Outing

Asha, who had entered the Bathroom to prepare for their Outing, stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

The face she always saw, the body she saw every day.

‘…Hmm.’

But something bothered her.

Was it because of what happened last night? Because of her heightened senses, she felt like something was off.

Veronica, who had followed Asha into the Bathroom to help her, tilted her head when she saw Asha standing blankly in front of the mirror.

“Why aren’t you getting ready?”

“…When did you come in?”

“Just now. What are you looking at so intently that you didn’t even notice someone come in?”

…My face?

Asha’s face flushed at the thought of answering that, so she hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

“Something… felt a bit stuffy?”

“Hmm…”

Veronica, who had been looking at the mirror with Asha with a serious expression, rummaged through the Bathroom drawer with a look of realization. At her busy movements, Asha asked with a puzzled expression.

“What are you suddenly doing?”

“Because I think I know why you feel stuffy.”

After rummaging for a while, Veronica exclaimed, ‘Found it!’ and pulled out a delicate-looking pair of scissors.

Snip, snip.

Veronica moved the scissors a few times, then smiled contentedly as she looked at Asha. Asha still had a puzzled expression.

Veronica chuckled and said,

“I think it would be good to cut your Hair a bit. Well, it would be fine if you just swept it to the side, but… it won’t suit your face well, so let’s just trim a little.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Asha notice the Hair that reached down to her nose.

…Why hadn’t she felt uncomfortable?

Then, Asha recalled leaving it neglected, thinking it would soon return to normal, and she felt a strange sensation as she stared blankly at the mirror.

Somehow, her head also felt heavy.

Asha snapped out of her daze as the snip, snip sound of the scissors echoed in her ears.

“…So you’re going to cut it for me?”

“Yep.”

A suspicious gaze turned towards Veronica. It was because she recalled Veronica’s terrible Cooking skills from last time.

At that suspicious look, Veronica tilted her head, then rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a large cloth.

‘…Surely she’s not going to cut my Hair herself, is she?’

Seeing Asha’s expression shift from suspicion to distrust, Veronica blushed and draped the cloth around Asha’s body.

“What’s with that look? Don’t you trust me?”

“…You can’t Cook.”

“Wha-What does Cooking have to do with this?!”

“Maybe it means you’re not good with your hands…?”

Veronica glared sharply.

She looked even sharper than the glittering scissors beside her.

“Anyway, I’m confident about this, so just trust me.”

Asha had a bad feeling. Seeing her own expression reflected in the mirror, Veronica cleared her throat with a “hmph, hmph” and continued.

“Anyway, I’m not cutting much, just trimming the front a little, so it’s not that difficult.”

Couldn’t they call a professional?

Those words rose to Asha’s throat, but seeing Veronica’s overly enthusiastic demeanor, she ultimately nodded.

“…Be gentle.”

“D-Don’t say weird things!”

“Weird? What’s weird?”

“Ah, nothing!”

Veronica, whose face had turned as red as her own Hair, stammered her words and picked up the scissors.

Then, she took a deep breath, carefully held Asha’s light pink Hair in her hand, and looked at the mirror to gauge the length.

‘…Will it be okay?’

While Asha watched her with anxious eyes, she secretly sniffed at the scent of perfume mixed with body scent that she felt as Veronica came closer.

The floral scent mixed with Veronica’s body scent was just as sweet.

Sweet enough to make her smile unconsciously.

‘…Nice.’

Veronica was so focused on gauging the Hair that she didn’t notice Asha’s actions.

Snip, snip.

While Asha was sniffing the scent, Veronica, who had finished her assessment, moved the scissors. A meticulous cut.

Plop, plop.

Asha’s Hair fell onto the pristine white cloth.

As Veronica, holding the scissors, had said, it didn’t take very long. It was just a matter of tidying up the long strands of Hair that might obstruct Asha’s vision.

Still, the effect was quite dramatic.

With the Hair that had covered most of her face gone-Hair that she hadn’t consciously bothered to tidy-Asha’s face became even brighter.

She thought that if Asha just dressed up a little and went out, passersby might turn their heads at least once.

Looking at Asha, who had her eyes closed, Veronica felt an unnecessary sense of unease.

‘…I didn’t do something unnecessary, did I?’

Still… she’s pretty. She should have cut it sooner.

Veronica, who had been scrutinizing Asha’s neatly arranged, pretty features, remembered their original purpose of going on an Outing and tapped Asha’s shoulder.

“It’s all done.”

“Already?”

“It was only supposed to be a small trim from the start.”

Asha opened her eyes and looked at the mirror. It certainly felt less uncomfortable than before.

‘So the Hair was the problem.’

Asha, who had been wiggling under the cloth, turned to Veronica and smiled.

“You might not be able to Cook, but you cut Hair well.”

“…Did you really have to add that?”

“S-Sorry.”

Veronica pulled Asha’s awkwardly smiling cheek once, then untied the cloth draped around Asha’s body.

“…Then hurry and wash up. Let’s go out before it gets too late.”

“Alright.”

As Asha’s retreating figure, hurrying deeper into the Bathroom, disappeared, Veronica shook out the cloth that had been draped around Asha’s body and tidied it.

Then… she gathered Asha’s Hair that had fallen onto the pristine white floor to tidy it up.

A sweet scent emanated from Asha’s cut Hair.

‘…’

Veronica swallowed hard, then glanced around, and carefully put away Asha’s Hair that she had gathered to discard.

Veronica, who had gathered and tidied the light pink Hair… returned to her room, took out a Preservation Jar from her luggage, and put Asha’s Hair inside it.

‘…It might be helpful for the research on Asha returning to normal, right?’

It’s not like she was collecting it with any impure intentions.

Veronica repeated that to herself as she shoved the Preservation Jar deep into her bag.

She also didn’t forget to check if anyone else was in the room. No one would come in without her permission anyway, but she felt a slight apprehension just in case.

…It definitely wasn’t because she was doing something she felt guilty about.

After confirming it was safe, Veronica headed towards the Bathroom where Asha was, with light steps.

By then, Asha had already finished washing and was drying herself.

Asha’s body, with her pink Hair clinging to it, heavy with water, was slightly flushed, perhaps from the hot water.

Although she was a bit short… her proportions were so good that anyone who saw her would swallow hard. Her breasts were a charmingly modest size, but thanks to her wide pelvis, she didn’t give off a dangerous vibe.

Veronica, who had been gazing at that body for a moment, feeling an indescribable, strange emotion, chuckled at Asha’s still unrefined way of drying her Hair and approached her.

‘…Even though she’s changed like this, nothing has really changed.’

Still… thinking that it might be good to be able to approach her so casually since they were both women.

Veronica snatched the towel from Asha, who was haphazardly drying her Hair.

“Ah.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to dry it like that?”

Veronica, having taken the towel, gently dried Asha’s Hair while chiding her.

While secretly wishing she would continue to do so.

She slowly continued to dry Asha’s Hair.

Asha, smiling awkwardly, picked up another towel and dried her body. Then, with a look of realization, she mumbled.

“By the way, where did you go? I thought you’d be outside.”

Veronica, startled, replied while hiding her face from Asha.

“J-Just preparing a few more things… Why? Is there a problem?”

“No? Just curious.”

Asha didn’t press Veronica further, perhaps genuinely not thinking much of it.

Veronica sighed in relief and continued to work her hands until Asha’s Hair was well-dried and soft. Each time her hands moved, a slightly stimulating scent tickled Veronica’s nose.

‘…She must have used the same thing.’

Why did it smell so different?

For a while, only the sound of a towel being shaken could be heard in the Bathroom. Then, Asha, who had returned to the room to change, felt a bit troubled.

‘What should I wear?’

Although Veronica hadn’t dressed up lavishly, she had put considerable thought into her outfit, which made Asha hesitant to just throw on anything.

…Of course, Veronica solved Asha’s dilemma.

Veronica had already anticipated this and prepared clothes in advance.

Veronica dressed Asha in an outfit of a similar design to her own, then smiled with satisfaction.

‘…I should do as she asks, right?’

Asha wasn’t yet used to wearing dresses, but recalling what had happened over the past two days, she decided to accommodate Veronica as much as possible.

At least… thinking that nothing like yesterday and the day before would happen.

They boarded a Carriage laden with something.

Asha, who had settled into the Carriage, looked out the window. She saw Cecil leaning out and waving. Seeing other silhouettes behind her, Asha thought there would be no safety issues, but she felt unnecessarily anxious.

Asha waved back, then shouted for her to go inside, as it was dangerous.

Perhaps satisfied after hearing Asha’s voice, Cecil obediently pulled herself back inside the window.

Asha, sighing in relief, looked at Veronica sitting opposite her.

She looked a bit… sullen.

‘What could she be unhappy about?’

With a sullen expression, Veronica tapped the Carriage to start it. The Carriage began to move with a mighty cry.

Then, Asha, who had been sitting with a troubled expression, got up and moved to Veronica’s side before the Carriage gained more speed.

Asha pressed her thighs together and cautiously said,

“Where are we going?”

Veronica, flustered by the sudden action, cleared her throat, composed herself, and opened her mouth.

“…A Picnic.”

“A Picnic?”

“Yep.”

Originally, she had planned to sightsee in the City, but Veronica changed her mind after seeing the refreshed Asha.

‘Anyway, it’ll be chaotic because of the Typhoon.’

Wouldn’t it be better if it was just the two of them in many ways? Annoying things might cling to them, right?

With those thoughts.

The Carriage sped towards its destination.