The sun was low in the horizon, coloring the sky in a deep orange-gold that was beautiful to gaze at. The sound of automobiles sounded in the distance, and every now and then a bird flew over head. The smell of the city was filled with a queer combination of the exhaust of vehicles and the smell of people just beginning to cook their dinners for the day. The restaurants on the side of the road, however, were the only thing that captivated Shiina, her mouth watering at all the options laid before her. Itamemono, Yakitori, Tempura, Takoyaki... Hell, with the money her mom gave her for dinner, she may be able to afford some expensive sushi! Ogata simply gazed at the various names of the restaurants, attempting to pick out the ones that had delicious sweets, until Shiina pushed her back into her bag. There was no way she was risking being discovered as a magical girl... Although, that would make her even more popular... No, the risk was too great! In the end, she settled on a smaller Udon shop that she heard her friend Kumiko talk about during lunch.
Several minutes and 500 Yen later, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed in front of the drooling pink-haired school girl, and she slowly slid the Higashi she bought for Ogata into her bag. Picking up and disconnecting her chopsticks, Shiina quickly began to devour the food as if she hadn't eaten in days. I have to remember to thank that guy taking mom out tonight!, Shiina thought to herself. She was glad that her mother was beginning to go out and look for somebody. After all, raising a child alone is difficult, and considering how Shiina acted, her mother must have been going through a tough time. These thoughts were disturbed when she realized that she hadn't used the bathroom the entire day. Embarrassed, she quickly devoured the rest of her bowl, wiped her face of noodles that missed her mouth, and quickly made her way to the bathroom.
The bathroom was very nice, considering she was in some random Udon shop. Her friend, Satoko, talked about them as if they were gas station restrooms... But then again, considering very few people were eating in the shop, it seemed as though not many people came to the shop. Not complaining about the unexpected cleanliness, Shiina, entered one of the stalls and did her business. Quickly leaving, she washed her hands and returned to the restaurant, realizing that she left Ogata all alone! She quickly checked her bag, thankful to see Ogata playing on Shiina's phone and breaking pieces off of the (relatively) large Higashi. Closing the bag, she turned towards the man behind the counter, realizing she now had more room in her stomach for dinner.
"Hey, Ojiisan! Another bowl this way!"
"It's Ojisan, brat! I'm only 45..."
Taking another 500 yen, the old looking shopkeeper began to prepare another bowl of Udon, allowing Shiina to have plenty of time to gaze around the shop. It had a wooden floor and was very traditional in style, with paper room dividers blocking off separate parts of the shop, and the only light being provided besides the outside sun were paper lamps. It seems as though while she was in the bathroom the dinner rush came in, as the number of customers seems to have more than tripled in the short time frame. In fact, the crowd was so large that Shiina decided to try and look for any of her classmates or friends, but before she could begin, she heard a voice close to her call out.
"Here ya go kid, thanks for the patronage"
A steaming bowl of Udon was deposited right in front of Shiina and, feeling a second wind overtake her, she began to eat, albeit significantly slower and more carefully than earlier. Despite this extra precaution though, it was still very messy. Numerous separate thoughts began to overtake her, such as what her mother's (possible) boyfriend was like, the types of clothes she planned on buying, if anyone she knew was in the shop, and what patrol was going to be like tonight.
Several minutes and 500 Yen later, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed in front of the drooling pink-haired school girl, and she slowly slid the Higashi she bought for Ogata into her bag. Picking up and disconnecting her chopsticks, Shiina quickly began to devour the food as if she hadn't eaten in days. I have to remember to thank that guy taking mom out tonight!, Shiina thought to herself. She was glad that her mother was beginning to go out and look for somebody. After all, raising a child alone is difficult, and considering how Shiina acted, her mother must have been going through a tough time. These thoughts were disturbed when she realized that she hadn't used the bathroom the entire day. Embarrassed, she quickly devoured the rest of her bowl, wiped her face of noodles that missed her mouth, and quickly made her way to the bathroom.
The bathroom was very nice, considering she was in some random Udon shop. Her friend, Satoko, talked about them as if they were gas station restrooms... But then again, considering very few people were eating in the shop, it seemed as though not many people came to the shop. Not complaining about the unexpected cleanliness, Shiina, entered one of the stalls and did her business. Quickly leaving, she washed her hands and returned to the restaurant, realizing that she left Ogata all alone! She quickly checked her bag, thankful to see Ogata playing on Shiina's phone and breaking pieces off of the (relatively) large Higashi. Closing the bag, she turned towards the man behind the counter, realizing she now had more room in her stomach for dinner.
"Hey, Ojiisan! Another bowl this way!"
"It's Ojisan, brat! I'm only 45..."
Taking another 500 yen, the old looking shopkeeper began to prepare another bowl of Udon, allowing Shiina to have plenty of time to gaze around the shop. It had a wooden floor and was very traditional in style, with paper room dividers blocking off separate parts of the shop, and the only light being provided besides the outside sun were paper lamps. It seems as though while she was in the bathroom the dinner rush came in, as the number of customers seems to have more than tripled in the short time frame. In fact, the crowd was so large that Shiina decided to try and look for any of her classmates or friends, but before she could begin, she heard a voice close to her call out.
"Here ya go kid, thanks for the patronage"
A steaming bowl of Udon was deposited right in front of Shiina and, feeling a second wind overtake her, she began to eat, albeit significantly slower and more carefully than earlier. Despite this extra precaution though, it was still very messy. Numerous separate thoughts began to overtake her, such as what her mother's (possible) boyfriend was like, the types of clothes she planned on buying, if anyone she knew was in the shop, and what patrol was going to be like tonight.