Chapter 2~
Natsume drew a deep breath. "Nyanko-sensei, you're getting heavier. Haven't you lost weight yet?"
The maneki neko trashed inside Natsume's tote bag. "Impudent child! I'm not heavy at all! I'm just round and fluffy that's all!" He kicked and tossed and turned wildly, miffed that Natsume commented on his weight.
The sandy-haired boy sighed nosily. Nyanko-sensei was supposed to be his guard, but most of the time it felt like the other way around. On the way to the hair salon, Natsume had encountered plenty of ayakashi, but the cat in his bag did nothing at all. The running and the cat's weight was beginning to take a toll on his stamina levels. He hoped that the salon wasn't much further.
As they finally reached their destination, a shop located just before an alleyway, Natsume was more than relieved. The shop itself was just like any other hair styling salon, with a slight twist. There were potted money plants at the front entrance with a red carpet bearing the word 'WELCOME' on it. The door was made of tinted glass framed by golden coloured metal designs of vines and wings. On the right of the tinted doors was, what Natsume guessed, the shop's logo. It was a picture of a pair of headphones in white and pink frames. There was a red trailing wire and the words 'REMIX HAIR AND TATTOO SALON' were emblazoned at the centre of the headphones in a sharp cyan blue.
"Looks like it's open, Natsume." came Nyanko-sensei's voice from the bag as his pudgy paw pointed at the 'We Are Open' sign hanging from the brass handle of the door. "Let's head in!"
Natsume sighed and begrudgingly compiled to his cat's request. The jingling of bells was heard as Natsume pushed the tinted door open, only to be amazed at what he saw.
Right across where he stood was the reception desk with the name of the shop printed in front of a powder blue background. The walls were a cream white filled with posters, information of the shop, some newspaper and magazine articles which featured the place and several photo frames of modern art. A lone pot of hydrangeas stood at the window sill, greeting the customers with its vibrant hues of purple, violet, blue, yellow and white. The floor was of deep blue marble and had a totally white-wired version of the shop's logo in the middle of it.
"Irrashaimase!" Natsume snapped out of his stupor at the new voice. A pretty girl who worked as the receptionist was waving him over. "Good morning, valued customer! Which of our services would you like to pick today?" The girl wore a plain white shirt with a black ribbon tied around her neck. Her brown hair was braided to the side and she had the sweetest smile on her face. Natsume squinted his eyes. Her nametag read 'Yamaguchi'.
"Ah, actually, I'm looking for a haircut." said Natsume as he pointed to his overgrown bangs. 'Yamaguchi' nodded at Natsume's voice. She began to scribble something in her logbook in quick strokes.
"May I please get your name sir?" was her polite request.
Natsume inclined his head slightly. "It's Natsume. Natsume Takashi." Technically, Natsume had always been quite uneasy about giving away his name. Who knows what ayakashi might come after him?
Yamaguchi finished up whatever she was writing. "Alright, will that be all, Mr. Natsume?"
At her words, Natsume remembered about his maneki neko, who was unusually quiet. "Ah, actually, can you give this guy a spa?" Natsume pulled a sleepy Nyanko-sensei out of his bag. The cat yawned loudly.
"Wow! What a cutie~!" squealed the receptionist in a hushed voice. "Where did you get that cute cat?"
The youth was momentarily awestruck. Other than his friend Taki, no one on their right minds would say that Nyanko-sensei is cute. No one. Well, this adds another to the list.
"So... is it possible for this cat to get a spa?" Yamaguchi stopped trying to poke Nyanko-sensei's cheek and refocused all her attention to Natsume. "I-It's a...crazy request...I know! B-b-but..I-I.. was just wondering,... you know...?" The youth awkwardly tried to laugh as he scratched the back of his head. Seriously, what possessed him to think that any place would let a cat in for a spa? A cat, for a spa! The very idea was ridiculous!
Instead of laughing her guts out or chiding Natsume for being such a stupid child, Yamaguchi smiled warmly at him. "I'll have to ask our owner for permission, but I don't think he'll reject the idea."
A heavy burden was suddenly lifted off Natsume's shoulders.
"After all, our owner loves cats! I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much." She proceeded to dial a number into her pager. "Still, you must really love your cat! To want to give him a spa!" At that she giggled.
A slight blush formed on Natsume's face and all he could say was "Ah..."
The phone at the counter rang, a shrill noise which pierced the peacefulness of the area. As Yamaguchi answered the call, Natsume took the opportunity to look around. There was a waiting area at his right, sea-blue low sofas with a steely white coffee table. Some other customers occupied the seats. A stack of magazines on hairstyling and tattoos were present on a white shelf.
Nyanko-sensei groaned. "Nyanko-sensei, what's wrong?" came Natsume's hushed voice. The cat had been acting out of character since they got here.
Nyanko-sensei rolled in Natsume's arms. "Feeling tired. There seems to be a barrier erected around here, be careful Natsume."
"Mr. Natsume?" came Yamaguchi's cheerful voice. "I asked our owner and he gave the okay!" She handed Natsume a piece of paper with a number on it. "Here's the spa number for your cat. You can come claim him once you're done."
Natsume took the paper into his somewhat trembling fingers. There was a barrier around here. Were there many ayakashis? No, he didn't see too many when he was outside the shop. So why was there a need to erect a barrier, and who would make one in the first place?
As the thoughts whirred in his mind non-stop, Nyanko-sensei mewed noisily. Natsume looked to his cat who was sitting snugly in his arms. The maneki neko nodded, a sign that it was going to be fine.
"Mm, thank you very much." said Natsume. He was still skeptical, but not as much as earlier.
Yamaguchi smiled warmly at him. "Here, let me get your cat for you."
Natsume passed a huge lump of fur to Yamaguchi and she accepted it rather gratefully.
Nyanko-sensei fidgeted in yamaguchi's arms. "I'll take your cat in, so rest assured, he's in safe hands!"
"Thank you."
"For now, please head to your right. The hairstyling ward is there. Sit anywhere you like, don't hesitate! As for your cat, I'm gonna take him to the back, where the spas are, okay?"
Natsume nodded. This Yamaguchi person was sweet and nice indeed. "Thank you very much."
She waved his comment off. "Don't mention it at all, Mr. Natsume."
With a final warning to Nyanko-sensei asking him to behave, Natsume headed towards the right wing.
Going a little fast with this story, since it has got no solid plot.
Thank you for reading! Please look forward to the next chapter!
