[X] Now man is born to come a-lovin'
You decide to stick around to size up your future opponent. Well, hopefully it won't come to that; people tend to be less likely to steal stuff if there's a good chance they're expected.
People other than you, you mean.
"Is that Whirlpool story true?" one of the guys asks you.
You shrug. "How would I know? I'm not from Whirlpool."
"Yeah, but you're a ninja," he persists. "You guys always have stuff goin' on that you don't tell normal folks about."
"Maa..." You wince, embarrassed. "That's true, but it's not like we're all in some secret club where we tell each other everything. Who's gonna tell me about secret magic experiments in another country? I'm a genin; I'm lucky if Asuma-sensei tells me why he gives me the orders he does."
"That's awful," a young female voice says.
Looking to your right, you see a violet-haired girl with a worried frown on her face.
Oddly for you, the first thing you notice about her is her makeup. But then, her makeup itself is pretty odd; there's none of the youthful playfulness you see on most teenage girls, no impish attempts at a daytime smokey eye or a shimmery blush. Just perfectly-lined coral-coloured lips, pristine matte foundation, a neutral brown eyeshadow, immaculately-curled eyelashes, and - you notice when she reaches up to remove her sunhat - the kind of manicure your mother calls 'white lotus' but which your mind insists on referring to as 'French'. Her dress continues the trend; almost certainly designer, definitely custom-tailored, and exactly what's in style, no more, no less.
"Some big-shot's daughter."
"Kept woman longing for excitement."
"It's always 'kept woman longing for excitement' with you!"
"Call me an optimist! You gonna take the bet or what?"
"Why hello there," you say with a smile. "Who might you be?"
"My name is Mei," she says, before elaborating on her earlier theme: "It's terrible that your teacher treats you like that! You're not a pawn!"
You blink. Hello, projection, fancy meeting you here. "Of course I'm not. What I am is a rookie. You hafta admit, it'd be really stupid to let a greenhorn thirteen-year-old run around doing missions by herself."
"What's so stupid about that?" a new voice says, sliding up from behind Mei and wrapping an arm around her.
The voice is attached to an unassuming-looking young man with blond hair..
"Sometimes you do your best learning on your own," he continues, adding, "well, at least, I do."
"There's a reason for that, dumbass," Mirioni mutters, and Jonouchi smirks. Mei shoots them both a glare.
"True enough," you concede, a small smile playing on your lips, "but if self-improvement were my game, I'd've joined a Toastmaster's circle. I'm in this line to travel, see the sights." You wink at Mei. She just looks confused.
"But if that's the case, why not become a merchant?" Blondie asks, smiling a charming good-boy smile. "Or an actress - you're certainly pretty enough."
Mei stiffens for a moment, then relaxes as if nothing happened.
[X] Oh, what the fuck. "Oi. In case it's slipped your mind, your girlfriend is right next to you. That's no way to treat a lady."
[X] "I know." You smirk. "But actresses only pretend to have adventures. Kunoichi get to experience the real thing."
[X] Past life pop-culture-reference-machine, SWITCH ON:
-> [X] *shrug* "Oh, you know. They were hiring? And it was only a two-week course."
-> [X] Write-in
