"Whew..."
Drawing a hand across her brow and grimacing, Byakuren Hijiri squinted into the sunlight and let out a little sigh. "It's March, but it's sweltering. Maybe the Kobbers should go somewhere temperate for a change." She looked over her shoulder. "Are you holding up alright, little one?"
A simple, quiet nod was the only response from Byakuren's companion.
"Good! Now, she told us to meet her at The Midnight Store, but I don't think it's open yet, so let's go grab some food at the bar. Sound good, sweetie?"
Another nod.
"Wonderful!"
---
A few hours later, The Midnight Store was opening for business. Megumin was arranging things on the shelves while Missy settled in behind the counter and flipped through a newspaper she'd taken from the store's magazine stand. Print news was in decline all over the world, and Agama was no exception, but the city still managed to hang onto some printed news. There had been two major papers serving the city - The Blue Tongue and The Moonlight Gazette - but with The Blue Tongue having shut down last year, a new challenger had popped onto the scene: Agama Outpost. Formerly a smaller, less popular indie paper that had focused on niche news and thinkpieces, it had ballooned in popularity after suddenly finding itself the number two paper in the city by default, and it was doing its' best to fill the void left by the Brume publication's collapse by including a broader spectrum of stories while also trying to not alienate the existing base. It was a tricky balancing act. As Missy examined the paper, she came across a large advertisement reminding people of the grand opening of Omega Mart. She frowned slightly thanks to being reminded of her upcoming competitor. Omega Mart had a host of advantages thanks to the fact that it wasn't technically located in Agama, keeping it from paying a lot of taxes and fees and avoiding various other regulations that The Midnight Store and other businesses in the area had to deal with. And thanks to the warp points installed by Meiling and Lord Var, it was easier than ever for Agama to get visitors, and that was a rich well of potential profit for every business in the city. Where those possible shoppers spent their money could make all the difference for not just The Midnight Store, but the Grand Market and every other shop and restaurant around as well.
Missy was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of a hand slapping onto her counter, and a voice that jolted at her memory.
"Heyyyy!"
Missy's eyes' widened as she looked at the green, sporty-dressed girl leaning on the counter and winking at her, recognition dawning on her face. "Roxanne?!"
"That's my name, don't wear it out!" The girl stood up straight, putting her hands in her open jacket's pockets and looking around with a grin. "So this is your place, huh? Nice! I knew you'd make it big someday."
"Aheheh, thanks~" Missy giggled. She and her cousin had been very close growing up, but it had been some time since they'd seen each other regularly. Missy striking out on her own and joining the Order Of No Quarter had led to them being unable to hang out like they'd had in the past. "I can't believe you're here! How long has it even been?"
"God, years, right?" Roxanne laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I'd wanted to see you again for a long time, but I just didn't have the means. I'm so pumped we're finally back in the same city!"
"What changed?"
"I got a new job here in Agama! Surprised? You should be! I saw an ad online looking for people to work near Agama, and they'd arrange for travel, and I knew you were down here, so I was all like, 'Now's my chance!' and the interview went great and they hired me and here I am!"
"But who hired you?" Missy asked. She asked even though she had a bad feeling she already knew the answer. Sure enough, as had happened so many times when the two were mischievous teenagers, Roxanne opened her mouth and trouble came out.
"Some new store called Omega Mart. I'm just a grunt, but it pays well for a grunt job. Maybe someday I'll be a hotshot manager! Hah, you remember when I wanted to be the manager at Pizza Hut? Of course, I just wanted free pizza, but..." Roxanne trailed off when she saw Missy's troubled expression. "Hey, what's up? Something bugging you?"
"W-well, it's just..." Missy sighed. "Omega Mart is competition for The Midnight Store, and I've been real worried about them being a problem for us. Their store is so much bigger, and it's gonna be open 24 hours a day, and they don't charge sales tax, and-"
"Woah, woah!" Roxanne waved her hands. "Aw jeez... I didn't even think about that. So it's like I'm the enemy... Oof." She put a hand behind her head with an awkward, sheepish smile. "Well... I think there's room in Agama for plenty of stores. Especially with all the people like me dropping by to see what this city's all about. I can tell you right now I am totally gonna shop here! I... do you carry whoopie pies?"
Missy nodded and pointed at a shelf with some whoopie pies singly wrapped in clear plastic.
"I WILL shop here." Roxanne snickered. "Anyway... have some faith, alright? You and your crew are doing amazing. No way you're gonna end up folding as soon as some shiny new store turns up. Believe in yourself, girl!"
"...Yeah. Yeah! You're right!" Missy perked up, her hands forming fists as she gave a short pump.
"That's the Missy I remember! You got this." Roxanne flashed Missy a smile and reached over to ruffle her hair.
Meanwhile, Sekibanki had entered the store while Missy was reuniting with her cousin. The rokurokubi was examining a shelf filled with small single-serve bottles of various types of juice, each one topped with the cheerful plastic head of a cartoon character. She compared a few different ones, but was left with a dilemma when her favorite plastic head and her favorite flavor were on different bottles. Should she settle for the inferior flavor, collect the inferior toy, or spend twice the money and take both? These are the hard questions life presents to us at times. When she heard footsteps behind her, though, she opted to put away both bottles for now and turned to see who had approached her. "Oh, it's you two. Hey."
"Hello there!" Byakuren waved slightly at the redheaded girl, offering a warm smile. It was more than her companion could muster, a neutral expression still on her face. "I can't thank you enough for your help."
Sekibanki shook her head. "Nah, it's no trouble. I could use a sidekick." This earned a big laugh from the jolly Byakuren, as both of them looked at the third girl in this little meeting.
Hata no Kokoro.
"I do mean it, though! She seemed so interested in getting another chance to meet the Kobbers, but I've been so busy lately I don't think I can do her justice as a proper chaperone. She's still trying to puzzle out how to express herself, you know - I can't have my dear little Kokoro getting into trouble!"
"Thank you for offering to help me find my way around." Kokoro finally spoke, her voice calm and even and fairly quiet. "I've tried to be around the Kobbers for a while now, but it just... never worked out." She shrugged. "It's tiring. I guess I need to try harder."
"Well, take it from me. Hang around them enough, and you will eventually get dragged into their madness. I just showed up for giggles, but by October I was saving the world from a genocidal plant god." Sekibanki smirked. "You're gonna do fine."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kokoro said. There was no obvious emotion in her voice that Sekibanki could make out, and her statement could easily be confused for sarcasm... but Byakuren, who had been around Kokoro more than anyone, just gave a beaming smile. She alone could sense Kokoro's feelings through just her speech, able to pick up on subtle cues to figure out what Kokoro was really trying to say. The mask resting on the side of her head was currently displaying a placid, smiling face, however, and that helped make things more obvious to others what Kokoro was feeling. The mask she chose when she went out tended to indicate how the day was going.
"No problem." Sekibanki looked over at Byakuren. "So, are you leaving?"
"Not yet! I've booked the whole weekend, so the three of us can all enjoy our time in Agama together for a few days before I need to get back to Olympia. Plague's still pursuing that missing people case and I'm doing what I can to help. I can't leave my old King Of Fighters partner in need, oho~"
"Cool. So, Kokoro, you want anything to eat?"
"Yes. Byakuren and I ate at the Silver Tribute earlier, but I skipped dessert since I knew we were coming here. Do you know if this store carries whoopie pies?"
"Yeah, I think they're... oh, over there." Sekibanki pointed, then double-taked. "Oh, wow, you better hurry. That green lady is snatching them up like they're limited edition trading cards."
"Oh no." Kokoro said with no actual sign of concern, before she walked slowly over to the shelf in hopes of claiming a sweet treat of her own. As the showdown commenced, Missy was left dealing with another customer...
"Do you guys carry Gorditos?"
"Next to the cheese puffs!"
"Thanks."
---
(My gratitude to Chao for being happy to hand over his minor character. Hata no Kokoro is now officially part of The GB Ensemble! Welcome aboard, Koko!)
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