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[Crossover] Ch 143: Wanna Dye Your Hair?
🕑 Added 2025-07-13 19:58:14 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
On the western side of Itogami Island, in a lively spot filled with restaurants and all sorts of businesses that stay open till sunrise—Ryo and Avrora strolled along the street, sharing a snack of grilled scallops and garlic oysters from a nearby food stand.
This area was particularly busy at night since many demons were nocturnal, making it a natural gathering point for both humans and non-humans alike.
"You guys are still eating?" A surprised voice came from beside them. It was Asagi Aiba, the glasses-wearing girl with her signature long ponytail, staring at the two like they were bottomless pits.
Ryo looked up, motioning toward a nearby stall. "The garlic oysters here are pretty good. Want some?"
"I'll pass. I'm already way past my limit." Asagi rubbed her stomach and let out a tired sigh.
Just then, Natsuki Minamiya calmly wiped Avrora's mouth with a towel and said, "Asagi, shouldn't you be home by now? Even if it's summer break, wandering around this late isn't exactly allowed."
"It's fine. There's no one waiting for me at home anyway."
Asagi answered casually, but her expression faltered slightly at the end.
"Come on, it's summer break. Let me enjoy it a little, Natsuki-chan."
As she spoke, her eyes drifted curiously to a nearby bar across the street.
"Don't bother, Natsuki," Ryo said while slurping up the last of the scallop juice and tossing the shell into a plastic bag. He smirked playfully. "She clearly had a fight with her folks and doesn't wanna go home. If you try to send her away now, she'll probably end up drunk off her ass in some shady bar, then get picked up by some sleazebag looking to take advantage of her."
"Hey! That's seriously messed up!" Asagi's face turned red with frustration. What kind of guy says that about someone right in front of them?
Ryo shrugged. "Tell me I'm wrong. This city's full of that kind of crap." He pointed to the bar across the street and gave a dry laugh. "The negative energy pouring out of that place is making me nauseous."
"Huh?" Asagi blinked, confused. Then she heard Natsuki's voice.
"Yeah, it's me—Natsuki Minamiya. I want every bar in the Sleepless District swept clean tonight."
Asagi turned her head in disbelief. Natsuki had her phone in hand and was giving the order with a completely calm face.
She suddenly remembered the files she'd hacked into before. Natsuki wasn't just some tiny teacher—she was a national-level Attack Mage, known as the "Witch of the Void," and the head instructor of the Island's Guard Force.
For the bar-goers, Asagi could only offer a silent prayer. Three seconds of mourning, at least.
After the call, Natsuki put away her phone and looked at Ryo curiously. "You can sense negative intent?"
"A little trick I just picked up. Still getting used to it."
Ryo shrugged again. Other than observing the Fourth Primogenitor, one of the reasons he came to this world was to get familiar with the newly unlocked "cosmos" within him.
His ability to sense malice—kind of like a psychic radar that could vaguely detect evil intent—was a recent result of that practice. Crude, but useful.
The only catch? He had just 14 days in this world.
So much for pushing his sixth sense to the limit before returning to Little Garden. That plan was already down the drain.
Still, fourteen days wasn't so bad. Ryo wasn't greedy.
Even so, the constant power upgrades from the Hōgyoku were exhausting his mind. To blow off steam, he'd taken to teasing girls lately—a harmless way to release stress and indulge in his twisted sense of humor.
"I see…" Natsuki didn't pry. Abilities were personal business—she wasn't dumb enough to push further.
...
Meanwhile, Ryo had already shifted his attention back to Asagi.
"Get it now? No matter how bad you're feeling, bars aren't the place to deal with it. Especially for a girl like you who gives off major… let's say, 'vibes'."
"What vibes!? WAIT... don't say it!" Asagi shouted, flustered. After glaring daggers at him for a while, she muttered under her breath, "...Thanks."
She had been considering going to the bar to drown her sorrows. Ryo's not-so-subtle warning snapped her out of it just in time.
Bars in Itogami Island were chaos incarnate, especially with so many charm-type demons hanging around. Human customers often ended up in "voluntary" situations that turned ugly fast.
Since it all happened without any real magical interference, the Guard Force could barely intervene—it was a legal and ethical nightmare.
If she'd gone in there, something bad would've happened. She knew that now.
Of course, if Ryo had phrased it a bit nicer, she might've thanked him out loud. But seriously, how could someone so good-looking be so infuriating? Couldn't he have been born mute?
...
Beside her, Ryo and Natsuki quietly kept walking with Avrora, who was curiously checking out everything along the way.
At this point, Natsuki started to realize—Ryo was totally treating this like a vacation.
He was the one who'd asked her to announce the Blazing Banquet… and now he was casually strolling the streets without a care in the world.
Was he just that confident? Or was it arrogance?
'Probably confidence,' she thought.
Just then, Ryo suddenly stopped near a sleek-looking salon and pointed at it."Hey, JC girl—wanna dye your hair?"
"Huh?" Asagi looked around, wondering who "JC" was. Then it clicked. He meant her.
"Hair dye?"
Her expression turned a little weird. Ryo looked way too excited about this.
He smirked. "Wouldn't you love to piss off those nagging parents of yours? A bold hair color would really get under their skin."
"I mean… yeah, I'd love to piss them off. But what does dyeing my hair have to do with it?"
Ryo looked at her like she was hopeless. "And you call yourself a junior high student? Where's your rebellious phase? No teen angst? No drama? Are you even trying?"
That hit a nerve. Asagi flinched, clearly offended by the accusation.
While she fumed, Avrora tilted her head, chewing an oyster. "What's dyeing hair?"
Ryo chuckled and patted her head. "It means changing your hair color."
"Oh~! Is big sis gonna make her hair look like mine?"
Avrora's eyes sparkled red as she giggled mischievously. "If you want that kind of color, I could just bite you a little."
Ryo raised a hand like he was about to scold her, and Avrora instantly went quiet, practically shrinking in place.
Still, despite the little scare, Asagi couldn't help but be drawn to Avrora's golden-blonde hair.
'That color actually looks kinda cool...' She stared a little longer, then shyly muttered, "I guess… it wouldn't hurt to try something new."
"Perfect. Let's do it then!"
Without giving her a chance to rethink, Ryo grabbed her hand and led her straight into the salon.
At the street corner, Natsuki stood with one hand on her hip, watching them walk in. "So damn laid-back, those two."
She sighed, then turned around and looked down the street.
There, standing with a book in her arms and adjusting her glasses, was a girl with long braided hair—quiet and sharp-eyed.
One of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency: Koyomi Shizuka.
Natsuki waved her hand casually, turned, and walked into a nearby alley.
Koyomi gave the salon one last glance, then silently followed.
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