BZZZT!
That was the next thing that happened when Rin leaned in to kiss Koko. A sudden jolt like lightning raced through her body, and before she even knew what was happening, she was flat on the floor—wiggle-wobble, fish-flop. Her hair puffed out in full-on lion mode, wild and frizzy, like it had been set ablaze by thunder itself.
"How many times have I told you, Cousin Rin, that Koko is mine!" Mai shouted, sparks still crackling at her fingertips. Her whole figure was sharp and furious, like a thunderstorm in human form.
Everyone in the club turned instantly. Conversations froze, chairs scraped, and eyes widened. All attention locked onto Rin, who was wobbling weakly on the ground, trying to gather herself but looking more like a fish thrown onto dry land.
"Hey… I think you zapped her too much," Koko said nervously, clutching Mai's arm as if that would stop the storm.
"I can't believe you were going to allow her to kiss you!" Mai snapped, her glare fixed on her girlfriend like a whip.
"I wasn't going to let her!" Koko shouted back, her voice defensive, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
"Really? But you let her kiss your hands!" Mai fired back, her tone sharp enough to cut glass.
The tension rose higher than the ceiling beams.
"Cousin Rin!" Akari's voice finally cut through the chaos. She had just noticed Rin from the refreshment table. Dropping her cup with a splash, she rushed across the room and knelt beside her cousin. "What… what happened to her?"
"Cousin Mai struck her," Hana said calmly, as if it was the simplest explanation in the world. She pointed at Mai, her face unreadable.
"What? Why?" Akari's eyes widened in disbelief.
"She went too far!" Mai growled, folding her arms across her chest with a snap, still sparking faintly with leftover energy.
Akari looked down at Rin, who was twitching from the shock. "Cousin Rin, are you okay?"
Rin groaned, her lips curling into a grimace. "Do I look like I'm okay to you?" she muttered. Her body was stiff, and every little movement made her hair crackle. Slowly, painfully, she lifted her gaze from the floor—first at Mai, then at Koko. The sting in her chest wasn't just from the zap. It was the reminder that she should have known better.
Koko was Mai's girlfriend. Everyone knew Mai never tolerated anyone flirting with her, and yet Rin, being Rin, had pushed too far.
"I should have chosen someone else instead…" Rin whispered under her breath, her voice thin, almost swallowed by the air.
Akari gently tried to sit her up, worry painted all over her face.
"I was just trying to prove to you guys… that I'm still the same Rin Kisaragi," Rin said slowly, her voice weak but carrying a strange pride.
"Well you proved it enough!" Mai snapped, her voice echoing like thunder.
"Oh Mai… I'm so sorry for trying to—" Rin reached out with trembling fingers, but Mai turned her back, folding her arms tightly.
"What is your problem? You could've killed her!" Akari's voice snapped like a whip, her anger directed now at Mai.
"Well… she's still alive," Mai muttered, but her voice faltered. She turned her head and saw Rin's weak form, her cousin sitting there, and the guilt began to creep in. Slowly, she exhaled. "I'm sorry for losing my cool, Cousin Rin. You were just going too far and… I had to remind you."
She bowed her head, a rare gesture from Mai, then reached down to help her cousin. Rin took her hand and pulled herself up with a small, tired smile.
"Thank you," Rin murmured, though her body still shook.
"Wow, Cousin Rin, you look like fried fish!" Suki's voice rang out from the side, cutting the tension with laughter.
"Oh my goodness—Cousin Rin, your hair needs to be done. Your date is today!" Akari suddenly gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.
"My hair! What happened to it?" Rin cried, reaching up frantically to touch it. The moment her hands brushed the puffed-out mess, her heart sank. "Oh no, how am I going to look stunning now?"
"Don't worry, I'll help you with your hair," Hana said quickly. "My mom runs a salon. I'll take you there."
"Okay good… that sounds good," Rin said with relief, nodding quickly, as if clinging to hope.
"Alright then, let's go," Akari said, already moving, and together the girls left the Maiden Club behind.
....
"How am I going to look stunning in front of Selene now…" Rin whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at her fried-up reflection in the salon mirror. The hair was puffed, stiff, lifeless—like it had been roasted over a fire. Her heart squeezed. This wasn't how she imagined her date with Selene, the Ice queen herself.
The salon was quiet. Too quiet. Rows of chairs stood empty, combs and brushes neatly laid out, bottles of hair oil and shining scissors glimmering faintly under the lantern light. The silence only made Rin's panic louder inside her chest.
"Don't worry," Hana said gently, resting a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "My mom is known as the Magical Angel Miracle Auntie… the M.A.M.A. She can fix any problem you have with your hair."
"She's the best in all of Kaida," Suki added firmly, nodding like she was repeating a sacred truth.
Rin looked around at the empty salon and frowned. "If she's the best, then why isn't this place full of customers?"
"Well… that's because MAMA isn't here," Akari said, sighing as she sat on one of the chairs, swinging her legs slightly.
"Huh?" Rin blinked, her heart sinking.
"If my mom was here, everywhere would be packed. The moment she steps inside this salon, you'll see people lining up outside to get their hair done," Hana explained proudly, her eyes lighting up at the memory of her mother at work.
"Okay then… where is she? Selene will arrive soon, and I need my hair fixed now!" Rin said desperately, almost on the verge of tears.
"That…" Hana hesitated, her lips pressing together. "I don't know."
"You don't know? I can't look like this in front of the Ice Queen!" Rin said, clutching her fried hair with both hands, panic swelling inside her chest.
"Well, you should have thought of that before you tried to kiss someone's girlfriend," Mai muttered, her tone sharp but quieter now, almost as if she was trying to mask her own embarrassment at bringing up the incident again.
Rin glanced at her, guilt washing over her face. "Um… sorry, Cousin," she said quickly, lowering her eyes.
"So… how long do we have to wait for MAMA?" Akari asked, glancing toward the back of the salon.
As they were talking, someone suddenly stepped out from the back room.
In one hand was a pair of scissors, gleaming under the light. In the other, a comb. Their hair was tied neatly in a bun, and a black apron hung snugly over their shoulders.
"Did someone call for MAMA?" the person said, clicking the scissors with a sharp snap.
The girls all turned at once, eyes widening.
"Thank goodness! Please, fix my hair ASAP!" Rin said, relief flooding her voice as she nearly jumped from her chair.
"Um… that is not MAMA," the girls all said at once—except Rin.
"What? Then who is this?" Rin asked, staring at the figure from head to toe. Something about them… looked familiar.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my mother's hair salon?" Hana demanded. Her hand rose, water forming into a liquid blade, shimmering and twisting in her palm. She was ready to strike.
"Wait, wait—please don't!" the person yelped, taking a half-step back.
"Then start talking if you don't want to be drowned to death," Koko said, eyes narrowing as Hana's water hand hovered threateningly.
"I'm just an apprentice!" the person shouted quickly, words tumbling out in panic. "I just started today. That's all! I'm not trying to impersonate MAMA or anything. I just… I just want to find my weapon."
"Weapon?!" they all shouted at once, the word echoing in the empty salon.
"Yes," the person said, straightening their back with a deep breath. "I need a weapon to start my training, and this… this is my way of finding it."
"Wait a minute…" Rin said as she slowly stood from the chair, walking closer with narrowed eyes. She circled the person like a curious cat, scanning up and down. "Wow. Your costume and hair really make you look different. So girly…" She let out a sudden laugh.
"Who is this?" Mai asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.
"Cousin Ayato!" Akari suddenly cried, jumping from her chair with a laugh.
"Hello, Cousin Akari," Ayato said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as all the girls stared at him in shock.