Leo pouted. “Shut up.”
So this used to belong to Master Charlie…
For the first time, she discovered how reassuring it was to wear something passed down from somebody else; it felt as though Charles was folding her in an embrace. The gentle scent of the fabric was probably what he—
“It’s great that you’re all washed up, but shouldn’t we do something about your hair?” Leo sauntered over, reaching out to touch it. “It’s way too long. The sooner you cut it, the bet—”
“No!” she shouted, slapping his hand away. She grabbed the ends of her hair with both hands, and water droplets splattered onto the floor as she clenched her fists.
“Wh-What the hell? It’s not like I’d force you to cut it.” Leo blinked. “You sure are touchy.”
“I’m sorry…” Lille said, embarrassed.
At the tower she had been told that if she cut her hair, her magical powers would go berserk and wreak all sorts of havoc, which was why she had never been allowed to cut it. But given how Leo spoke about cutting it so nonchalantly, that claim most likely wasn’t true. Still, if something were to happen, she could never forgive herself. The risk scared her, and she especially wanted to avoid causing problems for Charles, Leo, and Ark.
“If you don’t want to cut it, you can just put it up,” Charles suggested. “I know—if you put it in braids, it won’t get in the way.” He smiled, trying to assuage her fear.
“Come to think of it, why is your hair so long, Master Charlie?” she asked, peering at where it fell down his back.
“I suppose it’s just a pain to cut, though I do also consider it a sort of penitence to the gods. Plus, it helps keep me warm in winter,” he mused. “Do you think I should cut mine too, Leo?”
“It’s fine like that,” Leo huffed, resting his chin in his hands.
“Sorry, but…how do I braid it?” As soon as she asked, Leo sighed with a tired look on his face. Lille was quickly beginning to learn his default reactions.
“Oh, right. To be honest, I don’t know much about braiding hair either, so maybe Leo can help you out,” Charles said, nodding his head toward the boy.
“Me?!” he exclaimed, incredulous.
“Yes, you. You’ve been extremely rude to Lille ever since she arrived. It’s only fair.” Charles shrugged.
“…Ugh, fine!” Leo reluctantly agreed. “I’ll go get a brush and some hair ties. You sit there!” he fumed, pointing sharply at an empty chair.
“Meanwhile, I’ll help you dry your hair,” Charles said kindly. “If you leave it wet like that, you could catch a cold.” When he softly touched her hair from behind, a gust of warm air rushed around her head. “There.”
His touch lingered for a moment before fading. When she brought her fingertips to her hair, it was completely dry. Not a moment earlier, it had been dripping wet.
“Was that magic…?” she asked in wonder, half-convinced she was dreaming as she kept her eyes trained on Charles.
Leo came rushing back into the living room. “I took some ribbon from your shop, Master Charlie. You don’t mind, right?” Leo asked, clutching a box in his hands.
“Sure, it’s fine. What did you choose?”
“I had no idea what to get, so I picked up a load of different ones,” he said, dropping the box onto the table. Inside there was a collection of long, shiny strings of varying colors.
So that’s what ribbon looks like.
“You can let Lille choose. Lille, what would you like?” Charles asked gently.
But she wasn’t sure she could choose even if she wanted to. She didn’t know the first thing about ribbons. She picked up the thin pieces of fabric one by one. Some of them were slippery to the touch, and others were more coarse.
Seeing her confusion, Charles helpfully explained, “You can choose whatever you like the look of. Are you drawn to any of the colors or styles?”
She thought on it for a while before taking one between her fingers. She didn’t know if it would suit her, but the color gave her a nice feeling.
“Jade green, huh? Good choice. I think it complements the color of your hair.”
It was the same green as Charles’s eyes—the same color as the shimmering forest she’d seen from the sky. And she did seem to feel a natural affinity toward it.
“Now that that’s settled, I’m gonna start. Sit still,” Leo instructed her, pulling his own chair behind Lille’s. He began to drag the brush through her hair.
“Jeez, how long has it been since you last combed it? It’s looking better since you washed it, but it’s still gonna take a while to untangle,” Leo grumbled.
“Umm…” she thought back. “About ten years?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “…That’s got to be a joke. It is a joke, right?”
However, despite his complaints, he continued to brush her hair. At first, he had to pull with all his might, but as her hair gradually untangled, his strokes grew gentler. Out of curiosity, she shook her head a little, and silky strands of hair caressed her cheeks.
“Hey, I told you to sit still,” Leo huffed. “I’m gonna start braiding now, so when I say sit still, I mean it. It’ll take ages to separate it into two braids, so let’s just do one big one.”
She could feel him moving her hair in an intricate pattern at the back of her head. She wished she could see what he was doing, and although she was tempted to twist around for a glimpse, she managed to fight the urge and sit quietly.
“You’ve got talent there, kid,” Ark remarked.
“I think so, too. Perhaps I should ask him to do mine as well,” Charles said as he peered at Leo’s handiwork.
“I used to do this for my little sister a lot—that’s all,” Leo explained. “…All right. Now, to tie the ribbon, and…done!” he announced before standing up from his chair.
Lille grasped the thick braid hanging down her back and tugged it over her shoulder to look at it. The ribbon she had chosen was tied around the very end. The knot looked like a little green butterfly.
She stood up. First, she tried shaking her head. Then, she walked around in a circle. The braid followed her, almost like a tail. With her hair secured, it was far easier to move around.
“I knew it’d look great on you. You’re adorable,” Charles commented.
“Hey, now. She’s not a dog,” Leo said in disdain. While he was distracted, Lille reached for his hand. He jolted at the touch and stared at her with a look of surprise.
“Thank you, Leo.” She smiled.
“…It’s fine,” he mumbled shyly, and in that moment, Lille sensed his walls lower ever so slightly.
“That ribbon isn’t enchanted with any magic yet. Since this is a special occasion, all the more reason to fix that,” Charles said, moving toward Lille.