While Danuja maintained a routine by working at Hitomi-san restaurant, helping with carrying heavy bags of rice, stacks of eggs and greens, packages of flour and the occasional bags of meat. Sometimes the woman would let her in the small kitchen, where she needed to lower herself so she won't hit the ceiling, where Hitomi-san would putt her, in the woman exact words.
'' Guard the ramen.''
Hitomi-san restaurant was focused on warm, rich flavored and sometimes spicy ramen. There was tonkotsu, shoyu, miso and shio. Basically any type of ramen you wanted, Hitomi-san would make it for you. The clients were generally older people who were old friend with the woman herself or the occasional tourists that want the experience of a '' restaurant in the wall''.
Danuja quite liked working there, especially when Hitomi-san would let her stay after work hours to test 'new' ramen flavors that she played around. It was a much better experience than it sounded like.
It was also really pleasant to stay, talk and just be around someone that actively knows she was a girl. Danuja could even wear the long skirts she liked with no need of a back up pair of pants or binder.
Back at the gym, Danuja was facing the seven days mandatory of relax. It was awful.
----
'' I won't die if I just train an hour more.'' Danuja argued, gritting her teeth. She wasn't tired, not a single speck of sweat on her body and the only thing she did was shadow boxing and five minutes of rope jumping at the beginning.
'' Maybe not now but you need a week of rest so your next match can work, well enough so you can win. So what if you can train for another couple of hours? That doesn't mean you need to force yourself every day.'' he reasoned making Danuja frown awfully
'' It's summer break.'' Mr. Touma said waving a hand around '' Sure, do your work out routine but learn to rest Danuja. Do something fun.'' he said not quite looking at her before clearing his throat
'' Are you? Are you worried about me?'' Danuja asked before smirking when the man twitched, groaning at the end '' You don't need to you know. My body already feels light enough to do more than a hour of shadow boxing and a warm up.'' she said huffing when Mr. Touma rolled his eyes
'' Kid. No normal teenager can heal their muscle that fast.'' Mr. Touma said even laughing a little when Danuja scowled at him
I'm a teenager sure she thought rolling her eyes but nodding nonetheless when Mr. Touma repeated his warning again never been normal before though
--
In the end, a bored Danuja it's an unpredictable one. So when she begin walking in a single direction, taking trains and buses that she just 'knew' of, she wasn't even surprised when she wake up in what was suppose to be Kana neighborhood.
I want to see you she thought longing after warm smiles and vanilla scent
At her side, Dad was sniffing the unknow place, wandering on his own to a nearby park. While he sniffed and checked around, Danuja took out the small paper where Kana address was on.
Str.3A, Shishijima House
'' 3A.'' she said quietly looking around the place, at the unbothered people that didn't mind her, at her dog who was returning at her side, tail wagging proudly before she finally spotted the streets signs.
It looked like she was nearby to 1A and not 3A.
'' Let's take a walk.'' Danuja said, patting Dad neck before clicking her tongue so he could walk beside her hip, not straying away.
For a few minutes, while Danuja was trying to find the right streets, she wondered is she should ask the locals for pointers but at the end she decided otherwise. After all, the only thing she needed was rumors of a strange girl showing up and asking about a specific house.
Old grandmas are no joke.
In the end, Dad was the one that helped, like he did most of the time, by staying unmoved looking at the street ahead of them.
'' Holy shit.'' she hissed, taking a step back, at the sight of a fucking compound, giant gate and all. If it wasn't for the expensive cars outside, Danuja would have though that it was a place taken from a history book.
Dad whined confused at her reaction, taking a step back as well but staying at her side nonetheless.
'' Yeah.'' she said to herself backing away, searching for her phone anyway '' Don't think either of us can jump over this thing.'' she said thing the corner and returning at the same park with steady steps and forced calmness.
Danuja wasn't really sure at that time, why was her reaction that extreme but she couldn't lie and say that the simple sight of the massive compound didn't scare the shit out of her.
---
Back at the park, Danuja was seating on a bench, chewing her lips, frowning. She was trying to think at what to do in this situation and make sure to stay relaxed. The last thing she needed was an agitated Dad who was acting too protective of her.
In the end she took out her phone and did what a normal person would do.
Let's go out she send, her fingers moving fast on the letters I took Dad on a walk and I passed by a lot of stalls. There are a lot of sweets too.
Danuja pressed send and waited. Dad was a good distracting, making her get up and play around with him a little, even letting some kids to pet him at some point. They were lucky that their fingers were clean though.
When her phone buzzed again, she perked up before taking a seat on the bench again.
I never had street food before Kana send making Danuja frown slightly There it's a park near my house she send again after a while.
It sounded awfully hesitating even over the text. Can we meet there? I live at-
Kana send over the same address Danuja had already before sending an affirmation. There was a ball of excitement in her belly and just the flash of amethyst and the faint sound, like an echo, of Kana laugh made Danuja smile, finally relaxing.
--
Maybe she was a little weird over Kana 'house' but Danuja was sure that it was just a one time thing.