Morning sunlight streamed through clear windows onto a comfortable crimson bed, where a healthy white-haired boy rested peacefully on the soft mattress.
After the incident that happened last night, Asahi's body was fully healed by one of the maids, who used her own magic to do so.
Toivo was preparing Asahi's reward while Kendra and the other maids rushed around with their morning chores in the house.
He slowly walked up the stairs, holding a small black box that contained something special. Toivo entered through one of the glass doors, pulled out a wooden chair, and placed the box on the table.
He gasped with surprise as he noticed Chloe sitting next to the bed in a different chair.
"How come you are here? Aren't you supposed to be busy with lessons?"
An uneasy silence was her only response. It was clear that Chloe couldn't understand him—
"I just want to take a break." The girl surprisingly answered with the language.
Toivo's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, so it appears you have learned quite a lot from your tutor, huh?"
Chloe nodded silently. A radiant smile beamed from his face as he was confident about the tutor's success. He resumed as he tried to say the easiest words he could think of for the martini-haired girl to understand.
"That's nice to hear. Now, if you could be so kind…" The blue-haired old man pushed the chair on the other side of the bed, pressed his cheeks on the wooden seat, then placed the small box near Asahi's hand. "I must commend that boy for being so determined and strong in defeating those zombies."
Chloe's brown eyes rounded.
"Z… Zombies?!"
Toivo released a sigh of annoyance and nodded.
"Yes. Don't worry, it was only a test. I…It's illusion magic." His eyes made a grin shape. "Haha, if those were real zombies, then I would have slaughtered each and every one of them. Fortunately enough, those are just dummies and weaker versions of their old selves."
Chloe gave a suspicious sneer at the man as she imagined what it would be like for this place to be infested with zombies, let alone the reasoning behind why Toivo would choose such a place to set up a costly establishment like the mansion.
After the man sat himself down and fixed his collar, Chloe bent over and asked with a genuine tone.
"What do you mean by versions of their older selves?"
The man chuckled. "What I mean is that many years ago, this place was a huge graveyard for the wicked. A few corrupted mages were supposed to resurrect the fallen castle buried underneath, but accidentally triggered an event where, instead of them being resurrected, the mages themselves were transformed into zombies."
A chill passed over the girl's face when she saw the frightful look in Toivo's eyes.
"Don't worry about it. It is rumored that one of the mages formed a barrier to stop the zombies and created a routine at which only when it strikes night, the zombies would emerge."
As he grew immersed and invested in his own thoughts, a loud shuffle sounded out from the soft bed sheets.
Chloe quickly sprang up and raced to Asahi, worried about him despite having met only a day ago. It goes to show how much people can change when one helps.
"Asahi? Are you okay?! What happened?!"
He scratched his head and flinched. It seemed to him that moment with the zombies had triggered his fight-or-flight senses, but luckily enough he was welcomed back into the comfort of a soft, warm room.
Toivo slowly nodded, grabbed the tiny box, and placed it gently atop Asahi's open palms. "This is for you."
"This is for you."
Asahi raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean? What is this?!"
"Just open it."
Before Chloe could reach over, Asahi forced his solid but fragile fingers over the tip of the box and slowly lifted it open, revealing a thin black tie laid atop a fancy red cushion.
He could already assume that the mansion owner was extremely wealthy, and as he gripped the sleek black string tightly, Toivo gave an attentive cough and spoke.
This is your reward for successfully completing the challenge given to you. The challenge was meant to test both your bravery and your ability to adapt under pressure, qualities that are essential for your growth. Although I admire your charismatic and pleasurable actions, there was one thing about you that made me concerned and distracted. He pointed to Asahi's long, messy, and silky white hair.
Toivo reached over, grabbed the black hair tie, and called in one of his maids to the comfy room.
SuIt was the same light-blue-haired girl Asahi met outside the mansion. This time, instead of the sad look she had before, Kendra's face showed a big, bright, and surprised smile."Yes, what is it that you need, Mr. Toivo?"
The man pointed to Asahi.
"Do you know any sort of aesthetics and methods of fashion?"
Her glacial blue eyes sparkled in excitement.
"O-Of course I do! What do you want me to do?! I… I'm willing to do ANYTHING!" she said as she looked over to Asahi's red face. "Do you want me to tidy up that young man?"
Toivo released a sigh of embarrassment, gently pried open Kendra's hands, handed her the black hair tie, and nudged the maid a little closer to Asahi than he had expected.
"Yes, yes… I suppose you can fulfill your desire if you wish. Just do your job and fix up his hair, will you? Do anything, I don't care. As long as it doesn't get in the way, I'm fine with it."
Kendra's face flushed red as she saw Asahi's gray eyes anchored right on her face.
"Yes, sir!"
A surge of thoughts and possible hairstyles erupted in her mind as she knelt behind the young man, fiddling with his soft, fluffy white hair. A pleasing aroma rose from Asahi's hair.
One that smelled like the pleasing and sweet scent of vanilla.
Her eyes watered with anxiety as she slowly wrapped up his long, thick hair and whispered to the young man.
"So, do you care… f-for what hairstyle do you prefer?"
Asahi gave a careless shrug and replied.
"Not really. Just give me anything."
ThKendra felt even more excited by his lack of concern. She didn't wonder about the sweet, vanilla smell from the young man, but focused on tying up his hair. After seconds of silence, a crimson-haired maid walked into the room and focused her lavender eyes straight at Chloe's presence. She alerted as her footsteps resounded over the wooden floor.
"Hey, are you ready for your next lesson?"
Chloe, who was still overly focused on Asahi and the others, gave a thumbs-up and walked away from the room while she waved goodbye.
"Okay, see you later! Please don't let Asahi get in any more trouble."
Both Kendra and Tovio replied with an unsure smile.
"We will!"
* * *
As droplets slid down the clear window, Toivo noticed Kendra putting the final touches on Asahi's new hairstyle and moving closer to him without thinking.
"Do you know the reason why I'm doing this, Asahi?"
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"No, not at all."
"Well, that's because your appearance possesses an extraordinary beauty. One, so as not to obstruct your focus if you are not paying attention. I don't want your beauty to veil and cover your fleeting emotions of combat."
Toivo chuckled and fixed his hat, noticing the gray clouds emerging from the window.
"I've had previous troubles with some of my visitors who had hair length such as yours. It was so tedious that when I was to start their next lesson, it was so horrendous that they almost killed me because they couldn't see what they were doing. That is why I either give them a haircut or…"
He directed his gaze to the blue-haired girl tying Asahi's hair.
"I will do something special, like tying your hair."
Asahi nodded his head as he heard a downpour tremble the window behind him.
"Ah, I see."
Before he even knew it, Kendra decided to make Asahi's hair come up as a messy, but highly adjacent ponytail.
Although his messy shoulder-length hair was tied up mostly, there were still a few loose hair strands framing his face beautifully, like the curtains in front of the window to the left of him.
Kendra daydreamed as she fell in love with the hairstyle she came up with, Asahi, and quickly turned away from him, trying to hide her blush.
"Wow… so handsome."
Toivo spat out water from his mouth in surprise and quickly pushed his chair out. Even he couldn't absorb the absolute radiant beauty that shone within his hair.
By the heavens almighty, although I am a man, I must say your hairstyle not only helped your vision, but made you look even more attractive than before! I respect that.
He nudged Asahi's shoulder with an urging grin as Kendra tried desperately not to faint.
"You're into women, right?"
Asahi scratched the back of his neck, and his face warmed up with embarrassment and anxiousness. He never knew that a question like that could be given so suddenly.
"U-Um… y-yeah."
A smug smile came from the old, but wise man's face.
"Heh… heh… yeah, you do. As expected from you. So… What's your type?"
Rain continued to rain down.
Asahi had never felt so uncomfortable before, feeling pushed and forced into such a situation.
He noticed the maids outside the room catch sight of him standing next to Telos. All four of them shivered in amusement.
"Ooo…"
It was disappointing for Tovio to realize that all his maids peeked at the young white-haired man behind a wall and disregarded their duties, just to view him like people who mindlessly stare at a stagnant art piece for hours on end.
Their eyes fell upon both his sharp and long eyelashes, which glittered in the ceiling light. They trembled, seeing his exposed tattoos on both his legs, torso, and face illuminated with a hopeful yet anxious look.
Asahi looked so cold from the maids' point of view, yet his face seemed so bright as an angel at the same time. Despite the irritation that bloomed in Tovio, he pushed it aside and waited patiently for the young man's answer.
Not long after, as the maids continued staring, Asahi replied confidently to Tovio.
"If you REALLY want to know, my preference for love is a hopeful, positive, and energetic one with a big heart."
He scratched his head and looked over to the ceiling, imagining the silhouette of his ideal type of figure.
"I want one who has a beautiful appearance that doesn't overtake her personality. One who doesn't care for her appearance, but for her personality. Too often, I've seen how people's true selves get overshadowed by their appearance, leading to misunderstandings and superficial connections. I've come to realize that beauty is fleeting, but a kind spirit leaves a lasting impression. My experiences have taught me to value genuine warmth and sincerity, traits that resonate deeper than mere looks. I want someone whose exterior is just the first chapter of a profound and captivating story."
Toivo gave a respectful look from his eyes and caged his fingers, interested in knowing more.
"Hmm, interesting. So you are interested in the ones with a lot of energy, and complexity huh? Trust me, there's a lot of those types out there."
Asahi's face warmed up heavily.
"What?! I mean… yeah… but-- I don't want the woman to have JUST that. I want her to have a good personality too. One that matches and links perfectly to mine. One that is selfless and caring."
The man nodded his head and patted the boy's back, whispering as Kendra blushed immensely.
"I see, I see. So you're into the more well-developed types. Well, dude. I respect that vision. Honestly, I'm the man who just goes for the figure, nothing else. But you, you're a special type of man. I hope you DO find your ideal type in the future."
Asahi gulped and looked over to the door.
"Thanks."