“Excuse me, are you lost, excuse me, are you lost.” Mieko recited those words as if they were a sermon, her excitement spreading further and further across her beaming face with every step.

I’m finally going to talk to a foreigner who’s not a tutor!

「Miss, are you sure this is a good idea?」 Takako held onto Mieko’s wrist as she was dragged further away from the comfort of her usual shopping route. 「We don’t need any trouble!」

「Oh don’t tell me, you’re afraid of foreigners too?」 Mieko’s smile morphed from an excited, toothy grin to a sly smirk.

「What? I am not afraid! To think I would act so childish-」

「Great, then there’s no reason for us not to help her!」

「Eh!?」

Once the pair came a few meters away from the girl now fiddling with her thumbs, Mieko began to wave her free hand frantically in the air.

“Excuse me, miss! Are you lost?”

That was perfect!

Mieko was ecstatic. Each syllable perfectly slipped past her lips with no pronunciation errors that she could catch whatsoever. She had led herself and Takako right up next to the bench where the foreign girl sat with her hands in her lap and eyes now fixated on the two women before her.

“Um-” The girl shook her head, eyes blinking in confusion while she tossed a strand of curls behind her shoulder. “I’m sorry, do you speak English?”

“Yes! Yes I do! I study at home.” Mieko held her breath. She could tell that this girl was tired, what with how her voice shook with every word coupled with the gray hue underneath her eyes.

She definitely needs help!

Still grabbing at Takako’s wrist, Mieko repeated her question.

“Are you lost?” She noticed how the girl bit her lip, staring down at the tips of her dirt-covered boots as she swiped a finger under her nose.

“Yes, I am.” The girl paused, reaching for her sunhat and placing it atop her head. “Can you tell me where this store is?”

Fishing out a wadded-up scrap of paper from her skirt pocket, she cupped it in one hand and passed it to Mieko.

Takako couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her as Mieko casually took the clump of paper.

Using only one hand? And it’s not even folded? How rude, even if she is a foreigner.

Taking little notice of the quietly suffering woman behind her, Mieko gingerly unfolded the paper to reveal an address written in smudged ink.

“Oh! This shop sells vegetables! It is on this street, that way!” Mieko gestured towards the street her and Takako originally came from, waving towards the left. “Do you want us to show you?” Mieko whipped her head towards Takako, eyes alight with eager determination until Takako shook her head.

「I’m sorry miss but we need to be back before your father. We also have to be back before the meat goes bad.」 Takako didn’t need to understand any English to know exactly what Mieko wanted to do next. As an employee for the Takahara household for the past four years, all Takako needed was Mieko’s tone of voice and movements to instantly pinpoint the type of scheme she had up her sleeve.

Not to mention, after a day of chasing Mieko around the local shopping district, Takako quite frankly had her fill of navigating the crowded marketplace streets and would rather not experience it again while playing tour guide to a foreigner.

「Ah! Right, the meat.」 With a dejected huff, Mieko released Takako’s wrist. 「Oh! You could go back without me and I help her!」

The disapproving look on Takako’s face didn’t budge.

「Oh fine.」 Mieko sighed, rolling her eyes before setting her gaze back on the girl in front of her. “What is your name? My name is Mieko. I will draw it for you!" Despite the slight standoffish expression that never left the girl’s face, Mieko was determined to help her in any way that she could with Takako breathing down her neck, eager to go home.

“My name is…Lucy…” The girl managed to stutter out, head bobbing and confused where to look next as Mieko once again abruptly turned towards Takako.

「Can I borrow your pen and notepad?」 A grabby hand reached expectantly towards Takako’s pen and shopping list.

「Okay, okay, you want to draw her a map, right? Make it easy.」

「I know, I know.」

After a minute of what Lucy could only describe as erratic scribbling, Mieko handed her a small paper. Sketched on it was only a circle and a rectangle jutting from its side with another rectangle running perpendicular from the middle.

“Ah-”

“We’re here!” Completely oblivious to the confused, blank stare painted across Lucy’s face, Mieko stabbed a finger on the scribbled circle. “You walk to the street.” Another finger swooshed past Takako and towards the road dotted with shops and stands behind them. “And go left! Okay?”

「Miss, we need to be going-」 Unlike her younger, naively-determined companion, Takako took immediate notice of Lucy’s discomfort and decided to use it to her own advantage.

She sighed in relief as Lucy rose from the bench, map in her now-quivering hands and face visibly overwhelmed with Mieko’s verbal waterfall of directional jargon.

“Th-Thank you very much-uwah!”

If Takako could turn back time for this poor, awkward girl, she would have-with a single step after rising from her seat, stepping on a wayward bootlace sent Lucy flying straight for the ground.

“Ah-!” Mieko cried out as Lucy instinctively grabbed ahold of Mieko’s shoulder.

Takako’s heart stopped as Lucy’s head bumped into Mieko’s forearm, causing the pen which had so generously drawn out Lucy’s saving grace to scratch down the fabric of Mieko’s kimono, leaving a thick inky line in its wake.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Once the aftershocks of pain finished coursing through her now surely bruised knees, Lucy raised her pounding head and assessed the situation.

There was no blood, no scratches, the helpful girl in the fancy kimono was also on the ground-

She froze.

The helpful girl in the fancy kimono was also on the ground.

With a huge ink stain all over the front of her clothes.

“Oh-”

‘Oh my god’ was what Lucy felt inclined to say, to cry out to the great beyond and ask ‘why the hell her,’ but her lips refused to move.

“H-huh?” Mieko rubbed her neck.

Well, so much for not getting my socks dirty. Her eyes peered up towards Takako, who looked as if she had just witnessed the crime of the century.

“What-AH.” Just as she began to brush off the dirt and dust from her sleeves, Mieko saw it.

If she thought her father had a ball and chain around her leg before, both its weight and size quadrupled at that very moment.

“I…am so sorry.” Lucy’s voice squirmed its way up her throat, coming out as a pathetic squeak. Knees still scrapped against the hot dirt ground, she swore she saw her already-dim financial future fly right into the sunset, never to be seen again for at least the next twenty years.

「Miss! Are you alright?」 As Lucy struggled to concoct a plan to finance replacing an indigo-dyed, embroidered silk kimono, Takako reached down for Mieko’s hand and yanked her upright. 「Your father-!」

「Agh, don’t say his name!」

Both of Mieko’s trembling hands grabbed at her head, blurred vision settling on Lucy still wallowing in the dirt below.

“Are you okay!?” Escaping from Takako’s protective grip, Mieko leaned down and extended one hand to Lucy.

“Y-yes.” Lucy mumbled through winces and groans, eyes warily inspecting Mieko’s scratched-up hand. “Wait, what about you!? Your clothes, your…everything!”

Mieko held back a scoff as Lucy took her hand, blue eyes bouncing from the cursed ink stain to the dusty rat’s nest that was now Mieko’s usually shining bob.

「It’s okay, it’s…okay.」 Mieko tried to console Lucy. She knew it was an accident, but her voice trailed off as she herself had absolutely no idea how to explain this priceless-antique-turned-disaster of a kimono to her father.

“I…I have Fels Naptha at home.” Again, Lucy’s words came out as gurgled stutters and mumbles. “I can get it for you, it’s strong.”

She couldn’t believe this is what her shopping trip had come to-banking her future livelihood on a bar of noxious fumes, solidified and claiming to be soap.

“Fe…fel…what?” Mieko asked.

「What is she saying?」 Takako hissed, eyebrows knitting together in frustration as her eyes rolled towards the sky.

「I said I have soap, a special kind.」 Lucy spat back with precision and spunk, far too busy steaming over Takako’s demeaning remark to notice Mieko’s turmoil morphing into a state of shock.

For a moment, Takako felt her heart stop.

「Japanese? You-」

「You speak Japanese!?」 Mieko squealed, taking Lucy’s hands and cupping them in between her own.

Despite the dismal situation she had landed herself in, Lucy couldn’t help the slight grin splitting through the corners of her mouth.

「So-so.」

「Ooooh!」 Mieko's fingers tightened their grab onto Lucy's hands, cheeks turning red as her mouth rounded into an 'o.' 「Amazing! Isn't it amazing, Takako!?」

「Mmm.」

Hands clasped in front of her obi and lips pursed into a curt grin, Takako feigned admiration for Mieko's sake.

She said one sentence…

「Um...Miss Mieko.」 Lucy drew her attention back towards the ruined kimono in front of her, fighting back the urge to bite back at Takako for a second time. 「If...you come to my house? We can wash it.」

Why do I keep making things sound like a question!

Puffing out her cheeks, Mieko held in a laugh as Lucy's boggled thoughts seeped out onto her reddened face, plain as day.

「It's not your fault, it was an accident!」 Mieko hushed, her hand now waving dismissively in front of her chest.

「Wait-」 Mieko’s hand jerked to a halt as Lucy's words finally registered.

「Your house?」 Takako cried, earning the group even more wary stares than they had already attracted during their previous mishap.

「We can come to your house?」 Mieko bellowed over Takako once again.

「Miss-」

「And your family? They speak English too?」

「Miss-」

「Yes, my uncle is also American-」 Lucy smirked as Takako visibly grew more and more distraught at Mieko's growing intrigue.

「Miss!」

Mieko’s shoulders jerked up towards her ears, reluctantly taking notice of Takako’s reprimanding yells.

Tiny hands tracing patterns onto the sullied fabric of her kimono, Mieko delicately swooped her head towards Takako, cheeks rosy and eyes shining.

「Yes?」

Takako jumped backwards, the shopping bag clasped between her hands becoming suddenly very heavy.

Don’t fall for it, Takako.

She took a breath and briefly shut her eyes.

「We are going home. You have lessons with Mister Fosters in one hour.」

She could feel her legs tensing as Mieko stared at her, one second with a look of utter betrayal and disappointment and the next with cunning mischief.

「That’s fine. I’ll change into new clothes once we get home.」

「Really?」 Takako felt the hot flash ready to splash through her nerve-wracked body suddenly dissipate as Mieko traded her sly grin for a serene smile.

「Mhm, I’ll hide this kimono-」

「What?」

「Until we go to Lucy’s house tomorrow and have it washed.」

「What!?」

Mieko jolted her head back as Takako’s shrill voice morphed with a howl from Lucy.

「Tomorrow is…tomorrow?」

Lucy’s mouth grew dry, her forehead starting to prickle with even more sweat as Mieko’s matter-of-fact declaration forked her fate-either that damn Fels Naptha would save her poor behind, or Lucy was going to be an indentured servant until she was forty.

「Yes! If your schedule is open! If we wait any longer…」 Mieko’s gaze was still locked on Takako’s now sickly pale face. 「My father will definitely find out, and I’m afraid he’ll give us quite a hard time.」

Lucy followed Mieko’s eyes towards Takako, now stiff as a board and white as a ghost.

Is this girl serious?

Takako was going to lose her job-at least, that was the impression Lucy had scraped from the current aura between Mieko and her companion, whom Lucy could now pin as a fellow low-man-on-the-totem-pole employed by Mieko’s family.

With a half-smile strained across her cheeks, Lucy grit her teeth and sighed.

「Would noon be possible?」

Takako held her breath, eyes wide and lips parted as Lucy’s unexpected but certainly welcome suggestion sounded throughout the group.

「Yes! Yes, that's perfect. We’re open tomorrow, right Takako?」

「Yes…yes tomorrow.」

Mieko bounced up and down as much as her wooden sandals would allow her, hands once again grabbing for Takako’s arm and shoulder.

Lucy noted Takako’s wary stare, her brown eyes lidded with a silent, stubborn gratitude Lucy knew would never be voiced.

「Your address? What is your address?」 Mieko squeaked, still bouncing in place while trapping Takako with an iron grip.

Lucy’s stomach knotted as Takako’s gaze again fell to the ground.

She swallowed her morals and sighed again.

「Still got that pen?」