Their Time Together
Chapter 2
Sen needed a dozen onigiri and had thirty minutes to complete her mission. She waited for the crosswalk to change signs.
Mutsunokami stared up at the skyscrapers around them. Rectangular signs and advertisements flashed above them, hoping to be noticed. Two days ago, he sat in a bullet train for the first time ever for this trip. He watched as the country zipped past him through the window: he saw mists and mountains, cities, towns, villages, and fields, but didn't have enough time to take in the details.
The crossing light switched to green and people started moving. Sen walked as Mutsunokami followed behind her; he was trying to read the crepe menu of an outdoor cafe. The convenience store doors slid open as they entered.
"Welcome," several store clerks said.
Sen picked up a basket and headed to the refrigerated section. She picked twelve onigiri off the shelves. As the cold drinks section was nearby, she added six vegetable juice boxes into her basket; her swords needed balanced nutrition for breakfast. They could figure out what else they wanted to drink or eat when they were on their outings.
Sen turned around. Mutsunokami wasn't in the aisle. Where was he?
Mutsunokami was in another section, staring at all the varieties of candy: chocolates with different flavours, sweets wrapped in every colour. Animal and cartoon prints danced on the packaging, tempting him to buy them all. Usually, on Friday nights, he and Sen spent hours trying out different snacks he bought and watching something on her laptop. Those moments always taught him something new about the world. He could surprise her by purchasing something in this store and sharing it with her next week.
"What are you looking at?" Sen walked up to him.
"This store's got way more stuff than the marketplace at home! Don't you want to try one of everythin'?" He touched one of the packages and it crinkled. If only he could open and sample the candy now. How did humans manage to do a hundred different things with their sweets?
"If you want something, get it now." Sen didn't have time to spare.
"Right, right." Mutsunokami didn't want anything if Sen was this preoccupied. They headed to the cash register.
They returned to the hotel lobby and met with the other swords.
"Each of you can have two onigiri and one drink." Sen gave her shopping bags to Mutsunokami. "Enjoy your day, everyone."
As she walked away, Akita and Hakata mentioned which onigiri filling was their favourite. Today, they were going to Tokyo National Museum and she would be in hours long meetings again. Sen had visited that museum once and enjoyed viewing the artifacts and reading the placards with historical details. It would be nice if she could spend more time with them all, but she was busy and couldn't splurge like Rinko and take them to an okonomiyaki house.
Perhaps, she could try to have breakfast with them another day.
Convenience stores offer several onigiri flavours. My favourites were the egg and teriyaki beef. You have to unwrap the food in a specific way.
I tried Kagome juice. When you're on the move, boxed vegetable juice is a good way to get those greens in your system.
I had a cheesecake crepe from Cafe Crepe Laforet when I was in Harajuku. It was good...
