Akane's makeover (Patreon)

All characters depicted in situations are 18 years of age or older and of the age of consent, even if it looks otherwise. Acts depicted are all consensual. No real or fictional person was harmed in the making of this workAkane watched from the corner of the studio hallway. A few meters away, Aqua was chatting animatedly with Kana Arima. Seeing how Aqua's gaze softened when he spoke to her sent a sharp pang of pain through her chest. She sighed, touching the ends of her long, bluish hair. She had grown her hair out to be Aqua's ideal girl, to be the perfect reflection of Ai Hoshino. But, apparently, long hair wasn't working anymore. Kana, with her shoulder-length cut, was monopolizing all his attention.

That night, in her apartment bathroom, Akane stood in front of the mirror armed with combs, hair ties, and her heat styling tools. She needed an urgent change before resorting to the scissors.

She started by using the curling iron to make it completely curly, but she felt it didn't suit her face. She straightened it again and pulled it back into a tight, high ponytail; it made her look like a generic student. She tried something more mature, rolling it into an elegant low bun, but it aged her too much. Frustrated, she divided her hair in two and made two high buns on the crown of her head, immediately undoing them because she felt ridiculous. Her nimble fingers wove a long braid that fell over her shoulder, then she tried some childish twintails on the sides, and finally, she pulled only the top half back into a sophisticated half up-do.

Nothing. None of those hairstyles made her feel like herself, nor did she feel they would draw Aqua's eyes away from Kana. She let her hair down, watching it fall heavily down her back.

"If this doesn't work anymore..." she muttered, making a decision. "It's time to cut it."

The next morning, Akane was sitting in the chair of her trusted hairdresser.

"I want to stop hiding behind this length," she told the stylist with determination. "Let's start little by little."

The scissors took the first bite. The stylist sculpted the front, cutting blunt bangs and leaving two thick strands at cheek level, keeping the rest long in the back. It was a beautiful hime cut. Akane looked at herself. It was elegant, yes, but she still looked too sweet.

"Edgier," the actress requested.

The stylist nodded and began to thin out the hair, creating uneven, textured layers, transforming it into a rebellious wolf cut. The volume and messy ends gave her a wild vibe, but the weight on her neck still bothered Akane.

"Cut it for real. Jaw-length."

Snip, snip. The long hair disappeared onto the salon floor. The stylist gave her a bob cut with a shaved nape, running the clippers over the lower back section to remove the volume. Feeling the cold air on her neck, Akane felt a shiver of liberation.

"Wait... give some texture to what's left on top," she asked, her eyes shining with an almost obsessive intensity in the mirror. The hairdresser cut even more, leaving the nape and sides very short and curling the top section with a thin flat iron. The result was an extremely chic and Parisian curly pixie.

Anyone else would have stopped there. She looked gorgeous. But Akane, the method actress, knew that if she wanted to completely shed the Ai Hoshino persona, she had to clear the canvas.

"Take it all off," Akane stated, meeting her hairdresser's surprised gaze through the glass. "Use the clippers."

The electric buzz filled the room. This time, there were no scissors. The blade glided mercilessly, erasing the blue curls and shaving everything down to the skin. The stylist worked meticulously, creating a perfect faded buzz cut, smoothly blending the buzzed sides upwards to where only a few millimeters of bluish fuzz remained on top.

As she left the salon, Akane ran her hand over her head. The velvety touch was hypnotic. There was no longer a trace of the girl trying to be someone else's ghost.

The next day, Akane walked onto the filming set with a firm step. The murmuring stopped instantly. All eyes locked onto her, but the only ones that mattered to her were his.

Aqua, who was about to review the script with Kana, looked up. His pupils dilated, completely captivated. Without a word, Kana faded into the background as Aqua walked slowly toward Akane, looking her up and down, unable to take his eyes off her face, which was now framed solely by her own unshakeable confidence.

"Akane..." Aqua murmured, truly seeing her for the first time in a long while. "You look incredible."

Akane smiled, victorious. The reboot had been an absolute success.