Unbelievable. The entire day leading up to this point seems like a blur to her , but nevertheless here she was taking shelter in the shrine as it was heavily raining. Her glasses were all fogged and her long plaited hair became fuzzy. She wanted to lightly trim the ends of her long, carefully-maintained jet black locks.
In hindsight, making she was jealous of her classmate, Shinomiya Taka. He's very much stronger in math than she was, and she was always getting average marks or just border line plus she hadn't prepared at all for the physics test. She just desperately wanted to stop looking at his stupid mullet, and for some reason thought a "whoever scores higher on the test would serve them whatever they like. Taka chose a date with her and I chose to him to join community college" but at last she lost and was told that she will go on a date this weekend at the summer festival. She was furious and also shy as she blushed.
She hated him but had a crush on him since elementary school. She wanted to confess but girls were all onto him and she believed that a simple plain old girl with plaits who would date her. She sighed as she turn to see a lady sitting on the bench next to the shrine sipping her tea. She did not notice the lady who wore her hair in tied bun and wore a dull dress. As she looked closer, she remembered her somewhere, the woman had Brighting red eyes which sparkle like rubies and had a pale face. As she looked at her, Mizuki turn her head.
"Mizuki! is that you...It's been a while. I'm so happy to see you!"
Mizuki's enthusiastic greeting snapped her out of my slight daze. she muster up a small smile and unsuccessfully attempt to return the sentiment.
"Umm.. I'm sorry but how do you know my name
"It's me Katsumi Kejoro, you may not know me now since you were five when you're family shifted from here, you used to come with your mother at my beauty shop"
"Miss Kejoro!...My god, you have not changed a lot … it's good to see you too…" Mizuki was surprised seeing her. Before she met her, she was a dull looking woman in a black kimono as if she was going to a funeral but now she was pale but Brighting as she admired her new look.
"Oh dear, You're all wet. Please come inside. I will give a change of clothes."
With no words to say, Mizuki went inside her house and took a bath, she changed into a loose sweater and leggings which was given by Katsumi as her uniform was put to wash. As she was offered coffee, she sat and looked kind of annoyed.
"Seems like someone's in a bad mood today… whatever it is, I bet my coffee will soothen your mind."
"Ha!..Yeah… about that…"
She proceed to tell Katsumi about her predicament. Though she sympathetically listens, Katsumi just smiled.
"Oof… not much a way to wiggle your way out of this, huh? A bet's a bet."
" I guess so" said Mizuki
As Katsumi saw her wondering and curling her hair, She got and said, " Dear, from the way you look, it looks like your ends needs to be trimmed.. no you need a proper makeover"
"A makeover!.." Mizuki gasped
Katsumi went to the cupboard and brought in the hairtools and a cape and asked her to sit. Confused but anxious, Mizuki just sat and was caped. Then Katsumi said that all her hair is damaged and only thing is to make it short and sweet to which she tells do whatever she wants.
Katsumi smiled," I promise you though, I know that at first thought short look sounds bad, but it can actually be a cute feminine cut! I know you're probably be cuter than before, but I'd be willing to bet you'll like the style! Let's get started."
Before Mizuki know it, Mizuki's sectioning off a significant portion of her hair, pinning it to the top of her head. Deep down she knew what's about to happen next, but she futilely hope that she somehow wrong about this. Mizuki's suspicions are unfortunately confirmed when she saw Katsumi reach for a large pair of clippers, inserting an attachment to the monstrous device.
"I doubt you've ever experienced clippers before. Trust me, you're in for an experience you'll love."
Without further warning, Mizuki's fate is sealed as Katsumi plunges the machine into her scalp. Working her way around the back and sides of her head, she methodically removes all everything underneath the pinned portion of hair, leaving nothing but a velvety patch behind.
Although Mizuki was horrified, she can't say she was wrong about the clippers. The unique sensation of them was oddly satisfying, despite their destructive nature. When she was done, there was a clear region on her head starting about two inches above her ears, where everything underneath was completely buzzed.
"Alrighty! With that huge bulk of hair gone, everything else will be much easier to work with!"
Mizuki wanted to cry. With every second that passed, the reality was further setting in that her pride and glory was getting ruthlessly demolished, and she have to live with it for a long time. How long did it take for her hair to grow to where it was before the lady started? She couldn't even remember a time before she was growing my hair out.
"Let's let all this pinned hair down! It's like the clippers never touched your head! Isn't that insane, Mizuki?"
As devastated as Mizuki was about the damage to her hair, she couldn't help but agree. Just looking in the mirror, she couldn't even tell the difference between herself now and 20 minutes ago. She reached a hand under her curtain of hair, letting her hand brush against the back of her head.
Mizuki was met with an unfamiliar velvety texture, confirming that it really was buzzed underneath everything. At this point, all her welled-up emotions are beginning to leak, and shr can't help but give Katsumi a snarky response.
"You're right, miss Katsumi. It looks just like it did before. I think it's because my hair is so thick, and I've got a lot of it, so it really covers up the irreparable damage you did!" she looked at Katsumi shocked
"I'm sorry. None of this is your fault, I know you're just trying to help me out. I'll drop the attitude."
"Oh no, you don't need to apologize, Mizuki. You really didn't want this in the first place, and I've been kinda shoving the whole situation in your face this entire time. As scary as it is, you've been taking this whole thing like a champ, but I'll shut up if you want me to."
"You know what? It's okay. I could tell you were excited to give me a new style, and as a friend I really appreciate that you're trying to make the best out of a bad situation for me. I won't lie, I hate the idea of having a bowl cut. But I already committed to it, there's no point in sulking about it now. Go ahead and finish me up, I'm sick of dreading the result."
"Will do, Mizuki. And I promise, you'll look great!"
After a brief rinse, Katsumi began parting out her hair from the center of mizuki's head, taking care so that it lied perfectly evenly across her head. A portion was combed over my eyes, obscuring her vision. Soon after, a pair of scissors was right above her eyes, and Katsumi began to cut. Soon enough, she could see again, and had the feeling of bangs gently ticking her eyelids.
Working her way around my head, Katsumi continued to cut her remaining hair. As she cut, more and more of those fine bristles on the sides of her head became visible, and before she knew it, She had even lengths of hair all around her head, forming blunt bangs at the front and resting gently on the tops of my ears at the sides. Below this was nothing but short brown bristles, and although she couldn't see it she knew that the buzzed portion continued a couple inches further up underneath my longer hair.
The next weekend, when Taka was waiting for Mizuki preparing to tease, when he heard her voice as he turned he's jaw dropped as a cute short haired girl with contact lenses was Infront of him. Mizuki giggled as she took his hand and rushed as they might lose the train for their date.