Yugai followed the woman through the halls to the back. Past the shimmering marble floors, the impeccable black couches, and the luminous and numerous chandeliers lighting the path from above. The chatter of men with sharp fresh faces, of women with tired bodies but open hearts. The clanging of glass, the fizzle of bubbles, a heavy but sweet scent that gets the tongue wagging and the body heated. A place that coalesced the troubles of the day to day with desperate hopes and dreams that searched for a fairytale ending from night to dawn.
The men were dressed in a variety of ways. Some were head to toe dressed in suits and business attire made to impress and catch the eyes. Sleek and direct with a classic punch behind them. Others were wrapped in far more comfortable and expressive clothing that hanged far more loosely, but even these outfits carried an undeniable sharpness to them. The style carried by these men was a choice they made by themselves, worthy sheathes for the blade carried in their smiles that sought the flames of the hearts that adored them with pinpoint accuracy.
Finally, the woman stopped and opened a large mahogany door. She turned the knob and flung it open and walked into a room filled with white tiles and bright lights. The room stretched on far and wide. Pure white salon chairs stood by clear mirrors and dazzling basins. “Sit.” The woman grabbed a barber’s cape as Yugai sat in the chair as instructed. Hakuro leapt off his shoulder and walked towards the door they had just come from. “Feel free to relax Yugai. This will take a while. I’ll be back when it’s done.” The cat did not touch the knob of the door but it opened itself for him all the same, and he pranced out to take care of some business with old friends.
“I’m Guan Fen. The dumb manager’s little sister. Just call me Fen, it’s easier. Now, I’m going to give you a makeover you old man. Trust me, I’m good. I’ll make you look like a respectable member of society, a total stud too, but none of that shit will matter if you’re bad at talking.” Her voice and posture altered completely. From soft to hard. From lax to heavy. Fen grabbed Yugai’s head and pressed it against the sink before him. “I’ve got to wash all of this first… do me a favour and just…” Fen stopped. There was far too little resistance. She was in a bad mood and whenever she got liked this being aggressive helped her vent, but she could tell immediately that the man she laid hands on was devoid of strength.
“Urgh… hah… hah…” His voice was hoarse and harsh. She lifted him back up and stared. An eye of silver and a body that looked ripe to collapse. “...You, what were you doing just now?” The single metal iris darted towards her. “Brawling with your bouncer.” It took most of his strength just to say those words. Fen clicked her tongue. “...He’s brought another crazy one. Just my luck. Can’t he bring a more handsome normal guy in? Alright, fine. Go to sleep. It’ll be a pain to move your head around but there’s no helping it.” Yugai uttered a foul groan like a child being told to go to bed early but stopped midway. “...Why is my eye grey now?” A very simple and curious question.
“Oh, that? I don’t have a Mystic paired to me myself, but apparently using magic will turn your eyes into the colour of the type you use. If you stop using it, it’ll go back to normal, but that’s never really happened. Everyone is far too used to it, it’s like breathing to them, so they all have these weird eye colours now. People sometimes mistake us for some sort of cosplay club.” Fen sighs, there was never a dull moment at this place, and while it brought her many smiles as well as many headaches. Yugai shut his eye and laid back against the chair. He had fallen to sleep completely in a mere second, his body finally gave out from exhaustion. “...Sigh. Alright. I’ll start with his face first.” Fen grabbed a can of shaving cream, sprayed the contents into her hands and rubbed them together before scrubbing his face until all his facial hair was coated in white foam. “Itchy. Been a while since I had to deal with someone with rough hair.” She took the blade to his face and carefully and gently ran it across his skin with slow but thorough motions that were carefully calculated from experience and her dynamic vision. Just a few swings.
“Oh, wow. You’re actually quite cute now that I got the fuzz out of the way… are you actually younger than me? Now here comes the harder part, but if your actual face is like this it might be easier than I first thought. What’s a good look for a pretty punk?” Hundreds of designs flashed through her mind made of countless combinations of attire until she found it. The best match for the model brought to her. She doused his head in water, lathered his hair in shampoo and got to work. It took her about an hour to get everything finished, though she needed some help from another to get Yugai dressed and coordinated while unconscious, but when she was done she smiled. It was one of her masterpieces. Less is more. Simple but wonderful. Now it was up to him to be a good musician for the instruments she picked out. She grabbed a bucket of ice that was kept to hold wine and champagne bottles and threw it all over him. “Wahhhh!” He woke with a jolt and to an unfamiliar face in the mirror.
“...” Silence from Yugai. He first touched his face with both hands. A bit of powder, just a smidge came off onto his fingertips. He blinked with his one eye, though he felt as if he still had both his eyelids. He then brought his fingers to his hair and traced through them until he felt a sharper more collected point at the back. He slowly stood up from the chair and looked at his own body from top to bottom, both reflected in the glass and from the light in his eye. A stranger stared back at him. A stranger with an eye of steel and a smile of shocked joy.
His hair had streaks of blonde in it that was not there before, stripes of lightning that ran through dark clouds in the night. They lead to the back of his head to form a ponytail that floated in the breeze and marched freely like a steed on far wide plains. His clothes had been changed completely while he slept, a fresh white shirt with a circular top, while standard looking was made of some quality material that was soft and flexible. Thrown atop it was a black duster jacket, it looked slightly worn but that added to the appeal of it, a dark shine that had been enhanced through hardship, that had ridden the winds and ended up battered but never beaten.
He now had red jeans as bloody as a title challenger wrapped around the lower end of his body, they seemingly gripped tightly but Yugai could feel that his legs were in fact free. As he moved his body he noticed a very faint ringing sound sing to his ears. There were several small metal chains attached to the back and the pockets of the jeans. At first glance, they seemed normal but because of his Metal Form, he knew. These were no ordinary decorations. They were made of something almost otherworldly. Though tiny, they were a gift with a hidden purpose. Diamonds that held unappraised values. “...I really was reborn, huh?” Yugai crooked his neck back and shot a smile of thanks, grinning with his teeth, the fangs of a baby tiger.
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He turned and checked himself out as much as he could from each direction and angle he could, he even finished his inspection with an improvised dance twirl. “Is this really me? I didn’t know I was this handsome. Huh, you even gave me new sports shoes.” Fen chortled at his words and newfound confidence. “You punk! I did all this for you! You’ll be needing tune-ups all the time! Make-up, skin conditioning, exercise, diet, and fashion! I’ll be in charge of it until you can get it down!” Fen slammed her left fist against a sink. “Prove it. Prove you have the right to shine like a star with the style I gave you! If you can, I’ll make you even more amazing next time!” The woman was usually tired and relaxed but when it came to her works of art she held no quarter. “Wait, you changed my clothes! You stripped me! A-are you into me? Are you some sort of mole-.” Fen immediately whacked him on the right side of his head. “Why would you come to such random and stupid conclusions!? Something’s wrong with your brain! It’s not something I haven’t seen before and anyway, I got Hibari to do it instead, dumbass!”
“Who is Hibari…?” Yugai only then realised a third person was in the room and turned to meet them. Hibari was sitting on a nearby single-seated couch, their feet on the cushion and their knees raised. A tall and slender beauty with sparkling blonde hair and sapphire eyes. The glare was completely different from that of Guan Lang’s. The man before held an icy but loving sharpness like a lake under a spotlight, in comparison Hibari’s pupils were deep and inviting. They screamed to those who made contact with them, the vastness of the sky above and the abyss below. Staring into a starry sky or a mirage reflected upon the surface of shadows. You are swallowed by their beauty and instead of fighting, you find yourself sinking into them with a smile on your face.
The bangs across Hibari’s face were rather long and the hair swam back and up a current until it formed a large bun held together by a single needle pin which ran horizontally through its length. Two long strands of hair flowed over Hibari’s ears. The ears themselves have orange bauble earrings digging into the earlobes. Hibari’s lips were a glossy pink, pronounced, and invited any who dared to try and take a bite of the two luscious fruits on display. Yugai understood quickly, this was a person who is both predator and prey all at once. A showstopper, thrill-seeker, the star of the stage, and they will not relinquish their mic without a fight. Despite being able to sense this fierce fighting spirit, the only two words that his mind found to describe the being before them were, “so soft.”
“That would be me hunny! My, what a man you are under those clothes! It was my treat! ...Oh I was admiring your body structure, not your… hehehe.” Hibari winks and a crackle of electricity runs through Yugai as Fen slaps her own face with her palm. “Nice to meet you. I’m Hibari, the number four host of this here club! I’m always happy to meet a fresh face. Welcome to the team.” Hibari grabs his right hand with their own and shakes it firmly. “Oh, nice to meet you too. I’m Izumi Yugai, I guess I’ll start working here from today? I… wait.” He connected the dots in his mind together. Host. A male worker in an entertainment service that gives women emotional support. This was the definition he internalised long ago.
He looked at Hibari again who tilted their head, closed their eyes and fired off a critical heart-piercing smile of mischief. Yugai’s gaze looked at Hibari’s chest. A purple and white striped cheerleading vest, just the top and nothing else with it. Below at Hibari’s waist. A long kimono robe, but specifically it seemed to just be the part below where the sash would be. It was dyed black silk that looked and felt luxurious, a pattern of various and vibrant colours exploded in all directions across that dark canvas. Yugai realised the colours were fireworks. The skirt-like robe was the night sky and the plumes of the rainbow were explosive rounds of coloured gunpowder. He could see half of Hibari’s alabaster white thighs and legs, this kimono was quite similar to a bathrobe. Finally, her feet. Oddly, a pair of less fashionable and practical orange running shoes that seemed to be a bit worn, but clearly cleaned and cared for. Looking carefully now, Yugai realised that Hibari was significantly taller than him and had the physique of a runner, but seemed to be as delicate as a flower, if there was muscle you could not see it with your naked eyes. For the lack of better words, Hibari seemed tender and sweet but carried themselves with unbridled confidence.
“As you may have guessed, I am in fact a man! Wahahaha! Are you shocked? Did you fall for me at first sight?” Hibari’s laugh echoes through the room and Yugai blinked in response, “...well, it’s true I thought you were a woman but why would I be shocked?” The air suddenly caught a cold breeze. Hibari opened their eyes again and stared into Yugai’s window of steel. “...Ah, you’re the free and accepting type, not because of principles but because you think people should live their lives how they want to. Of course, I enjoy types like you, hunny, but sigh, I can’t have fun messing with your cute little head. The face of a person resisting their urges to love me and getting all red and embarrassed, I love that! It’s just so heart-pounding and fun!” Hibari clapped his hands together and smiled. “Ah, well, I did say I was a man, but strictly speaking… hm, how do I put this? I prefer something like this.” Hibari slowly exhaled and then inhaled before opening their mouth again.
“I have a masculine fighting soul and the heart of a longing maiden. That is who I am. You can call me he or she or whatever in your mind or with your voice, I take it all as a form of compliment! However, don’t neglect one side of me in favour of the other. I’ll get really mad. Just call me Hibari, if you really don’t wanna say things like him or her.” That being said, Hibari smiled with his face with a cocky and courageous charm and then tilted her head to smirk with the allure of a woman whose eyes have caught you in a trance.
“Charisma.” Yugai let the word slip out of his mouth. “Teach me that charisma, Hibari!” Yugai gripped his hands to hold Hibari’s own wrapped hands. Hibari blinked. This caught her off guard but he recovered quickly. “Ahahaha! How cute and earnest! Can’t say I hate that hunny! I’d love to… but Lang’s assigned you to shadow under Kentarou. Be ready, that guy is as harsh as a drill sergeant. You won’t get a wink of sleep when he’s got you in his sights. Especially, since well, he would never have agreed to this without Lang’s command. I pity you, really. If you ever need to vent about how he’s a bad person, feel free to come to my table! Ah, but it’ll cost you! I don’t like cheap drinks or boring conversations! You’ll need to really lighten it up!”
The door slammed open. A figure in the shadows. His voice ripped through the room.
“Silence. You always talk too much and never get to the point until it’s too late.” A man approached. Crackling intensity popped through the atmosphere as he looked at Yugai.
“...But, Hibari is right. I’m a terrible teacher, but if the boss says jump I’ll ask how high. I hope you have guts, or you’ll be begging to die. I don’t half-ass anything, and I expect you to do the same. Get ready for hell.”