Morning Sparkles

Yuki adjusted her scissor-shaped hairpins and stepped outside her pink cottage. The morning sun made her elaborate pink curls shine as she walked down the cobblestone path of Nakaibito village.

"Good morning, Mrs. Tanaka!" she called, waving her manicured pink nails at the elderly woman sweeping her porch.

Mrs. Tanaka smiled but pointed toward the village center. "Oh Yuki, dear, you might want to check the bulletin board today. Something rather urgent was posted early this morning."

Yuki's purple eyes sparkled with curiosity. Her scissors earrings jingled softly as she quickened her pace, pink heels clicking against the stones.

At the village square, a small crowd had gathered around the wooden bulletin board. Yuki squeezed between two worried mothers to read the notice posted in bold red letters.

Her heart skipped. The village council was requesting immediate assistance from the magical hairdressers. Something about a "hair emergency" that required special intervention.

The Reluctant Visitors

Yuki hurried toward the town hall, her pink heels clicking faster. The bulletin board notice had mentioned five boys who desperately needed haircuts but refused all help.

"There they are," whispered a woman with short gray hair, pointing across the square.

Five boys huddled behind the old fountain, their long, tangled hair hanging over their faces like curtains. The smallest one peeked through his messy bangs at Yuki, then quickly looked away.

"Ren, Riku, Haruto, Kenji, Hiroto!" called Mayor Sato from the town hall steps. "Your parents are inside waiting."

The boys pressed closer together. The tallest boy, whose hair reached his shoulders, shook his head firmly.

"We're not going in there," he declared, his voice muffled by his shaggy locks.

Yuki approached slowly, her scissors earrings jingling softly. As she got closer, she noticed how the boys' hair was matted and greasy, and how people walking by seemed confused about whether they were looking at boys or girls.

"Hi there," Yuki said gently. "I'm Yuki. I heard you might need some help with your hair."

All five boys immediately scrambled backward, bumping into each other in their haste to get away from her pink scissors necklace.