~~ • ~~

A few days had passed since the festival.

Life had returned to normal.

No stages left to build.

No sudden shifts in the schedule.

No early morning phone calls from Bardy.

Just long summer days.

And an endless, oppressive heat.

_

Midday.

The sun beat down relentlessly.

Its harsh light pierced the thin apartment curtains, bleaching the wooden floor a stark white.

The windows had been wide open since morning.

The front door, too.

But only the faintest breeze drifted in.

Nowhere near enough to chase away the stifling heat trapped in the room.

The apartment was cheap, after all.

Dirt cheap.

And, naturally...

It had no AC.

I was sitting in front of the TV.

Wearing a thin t-shirt and long track pants.

Why? Because I didn't own any shorts.

In front of me.

An old electric fan rotated sluggishly.

The drone of its motor hummed endlessly.

*Whirrr...

*Whirrr...

*Whirrr...

It produced a breeze.

But it barely helped.

Beside me.

Yuna lay flat on the hardwood floor.

Her cheek pressed against the slightly cooler surface.

Her black hair sprawled out in every direction.

"Papa..."

"Hm?"

"It's hot..."

"Yeah."

"It's so hot..."

"Yeah."

"Hot."

"Yeah."

Yuna lifted her head.

And looked at me.

"Aren't you hot, Papa?"

"I am."

"Then how are you so relaxed?"

I took a sip of my coffee.

"Because complaining won't make it any cooler."

"So it's pointless."

"That's just because you're old."

"Hey, watch your mouth."

Yuna gave a small laugh.

Then let herself drop back onto the floor.

*Flop.

"Haaah..."

She let out a long sigh.

Then rolled to the right.

Then to the left.

Then to the right again.

Like a fish freshly plucked from the water.

"It's hot..."

She complained again.

"You've said that about fifty times already."

"Fifty-one now."

"Impressive."

On the television.

A daytime program was showcasing a mountain resort.

Crystal-clear rivers.

Waterfalls.

Lush green trees.

A thin mist.

And weather that looked wonderfully cool.

Yuna bolted upright.

Her eyes sparkled.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"Let's move there."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm poor."

And yes, I was only joking.

"Oh."

Yuna lay back down.

Pressing her face against the floor once again.

The television kept playing.

But neither of us was paying attention to it anymore.

It was too hot to focus.

A few minutes drifted by.

Yuna sat up again.

She gathered her hair in her hands.

Exposing the back of her neck.

"Haaah..."

She let out another sigh.

Her hair really had gotten quite long.

The ends were already touching her back.

Several strands clung to her neck, damp with sweat.

She fanned the back of her neck with her free hand.

And complained once more.

"It's hot..."

I glanced at her.

Then took a longer look.

Her hair really was much longer than it had been a few months ago.

Not just longer.

Thicker, too.

It was no wonder she felt so stifled.

I watched her for a few seconds.

Then I remembered.

Right.

It was about time.

I set my coffee mug down on the table.

"Yuna."

"Hm?"

She turned to look at me.

"Want me to cut your hair?"

_

Yuna immediately grabbed the ends of her hair.

"Why?"

"It's getting too long."

Yuna looked over her shoulder, trying to see the hair trailing down her back.

"What's wrong with it being long?"

Then, she shot me a suspicious look.

"Do you not like it?"

"It's not that."

"It's just more comfortable for a little kid like you to have short hair."

"What?"

Yuna immediately stood up.

She planted her hands on her hips.

Her expression looked as if she had just been issued a major challenge.

"I'm a big kid now, Papa!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

She stood a little straighter.

Even rising onto her tiptoes.

"I'm already around a hundred and forty centimeters tall!"

"Which means I'm big."

I looked at her for a few seconds.

Then, I stood up.

I deliberately stood right next to her.

Yuna, who had been brimming with confidence a second ago, immediately craned her neck up.

Further...

And further up...

Until her head was tipped all the way back.

"Papa..."

"Hm?"

"Why are you so tall?"

"I'm a hundred and seventy-two centimeters."

Yuna was still looking up at me.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then, after a few seconds of deep thought, she delivered her conclusion.

"You're not big, Papa. You're just old."

"..."

I reached out and lightly tapped the top of her head.

*Tap.

"Ouch."

"Hey."

"I told you to watch your mouth."

Yuna rubbed her head.

Pouting.

"And never say something like that to a woman."

"Why?"

"Because it's rude."

"Oh..."

Yuna thought for a moment.

Then nodded.

"Okay."

"I'll remember that."

"Good."

The room fell quiet again for a moment.

The old fan kept spinning.

*Whirrr...

*Whirrr...

*Whirrr...

Yuna went back to playing with the ends of her hair.

"So."

"Let's cut your hair."

Yuna looked hesitant.

"Alright..."

"But where?"

"A salon?"

"I'll cut it."

"Huh?"

Yuna blinked twice.

Then stared at me with pure skepticism.

"Do you really know how?"

"I do."

I answered without hesitation.

Even though, in reality...

I didn't. Not really.

But salon prices were absolutely unreasonable.

Especially for someone who had just dropped a considerable amount of money at a summer festival.

"Where's the proof?"

I pointed at my own head.

"Look."

"My hair."

"I cut it myself."

Yuna scrutinized my hair.

For a few seconds.

Then she leaned in closer.

Closer still.

Until her face was practically pressed against my head.

"Hm..."

She stood up and slowly circled me once.

Inspecting me from the front.

Then the side.

Then the back.

Before finally stopping in front of me again.

Her expression was difficult to describe.

She looked exactly like someone trying to find a way to be honest without hurting someone else's feelings.

"..."

"..."

"What?"

Yuna finally nodded slowly. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Yeah."

"I can tell."

"Hey," I said, my voice deadpan.

"I didn't say it looks bad!"

"Your face just did."

Yuna giggled.

"Hehe."

I sighed.

"The point is, I know how."

"Fine, then."

Yuna finally relented.

Then, she pointed a finger at me.

"But I get to pick the style."

"Yes, yes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"You can't just chop it off however you want."

"I won't."

"You can't make me look weird."

"I won't."

"You can't make me bald."

"..."

"Yuna."

"Yeah?"

"Why would I make you bald?"

"Umm... To save on shampoo?"

I stared at her in silence.

Because...

That actually sounded like a perfectly valid reason to someone like me.

I studied Yuna's face.

An image flashed in my mind.

Yuna.

Completely bald.

A faint smirk slipped onto my face without me realizing it.

Yuna took a step back.

"You just pictured it, didn't you?"

"No."

"You pictured it."

"No."

"You pictured it."

"Go get the comb."

"Yes, Boss."

Yuna threw up a crisp salute.

Then scurried off with a giggle.

I just let out a long sigh.

I suppose...

This was going to be a rather dangerous first experience for Yuna's hair.

(To be continued)