw a baby reaching out to them, the idea of dodging did not enter his mind at all. He allowed the tiny hand to pull him and force him to sit on the beauty parlor chair. The seat cushion was quite soft. His reflection in the mirror showed his brow in a deep furrow.

"Hey... What's this about?"

"Oh! I know, you're planning to stand behind him and cut his throat like this with a razor, right!? Over my dead body, I won't let you succeed!"

"I'd fail as a hairstylist if I ever hurt my customers~ Oh, you two can't separate, right? Then it's fine to stay as you are. It might be a bit tight, so please hang in there~"

"Wap!"

Including Riko who had moved to Pendragon's thigh, Kuroe wrapped the barber's cloth around Pendragon, covering Riko's head as well.

"I-I can't believe you're wrapping me tight with Maximilian together so forcefully... I-It feels different from usual. How to say this? Like umm, the smell of necks... Sniff sniff. Oh! No, you're digging your won grave here! Since I'm staying so close, even without turning into armor, you absolutely won't be able to hurt Maximilian&mdash;!"

Pendragon shifted his gaze slightly to look at the adjacent mirror, only to see the reflection of Granaury taking a seat on her own in the waiting area and start reading a magazine. She wouldn't be waiting for her turn to get a haircut, would she?

(So there's really no hostility...?)

Neither himself, Granaury or Riko thought there was any. Even if she had some kind of plan, under these circumstances, Riko definitely could protect his neck and back completely. Otherwise, she could instantly transform into armor to cover him too. Any false move from Kuroe and Granaury behind her was not going to stand back without doing anything. The chance of harming him was virtually zero.

He sighed.

"Although I've no idea what you want to do... I won't change my mind no matter what you do."

"Let's not talk about that. You're my customer right now. So, how do you want it cut? Just thinning it overall will do, right...? If I cut your hair too short, it'll lose that wild feel, so I won't change the length too much."

She picking up a handful of hair lightly, she said confidently. Pendragon did not know if she understood him. No matter how much strength or pressure he exerted, it felt like he was being blocked lightly&mdash;like punching a curtain, as futile as driving nails into bran&mdash;He recalled this kind of Japanese proverb.

"...Do as you like."

"Very well~"

The snipping of scissors was heard. Whenever the scissors move left or right, Riko's threatening face would move left and right as well. Honestly, it was quite annoying but nothing could be done about it.

"So, let's chat for a bit~"

"This is your actual goal, right?"

"I don't have any goal. It's common for hairstylists and customers to chat."

"There are people who don't want to chat, right?"

"I am a professional, so I can tell from a single look who doesn't want to chat. In those cases, I will work away quietly. But... dear customer, you're not one of them~ You're giving off strong vibes of wanting to chat~"

He sighed again.

"Chat about what?"

"Anything. Just casual chatting will do~"

Casual chatting? This was the goal? He felt even more lost.

Listening to the scissors, he answered questions as necessary. Weather. This country's climate and customs.

Then&mdash;The subject somehow drifted to being about her, about him.

Likes. Dislikes. Past. Future. Birth. Memories. About Sekaibashi and his group. About them and Pendragon when they were still in the Draconians. About Yachi Haruaki and his friends. Her time spent in that home. About Riko and Granaury. Pendragon's entourage currently.

Kuroe was in charge of leading the conversation while Pendragon simply responded gruffly. However, she really was chatting like with a normal customer, giggling lightly, making amazed noises, asking questions as soon as they occurred to her. A special skill of conversation unique to people working in the service industry&mdash;Even though she was not human.

It felt unbelievable. The scissors' rhythmic sounds. His gradually lightening head.
[[image:C3 16-219.png|thumb]]

Hearing some of the things she said, Pendragon almost burst out laughing and suddenly came to a realization.

He had not come here to laugh. He had not come here to chat.

He had come here to obtain her.

It felt like he was getting dragged into her pace.

"Hmm~ That's pretty much it. Want to get your hair washed?"

"...No thanks."

"I see. Then the haircut is done. This is what the back looks like. Wow~ So manly~"

Kuroe took out a folding mirror to let him check his hair on the back. He took a glance&mdash;No problems. Instead, it felt quite refreshing, quite comfortable.

He looked away from the mirror Kuroe was holding and stared at the large mirror directly in front of him.

Through the mirror, he made eye contact with her.

She snapped the folding mirror shut and smiled.

A smile as light as floating feathers.

"So... This pretty much... all I can do."

Pendragon felt a vague and unknown feeling in his heart. A sense of discomfort difficult to place. An unclear sense of anxiety. Ambiguous unease. If forced to articulate into words, it was something like this.

His pace was disrupted. Totally disrupted.

What to do&mdash;?

How could he recover?

&mdash;A redundant question.

No matter how tyrannical...

He deliberately acted according to his own style. That was his only choice.

"..."

He exhaled. Not only that, Riko apparently understood his thoughts from her position directly in front of his breath. Just as she suddenly narrowed her eyes&mdash;

"Are you happy now? No more games."

Pendragon pulled the barber's cloth from his neck, spun around and jumped behind the chair. During this time, Riko already transformed into armor. Expressionlessly, Granaury also jumped towards him from the side, turning into a sharp blade during the instant she flew through the air, merging with his right hand.

Landing silently, Pendragon reached out with his left hand at the same time and grabbed Kuroe's neck. Then he pinned her petite body against the floor at full force. Straddling her, he pointed the broken spear extending from the back of his right hand at her.

"You must leave with me, even if I must break all your limbs or tear you to pieces."

Her hair did not move. That was because she understood that taking action was pointless, he thought. Because the one before her was the man infinitely closest to being the strongest.

"It's over."

Implying all sorts of meanings, he said.

Hearing that, she closed her eyes lightly.

After a long time, she slowly opened them again&mdash;

As earlier, she smiled calmly.

"...Yeah."

At the same time, she agreed with him.