Chapter 14: 13

“Um, could I have a cup of tea or something?”

It is afternoon.

I am thirsty so I call out to her but she doesn’t respond.

‘Is she taking a nap?’

I look out through the door.

Indeed, she is there with her eyes firmly open.

She is sitting in a chair, facing a book spread out on a piece of cardboard that serves as a desk.

Next to it is also a notebook and a mechanical pencil.

‘It doesn’t look like a recipe. It’s a reference book.’

I can’t see the details, but I can see that there are a lot of difficult mathematical formulas in the book.

It appears to be a maths reference book.

Is she so concentrated on solving the problems that she didn’t notice my voice?

If she wants to study so much, why doesn’t she go to school?

More questions keep popping.

Perhaps there are circumstances that prevent her from going even if she wanted to.

Is there something troubling her?

‘Why am I worrying about the person who is locking me up?’

I scold myself for naturally caring for her.

Can this be Stockholm Syndrome?

‘But if she goes to school, she might give up the confinement…..’

I justify my feelings with such thoughts.

‘Even if so, what should I say to her? Out of the blue, 『What’s bothering you?』? What an unnatural thing to ask.’

I hold my head in my hands.

She’s not a big talker either, but that’s the same for me.

I’m not a good talker, that is why I choose to express myself through the medium of manga.

‘In the end, all I can do is work hard on my manga.’

From what she’s said and done so far, it’s clear that she wants me to draw manga.

‘Let’s get a bit enthusiastic and try to come up with a serious new name.’

I used to draw a random manga and play around with it, but when I see her working hard on her studies, I really feel ashamed of myself.

I quietly move away from the door so as not to disturb her.

Facing the liquid tab, I open the page that I haven’t opened for a long time now – a story book – a page that serves as a memo.

Of course, I can’t deny that most of them are rejected ideas.

Still, believing that there are treasures hidden amongst the junk, I start rummaging through it once more.

“Lunch.”

I turn around.

The girl is there with a tray.

“Ah, it’s already twelve o’clock. Oh, Somen noodles. It’s almost time for it to taste good, isn’t it?”

I take one look at the coolly placed food in a glass bowl and mutter.

The only condiments are simply spring onions.

The girl puts down the tray and leaves.

“I shall eat.”

[TL: Itadakimasu]

I eat my somen noodles quickly.

I put the tray on the floor and go back to work.

Gacha..

I hear the door open behind my back.

The girl must have come to collect the tray.

“…….”

But her presence does not disappear.

“─ ─ Umm, what can I do for you?”

I feel a persistent gaze on me and I turn around.

“Here.”

The girl suddenly take out a pair of scissors.

“Wait! What is it? I’m not skipping the manga! I’m just fishing around for ideas.”

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I shake my head and hug the liquid tab.

“No, hair.”

The girl says, poking my head with her  chin.

“Hair? Come to think of it, my fringes might be getting a bit long.”

I brush my fringes up with my hand.

I haven’t been able to get a haircut or anything for a while, so it is long enough to cover my eyes.

“…….”

The girl nods.

“─Perhaps, you’ll give me a haircut?”

“Call out to me when you take a break.”

I nod again and say“Aah, did you wait so you wouldn’t disturb me? Then give me the scissors. I’ll cut my hair quickly.”

Just a quick cut in the front of the head.

It won’t take more than a few minutes.

“No.”

The girl shakes her head.

It’s a no.

Well, if she gives me the scissors, I may fight back.

“Okay. Then cut them yourself. It’s not  disturbing my work, don’t worry about it. I’m just looking at past notes at the moment and not worrying about the task at hand. So take your time, take your time.”

I said, facing the liquid tab and with my back to the girl.

I know for a fact that the girl is clumsy.

I don’t care if the result is lousy, I want her to finish my haircut without giving fresh scars.

“I see.”

Her footsteps approach me.

I brace myself so my upper body doesn’t shake.

The girl’s fingers stroke my hair.

It must have been hand combed or something.

It is a nostalgic, motherly touch.

She is younger than me, which is strange.

Jaki, jaki, jakijaki.

The shears move slowly at first, then more boldly.

My black hair starts to fall on the floor.

I tried to read the notes on the liquid tab, but I am too anxious to concentrate.

……。

……。

“Finish.”

A few minutes later, she mutters quietly.

“Thank you. I feel refreshed.”

Shaking my head, I brush away the hair that hasn’t fallen out.

Thank goodness.

To be honest, it hurt sometimes, but at least I didn’t turn into an earless Hoichi.

[Type Of Ghost]

“Cleaning.”

The girl starts to collect remnants of my hair with her hands.

That’s fine.

That’s fine but…..

“Um, what are you doing?”

The girl silently puts my hair, which she has collected, into a clear plastic bag.

I can understand if it’s a rubbish bag but I don’t understand why I need to put it in a thick one with a zip.

“?”

The girl tilts her head.

“No, I’m talking about why you need to store my hair in a sturdy plastic bag.”

“SDGs.”

Having collected every strand of my hair, the girl leaves the room with only a cryptic reply.

I still don’t understand what the Sustainable Development Goals have to do with my hair.

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