Pink Scissors and Purple Eyes

Yuki brushed her pink curls and checked her scissor hairpins in the mirror. Her purple eyes sparkled as she adjusted her pink dress and matching heels. The scissors earrings jingled softly as she moved.

"Another beautiful day in Nakaibito village!" she said, applying fresh pink nail polish.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Maki: "Emergency at the salon! Five boys need haircuts but they're terrified!"

Yuki frowned. She grabbed her special scissors necklace and headed outside. The morning sun made her pink dress shimmer as she walked down the cobblestone path toward the village center.

"How hard can it be?" she wondered aloud. "Boys and haircuts go together perfectly."

She spotted the salon ahead, where Maki and Yuko were already waiting. Through the window, she could see five boys with extremely long, messy hair huddled together in the corner. They looked absolutely miserable.

"This should be interesting," Yuki muttered, pushing open the door.

The Frightened Foxes

Yuki stepped into the salon and gasped. The five boys pressed against the back wall like cornered animals. Their hair hung past their shoulders in tangled, greasy strands.

"Hello, boys," Maki said sweetly. "Time for your haircuts!"

The tallest boy with dark eyes shook his head. "No! We're not getting our hair cut!"

"I'm Ren," he said defiantly. "These are my friends Riku, Haruto, Kenji, and Hiroto. Our parents dragged us here, but we won't do it!"

Yuko stepped forward with her scissors. "Your hair is way too long. People probably think you're girls!"

"We know!" Riku shouted, his voice cracking. "That's why the older kids at school call us names and push us around!"

Yuki noticed tears in little Hiroto's brown eyes. "But we're scared," he whispered. "Last time someone cut our hair, it looked terrible."

"You still have to get haircuts," Maki said firmly. "Your parents are paying us."

A red fox suddenly darted through the open door, startling everyone. It looked around with bright amber eyes before disappearing behind the styling chairs.