~~ • ~~

I walked to the kitchen.

And pulled open the top drawer.

Spoons, chopsticks, and various kitchen utensils shifted around as I rummaged through them.

"Hm..."

There it was.

A pair of scissors.

I held them up and gave them a quick inspection.

Still sharp.

At least, sharp enough to cut hair.

When I returned, Yuna was already holding a comb in her hand.

"I got it."

"Good."

"Now go get the small stool."

Yuna fetched the little stool she usually used when helping out in the kitchen or reaching for things on the high shelves.

Then, she placed it right in the middle of the room.

"Shift it a little over here."

The stool scraped softly against the wooden floor.

"Now what?"

"Take a seat."

Yuna promptly sat down.

Back perfectly straight.

Hands resting on her thighs.

Like a student waiting for a test to begin.

I stood behind her.

And stared at the scissors in my hand.

"..."

"..."

For some reason, I felt the need to double-check something first.

I grabbed a piece of scrap paper from the table.

Then raised the scissors.

*Snip.

The paper sliced cleanly in two.

No snagging.

No resistance.

A perfectly clean cut.

"Perfect."

"What's perfect?"

"The scissors."

"You're only checking them now?"

"Of course."

"Why does that make me nervous?"

"Don't be nervous."

"That just makes me even more nervous."

I ignored her.

And pulled my phone out of my pocket.

A second later, the screen lit up.

I started searching for short hairstyle references.

Various pictures popped up.

Wolf cuts.

Short bobs.

Short layers.

Classic bobs.

Pixie cuts.

And a dozen other styles I didn't even know the names of.

I handed the phone to Yuna.

"Here."

"Pick one."

Yuna's eyes immediately lit up.

"Woah..."

She started scrolling.

One by one.

With absolute focus.

"Hm..."

*Swipe.

"Hmm..."

*Swipe.

"Oh..."

*Swipe.

I waited.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

A minute.

Two minutes.

She was still picking.

I crossed my arms.

And went back to waiting.

She still wasn't done.

"Why is this taking so long?"

"Hold on."

Yuna replied without taking her eyes off the screen.

"I'm still choosing."

"Hurry up."

"This is important."

"What's so important about it?"

"A person's hair determines their whole life."

"Alright, alright."

I sighed.

And resumed waiting.

A little while later.

Yuna finally looked up.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"Which one do you think looks best?"

I took the phone back.

And looked at the few options she had bookmarked.

"Hm..."

I examined them one by one.

Then looked down at Yuna's face.

Then at the screen.

Then at Yuna's face again.

"Whether it looks good or not really depends on whether it suits the person."

"Oh..."

Yuna looked thoughtful.

"Which one suits me, then?"

"Hm..."

I studied the shape of her face.

Her age.

Her expressions.

Her habits.

Then, I pointed to one of the pictures.

"How about this one?"

Yuna leaned in and took the phone from my hand.

Her eyes studied the image intensely.

"Hmm..."

A few seconds passed. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Yeah."

She nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"Let's go with this one."

"Good."

I took my phone back.

And set it down on the table.

"Alright then."

I raised the scissors.

"Now look straight ahead."

Yuna immediately straightened her back.

"And don't move."

"What happens if I move?"

"I'll mess up the cut."

Yuna's eyes widened.

"I don't want that."

"Then don't move."

"I won't move."

"Good."

Yuna immediately stared straight ahead.

Still.

Completely still.

A little too still, actually.

Like a statue.

Meanwhile, I stood behind her.

Staring down at that long hair.

Slowly raising the scissors.

And preparing to do something that would, in all likelihood, determine the fate of Yuna's hair for the next few months.

_

I looked back at the hairstyle reference on my phone.

For a few seconds.

Then, I set the phone down on the table.

"Hm..."

I stared at Yuna's hair.

Then at the scissors.

Then back at her hair.

How do I do this...

Ah, whatever.

The most important thing is just to cut it short and neat first.

I can figure out the rest later.

I grabbed the comb with my left hand.

And held the scissors in my right.

I began slowly combing Yuna's hair straight down.

In one direction.

Making sure it was neat.

Then, I combed it down from the top one more time.

Stopping about a centimeter from the ends.

"I'm cutting it now."

"Okay."

*Snip.

The ends of her hair were cut in a straight line.

A few strands fluttered down to the floor.

I shifted slightly to the side.

Combed it again.

*Snip.

Cut it again.

The other side.

*Snip.

Cut.

Again.

And again.

Little by little.

Trying my absolute best to keep the length even.

At least, even by the standards of someone who wasn't a professional hairstylist.

"Hm..."

So far, it still looked safe.

I began making my way around the stool.

Evening out the back.

Then one side.

Then the other.

Once the horizontal line was done.

I gave a small nod.

"Alright."

Now for the next part.

I combed through a section slightly higher up.

And started cutting again.

*Snip.

*Snip.

*Snip.

The sound of snipping filled the quiet room.

Short clumps of hair began to litter the floor.

I continued working at a steady, deliberate pace.

Combing.

Snipping.

Combing again.

Snipping again.

Including her bangs.

Even though that particular part made me a little nervous.

"Hm..."

Surprisingly enough...

It was going rather well.

Or, at the very least, it looked fine to me.

"Papa, I think it's time you shaved your mustache, too."

"Just hold still."

"Hehe. Okay."

I went back to trimming a few sections.

Taking off a little more this time.

About a centimeter.

*Snip.

*Snip.

*Snip.

A few minutes later.

I took a step back.

And inspected the results.

"Hm..."

"What do you think, Yuna?"

I walked over to grab a small hand mirror.

And passed it to her.

Yuna took the mirror.

And looked at her own reflection.

She sat in silence.

For a few seconds.

Then...

"Mmm..."

"What?"

"It looks exactly the same."

"What do you mean it looks the same?"

I pointed at her hair.

"It's clearly changed."

"I mean..."

Yuna tilted her head.

"It just looks like how it did a month ago."

"..."

I took another look at my handiwork.

Then nodded.

"Yeah."

"You're right."

"Right?"

"Alright."

I raised the scissors again.

"Once more."

*Snip.

*Snip.

*Snip.

Taking off more this time.

Several longer chunks of hair drifted to the floor.

When I was done.

I handed her the mirror again.

"There."

"How about now?"

Yuna looked at herself.

Staring for a good while.

Then calmly delivered her verdict.

"Now it looks like how it did three months ago."

"..."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

A faint smile crept onto my face.

Yuna glanced over her shoulder.

Eyeing me with suspicion.

"Why are you smiling, Papa?"

"Hm?"

"Also..."

Yuna pointed at her own head.

"What happened to the hairstyle I picked out?"

"..."

I froze.

She made a good point.

I had completely forgotten about our original goal.

"Right."

"Good point."

I raised the comb and scissors again.

Preparing to attempt the style she had chosen.

But then I stopped.

"..."

Yuna looked up at me.

I looked at her hair.

Then at the picture on my phone.

Then back at her hair.

If I was being entirely honest...

I had no confidence whatsoever.

One wrong snip.

And this could end in an absolute disaster.

"Papa?"

"Hm?"

"You do know how to do it, right?"

"I do."

I answered automatically.

Then added silently in my head.

Probably.

I stared at Yuna's hair again.

The longer I looked.

The more my doubts grew.

Finally, I lowered the scissors.

"Actually..."

"Hm?"

"I think it looks better like this."

Yuna blinked.

"Why?"

I cleared my throat softly.

"I mean..."

"I just think this suits you better."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I nodded firmly.

"Sometimes, change doesn't necessarily make things better."

Yuna looked thoughtful.

She looked at herself in the mirror again.

Tilted her head to the right.

Then to the left.

Then gave a slow nod.

"Alright, then."

"If you say it looks good, Papa, then it looks good."

I gave a small smile.

Yuna seemed perfectly satisfied with the outcome.

And secretly...

I felt a profound sense of relief.

Because Yuna's hair had managed to survive the day intact.

At least, for the time being.

(End)