Aaron led the whole group to a barber shop called “Lustre Atelier.”

  The place had a sleek and modern design: large glass walls letting in soft daylight, Italian crystal chandeliers overhead, and glossy black leather salon chairs. There were four sections, including one open area and three private rooms. In the open area, several barbers were already busy with customers.

  The three private rooms were reserved for the salon’s top stylists, each designed like a small art gallery with muted lighting, arranged decor, and a gentle background of smooth jazz.

  Aaron stepped inside, gave his name to the receptionist, and after a moment, a tall man appeared. He had a lean build, sharp jawline, and deep-set black eyes. His hair was styled without a single stray strand.

  “Still doing well, Jasper?” Aaron greeted him with a bright tone.

  “Doing great, sweetheart,” Jasper said. “How about you? When are you coming in for your own haircut? That hair’s getting long.”

  Aaron ran his hand over his brown hair and replied, “Maybe book me in for next Friday.”

  “Alright. Five in the afternoon as usual, right?” Jasper called over his shoulder, “Lily, please book Aaron in for next Friday at five.”

  “Gotcha!” the receptionist replied from the front desk.

  Aaron turned to Luther with a smile. “This is Jasper, the best men’s stylist in New York; he’s my favorite barber. And Jasper, this is my best friend, Luther. Please give him the full package today!”

  He gave the black-haired boy a light pat on the shoulder in encouragement. Luther, who had already been given a heads-up by Aaron, pulled back a little more of the cloak of ambiguity.

  Jasper’s gaze swept over the boy standing beside Aaron, and almost in an instant, his eyes lit up.

  “Oh! My! God! Aaron, what kind of treasure have you brought me today? Look at this face: this jawline, this nose, and, holy hell, those eyes! Goodness, Luther, is it? Whoever cut your hair last time deserves to be tossed right off the Brooklyn Bridge.”

  Luther:

  “…”

  “Hey, hey, Jasper, what’s that supposed to mean? Luther cut it himself!” Aaron protested.

  “Oops, I didn’t mean it like that! Just slipped out. My apologies, little angel. Looking closer, I can see this style has its own artistic flair, sure, but honestly, it doesn’t suit your face at all. Let me fix it for you!” Jasper said.

  “Take good care of him, alright? If you mess it up, I’ll file a huge complaint!” Aaron warned.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, little young master. Now go wait outside, and please don’t make noise while I’m working,” Jasper replied, guiding Luther into his private room.

  Aaron:

  “…”

  And here I thought I was his favorite client.

  Over an hour later.

  Jack-O, for the tenth time, asked:

  “Luther done yet?”

  His mouth was beginning to pout.

  “Almost. I told you it would take a while, but you didn’t listen,” Aaron said.

  At last, Luther stepped out with a fresh haircut.

  Under Jasper’s shears, his messy hair had been given a clean trim. The sides and back were cut short and clean, but not shaved too close, leaving a smooth, soft fade. The top was treated with a light nourishing wax, giving it a gentle lift, each strand falling into place like rippling waves combed back against the grain.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “What do you think? Satisfied?” Jasper asked.

  “Perfect!” Aaron beamed and gave a big thumbs-up.

  He stepped forward, clasped Luther’s wrist with a bright smile, and said:

  “You look so handsome! Totally worth the months I’ve been waiting for this.”

  “I feel… a little weird,” Luther said, his cheeks held a hint of pink.

  “It’s normal to feel strange with a new style, just give it some time, and you’ll get used to it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Told you, no need to thank me!”

  Jasper glanced between the two, then smiled.

  “Boys, if you come here to get a haircut at the same time, I’ll give you twenty percent off.”

  “Wow, really? We’ll do that next time for sure! Thanks, Jasper, have a nice day!” Aaron said.

  “Thank you,” Luther said.

  “Let’s get food. There’s a great pizza place nearby,” Aaron said, tugging Luther along.

  Jasper chuckled as he watched them go.

  “Awwww. Looks like little Aaron’s got a crush. Ah, youth, it’s such a beautiful thing,” he said.

  The receptionist girl Lily came closer and said:

  “Oh, Jasper, please, you’re just twenty-nine! Stop talking like an old man.”

  Then she lowered her voice.

  “But seriously, that Luther boy is ridiculously handsome. Those two look great together. And did you notice the way Aaron held Luther’s wrist? Like he’s afraid someone’s going to steal him away.”

  “I wish things would go smoothly for them,” Jasper murmured.

  …

  Time flew by, and Thanksgiving was already around the corner.

  It was a Monday evening when the little family was having dinner. Since this week was Thanksgiving week, Luther and Aaron had no school all the way to the next Monday.

  Luther sliced a few pieces of fried fish fillet and placed them on three plates on the table. Jack-O, Squashy, and Pompo dove right in, eating with fierce enthusiasm as always. Jack-O finished his portion in a flash, then lingered by his younger siblings, waiting to see if they would leave anything behind.

  Seeing that, Aaron laughed, cut another big piece, and gave it to him.

  “Luther, this dish is so yummy!” he said.

  “They helped today,” Luther replied, looking at the pumpkins.

  “Wait, really? How did they help?”

  “They used their fire.”

  It was known that the flame of ghostfire pumpkins was useful for alchemy, potion brewing, and all sorts of other magical work, so Luther had decided to try using them in cooking.

  Indeed, the dishes prepared with that flame carried a distinctive aroma and retained a tender, moist texture that was hard to achieve otherwise.

  “You guys are so amazing!” Aaron praised as he reached out to pat them.

  “A reaper who cooks well and loves gardening,” Acher remarked with a dry chuckle.

  He recalled when he had traveled with that boy, there had been a time when their meals were nothing more than raw food, blood still clinging to it. Back then, he had eaten them without a second thought, even finding them tasty enough, but now, he doubted he could ever do that again.

  Going from a hard life to a comfortable one was easy, but doing the opposite was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

  After eating, Aaron used a cleansing spell to wash the dishes in an instant. Then, everyone settled together on the sofa to watch the Hermesis TV they had bought at the Mariana Market.

  “These kids have gotten bigger,” Aaron commented, “Yesterday I weighed Jack-O, and he’s a whole eleven pounds now! Do you think we should get a new sofa? This one is getting a little cramped.”

  Luther leaned against his shoulder and murmured:

  “No need. I like it this way.”

  Aaron chuckled and ruffled his hair.

  They were watching a program called “Gaian Creatures,” a supernatural counterpart of “Animal Kingdom.” Not only Luther but also Aaron was fascinated by it.

  The host was a female druid dressed in a robe woven from dried grass. She was just about three feet tall, yet her build was sturdy. She had a round face with bright, wise eyes, and a voice that carried both gentleness and cheer.

  Following her steps, the viewers traveled through many different worlds: exploring the molten ant kingdom hidden deep underground, harvesting the cloud goat nests drifting in the skies, finding the secret hideaways of the jewel squirrels…

  Every episode of the series felt like a fantasy movie, with big-budget Hollywood blockbuster effects in every second.

  “Squeak squeak pretty flowers!”

  “Squeak so big!”

  The pumpkin trio occasionally squeaked in excitement.

  “A Grand Being doing this kind of work… In the old days, that would never have happened,” Acher remarked.

  “Why’s that?” Aaron asked.

  “Because back then, magical ability also meant nobility, and their so-called noble status isn’t suited for hands-on work like this. You should know that a Grand Being can open a sandrealm and be worshiped like a god by the mortal creatures of that realm. The cosmos has certainly become strange in an interesting way.”

  “Hmmm, if this show gets a lot of views, I bet she’s getting paid quite well. ArcanaStream is the biggest entertainment company in the Everspring Belt anyway,” Aaron said.

  Just then, his EPhone screen lit up. He checked it, frowned, and said:

  “At this hour? It’s past nine already.”

  “What is it?” Luther leaned over to take a look.

  “Just something I ordered on the Ethernet. The app said it’s about to be delivered,” Aaron explained.

  Right after he said that, the phone displayed another notification: Package ready. Aaron tapped to confirm.

  At once, the drawer beneath the TV shelf suddenly slid open, and from it extended a long, bony arm like a skeleton’s, making Jack-O yelp and growl.

  Its owner wore a neat vest, but the sleeves only reached halfway down the elbow, as it was far too long. In its grasp was a parcel wrapped in black enchanted paper.

  “Mr. Aaron Attenborough, this is your delivery. Please give me the verification code,” a childlike voice spoke.