128th Spell: Hair Problems
"I found out recently that my mother isn't dead. She's a Harionago my father had a fling with in his youth, though he didn't learn what she really was until after I was born," Seita responded, sounding ashamed as he spoke.
"But why has your hair grown out now?" Sumi asked.
"No idea," replied Seita.
"So I guess we have two Jun'na in our class, including Miss Failure over here," Daizō sneered, looking at Rui as he spoke.
Gimu frowned. "We do not use words like Jun'na in this school, young man! The appropriate term is 'Maza' if we're referring to wizard children with mixed blood regardless if one of the parents is non-magical or inhuman. If I hear you say that word one more time in this class, you will be getting white stripes on your kimono!"
Daizō folded his arms. "It's not appropriate to yell at your students, Rikyan-san. My father will hear about this, and he's the Head of Seiryu Clan."
"That's 'Rikyan-sensei' to you!" Gimu argued. "For that insolence, you'll have white stripes on your kimono until you formally apologize to me!"
Much to Daizō's surprise, small white stripes appeared on his sleeves causing several kids in class to laugh at him. He turned beet-red and folded his sleeves under his armpits from embarrassment. Seita then took his seat in class. Those closest to him scooted further away to avoid the barbed strands of his long hair.
"You didn't tell us why you have a towel wrapped around your head, Genma-chan," said Gimu. "And you know towels aren't appropriate to wear in class."
Not saying a word, Hikari removed the towel from her head. Instead of her usual wavy auburn-brunette hair, it was now bright blonde like her Australian father's hair.
"What happened, Hikari?" Sumi asked as Hikari sat down next to her. "Did you decide to go with a new look?"
"Someone swapped my shampoo for a Hair-Changing Ointment that turned my hair blonde," Hikari grumbled as she glared back at Daizō. "And I can probably guess who did it."
"I would never sneak into the girls' bathroom to mess with your hair products," Daizō claimed. "Look at my kimono sleeves if you don't believe me."
Hikari looked at Daizō's exposed sleeves. Apart from the white stripes he just got, they didn't immediately grow thicker to imply he wasn't lying much to her annoyance.
"Then you must have encouraged someone," Hikari guessed and looked around the classroom. "And if I had to guess, it was probably your Seiryu buddies."
Koi and Gumo looked astray, which Haru thought was suspicious from where he sat.
"Did you guys do it?" Haru asked.
Reminded of what happened the last time he lied in front of a teacher, Koi lowered his head. "Yes, we did."
"But it was Riniri who actually made the ointment," Gumo added.
Near the back of the classroom, a pale Seiryu girl with a sharp nose huffed. Haru immediately recognized her as the girl who played Princess Tagoto in the Jiraiya the Gallant play last fall.
"Cowards!" Riniri Ushū grumbled.
"Did Daizō tell you to make the ointment?" Hikari asked Riniri.
"All he told me was that he recently learned you're Manai-born, and one of your parents was Australian. So I thought it would be funny to dye your hair blonde," Riniri confessed. "Though it doesn't look half-bad on you."
Some of the kids laughed at Riniri's joke, which only made Hikari's frown deepen.
"Okay, class," Rikyan said, trying to bring some much-needed order. "Now that we've confessed our crimes out in the open, may we continue with today's lesson?"
"But aren't you going to punish Daizō's friends for what they did to me?" Hikari demanded.
"In due time, Genma-chan," replied Rikyan. "Now in light of you and Fumito-kun's current situations, you'll make the perfect subjects to demonstrate the effectiveness of my essential oils."
Rikyan then used his wand to make a Magic Circle on the classroom's white backdrop, which didn't change the layout of the classroom so much as fill it with all of Rikyan's products including his kits and books. He picked up his Essential Oils kit and flipped through a small booklet till he stopped at a particular page.
"Today I will show you my Magical Hair Condition Removal Oil, or Kajōto," Rikyan stated. "It removes all hair conditions that are caused by magic whether it was due to spells or another Kampo."
"How do you make it?" Rui asked. "Your recipe is kind of vague."
"Just watch me closely, and it'll make sense," Rikyan assured.
The rest of the class remained silent as Rikyan used his own kit to make the Kajōto. From what Haru could see, Rikyan seemed to be mixing random substances together that weren't clearly labeled nor explained. Once he was done, he held up a glass tube filled with a shimmering white liquid that had the same texture as shampoo.
"Now who wants to try this Kajōto?" Rikyan asked the class. "Will it be Fumito, or Genma?"
"I'll do it," Seita volunteered. "The sooner I get rid of this hair, the better."
"That's the spirit!" Rikyan complemented.
So Seita made his way to the front of the classroom and knelt next to Rikyan. Rikyan then poured the Kajōto onto Seita's hair, which dripped down each strand including the barbed ones. A moment passed, then the hair strands grew shorter till Seita's sleepy face could be seen once again. But just before he could celebrate, the barbed strands suddenly shot out in multiple directions cutting bookshelves and student desks. Fortunately, no one got hurt.
"Well, that's…never happened before," Rikyan noted before turning his attention to Hikari. "Genma-chan, would you be willing to try the Kajōto next?"
"No thanks," Hikari said firmly. "If that's what your oil does to Seita's hair, I don't want to even imagine what it'll do to my hair."
Before Rikyan could respond, the crowing noise from Dōmeki's Yatagarasu bird rang out signifying the end of First Period.
To be continued….
