"For someone who's supposed to help me become an idol, you're not much help at all," Cain muttered under his breath.
"What was that, hmm~?" Fifi questioned, her eyes glinting menacingly.
"N-nothing. B-by the way, what do you need Idol Points for?" Cain quickly changed the topic, hoping to avoid another flick to his forehead.
Fifi blinked, then chuckled. "Fufufu~. Do you want to know?"
"On second thought, NO."
"Then let me tell you," Fifi said, ignoring Cain's protest. "Us Idol Goddesses use Idol Points to increase our powers!"
"I see."
"Please pretend to be more interested."
"Wait . . . you said 'us'? There's more of you?"
Fifi nodded. "That's right. But don't dwell on that detail too much. Your mortal brain wouldn't be able to comprehend."
Cain frowned but chose not to comment further, mostly because he didn't want to know just how many little devils were out there. He had bigger issues to deal with. He needed to focus on his daily tasks and make a decision about what to do with his hair right now.
The journey to becoming an idol was turning out to be far more complicated and annoying than he had anticipated. He never imagined that something as simple as a haircut would carry so much time and decision. Every choice he made seemed to ripple out, affecting his reputation and the delicate balance he maintained between his old life and his new one.
Cain took a deep breath, steeling himself. This was just another battle, and he was determined to be the victor in the end.
"Anyway, I'm not going to buy it. That's too expensive," Cain said, turning away from the screen.
"Where are you going?" Fifi asked, floating beside him.
"To a barber shop."
"Are you sure that's wise? Fufufu~, you might end up regretting it."
"For getting a haircut, why do you have to take a train?" Fifi asked, eyeing Cain from the side. "And what's with the weird get-up?"
Cain was sporting a hoodie, cargo pants, a hat, sunglasses, and a mask.
"You look like you're up to no good."
"Shut up," Cain growled, lowering his voice when he attracted some attention.
"I don't want to cut my hair at the local barber in my district. I'm pretty well-known in District 4, and I'm not going to risk cutting my long hair there. People would surely ask about it, and I don't want to answer any questions as why I did it."
"Huh? I don't get you. If you're going to cut your hair and style it short, wouldn't the others still know about it?"
Cain smirked. "That's where you're wrong. True, I'm going to cut my hair, but I'll wear it as a wig. It's like nothing change." he chortled. It was a genius idea, if he did say so himself.
Fifi looked at Cain with pity in her eyes.
"What? Why are you staring at me like I'm an idiot?"
"Because you are. Why go through all that trouble if you could just come clean about it?"
"You don't know nothing, do you?" Cain said condescendingly.
Fifi didn't like his tone one bit. "Huh? Are you calling me ignorant? Just so you know, I'm much older than you."
"You know about idol stuff, but you don't know a thing about gangster life in my world," he said with a prideful grin. "Listen up, in the gangster world, the longer your hair, the more it signifies that you've never lost a fight!
"As a gangster leader, losing a fight is the ultimate shame. Cutting your hair is a punishment, a mark of defeat. In our world, the longer your hair, the stronger you are, and the more respect you command."
Fifi stared at Cain, incredulous, though her face remained impassive. "Who in their right mind came up with such a ridiculous rule?"
Cain laughed a little. "No one. It's a silent rule that everyone unknowingly agreed upon."
Fifi's lips puckered slightly. She was sure it was one of those instances where thugs wanted to justify their long hair and made up silly things that idiots followed until it turned into something like a rule.