Lie to Me Again | ONC 2024

8 - Princess Treatment

"Stop crying," Yuki whispered to her reflection in the bathroom mirror, a girl with haunted, red-rimmed eyes. She'd held it together up until arriving at the Ivory Circle Mall and its hair stylist shop before rushing to the restroom. After heaving into the toilet and splashing water in her face, her hands still shook and the color hadn't returned to her cheeks.

At least the limousine hadn't felt like it moved with how smooth it drove. At least the vehicle could likely take a hit; it had to be armored with how wealthy Sophia's family was. 

At least, those were the lies Yuki comforted herself with to keep her cool. Buses she could handle as long as she didn't sit down, but cars...cars were expensive coffins. 

"Get it together, Yuki Hime." In the privacy of the single-person bathroom, with the floor and counter tiled a glassy blood red, Yuki dared to ditch Kobayashi and use the name she'd carried for fifteen years. For the sake of reputation, she pretended to be someone she wasn't, but she was still Hime at heart. Era and Sophia could not see her weak like this.

Staying any longer in the bathroom would look suspicious, so with a final look in the mirror, Yuki sprayed peppermint breath freshener in her mouth and unlocked the door. Once she reached the lobby, an employee ushered her to take a seat in a client's chair and leaned her back over a bowl to wash her hair in. 

To the side, Era and Sophia lounged in high-backed, upholstered chairs with a crystal charcuterie board on a table between them. 

"Yuki, are you alright?" Sophia called over the noise of hairdryers and running water. "You look a little pale."

An idea popped into Yuki's head. "You wouldn't happen to have a Tylenol, would you?"

Popping open her clutch, Sophia took out a little bottle and waved an employee over to hand it to Yuki. 

Not wanting to ask for a cup of water, Yuki shook out a pill and dry swallowed it. "Thanks, Sophia." Era's sharp glance needled her until the stylist had Yuki move chairs to the one in front of the mirror, clasping a black cape at the nape of her neck. 

The hairdresser didn't waste any time getting to work, combing out her hair and sectioning it. Even though she knew her ends looked ragged, Yuki winced at the amount cut off as it fell to the floor. 

"Do you prefer layered bangs, or blunt?" the stylist asked.

Unsure whether they'd already been told she wanted the hime style, Yuki deferred the decision. "Era, what do you think?"

"Blunt. For a bolder statement," the queen ordered. She crossed her legs at the ankles, removing her sunglasses to reveal her trademark golden eyeliner but with striking wine red color contacts. "And don't forget the highlights, Mauve."

The stylist nodded in front of Yuki, running the comb through the hair that would form the bangs. Now that her head wasn't being soaked, Yuki could appreciate the burble of the fountain in the center of the shop and the koi-shaped lights suspended from the ceiling. Water-like ripples decorated the smooth stone floor. 

"You'll be a trendsetter!" Sophia squealed. "I give it one week before someone at school copies you."

Yuki could think of a few girls who'd mimicked Sophia's mellow orange bun, softened by wispy, baby hair bangs. Somehow the girls who tried to follow in Era and Sophia's footsteps never came close to the original and Yuki knew why from experience.

You could wear a celebrity's outfit, but it wouldn't look as good without alterations because it had been custom-tailored and fitted for them. You had to account for body type, skin tone, and face shape when it came to aesthetic decisions. Even with her doubts, Yuki recognized Era's genius in selecting a hairstyle that highlighted her better features.