A little past noon, Dahlia stopped by Irma’s barber shop.
When she knocked and entered the door and entered, a young woman had just finished getting her haircut and was about to leave.
“Irma, thank you for what you did yesterday. If you like it, you can have this for dinner.”
Dahlia placed a box filled with ham and sausages on a table in the waiting area.
“Thank you, Dahlia. I will gladly take it. But there’s quite a lot. Have dinner at our place before you leave.”
“I’m glad, but there’s some work left to do, so I’ll take you up on your invitation some other time.”
Dahlia finished speaking and looked into a mirror in front of her by chance.
A tired face, without makeup, with black-rimmed spectacles and dark, heavy hair bundled in a simple manner, looked back at Dahlia.
“Irma, do you have any more reservations from here on out?”
“There aren’t any more for today.”
“Then, can I ask for one?”
“Of course, how would you like it?”
“Make it short… And, return the color to the original.”
Dahlia’s hair was a deep red, when not dyed.
It was apparently the same color as her mother’s hair, but there was no way to confirm so.
Beautiful hair resembling the dawn. Cute hair like crimson clover – When I was a kid, I was praised so by a maid.
When Dahlia was a small child, she admired her father’s sand-colored hair. She had the same green eyes as him, and so wanted similar hair as well.
“They’ve gotten longer than I expected. How much should I cut them?”
“I will bundle them up while working, so just about enough that I can do that.”
When she unfurled her hair, it reached all the way to the middle of her back.
When she sat on the chair, Irma carefully brushed her hair.
“There’s a natural curl, so how about I cut it slightly above the shoulder… Shall I cut this much?”
“Yeah. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Irma nodded and placed a cape over Dahlia, then she began cutting her hair with familiar movements.
The sound of scissors nimbly cutting rang out repeatedly.
“You’ve been growing your hair since you got engaged, right?”
“Mr. Orlando wanted it so, after all. Saying ‘long hair was better’, ‘dull hair was better’. Even though it was difficult dying the hair at home after it became so long.”
“Even though your hair originally was beautiful and matched your skin.”
“But, red is flashy and easy to see”
“I think that calling the original color flashy is a false accusation.”
Cutting away without resting her scissors, Irma’s tone grew harsher.
Dahlia’s hair fell little by little onto the well polished floor.
“Out of the people who come here, after engagement or marriage, the ones who ask to be made more plain, usually do so due to their fiancee or their husband’s desire.”
“As expected, could it be very convenient for work or home?”
“It might be the superficial reason, but I think it’s different.”
Irma stopped her hands for a moment and met Dahlia’s eyes through the mirror.
An earring with an amber stone shone on Irma’s ear. It was the same color as Marcella’s eyes.
“I think that most of the men who want their women made to look simpler, simply lack self-confidence.”
“Is that so?”
“If I made them look prettier, they might be taken away by someone or invited away by someone, aren’t they just scared of that? After all, flashiness stands out. ‘If you don’t want her taken away, polish yourself while holding onto your woman’, is what I feel like saying to them.”
“I see, that’s also true.”
Dahlia nodded.
However, she couldn’t connect it to her own situation whatsoever.
Tobias didn’t seem to have any concern about Dahlia being taken away.
Rather, she was the one who had her man taken away, but since she didn’t feel regretful about that anymore, it should be fine.
When Irma finished cutting Dahlia’s hair, she moved her to the washing table at the end of the store.
She made some hot water using the fire magic stone and the water magic stone, dissolved a medicine to remove dyed color from hair and finally soaked Dahlia’s hair with the water.
After that, her hair was washed twice with liquid soap and then treated it with hair conditioner.
Then, perfumed oil was used to make her hair glossy, it was dried with a dryer using wind and fire magic stones, after which her now shoulder length hair gently swayed with each movement.
Pretty much the ‘dryer’ from her previous life, this magical tool was made by Dahlia’s father when she was still a child.
To be precise, though, it was a collaborated effort between Dahlia and her father.
As a young girl who had just started learning how to make magic tools, she made a small air-warming mechanism using wind and fire magic stones.
She tried to make it in secret to surprise her father, but since she hadn’t learned how to it yet, she couldn’t correctly calculate the power output.
As a result of making it without a proper design, the result was, while compact, a powerful flamethrower.
Dahlia carelessly burned the walls of the workplace and received a blow like heavy lightning from her usually mild-mannered father.
After getting scolded thoroughly, Dahlia desperately tried to explain its intended function, while half crying.
After that, Dahlia and her understanding father got excited, pulled an all-nighter and completed the perfect dryer the next morning.
She nostalgically also remembered the maid who had returned from a vacation scold her father
For making a small child stay awake all night.
“It suits you very well.”
“Thank you. It’s lighter, so I feel relieved.”
Within the mirror, a red haired girl laughed. The radiant red seen after two years felt slightly out of place.
“There aren’t any customers, want to drink some coffee?”
Nodding to Irma’s invitation, Dahlia moved from the store to the house.
“Shall we go to help you with the clean-up after moving?”
“It’s alright. There wasn’t a lot of furniture to begin with.”
When she received the coffee from Irma, she put in quite a bit of sugar she usually didn’t use
“Yesterday night, I heard the gist of it from Marcella. I’m sorry I can only say something mediocre, but leaving a thing like that was the right thing to do.”1
“Yes, I also feel relieved having left him.”2
Dahlia said for once and for all.
“Today, Mr. Orlando came to the tower.”
“As expected, he came to apologize, right? Or maybe to ask if you’d reconsider?”
“No. He wanted the bracelet back since he wanted to hand it to his new fiancee.”
“What?”
Irma’s coffee and table turned into a pitiable sight.
“I-is he an idiot?!”3
Dahlia rushed to help Irma, who choked on her coffee in rage.
“Sorry, we should’ve talked after having finished drinking.”
“No, that’s fine, but that man, just what is he even thinking?!”
“He said that he doesn’t have enough leeway to buy a bracelet for his new fiancee.”
“Could it be, Dahlia, you returned it?”
“Yeah, along with the earrings.”
“I wish you had sold both. They would have fetched good money too.”
Certainly, money was needed to keep living.
Dahlia had no family, no intention to marry, and although she had a job as a magic device craftswoman, the research and material cost was high and she needed to save money for that.
But at that time, she just wanted to cut off all ties with Tobias as quickly as possible.
“Anyway, I just wanted to cut any connections with him at that time. It might’ve been a waste, though.”
“Well, I feel like I understand that feeling… Well, you’re a magical device craftswoman, if you work hard, it should be fine.”
Irma poured herself a new cup of coffee and sat down in her chair.
She put some sugar in the cup and while stirring, she asked Dahlia.
“Hey, do you want me to spread the word about Tobias? It could be like a small revenge. If I tell my customers, the word would go around.
“Stop it. Wouldn’t word about me, who got engaged to that, would also spread. Being pitied from all sides would probably also be harsh. My engagement this time has already become a part of my ‘dark past’.”
“ ‘Dark past’… You say some good things.”
The phrase from her past life seems to work well in this world too.
Laughing, Irma also poured a second cup of coffee for Dahlia.
“If it Dahlia, I’m sure you’ll find a better person.”
“I think I’ve had enough of that for quite a while… plus my work is really interesting. And right now, I’m playing around with thoughts like that I might just put all my effort into improving myself as a magical devices craftswoman, and when I turn into a gray haired old woman, take a disciple, and have them aim to become even better than me.”
“As a friend, I feel I should stop you, but there’s something cool about that…”
The two, while laughing in between, chatted almost till dusk.4
Arocks141: I refuse to categorise Tobias as a ‘person’ wherever possible. It is, from now on, a thing. In particular, it is a ‘Jerkoto Dickitien’. Arocks141: Unfortunately, Dahlia is way nicer than me. Arocks141: ‘It’ is a Jerkoto Dickitien. There’s a difference. Manshiro: Didn’t Dahlia say earlier that she couldn’t stay for dinner because she had stuff to do? Liar!!!
A little past noon, Dahlia stopped by Irma’s barber shop.
When she knocked and entered the door and entered, a young woman had just finished getting her haircut and was about to leave.
“Irma, thank you for what you did yesterday. If you like it, you can have this for dinner.”
Dahlia placed a box filled with ham and sausages on a table in the waiting area.
“Thank you, Dahlia. I will gladly take it. But there’s quite a lot. Have dinner at our place before you leave.”
“I’m glad, but there’s some work left to do, so I’ll take you up on your invitation some other time.”
Dahlia finished speaking and looked into a mirror in front of her by chance.
A tired face, without makeup, with black-rimmed spectacles and dark, heavy hair bundled in a simple manner, looked back at Dahlia.
“Irma, do you have any more reservations from here on out?”
“There aren’t any more for today.”
“Then, can I ask for one?”
“Of course, how would you like it?”
“Make it short… And, return the color to the original.”
Dahlia’s hair was a deep red, when not dyed.
It was apparently the same color as her mother’s hair, but there was no way to confirm so.
Beautiful hair resembling the dawn. Cute hair like crimson clover – When I was a kid, I was praised so by a maid.
When Dahlia was a small child, she admired her father’s sand-colored hair. She had the same green eyes as him, and so wanted similar hair as well.
“They’ve gotten longer than I expected. How much should I cut them?”
“I will bundle them up while working, so just about enough that I can do that.”
When she unfurled her hair, it reached all the way to the middle of her back.
When she sat on the chair, Irma carefully brushed her hair.
“There’s a natural curl, so how about I cut it slightly above the shoulder… Shall I cut this much?”
“Yeah. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Irma nodded and placed a cape over Dahlia, then she began cutting her hair with familiar movements.
The sound of scissors nimbly cutting rang out repeatedly.
“You’ve been growing your hair since you got engaged, right?”
“Mr. Orlando wanted it so, after all. Saying ‘long hair was better’, ‘dull hair was better’. Even though it was difficult dying the hair at home after it became so long.”
“Even though your hair originally was beautiful and matched your skin.”
“But, red is flashy and easy to see”
“I think that calling the original color flashy is a false accusation.”
Cutting away without resting her scissors, Irma’s tone grew harsher.
Dahlia’s hair fell little by little onto the well polished floor.
“Out of the people who come here, after engagement or marriage, the ones who ask to be made more plain, usually do so due to their fiancee or their husband’s desire.”
“As expected, could it be very convenient for work or home?”
“It might be the superficial reason, but I think it’s different.”
Irma stopped her hands for a moment and met Dahlia’s eyes through the mirror.
An earring with an amber stone shone on Irma’s ear. It was the same color as Marcella’s eyes.
“I think that most of the men who want their women made to look simpler, simply lack self-confidence.”
“Is that so?”
“If I made them look prettier, they might be taken away by someone or invited away by someone, aren’t they just scared of that? After all, flashiness stands out. ‘If you don’t want her taken away, polish yourself while holding onto your woman’, is what I feel like saying to them.”
“I see, that’s also true.”
Dahlia nodded.
However, she couldn’t connect it to her own situation whatsoever.
Tobias didn’t seem to have any concern about Dahlia being taken away.
Rather, she was the one who had her man taken away, but since she didn’t feel regretful about that anymore, it should be fine.
When Irma finished cutting Dahlia’s hair, she moved her to the washing table at the end of the store.
She made some hot water using the fire magic stone and the water magic stone, dissolved a medicine to remove dyed color from hair and finally soaked Dahlia’s hair with the water.
After that, her hair was washed twice with liquid soap and then treated it with hair conditioner.
Then, perfumed oil was used to make her hair glossy, it was dried with a dryer using wind and fire magic stones, after which her now shoulder length hair gently swayed with each movement.
Pretty much the ‘dryer’ from her previous life, this magical tool was made by Dahlia’s father when she was still a child.
To be precise, though, it was a collaborated effort between Dahlia and her father.
As a young girl who had just started learning how to make magic tools, she made a small air-warming mechanism using wind and fire magic stones.
She tried to make it in secret to surprise her father, but since she hadn’t learned how to it yet, she couldn’t correctly calculate the power output.
As a result of making it without a proper design, the result was, while compact, a powerful flamethrower.
Dahlia carelessly burned the walls of the workplace and received a blow like heavy lightning from her usually mild-mannered father.
After getting scolded thoroughly, Dahlia desperately tried to explain its intended function, while half crying.
After that, Dahlia and her understanding father got excited, pulled an all-nighter and completed the perfect dryer the next morning.
She nostalgically also remembered the maid who had returned from a vacation scold her father
For making a small child stay awake all night.
“It suits you very well.”
“Thank you. It’s lighter, so I feel relieved.”
Within the mirror, a red haired girl laughed. The radiant red seen after two years felt slightly out of place.
“There aren’t any customers, want to drink some coffee?”
Nodding to Irma’s invitation, Dahlia moved from the store to the house.
“Shall we go to help you with the clean-up after moving?”
“It’s alright. There wasn’t a lot of furniture to begin with.”
When she received the coffee from Irma, she put in quite a bit of sugar she usually didn’t use
“Yesterday night, I heard the gist of it from Marcella. I’m sorry I can only say something mediocre, but leaving a thing like that was the right thing to do.”1
“Yes, I also feel relieved having left him.”2
Dahlia said for once and for all.
“Today, Mr. Orlando came to the tower.”
“As expected, he came to apologize, right? Or maybe to ask if you’d reconsider?”
“No. He wanted the bracelet back since he wanted to hand it to his new fiancee.”
“What?”
Irma’s coffee and table turned into a pitiable sight.
“I-is he an idiot?!”3
Dahlia rushed to help Irma, who choked on her coffee in rage.
“Sorry, we should’ve talked after having finished drinking.”
“No, that’s fine, but that man, just what is he even thinking?!”
“He said that he doesn’t have enough leeway to buy a bracelet for his new fiancee.”
“Could it be, Dahlia, you returned it?”
“Yeah, along with the earrings.”
“I wish you had sold both. They would have fetched good money too.”
Certainly, money was needed to keep living.
Dahlia had no family, no intention to marry, and although she had a job as a magic device craftswoman, the research and material cost was high and she needed to save money for that.
But at that time, she just wanted to cut off all ties with Tobias as quickly as possible.
“Anyway, I just wanted to cut any connections with him at that time. It might’ve been a waste, though.”
“Well, I feel like I understand that feeling… Well, you’re a magical device craftswoman, if you work hard, it should be fine.”
Irma poured herself a new cup of coffee and sat down in her chair.
She put some sugar in the cup and while stirring, she asked Dahlia.
“Hey, do you want me to spread the word about Tobias? It could be like a small revenge. If I tell my customers, the word would go around.
“Stop it. Wouldn’t word about me, who got engaged to that, would also spread. Being pitied from all sides would probably also be harsh. My engagement this time has already become a part of my ‘dark past’.”
“ ‘Dark past’… You say some good things.”
The phrase from her past life seems to work well in this world too.
Laughing, Irma also poured a second cup of coffee for Dahlia.
“If it Dahlia, I’m sure you’ll find a better person.”
“I think I’ve had enough of that for quite a while… plus my work is really interesting. And right now, I’m playing around with thoughts like that I might just put all my effort into improving myself as a magical devices craftswoman, and when I turn into a gray haired old woman, take a disciple, and have them aim to become even better than me.”
“As a friend, I feel I should stop you, but there’s something cool about that…”
The two, while laughing in between, chatted almost till dusk.4
Arocks141: I refuse to categorise Tobias as a ‘person’ wherever possible. It is, from now on, a thing. In particular, it is a ‘Jerkoto Dickitien’. Arocks141: Unfortunately, Dahlia is way nicer than me. Arocks141: ‘It’ is a Jerkoto Dickitien. There’s a difference. Manshiro: Didn’t Dahlia say earlier that she couldn’t stay for dinner because she had stuff to do? Liar!!!