The Screaming Arrival

Yuki hummed as she arranged her pink scissors in perfect rows. Her salon sparkled in the morning sunlight streaming through the windows of Nakaibito village. She adjusted her scissor-shaped hairpins and checked her pink nail polish one more time.

The peaceful morning shattered when loud screaming echoed from the street outside.

"No! We won't go in there!" a boy's voice yelled.

Yuki peeked through her window. Five boys with incredibly long, tangled hair were being dragged down the cobblestone path by their frustrated parents. The boys kicked and flailed, their greasy locks flying everywhere as they fought against their mothers' firm grips.

"You look like girls with all that hair!" one mother scolded. "People can't even tell what you are anymore!"

"Please, Mom, anywhere but the salon!" another boy begged, his voice cracking with fear.

Yuki's purple eyes widened. She had never seen children so terrified of getting haircuts. What could make them this scared?

Scissors and Shadows

The salon door burst open with such force that Yuki's pink nail polish bottle nearly toppled over. The five boys stumbled inside, their parents pushing them forward while they dug their heels into the floor.

"Please don't make us!" the tallest boy with dark tangled hair pleaded, his brown eyes wide with terror.

"I'm Ren," he whispered to Yuki, backing against the wall. "These are my friends Riku, Haruto, Kenji, and Hiroto."

Yuki noticed how their hair hung past their shoulders, matted and greasy. But something else caught her attention—fresh cuts on their arms and torn spots in their shirts.

"What happened to you?" she asked gently.

Before anyone could answer, cruel laughter echoed from outside. Through the window, Yuki spotted three older boys with enormous scissors, snipping the air menacingly.

"That's Daiki and Sato," Ren's voice shook. "And their leader Ryusei. They chase us with those giant scissors, trying to cut our hair."

"We're too scared to cut it ourselves now," little Hiroto added, tears streaming down his face.

Yuki's purple eyes flashed with understanding. These weren't just boys afraid of haircuts—they were victims running from bullies.