It's been _(number)_ days since Hei started this assignment, and he's getting close to doing what Mao suggested earlier and spilling water all over the place. "Are you sure it's not at Kirihara's place?" he murmurs, bent over as he dusts under a desk.
"I've been _(direction)_ and _(direction)_ in that apartment, and there's no way she's got the _(noun)_ there," Mao mutters in his earpiece.
"Fine, fine," Hei sighs, "let me get this _(noun)_ out-"
"Oh my gosh!" a female voice says, "who's there?"
Hei puts his hands up and his Li face on. "Sorry, it's just me," he _(verb)_s. "Chief Kirihara, is something wrong?"
She shakes her head. "It's nothing," she says. "Say, have you seen my _(food)_? I thought I put it under my desk, but maybe you or some other janitor threw it away."
"You had _(food)_?" Li's eyebrows go up. He sniffs around, making Kirihara laugh.
"You're like a _(noun)_," she giggles, "don't worry, I guess it's gone if you can't find it."
"If I found it earlier, it WOULD have been gone," Li confesses, "I'm just glad I'm not the one who ate it."
"Why is that?" she asks, _(adjective)_.
"Because you're a _(noun)_," he says, _(adverb)_, "and I'd be in big trouble if I ate your _(food)_."
Now she laughs. "It's good to know someone respects _(plural noun)_ around here," she says. "Are you almost done?"
He nods. "Did you need to get back to work?" he asks, shoving the dust cloth into his _(noun)_.
She shakes her head, her _(noun)_ glinting. "No, I was going to grab my _(food)_ before I left work, but since it's not there any more, I'm out of luck."
"Hey, I know a great place," Li's eyes brighten, "it's called Home Run Restaurant."
"I think I know it," Kirihara nods, "the ramen shop, right?" Her eyes widen when his _(noun)_ growls. "I can't believe I forgot about your appetite." Then her own _(noun)_ growls, and she sighs. "Okay, let's go before this gets any more embarrassing."
Li smiles a little, following after her. "When are they going to fix the regular elevator at the station?" he wonders when they reach the restaurant.
She shakes her head. "I heard the usual company isn't in business anymore, so they've been looking for a new, reliable one," she sighs, but _(verb)_s when she smells the food. "Oh, this is like heaven," she says.
"Thanks for coming in," the owner greets them, then smiles at Li. "Hey, long time no see, _(noun)_."
Li smiles, embarrassed. "Haven't had money or time at the same time in a while," he says, "do you still serve _(noun)_?"
"Sure," Rika, the owner's daughter, chimes in, "how many?"
"_(number)_," "_(number)_," Li and Kirihara say at the same time. "Oh boy," Li sighs.
"Good thing Dad's a fast cook," the young waitress smiles, "why don't you two have a seat?"
There's no shortage of seats, since the place is, as usual, pretty empty. Li takes a seat near the kitchen, less to torture his stomach and more to keep an eye on whoever comes through the door. "Do you make it a habit to leave food at your desk?" he asks.
"Sometimes," Kirihara admits, looking down. "Usually I get to it before the end of the day, but if you didn't find it, one of the _(plural noun)_ might have gotten to it."
The transfer student blinks, then nods. "Well, if you leave food at your desk, I promise not to touch it, even if my _(noun)_ is growling," he says.
She laughs. "Hey, if you're hungry, help yourself," she says, "just make sure you replace it before you leave or I'll get _(adjective)_."
Li's eyes widen, and he nods. "Got it," he says. "Replace your food, or you get _(adjective)_. Right."
"Hey, I'm not the only one," she grumbles, "I've heard how loud your _(noun)_ gets."
"Your _(noun)_ was totally loud," he retorts, "it's not just me."
"Not as loud as yours," she sticks her nose up and manages to keep it there until her _(noun)_ growls again. This time, however, they both can hear it over the owner _(verb)_ing loudly in the kitchen. She looks _(adjective)_ for a moment, then laughs loudly. "Fine, we're both loud," she says, and smiles when the waitress comes with their orders.
"Just in time," Li says, "I think my _(noun)_ was going to echo yours."
"I'm sorry," Rika says, "there's more bowls coming for you, Mr. Li."
He waves his hands, embarrassed. "It's okay, this is a great start." He's thankful that the police chief doesn't say anything about his _(number)_ bowls, because she's got quite a bit herself, and digs into his meal.
And for the rest of the meal they spend it in a peaceable, if not entirely quiet, _(noun)_.
