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SHINOA WAS MISERABLE...
not only could she physically feel the stares of the villagers on her, but her mother was just going overboard with all the clothes and accessories.
"oh my! yellow's such a beautiful color on you! actually, we should get some lavender and green as well", pyua exclaimed.
"a-actually, mother, I was wondering if I could get a red kimo—"
"oh honey, red's too heavy of a color for you. it won't go well with your skin tone. pink's a better option, or maybe orange", pyua immediately turned down.
shinoa just accepted her mother's opinions, as it wasn't like she could see herself dressed in those colors anyways.
"oh, by the way, may I go buy something real quick? I'll promise I'll be back soon", shinoa requested.
"do you need someone to accompany you?", pyua asked.
"no, I'll be fine. thank you, mother", shinoa slightly bowed, excusing herself, as she had one of the maids hand her the walking stick that she only used when she was out alone.
"meet me at the shop called ōshitsu no fuku in around forty minutes. it's pretty popular, so if you need directions, most people will know where to direct you to", pyua informed.
"okay. I'll see you soon!", shinoa said, as she headed off with her thin walking stick a few feet in front of her.
though most people cleared a path for her, at one point, a boy had accidentally bumped into her, causing her to stumble back a few steps.
"ah, I'm sorry!", he apologized, rubbing his forehead, as it had made contact with shinoa's hip.
"are you okay?! you didn't hit your head too hard did you??", shinoa slightly panicked, kneeling down, as she could tell that it was a young boy based on his height.
"no, I'm okay", the dark-haired boy quietly responded, as he stood up and brushed the dust off his sokutai.
"are you sure?? would you like me to accompany you to the doctor's just in case? or actually...I should go apologize to your parents first...", shinoa mumbled.
"it's okay, and my parents...they aren't here anymore", the seven year-old bluntly stated.
"oh...umm...my apologies....then should I bring you back to your guardians? where are they? it's very dangerous for a kid to be out here alone", shinoa said.
"isn't it more dangerous for you to be walking alone?", the boy questioned, not meaning to sound condescending or anything.
"I-I mean...well I don't exactly need an adult's supervision, but your guardians will become concerned if they find out that you're missing or hurt", shinoa reasoned.
