Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980

While the Kiryu siblings followed Tamago to the used bookstore, Ikeda Shigeru pushed open the door to his usual hair salon.

"Boss, I want a buzz cut. And dye it back to black while you're at it."

The shop owner, who was tidying up his tools, glanced over and smirked. "Hmph. It's that time of year again, huh?"

"Huh?" Ikeda blinked. "Time for what?"

"Every year, around this point—about a month into the new school year—guys like you start showing up, asking to dye their hair black and get a buzz cut," the shop owner said casually, reassembling the electric clippers he'd just cleaned.

Ikeda looked astonished. "Every year…? There's a lot of people like that?"

"Plenty." The shop owner nodded, brushing aside the bangs covering one eye and exposing the knife scar beside it.

He'd once told Ikeda and the other local punks that the scar was from fooling around with scissors—but no one had ever believed him.

Ikeda frowned. "But why? Why does this happen every year?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean... why do people suddenly do this now?"

"Ah, that." The shop owner draped a cape over Ikeda and straightened it. "It's the start of the school year. New classes, new homeroom teachers, new opportunities. Some folks suddenly decide they want to turn over a new leaf. It's pretty common."

"Really… common?"

Ikeda's expression darkened.

The shop owner caught the look in the mirror and gave a wry chuckle. "Don't tell me you think you're different. Every time I say this, the kid in the chair insists they're not like the rest."

He gave a snort. "Then a few months later, they're back here dyeing it blond again."

"I see…" Ikeda looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end, he didn't say a word.

The shop owner continued, "Summer break is actually the peak season for hair dye jobs. New faces come in hoping to reinvent themselves before fall and make a splash in high school."

"Really?"

"Really. If you worked here, you'd see it yourself. Some days, we'd get one or two kids a day coming in for blond dye jobs. And you know what? A lot of them just got dumped."

"Dumped?"

"Yeah. They think dyeing their hair will help them 'start fresh' after a breakup. These days, change comes cheap for young people."

Then, holding the clippers in one hand, he asked seriously, "So, Shigeru. You still want to go through with it?"

Without hesitation, Ikeda replied, "Yeah. Maybe my reasons are shallow. Maybe I won't stick with it. Honestly, I don't know. I've no idea how long this feeling will last. But... if I don't start, I'll never know how far I can go."

The shop owner gave a dry chuckle. "Nice words. But all just hot air. Before you sit here getting a haircut, how about paying back the money you extorted, huh? Don't hand me dirty bills from that."

"I already paid them back!" Ikeda shot back, sounding a little offended. "That was the first thing I did."

The shop owner paused, giving him a skeptical look. "And how are you paying me today?"

"I still get allowance, you know."

"Really? With your home situation?"

"Oh, just cut it already! I'll pay, no worries! With this blond pompadour, no one will even hire me."

"Obviously. No one's going to let a delinquent into their shop—that's like inviting a potential thief inside."

The shop owner chuckled. "Though you could always work at a club. Or one of those... yakuza-run places."

"I want honest work," Ikeda cut him off. "Earn proper money. Live a proper life."

The shop owner raised an eyebrow. "She must be something special, huh? Got you wrapped around her finger."

"It's not a girl! It's got nothing to do with any girl! I just... saw a real hero. And I want to follow in his footsteps."

The shop owner blinked, thinking for a few seconds. Then he said, hesitantly:

"...You want to be a Kamen Rider?"

"I do NOT!"

"Whoa, don't whip your head around like that!"

"Ow! My hair!"

A few moments later, Ikeda stared in horror at his reflection—there was now an unintentional "halo" shaved into his hair.

The shop owner was clearly struggling to hold back laughter. After a moment, he suggested, "How about... a chonmage? Samurai topknot?"

"You trying to make me the laughingstock of the whole school tomorrow?!"

"Why not? You do want a fresh start. A samurai cut would really show your resolve."

Ikeda glared at him through the mirror, puffing out his cheeks in frustration. But in the end, he didn't blow up like he would have in the past. He said, "Fine. Just shave it all. Save me the dye job."

"You sure?"

"Bald's better than a samurai cut! And lots of sports clubs shave their heads anyway—it won't look too weird... probably."

That last part sounded a bit less confident.

The shop owner wiped the grin from his face and asked seriously one more time, "You're sure? Completely bald? Absolutely sure?"

Ikeda nodded firmly.

And so, bit by bit, the blond hair disappeared, leaving behind a smooth, shiny scalp.

After finishing, the shop owner cleaned the clippers and remarked dryly, "Not bad. With that done, the brightness in here just doubled."

Ikeda looked at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and ran his hand over his smooth head.

The texture... wasn't bad.

He stood up and pulled out the last of his cash. Normally, paying for a haircut was no problem for him—but now? If he couldn't land a job, he'd be eating the cheapest bread at school every day.

The shop owner pushed the money back toward him.

"This one's on me. Just a little electricity used. But if you come back in a few days wanting to dye it blond again, I'll charge you double."

He paused, then spoke before Ikeda could thank him. "Turning your life around isn't easy. Your past, your karma—they won't just disappear because you changed your mind."

"They'll follow you everywhere."

"But worse than that is how others see you. You'll find, no matter how much you change, people will still see you as the blond delinquent, Ikeda Shigeru."

"And that's harder than being a thug."

"If you stay a delinquent, maybe join a biker gang, end up in the yakuza as a low-level enforcer—you'll be scum, sure. And probably end up dead young. But until that day, at least you'd have fun."

Ikeda stared at his bald reflection, listening quietly.

After a long pause, he asked, "Then, Boss... how did you turn your life around? How'd you do it?"

"Me?" The shop owner gave a wild grin. "I never did. I just got old. People forgot me. Now I'm stuck tending this little shop, fading away."

Ikeda turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

Finally, he gave a deep bow. Then he straightened and strode out of the shop.

The shop owner lit a cigarette, walked to the doorway, and stood there quietly, watching the empty alley beyond.

In the distance, the Edogawa River flowed silently. On the far bank, Tokyo's neon lights shimmered.

(End of Chapter)