Sumomone groaned as she found yet another knot in her hair.

When your hair is several meters long, taking care of it was way more than a chore. It always took her way longer than she’d like to keep it in good shape. Not to mention that braiding it on your own was almost as much work.

She dropped down on her back, her hair poofing all around her. The section she’d been brushing felt heavy in her lap.

 

She heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, and soon she could hear a voice above her. “What are you doing?”

Sumomone opened her eyes, staring up at Uiui standing next to her.

“Giving up.”

Uiui knelt down next to her, picking up the discarded brush. “You know, I can help you cut it shorter, if you want. You’re not stuck in a tower anymore, you can keep it any way you’d like.”

Sumomone’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even thought about that. She hadn’t been allowed to cut it for as long as she could remember, it wasn’t really something she had considered, even now. “Let’s cut it all off!”

Then, she hesitated for a moment. “Actually, let’s keep some of it.”

Sumomone fidgeted with one of her curls where she sat on a stool. The silent snip of scissors made her pulse quicken, both in anticipation and nervousness. She’d spent the last two months living with Uiui now, and she trusted her more than she had ever trusted anyone (not that she had many options) at this point, but it was still nerve wracking to go through such a big change.

“Alright, I’m done,” Uiui said. “Go look in the mirror, let me know what you think.”

Standing up, Sumomone had to stop and gawk at all the hair lying all around her on the floor. It lay in thick, pink droves that she had to jump over to get out of its center. She stepped into the bedroom where a long mirror hung on the door.

Even with how much Uiui had cut off, her hair still reached well past her waist. No longer as weighted down, it had become even more voluminous, two-toned curls swirling around each other.

She ran her fingers through her hair, staring at her own reflection.

She felt so light.

 

She stepped back into the livingroom, taking Uiui’s face between her hands and pressing a kiss to her lips. “Thank you,” she chirped.

She let go of her, running her hands through her hair. “I love it.”

Uiui smiled at her, letting the last of the cut-off hair be swept up by her self-sufficient broom. “I’m glad you like it.” She pushed Sumomone’s hair over her shoulder. “We should get ready for bed.”

“Already?” Sumomone glanced out the window. It was growing dark outside. Just how long had it taken to cut her hair? But for once, she didn’t dread what her hair would look like come morning, if she neglected to braid it. She’d always hated how long it took to do so, and often skipped it, as much as she knew she would regret it come morning.

But now that it was a lot shorter, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“I’ll go braid my hair then.” She grabbed her brush and a ribbon, wandering back into the bedroom again. Uiui soon joined her in the room, getting her nightgown so she could change into it. For a moment, Sumomone’s eyes trailed Uiui’s body as she changed, before she turned her attention back to her hair.

She split it into three, slowly working her way down the length of it. Every so often she had to separate curls that stubbornly clung to each other, but compared to how much work it had been to braid it when it was long enough for someone to use to climb her tower, it was a breeze.

It made her smile.

Tying the end of the braid with a white ribbon, she looked at herself in the mirror again.

She twirled one of the shorter sections that now framed her face around her finger. She looked so different with a fringe. She thought it looked cute.

 

Just as Uiui slipped into her bed, Sumomone tiptoed over to her to bend down so she could press a kiss to her lips. “Thank you,” she said, again, quickly followed by another kiss, this time to her cheek.

Then, she pulled out her own nightgown. As she unbuttoned her dress she couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across her face.

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