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chapter nine
devil on my shoulder
The sun was low in the sky as Seiho-Hope Hills let out for the day, our group fracturing as Madoka joined Shinya and Yui met with Sawamura. I begrudgingly trudged back towards Hope Hills, the Kanken bag at my back heavy with textbooks and coursework as I debated about heading into town, knowing full well that there would be no food at home.
As I crossed through the Oya Township, which was a considerably nicer place than the high school that shared its name, I was very tempted just to run into the Hawasada Market and pick up something that was pre-made. I hadn't been to the restaurant and supermarkt since Grandma Sada had died last fall, before the chaos with Kidra kick started a gang war.
The air-conditioned market was a shock on the bare flesh of my legs peeking out from the knee socks and skirt required in the Seiho school uniform as I entered Grandma Sada's, turning own the music I was listening to as I wandered the aisles, desperate for a reason not to go back to Hope Hills. The longer it took me to decide what I wanted for dinner, the better.
I'd always liked the liveliness of the market. Unlike some of the chain restaurants in Oya, or the classier places in nearby Sannoh, the market wasn't upscale or trendy. None of the furniture or shelves matched, and the dine-in tables were always crowded an noisy. But the Hawasada Market always felt warm, homely and loved.
I grabbed a plastic container with a pre-cooked chicken and rice stir fry dinner form the warm dinners section, hightailing it to the checkout counter with my head down, weary of being approached and aware of the thunderous beating of my heart as I tried to mentally calculate the value of my dinner in my head, in preparation to avoid having to hold up the line by counting out change.
The daily struggles I put up with every time I want to buy something, even if that something is the difference between me missing a meal or not.
"Have a great day." The young woman behind the counter smiled at me, passing my a plastic bag with my dinner, receipt and change. I simply nodded curtly, unable to form words and wish this lovely stranger a good day also.
I was almost out the door when I froze in my tracks, halfway through untangling my earbuds, which I had respectfully not worn during the checkout process. There was something warm on my leg.
Warm and damp.
Startled, and with my heart threatening to beat out of my chest, I jerked away and spun around, only to find out that my reaction was completely irrational and uncalled for. Behind me, a golden retriever with a goofy expression and a service dog vest sat patiently with it's tongue lolling out, pawing at the cuff of my uniform socks.
But the part that really made my day was the owner of said dog. Standing at the other end of the leash, a shy expression on his face, was Arata Makeawa.
