Coming back home, Shinomiya Aoi was stood on the steps of her parents front door, she was moving back home in Shibuya. Aoi had been away at college in the Hokkaido, living independently for the first time in her life. She knew that she was about to disappoint her parents after they placed so much faith and trust in her.
Aoi had become a college dropout, she had completely lost focus on her college studies. The college party lifestyle had dictated much of Aoi's college experience.
She had been on her own for the first time in her life and wasn't responsible enough to manage her time. It was easy for Aoi to stay on top of her schoolwork when she was in high school and living at home.
Aoi's parents were both lawyers and were very strict and were always was keen on her like a hawk and without that eye watching over her she struggled to motivate herself.
She had spent most of college drinking, partying, and hooking up with guys. As all her attention was placed on that lifestyle the grades slipped, then she stopped attending classes, then academic probation and now here she was a college dropout.
Stood nervously on the steps Shinomiya Aoi walked into her parents home. The bang of the door closing behind her had alerted her mother who came rushing to the front door to check out the noise. There was Aoi with her bag in hand, dropped shoulders and an expression of defeat.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Aoi's mother.
"I'm moving back home" said Aoi very meekly.
Aoi could sense the disappointment in her mother as she had broke the news. She had always been viewed as a good girl by her parents, and now that image had been shattered.
"Anata , Anata ! Come here" shouted Aoi's mother, calling for Aoi's father to come over.
As her father walked into the hallway after he was checking some contracts he enquired what is it that Mrs Shinomiya had wanted. Mrs Shinomiya did not reply as she wanted Mr Shinomiya to see for himself.
"Oh no" said Aoi's father seeing his daughter stood there. He understood the moment he had seen her standing there with her bags that this wasn't just a visit. The daughter who wore round glasses and black plaited hair he was proud off came out with color contacts, wearing sleeveless tops and highlighted hair.He had boasted so much about how proud he was to his friends and work colleagues was now a college dropout. Without a word, he just turned leaving a frustrated mother.
"Just go up to your room, I can't stand to look at you" said Aoi's mother angrily.
It was already late, Aoi had spent all day driving back to her hometown in Shibuya. She was completely exhausted, not just physically but also mentally.
"Can you at least help me with my bags?" asked Aoi
"No, you can carry your own bags up" replied her mother.
"We ate hours ago so if you're hungry once you've taken your bags up you can grab leftovers out of the fridge and take them up to to your room" she continued.
Emily was hungry, but she hated leftovers. It wasn't something she was going to kick up a fuss about, she knew she had already disappointed her parents and didn't want to further enrage them.
Grabbing her bags, she headed to the stairs to make her way up to her room. Dragging the bags behind her, lifting them step by step Emily was overcome by emotions. She could wait to get in her room and just cry into her pillow.
Her parents disappointment in her had stung, this was new for her. She up until that point had been a golden child in the eyes of her parents. Someone her parents had been immensely boastful about and she knew she had brought shame upon them.
Finally laying down in her bed, Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at her shoulder and could see the outline of where the strap on her bag had been digging into her shoulder. She began sobbing uncontrollably, unable to stop herself
The morning arrived, She hadn't gotten much sleep at all. Her eyes red, clearly visible that she had been crying. She sat up on the edge of her bed, looking around her room.
There was a knock on Aoi's bedroom door. "Aoi, are you up?" said a voice behind the door, it was mother
Aoi looking at her reflection in the mirror, seeing her red eyes she felt embarrassed. She got back into bed, covering herself with her sheets so her mother could not see her face. "Yes, I'm awake" sa
Her mother opened the bedroom door, standing there leaning up against the doorframe. The nights sleep had done nothing to tame the anger in her.
Aoi's mother's abrasive tone and lecturing attitude had done nothing to help the situation and only served to make herself feel better for a short period. This wasn't what Aoi needed, she needed comfort, she needed to know that she was loved and she needed to know that she had support.
Stuck in bed, Aoi felt horrible about herself, her self-esteem had never been lower. Depression began to set in, She couldn't even muster up the emotional strength to get herself out of bed.
It was days before Aoi emerged from her bedroom, her hair completely unkempt from where it had constantly rubbing against the pillow. Dressed in nothing more than an oversized t-shirt and underwear shr headed downstairs.
She sat down at the kitchen table, it had been days since she had eaten. Her mother realising the errors of her ways tried a different method to get through, she wanted Aoi to open up. She made Emily some bread and sat down at the table with her.
"It's okay sweetheart, your father and I understand now. It was a big adjustment for you, living on your own for the first time" she said, trying to comfort her daughter.
Aoi didn't respond, she didn't know how to. Given her mother's attitude over the last few days she wasn't exactly in a rush to open up about everything.
Scoffing down her cereal, eating for the first time in days Aoi felt a little better. She wasn't much of a comfort eater usually, especially given her parents were quite strict about eating unhealthy food.
Aoi with an empty plate and full belly finally felt comfortable enough to open up to her mother. Nothing was held back, she told every detail of what had happened. She told her about all the boys, the drinking and the partying. It had been much of a shock to Aoi's mother, this wasn't how Aoi was raised.
When she went away to college she was this sweet girl, a virgin. She never did any parties, never drank, never went to a karaoke and had never gotten in trouble with the law. She had been an A+ student, she did track and kept in shape. She was the envy of most girls mothers, wishing their daughters could be just like her.
Upon hearing Aoi's explanation of everything that had happened Aoi's mother's sweet and comforting attitude had been replaced by anger. It was nothing like the anger she had seen the other day, this was pure unadulterated anger.
"My daughter, You alcoholic slut. This is going to ruin our families good name if this gets out" she said, red faced from the anger that had consumed her.
"The shame you've brought on this family. Your father and I have done nothing to deserve this. We've only ever loved you and provided for you and this is how you repay us" she continued.
Aoi looking down, picking at the skin underneath her fingernails responded "I'm sorry, mom
Her mother consumed with anger exited the room and stormed up the stairs. Upset and not knowing what to do, Aoi followed behind her. Aoi's mother stormed straight into Aoi's room, she headed straight for the bags that had yet to be unpacked. Grabbing the bags, she began rummaging through them.
Clothes tossed onto the floor as she went "I will not have my daughter dressing like a slut under this roof. This is our fault by giving you too much freedom" she said, throwing out any clothes that might be even slightly revealing.
Aoi didn't want to fight it, it was her parents house and their rules after all. She just watched as her mother threw clothes upon clothes into one big pile that her mother had deemed to scantly. Some of the clothes weren't even that revealing, a couple tops that hung off the shoulder but in her rage her mother had lost all ability to be rational.
"How are we supposed to find you a nice boy now? No decent, successful man is going to want a dropout"
Aoi felt horrible about herself once again, she felt like nothing more than a used up loser. She took every word her mother had said as gospel, no boy would want her now. She was the type of girl you bring home, but you don't bring home to meet your mother.
"You're going to have to get a job if you're going to live under this roof again, we're not taking care of you. That messy hair has got to go, no one is going to employ you with that mess" commanded Emily's mother.
Sure, Aoi's hair was a bit of a mess but it was nothing a good brush couldn't sort out. She didn't want to cut her hair, it's part of who she was, her identity. She hadn't made a fuss up until now and had mostly taken the scolding from her mother but this was too much.
As much of a fuss Aoi kicked up about her hair it was made clear to her that she didn't have a choice in the matter. She lived in her parents home, their home, their rules. Her hair was being cut and that's that.
"Get yourself cleaned up, get in that shower because I'm taking you for that haircut today. You need a job immediately and I'm not waiting around" said Aoi's mother.
As she freshed up, she was sat in the backseat of the car, picking at the skin underneath her nails. It was always something Aoi did as a nervous habit, her mother hated it. She always lectured her about it, telling her it made her hands look rough, like a man.
Aoi couldn't help but feel anxious, she felt like such failure. She was terrified of how her father would react once her mother told him exactly why she dropped out of college. It's one thing to disappoint your mother, but it's another thing to disappoint your father when you're daddy's little girl.
They had arrived downtown, Aoi was sluggishly walking behind her mother, dragging her feet as she went "pick your feet up, you're going to ruin your shoes." said Mrs Shinomiya
Aoi didn't want a haircut, she didn't see why she needed one. In her head she thought her mother would change her mind by time they got to the salons present near by, it was closed since all were at a holiday for Golden week. Her mother's angered drove across every shop that finally she stopped near the shrine where she heard about the saloon near to the shrine. She parked and took Aoi to the Shop which was there near the forest.
"This is the one" said Aoi's mother. Aoi felt confused, As she walked. She saw the shop look old and haunted
"I'm not going in there" Aoi protested.
"Why not?" asked Aoi's mother.
"That's shop, it's.... it's... mom. " said Aoi
"I don't care. Get in there" replied her mother in an annoyed tone.
"I'm not going in there" said Aoi defiantly.
"Yes you are, it's the only place in town which is open 365 days. You need that mess sorting out so you can get a job. I'm not having you moping around my house all day and I'm not paying your way" responded her mother, beginning to lose her patience.
"If you want to continue to live under my roof then it's my rules and my rules say, get in there" she continued.
Emily couldn't believe it, here she was walking into the haunted shop to get a haircut. Regrets starting running through her head, if only she had tried harder in college she wouldn't be in this situation right now.
As they slided the door and walked through the door, alerting the woman who walked in from the curtain. The place was empty, not a single customer. It was kinda retro in it's appearance.The barberette walked in as she bowed
"To the Winds of flower, to the stream of the river, Katsumi Kejoro at your service"
Her mother too bowed as greeting and stood up
"Miss Katsumi, Please give her a haircut" responded Aoi's mother.
"Certainly Miss" responded the woman as she she's Aoi scared and moves away
The barberette guided Aoi to the chair, her mother following behind her. Aoi sat down in the chair, gripping the armrests tightly.
"What can we do for you today young lady?" asked the Kejoro
Aoi didn't even get a chance to respond, before she even have a thought of what she wanted her mother had already asserted herself "We want it off the ears and out of her face"
"Would she like pixie cut?" the lady asked.
"Yes, that sounds exactly what we're looking for" she responded gleefully.
Aoi had never had short hair before, in fact she hated short hair. Not knowing what to do, Aoi starting to feel a sense of panic. She had always worn her hair long, she had never cut her hair above the collarbone.
The barberette began to pump up the chair to get it to a comfortable height. Aoi overwhelmed with nerves, thinking about her hair being chopped.
The Kejoro grabbed her long hair, twisting it and clipping it tightly to her head to get it out of the way. She then grabbed a neckstrip from the dispenser. Checking she had it the right way so the sticky sections would meet he wrapped it around Aoi's neck.
Aoi's hand reached towards her neck to feel what had been placed around it. They didn't use these at the expensive salon she was used to going to.
The barberette grabbed the cape, shaking it off. The cape was thrown over Aoi, it was a white cape . The clips were fastened around her neck and the neckstrip folded over.
Her hair was let down, falling gracefully down her back. That was the last time she was going to feel that for a long time. Aoi looked at herself one last time in the mirror, getting one last look before it was all gone.
The barberette oiled up the clippers, making sure they were fit for use. Flicking the switch, Aoi had realised what the barberette had in her hands.
"No, I don't want those" Aoi said in a panic."Please can you just use scissors"
The Woman looked over at Aoi's mother for what to do. Her mother gave a slight nod to give her blessing that it was okay just to use scissors.
As the clippers were switched off and placed back down the relief on Aoi's s face was clear to see.
Aoi's hair was sprayed with a water bottle, dampening it slightly. This was a world away from what she was used to, she was used to a relaxing shampoo and being offered hot drinks in a high end salon.
The barberette started running through the comb through her damp hair. The comb got caught repeatedly in the knots of Aoi's hair from where she had been laying in bed for days.
The barberette with Aoi's long hair pinched between her fingers, using it as a guide, took the first snip. It was silent in that shop from the anticipation, so much so that you heard the first clump of hair hit the floor.
Aoi sat there quietly as her long hair fell from her head. She had so many thoughts running through her head, just thinking of the embarrassment if her college friends had known what was happening right now or if someone she had known from school walked in.
"She will look so much better once this mess is gone" said Her mother
"She's a very pretty girl, she'll get used to it" responded the woman
"She'll be in here often, every couple weeks as long as she's living under my roof" said her mother.
The woman sensed Aoi fidgeting with humiliation and started weeping
"Miss, Are you okay, ?" the Kejoro asked Emily
"Uh hu" responded Aoi meekly.
The woman continued cutting, going back to the silence that had the norm for the majority of the haircut.
Aoi heard another knock as a boy came in for his haircut as he sat next to her mother. She noticed the boy sat on the waiting bench behind her in the reflection of the mirror. He smiled at her, Aoi blushes and thought he was really cute and tried hard to not smile back so she didn't look like a embarrassed girl getting humiliation.
That was the most normal Aoi had felt since she had been back home. The boy didn't see Aoi as a loser , he just seen a cute girl getting a haircut.
Aoi was a beautiful girl, it was quite obvious why guys were lining up at the door in college to sleep with her.
The haircut was nearly finished, her beautiful face was now on show. Aoi couldn't hide behind her hair anymore. Her ears were on show, this was completely new to Aoi. Every now and again Aoi would tuck her long hair behind her ears but it was nothing compared to her hair being so short her ears were on display.
"Head down Misd" said the barberette, using the trimmer to clean up her neck.
Aoi kept thinking of the boy behind her, he had heard everything that her mom had been saying but yet he still seemed to watch Aoi intently smiling at her whenever she looked at him.
"We're all done, sweetheart" said the barber, removing the cape from around Aoi's neck.
Aoi stood back close to the chair whilst her mother paid for the haircut, looking at herself in the mirror not knowing what to think.
"I like it" said the boy.
"My name is Ishimaru by the way" he continued.
"Thanks, my name is Aoi" she responded.
"I've not seen you in here before, you look really cute when you're not hiding behind your hair" said Ishimaru
"you think so?" enquired Aoi.
"I do, I dunno if you saw but I was watching the whole thing" Ishimaru said
"I did notice" Aoi reposed in a shy manner.
"I'd like to take you out on a date something if that's okay with you?" Asked Ishimaru
"You heard my mom, you heard the things she said about me. That doesn't bother you?" Asked Aoi curious
"No, I think you're very pretty, everyone has a past and I like that whole cute shy thing you've got going on" Ishimaru replied.
"I'm not shy usually, I just felt embarrassed" Aoi said.
"Why would you feel embarrassed?" Asked Ishimaru.
"I dunno I guess I was just embarrassed about being made to cut my hair, it's like I'm a child I guess" she smiled
"I like your short hair, it's cute. I've never seen a girl cut her long hair short like that before. It's different but in a good way" he responded
She felt comforted by his words, and he seemed like a decent guy. He didn't see Aoi as any of those labels that her mother had branded her with. She started to feel a little bit more confident, rubbing the back of her neck feeling it exposed for the first time.
"So can I take you out sometime?" Asked Ishimaru
"I think I would like that" shr replied nervously.
They exchanged numbers, and Ishimaru promised to text her. As the Kejoro who was an expressionless lady smiled at the young couple as she remembers her time with the monk who saved her.
As Aoi headed home she felt confident, she liked her new short hair. At first she didn't but Ishimaru had convinced her of how beautiful she looked and she couldn't wait for that date.