"What kind of positive thinking is that?" Lies did not hurt people; the truth was the sharpest blade. So Toshiro Hijikata roared again. "Why does all of this hinge on me becoming bald? It's only a few hairs falling out. As long as I take good care of it now..."
"Mr. Hijikata, it's no use. Most people think exactly like you do..." Sogo Doma shook his head. "And yet, they all end up bald."
For some reason, after listening to Hijikata and Sogo's exchange, Otae actually felt a sense of shared misery with the Demon Vice-Chief. As a result, even the resentment that had nearly taken physical form seemed to lessen somewhat. Whether flat or bald, they were both humanity's great enemies—one was the enemy of women, while the other was the enemy of men...
"Mr. Hijikata..." Sogo Doma continued, "Think about it. If you go bald in middle age, then to make your appearance match what's inside, wouldn't you have to bring out the true nature of a bald man? Like being a HENTAI, sleazy, or drinking yourself stupid every day..."
"Wait a minute!" Toshiro Hijikata panicked. "Was that what we were discussing just now?"
"No..." Sogo Doma glanced at him. "I was merely proving that having your outer self match your inner self isn't necessarily a good thing. So Miss Otae doesn't necessarily have to match on the inside and outside either, right?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "..."
Wasn't "matching on the inside and outside" supposed to mean that one's actions matched one's thoughts? Since when had it become about appearance? Still, she looked at Toshiro Hijikata, who had already been talked in circles so thoroughly that he could not tell black from white. Forget it—she was staying out of this mess!
"Then here's the question..." Seeing that no one