Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

26.

Maybe lucky items aren't so short-lived, after all. Lucky just passed her very own lucky bandana to Daichi, and she didn't regret doing so. He needed it more than she did. It's the heart and hope that put into it. If a lucky totem is ever lost out of reach, one requires time to arrange things in their head before keeping on. Some would need a new totem, others, realizing that they'd gained enough confidence to play on their own, shifted to self-reliance.

Lucky got it now. She shouldn't jump to conclusions just from one experience. Encouraging Daichi, the feline also managed to resolve a puzzle in her mind. The feline's stayed behind to eat a bowl of ramen, for she was out of juice from Mountain Climbing, before going to the gym to check out Daichi. On the way, however, she accidentally stumbled inside a citizen house.

Among the many stores of Tanooki City, it was hard to tell and normal residential apart, especially when it was next to the Train Station, had a neon light decoration which colors mimicked the order of dango balls on a traditional stick, a door left astray, and pale curtains printed with something vibrant red that caught attention of the eyes. Can't blame her for her subconscious action. Curiosity was in her nature, it ran right in her veins!

But when she saw the sink and stove, she immediately knew that something was off about the "store". On her right was a small dining table set up for one, and on her left was a single bed with dark green covers. A low bookcase was placed next to the sink, a large poster of princess Otohime - albeit she looked younger - hung on the wall on the other side of the kitchen counter. Vases of artificial white flowers decorated the corners of the room, a curtainless window opened to the hyper pace of the city, a round green mat with lotus leaf design was placed in the middle, and a pair of indoor flipflops was seen by the entrance. Lucky wasn't that silly to not realize this was, indeed, a personal house.

The feline was about to leave quietly, pretending that she hadn't just invaded somebody's space, when she heard rummages. An otter in blue pyjamas - the owner of the house - was going through her things in the kitchen cabinet, muttering:

"Oh dear! Where could it be?"

She noticed that his bookcase was unarranged, and her bed was a mess. It seemed that she had lost something and would go insane about it.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The otter turned to look at her, her eyes screaming 'Who are you!? And why ON EARTH are you in my house???'' She knew that she wasn't welcomed here right away, it was her fault for barging in in the first place. But she couldn't help herself offering help when she felt like somebody needed it, which was like, right now.

"Ah! Sorry for entering your house without permission. I didn't mean it, I promise!" she waved her hands frantically, "I overheard you are looking for something and I might be able to help."

"Where are my manners? If you're a tourist here, I won't mind letting you in for some snack," she shook her head, "But I can't find a very important book!" her whiskers were shaking, "I could have sworn I had it in the bookstore. My mind was all fixed on finding it, I didn't notice you in.

"Hey, I can really use some help around. Can you help me find my precious book? Check the book store when I search the house again."

"The bookstore down the street, near the Torii, isn't it? Sure!" Lucky beamed enthusiastically.

The otter nodded in confirmation:

"Oh thank you! If you find it, don't show anyone and bring it back to me."

The feline was ready to search the bookstore. Getting there wasn't an issue because she had been there before, but searching for a certain book in a whole house full of filled bookcases was hard. The otter even refused to tell her about its content, saying 'you'd know once you see it'. Geez, she wasn't giving her a clue at all. Now she just had to follow her guts. Normally it should be correct, but it didn't mean she wouldn't be nervous. Imagine picking the wrong book and getting called back by the shop owner... It would be embarrassing. She also didn't like the idea of thieving, and all but the otter's book - assuming that it was there in the bookstore - was not for takeaway without pay. Quick reminder: Lucky didn't have any money.