A Little Twist

Fifty-Four

Reiji caves in seeing her face. 'Alright, Risa.' 

'And lock her up in her room. The dungeon is no place for a human to live. I have seen that place myself a few times. It's different to punish her, but if you insist on keeping her locked up her bedroom is enough.' Risa is tired of it. The dungeon is for punishment only. It's not suitable for living conditions. No wonder she got sick. 

Moriko can't believe it. She stands up for me? For me and against them? They do bite me the most. I see them at school too. 

'As for you, young lady,' Risa wasn't done and sees her flinch, 'take your health more seriously. How can they bite you if you don't take better care of yourself? You can remind them of that because you see them at school. Heck, sometimes three of them bite you. Does that sound healthy for a human? If you faint too many times, you could develop a few conditions. Am I clear?' 

Laughing sounds, but Ayato is muted by a glare from Reiji. 

*** 

Laito waited for them to be gone and goes back to her. 'Risa?' He finds her in the kitchen with something to eat. 'What made you say that? You even got her to flinch, I loved it. The way you spoke to Reiji. You really put him in his place.' 

'You know that it isn't healthy to keep her downstairs all the time. All I did was remind him about us being humans.' She finished her last bite and glances at Daiki. 

He shakes his head. 'He's fine and asleep. I won't deny that you have a point, but you sounded so harsh and strict, Mama-chan.' 

'Well, sometimes it needs to be said.' She cleans up. 'Do you know a hair salon? I found a couple of split ends. I guess it's time for a haircut.' 

'Only the ends, I hope? I like your hair with this length.' He moves his hand through her hair. 'What length is this called, anyway?' 

'Bra-strap length, apparently. At the moment it's too long, so we're talking at least four or five centimeters.' She made up her mind about how much had to go. 

He looks more critical. 'That's not so bad. I guess I can take you to the city. Get Daiki ready.' 

'He is ready. I wanted to go to a hair salon regardless of who would stay with us.' She clarifies while walking behind him to the hall. 

Laito gets the stroller seat for Daiki. 'Anything else you need?' 

'Yes, I want to look for a hobby. Something to do for when he's asleep.' She sees him nodding. 

He calls for the car. 'I understand, Mama-chan. A hair salon first, and then I'll take you to the mall. Just not for too long.' He waits until they're in the backseat with Daiki. 'We also talked about what happened to you, and we'll wait tonight and tomorrow before biting you.' 

'Sounds wonderful, thank you. I'll thank the others when they get back.' She leans back more relaxed. 'I thought one of you would try to bite me.' 

*** 

Feeling the hairdresser's hands, Risa enjoys getting the full treatment. This is nice. She saw the pieces of hair on the ground. I think it's more than five centimeters. She feels the warmth of the hair dryer and his hand models her hair. 

Laito kept quiet and realizes the same. That's not five centimeters. It's all part of staying healthy. At least, she keeps it long. 

'Alright, all done.' The man shows the back with a mirror. 'It's more than requested but necessary.' 

'I know, but it was needed. It's also back to my usual length.' Back to armpit long hair. Smiling, she runs a hand through her hair. 'Thank you.'