Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Kitchen Fiascos

It was finally a weekend without music gigs or volleyball practices. Mitsumi had managed to convince Saki to visit her in Tokyo. She waited outside of the train station for her friend's arrival. The streets were bustling with people who were headed out to shop.

"You're so short I couldn't find you." Saki greeted her friend with a smile. "Did you get mistaken for a lost kid again?"

Mitsumi glared at her tall friend, "That was one time at that tournament." She grumbled, "Talk about a greeting."

"Aw come on. I have to tease you a bit. So, where are we off to?" Saki asked as she looked up at all the tall buildings surrounding them. Downtown Tokyo was nothing like Saitama.

"There are some really cute boutiques down this street." Mitsumi wasn't entirely sure of what she was looking for. "I am looking for a nice shirt. But nothing like super formal. Just... you know."

Saki already knew about her cooking class situation. "Ahahaha! For your date tonight, right?" She followed Mitsumi down the street, "We should get you a couple different outfits so you aren't wearing a t- shirt and jeans all the time."

She crossed her arms, "I don't wear that all the time." Mitsumi gestured to what she was currently wearing. It was her black and white blouse with her jeans. "This is the nicest casual outfit I have. And I need variation."

"I get it." Mitsumi nodded, "You've been putting it off because you feel the need to justify purchases." She wiggled her eyebrows and out a hand the short girl's shoulder. She knew her odd tendencies and enjoyed poking fun at them. Her eyes spotted a shop with a good looking display, "Hey, let's go in there!" She grabbed Mitsumi's arm and dragged her towards the shop.

Mitsumi almost gagged at the amount of pastel colors there were inside. She avoided stores filled with frills and bright colors like the plague. "Saki, really?" Her eyes scanned over the endless mannequins dressed in lacey, pastel colored dresses.

"Hey, I know this isn't your type of store, but you'd be surprised at what you can find. And I'm looking for myself too." Saki started flipping through racks of shirts. "It's fun to find surprises." The two girls were polar opposites in tastes. And they often clashed over the simplest things. They had come a long way though.

Store after store, Mitsumi was having no luck. Or, was she just being picky? Saki was coming out with bags of clothing from every store they walked into. She hated shopping with a burning passion. The crowds were annoying, and trying clothes on was a hassle. Luckily, they were both getting hungry while they were in their last store. Which meant, they would have to stop shopping.

"Hey, Saki, what do you think of this?" Mitsumi pulled out a light blue sweater and a white shirt with small rainbows all over it. "I was thinking of getting the sweater, and this shirt screams you." She held the two pieces up for Saki to see.

"Oh, you should put that on." Saki had a hunch, "I know you pulled that shirt for me, but I have a hunch." She noticed the dark wash jeans Mitsumi was already wearing. "And if my hunch is correct, you can wear this with your jeans." She watched her cold faced friend flinch at her comment. "Oh come on, it'll look good! I pulled some other things for you too!" She handed her friend a stack of clothes before pushing her towards the dressing room.

Mitsumi was doing her best to not freak out and shout at Saki. Some things really never changed. Although, there was no way she would be able to shut her down. She reluctantly walked into a changing room and put the shirt and sweater on that she pulled. It was different, but in a good way. The sweater made her feel less conscious about her arms. "Saki, I need an opinion." She opened the door and faced her friend who was waiting.