Unlock new chapters and exclusive illustrations at https://www.patreon.com/Rayish.
Syr clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Come on, you two, follow me upstairs!" she said, gently nudging Ryuu's shoulder and tugging Shirou's arm.
They climbed the creaky wooden stairs leading to the restaurant's upper floor. As they walked down the hallway, Shirou glanced at the wall and felt a warmth in his chest. There, neatly displayed on a wooden shelf, was a miniature ship—a souvenir he had once brought back from Melen. The small wooden vessel reflected the warm glow of the magic lamp, evoking a hint of nostalgia.
"It still looks beautiful..." he murmured softly.
Ryuu also glanced at it briefly, her eyes softening for a moment before she refocused on following Syr's lead.
When they reached the end of the hallway, Syr opened the door to a room. Shirou blinked in surprise—it was his old room before he officially joined the Loki Familia. Now, the space looked tidier, almost like a multipurpose room.
"Perfect spot, right?" Syr smiled before busying herself with preparations. She pulled a small table to the center of the room, placed a large mirror on top, and set out a simple chair. She then unfurled a haircutting cloth, shaking it deftly so that a faint cloud of dust scattered into the air.
Once everything was ready, she turned around with a professional expression. "Alright! Who's going first?"
Shirou glanced at the chair briefly before raising both hands. "Ryuu can go first. I'll wait here for now."
He plopped down on the edge of the bed, leaning back casually as he watched.
Ryuu let out a short sigh, resigning herself to her fate. "Fine... I'll go first." With light steps, she sat on the chair Syr had prepared, allowing the cutting cloth to be draped over her shoulders.
Syr smiled gently. "The usual, Ryuu?"
"The usual," Ryuu replied curtly, her voice calm—clearly, this wasn't her first impromptu haircut from Syr.
The haircut proceeded quietly, the soft snip, snip of the scissors filling the silent room. Ryuu's pale green hair, which had grown to shoulder length, slowly fell to the wooden floor. Syr meticulously trimmed the back, cutting it to her signature neck-length style.
Shirou, lounging on the bed, watched the process for a while before finally speaking up. "Ryuu... do you really think just dyeing and cutting your hair like this is enough to... hide your true identity?"
His voice was quiet, carrying a hint of concern. He didn't say the word "criminal," but the implication was clear.
Ryuu stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment before sighing softly. "I think... It's enough. Back when I was still an active adventurer, I almost always wore a mask. My comrades back then also called me by my last name... Lion." Her lips curved into a faint, melancholic smile. "They're all... long gone now."
Shirou fell silent, his eyes lowering. In his mind, memories surfaced—moments from the past when Ryuu had stepped in during the War Game to help Hestia Familia against Apollo Familia. Even then, Lefiya had been able to spot the resemblance between the green-haired waitress of Hostess of Fertility and the masked adventurer who appeared on the battlefield.
If even Lefiya could guess... is this really enough? Shirou thought, his worry lingering.
As Shirou lost himself in thought, Syr's soft voice suddenly broke the silence. "Hmm~ Ryuu, you've really come to trust Shirou, huh."
The scissors paused briefly. Ryuu turned slightly, her brow furrowing. "Huh? What do you mean, Syr?"
Syr smiled, her eyes flicking to Shirou before returning to Ryuu. "You're sharing your past with someone else, Ryuu. That's not something you do lightly."
Ryuu froze for a moment, only now realizing what she had just revealed. Her usually expressionless face flushed slightly, and she reflexively looked down. "...I... didn't realize."
Shirou turned to Ryuu, about to say something, but in the end, he only gave a small nod. Meanwhile, Syr giggled softly, resuming the haircut as she remarked, "Heh, this proves you two are closer than I thought."
Ryuu exhaled sharply, her face still slightly red as she muttered, "This is all your fault, Shirou... asking weird questions until Syr got the wrong idea."
Shirou tilted his head slightly, his expression a mix of confusion and amusement. "Hah? Why am I the one being blamed?"
Syr stifled a laugh between the snip, snip of the scissors before setting them down on the small table. "You two are... so funny." Calmly, she picked up a small bowl of pale green hair dye and began applying it to Ryuu's strands. "By the way, Shirou... you should listen to your seniors' words, y'know~"
Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Senior...?"
Ryuu seized the opportunity. It wasn't often she could turn the tables. With her usual flat expression but a slightly smug tone, she added, "That's right. You should show some respect to your senior here. I've been fighting for justice much longer than you."
Shirou paused for a moment, staring at the two girls in front of him—one smiling mischievously while dyeing hair, the other barely suppressing a satisfied smirk behind her calm facade.
Finally, Shirou raised both hands in mock surrender, as if conceding defeat in this unarmed battle. "...Alright, alright. I'll show respect, I'll listen. Ryuu-senpai... happy now?"
Syr and Ryuu exchanged glances before chuckling softly.
Soon after, the final snip of the scissors echoed through the room—Ryuu's haircut was complete. Her hair was now neatly short again, brushing softly against the back of her neck and accentuating her sharp yet feminine features. She stared at her reflection for a moment before giving a small nod.
"As always... you're reliable, Syr," Ryuu said sincerely.
Syr looked pleased. "Of course. Ryuu Lion's signature style is back!"
"Your turn, Shirou~" she called cheerfully, waving a comb.
Shirou stood from the bed and swapped places with Ryuu. He sat on the chair she had just vacated and looked at the mirror in front of him.
Syr examined Shirou's slightly messy red hair, his bangs hanging down, almost covering his eyes.
"What kind of hairstyle do you want?" she asked, dramatically raising the comb in the air.
Shirou shrugged. "Up to you."
"Tch, such a boring answer. No fun," Syr grumbled, pretending to pout. But she soon smiled again and began running her fingers through Shirou's hair, deftly parting the red strands.
"Hmm... your hair's pretty thick, huh..."
She experimented with a few styles—brushing it to the side, forward, then upward. Occasionally, she tilted her head, judging her own handiwork. Shirou, as usual, could only resign himself to her whims.
Eventually, Syr brushed his hair back, lifting his sharp bangs and sweeping them backward.
"Wow, this suits you, too! This style really matches your sharp eyebrows, Shirou!" she said cheerfully.
But when Shirou saw his reflection, his calm expression slowly faded. This... this hairstyle...
Suddenly, he was reminded of a figure from another world—a man with his hair swept back, sharp eyes full of cynicism, clad in red cloth and black armor: Archer.
No... It's too similar... I don't want to become him...
In a quiet voice, Shirou said, "Maybe... a different style..."
Syr, however, turned to Ryuu, who was still standing near the door, watching. "What do you think, Ryuu? Doesn't Shirou look handsome like this?"
"Eh? Ah... yeah," Ryuu stammered, clearly unprepared to be suddenly roped into judging.
Syr grew even more mischievous, her grin widening. "In that case, Ryuu~ which style do you prefer?"
Ryuu fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting to Shirou, who looked like he wanted to escape the situation as soon as possible. Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "Uhh... maybe... the usual one..."
Shirou immediately nodded, as if he'd just been handed an escape ticket. "Agreed."
Syr sighed in resignation before chuckling. "Fine, fine. But on one condition."
She began styling Shirou's hair back to his more natural look, then added teasingly, "You have to use the hair oil I gave you regularly. If you run out, just ask me, okay?"
Shirou could only nod slowly... while Ryuu discreetly covered her amused expression with her hand, enjoying how Syr had managed to fluster the usually composed Shirou.
Before long, Shirou's haircut was finished. His red hair now looked neater, retaining his signature natural style—not too long, not too short. Syr spun the chair slightly so Shirou could see his reflection from different angles.
"Hmm... yeah, this works," Shirou commented, staring at the mirror. "If it's like this, it'd be cheaper to just keep getting my hair cut by you, Syr."
Syr smirked, narrowing her eyes slyly. "Since when did I say this was free?"
"Hah?! I have to pay?" Shirou complained, raising his eyebrows with a half-joking, half-shocked expression.
Syr wagged a finger side to side. "But don't worry. You don't need to pay in Valis. Just cover my shifts at Hostess when I skip work~" she said casually, then pointed to the floor. "And your task starts now. Clean up all this hair."
Shirou let out a small chuckle. "Not bad." He stood from the chair and immediately grabbed the broom leaning against the wall. Deep down, he didn't mind. Cleaning gave him a sense of calm—it cleared his mind.
"I'll help," Ryuu said, stepping closer. She bent down, picked up the used haircutting cloth, shook it out, and began folding it neatly.
Syr watched the two of them tidying up the room with a satisfied smile before turning toward the door.
"In that case, I'll head home first~" she said lightly.
But before leaving completely, she glanced back and added mischievously, "Oh, and... don't do anything indecent, you two. Just because you're alone in a room now~"
"SYR!!"
Shirou and Ryuu's synchronized shout echoed, but the bluish-gray-haired girl had already dashed out, her laughter ringing down the hallway as the door clicked shut behind her.
Inside the room, Shirou could only stare at the ceiling and sigh. "She's always like that, huh..."
Meanwhile, Ryuu's face was red all the way to the tips of her elf ears as she quickly averted her gaze. "Don't... don't think about what she said."
But though they tried to stay composed, Syr's laughter still hung in the air... making the night feel more alive.
Almost in sync, Shirou and Ryuu began cleaning the room. Without much conversation, they worked in harmony because they were already used to doing this kind of thing together. The soft swish, swish of the broom blended with the sound of neatly folded cloth, filling the room with simple tranquility.
Shirou bent down, gathering the scattered red and pale green strands, while Ryuu deftly cleaned the chair and table, ensuring no stray hairs remained. Occasionally, they glanced at each other briefly before refocusing, no words needed.
Soon, the room was as tidy as before, as if it had never been used for a haircut at all.
"Done," Shirou said softly, patting the broom.
Ryuu gave a short nod. "Let's go downstairs."
The two of them stepped out of the room, descending the softly creaking wooden stairs. The lower floor of the restaurant, now dark, felt different—lit only by the last magic lamp near the kitchen. They walked to the front door, where Ryuu reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver key.
Click.
The soft sound of metal meeting metal echoed as Ryuu turned the key, locking the Hostess of Fertility for the night.
"It's locked," she said, returning the key to her pocket.
Shirou nodded, and the two began walking side by side through the night air of Orario. Their steps were relaxed, the sound of their shoes against the cobblestone the only rhythm in the quiet streets.
As they walked through the nearly deserted nighttime streets of Orario, the sound of their footsteps echoed softly between the buildings bathed in standby lamp light. The night breeze carried the faint scent of flowers from balconies hidden in narrow alleys.
Ryuu glanced sideways at Shirou, her usual calm gaze holding a hint of softness. "Shirou... I just realized, you know so much about me. About my past, my real name... even my connection with Lady Astraea. But I..." She paused briefly, "I've only scratched the surface with you."
Shirou turned to her, slightly surprised but not entirely shocked. "Isn't that because we've been exchanging secrets? You tell me one, I tell you one."
Ryuu shook her head gently, her newly cut hair swaying. "But it still feels unfair. You have too many secrets, Shirou."
Shirou smiled wryly. "I'm happy to share more... but you haven't kept your promise yet, have you?"
Ryuu furrowed her brows. "Promise?"
"Meeting Goddess Astraea with me," Shirou said flatly but pointedly. "You said you'd see her again someday."
"Urgh..." Ryuu looked away, staring at the starry night sky. I'm not ready... not ready to face her again, she thought to herself. The old wounds still hadn't healed.
After a few silent steps, Ryuu stopped and crossed her arms, pursing her lips. "If you don't want to talk, fine. Keep all your secrets to yourself."
Final attack—Elf sulking mode: activated.
Shirou panicked slightly. His expression softened, his tone turning placating. "Alright, alright... I'll show you... a little, okay?"
Ryuu turned slowly, trying to hide her victorious smile behind a fake pout. "Really? Even if I ask to see... your strongest power?"
Shirou exhaled deeply, resigned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... but I can only do that in the Dungeon. And preferably... somewhere quiet, so it doesn't cause a scene."
"I'll hold you to that," Ryuu replied flatly, though a small spark lit her eyes. "In that case... I'll ask Mama Mia for a day off to go to the Dungeon."
Shirou could only give a small nod, knowing full well he'd just been "tricked" again by the sulking Elf's expression—one he couldn't refuse.