You Call That a Haircut?

[shslinventor]

A haircut? (Closed to Hotaka Goto)

Victor Bamford was quite possibly someone with the longest hair in this joint. There were reasons for this, but he wouldn’t disclose it. Most might try to keep their hair tidy with a profession like his. Normally he would with his hairties and all, but nowadays, he avoided those things entirely. They brought a bad side to him and he really didn’t want that other side to be ‘let loose’.  A sigh escaped his lips as he walked into the kitchen for another hot cup of tea. Just how many had the british boy consumed today anyway? He counted at least 4 messy mugs in the kitchen as he prepared another. As a result, the Inventor was rather jittery from all of the caffine. As he made another, there was the sound of footsteps entering the cafeteria. As they drew to the kitchen, he began to feel self conscious for the mess he made. As the water boiled, he decided, perhaps he should hand wash the mugs?  And so that is what he did. Without looking at the stranger who entered, he began to wonder out loud. “…Wonder if a haircut would do me any good…” Would it? After all, the second ‘part’ of him only came out when he tied his hair up. Not that anyone else needed to know about that. That freakish side of him could stay dormant inside of him forever, for all he cared. But would chopping his hair into a shorter cut solve the problem? “…Ah, pardon the mess. Hello there.” He said after awhile. Perhaps talking to himself would seem rude. 

[hotakagoto]

Hotaka had experienced the whole spectrum of human emotion over the last few days-- joy, tiredness, fury, pity, fear-- mostly the last one, of course, given the situation, but the whole spectrum nonethless. It had been an emotional roller coaster ride, for him and probably everyone else, so he was grateful when the wrenching in his gut was, for once, familiar and easily solvable. He was a little surprised to see the kitchen was occupied, seeing as lunch had only been a few hours ago. Well, if he was hungry, Hotaka guessed it made sense that someone else could be too. Or, was, by the looks of things-- this guy seemed like he was washing up. Not feeling the need to interrupt whatever he was doing, Hotaka headed right past him, towards the cabinets, when he heard the guy mumble something. Had he just said something about needing a haircut? Was he supposed to comment on that? Hotaka didn't think it was addressed towards him, even if it was bafflingly well-timed, so he decided to ignore it. Besides, he didn't even know this guy, and the last person he'd met thought he was a singer or something. He started towards the cabinets when he heard the guy speak again. And this time, it was definitely addressed towards him. "Nah, it's not a problem. Wouldn't have even noticed if you didn't mention it." After meals, Hotaka tended to throw his dishes in the sink and forget about them. He'd always assumed Monobear had magically cleaned them up, somehow, but had it actually been this guy or another one of the students the whole time? He made a promise to clean up whatever he ended up eating, then turned to the boy washing up. "Look, uh, don't know you were talking to yourself, or the cups, or whatever else, but I coulda' swore you said something about a haircut. That really something you're interested in? 'Cause if you are, I know a guy who could help you out."

[kyouhanshas-archive-blog-deacti]

"What makes you think that ? If I remember correctly, you freaked out and started screaming when you found the body. The only reason that I came here is due to the fact that almost everyone was in the bathroom and it was getting a bit cramped in there, also it smelled horrible. If people do not investigate places other than the crime scene, then we will never get anywhere."

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

Rayne’s grin turned to a full-blown smile. Dusting his hands off, Rayne turned around and walked over to the two.

"Hotaka!" Rayne greeted, throwing his arms in the hair. “My favorite hairstylist! Being a rebel and doing what others aren’t, I see!" He gestured toward Kazio. “And the concept artist! All three artists, all in one room!"

Rayne turned back toward Hotaka. “Don’t worry about me too much. I know I freaked out a little back there. But I think now I’ve gotten myself in check."

Rayne suddenly made a square with his thumb and index fingers and placed it in front of his one open eye, as if he were a photographer lining up a shot.

"Just like admiring a great painting,"

He moved the square slightly to the left, "…all I had to do…"

He moved the square slightly to the right, "…was shift my perspective."

The graffiti tagger clapped and spun back around. “But enough about that! Time to keep investigating. We artists have to think a bit outside the box, after all."

[hotakagoto]

"Well, it's not so much bein' a rebel as-- actually, y'know what? Yeah. Here I am, investigatin' and rebelling." The only reason Hotaka had come to Flynn's room was because he was following Kazia, true, but he had done it against her will. So he counted it as fighting the power, even if the power was some high school girl who didn't like him very much.  "Glad to see you're up and goin'." As for investigating... well, he still wasn't entirely sure how to do that, either. Even if Rayne called him an artist, Hotaka wasn't sure he could just examine the situation like some sort of ancient painting. The room seemed to be in fairly decent shape, though he couldn't see into the bathroom because the door was shut-- "Uh, didn't really know this guy, but do either of you two remember him sayin' something about his bathroom not working?" Hotaka asked. "Monobear said he kicked it in the middle of the night, so why would he be in the bathrooms by the cafeteria instead of that one?" He looked over at Kazia. "Feel free to answer this one, if you don't mind talkin' to me."

[kyouhanshas-archive-blog-deacti]

Kazia looked up at the guy who had addressed her, he was the guy who had insulted her on the first day “Yes, I was about to go and look for clues somewhere else, as that room is overly crowded, and it is uncomfortable and awkward to be investigating in there, it is also good to investigate somewhere else other than the actual murder scene. I shall begin my investigation in Flynn Rivialle’s room, from what I have gathered, it is right next to mine. Tag along if you wish, or you could try somewhere else, I would prefer that, but unfortunately I cannot control the actions of other people, a pity, as I remember you because you tried to insult me on the first day. Should you choose to investigate his room, please refrain from speaking to, or distracting me. Thank you."

She walked quickly towards the dorms, not bothering to check if the guy she was talking to had also decided to investigate the room, she opened the door of the victim’s room, as expected, there was someone else already in there, the boy with blue hair that she had also met on the first day, Rayne, wasn’t it ? She began investigating the room as thouroghly as she could.

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

Rayne looked up from his own investigating to see someone else walk into the room. Ah, he remembered her.

"Looks like great artists think alike, huh?" Rayne grinned over his shoulder, his body still facing whatever he was investigating at the moment.

[hotakagoto]

"Geez, kid. What'd I even say to you?" Hotaka didn't really remember, but it must've been some sort of grave insult to her ancestors if she was bringing it up after all this. "Uh, well, whatever it was, sorry about it. I mean, we-- Aaand, you're already leaving." As he watched Kazia walk away, he thought for a second about staying exactly where he was, but decided against it. After all, it wasn't like he was getting anything done standing where he was, not to mention that Flynn's room was bound to have a bit more space to investigate in. So he followed her towards the dorm rooms, and looked in when she entered. He was more than a bit surprised by who he saw. "Rayne!" he said, walking into the room. "You're lookin' around too, huh? Glad to see you're alright! You... are alright?"

[hotakagoto]

Blood and gore didn't bother him, particularly, but finding the body like that, and the screaming, and the sudden influx of people inside, most of whom were probably better at investigating than he was... well, he had a feeling there was no reason to loiter inside the cramped room any longer than usual. And he could have (should have) chased after Rayne when he ran from the bathroom, but Hotaka knew was even worse at comforting people than he was detective work-- he wanted to make his friend feel better, but after what had just happened, he had a feeling that he would probably end up making it worse. So he did the most helpful thing could think of, and stood in the hallway immediately outside the men's restroom doing nothing.And he would have continued doing so, had someone he vaguely recognized not walked out of the bathroom. "You were pokin' around in there before, weren't ya, kid?" he asked the girl. "It get to be too much for you in there? Or are you off to look for clues somewhere else?"

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

"Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, but I can’t really cook anything past a hot pocket." Rayne scratched his neck. “I can make a mean curry, but that’s about it."

Rayne’s stomach began to growl as well…but for an entirely different reason. 

"Ah, nature’s calling, man." Rayne chuckled in embaressment. “Give me a minute."

Rushing down the hallway, Rayne turned toward the men’s bathroom and ran right in. Hopefully this time he wouldn’t be interrupted by that damn bear again.

[hotakagoto]

Looks like it's gonna be toast, then. Well, maybe not--if Hotaka tried his hardest, he could probably scramble a few eggs. He started into the cafeteria, wishing there was a Super High School Level gourmet chef in their ranks, when he heard the scream. He'd only known the guy for a few days, but he'd heard his voice enough for it to be familiar-- "RAYNE!" He called, dashing out of the cafeteria doors and through the hallway. The restrooms weren't too far away from the cafeteria, but Hotaka found himself almost out of breath as he reached the doorway of the men's bathroom. "Rayne. Man, what's all the noise abo-- oh. Oh." Suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore.

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

"I can see where you’re coming from." Rayne looked down as Hotaka explained his dream. “My old man was a piece of shit. Never saw the importance of making art. Ditching him was the best decision I ever made."

However, his head shot up as Hotaka asked about Rayne’s video. Shit…if he talks about it, he might look suspicious. Or even worse…he might want to look at it himself. Something that could mess Rayne up that bad…would he really want anyone else seeing it? Anyone else, no. But Hotaka…

Rayne sighed in defeat. “I honestly don’t fucking know. I mean, I saw it, but…"

"Basically, when I turned it on, I felt so nauseous that I fell on my bed. I was only down for maybe five seconds, but when I looked up…minutes had passed. I thought maybe I blacked out…but then I kept thinking about it and maybe…maybe something in it messed me up so bad, my brain refused to even process it."

Rayne stopped when they reached the cafeteria doors. Instantly, his somber mood was replaced with his trademark shark-grin.

"Oh hey, we’re here." Rayne beamed as he opened the doors. “We can talk about dreams and shit later…right now, let’s eat."

[hotakagoto]

"Damn." Hotaka had been bothered and ready to punch something after he'd seen his video, sure, but refusing to it altogether? "That... that just sucks, man. I'm not real good at this, but... damn. Sorry to hear about it, but... 'least it's over now, right? We can focus on the important stuff!" He grabbed one of the doors and flung it open--food hadn't really been on his mind the past few days, but now that they'd reached the cafeteria, Hotaka could practically feel his stomach growling. "Hope you can cook, Rayne, or else we're just havin' toast. "

[shslscreamo-blog]

Boater hats and seifukus

[shslscreamo-blog]

Megumi laughed and waved her hand, calling beind her

"Please don’t worry yourself! I’m sound as a bell! My apologies for being so hasty!"

Continuing onwards, she stopped and whirled around when she heard his offer. Turning up the full charm, she turned around and walked over quickly, but at a polite pace. Smiling widely, she clasped her hands and said

"I believe I did - thank you ever so much! I’d be eternally grateful if you did, Mr….?

[hotakagoto]

Hotaka shook his head in confusion and exasperation. "You... you really don't know? Did the jacket and bow tie not tip you off, or somethin'?" He would have made another comment, but began to realize that giant, bald teenagers didn't fit anyone's standard image of a barber, no matter how they were dress. "Well, whatever. Point is, I'm the guy you're lookin' for. Hotaka Goto, hairstylist and part-time rebel. Now, tell me who exactly you are, and I'll be happy to help you with whatever problems you've got. I mean, so long as it's about hair or lifting something heavy."

[shsl-contortionist-blog]

"Well, to be honest…" Lucy paused for a moment, considering whether to tell this giant about the contents of her video. “It really wasn’t anything special. It was just some edited picture of me with…some guy I couldn’t see and some kids. Every few seconds the shots would just change into me getting older and older with the guy and eventually some kids started showing up in the video. That’s all. That’s something I could get when I get out of here! See? No biggie."

"Come on, if mine was like that, I doubt anyone else’s had anything worth killin’ over or nothin." Lucy cocked her head before scratching it, looking at the towering boy before her. She giggled. “So, what was yours?"

[hotakagoto]

"Well..." Hotaka thought for a moment. Going into specifics was just about the last thing he wanted to do, but dodging the question completely would seem pretty sketchy, wouldn't it? Either way, he figured, if Lucy could talk like that about hers, he could at least face his own. Hotaka tried his best to copy her tone as he spoke. "Aww, you know, it's all stupid stuff about my parents and my family's shop, that's all. I wanna run it someday, and that's what the video showed me. Like you said, nothin' worth killing anyone over." "What I really wanna know, though," Hotaka said, trying to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction, "Is how that bear got that footage. None of that stuff ever happened, so d'ya think it's some kind of crazy good animation, or maybe he found some really accurate body doubles?"

[shslscreamo-blog]

Boater hats and seifukus

[shslscreamo-blog]

Megumi tripped over her own quick steps as the “Ha!" assaulted her. From the ground, she looked up to see the barbershop boy. Realising that her current position was perhaps not advantageous in making a good first impression, she hastily stood up again.

"Pardon me for my hastiness! It is not because of a summons, but rather my current predicament.  I’m searching for someone who can fix something for me urgently." I’m wasting time. As much as I’d love to talk to a fellow musician, I need to fix this… Peculiar. He doesn’t have much of a musician’s voice, from what I can tell. Huh.

Megumi smiled brightly, and waved as she made her way onwards through the school. “If you happen to meet the hairdresser, I would be ever so grateful if you could refer him to me!"

[hotakagoto]

Hotaka made a move to help the girl up, but she was on her feet again before he could do anything. "Oh, geez, didn't mean to surprise you, kid. Actually, I was tryin' to prevent one of us from fallin' down, but I guess it didn't work out so well." "Sure, if I see the guy who can fix whatever problem you're havin', I'll make sure to find you again, and-- hey, hold up a sec!" he called towards the girl as she began to walk away. "Did you say somethin' about a hairdresser? If you did, I think I could direct you to that guy pretty quick!"

[shslscreamo-blog]

Boater hats and seifukus

Megumi frowned.

She leaned over the mirror a little more, and fingered the ends of her hair.

This is unacceptable.

Looking herself over again, she sighed. This would never do. Sloppy appearances make for sloppy impressions. You know this. Mater Kurosawa would be disappointed.  

Her hair was a mess. The tips of her once razor-sharp hime cut were fluffy and uneven, and her usually perfect bangs were looking sloppy. The whole look was a waste of her usual good looks, and the thick, normally sleek hair that she had. Twirling away from the mirror, she hummed in a worried manner, closing her bathroom door behind her.

Wait. There’s… a hairdresser here.. right?

As she thought those words, she was already out the door, with a purposeful look on her face and in her stride. Rounding the corner, she saw a boy in a striped jacket, and thought to herself.

I didn’t know there was a SHSL Barbershop Quartet member!

[hotakagoto]

When he heard someone approaching him, Hotaka whirled around. "Ha! Not this time, Ra-- Oh, you ain't Rayne." The determined footsteps he had heard in the hallway weren't a distracted graffiti artist ready to plow into him once again, but some girl he vaguely recognized from when all the students were gathered together. "Uh, sorry about that. Mistook your walkin' for someone else's, I guess. Speakin of which, where're you off to in such a hurry? Monobear didn't call us or anything, right?"

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

"You destroyed your disc, huh." Rayne rubbed at his chin. “I couldn’t even eject mine. I don’t know why, but something…something kept me from even getting near it again."

Although his expression was one of troubled thought, it was erased in a moment with a chuckle and another grin. “Ah well, no use dwelling on it. Come on…it’s morning and I’m starving."

Rayne began walking toward the cafeteria. While he was walking, he looked over his shoulder and asked, “By the way…what was on your video?"

[hotakagoto]

"You don't have totell me twice. Haven't eaten much since we got here-- I'm not exactly a growin' boy anymore, but someone like me should probably be eatin' a lot more than I am," said Hotaka, following Rayne towards the cafeteria. "Oh, uh, geez. That's, uh..." Well, he'd avoided the topic with Lucy and Alice, but if anyone n the school had to know, it might as well be Rayne. "I saw myself runnin' my family's shop. Figured that be it, 'cause I already knew my dream. But then, ooh..." he paused for a few seconds. "My dad asked me to do somethin'--somethin' silly like, 'go organize the shampoo, or go man the front desk.' And I told him, 'Nah, I'll do that later.' And d'you know what he said? He said, 'alright.' Just like that! I totally disobeyed him, and he was alright with it! It was so... so weird, man! My folks, not runnin' my life! And that's not even the worst part-- what I really wanna know is, how'd that bastard Monobear get that footage, huh?" This was the exact opposite of punk, but at this point in the story, Hotaka actually wasn't focused on that. "Probably sounds pretty stupid, but that's why I was standin' outside my room ready to punch somethin', or throw up, or both." He caught eyes with Rayne. "Speakin' of spillin' guts, now that I told you about what I saw, you gotta tell me yours, too. Showed you how much of a tough guy I am, so it's only fair, man."

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

"Yeah, next time watch where you’re going."

Rayne chuckled at his own joke as he took Hotaka’s hand. After standing up, Rayne ran a quick hand through his hair to make sure it hadn’t been messed up in the fall. Alright…everything’s as it should be.

"Nah, but seriously, sorry ‘bout that. Just a little messed up from that video is all."

[hotakagoto]

"Heh, gonna keep an eye out from now on-- I'll get ready to dodge as soon as I see somethin' blue and spiky out of the corner of my eye." Even though Hotaka was trying to forget about what he'd seen, it was nice to know someone besides him had been even a little freaked out by the videos Monobear had given them, especially after that ki--Lucy--seemed so nonchalant. "Oh, geez, same here. I know it ain't real, it can't be-- but seein' it playing out like that just sorta messed with my head. You too?" Hotaka asked, not even bothering to try and sound tough. "Gotta admit, right after I saw it, I made sure that disc wouldn't be playin' any videos anymore."

[therealshslgraffitiartist-blog]

Rayne himself was walking through the hallway nauseous. He didn’t even know what was on his video, but apparently it fucked him up enough to mess with his mind. Maybe if he just walked through the hallway some more and refreshed—

Rayne bumped straight into what felt like a stone pillar and fall backwards onto the ground. 

"Ow." Rayne groaned, rubbing his head from where he bumped it against the floor. Who the hell—

Rayne opened his eyes and widened when he saw who had bumped into…again. “Oh, hey Hotaka. What’s up?"

[hotakagoto]

"Guh!" Hotaka stepped stumbled forward a bit, then managed to regain his balance again. He'd been a little dazed after the video, but this unexpected visitor had snapped him right back to reality. "Hey, watch--geez, you again?" This time around, thugh, Hotaka did not hesitate to stick an arm out to help the graffiti tagger up. "We've really gotta stop bumpin' into each other like this, Rayne." 

[shsldevoted-blog]

"Then I suppose it’s not any problem, after all." Alice was relieved. Her bright, friendly smile returned to her porcelain face. “I’m glad I didn’t cause you too much trouble. It certainly would be a shame to get off on the wrong foot so early on, wouldn’t it?" She bowed in respect as she introduced herself to the hairstylist. “That being said, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Goto."

"Oh, um, why, thank you!" She expressed her gratitude, though it was evident that his compliment had left her rather red-faced. “I-I just use normal shampoo and conditioner, really. Nothing special, just store-bought brands!"

A hairstylist? Alice was intrigued, but she couldn’t help but wonder why a hairstylist would be, well….bald. Shouldn’t he want to be as eccentric and as creative with his hair as possible? Maybe he couldn’t decide what to do with it, she reasoned. She didn’t want to pry. Instead, she simply prompted, “so, what made you want to become a hairstylist?"

[hotakagoto]

"Just store-bought brands, huh? Even I'd never be able to tell, from the looks of it." Though it was decidedly non-punk of him, Hotaka couldn't help but appreciate well-kept hair. Now it was his turn to be a little embarrassed. "Well, everyone in my family since my great-great grandfather's been cuttin' hair. Parents didn't want to stop the tradition, 'specially since I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I've been trainin' to cut hair since day one."

[shsl-contortionist-blog]

"Well, yeah, ‘cause it’s stupid!" Lucy looked at the boy with a curious look on her face. “I mean, my DVD didn’t have anything worth moving a muscle over, so I don’t see why that bear expects us to kill over our ‘dreams’."

"And it’s Lucy," she said, crossing her arms. The boy wasn’t too much of a bother, but his tough-guy act was slightly irritating to Lucy, who took this as a challenge. “You can come with me, but what was on your DVD, anyhow? Mine was pretty lame."

[hotakagoto]

"I'm Hotaka, by the way. That that video didn't freak you out at all? Geez, ki--Lucy. I mean, I wouldn't wanna kill someone over it, but..." This girl was crazy resilient, Hotaka noted. He was going to be out-toughed by her. "And, uh, mine? Not too much, really," Hotaka said, quickly. "Like you said, stupid stuff. Nothin' worth gettin' worked up over.

[kazuhiko-shori]

Kazuhiko noticed this boy was definitely unnerved, most likely by his own disc. What did this bear find on everyone? He decided to check on this boy, and see if he was alright.

"Hey, are you ok?" He didn’t really know what to say to him, but he at least kept his manners. Extending his hand, he said, “My name’s Kazuhiko Shori. I don’t think we’ve met."

[hotakagoto]

"Huh?" Oh, this guy. Hotaka had seen him around a few times, in the classroom and the gym, but the two hadn't spoken at all—somehow, this guy's clothing and mannerisms didn't quite strike Hotaka as the rebel type he wanted to hang out with. Still, though, the other student was being nice to someone he'd never met, and given that Hotaka was desperate for a distraction, he figured he could offer at least a little bit of the same. "Me? Yeah, I'm alright. Just watched that video Monobear gave us, but it'll take more than that to freak me out," he lied. He took Kazuhiro's outstretched hand a bit awkwardly—this guy was a little more formal than he was used to—and shook it. "I'm Hotaka Goto, the hairstylist. I'm guessin' you're some kinda... Super High School Level Teenage Businessman?"

[shsl-contortionist-blog]

Lucy turned towards the voice. There she saw…a tall, bald boy? Hmm. That was strange. Lucy recognized him as the SHSL Hairstylist everybody had gossiped about on the internet. Weird for a hairstylist to be bald.

"Kid…?" Lucy muttered under her breath, slightly annoyed by the comment as well as the recent events that had unfolded before her and the other students. “Not really. I was just going to go to the cafeteria to get something to snack on. You know, try and distract myself from all the stupidity going around here from that dumb bear!"

[hotakagoto]

"Stupidity, huh? Guess that's one way to put it." Hotaka wasn't quite sure how the girl managed to watch her video and only seem mildly annoyed at the situation, but he did know there was no way he would be out-toughed by someone who could pass for his little sister.  "I could really go for a snack, though, 'specially after watching that. Mind if I join you, uh... whoever you are?"