Chapter 182

“Argh…there’s nothing sadder than seeing your own mom in a plush animal costume… This is too much…” “Come now, Ma-kun. Cheer up! Mommy will spend time with you. What should we do, hop hop?” “Get that costume off now! We’ll talk then. But even with you back to normal, I dunno what there is to do…mm?” His bangs had drifted into his eyeline again. “…So what’ve you been up to, Mom?” “Well, it was a nice day, so I did upkeep on all the clothes we don’t normally wear. Don’t you ever just want to give them some sun and let the wind blow through them?” “Nope. Can’t relate.” “Hee-hee. But that’s how it is.” They were in the inn’s backyard. Masato on a chair, eyes on the inn’s porch. On the clothesline was everything they normally kept stashed in Porta’s bag. Sailor uniforms, school swimsuits…mostly Mamako’s costume collection. Masato quickly looked away, fixing his gaze on the barber cape tied around his neck. Loose enough to let him breathe, tight enough so no hair could get in. “It’s just…that doesn’t sound much different from what you always do.” “I suppose it isn’t. But you know, I’m happiest just being a mom. So I thought it was a good day off.” “I guess that’s how it is, too?” “Mommy thinks so. And I’m ever so pleased you let me go snippy snip with your hair, Ma-kun! You haven’t let me do that since you were in grade school.” “I do wish you’d stop using that baby talk term, but…that is you.” “Yes, welcome to Mommy’s barber shop. Come on in.” Mamako moved around in front of him to get a good look at his hair. This involved leaning in, which meant the valley between her mommeries was suddenly in extreme close-up, almost engulfing his face. “Hey?! Don’t…!” “Oh? What?” “N-never mind…” She wasn’t deliberately doing this. So he just closed his eyes, pretending it didn’t matter. Letting it matter would be a failure. He focused on negatives, calming himself. Can’t believe I’m getting a mom cut at this age… If Wise and Medhi saw this, it’d be the death of me. He needed a haircut. But no longer had the money for it. And his mom had experience with these things. And she had the time. Well, fine. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He’d piled up any number of excuses…but was gradually finding he didn’t need them. It was sunny and warm, and his haircut was coming along. The grass swayed in the breeze. Birds sang. Scissors snipped. All peaceful sounds. Too peaceful. “…What a nice day.” “Yes. A nice, happy day.” Her hand gently stroked his hair. Over and over. Like he was a good boy. It felt far too good. It wasn’t fair. “…I guess days like this aren’t bad, either.” “Yes…I wish every day was this nice.” “Yeah…ugh, no, it can’t be! We’re adventurers. We’ll be back on the quests tomorrow! Don’t forget it.” “Hee-hee. I know. Okay, Ma-kun, take a look. Is this how long you want the bangs?” “Let me see…” He took the mirror from her and opened his eyes. Examining himself. “Mm…I think a little bit shorter.” “How much? Let me show you with the scissors. Is here good?” “That’s too far. Just a little bit more, like, half a mill—hey?!” He’d spotted someone in the mirror, on the inn porch. Porta, smiling broadly…and Wise and Medhi patronizingly. “How long have you been there?!” “Oops!” Snip! As Masato leaped to his feet, there was a snip… And quite a lot of hair went fluttering down. “…Uh…er…?” “Ack! Masato, your bangs! Ugh, it’s ’cause you moved around too much!” “That one was all you, Masato. RIP.” “Waaay too much. Hmm…but maybe it could work?” “It definitely says, ‘I got my mom to cut this for me.’” “A hairstyle that screams ‘close-knit family.’” “It could be a whole new you, Masato. You can be a new kind of Hero, one who everyone will know gets haircuts from their mom.” “Go forth, young hero! Get a mom cut!” The mom cut Hero’s adventures had just begun! “G-get real! I’m taking another day off…or however many it’ll take until my hair grows back! I refuse to leave my room until then! Dammit!” Masato’s forlorn wails echoed far and wide.