[B]ハットちゃん "Hat-chan"[/B]

"[color=3f00ff]When are you free, Kara-han?[/color]"

Despite the sudden disappearance and reappearance of one of her closer acquaintances (was it a friend now? Nicknames usually meant friendship, didn't they?) and the Briton who had generously bought some of her goods, the teenaged girl known only to her compatriots by the moniker of "Hat-chan" appeared to be utterly unflustered by the strange situation that had rapidly unfolded before her golden eyes. It was a testament to the business-like demeanour of this young saleswoman that none of her worry had found itself onto her expression or into her voice, though the muscles around her eyes seemed to relax slightly when Karasawa Shinjiro returned.

However, that did not matter right now, when there were customers to be served!

"[color=3f00ff]The plushie and phone strap are five hundred yen each,[/color]" she said in her usual matter-of-fact tone, Kobe accent bleeding through slightly more heavily than usual as she grabbed the two aforementioned pieces of merchandise, as well as the stickerbook that the other girl wanted with her only free hand (the other of course, still full of scrunchies). "[color=3f00ff]The stickerbook is three hundred yen ...[/color]"

She was struck by a sudden sense of confusion over what the other girl's name was.

Would she make a mistake like she had with that of Karasawa Shinjiro's?

What certainty she had was already suspect!

"[color=3f00ff]... Hira-han.[/color]"

The first two syllables of the surname would be sufficient, then!

And the other customer ... what would be suitable for a ten year old? Hat-chan had not been ten for a long time, but she thought that she could still tap into that fountain of past experiences to remember what she had enjoyed in her own youth. Well, when she had the money to afford something fun of course.

"[color=3f00ff]Ten year olds like plushies,[/color]" she said sagely, handing over the aforementioned case and a plush of the titular Gekota of the franchise to Rebecca. "[color=3f00ff]That will be a total of twelve hundred yen.[/color]"

---

[@Vocab]