Pink Morning

Yuki adjusted her scissor hairpins as she walked through Nakaibito's quiet morning streets. Her pink heels clicked against the cobblestones while she checked her phone for the time. The village looked peaceful, but something felt different today.

"Another busy day at the salon," she whispered to herself, touching her scissors necklace.

A rustling sound came from behind the old cherry tree near the village fountain. Yuki paused, her purple eyes scanning the area. The sound came again, followed by hushed voices.

"Did you hear that?" one voice whispered urgently.

"Shh! Someone's coming," another replied.

Yuki stepped closer to the tree, her pink dress swishing softly. Five shadows moved behind the thick trunk, trying to stay hidden. She could see long, tangled hair hanging past their shoulders.

"Hello?" Yuki called gently. "Are you okay back there?"

The shadows froze completely. One of them peeked out nervously, then quickly ducked back behind the tree.

Behind the Cherry Tree

Yuki took another step forward, her pink heels clicking softly on the cobblestones. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said gently. "I'm Yuki."

A boy with shoulder-length black hair peeked out again, his brown eyes wide with fear. "Go away," he whispered. "Please just leave us alone."

"We don't want any trouble," another voice added from behind the tree.

Yuki noticed their hair was tangled and greasy, hanging in messy clumps. The boys looked like they hadn't been near a brush in weeks.

"Are you hiding from someone?" Yuki asked, stepping closer to the cherry tree.

The first boy shook his head quickly, but his eyes darted nervously toward the village center. "Nobody's chasing us. We're just... we like it here."

Suddenly, loud laughter echoed from the main street. Three older boys appeared around the corner, each carrying oversized garden shears that gleamed in the morning sunlight.

"Found you!" shouted the tallest one with spiky blonde hair. "Time for your weekly trim, girls!"

The five boys behind the tree scrambled deeper into the shadows, pressing themselves against the trunk. Their faces had gone completely pale.