As the night was creeping on slowly she made her way through the slowly deserted streets as she headed for her home. Her temporary home that is, since she didn’t want to grow attached to this place just yet. If everything went according to plan she could get her revenge and  go back to where she belonged in no time.

Walking down the stone path that lead to the heart of the city, she noticed that most of the people still out were the shady characters that came out only at night. People with certain things to do that should not be done at daylight, mostly gangsters and yankees on the hunt who tried to stay off the radar. Maybe those were the people Saruwatari warned her not to mess with, but why would she know anything about these people or even care if Nezumi would mess with them or not. For some reason she was hoping one of them would come up to her and challenge her, maybe because she wanted to know what these so called ‘wrong’ people where all about, since she wasn’t sure whether or not to judge on Saruwatari’s judgement about people.

“Ah~ Gomenasai!!!” she looked up to see Nippori exit one of the buildings carrying a backpack that seemed to be filled with something heavy as he had a slightly panicked look on his face, “Please don’t fire me!”

Fire him? Wait, he was working there? What kind of job could that be so late at night unless he too was involved with the wrong crowd. She wondered why he had a job in the first place.

“Don’t come back until you’ve sold everything!” the loud and harsh voice from inside the building commanded. The tone in which he spoke really annoyed Nezumi for some reason, maybe because she didn’t like it when people boss other people around in these kind of situations.

“B-but it’s late...” Nippori tried but all he got was a door slammed into his face. He sighed as he dropped the bag and leaned against the wall. Such a sad face for someone who usually is pretty cheerful.

“Oi, Nippori-kun!” she called as she approached him. He looked up and seemed surprise to see her, then again she didn’t even know why she bothered talking to him anyway since her attention was mostly for the person he refered to as aniki.

“Nezumi... What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing...” she grinned as her eyes dropped to the bag on the floor, “What’s that?”

He quickly looked down and kicked the bag slightly behind him before looking back up at her again, “Ah! It’s nothing.”

“So desu ka?” she said thoughtfully as she took a few steps closer, “Ne, Nippori. You’re not involved in anything... illegal, are you?”

“Of course not!” He immediately replied and she was just going to take his word for it.

“So why are you out at this hour selling stuff?” she tilted her head curiously. She wasn’t expecting anything out of this conversation other than maybe a way to blackmail him or Wataru for the fight.

He sighed, “I-it’s nothing, really,” He seemed rather nervous.

“You can tell me,” she urged on. “I promise I won’t tell your precious aniki...”

“It’s just a job, nothing else,” he said as he picked up the backpack and tried to carry it over his shoulder.  It was more than clear that the bag was heavy, even for him. But he kept a nice pokerface.

“Ah...” I nod. “Well, do you need some help?” She offered. She didn’t know where that came from, maybe because she was getting bored from all the fighting for one night.

“No! Just leave me alone, okay?” Hmm, apparently it was a sensitive topic as he quickly headed off into the distance and she blankly stared after him. What a strange guy, for once she tried to be generous and she didn’t even get any gratitude in return, nice to know.

“He takes pride in his work, it’s admirable”

“Ah!” She jumped before turning around to the voice. “Kinoko-atama! Why do you keep popping up like that?”

Somehow she couldn’t help but consider the possibility that she was stalking her. Everywhere Nezumi went she crossed paths with her, and it was starting to get annoying.

“I was just in the neighborhood...” she shrugged. Her hair was in her familiar mushroom-like style but she wasn’t wearing her school uniform, instead she was wearing something that might just have crossed the line between cute and fashionable, which admittedly suited her. She was carrying her bookbag and a study book under her arm again.

“Very suspicious....” she frown as she tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

“Seriously,” she scoffed. “I just came from the library and this is my way home.”

Slowly she nodded. That made sense. She sure seems like the type to spend her free time in the library studying if she wasn’t busy with an after school activity like the female tumbling team. And it was pretty plausible that this was the way she needed to go to get home.

“So Nippori-kun works at night?” she frowned. Apparently Saruwatari knew more about the situation that was going on, so while she was here she might as well tell Nezumi.

“He has younger siblings and his father’s work isn’t going that well, they need all the money they can gather so Nippori works before and after school,” she nodded.

“Sokka...” Nezumi nodded. She also realized why he was so desperate when his boss kicked him out of the building. He needed the job and every cent it paid, even though it means working many hours after school carrying heavy bags and trying to sell the goods to the few people walking around, which is also a very dangerous job considering the people around here. “But if he doesn’t sell everything in his bag tonight, he will get fired...”

“It can’t be helped. I doubt he’ll get anything sold out here, there are hardly people around...” she sighed.

“They are all at home already...” Then a thought crossed her mind and with a smile Nezumi look up at her. “So why not just sell door-to-door?”

“Eh?” she tilted her head slightly as she looked at Nezumi with a look of confusion.

She nodded, “Think about it, Kinoko-atama! Everyone is at home now, if you go door to door and try to sell them your goods people are quicker to buy stuff since they don’t need to carry it around !” the plan totally made sense to her.

“Majisuka?”

“Majidayo!” she nodded. Of course she was serious about this! “It’s the easiest way to sell things at this time.”

“If you go door-to-door selling goods you will only get a door slammed in your face, baka!”

“Ugh! Stop being so negative, Kinoko-atama! It doesn’t suit you at all!” she sighed. For once she was being generous and thoughtful which is very unlike Nezumi, and everyone was shooting her offers down like birds during hunting season.

“Stop calling me that!” she replied in a slightly more irritable tone of voice. “I am not negative. I’m being realistic.”

“Well, do you have a better idea then?” she asked her with a frown as she crossed her arms.

She looked at the young yankee and shook her head, “How about minding our own business?”

She scoffed, “Yeah, well... I never asked you to participate in the first place. So. There!” she told her in a slightly childish manner. True, she never really asked Saruwatari to help her figure out a way to help him in this situation.

“And neither did Nippori-kun.”

“Well, he doesn’t have a choice, does he? I made up my mind and nothing is going to change that, so either you help me or just go home!” She told her off and turned around, “I’m going to look for Nippori.”

With that being said she followed in the same direction that Nippori had left earlier. Nezumi didn’t really care whether or not he wanted her help because of his foolish pride, she was going to help him out anyway. With or without the help of Saruwatari. 

Shortly after marching off she noticed Nippori sitting on a bench with the bag next to him looking kind of desperate. Surely he had figured out that his situation was hopeless already.

“Any luck selling your stuff?” she grinned as she stopped before him and slightly leaned forwards with her hands in her pockets.

“Go away,” he sulked in his seat.

“Are are, where is the genki Nippori-kun we all know and love?” She grinned.

Nippori glanced up with a slightly bothered look.

“Nezumi, stop bothering the poor guy,” Nezumi looked up and grinned as Saruwatari approached them. So she did decide to follow her lead to help him out. Either that or she was just here to meddle with her plan.

“But I’m just being nice here,” she whined. “And that’s rare for me!”

“He said he didn’t want your help,” she replied. “Let the poor guy take pride in his own work...”

“Oi! Stop talking down on me!” Nippori jumped up and turned to her with a slightly insulted and surprised face.

“Yeah! Don’t talk down on people like that!” Nezumi nodded enthusiastically.

“And you stop bothering me!” he then said as he turned to look at Nezumi this time while she notice a grin appearing on Saruwatari’s face.

“Will you just listen to my idea?” she answered him, trying to ignore Saruwatari’s pleased face. “It will work!”

“I don’t want your help...”

“You heard the guy...”

“Stop defending me!”

Nezumi sighed slightly frustrated as she turned around, quickly grabbed the heavy loaded bag and hurried to the first door she saw. She heard Nippori call after her but ignore him. What better way to show him her plan worked then to try it out herself.

She knocked on the door a few times while pulling her hoodie over her head and waited for the door to open. A neatly dressed woman answered the door and looked slightly bothered by her sudden interuption of whatever it was she was doing.

“Sumimasen, I know I am bothering you at such a late time,” She said, twisting her voice slightly to make it sound more cute and even a little weak. The only way to talk people into buying things is with a great excuse. “But my dearest little sister is very sick and my family is barely holding on as it is. We need money for medicine so I’m selling these....” she pulled one of the boxes out from the bag and stared at it for a moment. What was this? And why was it this heavy... “They aren’t expensive... please spare some money?” She stared up at the woman with the saddest eyes she could possibly put on to convince the woman.

She stared at Nezumi for a moment, then looked back into her hallway and back to the girl.

“Well, of course,” she nodded as she pulled out her pouch. “I’ll take two,” she saod as she opened the pouch and with a grateful grin Nezumi pull out another box, exchanging them for her money. She still wasn’t quite sure what she was selling her but appearently the woman knew since she wanted more than one.

“Arigatou, I am very grateful,” she said as she took a step back and turn around. The woman gave a gentle nod and closed the door.

With a wide smirk on her face she returned to Nippori and Saruwatari who had been watching all this time and she waved around the money in front of their faces. “See?”

“Wuaaa~ You actually sold some?!” he said surprised as he followed the money with his eyes.

“Lucky...” she scoffed as she crossed her arms.

“If we just go door-to-door and act something up we’ll have these things sold in no time!” Nezumi grinned.

“Yoshi!” Nippori nodded. “Let’s do it!”

Ah, finally he listened to her. See, Nezumi can be nice for others for a change, though as stated before, it was very rare for her to show this side. And she still wasn’t sure why she chose to meddle with this in the first place but it was kind of fun to act something out and con people into buying something. It gave a very nostalgic feeling since Nezumi used to do these kind of things when her gang was in need of some fast cash.

“Ne, Kinoko-atama” she turned to her as Nippori took over the bag from her. “Are you going to help us or not?”

She looked at Nezumi with a frown and sighed, “Well, I have no choice. I’m already an accomplice just being here...”

“Exactly!” she laughed as she tugged on her hoodie. She couldn’t believe she was actually working together with both her and Nippori, but the whole idea seemed like fun.

The next hour they had spend taking turns to go knock on the door and try to sell their things. Nippori’s act almost seemed realistic, which was a good thing naturally, but he just seemed to channel his inner troubles for this. And admittedly Saruwatari really surprised Nezumi with her acting, but that could have been expected somehow. They kept it up until all of the boxes were sold and Nippori made quite an amount of money.

“Surely you won’t get fired now, Nippori-kun,” Saruwatari smiled.

“Ah! Yatta!” He grinned from ear to ear as he sat down on the bench. “Arigatou minna!”

“I told you it worked! My plans never fail,” Nezumi nodded.

“If only you guys put this much effort in your practices, you might actually get somewhere in the competition,” she suddenly sounded slightly more serious.

Ah, really like her to spoil the moment like that. Sure she had a point, if the guys really cared about that stupid tumbling of theirs they would put more effort in training and might actually be able to pull of a choreography at the competition. Not that Nezumi could blame them, if they’re not even allowed to take their time and rehears in peace like the female tumbling team, she wouldn’t be motivated to try extra hard either.

“Not everyone is as perfect as you, Kinoko-atama...” She sighed. How conceited of her to say such a thing in such a tone. Nezumi didn’t like it when people talk down on others whether they were her friends or her foes.

“I never implied that,” she replied slightly irritated.

“N-ne... It’s getting late... I-I’m going to head back,” Nippori nervously said as he got up and threw the empty bag over his shoulder. What a disgrace for a yankee, but she didn’t expect much of him in the first place.

“Oi, Nippori-kun!” she stopped him and got up herself, “Do not mention this to anyone. Especially not Wataru, understood?”

“Not that it’s something to be proud of in the first place,” she added.

“Maybe if you weren’t here it would’ve been!” Nezumi scoffed at her.

“Grow up,” she rolled her eyes.

“Ja matta!” Nippori quickly grinned before running away.

No, Wataru must not find out about this coöperation. No one can. Since this wasn’t really like Nezumi,  doing such a kind act, and she still didn’t know why she even bothered helping him in the first place. Beside the rush she got from conning people, she didn’t feel any more satisfied than she did before she helped Nippori out.

“Well, I better get going myself,” she sighed as she picked up her book under her arm again. Nezumi still didn’t know what was so special about that book for her to be carrying it around all the time but she didn’t really care either.

“Yeah, don’t wanna break curfew,” She laughed as she fell back onto the bench and looked up at the now dark sky filled with a million little lights.

“Whatever,” she scoffed. “Later!”

With that she walked the other way, heading home. Nezumi stayed there for a little while longer, thinking about her next plan. She was slowly starting to think that this might not have been such a bad idea. Maybe the way to get to Wataru is through his friends, the people that are closest to him...