Fate Comes With Time

「Well then, let’s do it.」

I bundled up the back of my head with one hand and tried it.

Then Chrono reliably nodded.

「Let me take care of that. I will make Onee-chan pretty and cute. 」

「Ahhh, I’m glad. Then, I would like to ask Chrono to do just that for me. 」

That’s really cute.

Even if it was lip service, I was glad.

In the past few years, if I think about it, I could not find a salon that suited me, so I ended up moving from a salon to another like a gypsy.

It might be my good fate to work with Chrono-kun.

If it turns out well then, I can become a regular.

Come to think about it, I still have not asked where his shop is.

「Where is the shop Chrono-kun work at is?」

He seemed to be waiting for that question.

「If you don’t mind, please have this.」

He takes a business card from this chest pocket and presents it through the firewall.

Chrono’s hand holding the business card was beautiful enough to captivate my eyes.

His fingers are long, slender and look beautiful like a white marble statue glowing in the moonlit night.

Being as beautiful as a work of art is probably a business tool for him.

I felt guilty about thinking this way while I received the business card from his hand.

Whiling holding the box I received a while ago, I looked at the business card that I received.

“Hair Salon Chrono” — That is the name of the shop.

「Hair salon…… Chrono, is it? 」

「Yes」

The address seems to be close to my apartment but I don’t remember seeing it.

Perhaps it was newly opened.

There was his name under the store name.

『Chorno Kuro, Manager』 –Eh. store manager?

「Chrono-kun, are you the manager?」

Upon seeing my surprised reaction, he pulled a face like a naughty child.

「Can you not read it?」

「Yes, well……. You are young, aren’t you? I’m guessing you are still in your 20s.」

「I’m 28」

「Young?!」

「Even though it is only one employee, me, the manager.」

However, now that you mention it he does give the impression of a boss, but by no means does he look 28.

「I get told that often, it appears so.」

He said this with a sweet smile on his face.

「By the way, what is Onee-san’s name? If you don’t tell me, I can’t make a reservation. 」

「My name is Mishima. The kanji characters are the numeral three and the same character as the island of Shimane. 」

「Mishima what-san?」

「It’s Mishima Miyako. Miyako from the first character of Kyoto 『Miyako』」

「Miyako-san, huh? Chronotowa, my best regards for the future. 」

Chrono-kun continued and lightly lowered his head.

「So, I’m free tomorrow would you like to make an appointment then?」

「Tomorrow? Okay, I have no plans……」

I wonder if it is alright to make a reservation so suddenly.

Chrono-san laughed pleasantly to allay my uneasiness.

「Just to a.s.sure you, by chance, there are no reservations for tomorrow.」

「Well then, don’t worry, time is available whenever.」

「Certainly. So then, how about 10 in the morning? 」

「That’s fine. 」

The truth is. after this, I was thinking about going to bed after drinking to myself to a stupor.

But now, my tears have dried up in the night wind and I have an errand to run tomorrow morning.

There is no time to drink, no time to cry.

「So, tomorrow morning at 10, Mishima Miyako-sama. I’ll be expecting you. 」

「Thank you very much. 」

The first shortstop.

When it comes down to it, I am a little nervous now.

It is a heart pounding situation to talk about things like this to a neighbour that one has just met today.

「Well, Miyako-san good night, you had better get to bed early. You will catch a cold if you stay here for a long time. 」

I accepted what Chrono-kun said and responded positively.

「That’s right. Thanks for everything Chrono-kun」

「You are welcome, Miyako-san」

As I said, Chrono smiled again with a face that does not look 28.

「Good night, see you tomorrow. 」

He left a little after his regards and returned to his apartment.

While thinking that his appearance has disappeared, I heard the sound of the veranda door closing quietly through the firewall.

I also took a deep breath and sucked in the cold night air before returning to my room.

For now, let’s arrange the shoes at the entrance, get changed, take a bath then try to get some light sleep.

I will not cry any longer because I have to be up early tomorrow.

On the contrary, I’m better than I thought I’d be.

On Sat.u.r.day, I visited the address on the business card that I received.

「Hair Salon Chronos…… It’s here」

The store was close to our apartments, just around the corner of a residential area.

The store is small white brick store that had a cute and pretty appearance with a look of a café.

One of the reasons for that is that the windows are smaller like other shops, not like other hair salons.

There was a poster at the door.

According to it, it seems that the store will open at 9:30am on Sunday morning.

It seems that it is not opened yet today.

「The reservation was today…… right? 」

I suddenly I got worried.

Last night, Chrono said 『10 o’clock on Sat.u.r.day morning』

I remember the time, but what if I misunderstood?

Worst of all, I had a broken heart and there is the possibility of me hallucinating, but I was sober.

While I was perplexed, the doorbell sounded unexpectedly.

「Welcome, I’ve been waiting for you.」

Then the door opened and a familiar face appears in front of me.

Chrono-kun.

A sweet smile floated on his lips, with a blonde hair sweeping over his face and drooping eyes.

I timidly answered back.

「Good morning. Did you make a reservation for today? 」

「That is correct.」

「But the sign on the door stated that it is opened tomorrow. 」

「The place is empty and you have an appointment. It’s not a coincidence, isn’t it? 」

Chrono-kun invited me to the store as a matter of fact.

The inside of the shop was paneled with woodgrain panels both on the walls and floors and had a warmth to the interior decoration.

There are 3 styling chairs and only 2 shampoo basins.

Every fixture is brand new and shiny, and the mirror is polished to the extent that the figure appears on the floor as well.

There is no one in the store besides Chrono-kun and I.

「Miyako-san is the first customer in this store.」

While guiding me to the styling chair, Chrono-kun said.

「Is that so? Is it because it is before the official opening? 」

When he heard that, he nodded back.

「Today we will call the staff and guests in the afternoon for planning and rehearsal.」

「Well, it’s the day before the official opening,」

「I’m glad you came here but I wanted to cut your hair anyway. I invited Miyako-san before rehearsing. 」

And after having me sit down, he turned me in the chair around the front, facing the mirror.

The mirror in front of me was reflecting me sitting in the styling chair and Chrono-kun picking up the brush behind me.

I had puffy, swollen eyes.

Chrono-kun who rolled up the sleeves of his dungaree shirt, brush my hair with gentle movements.

My hair was comfortably combed.

Just like I saw last night, his hand was a beautiful, slender hand like a work of art.

I was looking forward to seeing how this hand will change my hair.

At the same time, although I also felt somewhat frustrated.

「Is it ok for me to be your first customer?」

When asking through the mirror, Chrono-kun raised his face up and met my eyes.

「Miyako-san is fine as a first customer」

Saying such a thing so easily makes me embarra.s.sed.

「Aren’t you superst.i.tious?  Having a broken-hearted person as a first customer? 」

「The customer is a customer, the reason is irrelevant.」

Chrono-kun gently bunched my hair with slender hands.

The eyes that were looking at my hair were serious.

「In addition to what I said yesterday. Miyako-san will definitely look good with a shortcut. 」

I could not believe it was lip service as it was said in a pa.s.sionate voice.

「I will make Miyako-san the absolute cutest. Please believe and leave it to me 」

This is the first time cutting my hair short.

I thought it would be better to leave it to Chrono-kun than deciding it myself.

「Well then, please go ahead. You can do whatever you want. 」

In response, Chono-kun smiled for an instant.

「You are resolved, aren’t you Miyako-san」

「I have nothing to lose」

I laughed into a mirror.

I had a last look at my long hair.

After that, Chrono-kun lead me to the shampoo basin.

A towel was wrapped around my collar and sat in the chair and had a blanket put on my knee, Chrono-kun gently reclined the back of the chair.

I was slightly nervous somehow when I looked up at him from an almost supine position.

With the strong lighting coming from the ceiling, Chrono-kun’s face had a dark shadow cast and looked like a different person when I had a peek.

But when he saw my face, he smiled and the darkness quickly scattered.

「Miyako-san, are you nervous?」

「Oh, sorry. It is weird for someone that I know to wash my hair.」

「It is OK for you to relax. I’ll put a towelette on your face, so close your eyes 」

I closed my eyes as requested.

A few seconds later, I felt a think cloth on my face.

I can hear the sound of warm water flow over my head.

「Please let me know if it is too hot」

After voicing that, Chrono-kun ran the hot water through my hair.

At first, from the hairline to the side of the ear, from the hair whorl to the eyelid, slowly stroking my head with warm water and big hands.

The warm water was just like the temperature of a bath, comfortable.

「Miyako-san is it not too hot?」

「It is just right.」

Chrono-kun’s shampooing was good.

It was very pleasant to be washed and ma.s.saged with fingertips.

It is also a good feeling when the bubbles rise with a rhythmic sound.

Not only the dirt, my stress and tiredness felt like they were melting away from deep inside as well, it gave me the feeling that I wanted my hair to be washed all the time.

So, when I let out an unexpected sigh, I heard Chrono-kun teasingly laughed.

「Do you feel good?」

「Yeah, very much so……」

I might have fallen asleep if I was a little more relaxed.

I was nervous and it was good for it.

「Chrono-kun’s shampooing is good」

I corrected myself after saying it in a rude manner to a manager. (TN: j.a.panese manners can be perplexing.)

「I’m sorry, because you are a manager, it is natural to be good.」

「It seems like it, but it is due to spending a lot of time down in the bottom ranks, isn’t it?」

Chrono-kun replied while moving his fingers.

「When I was a newbie, I was in charge of the shampoo station all day. In most shops, shampooing is the newcomer’s work. 」

「If so, it is a great honor to have the store manager, Chrono-kun, wash it.」

「Because I’ve worked so hard, I got to own my own store.」

There was the sound of the taps twisting again.

「I was also lucky though. It is here, in this shop, where the things my seniors did are now implemented. 」

Chrono-kun continues while washing away the lather from my hair with warm water.

「The seniors were going to close down their shop, and there was a rumor going around that they would hand it over to someone…… I thought that this was my chance and I stood forward. I’ve always wanted to be independent. 」

Even though there is only a 1-year difference between Chrono-kun and I, he is quite well grounded.

I want to be independent, it is quite a wonderful ambition to have, owning a store while still in his twenties.

I should emulate this.

「However, I’ve not lived here so I don’t really know the lay of the land.」

Then Chrono-kun smiled a smile that was more appropriate to his age.

「All the staff are from this neighborhood, but I was the only one that was not. I thought I need to get familiar as soon as possible. 」

Is that why Chrono-kun moved?

He is not a person from around here, I’m like that too though.

「Miyako-san are you from here?」

After washing my hair, I was questioned while getting wiped it with a towel.

「No. But since I’ve been here for 7 years so I know it better than my hometown. 」

「7 years, you are by far my senior.」

Chrono-kun removed the towelette covering my face.

When I slowly open my eyes, my line of sight strikes Chrono-kun who is wiping my hair.

「If so, can you teach me about the area?」

Those words, I’ve heard it from another person before.

『I don’t know much about this area yet. Mishima-san, please show me around』

The warm smile of Etou-kun suddenly revived in my mind, flooding me with distress.

That’d why I thought I’d show him around.

This town.

The planetarium at the science museum.

「……Miyako-san？」

I heard my name called and I pulled myself together.

Chrono-kun at my face suspiciously.

If you are suddenly immersed in memories in front of you, you’d act pretty odd.

「No. Please feel free to ask anytime. 」

I answered as brightly as I could.

Even right now, I feel like laughing off my past.