Cat Ears

In the middle of the night in the kabuki district, Hiroto, Gin, Shinpachi, and Kagura were currently inside of Otose's pub, also known as Snack Otose.

"Can't your mouth say anything other than "wait on the rent"?" Otose's loud yelling could be heard from inside of the bar, as she stood in front of Gin and Hiroto, who were sitting down in one of the booths.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing that. At least once in a while, couldn't you say, "advance payment," or "Thank you," or "you're looking beautiful as usual." You're both so inconsiderate." Otose reprimanded.

Gin then said, "If all I have to do is say it, I'll say it all you want." His face scrunched up. "It's just "you're looking beautiful… as usual." I can't do it. My mouth is saying "No, no, no!" "

"Come on, Otose. I already paid the rent before anyways." Hiroto said, eating from a bowl of fries.

"That was for the rent that you missed out! I'm talking about this month's rent!" Otose shouted. "Didn't you just complete a job? Where did all your money go?"

Hiroto, Gin, and Shinpachi turned to look at Kagura at the bar table, eating from a rice bowl with a large mountain of rice piled onto it.

"It's like she has a black hole inside of her," Hiroto complained.

"All that you two know is how to complain with that mouth of yours! Should I sew it shut for you?" Otose said, planting her foot on the low table.

"Go away! My mouth is for strawberry milk and chocolate parfaits." Gin said.

"I have a duty to keep the french fry economy in check," Hiroto said, eating.

"If you have time to drink baby stuff and eat that unhealthy food, then cough up some of the rent you owe!" Otose yelled, stretching her hand out.

Gin turned away and said, "My life is more important than rent."

"Ugh, you're both idiots. Idiots with "stupid" on top for good measure!" Otose shouted. "I'll add "shitty" too if you like. You shitty stupid idiot!"

"Oi! What did you say you damn hag!" Hiroto yelled out, standing up.

"Oh yeah! It takes one to know one, you know!" Gin shouted back. "Idiot, idiot, idiot."

"Hag, hag, hag," Hiroto repeated.

Otose said. "It's not just your taste buds. Are both your brains at the level of a preschooler, too?"

*tap tap*

"Huh?" Otose turned around when she felt someone tapping her shoulder, seeing Kagura looking at her.

"Extra helping?" Kagura asked.

"You damn black hole! Stop eating already!!" Hiroto shouted.

"Stop drinking your rice!" Gin yelled out.

"This ain't no lunch counter, you get me?!" Otose cried out.

"You're bleeding us dry with the amount of food you eat that could last us a whole month!" Hiroto yelled, waving his hands.

"For a while now, you haven't been eating your rice, you've been drinking it!" Gin yelled.

"Give me back my french fries!!" Hiroto yelled out.

"This is a place for creepy old men to simultaneously drink themselves sick and indulge their sick minds," Otose shouted out. "A "Snack" house, if you catch my meaning!

"A meal isn't a sport!" Gin shouted.

Kagura replied back nonchalantly, "If you put charcoal inside and cook it, the chlorine smell goes away. It's a pearl of wisdom from my grandmother."

Otose clicked her tongue and turned away. "Are you trying to suck up to me? In a roundabout way, you're saying it doesn't taste good."

Kagura turned and walked back to the bar counter.

"She's gonna eat up the whole town at this rate," Hiroto said, shaking his head.

Gin said, "Normally, the sound you make when you eat rice is pakupaku, but in your case…"

"Oh!" Shinpachi shouted, startling Gin and Hiroto.

"You fool!" Gin shouted, reaching his hand out, "The most expensive thing here is not the smile that seals a lie. It's those dried garnishes!"

"Stop!" Hiroto shouted, running towards Kagura and trying to pry her off the bowl of garnishes.

*gulp gulp*

Kagura tipped the whole forward into her mouth, practically drinking the bowl of dried garnishes.

Both Hiroto and Gin had sullen faces, as they thought about the price tag on it.

"I'll add it separately to your rent," Otose commented, walking away.

"N-No way…" Shinpachi mindlessly said, staring at Kagura devouring the garnishes.

"For guys who can't wipe their own backsides helping other people is ludicrous." Otose casually said, taking a cigarette out of her sleeve.

"I could never reach around back there." Gin said, turning to Otose, "You could at least leave a little for us."

"Yeah, didn't we fix your VHS tape before?" Hiroto said, leaning on the bar counter.

"I didn't mean it literally," Otose said, sitting on the couch and smoking.

*thud*

"Dried foods make me thirsty." Kagura said happily, "Oolong tea, please."

"Yes." A female voice responded.

"Oi! Why drink oolong tea here when you can get it at the supermarket in a plastic bottle for 358 yen?!!" Shinpachi shouted, pointing towards Kagura with a giant mug full of oolong tea and drinking it all.

"That's outrageous as some rich guy who burns a wad of bills in the foyer looking for his shoes!" Shinpachi shouted, turning towards Hiroto and Gin. "Do something about her!"

"What can we do?" Hiroto said, walking over to sit on the couch.

"But at this rate, all the money in the world isn't going to be enough!" Shinpachi continued. "Well, not that we ever had any."

"Yeah, you're right." Gin mindlessly said.

"We could work honest jobs!" Shinpachi shouted at Gin.

"Yeah." Gin casually said, picking his nose.

"Or we could seriously walk out on our bills!" Shinpachi continued.

"Yeah." Gin said.

"At this point, I'm desperate!" Shinpachi said, clenching his fist.

"Didn't I already pay you guys?" Hiroto said, finishing his fries.

"Yeah, but it was only 500 yen!" Shinpachi shouted out.

"Hey, that's a lot of money for kids like you," Hiroto said, shrugging.

"That's nowhere near enough of what we should actually be getting!" Shinpachi shouted, running towards Hiroto.

*thunk*

Gin stuck his finger into Shinpachi's nose, stopping him.

"Calm down." Gin said.

"Gn!" Shinpachi muttered, swatting Gin's hand away.

"How apathetic can you both be?! You can't even decide to run away, much less have the courage to stand up to something! The stress of modern education without a father is showing up here!" Shinpachi said, looking at Gin and Hiroto.

"Hey, I'll have you know I was educated." Hiroto retorted.

"Aw, shut up!" Gin said, "Once you've come of age, it isn't your parents' fault anymore. Do something about it yourself."

"You haven't done anything about the rent!" Shinpachi shouted.

*thud*

A metal can hit the side of his head, as Kagura rubbed her stomach and said, "Pipe down." She then yawned and laid down on the couch next to Hiroto. "Even if your parents die, you still have to eat and rest."

"Tsk, that's all you do these days," Hiroto said, clicking his tongue and flicking her forehead.

"Good grief," Otose said.

"Blood! Blood!" Shinpachi shouted, looking at his hand covered in blood. "Blood!!"

A hand stretched out to him with a wrapped towel in hand. "Uh… are you alright?"

"Eh?" Shinpachi muttered, looking up and seeing a woman with brown and a rather big nose and lips. She had tanned skin, and on her head were a set of cat ears. "Press on it with this."

"Ara? I haven't seen your face before. You new here?" Gin said, leaning back.

"Yes. I've been working here from a while back. I'm Catherine." The woman, Catherine, replied.

"Eh, an Amanto, huh?" Hiroto commented.

"She came to Earth to make some money. She works hard to send money back home." Otose said, walking forward.

"Pleased to meetchu." Catherine replied.

"She's good with the customers, and does a good job." Otose complimented.

"It's no big deal at all," Catherine said, covering her mouth.

"That's impressive." Gin said, stroking his chin. "And she has a sense of humor. Someone around here has absolutely no talent for humor." Gin sneakily looked towards Shinpachi.

"Hmm, that's quite commendable," Hiroto said, glancing at her for a moment and looking away towards Kagura. "This one just lives only to satisfy her hunger." He poked her sleeping face.

"Mmm, I can't eat anymore," Kagura mumbled in her sleep.

"Of course not." Everyone in the room replied.

"Well, there may be difficult moments, tough moments, and unbearable moments, but hang in there." Gin said, walking towards the exit with Hiroto following.

Hiroto turned to Catherine and said, "Keep up the good job, make sure you don't get into trouble around here."

"Thank you very much, I will make sure to be careful," Catherine replied.

"You might think things are difficult now, but in the future, it's gonna get a lot worse." Gin said.

Hiroto nodded and said, "Make sure you prepare for every possibility. If you keep that in mind, you can endure anything."

"What are you two, genuine masochists?!" Shinpachi yelled out.

"It's life advice. This town can be quite treacherous and scary at times." Hiroto said. "You need to make sure you don't have your backs to the wall if you want to live here peacefully." Hiroto secretly glanced at Otose.

"Eh?! What are you looking at me for!" Otose shouted.

"Nothing! No one would want to look at you!" Hiroto shouted, flinging Kagura over his shoulder and running out, "Later!"

"Oi! Pay your tab!" Otose shouted, looking towards Gin who also booked it out of the bar.