Pink Scissors and Purple Dreams

Yuki adjusted her scissor hairpins and smoothed her pink dress as she walked through Nakaibito village. Her purple eyes sparkled with excitement. Today marked her first official day as a magical hairdresser alongside Maki and Yuko.

"Are you ready for this?" Maki asked, her blue hair catching the morning sunlight. She wore a matching blue outfit with comb-shaped accessories.

"Absolutely!" Yuko chimed in, twirling in her yellow dress. Her green eyes gleamed as she touched her brush-shaped earrings.

The three girls had spent months training for this moment. Their magical salon, "Hair Heroes," sat at the village center with its bright pink and sparkly sign.

"Our first clients should arrive soon," Yuki said, checking her scissors necklace in the window reflection.

A commotion erupted from the street corner. Five boys with extremely long, tangled hair were being dragged toward their salon by frustrated parents.

"No! We won't go in there!" one boy shouted.

Yuki's stomach dropped. This wasn't going to be easy.

The Shoemaker's Warning

The boys' parents dragged them closer to the Hair Heroes salon. Yuki could see tears streaming down their faces as they kicked and screamed.

"Please, no scissors!" one boy with shoulder-length black hair cried out.

An elderly woman emerged from the cobbler shop next door. Her wrinkled hands held a tiny hammer, and leather aprons hung from her shoulders. "Those poor children," she said, shaking her gray head. "I've been watching this drama unfold all morning."

"We have to help them," Yuki whispered to Maki and Yuko.

The shoemaker hobbled over to the parents. "Perhaps forcing them isn't the answer," she suggested gently. "I've seen scared animals before. They need patience, not force."

One parent threw up his hands. "We've tried everything! Look at them—people think they're girls!"

The boys huddled together like frightened puppies. Their long, greasy hair covered most of their faces. The tallest one peeked through his tangled brown locks.

"We won't go in there," he whispered. "Bad things happen with scissors."

Yuki's heart ached. These weren't difficult boys—they were terrified ones.