Pink Scissors and Morning Sunshine

Yuki brushed her pink curls and checked her reflection in the salon mirror. Her purple eyes sparkled as she adjusted her scissor-shaped hairpins.

"Another beautiful morning in Nakaibito," she said, spinning in her pink dress. The scissors on her necklace jingled softly.

Maki swept the floor nearby, her blue apron tied neatly over her yellow sundress. "Did you hear about those boys who refuse to get haircuts?"

"What boys?" Yuko called from the supply closet, organizing bottles of shampoo.

"The ones with hair so long and greasy that people mistake them for girls," Maki explained. "Their parents are getting really angry about it."

Yuki frowned, touching her own perfectly styled curls. "That sounds terrible. Why won't they come in?"

"Apparently they're scared of scissors and anything sharp," Maki said. "Something about a bad experience."

Through the salon window, Yuki spotted five boys walking past. Their hair hung in tangled, unwashed strands past their shoulders. She watched them hurry by, heads down.

"Poor things," she whispered.

The Music Box Discovery

Later that afternoon, Yuki walked down the village street when she heard shouting from behind the music shop.

"Get away from us!" a boy's voice yelled.

She hurried around the corner and gasped. Three older boys with rusty scissors surrounded five younger ones. The bullies had cornered them against the shop's back wall.

"Hold still, Ren!" the biggest bully laughed, waving his scissors. "We'll give you a nice haircut!"

Ren pressed against the wall, his long greasy hair covering half his face. "No! Please don't!"

The other four boys - Riku, Haruto, Kenji, and Hiroto - huddled together, shaking. Their hair was just as long and tangled.

"Leave them alone!" Yuki stepped forward, her scissors necklace jingling.

The lead bully, Ryusei, turned around. His rusty scissors gleamed in the sunlight. "Look, it's the pink princess! Want a haircut too?"

"I'm not afraid of you," Yuki said, though her hands trembled slightly.

Ryusei's two friends, Daiki and Sota, laughed and moved closer. The five scared boys whimpered behind them, covering their heads with their hands.