Pocky and Soulmate (Akuma no Riddle / Madoka Magica - Crossover Fanfic)

Chapter Five - Part Two

      The shopping district was familiar, more than Haruki would have wanted it to be. She’d spent far too much of her life here, searching for the cheapest products. The only thing she was glad about was that her siblings weren’t old enough to help shopping; they all wanted to help, but Haruki cared about them too much to let them waste days upon days of their lives searching for ways to save money. That wasn’t how you enjoyed life.

     A Maid Café, she saw at a glance, was hiring. The assassin continued walking, noting the name of the shop but at the same time hoping there was some other job. Being stuck in a maid costume, calling customers “master” and “mistress”…

     The thought of that predicament sending shivers down her spine, Haruki browsed the familiar shops for part-time jobs. When even her usual food store, where she was friends with the manager, turned her down, a chilling thought passed through her head.

     I chose the worst day for this, didn’t I, she thought. I’m going to get stuck working at a Maid Café.

     Finally, after about an hour of searching, as the sky was turning a brilliant orange, Haruki stopped at her last option: a small electronics store, where she got her cell phone—strictly for emergencies—around six years ago. The cell phone she still had today.

     Hiring, a sign on the window said. Haruki didn’t even bother to look in the store windows before she barged in the door, hoping against all hope.

     Red hair flashed as an all-too-familiar face turned to see Haruki—and then darkened into a hating glare. Shock, and slightly delayed comprehension filled Haruki’s mind.

     The electronics store had been closed for over a year, Haruki remembered, but it had slipped her mind. Now, she stood in a convenience store—face to face with the Magical Girl Kyouko as she picked up a box of pocky from the store shelves.

     “Hello, assassin—” Kyouko started in a malicious tone, but Haruki heard nothing more—she ran out of the convenience store faster than the redhead’s mouth could form the words.

     Fine, she thought as she ran down the street. If fate wanted her to work at a Maid Café, she would work at a Maid Café. She just needed more time before she faced Kyouko.