"You came for food, and left with a better meal and a friend. A nice bargain if you ask me."
The girl chuckled softly as she rose onto her feet alongside Shiro. To be honest, she had been quite happy at the way things had been going. Not only did she seemingly get Shiro to accept her as being less of a threat than she might had been thinking, but in a way Reikiko almost felt like she was trying to feed a stray puppy and succeeded! When Shiroinu suggested for them to go somewhere else, having gotten enough of the closed environment they were in right now the girl raised a fingertip to her cheek, tilting it lightly sideways as she pondered about the question if there was any place she wanted to go to. While initially she had intended to say no, it was a thought she quickly discarded when she recalled a certain place.
"I know the perfect spot where we can be without anyone bothering us. It's pretty close actually."
The child grinned sheepishly as she picked up her bag and started to guide the street urchin out of the alley. Of course as they walked the main streets of the district the disdainful gazes and loud whispers returned slowly, yet this time Reikiko seemingly had chosen to ignore them, in favor of explaining the nature of their destination to the girl. As they entered one of the smaller and less traversed streets of the district the fanciful shops and establishments seemed to make way for smaller and more homely looking shops, and the one she stopped at was near a small plaza. It seemed to be a store, or a restaurant to be exact. From looking inside it was only occupied by a handful of villagers, less than five even.
"This place is called the 'Delicious Oasis', the food is pretty good in here and the owners are really nice--- Ojii-san! I brought a friend with me today."
There was a certain alluring scent drifting from inside the restaurant that the child had entered, and if she chased after her Shiroinu would have spotted Reikiko excitedly chatting with an elderly man behind the counter. It was easy to notice the restaurant was small, a simple and homely establishment that used its charm to keep a solid and recurring clientele, and judging from the friendly attitude between the customers and the teenage boy that was running back and forth amidst the tables, carrying the food that was being ordered. It was after a moment that an elderly voice spoke to Shiroinu.
"Shiro-chan was it? Don't be shy and take a seat."
An elderly lady stood beside the street urchin, gesturing at the nearby table with a smile and while Reikiko took a seat she exclaimed playfully.
"Obaa-san, can you please add an obento for Shiro-chan? She has a long way to go to get back home, so she might get hungry."
The elderly lady nodded her head with a smile as she disappeared into the kitchen. For a moment Reikiko's gaze drifted away from the table before she explained in the same calm and more refined tone from before.
"Not everyone shares the attitude of those people on the main street. Some people look at your attitude and your deeds rather than your origins. Then again, I have helped the Kanzaki family a lot in the past, so they don't mind lending me a hand every now and then. Once we get your obento, let's say our farewells and try to visit another place."
It didn't take long for them to get what they wanted, for after a few minutes the elderly lady returned with a pair of still warm lunchboxes.
"Don't worry about the payment deary, just make sure to visit us again someday~"
Reikiko smiled brightly at the elderly lady, rising out of her seat to make a light bow while the old woman handed each of them a lunchbox.
"I'll make sure to visit again soon, and maybe stay for a while."
After making sure Shiro was ready the girl walked out of the building, unaware she had just walked right into troubles. A group of young adults, likely part of the wealthy caste of the village had flocked to the opposite of the plaza, their leader, a tall and muscular-looking man stepping forwards.
"So there you were 'Stray Mongrel', feeding from the generosity of strangers again?"
The man spoke in a haughty and arrogant tone, his eyes narrowing at both Reikiko and Shiroinu, yet curiously enough their attention seemed mostly focused on the street urchin. One of the females in the group giggled in amusement, gesturing at Reikiko while speaking in a smug and almost overly dramatic voice.
"How cute, the mongrel found a puppy to play with."
The crowd had started to move forwards, steadily attempting to enclose the distance between themselves and the two of them. Reikiko's gaze drifted uncertainly from the street urchin to the group, about to say something judging from how she was opening her mouth, but the words that followed caused her to freeze on the spot.
"Yet this isn't their playground. You know that don't you 'White Dog'? Your place is in the slums, with the rest of your pack. Of course I'm a kind man, so I will escort you back to your nest."
As the man gestured with his head two of his henchmen stepped forwards, grinning wickedly as they approached the two girls. Was their trip going to end so soon? Simply because Shiro's origins had forced her into this type of treatment? Who did those arrogant bastards think they were? Trampling over her friend like that! She was going to show Shiro all sorts of places, and now they were about to throw her out of the district?
"Don't"
It was initially only a spark, a subtle gust of wind that blown from her body as the girl had lowered her head, almost looking like a scolded puppy. Yet standing close to her Shiro would likely have noticed the trembling of the child's small body. Was it fear? Or perhaps something more... The thugs clearly considered it fear, for they laughed as one of them approached Shiro and while raising his hand toward the girl declared teasingly.
"No need to be scared, we're just going to collar you two and send you back home like the little puppies you are---"
"DON'T BULLY SHIRO!"
The girl's previously soft voice had almost turned into a booming shout, her chakra flaring up into a poisonous purple color, and alongside the burning chakra a loud buzzing sound came, the little inscets from before seemingly having reappeared, an insightful eye likely making it clear one of them came from the girl's sleeve while all the others emerged from the shadows around them. Still, unlike before they didn't seem to look like the harmless scarabs from before. Those insects were the size of a golf-ball and looked like some creepy mixture of a demon and an insect. The swarm of 'Youkai Bugs' as one of the crowd screamingly identified them had lashed out to the man, causing him to flail in a panic as he collapsed onto the ground, his face turning a pale color as the insects left his side and returned to float around Reikiko.
"I won't let ANY of you take my friend away."
Badum...
She could feel her heart skip a beat, her grey-colored iris slowly turning a crimson color. Her anger was starting to consume her mind, anger at this unjust treatment.
"maybe I should let those little ones take you all away instead... to a place far away where none can bully Shiro anymore... Doesn't that sound pleasant?"
The girl's tone was cold, terrifyingly cold as her gentle presence seemed to steadily grow colder and colder, and Kousotsu's presence continued to stir fiercely....
-Feel free to post, I'll ask if Kuro wants to join~-