Inequality

Chapter 5 – Transformation

The atmosphere was slightly strained and Akari shook her head softly. Chen didn't know what to say and she said, “Everything's fine now though. I'm still here.”

Chen nodded and she glanced at the clothes on the table and asked, “Are those for me?”

Chen nods and he scratched the back of his neck embarrassed and mumbled, “I... I just scrounged up all my smaller clothes, but I realized... even my smallest clothes will look big on you.”

Akari glance at the clothes and then back at her own figure. She realized he was right, she was pretty petite (and thin, no thanks to jail time), even if Chen wasn't that tall. She hesitantly picked up the white fabric on the top, revealing it to be a large oversized white hoodie for her, but a small one that wouldn't even fit Chen now. He left the room and called backwards, “Tell me when you're done changing.”

Akari nodded and then looked around the living room, realizing that there were no windows and she quickly slipped out of the straitjacket and slipped the hoodie on, happy that it was long enough to almost mid-thigh. She looked at the straitjacket and then materialized a pair of scissors to cut it up. She looked at the straps on the straitjacket and extracted those from their original position before she looked at it blankly and realized she had no thread. Akari looked at the straitjacket blankly and then she glanced down.

… He won't notice. Whatever.

Akari sat down on the couch and placed a random shirt from the pile to cover the bareness of your legs when you sat down, and she shouted, “Chen!”

“Yes?” he called back. He climbed down the stairs slowly and he said, “That was fast.”

“Do you have thread?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sewing thread,” Akari clarified. Chen nods and he walks into the kitchen before pulling something out and tossing it towards her. She catches it and then forms a sewing needle before taking the straitjacket and cutting it into what she still hoped was her size. Chen watched her, amused as she transformed the straitjacket into almost three pairs of shorts.

Akari looked up at him, and frowned. “Could you leave real fast?”

He raised his eyebrows and she pointed at the random shirt on her lap and she said, “I don't have pants on.”

“Oh,” Chen stuttered, “S-Sorry.”

He walked out of the room, slightly flustered. How can she say something like that without feeling embarrassed?

Akari happily slipped the shorts on, proud to know that her figure was still the same. She stood up and twirled around, looking around and observing her figure. Only to realize the shorts were practically invisible due to the length of the hoodie.

“...,” Akari stood there and called out, “Chen! Do you have a mirror?”

“Yeah in the restroom!” Chen shouted back as he walked down the stairs, he stopped at the sight of her in his old clothes. For some reason he felt slightly possessive and he shook his head. She's off limits Chen. Off limits. And besides, no feelings. Nothing intimate. Only friends. I got this. He took a swig of water from the water bottle in his hand. When he glanced back to her, he noticed Akari glancing around, lost, and he laughed.

He walked up to her and ushered her into the restroom and she looked at her hair in detest. Chen noticed the expression on her face and he asked, “What's up?”

Akari picked up a strand of hair and said, “It's so long.”

“It looks nice though,” Chen commented. She looked at him through the mirror and said, “I look too recognizable.”

“Ah, is that what you meant?”

Akari nodded and asked, “Do you guys have any dyes here?”

Chen nodded and he said, “Tao and Kris have a bunch. Let me call them up.”

Chen pulled off his badge and he clicked something and he said, “Yo hyung!”

“What?” Kris grumbled. He was in the middle of recruiting people who were being super reluctant and super apprehensive of the idea of training with a murderer.

“Are you near your house?”

Kris grunted in response and he said, “Yeah, why?”

“Can I get a bottle of dye?”

“... What color?” Kris asked, slightly confused. Chen looked at Akari and he asked, “What color?”

“Why are you asking me my own question?” Kris asked exasperated.

“Brown or black,” she responded. Akari's hair was naturally a platinum blond, something that she came to hate, especially since it was all the fault of Clovis.

“Wait, I have that color, never mind hyung.” Chen answered and hung up on him. Kris looked at the badge, confused and he sighed before turning back to the group of boys.

Chen looked at her and he turned to the bathroom cabinet and opened it up, revealing a dark brown hair dye.

“I like this one personally since it looks black without light and it's brown in light,” he smiled and he said, “Want me to help?”

She nodded and asked, “Can you cut too?”

Chen nodded and he said, “Although wouldn't you trust yourself to cut?”

“I can't make the back even,” she responded. And besides, I want to trust you.

Chen laughed and he said, “Give me a second.”

He pulled out a large cloth from the cabinets and a pair of scissors and a comb. He gave Akari the comb and she began brushing her abnormally long hair. It was practically past her waist.

Chen wrapped the cloth around her and he asked, “How short?”

“Like a pixie cut or something,” Akari responded as she blew a strand of hair out of her face and said, “My hair grows abnormally fast anyways.”

“Then.. what's the point of dying it,” he asked. She looked Chen through the mirror and she said, “So the blood doesn't appear on my hair like it did years ago.”

Chen nodded and to prevent the mood from going dark he said, “Guess I'll have to stock up on dye.”

Akari laughed and she said, “I suppose so. Sorry.”

Akari spent the next half an hour letting Chen cut her hair and he smiled as he looked at how he has transformed her look. Although Akari did look rather cute with the long hair, she looked much more adorable with the short hair. When she wasn't looking all fierce and angry and moody of course. He asked, “What about your bangs?”

“Mm, do whatever you want with them,” Akari responded. She opened one eye to peek at him and he smiled. She closed them and, honestly, relaxed. Chen gently took the front strands, cutting them into side bangs that stopped just above her eyes.

“Mm, I think it looks like a job well done,” Chen sang out. She opened her eyes and immediately looked at the shortness. It was kind of shocking considering how short it is now compared to before, but she thought it looked fine. More than fine actually, Akari felt so freed from the burden of that hair.

She gently touched it and smiled at the lightness and Akari shook her head furiously, the stray strands on her face fell off and Chen laughed as he looked around the floor.

“This is a mess,” he mumbled.

“I'll help you clean after you dye it,” Akari mentioned. Chen nodded and he said, “Good, I'd hate it if you made me clean on my own.”

After they finished cleaning, Akari and Chen finally left his apartment and she inhaled the fresh air gladly. The lack of plantations and cars made the place smell like nature. Something that she adored to no extent.

As they walked towards the center building that towered over the entire city, no one seemed to recognize her. She was more than glad that the change in hair and appearance was enough.

However, as soon as Chen walked in with Akari, the poor girl was immediately greeted with hostility and caution by almost fifty people. Fifty of them that were apprehensive of her.

It would be a lie if she said she didn't feel it, because she was able to feel it, practically smell it, their fear and wariness towards her.

Chen gave her a soft smile and Akari looked from him to the five in front of her. Everyone was tense and they all looked at her. She sighed. My gut feeling tells me things are not going to be pretty.