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Sakura Haruka always tied his hair in a ponytail. During fights, it flowed with his movements , light and graceful.
According to him, the reason he kept his hair long was to avoid trouble. Getting a haircut at a salon was too expensive, and when he tried cutting it himself, he didn't think the result suited him. Nirei was skeptical. Sakura-san was the type to buy multiple of the same shirt — did he really care that much about his hair? Nirei's tone was almost teasing, and Sakura made a move to hit him for it.
Nirei ducked behind Suo, half of his head peeking out from behind the deep red hair, his eyes the picture of innocence. Sakura clicked his tongue and sat back down in resignation.
Seeing the captain deflate, Suo smiled and stepped aside, revealing Nirei. The ever-curious friend took out his notebook and promptly handed Suo the same question: "What about you, Suo-san? Why do you keep your hair long?"
"It's a rule from my family's generations of serving a Chinese demon."
"Huh?" Sakura involuntarily leaned back.
"Oh,please—" Nirei, of course, didn't believe such nonsense. He closed his notebook and twirled his pen idly a couple of times. "But it suits you, Suo-san."
Suo's long hair wasn't styled — it just lay loose across his back. But it always looked so silky smooth, and Nirei was quite envious of that.
"Is that so?" Suo accepted the compliment with a beaming smile. Another figure with long hair appeared in his mind — that person's hair, too, had fallen loose behind them. As a child, Suo had often been carried on their back, the scent of jasmine from their hair cradling him into peaceful dreams.
Nirei kept his own hair short, but he always wanted to play with Sakura's long hair. At first, Sakura wasn't used to being touched — he had a reflex response from fights where someone might grab his hair, even though almost no one could actually catch the ends, and even though Nirei wasn't trying to fight him at all.
It was only later that he grew accustomed to it: that someone might initiate physical contact not to hurt him, but simply to share warmth and affection. Gradually, he let his guard down around Nirei.
He once asked Nirei why he never tried playing with Suo's hair. Sakura thought Suo was mysterious and guarded, sure, but he was always quite gentle with Nirei. Nirei looked around to make sure Suo wasn't nearby.
Sakura had a puzzled feeling in one's hear. Why are you so nervous? It's not like you're bad-mouthing him — he'd never seen Nirei speak ill of any classmate. Memorizing everyone's personal details and then launching into effusive praise — that was much more Nirei Akihiko.
Oh, except for Suo, because no one knew anything about Suo's personal information, Sakura realized belatedly.
"It's just..." Nirei's voice dropped an octave. "Sometimes I wonder if Suo-san might not like other people touching him — his hair."
Sakura felt like Nirei meant more than just the hair.
"Suo-san sometimes twirls a strand of his hair absentmindedly and spaces out — ah, I only noticed it accidentally one day at lunch when everyone else in the class was asleep," Nirei quickly added in his own defense.
"The look in Suo-san's eyes then... it was like he was remembering someone."
Nirei said it softly, and Sakura fell silent as well. Until the subject of their conversation suddenly appeared beside their desks, as if out of nowhere:
"Sakura-kun, Nire-kun — what's wrong?"
"Ah —" Nirei jumped and hid behind Sakura, grabbing onto the latter's shoulders and nearly throwing them both off balance. Fortunately, that broke the subtly heavy atmosphere. Sakura tried to pry Nirei's hands off, Nirei apologized over and over but didn't let go, and Suo fanned the flames. It was just like any other day.
Had Suo heard them? Sakura didn't know, and neither did Nirei. In any case, everyone acted as if nothing had happened. Sometimes, caring could become a burden? Sakura thought to himself, not quite understanding why.
The rooftop had always been a great place to spend lunch break. If you found a spot in the shade, you could enjoy the fresh air and a mild breeze , neither too hot nor too cold. So the three of them always ate lunch on the rooftop.
They liked a shaded corner that Nirei had found.
Sakura didn't like using the gazebo that was already up there. He wanted to stay as far away from Sugishita as possible — Sugishita was always helping Umemiya tend to the vegetable garden at there. Nirei really didn't want to have to mediate between them during lunch break either. Suo might have been happy to fan the flames, but Nirei solemnly declared that if things kept going like that, he'd have to go buy stomach medicine with Hiiragi-san. Suo, naturally, sensibly agreed with Nirei.
The spot was not very large if you wanted to stay strictly out of the sun. Nirei spread out a checkered picnic mat, and the three of them sat down, squeezed in close together.
After eating, Sakura would always undo his hair and doze off for a while. Sometimes he leaned against the wall; sometimes he didn't. When he didn't, he would wake up leaning against whoever was next to him — most of the time, that was Nirei.
Whether Sakura woke up resting on Nirei's shoulder or lying across his lap, Nirei's expression was always relaxed and natural, as if being treated this way by Sakura was the most ordinary thing in the world. Sakura didn't really understand, but the atmosphere rubbed off on him and his surprise faded. Eventually, he would even lean against Nirei before falling asleep. Nirei still smiled and agreed — or rather, invited him. The only thing Sakura had to endure in return was Nirei unconsciously stroking his hair, the same way Sakura had seen him pet small animals before.
Occasionally, when Sakura woke up, he found that Nirei had also fallen asleep, leaning against Suo — Suo, never slept.
In any case, Sakura was almost always the first to fall asleep. The wind on the rooftop was softened by the railings, gentle and light. When a few strands of hair blew across his face, Nirei would gently tuck them behind his ears. The soft rustle of fingers running through his hair mingled with the quiet chatter of Nirei and Suo, drifting into his ears, and even his nightmares were blown away.
But sometimes, accidents happened. Once or twice, Nirei couldn't keep his hands to himself — even when chatting, he couldn't stay still; he always needed to be doing something with his hands. Without his notebook or pen, Sakura's hair became the victim.
One day at lunch, Sakura woke up and stretched, only to notice an unusual weight on his head. He turned to look. Nirei had a guilty expression, while Suo was still smiling, but Sakura had the distinct feeling that smile held ulterior motives.
So he tentatively touched his hair. It felt like multiple little knots — what the hell? Nirei opened his phone's selfie camera and showed him. Sakura turned his head from side to side, and then realized that Nirei had used a bunch of hairpins and elastics to braid his hair into an incredibly complex style.
...Not bad. Sakura didn't say it out loud.
"Sakura-kun thinks it's impressive too, doesn't he? I didn't expect Nire-kun to actually pull it off."
"...You helped he, didn't you?"
"No, not at all. I'm not good at this sort of thing." Suo held up a loose strand of his own hair to his face as evidence — his own style was so simple, clearly proving his innocence.
However, how could Nirei, with his short hair, even know how to do that?
Sakura couldn't exactly go to class with that hairstyle. He propped his jaw on his hand and let Nirei undo his hair, then asked casually, "So why don't you grow your hair out?"
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Given how much Nirei cared about fashion, if he really liked long hair, he would have grown it out himself — he might even have dyed it a rainbow of colors. Actually, Sakura didn't like this situation,he didn't want to walk with a human palette.
He felt Nirei's hands pause for a moment as he was undoing Sakura's hair. Then an awkward laugh came from above his head. "Because it could be grabbed."
Nirei said it softly.
He had once wanted to grow his hair out. Back in middle school, he had let it grow a little longer. He really liked his hair — even though he hadn't dyed it back then, he would take the time to arrange it every morning.
Until one day, he was cornered. The reason? He couldn't remember. They always had some reason. He only remembered running frantically through an alley.
At first, the people chasing him couldn't catch him. But then, as he turned a corner, someone suddenly lunged out and grabbed his hair. The sensation of his scalp being yanked made tears well up instantly.
The person pulled his hair, dragging him backward, trying to join up with the others chasing from behind. Nirei knew that if that happened, he'd be done for. As he tried to pry the person's hand off, he somehow thought of the scissors he had in his bag for cutting paper.
He grabbed the scissors, didn't have time to mourn, and with one snip, cut off the hair that was being held. The pulling force disappeared. Gritting his teeth, Nirei dashed into the old neighborhood with its dense, complex network of alleys — where he had an absolute advantage, knowing the layout better than anyone. No one could catch him there.
He made it home safely. Standing in front of the mirror, he stiffly examined the hair that remained — some long, some short, a complete mess. Might as well cut it all short. Snip, snip. Beauty needs strength to sustain it. Snip, snip. He comforted himself — or judged himself — like that.
Sakura winced as he listened. Nirei, knowing how protective Sakura could be, used a comb to gently work through Sakura's now-unbound hair. "It's okay, Sakura-san. That was a long time ago."
"Do you still want to grow your hair out now, Nire-kun?" Suo asked gently, picking up the thread.
"Ah…" Nirei's hands paused for a moment. "I think ... Short hair is fine."
"I think you'd look great with long hair, Nire-kun. Besides, you're the only one of the three of us with short hair now."
"And besides, you're strong now, too." Suo said, with a pointed look.
Sakura didn't have Suo's silver tongue. He tilted his head back to look Nirei in the eye, and simply said, "Long hair would probably suit you."
Against the backdrop of the blue sky, Nirei's yellow hair caught the sunlight as the sun finally shifted, casting its rays over him — turning his hair into something like molten gold, strangely brilliant.
"...Yeah, okay, I'll give it a try — ah, Sakura-san, sit still, I'm almost done brushing your hair." Nirei gently pushed Sakura's head away, turning it out of his field of view.
Sakura pretended not to see that Nirei's nose had turned pink. Pretended not to hear the nasal quality slipping into Nirei's voice.
Nirei really did start growing his hair out.
His plan was to keep it longer at the back, while maintaining a short style above the shoulders. Sakura looked at his sketch and thought to himself, It looks like a jellyfish… but it's kind of cute.
By the time summer was approaching, Nirei's hair had grown down to his shoulder blades. It swayed gently when he ran, and to Sakura, it looked more and more like a jellyfish.
In summer, wearing long hair loose meant it easily stuck to the neck, so Nirei started carrying several hair ties with him every day, each with a different pattern. Whenever Sakura's elastic broke, he would ask Nirei for one, and each time he got a different one.
"Just how many do you have…?"
"Whenever I go out with Kiryuu-san and see ones I like, I buy a bunch."
"They're cute. They suit you, Sakura-san."
Cute? Here, everyone can have some cute ones too. These pink ones would go well with Kiryuu-san. Sugishita-san probably gets bothered by his hair when he's gardening — here, a few for him. Tsugeura-san, you take some too. ("I probably won't use them, but thanks anyway, Nirei," said Tsugeura Taiga, with his short, spiky hair and headband.) Nirei was generous and didn't miss a single person — even a stray cat passing by could have left with a bow tied on it. In the end, Suo stood holding a few cute hair ties, exchanging a wry smile with Sakura. "Nire-kun really does love to share." The little fox charm on one of the ties narrowed its eyes at them, as if smiling.
————
Nirei felt the wind rush behind him. He gritted his teeth and immediately surged forward a few steps — gain distance first.
A group had ambushed them during patrol. He, Suo, and Sakura had been separated. Just before they split up completely, Nirei saw the look in the class representative's eyes: Don't worry about us — take care of yourself.
Using his intimate knowledge of the streets, Nirei ducked through alleys and lost a few pursuers. As he ran, he found himself thinking, oddly calm: *Haven't I been here before?* It wasn't until the person behind him nearly grabbed his hair that he remembered — his middle school days, not so long ago.
He put some distance between them and then turned around decisively. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see the lingering trail of his long yellow hair.
He looked straight at his opponent. The opponent stopped chasing and met his gaze. Nirei quickly scanned the alley entrance — not far. He could make it. He recalled what Suo had said: "Hair is a weakness, but if you know it's a weakness, you can turn it into bait."
He dashed toward the taller man's left, as if trying to run past him. Of course, the man lunged for him. But Nirei didn't dodge — he stepped into the attack. A split second before the man's fingers could touch his hair, Nirei ducked and turned. The strand of hair slipped through the man's fingers like a fish escaping a net. At the same time, he drove his elbow into the man's ribs. The man doubled over, staggering backward, and Nirei followed up with a kick to his shin.
He went down.
Nirei exhaled heavily. Time to go check on Sakura-san and Suo-san.
He relaxed for a moment, and didn't notice someone approaching from behind. Then came that familiar, sickening pain at his scalp — the kind that made him want to curl in on himself. Nirei clenched his teeth and kept his eyes open. He reached back, grabbed the person's wrist, and applied pressure to the joint just as Suo had taught him. The person winced and loosened their grip. Nirei yanked his hair free, a few strands floating to the ground.
Just as he turned to counterattack, a shadow flashed in his peripheral vision. The first man — the one he thought he'd downed — had somehow gotten back up and was charging straight at him. Nirei couldn't dodge in time. The man's hand brushed past his shoulder, throwing him off balance. And then the second man grabbed the ends of his hair and yanked downward hard. The pain exploded from the roots. Nirei's body tipped backward, his head falling toward the ground —
And just before the back of his skull could hit the stone, he heard the sound of air being cut.
A hand reached from behind him and caught the back of his head, steady and secure. Dark red strands of hair were the first thing to enter his field of vision. The familiar scent of tea leaves wrapped around him.
It was Suo.
"It's okay." Suo's voice was soft — so soft that only Nirei could hear it. Nirei's legs felt weak, but he still managed to stand.
Sakura stood two steps away. The second man lay at his feet, clutching his wrist and grimacing. Sakura's hair was still tied in its ponytail, his face unreadable — until he turned his head and met Nirei's eyes. Then, a flicker of something that could only be called care softened his expression.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Nirei ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. Sakura turned back to face the two men, shielding Nirei behind him. Suo reached out and gently touched the ends of Nirei's hair that fell over his shoulders, as if checking something. Then he said a sentence, not loud, but clear enough for everyone in the alley to hear:
"This kid's hair — it took forever to grow, you know. I'm not about to let you wreck it."
In the end, the men fled in a panic. Nirei anxiously grabbed Sakura and Suo, looking them over for any injuries. Sakura actually had to step back two paces from his urgency.
"Let's go," Sakura said. "We'll talk back home."
他走在前面，步伐虽长，但不至于让二礼跟不上。苏央走在二礼身旁，肩膀偶尔轻轻相触。二礼摸了摸他的发梢。大概有几根头发断了。他想起了那把剪刀。“咔嚓咔嚓”的声音和散落在地上的头发。他的头发又长回来了。这一次，他不会再割断它。
——————————
???之后的某天：
“隼人。”
有人叫他的名字。须尾隼人猛然回到现实。他看着镜中的对方倒影。“怎么了？”
“没什么。只是你自从把头发扎起来后就一直走神。”
“没什么。我刚才在想。走吧。”
他站了起来。他的马尾随着动作优雅地转动。跟在隼人后面的人注意到他头发间闪烁着什么——
那是他发圈上的一个小金属吊坠。红色图案看起来像一只小狐狸。
*一个小马尾笑话：
起初，二礼实际上最常躲在樱后面。但渐渐地，他开始躲到苏尾身后。有一天，樱恰好想起了这件事，便随口问为什么。二礼沉默了几秒，然后又回到苏央身后。
“因为，樱小姐，当你转头的时候......你的马尾总是打到我脸上。”