The Pink Salon

Yuki adjusted her scissor hairpins and checked her reflection in the salon mirror. Her pink curls bounced as she turned her head, and her purple eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Today's the day!" she announced to her friends Maki and Yuko. "Our first real challenge as magical hairdressers!"

Maki twirled her thinning shears wand nervously. "Are you sure we're ready for this? Five boys who hate haircuts sounds pretty scary."

Yuko gripped her clipper wand tighter. "Their parents are bringing them here whether they like it or not. We have to help them."

Through the salon window, they watched a group of parents dragging five kicking, screaming boys down the village street. The boys had long, greasy, tangled hair that hung in their faces like curtains.

"Look at their hair," Yuki whispered. "People probably mistake them for girls all the time."

"No wonder their parents are angry," Maki said.

The boys were getting closer, and their terrified shouts grew louder.

The Stampede Begins

The salon door burst open with such force that Yuki's scissors earrings jingled. Five boys tumbled inside, their parents pushing them forward.

"Please help us," said a woman with short black hair and tired eyes. "I'm Ren's mother. These boys haven't had proper haircuts in months."

Ren, the tallest boy, had greasy brown hair hanging past his shoulders. His green eyes darted around the salon like a trapped animal. Behind him stood Riku with tangled blonde hair, Haruto with messy black hair covering his face, Kenji with dirty brown locks, and little Hiroto whose red hair stuck out in all directions.

"No scissors!" Ren shouted, backing toward the wall. "They hurt!"

"Last time someone cut my ear!" Riku whimpered.

The other boys nodded frantically. Hiroto started crying.

Yuki stepped forward, her pink curls bouncing. "We won't hurt you. We're magical hairdressers."

"Magic doesn't make scissors safe!" Haruto yelled.

Suddenly, a small sparrow flew through the open door, chirping loudly. It perched on Yuki's shoulder, then flew in circles around the terrified boys.

The boys screamed and dove under the salon chairs, their long hair getting tangled in the chair legs.