Chapter 41: “You Need a Haircut.”

The street outside the train station was almost empty, only the hum of vending machines filling the silence. Kosuke walked a few steps behind Hanami, still trying to calm his heart after everything they’d said back at the hotel. The night felt too quiet, too sharp, and somewhere between the streetlamps she stopped.

She turned, eyes narrowing at him.

“Your hair,” she said. “It’s a mess.”

Kosuke blinked. “...Eh?”

Hanami walked up and grabbed a small section of his bangs, inspecting it like she was judging a crime scene.

“You definitely need a haircut.”

He let out an embarrassed laugh. “Right now? It’s late.”

“There’s a 24-hour place near here. Come on.”

Before he could protest, she was already pulling his sleeve, guiding him down the familiar road.

The glass door chimed when they entered. The small barber shop looked exactly the same as it did years ago—same posters, same old radio playing quietly in the corner. The barber, an older man with sharp eyes, looked up from his magazine.

“Well, if it isn’t Kosuke,” he said, smirking. “I haven’t seen you in ages. Let me guess—she dragged you here?”

Hanami nodded proudly.

Kosuke sank into the chair with a sigh, cheeks warming. Hanami stood behind the barber, arms crossed, analyzing his hair with all the seriousness in the world.

“I want it cleaner,” she said. “Short on the sides. Something that makes him look like he did back in college… but better.”

Kosuke met her eyes in the mirror. She didn’t look away.

While the barber worked, Kosuke watched Hanami’s reflection. The way she tilted her head when she was thinking. The way she tapped her fingers lightly against her arm. The way her expression softened when she looked at him, even when she tried to hide it.

He’d forgotten how strangely comforting her presence was.

“You okay?” she asked when she caught him staring.

He quickly looked away. “Yeah. Just… remembering things.”

When the barber finished the last trim, Hanami stepped forward. She brushed a few stray hairs from his forehead, smoothing the new cut with gentle fingers.

Her touch was so light he almost stopped breathing.

“You look like yourself again,” she whispered.

The words hit deeper than she probably meant. Something in his chest tightened, warm and painful at the same time. He swallowed, trying not to let anything spill out before he was ready.

Hanami smiled, small and sincere.

“Much better,” she said. “Now you don’t look like a tired salaryman anymore.”

Kosuke laughed, but the truth was simple:

Tonight, under the dim station lights, he felt more seen than he had in years.