@MPnoir @jazz9 @Macrosis2020 I don't know what's so hard about this to grasp; she left and is staying out of contact to make him realize how much she means to him, how much she (and not just her hair) is now part of his life.
"You don't know what you've got until it's gone" A Kotoka withdrawal therapy, if you will.
Simply put, he took her for granted all this time. But notice how NOW he's been pining for Kotoka and not for her hair, like he had been doing before.
And no, "I just need some time for myself" is not a breakup, it's adult speak for "I don't want to break up so give me some space to figure out how to make this work". source: adult here.