A/N: So I went back through this chapter and changed some stuff, like how a certain character's personality here doesn't exactly fit the actual in-game character's. Also said character's prior personality felt a little offputting and cringy to me, maybe these changes will make this character more bearable? Reading through this chapter again, I don't really think there's much improvement.
"Exhilarating!" mused an uncharacteristically mute Hisui as she leaped over a puddle in the middle of a road. Which was uncharacteristic of Hisui because she never ventured outside voluntarily, nor would she think over anything, as she would most likely call it "lame" and complain that her brain hurts afterwards. Oh, excuse me, this particular Inkling wasn't Hisui at all. No, and something tells me we aren't in Inkopolis anymore, or Flounder Heights Apartments...hmm...no, more like the outskirts of Calamari County, a much smaller city than Inkopolis.
Uhh...what's the Inkling's name? Pretty sure it's 17-year old Yuzu. Yeah, Yuzu of Calamari County! Or Agent 4, whichever you think is catchier. Unlike Hisui, she enjoyed not smelling like a garbage pit and certainly not being a total sap all the time, and she was mute, which proved a hindrance at times. Oddly decked out in a pink Retro Sweat with a familiar-looking cat on the front, a matte grey camping hat, and trail boots, her wardrobe choice was a bold move, considering sweatshirts aren't exactly the best option to wear outside in the rain. Not only that, but there was also a jellyfish standing nearby, shooting her weird looks as she played near the puddle.
Surprisingly, Yuzu didn't have a care in the world. She was preoccupied with jumping over puddles of water at the moment, but she did offer the bystander a chance to join her though, although it failed miserably, of course.
"Wanna join me? It's satisfying, take my word for it, I've been at this for hours now nonstop! I haven't even gone back to my house yet to check if everything's ok or not! My nana must be really concerned about my safety! So...you gonna come over here or what?"
The jellyfish felt a little disturbed and cringed by her staring at him, after all, he didn't hear a word she said because she only thought her offer and didn't say it out loud. He rolled his eyes and threw his tentacles out in dismissal, walking elsewhere to find someone less peculiar to stare at, because he more than likely believed Yuzu was dropped on her head when she was a baby.
"Eh? Oh well, be a stick in the mud then."
It eventually grew dark outside, and Yuzu was no longer hopping puddles of water on a gravel road. She was heading home to her grandma's house. Her lemon-yellow bioluminescent head tentacles provided adequate light for her to see in the dark. It took quite some time, however, because she got sidetracked and stopped a few times along the way to pick some trinkets up off the ground, for whatever reason. Hasn't anybody told her how unsanitary that is?
After Yuzu double-checked that she had everything that she picked up, she finally made her way back home. She approached the door and using the brass knocker that resembled a squid, knocked four times. The door swung open as she knocked, but no grandmotherly figure was standing behind it to greet her, it seemed as though it was open the whole time. Yuzu became flustered, adopting a quizzical look on her face as she stepped through the doorway to investigate.
She hastily surveyed the house for signs of her grandma but to no avail. Yuzu even traversed the basement and attic, no signs there. After she saw no sign of her out in the backyard, she went back into the living room and plopped herself on a sofa, head resting on her fist. She was really starting to regret staying out so late since she thought her grandma left the house to search for her, thinking to herself, "If only I didn't stop on the way to pick up some silverware and jewelry off the ground, grandma never would've gone out to look for me. She must be worried sick."
Yuzu sighed sharply and waited for her grandma to return home, albeit still slightly confused as to why she found the door open earlier. Almost an hour passed by with no sign of Yuzu's grandmother until she heard the sound of shuffling at the door. Yuzu shot her head up in anticipation. An elderly Inkling with wrinkly skin and pale yellow tentacle hair trudged her way through the door, completely ignored Yuzu, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.
Yuzu was a little confused when her grandmother paid no attention to her when she came in, so she decided to make some attention for herself. She hopped out of the sofa to follow her upstairs and into her room.
"Hello, gran! Where have you been this whole time?" She queried with a warm smile and her arms outstretched, hoping to receive a hug.
Unfortunately for her, grandma did not return a hug, nor did she answer her question, because again, not a word was actually said. Hana, as she was called by anyone who was not her granddaughter, was rummaging through her dresser, almost as if she was trying to dodge the question.
Yuzu's smile turned upside down and she appeared mildly concerned. "Um...hello? Did you hear me? Where were you when I was waiting in the living room for almost an hour? The door was left wide open, too. Anybody could've strolled right up in here and took whatever they wanted, well, not that anybody would do that, right grandma? Uh...grandma, you awake?"
Hana fell asleep from boredom on her bed as Yuzu was thinking to herself, probably due to the thinking part, not everyone is a mind reader who knows what you're thinking all the time. She shook her head and went to her own bedroom without question. She was about to close her eyes when her phone blared and a text message appeared onscreen.
"Meet me at the docks in Inkopolis tomorrow at 2, I got somethin' for you." Yuzu read. "Hmm, looks like it's from Capn' Cuttlefish, 'docks in Inkopolis' is a little vague too. There are hundreds of docks out there." Nevertheless, she replied with an unastounding "ok", and drifted off to a deep sleep, when another sound came from her phone. "Ugh...what now?" Upon seeing the notification, she grew blue-faced. "Oh right, haha gotta delete this app from my phone before gran sees it, then hopefully I'll get some sleep without any more interruptions."
