A Centaur's Life (セントールの悩み)

Himeno!

Himeno! Get out of bed already!

You're going to break the house!

Morning, Mom and Dad.

Well, good morning.

Go wash your face.

Okay.

Hey, Himeno, you're still not done?

No!

Just finish up already!

Dad, aren't you done yet?

What now?

Come on!

I'm... working on a big one right now...

I don't need commentary!

You're going to be late. Why don't you finish up at school?

I can't!

Traditional

Don't schools these days accommodate all body types?

Accommodating All Body Types

But it's still cramped.

Tall

And there's no steppy-step at school.

Steppy-step

You don't need that anymore!

It just doesn't feel right without it!

I'm going!

Have a good day!

Watch out for cars!

Honestly, she may be bigger, but she's still a child.

It's really gotten longer.

My hair?

Yeah.

I've been thinking about getting it cut, but it's sorta hard.

You feel like it'd go to waste?

No, the salon is pricey.

And I can't bring myself to ask for another allowance...

Plus, beauticians never seem too happy to work on a centaur.

I guess we're a bit of a challenge for them.

Oh, I can see that.

Especially if the beautician isn't the same body type as you.

Trying to comb around my horns is annoying even for me.

Specialized Comb

Well, that's aggravating. That's their job, isn't it?

It must be nice to have your mom cut your hair for you.

Anyway, you're a girl. You should be a little more attentive to your looks.

Oh, who cares?

Why don't you try growing your hair long, Nozomi-chan?

I can't be bothered. Long hair is a hassle.

I like it better short.

What're you talking about? Hairstyles?

Uh, yeah...

I see.

All right, then...

We will now begin the meeting to decide Hime-chan's new hairstyle!

Huh?

Well... I think you should get it cut short.

It's easier.

Well, that's true...

No way!

That wouldn't suit our princess at all.

Hime-chan needs a more gorgeous, baroque, rococo style.

She has such strong facial features,

and she's big in various ways...

You should actually accentuate all that more!

Ringlet curls, huh?

That'd be tough to maintain.

Nobles didn't wash their hair, did they?

And they wore huge wigs.

Why not?

You could try cosplaying while you're at it!

You pose for that sort of magazine, don't you?

Please just forget about the magazine...

But it might look good if you just straighten it out, too.

Oh, yeah, that could work!

Then you can play it cool with a standoffish look in your eyes!

Who the heck is this?

So what did you have in mind, Hime?

Well, I was thinking of getting it cut to shoulder-length.

It's a hassle when it's long because I keep stepping on it,

but I wore it short before, and people didn't like it.

In Middle School

Really? Who didn't like it?

W-Well, like...

Shino-chan, for example. That's my little cousin.

What do you think of my new haircut?

Nee-tan, did you quit being a princess?

I liked you better as a princess.

Huh?

Really?

Yes, really!

I get that, though.

Oh, Class President.

My younger sisters said similar things to me, too.

The class president wouldn't look bad with short hair...

Your halo is just hair, right? Can't you cut it?

Intentionally cutting a hair halo constitutes discrimination.

It's viewed as the rejection of a specific race.

Of course, if you're born without one or have it accidentally cut,

Certificate of Deficiency

the hospital or salon will give you a certificate specifying so,

but that just makes things difficult.

Also, it looks dumb while it's growing back.

Sounds like a lot of trouble.

You've got it easier than anyone here.

We both have it rough!

True.

By the way, do you get your tail cut, too?

It sheds hair on its own when it reaches a certain length.

But some people get pretty fancy with them.

Something you can only do with a shaggy tail, huh?

Don't look at it so much!

Why not?

Mom put bell peppers in it again.

What are you, a kid?

I'm not your dad, you know. Eat them yourself.

If you don't, you'll never grow up mentally.

My mom told me that, too.

Still...

I can't believe that's enough food for someone your size.

Y-Yeah...

You're a light eater, I see.

What about you, Sassu-Sassu? Do you eat anything?

I've made my stomach and intestines adjust to human society,

so I can eat most things.

But my body is designed in such a way that I can't chew,

so I can't eat anything I can't swallow.

Huh...

Himeno-san, you're not going to eat?

It's not that... I just...

You're on a diet, right?

A diet?

Um...

Is that true?

Oh, a diet, huh?

Th-That's, um...

Kimihara-san.

Students aren't allowed to bring outside snacks to eat.

U-Um...

This is the dessert that was in my lunch box!

Those determined eyebrows won't convince me.

I won't take it away since I'm not a teacher,

but if you're that hungry, have your mom pack more lunch for you.

I'm sorry, Tama-chan.

Sorry, Hime.

Honestly...

The class president's like a mom, huh?

A "mom"? What is that?

I know you've heard this before,

but it's rare to see a Japanese centaur with red hair.

I know.

That made middle school a rough time for me.

My conduct teacher suspected that I dyed it,

and he wouldn't believe me.

Isn't that discrimination?

Yeah, he ended up getting arrested.

Is it because you're half-Japanese?

No.

That's just how my mom's family has looked for generations.

Huh...

There's this story...

A story?

Sort of a biography... but it's almost like a legend.

I would love to hear it.

Well...

My ancestor was a princess who was kidnapped by a southern barbarian,

and her siblings pursued them in hopes of saving her.

They traveled from Southern Europe to Northern Europe, even to Anatolia, looking for her.

Eventually, they found their sister and returned to Japan...

But from then on, all generations of her descendants had red-haired babies.

So it does come from being half-Japanese.

The raid on the southern barbarians is a pretty famous story.

Wait, Hime, do you come from a distinguished family?

My mom's dad was just an ordinary businessman, though.

You don't have historical documents or anything?

I'm not sure...

Our house was built for sale in a new residential area.

Well, it's been handed down pretty widely as a biography.

That's amazing.

In search of the kidnapped princess,

for the sole purpose of bringing her home,

the raiders launched attacks all over the continent.

With a single arrow,

they sank an entire ship, or so the story goes.

That's ridiculous.

You'd think so, right?

There are apparently records of it, though.

Regardless of the truth in it, it's a fascinating story.