Pink Scissors and Purple Eyes

Yuki adjusted her scissor hairpins as she walked through Nakaibito village. Her pink heels clicked against the cobblestone path, and her elaborate pink curls bounced with each step. The morning sun made her scissors earrings glint like tiny stars.

"Another beautiful day for haircuts!" she said, twirling her pink dress. Her purple eyes sparkled with excitement as she approached her salon.

But something was different today. Usually, children ran up to greet her with messy hair and bright smiles. Instead, the street seemed unusually quiet. A few parents stood in worried clusters, whispering among themselves.

"Where is everyone?" Yuki wondered aloud, touching her scissors necklace nervously.

Just then, she heard it—distant shouting and what sounded like someone crying. The voices grew louder, coming from the direction of the village square. Yuki's heart raced as she hurried toward the commotion, her pink nails gripping her dress.

The Market Square Discovery

As Yuki rounded the corner into the village square, she gasped. Five boys sat huddled together on the fountain's edge, their hair so long and tangled it hung past their shoulders. Their clothes were wrinkled, and they looked absolutely miserable.

"Please, no more!" one boy with dark hair cried out. "We don't want haircuts!"

Standing nearby, several angry parents crossed their arms. A woman with gray hair and kind eyes stepped forward from behind a small market stall selling hair ribbons.

"I'm Mrs. Tanaka," the elderly woman said gently to Yuki. "These poor boys had terrible experiences at the old salon. Now they're terrified of scissors."

The shortest boy, who couldn't have been more than ten, peeked through his overgrown bangs. "People think we're girls," he whispered. "But we're too scared to cut it."

Yuki's purple eyes widened as she noticed something else. Three older boys stood at the edge of the square, holding enormous silver scissors and laughing meanly.

"Look at those scaredy-cats!" the tallest bully shouted. "Maybe we should give them haircuts ourselves!"

The five frightened boys hugged each other tighter. Yuki felt her scissors necklace grow warm against her chest.