A car stopped near the Shrine as a maid in a Victorian dress came and opened the door. The lady Mai Nakahara was a bit early for hair appointment when she stepped into the salon as she skipped her piano lesson, Where she saw the salon had people in it and saw the woman plain white look with burning ruby eyes as she stared down at her and then bowed,
"To the Winds of flower, to the stream of the river, Welcome to Katsumi Beauty. We are at your service, I'm running a bit late but take a seat in the waiting area and I'll be ready for you soon!" said the lady
"Sure, no rush" Mai answered before she sat down in the waiting chairs and ordered her maid to get her some fast food at the burger joint letting her maid leave.
As she saw, In the chair was a teenage girl and in the waiting area next to her were a mother and two more teenage daughters. Each of the daughters had mid-back length brown hair that looked very thick, a trait they seem to have gotten from their mother who had a healthy head of hair as well.
"The same as last time?" Katsumi asked the girl in the chair, while she was combing her long hair. The girl nodded, and Katsumi looked over at the mother, who nodded too.
To her surprise, Katsumi then picked up the clippers and turned them on. She watched awestruck as clippers ran over the comb, held horizontally in her hair. Everything below the comb dropped away, leaving the girls long hair only just brushing her shoulders. With the clippers bare teeth Katsumi quickly cleaned up some uneven ends after which the girl was uncaped. Her sister helped her off the chair and quickly took her place. "The same for me, please", she asked while the lady put the cape around her.
Only minutes later she watched the pile on the floor double in size. Even watching it a second time was strange to see, so much beautiful hair being removed mercilessly. The girl left the chair, lobbed as well, and the white pale skin lady turned the chair towards the third girl who seemed a bit reluctant to step in. After a small nudge from her mother, she walked towards the chair and sat down in it. Katsumi put the cape around her and turned her towards the mirror. "I have a feeling you want it a bit longer this time?" The girl shakes her head. "Shorter", she says, putting her hand next to her face to indicate the length.
Katsumi nods and starts combing the hair around her shoulders, meanwhile looking at mother if it's allright with her. To Mia's surprise, see that her mum gives a small nod . Mai then hear the clippers turning on and she cannot believe her eyes as she then see that the barberette is running the clippers over the comb right next to her face, a waterfall of thick brown hair quickly covering most of the white cape. Katsumi works from the left side to the back and then to the front on the right side, quickly reducing the girls hair to a short lip length bob. She then cleans up the nape with the bare clippers over her neck.
As the girl is uncaped, scattering the masses of hair around the chair, Mai realise this girl is the oldest of the threee and she just witnessed a big step from girl to young woman.
The girl steps out of the chair looking more certain of herself, a complete change from the reluctant girk that entered the chair just minutes earlier.
The mother pays for all girls and they leave the salon. Mai just sit there in the waiting area, looking at the massive amounts of hair surrounding the chair. Then realise Katsumi is watching her. Her Maid too comes and sits as she waits for her mistress getting the cut.
Katsumi clears the chair and Mai find herself walking towards the chair, still surrounded by long brown strands.
"So what will you have" Katsumi asks
Before the maid could instruct, Mai spoke, " The Same cut as the girls"
"Miss" The maid was puzzled but Katsumi Kejoro without further adieu accepted her request.
As the cape hides her clothes from the view in the mirror and her waist length hair is combed around her shoulders, She the start to realise that without saying anything, she just condemned my black hair to end up on the floor of the salon.
She close her eyes as the clippers are started up and she feel Katsumi hold the comb against her cheek. The sound of the clippers comes closer to her ear until she hear the sound change. She feel hair slide over the cape, the weight disappearing from her shoulder and chest and landing in her lap. "No way back!" Mai say as the clippers pass her ear and feel all hair leaving to her left shoulder. Katsumi doesn't reply as the clippers keep going on their way around her head.
She open her eyes as she feel the clippers going around the back. an unfamiliar image stares back in the mirror. On the right side, the image shre used to is still intact, the longest layers still tickling her lap while sitting. On the left though, her hair just barely covers the bottom of herear, cut off in a blunt line. Her neck looks bare and vulnerable, no hair anywhere close to touching it on the left.
This strange image does not last long though, as she see the black comb going trough the back of her hair on the right.
She hear the clippers come closer to her right ear now, seconds before she can see the result of their hard work as the hair in the back drops away. In the mirror she can now see an window between her hair and neck, showing her the waiting area where she was sitting just minutes ago. Her back is further bared and the window widened until more hair starts crashing into her lap as the clippers pass under her right ear.
Katsumi then pauses for a moment before pushing the clippers over the comb one last time, the last remnants of my long hair dropping away.
She then steps back behind ger and slowly runs the clippers up Mai's neck. The vibrating cold steel removes all hair off that, she now realise, quite sensitive area.
Katsumi turns off the clippers and she unbuttons the cape in the back. She slowly shakes it out, dropping all hair to the floor. She then takes off the cape and lays it over the next chair. The silence returns, and both Mai and her maid looking at her new appearance in the mirror. She realise, while her own face did so far not betray any emotion.
"So how did it feel?" asks Katsumi, her face betraying she isn't sure what she was going to say. She wait a few more moments before answering. She take a look around at her hair on the floor which is almost completely hiding the hair underneath.
"Exciting and amazing!" she then reply, a smile finally appearing on her face.