Morning Chaos

Yuki adjusted her scissor-shaped hairpins and checked her reflection in the salon window. Her pink curls bounced as she unlocked the door to "Magical Cuts," the most enchanting hair salon in Nakaibito village.

"Another beautiful day to make people feel wonderful," she said, flipping on the lights. The scissors on her necklace caught the morning sun.

Her phone buzzed. A text from her friend Maki: "Emergency at the town square! Five boys causing chaos - parents are furious!"

Yuki grabbed her special scissors case and hurried outside. In the distance, she could hear shouting and what sounded like... crying?

At the town square, a crowd had gathered. Five boys with extremely long, tangled hair were being dragged by their frustrated parents toward various shops. The boys were kicking and screaming, their greasy locks covering their faces completely.

"We won't go!" one boy shouted.

"Please, no scissors!" another cried.

Yuki's purple eyes widened. She'd never seen children so terrified of something as simple as a haircut.

The Sparrow's Warning

Mrs. Tanaka, a woman with short gray hair and kind eyes, stepped forward from the crowd. She wore a simple blue apron over her white shirt.

"Yuki-chan, thank goodness you're here," she said, wringing her hands. "These are my nephew Ren and his friends. They haven't had proper haircuts in months!"

One of the boys, his face completely hidden behind tangled black hair, shook his head violently. "No! Last time the barber cut my ear!"

A small sparrow suddenly landed on Yuki's shoulder, chirping urgently. In Nakaibito village, sparrows often brought warnings about troubled children.

"The boys are more scared than they appear," the sparrow whispered in her ear. "Force will make it worse."

Yuki watched as another boy, Riku, tried to hide behind a fountain. His long brown hair was so matted it looked like he hadn't brushed it in weeks.

"Please, we just want to go home," Haruto whimpered, his green eyes peeking through his messy fringe.

The parents grew more frustrated. "Enough! You're getting haircuts today!" Ren's father shouted, reaching for his son's arm.

The boy screamed and pulled away, stumbling backward into the fountain with a loud splash.