Turning the Tables [Shoto Todoroki X Reader]

Chapter 37: Where is she?

"Hey." The bell rang as I opened the door and entered the small, cramped shop.

I was glad to escape the terrible weather outside. So dull and bleak.

The smell of incense filled the air, and I made my way through a small aisle to the back counter.

"(L/N)? Is that you?"

My eyes drank in the familiar sight of the old wooden shelves stuffed with items and the strings of lights that hung from the ceilings.

Even the smell and feel of the place was familiar.

"Yeah. It's me, Mrs. Chigusa."

I reached the counter.

She came out from the back. "Your usual?"

I sighed. "I'm afraid so. I need it now, preferably, along with a small instant dose."

"I've told you time and time again— you need to warn me so I can prepare some in advance! I'll look around, see if I have any leftovers. Wait right here."

I did as she said, and heard various noises come from the back room that she had disappeared into.

I had been coming here for years, after I had found an old advertisement for her shop. The flyer had been falling apart, and it had been nearly impossible to read it.

It claimed that she sold medicines and bandages, and that she made "magical" remedies.

I was curious, so one day I went to check out the address that was listed. I wasn't very old, and it had taken a good deal of wandering to find. But I considered it an adventure.

It was now a small grocers. I asked the owners if they knew anything about the old owner.

They did.

~

"C-can you tell me about her?"

The couple looked down at me.

The woman sighed. "We might as well."

"Mrs. Chigusa was... well known for her wares. But she set off people's suspicions. None of her 'potions' had any ingredients listed on them, and some people suspected her of illegal activities, or maybe some form of underground work. Being so well known was her downfall. The authorities caught wind of her, and she was forced to shut down her shop and flee. She gave up on her business, and now lives in a retirement home."

I knew they were using big words that they thought I didn't know to try to confuse me.

And I could tell that they were lying about the last part.

"Why are you lying? Where is she?"

"Why do you want to know."

I stared at them solemnly. "I would like to buy a healing remedy."

"How about this: I'll write down the name of the retirement home that she's staying at, along with her room number, and you can go try to talk to her, alright?"

The woman smiled at me kindly.

I nodded slowly. "O-okay!"

She wrote down something on a piece of paper, folded it, and gave it to me.

I took a peek. There was the name of a retirement home I knew, also from with some other writing, which I didn't look at.

I smiled at the two, and left their shop.

I knew the way to the home, so I went straight away.

As I walked, I read the rest of the note.

There was no room number. But there was a single sentence.