Sail-less, the Asahi didn’t move much at all. She drifted a bit along the currents, but being still many miles from the nearest landmass meant Kaori and Ma?l hadn’t had to worry about piloting the ship.

  Instead, the newly deceased couple spent the day scouring the ship for anything useful. Staying on board of the catamaran was not an option unfortunately; they had to abandon it and try their luck on shore, but they were hardly equipped for a long trek through the hills of Southern Kagoshima. Food was gone. The catch from the day before had been returned to the sea, along with the fridge it had been stored in, and they were down to a single bottle of drinking water.

  Still, they weren’t too worried about it. Kaori was confident they could find fresh water in one of the many rivers or brooks that ran down the slopes of the small mountain ranges—or were those large hills?—and Ma?l was confident Kaori knew what she was talking about.

  Food… well, they’d just have to fast for a few days and they both had plenty of experience with that. Ma?l because he had to make weight regularly back when he fought in lower weight classes, Kaori because losing a couple of extra pounds was just something actresses did to look good on screen. If they had to skip few meals along the way, they would. It was never fun, but it was simple enough.

  However, basic survival was only part of the equation. They’d have to blend in once on shore, and that was proving to be the harder challenge now that they looked at the logistics of it. Kaori still had a pretty decent wardrobe, but Ma?l wasn’t so lucky.

  Kaori eyed him up and down, critically. The rash-guard was tight on his skin, highlighting his muscles. It made him look a bit like a superhero in spandex, which she suspected was on purpose. Cool as it might look on the mats, it was hardly the best way to blend in rural Japan. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. His white judogi pants already looked a mess, having been soaked in seawater, and a couple of days in hills wouldn’t help. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his shoes were gone. Walking miles barefoot on rocky ground would be torture.

  “You kind of look like a mess, you know that, right?” she said, with a cheeky smile.

  “Well, I don’t have any cocktail dresses, if that’s what you mean.”

  They chuckled. Aiko’s wardrobe was full of them, but she also had an abundance of practical clothes. Aiko’s dad had left a few outfits in his cabin, but he was a rather diminutive man, and they had given up trying to fit Ma?l’s massive body into S size garments. Nothing fit, except for the neckties, and Kaori was adamant those wouldn’t make things any better.

  “Look. I don’t think we are going to find anything my size on this ship, but once we get to a place with shops, I should be able to buy something to wear without too much trouble. No one’s looking for me, so I’ll just be a weird Gaijin for a day, that’s all.” Ma?l said, trying to sound unconcerned. By the time he got back to civilization, he’d look like a complete bum and attract tons of unwanted attention—if this was Tokyo, he’d certainly be stopped by the police! Still, he couldn’t think of an alternative.

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  “We at least need to get you something to protect your feet. Hiking several miles over the rocks is a problem.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, you’re right, but I got judo zori. It’s not great for this kind of things, but at least I won’t be barefoot.” he said, taking out a pair of straw sandals from his backpack.

  “Fine, the gaijin ronin look it is. Let’s get back to me. How good are you with scissors? I need a new haircut.”

  “Is that really necessary? I’ve cut my hair when I was young, but that’s only because I was broke. I wouldn’t bet on my hairdressing skills.”

  “Too bad, because we need to.” Kaori pulled out Aiko’s passport, showing Ma?l the photo. “This is what I need to look like to use this passport.”

  Ma?l examined the photo closely. The woman on the picture wore short hair, and her face looked plainer than Kaori’s, but not too dissimilar. He wouldn’t have recognized her, really, but then again, who didn’t have a bad passport photo?

  “I can handle the make-up, and there’s some hair dye, but I’m going to need you to cut the hair.”

  Ma?l wanted to argue he was unqualified, but at the end of the day, there was no one else.

  “Fine. But remember you asked for it.” he said.

  “That won’t do. Take responsibility. You will cut my hair and you will make me look good. You will do great!” Kaori asserted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her voice conveyed both her trust and her conviction.

  He’d fought some tough opponents, faced people with knives and guns, and survived, but cutting Kaori’s hair was one the most nerve-racking experience of his life. He was woefully unqualified, but he didn’t want to let Kaori down. Still, it had to be done, so he got to work. Seawater made a mess of her hair, but at least it kept it straight, which turned out to be a blessing.

  His large hands were surprisingly gentle as they ran through her hair. Professional stylists knew where to cut and didn’t think twice about it. He was measuring everything twice against his fingers, caressing her head as he worked. Slowly, strand by strand, he worked to replicate the haircut on the picture.

  The haircut took a long time, but they had plenty of that anyway—they couldn’t depart before sunset. Finally, he declared his work done, looking pleased with himself. Kaori inspected herself in the mirror, running her hands through her now short hair. A winning grin spread across her lips. Looks like I was right, she thought. He had done a shockingly good job, all things considered. Ma?l was remarkably competent, once she took care of his uncertainties. She turned around and gave him a hug.

  “Nice job.”

  Ma?l beamed. Being a hairdresser wasn’t his calling, but the pay was hard to beat. By sunset, they were ready to make for the coast. Ma?l raised the jib, and the ship resumed its course.