Lost And Found - (BNHA Dadzawa Story)

Part 2: Food

"What are you doing out this late at night, kid?", he asked. His voice was low, and somewhat scratchy, and obviously tired. The girl looked up at him with wide eyes, water slowly dripping down from her horns onto her face. She frowned slightly and cast her gaze to the ground. Her arm rose sheepishly, presenting him with the bag of Lays potato chips. The man stared at it for a moment, face unchanging, before he arched an eyebrow once again. "And how are you going to pay for that?"

The girl paused, eyes wide, mouth agape. She tried to stammer out a response, deciding whether or not to argue, before closing her mouth and looking to the ground, one of her legs crossed, her foot rubbing into the ground nervously. She shrugged half-heartedly, avoiding eye contact. The man sighed. He reached into one of his utility belt pockets and shuffled his hand around, as if searching for something, before pulling out a coin. "Five hundred yen. Is that enough?"

The girl's eyes widened as she stared at the coin, her hand already starting to reach out, and took the coin. She stared at it for a moment, before a small smile crept onto her face. She looked back up at the man and bowed thankfully before turning around and skipping joyfully to the cashier. He smirked softly before returning to his shopping, watching from the corner of his eye as she stood on her tip-toes, peeking over the edge of the counter, before sliding the bag of chips toward the cashier. The attendant glanced down at her, rolled his eyes, and removed his propped feet from the counter, sitting up straight and scanning the bag of chips.

Beep! "That'll be three hundred twenty four yen.", muttered the bored attendant. The girl slid her coin across the counter, and the man took it. He reached into the cash register, handed her the appropriate amount of change, and lounged back in his chair. The girl smiled and turned to leave, smiling brightly at the man as she walked past the aisle he was shopping in. He paused before smiling slightly in return, waving at her. She watched as the door slid open in front of her, her smile faltering slightly as the cold rushed back to her, the rain already splatting against her face.

Everything outside the store seemed so dark. Desolate. Cold. So, very cold. A shiver echoed up her spine, and she audibly shuddered. The first step was the hardest, but the second seemed easier. Already the rain was seeping into her clothes. She glanced across the street, left and right, before sprinting across the road, holding the money and chips close to her chest. She ducked into the familiar alley and looked around, searching for something to keep her from the rain. A frown was etched onto her face. She found her small stack of tattered blankets on the ground, her body's imprint still pushed into the fabric. She put the chips and money in her jacket pocket, ignoring her stomach's growls of protest, and grabbed one of the blankets. The water soaked into it made it nearly impossible to lift. She grunted, before lumbering over to the corner of the alley. On her left was where she was previously, on her right another part of the alley that lead to another road. She positioned the blanket as comfortable as she could before dragging her other blanket over, this one slightly dryer, and draping it over her shoulders. She repositioned her hood and felt some semblance of warmth as she reached into her jacket and grabbed her bag of chips. The bag crinkled wonderfully as she grabbed the top and yanked it open, the smell greeting her nose. She ate one chip, savoring the salty flavor, smiling to herself despite the cold rain slamming around her. The chips tasted wonderful to her food-deprived mouth, and she was already halfway through the bag. She forced herself to stop. No more. Save them for tomorrow. The girl shoved her bag into her jacket and snuggled, or snuggled as much as she could, further into the corner of the alley. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep in order to forget the cold. She hated the cold.