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"Your hair looks clean. Make sure to keep it that way."
Stuff like that affected Asumi at a young age. His mom constantly praised him for having nice hair. So ultimately, he decided to grow it out. He stopped visiting the local barber (much to his dad's dismay) and started using woman's hair care supplies to keep it long and healthy. By the time he finished middle school, it was long enough to reach his back. It was the ideal length he had in mind, so he often visited a proper salon to get any split ends trimmed.
However, Asumi failed to realize that guys with long hair weren't considered proper. When he started high school, he was forced to tie it up because the alternative was to cut it short. Yet even when it was tied up in a bun, the other male students all had short hair. Thankfully his classmates didn't seem bothered by this look. They all treated him as the cool, aloof student, which was exactly what he wanted. It was certainly better than being constantly harassed for looking like a 'sissy girl'.
But that time as an ordinary high school student came to an abrupt end. One thing led to another and after finding out he had some weird mutation power, he was whisked away to an old-fashioned clan alongside a pair of cousins. Apparently it had to do with...reincarnations? And what was that about curses? It was all confusing, but Asumi was quick to adjust. He even became close with a pink-haired boy who felt oddly familiar.
But this story isn't about that. This is a separate side story about one particular evening...
"The Gojo Clan was invited to a grand banquet for all noble families of the country," Rika had explain. "I was asked to attend in place of clan head Shiro, so I would like for all of you to accompany me and Inumaki."
That was the announcement that lead to this moment, with both Rika and Shinju drilling proper etiquette onto the group. How to act, what to wear... It all seemed a little unbearable, especially for the apathetic Hisao. But this was apparently a yearly thing, so the non-clan sorcerers had to put their best feet forward since none of the other attending clans housed any sorcerers.
One of the big issues came from the required attire. Asumi was all set to pick up a rental suit when Rika explained how western clothing was banned at these banquets. Everyone in attendance, both men and women alike, was to wear formal kimonos. Nobody was pleased with this detail, but they didn't have much of a choice. Luckily being part of the Gojo Clan had its perks, which included an infinite amount of wealth for buying kimonos and any required accessories for the newcomer attendees.
Right now Asumi was in his room checking his reflection to make sure he put his kimono on right. It was dark blue, the same color as the Gojo Clan's sorcerer attire. But that wasn't the only article of clothing. Turns out the standard formal wear for this clan included a light blue haori, a gold-colored coat cord, a black obi belt, and tan geta sandals with white tabi socks. Tomu, Hisao, and Kin received identical kimonos, while Rika and Yasu had theirs styled with a dark orange flame pattern and those obi belts were striped with amber and dark blue. Shinju wasn't going to wear one, as she already had her own kimono associated with the Inumaki Clan. She described it as violet with jewels, but it was hard to tell since her quick hand movements indicated she was too excited to properly describe it.
Asumi hoped he would customize his own kimono, but Rika forbade it, saying that as long as he trained under the Gojo Clan, he would be affiliated with it. Which also meant he must wear this attire for the banquet. Why couldn't he just pick out a western suit and be done with it?
The brunette's thoughts were cut off with a sudden knock on the door. "Who is it?" he asked.
"It's Tomu," a voice replied. "I wanted to check in on you."
"Sure," Asumi replied.
Almost instantly, the door opened to reveal Tomu, also dressed in his kimono. Asumi tore his gaze away from the mirror to get a better look at him. While it was the exact same kimono design, Tomu looked better in it than him. He carefully tugged on his chin-length bangs in an attempt to hide a blush that was most likely present.
"Not a fan of these kimonos?" Tomu assumed.
Asumi was taken back by the sudden question. "How did you...?"
"Just a hunch," Tomu answered with an innocent shrug.
"Or...am I wrong?"
There it was again. The weird moments when Asumi thought about past events that never happened. He was used to it by now, but it was still annoying.
"So do you plan on styling your hair?" Tomu blurted out. "For the banquet, I mean."
"Not really," Asumi answered. "You know I don't usually tie up my hair or do anything fancy. Why would you bring it up?"
"Inumaki finally stopped by," Tomu explained. "Apparently she wanted to help Yasu and Okkotsu work on their hair. I figured you were gonna do the same."
"That's different," Asumi corrected. "You remember what Okkotsu said this morning. Wearing hair ornaments is a requirement for women, not men."
"What if I were to help?" Tomu suddenly offered.
Asumi was surprised once more. "With my hair...?" he muttered.
"Well, yeah," Tomu innocently answered. He walked closer to the brunette and carefully inspected him.
Asumi was a little unsure with this offer. What would Tomu know about styling long hair? Given by the spiked undercut, he probably didn't spend years understanding proper styling and care. He looked like a shampoo-only guy who only used a single comb for brushing. It all seemed like massive red flags, which made him tense up.
"I got it!" Tomu suddenly shouted with a snap of his fingers. He looked around the room. "So...where do you keep your brush?"
Asumi walked over to a desk drawer. "Right here," he answered as he opened the drawer, revealing numerous combs, brushes, ribbons, and a few handheld water sprays. Thankfully all of the combs and brushes were labeled, which might help someone unfamiliar with his routines.
After a bit of checking, Tomu picked up a dark blue brush labeled 'Gentle Styling' and a plain light blue ribbon. What was this pinkette thinking? That lone question went through Asumi's mind as he watched his maybe-crush walk over to the bed and sit on the edge.
"C'mon," Tomu urged as he patted the spot next to him. "I'll braid your hair."
Braiding? So that's what he was planning. That caused some relief, yet Asumi was still cautious. He slowly walked towards the bed and sat next to Tomu, turning around so he had full access to his hair. There was no going back now. All he could do was wait to see what this braid looked like.
To Asumi's surprise, Tomu was very gentle. He carefully held the dark brown locks as he slowly brushed them, making sure they were nice and smooth before styling. That process was already familiar with Asumi. He was very careful to avoid breakage, which often took him a while to get ready each morning. But this time felt unusually soothing. He closed his eyes as he sighed, enjoying the gentle feeling of having his hair brushed.
Once that process was done, Tomu began braiding. This was a style Asumi never tried before, so he wasn't sure what the pinkette was doing. He occasionally felt gentle tugs and nothing else. It seemed he knew what he was doing and that felt reassuring. That lead to a comfortable period of silence. It was at this moment Asumi realized how soothing it was to have someone else touch his hair.
"You've got soft hair," Tomu blurted out.
Asumi's eyes shot open. "Huh...?" he muttered, still in a slight daze.
"You heard me," Tomu replied. "You must've taken care of this for a long time."
"I have," Asumi confirmed. "You saw how many brushes I own. It took me years to get the right length and I want to keep it like this."
"It suits you," Tomu complimented. "I can't imagine you with shorter hair."
That made Asumi blush hard. Was that really a compliment, or was Tomu just being nice? Yes he might be developing a crush on him, but he shouldn't really jump to conclusions. This was a guy who was radiating straight vibes. Someone fully masculine with a ripped physique, short hair that didn't reach his neck, and a very forward personality. This was someone who was his complete opposite, which clearly meant he was more into women than men.
A few minutes later, the tugging finally stopped. "'Kay, this should do it," Tomu said.
Asumi stood up and walked over to the mirror. He turned around so his back was facing the reflective surface. What he saw made him gasped. His hair was styled into a single loose braid with the light blue ribbon woven in. Not a single strand was out of place and it even changed how he looked in his kimono. Very dignified and proper, carrying an aura of handsomeness in a manner very different from Tomu. But how was this even possible? His gazed switched over to the pinkette in question.
"When did you learn to style hair?" Asumi asked.
Tomu stood up. "Yasu taught me," he explained as he stretched his arms. "When I started living in Kawasaki, she made me get involved in her sleepovers. 'Parently it was a requirement for living under the same roof as her. Not like that mattered after she cut her hair on a whim during middle school."
"Right..." Asumi realized. He forgot that Tomu spent most of his life with two women. Of course he would have picked up a few tricks from them!
Then without warning, a hand furiously knocked on the door. Both boys turned around to see Shinju staring at them with a furious gaze. She was all decked out in a silk purple kimono with white sleeves, her accessories consisting of a sky blue obi belt and tan geta sandals with black tabi socks. Her long hair was tied up in an elaborate updo with a glittering amethyst jeweled headpiece and the traditional makeup coating her face hid her Inumaki family sigils. She looked so different from her usual reserved demeanor, looking like a proper princess.
[Will you two stop flirting?] Shinju signed. [Everyone else is waiting for you.]
"F-Flirting?!" Asumi yelped in embarrassment.
Tomu chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. "I was helping Shimada finish getting dressed."
Shinju let out a mute sigh. [Whatever,] she signed. [It is rude to keep the banquet hosts waiting. Or did you already forget that?]
"Then we better get going," Tomu said as he looked over at Asumi.
Asumi silently nodded in agreement. He was going to have to worry about the whole 'flirting' thing some other time...