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Everything that Natsuki knows, she just knows! She doesn’t really have a reason for it - that’s just how it is! Natsuki doesn’t really need to think about it, she can just do it! Like breathing or blinking, things just happen when Natsuki hopes they will, or needs them to. Nothing complicated about it, that’s the way it is. Natsuki assumes it’s like that for everyone.
Everything Natsuki doesn’t know, Masumi will tell her! Which makes her probably the luckiest person on Earth, because not everyone has someone as nice as Masumi around to say helpful things like, “Figure it out yourself!” or “Oh my God, you can’t seriously be asking that?” when they’re stuck on something difficult. With his help, Natsuki has made a lot of new and exciting discoveries about the world! And now she has the other Boukengers around to help her learn! She’s basically guaranteed to become a genius now.
All this is to say, she didn’t really know how to look after her hair before Masumi explained it. She thought the brush was kind of scary, with spike-like bristles that looked like they would rip through her skin. She’d cried a little bit the first time they’d tried, but only out of fear. Masumi had been gentle with his touch, and the bristles weren’t really that sharp. By the time he’d finished, she was having fun. Her head felt lighter and her hair fell softly down her back. But she cried a little bit anyway, almost like she was frustrated with herself for never doing this before now. Almost like she was mourning whoever had shown her to do this before.
Masumi had, in his endless kindness, somehow procured some shiny hair accessories for her to pick from. There were clips shaped like stars and cats and cute little cakes, and bands infused with beads and glitter. He’d scooped her hair into two rough bunches, and tied one side too tight and the other too loose. Natsuki hadn’t minded, though. She’d felt bubbly and warm and glowy, like her insides could start shining through her skin - and later, she’d get to learn that this feeling was love.
After she knew she needed to look after her hair, though, it all came naturally to her. She never has to think much when she parts it; she makes two perfectly even sides each time. She thinks, probably, everyone has the innate wisdom to tell exactly how to divide things in parts, which is why it’s confusing to her when Sakura doesn’t act like it. Maybe it’s on purpose that she ties her hair wrong? Natsuki doesn’t really know how fashion works, and she thinks Sakura doesn’t care about it anyway. Maybe she does, though, and Natsuki’s the silly one for not realising?
So, while Masumi is out on a mission, and Sakura is furiously combing over some old newspaper articles, Natsuki asks her, “Why do you do your hair like that?”
Sakura doesn’t even bother to turn her icy glare over to where Natsuki’s perched on her stool, kicking her legs. She flicks to the next page in her dossier. “It’s efficient.”
“Efficient like, it’s easy to do? Or efficient like, it’s helpful for missions?”
“Both,” Sakura responds automatically. Natsuki can’t help but pout a little - she’s being so friendly and Sakura doesn’t even care at all! “It keeps my hair out of my face, so I can concentrate, and it takes minimal preparation.”
Natsuki ponders this momentarily, her cheeks round as she deliberates. “So, is it on purpose that it’s not even?”
Sakura always holds herself like something’s restraining her. Her limbs seem stiff, heavy, and cautious, like a wild animal trapped somewhere new, constantly on the watch for danger. It’s part of the reason Natsuki isn’t sure if she can trust her, yet. Sakura is cold, but in the way the eye of a storm is, like that distance hides something violent and reckless. Natsuki can’t ever tell what she’s thinking, or why she’s thinking it. Natsuki can’t really tell what will make Sakura decide something’s a threat, or what she’ll do when she does.
But right now, Sakura’s rigidness is new and awkward, like she’s straightening herself out in response to Natsuki’s question. Which is weird, right? Because Natsuki didn’t ask anything that would make her feel weird or anything!
“In what way?” she says, finally, like she’s chewing on the words. Natsuki feels like she’s looking at the article pointedly now, like she’s making a big deal out of not paying attention to her. “How is it uneven?”
“Well, it’s never really in the middle of your head!” Natsuki explains gladly. “It’s weird that you wouldn’t notice that, so Natsuki thought it must be on purpose.”
Almost instinctively, Sakura’s hand goes to the back of her neck. “It’s in the middle,” she protests, almost childishly.
Natsuki shakes her head. “Nope! It’s like… Hm…” It’s hard to work out how to word complicated things like measurements, especially without a visual reference. She jumps from her seat and cranes her neck around Sakura’s shoulders, “3.5cm from where the middle is! And the side that’s… Um, well, one side just has more hair scraped back than the other.” Natsuki nods, proudly. “It’s this side,” she says, tapping Sakura’s shoulder, because left and right are also kind of complicated.
Sakura’s expression is hollow with shock, and for a moment, Natsuki is really excited that she gets to actually describe someone as looking “aghast”, because Souta had only taught her that word last week! But… It probably isn’t nice to feel aghast, or have your friend make you be it, so she says, “Sorry. Is it meant to be in the middle?”
“It is in the middle!” Sakura snaps, still tugging at the back of her head. “How could you possibly know that it isn’t?”
“Natsuki just knows,” she shrugs. “Don’t you, Sakura-san?”
Breathing heavily, Sakura says, “I… Put more time into getting it perfect than I care to admit.”
“Huh?” Natsuki jumps back into her seat, and pulls her discarded plate of sweets from earlier back towards her. “That’s weird. Natsuki just does hers and it comes out right every single time!”
Since her attention is firmly on her food, Natsuki misses Sakura’s eyebrow twitching. But she doesn’t miss how sharp her voice is when she asks, “So, you get it perfect on your first try?”
“Yep!” Natsuki plops a particularly cute and round treat into her mouth, and, while chewing, explains, “Natsuki thought everyone did it like that! But Sakura-san is clearly different, so maybe it’s just Natsuki who does that? Oh, but Masumi never brushes his hair more than once through, so -”
She swallows, and starts picking which snack she’s going to dive into next, when she notices Sakura is gripping the edge of the table, her knuckles white.
“Is it that obviously uneven?” she asks.
Natsuki sighs as she thinks about it. She doesn’t know how everyone else views the world, so she has to assume they all see it just like she does. “Probably!” she beams. “So if you’re doing it on purpose, you’re doing a good job, Natsuki thinks!”
She’s about to tear into another sweet when she feels claws on her shoulders. “Natsuki,” Sakura says, her voice raw and deep, “please, do my hair for me.”
Feeling her brows furrow, Natsuki watches Sakura bow her head. She can’t remember ever seeing her this emotional before. “But you did such a good job of it yourself! Natsuki isn’t sure she could get it as lopsided as Sakura-san can!”
“Please, make it even,” Sakura replies. “Before everyone returns. Please, tidy it up for me.”
Ohhhhh… It wasn’t on purpose.
“Okay!” Natsuki says brightly. “Natsuki loves it when Masumi does her hair, so she’ll do Sakura-san’s! And you can do Natsuki’s after, if you want! Natsuki doesn’t mind her hair being wrong-”
“Please,” pulling her hands from Natsuki’s shoulder, Sakura turns away from her, and her voice drips with shame. “Please, stop talking.”
“Hmph. Natsuki doesn’t think it’s very nice to ask her to do something for you and then tell her to be quiet,” she pouts. “Maybe you would be better at doing your hair if you were kind. Like Masumi.”
Sakura takes a deep breath. “This is pointless,” she mumbles. “I should just focus on my work.”
“No, no!” Natsuki jumps down and grabs Sakura’s hand. “Let’s hang out! Natsuki wants to do Sakura-san’s hair! We can have fun together!”
She feels like Sakura doesn’t ever have fun. So she shouldn’t push her away, right?
Sakura has a brush on her, and it’s much harder than the one Natsuki uses. It’s withered and worn with use, with bristles that have snapped and empty pegs where some used to be. Natsuki doesn’t want to judge, but it doesn’t really seem that practical. Maybe Sakura is just really attached to it? Or maybe she’s just too utilitarian to get a new one until there’s nothing left of the one she has. Although, to Natsuki, it already feels like there’s nothing left of it. She hopes Sakura doesn’t notice her wrinkle her nose as she studies it.
Despite her reservations about the brush, Sakura’s hair is soft. Natsuki had assumed it would be spikey and harsh, just like every other part of Sakura. As she teases the hair tie out - which is wrapped tightly, with almost surgical precision - and runs her fingers through it, shaking out the shape of Sakura's ponytail, Natsuki thinks that maybe there are bits of Sakura that are round and tender, smoothed corners instead of sharp edges. And maybe Natsuki will get to meet those parts of Sakura, if she keeps working hard as a Boukenger, and doing her best. So she shouldn’t get scared away by all the loud and brash and mean and cold things she does. She should keep trying until she gets to peel away the clinical and calculating cover from all the pieces that are gentle and kind.
After all, when Natsuki doesn’t know something, she has to learn it.