Akira felt like her shoulders were lighter after chopping off her hair with her katana. She had always liked her short hair, but she never thought much about it once it grew. She just felt it was easier to let it grow normally.
After all, almost all girls liked having long hair. Even Hu Lei had extremely long hair, almost unnaturally long. Of course, she did not leave it loose and often held it up in a simple bun or a ponytail.
So, Akira thought it was only a matter of time before she got used to having long hair. AT some point, she even stopped thinking about it and decided to go with the flow.
However, the moment Hu Lei handed her the sword, she did not know what came over her. Her reaction was almost instinctive. She did not have a moment to think it through before she chopped off the hair to a length that exposed her neck.
Perhaps, in her heart, she realised that keeping her long hair was an outward action in her attempt to become a normal wife and mother. It was a small thing, but maybe, her subconscious associated a perfect mother with such an image.
After cutting her hair, Akira came back to her senses.
She looked at the chunk of hair in her hand and the sword in the other. Her mouth opened into a cute O shape, and she looked at Hu Lei in horror. Unfortunately, Hu Lei just continued laughing like a crazy person.
"What have I done?" Akira asked, dropping her chopped off hair on the floor. "Why didn't you stop me?"
Hu Lei lifted an eyebrow. "Did you give me a chance? One moment I handed you a sword, and the next, your hair was gone."
"Oh my goodness! What am I going to do?" Akira started freaking out while pacing in from of Hikari who was observing the situation with a blank look in her eyes.
"Do you regret it?" Hu Lei asked as she stopped laughing.
Akira stopped in her steps, and her heart calmed down. She had not thought about it. She was just reacting and did not take into account her real feelings. She took a deep breath.
"Actually, no. I finally can feel myself think. I hate the weight of long hair. And I do not like the sensation of hair on my neck and shoulders. I feel lighter. Like myself." She finally said.
"Then, it is alright." Hu Lei smiled. "Although we could have gone to a salon for a haircut. Right now, you look a little lopsided."
Akira touched her head. She winced as she felt the general shape of her haircut. She walked to the mirror in the nursery and looked at herself. The entire appearance was a disaster. She should have waited to have a real haircut.
But that ship had already sailed.
"What should I do?"
Hu Lei looked at the terrible hair for a moment. It was as bad as could be. A few spots were really long while the rest was completely slanted. It would be hard for Akira to step out of the house.
At this point, it did not matter because if all went according to plan, they would be leaving the island in a few hours. Still, a lady needed to feel confident, even when the world was falling apart.
"I can fix it a little for you." Hu Lei said.
"Are you good with hair?" Akira felt surprised.
She had spent a lot of time with Hu Lei, and she never noticed anything special about her grooming. At most, she liked wearing nice clothes and getting pretty jewellery. But she never had elaborate skincare or hair care routines.
"Do you think you can be choosy right now?" Hu Lei asked flatly.
Akira chuckled nervously. "I will follow your arrangements, master."
Hu Lei laughed. "That's more like it. Anyway, you do not need to be so nervous. I have been handling sharp objects since I was a child. I might lack any other skills, but I know how to cut things. Just get me a pair of scissors."
Akira felt even more nervous. But beggars could not be choosers.
"Oh, and wet your hair." Hu Lei added as Akira walked out of the room.
Hu Lei looked at her watch with calm eyes as she waited for Akira to return. She needed to leave the house soon to engage in the upcoming battle. The plan was not complicated, and Yuan Haoran seemed to have considered all the potential problems.
His plan to expose Martial Island and ensure that it did not stand in the shadows anymore did not depend completely on her. However, she still had an important role to play.
Zhong Feng had also found himself included in the fun.
Yuan Haoran had promised them a show, but they did not know that they would be participating.
Luckily, Zhong Feng did not mind it. He even thought it was a little interesting to do something different once in a while. When she heard his words in the morning, she could not help kissing him. He was the perfect man for her.
His role was to help Taiki Iekami ensure that the protected data on Martial Island was managed well. At least, that was what he told her. Hu Lei was not sure about their intentions when dealing with information about the island. However, she was sure that Zhong Feng liked a challenge.
Plus, he was curious about Martial Island.
Now that he had a chance to get into the system, he would probably be smiling for a long time. She had seen how much Zhong Feng enjoyed digging into people's databases and discovering new things.
When she saw him nerding out on something, she always wanted to pounce.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Akira asked as she returned to the room. She was holding a pair of scissors, and she had a towel around her shoulders. Her short hair was wet but not dripping.
"Hehehe! Just thinking about taking a honeymoon in December.." Hu Lei said, but she still had a lecherous smirk on her face.