Barbara Doesn't Want a Haircut, Part Two: Ceruno

(Ceruno)

Why?

[It will hurt]

Barbara held up the tablet, her small, expressionless face filled with fear.

"Huh? Why would a haircut hurt?"

The stylist seemed a little confused, so Yezi went over to comfort her:

"Human haircuts aren't like trimming branches, so they don't hurt, okay?"

I understand now that Yezi has said that.

Gardeners, in pursuit of aesthetics, often prune plants haphazardly. But this so-called beauty is meaningless to the plants; they simply want to grow and spread their branches to maximize their photosynthetic surface area.

As one of the iconic Ancient Tree in the Sacred Tree Park, Barbara had also been treated this way by gardeners before, so it developed a psychological aversion to shears.

"It's okay."

I squatted down next to the barber's chair.

"Miss Barbara, if you're scared, just close your eyes. It won't hurt at all, I promise!"

She nodded timidly, sat up straight in the chair with her eyes closed, but gripped the armrests tightly with both hands; anyone who didn't know better would think she was being tortured.

The stylist couldn't help but ask:

"Um, this child... has never been to a barbershop before?"

"Well, there's a reason for that, sister. Don't ask so many questions. Everyone has a few little secrets at the beginning of the new year."

"Wait a minute, now that you mention it, she does seem a bit familiar... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before... Could she be a magical girl?!"

Hmm, so you're finally thinking in that direction?

She turned the barber chair around in surprise, stared at Barbara's tightly closed face for a moment, and finally took out her phone and opened a search engine...

Search.

"Huh?!!"

The stylist finally understood.

"I... I never expected such a famous magical girl to come to a small shop like mine for a styling session... I thought she was just a kid on a whim... Ah, I didn't mean to belittle her, little Barbara... no, grandma Barbara is really cute... I mean, she's beautiful!!"

I was so excited I couldn't speak coherently.

She also found out Barbara's age and started calling her "Grandma" instead.

"We've only been human for a few years, so it's fine for you to call her 'little sister.' As Ancient Tree, she doesn't have the common sense of a human, and there are many things she still needs to learn."

However, Miss Barbara has already learned a lot about human beings through the internet. In fact, she knows quite a lot, but she lacks practical experience. Just like how she can understand what we are saying, but she can't speak herself.

"A magical girl! Miss Barbara, can I take a picture with you and hang it in the shop?!"

Miss Barbara stared at the stylist for a moment, then held up the tablet again.

[Can]

[But you have to pay.]

"Um, that's true... So, how much will it cost?"

Is this stylist really going to spend money?

Yezi picked up the tablet and tapped Barbara on the head.

"You just can't shake this old habit of yours. We're going to do a fundraising event, so why are you fixated on this little bit of money?"

"Waaaaah~~"

Without her tablet, Miss Barbara can only express her emotions by making these adorable sounds when she's being hit.

This stylist, who was unreliable in many ways, continued:

"It's alright! This is the first time I've ever seen a living, breathing magical girl..."

If you have seen the dead magical girl, please report it to the police immediately. Thank you.

"Then, at least let me be in charge of Barbara's styling! Don't let my small shop fool you, I used to work for film crews, and I've even designed styling for magical girl idols in movies!"

Yezi then asked, "Can I also design the image for the stage performance?"

"No problem!"

"Hmm, an image consultant?"

Actually, we also lack talent in this area. Currently, Miss Fahrenheit is in charge of makeup and costumes, but her main job is, after all, a magician. Although she does her own stage makeup, it would be better to have professionals.

Although ordinary people can't go to the City School, we can come out. Even if we use her little shop as the backstage for a concert, it's just a matter of a teleportation spell for Yezi.

Yezi thought so too.

"I can consider it, but we'll have to see what you're capable of first."

"Don't worry! Although this is my first time working with a magical girl... I... I'll make sure Miss Barbara stuns everyone, even if it costs me my life!"

Don't risk your life over something like this!

Polite Blue Feather:____?

According to the concert's schedule.

Barbara's role as a background character will only last until the final act, when she will appear as a magical girl, leading the audience into her final performance. This is essentially a mystery left unsolved from beginning to end...

Only in this way, when she appears on stage, the contrast between the enormous Guberon and the petite magical girl will truly amaze the audience.

By the way, that unreliable stylist's name is Wei Die.

This image design center, which only has one storefront, is also owned and designed by her alone. The reason for not hiring anyone is quite simple...

I'm short of money, I can't afford it.

Essentially, this was her own strategic mistake.

Wealthy people who usually go to image consulting centers look down on these small shops, while those who do go into these small shops usually treat them as hair salons... Although she can indeed cut hair, the money she earns from hairdressing is not enough for her to rent a shop in the mall.

So Yezi and I made a rough estimate, and we figured that this guy was being so enthusiastic about Barbara because he wanted to ride on the coattails of the magical girl. If such a famous magical girl had her stylist designed at her shop, and if that news got out, Barbara would be her billboard, and she wouldn't have to worry about her shop being deserted.

In that sense, she really shouldn't have accepted Barbara's money.

They should even pay out of their own pockets for advertising and promotion.

However, since we met, it's fate. If she is truly capable of handling the concert's image design, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have her replace Ms. Fahrenheit.

"I'm back! Quickly, let her try it on!"

Sister Xiaodie ran back from outside the store carrying paper bags of various sizes.

"You've really gone to a lot of trouble."

"Hehe, I told these stores it was for a magical girl idol performance, and they just gave it to me. After you guys finish, they can use the 'magical girl idol style' label to boost sales~"

Xiaodie pulled Barbara backstage to change, while Yezi crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, "Tsk, it's a shame Barbara doesn't have a management company, otherwise she could easily make a fortune from advertising and promotion... Why don't we get Halley to handle it?"

Miss Halley would definitely be able to squeeze money out of these shops.

"Isn't that unnecessary? Yezi, you're really obsessed with money."

As I said this, a disgruntled Yezi wrapped her arms around my neck, pressed her other fist against my temple, and said, word by word:

"Then give me back my bank card!!"

Hehe, no way!

Only by using this method can I make Yezi depend on me.