[attr="class","APP3"]In a small stream of people going about their business on a lazy sunday, a certain kunoichi walked with a vivacious pep to each of her steps. It had been a few days since she had arrived in Amegakure, but the akimichi had already acclimated herself to her new environment rather quickly. Save for the humidity. That always sucked, no matter where.
But humidity, not today!
Her deadpan visage was no more in this fine clear morning, instead, a soft pink adorned her cheeks right under expressive and happy eyes. Light azure stretched above as far as the eyes could see, and the sun casted uneven lights and shadows beneath. One could argue the fine weather was the major reason for Ichigo’s joyful mood, but nay — the reason was safely clutched by her hands.
“Ehehe, moo-chan’s lookin’ real plump!” she raised her hands to eye-level, staring at a tiny — but rather stuffed — [purse] shaped like a cow. “All of ‘em missions and hard work is payin’ off!” she spun on her heels, raising the purse high as she wondered what kind of food she’d treat herself with today. After she stored the purse on her pocket, however, it unceremoniously fell due to her clumsy handling. The jingle of coin was drowned out by the people around, and the Akimichi moved on while unaware of her loss.
.⠀.⠀.
“… Young girl, can you even pay for all of that?” The wrinkly eyes of an old woman peer down on the green-haired girl that had absolutely stuffed herself with a wide variety of home-made food. Remnants of grains, meat, vegetables, sauces and everything in between; several bowls were left empty atop the table, a sight akin to the aftermath of war. A goofy and satisfied smile was drawn on her lips.
The kunoichi glances at the owner of the family diner to give her an affirmative nod. “Yup. I’m mighty sure I got more than enough to pay ya!” her eyes scan the table, and then it begins. The kunoichi goes through intense focus, steady breathing, concentration and harmony between mind and body before she opened her eyes, a bottomless determination clearly visible on her scarlet hues, and then…
It was a magnificent display of how much she had been improving her smarts ever since she had arrived on the hidden rain. “Umu, this be lookin’ good! I could go for plenty more, but this gotta be enough for…now…?” she pats the pocket of her shorts, but nothing. Right! She probably put it on the other one?
Nothing.
Copious beads of sweat storm down her fair skin. “Uhm…I, uh, can explain…! Ya know, I have this purse, and… and…!” Trembling like a sheep before its predator, the kunoichi stammered non-stop. Her hands danced erratically across all pockets on her clothes, but it appeared Moo-chan had forsaken her. A chill ran down her spine as she turned to look at the owner, whose shaded face and ripped arms were worth more than a thousand words. What a terrible, terrible twist of fate.
If only someone super cool saved her from this situation.
Daichi always loved this place. No one back home ever seemed to have time or willingness to cook, which mean the closest thing to a 'homecooked meal' he ever got was in a warm cozy family diner like this one. He had been coming here with his family for as long as he could remember, and had become more familiar with the staff since he was old enough to be sent to pick up orders to bring home to the family. But today he was on his own. He needed someplace to study this weird book the kazekage had gifted him the other day, and this seemed like the perfect place to do so while enjoying a good meal. Carefully. Very very carefully. The last thing he needed was to get anything on this priceless gift of his. It was just a shame he couldn't study at home without worrying about his father finding out about his little chat with the kage...[break][break]
So that was the plan. Get a nice bowl of spicy beef and rice, cozy up in the corner and see what kind of notes he could get from the book. He was all set up, pages open before him with his trusty notepad at the ready to document any and all important details he could glean from the story. But things quickly became derailed, as he found himself distracted before he could even start on the first page. He watched from a safe distance as a vaguely familiar green haired girl inhaled plate after plate, bowl after bowl, destroying any and all food that dared cross her path. It was fascinating to watch, and definitely an impressive sight to see! The book was set aside for a moment as he instead took in this once in a lifetime show, slowly picking at his own meal as he silently rooted for her to keep defying the laws of time and space with that infinite belly of hers.[break][break]
But then it seemed that the hero had reached an opponent she couldn't conquer with sheer determination or hunger alone. He could see the tensions rising as she frantically searched her pockets, the threatening aura of impending doom reaching all the way across the diner. If he knew anything about the people who ran this place, she would be stuck washing dishes, scrubbing floors and cleaning tables until her hands were raw after trying to skip out on a meal like that. A tinge of pity tugged at his heart as he watched her genuine panic starting to grow, his investment in this story refusing to let him leave this story with such an unhappy ending.[break][break]
His things were quickly gathered into his bag as he abandoned his seat and half eaten meal to intervene. His chest was puffed out with confidence, stride even and self assured as he approached the situation. A comforting hand would quickly find itself on Ichigo's back, lips curling into a familiar smile as he turned to the owner. "Heeeey Mrs. Kanda. Food's been great today. But I guess that goes without saying, huh?" He let out a soft laugh, effortlessly inserting himself into the situation without hesitation. All he had to do was do and say what a cool guy would in this situation and everything would be just fine. "Look, I think we both know she's not trying to cheat ya. How about you just put it on my family's tab and we'll get it sorted out. Come on, you know we're good for it. Never let you down before, right?" There was a very good chance his dad was gonna kill him for pulling a stunt like this. But surely he'd understand if it was to help out a cute kunoichi...Right?
[attr="class","APP3"]It was nothing short of impressive just how fast her couple of brain cells were working in these dire, dire times of need. If one looked closely at the Akimichi, they could swear a subtle vapor escaped her head — w-was she overheating!? “Uhm! I know I’m new here, and, I think l lost m-my!” the beet red glutton tried her damned best to defuse the situation before they had the attention of more people on them.
Perhaps today was her lucky day, however, because as if sent by the heavens, a boy interrupts their not so friendly discussion.
“Hmm? Wait, I know you.” As her wrinkly eyes landed on Daichi, [Kanda]’s defined muscles had disappeared, her ire temporarily contained thanks to his intervention. “Daishi, was it? I see. Sometimes you lose track of how all these kids grow up so fast…” her head bobbed, “I still remember when Hotaru visited the first time. Back then, I… Ah, here I am talking about what’s in the past again.”
A low, hearty laugh escaped wrinkly lips.
“Alright, my boy. You sound just like your father, did you know that? I’m sure he’s going to feel proud of his son’s actions. I’ll put the cost in your family’s tab.” her head bobs once more as she turns to organize the dishes before taking everything to the back for a good washing. Daichi had defused the situation single-handedly, saving a glutton from her demise —
CRASH.
A swelled up arm pierces an empty table, ripping muscles filled to the brim with youthful energy. “Is that what you thought I’d say, PUNK?!” Mrs.Kanda’s fist had opened a hole on one of the wooden tables available. Wait a moment, did her muscles double in size!? “This missy over here ate an extra-sized family meal on her own!” the old woman pointed at Ichigo with her index finger, and the grass haired kunoichi jumped on her feet in response, almost as if the finger was a legendary Akimichi-slaying spear.
“Hotaru would tear you a new one if he had to pay three times the price he pays for a full meal for his entire family!” she released a wrathful sigh between her teeth. Curled fists rested against her hips as her eyes traveled between the two. Despite her outward rage, Kanda was aware that the girl was speaking the truth. She was a new face, but she had eaten here before.
“How about this, then. You two go look for missy’s lost coin, and I get the payment I deserve byt the end of the day. If not, well…” her gaze drifts to the mountain of dishes atop the table, “You know what happens, right? Good. Get going!” she hurried them out so she could work.
With all that said and done, Ichigo trembled on her feet as she still felt the pressure of Mrs. Kanda thicc muscles. Her red hues wandered about, never gazing towards Daichi for too long. Eventually she gets over her initial fears and bows to him. “I-I’m sorry about that buddy! Ya know, I didn’t m-mean to drag ya into this…!” she’d repeat it over and over, at least until the young boy prompted her to stop.
Wow. This was going way smoother than he thought it would. Mrs. Kanda was a fierce woman when angered, the kind of person who would make anyone short of the Kazekage think twice about crossing her. Running out on a tab was as dangerous as being in the bingo book as far as he was concerned. He knew that making this suggestion was a dangerous one, but seeing her be so understanding was...really nice. He actually managed to build something of a reputation, even if it was just in this one little corner of the city. A breath of relief escape dhim as he gave the Akimichi a pat on the shoulder. Just as he was about to offer her a word of reassurance-
He jumped, eyes wide and jaw clenched as he watched that beefy arm of hers decimate that poor countertop. And with that the brief moment of genuine pride came crumbling down as well, a quick glint of pain flashing in his silver eyes as it all happened. But it only lasted a fraction of a second before it was blinked away. The genin was quick to correct his posture, rolling his shoulders and standing firm and confident as she unleashed her rage. No matter how scary she was, he wasn’t about to let himself show fear. If he hadn’t earned her respect yet, then hopefully this would be a step in that direction.[break][break]
”Fine. But...Still put it on my tab. If we don’t find the wallet I’ll come back and handle the dishes.” This was stupid. He knew it was stupid. But dammit he inserted himself in this situation to try and make a difference, as minor as it may have been. And he wasn’t about to let fear of Mrs. Kanada or his father get in the way of that. ”Thank you for your understanding, Mrs. Kanada. We’ll be back before sundown, with or without her wallet.” He bent at the waist as he spoke, bowing deeply before the business owner. Playing it cool and suave wasn’t going to do much against her, so instead he chose to humble himself before the woman.[break][break]
His attention then turned to the green haired girl, eyes widening slightly as she started her anxious rambling. As if he didn’t already feel enough pity for this poor girl in this tough situation. He held upa hand toward her, giving her a slightly uneasy smile. ”Don’t worry about it. I’m just helping a fellow genin out. You’d do the same for me, right?” He gave her a bit of a nudge as he moved to leave the building, assuming she was going to follow along with him.[break][break]
”Ok, first things first. I’m Daichi Konishi. I’m in Anotsu Uchiha’s platoon. I’ve seen you around, but I don’t think I ever caught your name.” He kept his tone casual as he stood on the sidewalk outside the building, hands resting on his hips as he looked up and down the street. ”Second, we need to find the last place you remember having your wallet and start our investigation there. With any luck, we’ll still be able to find it there.” Daichi had already decided he would be taking the lead on this investigation, as was so obviously his natural role. He was confident that between the two of them, that wallet was as good as found!
