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tennis_hellWho: Kamio Akira and Ibu Shinji
What: Kamio and Ibu go shopping for pocky
When: March 8
Rating: G
Warning: The don-ki theme song is a mofo of an earworm
The Ibu Shinji versus Yukimura Seiichi match had been a complete disaster, naturally. Still, Kamio had spent the better part of the evening cheering on, and then caring for his best friend. After all, that was the kind of support that Shinji had always given him. He and An-chan ahd set Shinji up to sleep off the worst of his numbness and, somehow, his motormouth friend had managed to forget all of the events that transpired.
For the best, probably.
Hoping to distract and encourage Shinji with a hunt for pocky, Kamio steered back from his morning of errands toward Basil Gardens. At the light just a street away, he fired off a message to Shinji, almost here, come outside! Bring a jacket!
Shinji had closed his laptop after responding to a few comments on his post. Yukimura's didn't make much sense to him, so he decided it would be best to just think about it for awhile until he better understood then reply back to him. That way he was sympathetic, like Kamio had suggested. He understood being upset about losing, so didn't fault the other tennis player for being sensitive. In any case, Shinji was sure he had proved his point. There really was no other explanation.
His phone chimed some 'Love Live' theme that his sisters had put on his phone after this one time they heard him humming it. Though, to be fair, he only knew it because they played it with the sound up very loud and he didn't have the heard to tell them to turn it down. Opening it up, he read the message from Kamio then closed the device. Shinji grabbed his wallet and a jacket, as Kamio suggested. It wasn't too heavy of a jacket though because he didn't want to weigh down Tachibanana-san anymore than he already would.
Since he didn't see Shishido before leaving, he left his roommate a long note telling him where he would be, what he was doing, with whom, his phone number, and an estimated time of his arrival back home. Missive placed where Shishido could read it, Shinji left the apartment and went outside, standing near the curb, but not too close just in case something happened.
Kamio was quick to spot his friend standing and pull the bright yellow scooter directly into the space right in front of him. Shinji looked no worse for wear after his match with Yukimura, fortunately. Under his Fudomine pink helmet, Kamio beamed and waved at Shinji. “Hop on,” he said, reaching behind him for the black passenger helmet.
Shinji waved back then took the helmet from Kamio, putting it on before situating himself on the back of the moped. "Thank you very much for letting me come along, Kamio. I don't mind that we stop and make some normal deliveries. I have been curious as to how your business operates. Of course, I know the generalities of it, but to see you in action would be very interesting and if we don't find the pocky, that's okay too. It will be very nice to spend time with you."
Laughing as Shinji put on the helmet and wriggled up against his back, Kamio said, “Don’t be crazy — you’re the one doing me a favor.” After all, errands were much more fun in company. “Basically I wait for a message to my company email. So having you here will keep me at good energy.”
Until he got such a message, it wouldn’t be bad to troll around convenience stores. “Why don’t we check the Don-Ki by the station for your pocky?”
Last he remembered, they had a decent selection.
Shinji nodded at Kamio's suggestion then realized that Kamio probably didn't feel and definitely couldn't see him do so. "That would be fine. You're more familiar with the various convenience stores since you get to travel so much around the city. We can check any of them that you feel may have it." Remembering Shishido's request, he added on, "I'd also like to look for some pizzaman. They will likely be at the same place or at least at one of the stores we stop at, if that's okay with you. If not, I'll pick them up later." He really didn't want to inconvenience his friend at all.
As soon as Shinji acquiesced, Kamio zoomed off joyfully down the street with a familiar rhythm ageru ze! Although he went slower with Shinji than he would alone, Kamio bounced around like a ping-pong ball in vehicle form, the Tachibanana zooming from street to street with its riders while avoiding lights until they reached the main drag. “We should get pizzaman on the way back to the dorm, Shinji. That way it’s nice and hot for Shishido-san,” he suggested loudly over the scooter’s motor, when they stopped to wait.
The best thing about riding on Tachibanana-san was that it felt like a rollercoaster, but without the unnecessary loops and going upside down bits. Kamio was fast, but careful and Shinji greatly appreciated his friend's ability. "That is a very good idea," he called back to Kamio, "I'm sure Shishido-san would like hot pizzaman rather than cold or lukewarm. It wouldn't be fair to him if it came back unappetizing. I'd feel bad and want to go back out to get a properly hot pizzaman for him." He realized about halfway through his statement that the lights had changed and Kamio had began zooming through the streets once again, but Kamio probably knew what he was thinking after the initial statement anyway. He was a very good friend like that.
Although the actual contents of Shinji’s mutterings beyond his agreement were swallowed up by the wind, Kamio enjoyed the soft mumbling at his back. It was kind of like the Tachibanana’s motor, but far more gentle and better smelling.
They zoomed right past the red, pink, and yellow -- almost Fudomine colored -- Don-Ki store. But that was because Kamio wanted to park his moped in one of the adjacent side streets, where it would be slightly safer from passing cars. “Five minutes and…” Kamio looked at his digital watch. “Twenty seven seconds. Not bad!”
He locked the pink helmet along with the moped and held a hand out for Shinji’s guest helmet. “Does it feel faster?”
Shinji unstrapped his helmet once the moped had come to a stop and passed it over to Kamio before getting off the bike. Five and a half minutes seemed quite fast to him, even with the stop. He nodded in response to Kamio's question. "I think it would have been faster had we not hit the light, but it's a very good time regardless. You would have been faster if I hadn't been riding with you, so if you have a delivery to make between here and Basil Gardens, you could probably get there under five minutes assuming that there are no complications such as accidents, lights, or a mechanical malfunction."
Kamio took very good care of Tachibanana-san, so Shinji doubted there would be any major catastrophe to befall the bright yellow moped.
Shinji understood! “Yeah, it’s kind of hard because the most direct route has many lights, but the side streets can still sometimes take longer if you do only that. I’m still working out the most optimal route for speed!” Especially since the train station (located close to Don-Ki) was such a popular location.
After Kamio locked the bike with both helmets, he bounded up to the three-floor store with Shinji. “This store is so dangerous, the theme song always gets stuck in my head….but I think they have your pocky.”
Shinji was greeted with the song as soon as the doors opened. He thought it was a bit loud and that annoyed him. There was a great temptation to find whoever controlled the in-store speaker system to turn it down, but he didn't find anyone who looked important enough to have that kind of control. It also didn't take long for the jingle's tune to firmly lodge itself in his head.
"This is a very large store. I would be kind of surprised if they didn't have it, but I don't want to have too much hope. It's probably a very popular flavor which is why it's sold out. I can't really blame anyone for that because it's delicious and I appreciate that so many people also like the melon flavor as it strikes the perfect balance between too sweet and not sweet enough. It's more an essence of the flavor that hits you at just the right time and doesn't linger too long."
“If they don’t have it, we can go somewhere else…” Kamio tried to listen. Really and truly, he did, at least up until Shinji started talking about the perfect balance of flavors.
Then, his mind succumbed to the catchy tune. “Don don don, donkiiii…” he danced, shoulders and hips sliding in opposite as they ducked through the store toward the pocky aisle.
"I know we can go to other stores, but I don't want to make it too long of an errand as it might cut into your business. Given the amount of space here, I imagine they have--" Shinji looked at Kamio as he started dancing and singing to the store's theme song. It was very strange, almost as if a trance had come over his best friend. He didn't quite know what to do other than follow Kamio through the store.
In the pocky aisle, Shinji did his best to block out Kamio's affliction and searched the many boxes. There were so many... it was truly a bit overwhelming, but he spotted it, the illusive melon pocky right next to one that looked like confetti cake. On the top shelf.
Kamio probably wasn’t the most helpful. He bobbed around the rows, moving past and then circling around to come back up behind Shinji. “It’s not cutting in if I take you with me,” he sing-songed to remind Shinji. Although it did mean he couldn’t give rides, just bring things to people. He listened and moved, then came to a semi-stop behind Shinji (his fingers couldn’t help but tap against his thigh).
“Oh,” he said. “I can probably get it at a jump. Or pick you up.”
Or ask an employee, but that would take much too long.
Shinji didn't think jumping was a good idea. Nor did being picked up sound all that safe, not that he didn't trust Kamio, but more that wasn't exactly the most graceful person on the planet. "It would probably be a better idea to ask someone. I am worried about making a mess. Not that you would, but I think I might if I tried to get to the pocky. I imagine a clerk has an easier way to access the item I want without too much hassle," he said, closing his eyes briefly to try to tune out the song. That didn't help as his mind immediately decided to show him a worst-case scenario of the entire pocky shelf tumbling over and smacking into another shelf causing everything to domino.
"I am going to find someone to help us. If you want any particular kind of pocky, I'll get it for you. Strawberry is good, but I think you would enjoy the birthday cake one or maybe the chocolate sea salt," Shinji said as he started to walk away, his voice trailing off as he turned a corner.. "I don't think you'd like matcha; it's a bit bland, but you might find it interesting..."
“Probably the clerk has a ladder,” Kamio said, bouncing on his heels as he peered around at the different kinds of pocky. “I can go and find a clerk, or a ladder, you can…” Shinji had already walked off while Kamio executed his pace-and-dance of the snacks aisle. He examined the pockys with a wrinkled nose; they were a bit too sweet for him, but white day was coming up and he wanted to buy something for An-chan and probably for Shinji.
Shinji was already buying melon and he said that he liked strawberry. Birthday cake sounded a bit questionable -- how could pocky taste like a birthday cake? Because he could pretty much hear Shinji’s rant while looking at it, he went with the dark chocolate sea salt. Now as for An-chan, he had asked his sister what chocolate girls like, because he didn’t want to buy An just whatever had the most appealing package. Per his sister’s advice, he bopped around until he found white chocolate pretzels of a particular, nondescript brand.
As an afterthought, he grabbed a bag of shoyu senbe for himself.
Now where was Shinji? Maybe Kamio should run off and find him.
Shinji has eventually found a clerk three aisles away and not-so-briefly discussed his problem. The clerk had blinked at him a few times before he understood that Shinji wanted something from a high shelf. He led the employee back to the pocky aisle and pointed to the box with a melon pictured.
"I don't know how many there are, but I would like all of them that way I can space them out and not need to come back as soon. It will also give me the opportunity to share with my friends since none of them have ever tried melon and I think they would like the flavor. It's a bit subtle, but that's what I like best."
The clerk set up the ladder and grabbed five boxes of melon pocky, ignoring the rest of Shinji's monologue. Once back on the ground, he passed them over to Shinji and quickly walked away.
When the clerk walked away, Kamio was there to half drape over Shinji to look at the bounty. “Nice, I’m really glad that you found them here.”
However, he did hope that Shinji wouldn’t eat them so close together and give himself a stomachache. Maybe they also should pick up something healthy to eat on the way back from picking up Shishido’s pizzaman. “You ready for check out?”
"There are plenty to share. I really want you and An-chan to try this flavor. I hope you'll like it. Melon isn't a flavor many people would call a favorite and it's okay if you aren't a fan of it because I know it's an acquired taste. Thank you again for bringing me here," Shinji told him. He gave Kamio a grateful smile and nodded. "I'm ready if you are. Other than what I'd like to pick up for Shishido-san, I don't need anything else, but if you want to get more things, I'm fine helping you find those things."
Although Kamio didn’t like pocky on the whole, he did enjoy melon, so there was a greater than zero percent chance that he would enjoy this new flavor. “I’ll give it a try!” he said with enthusiasm, bounding just ahead of Shinji toward the checkout. He spun around, walking backward to look at his best friend while exiting. “I don’t really need anything, unless I get a --”
As if by some magic, Kamio’s work email notification sounded an excitable little techno blast. “Oh! I’ve got a customer.” Nibbling his lip and almost walking into a stack of ramen, Kamio concentrated on the email. “They want me to bring them gyudon from Yoshinoya and four beers.”
Shinji nodded, thankful that Kamio was willing to try the pocky. He knew his friend didn't normally go for anything sweet since the sugar wasn't the best source of energy to him, but there was always a small, occasional exception. Following behind Kamio, Shinji managed to grab Kamio before the other man toppled over a very nice decorative display of ramen packets. "Is that far away? If you need to go without me, I can make my way back. I remember the way we came, so it's no trouble. I can also take your items with me so they won't slow you down. I know how important delivering items quickly is, so I don't mind."
Kamio grinned at Shinji in thanks and gave him a pat on the back. This time, he managed to find the line while walking face forward. “Nah, it’s not far. I have enough time to take you home first, or you can just come with and complete the order.”
The Tachibanana only went slightly slower with two people, and the requested time of delivery was a half hour away. Plenty to work with.
Considering that he had yet to pick up the pizzaman for Shishido, Shinji determined that it would probably be better if he went with Kamio. "As long as I don't slow you down, I'd like to come with you. It will also be nice to see you at work. I think it will be fun to zoom through the streets. I could time you, if you'd like."
When it was his turn, Shinji stepped up to the counter and placed his boxes of pocky on it. He passed over enough yen then said a very quick 'thank you' before stepping aside to let Kamio check out.
Kamio’s eyes lit up. The cashier ignored this show of enthusiasm and went along pricing his items. “Yeah! Please time me,” the more errands he timed, the better estimates he could provide for his customers. “The delivery isn’t too far away from Basil. We can stop by the conbini after and then bring you home.”
He paid and bounced on his heels, looking forward to working with Shinji.
What: Kamio and Ibu go shopping for pocky
When: March 8
Rating: G
Warning: The don-ki theme song is a mofo of an earworm
The Ibu Shinji versus Yukimura Seiichi match had been a complete disaster, naturally. Still, Kamio had spent the better part of the evening cheering on, and then caring for his best friend. After all, that was the kind of support that Shinji had always given him. He and An-chan ahd set Shinji up to sleep off the worst of his numbness and, somehow, his motormouth friend had managed to forget all of the events that transpired.
For the best, probably.
Hoping to distract and encourage Shinji with a hunt for pocky, Kamio steered back from his morning of errands toward Basil Gardens. At the light just a street away, he fired off a message to Shinji, almost here, come outside! Bring a jacket!
Shinji had closed his laptop after responding to a few comments on his post. Yukimura's didn't make much sense to him, so he decided it would be best to just think about it for awhile until he better understood then reply back to him. That way he was sympathetic, like Kamio had suggested. He understood being upset about losing, so didn't fault the other tennis player for being sensitive. In any case, Shinji was sure he had proved his point. There really was no other explanation.
His phone chimed some 'Love Live' theme that his sisters had put on his phone after this one time they heard him humming it. Though, to be fair, he only knew it because they played it with the sound up very loud and he didn't have the heard to tell them to turn it down. Opening it up, he read the message from Kamio then closed the device. Shinji grabbed his wallet and a jacket, as Kamio suggested. It wasn't too heavy of a jacket though because he didn't want to weigh down Tachibanana-san anymore than he already would.
Since he didn't see Shishido before leaving, he left his roommate a long note telling him where he would be, what he was doing, with whom, his phone number, and an estimated time of his arrival back home. Missive placed where Shishido could read it, Shinji left the apartment and went outside, standing near the curb, but not too close just in case something happened.
Kamio was quick to spot his friend standing and pull the bright yellow scooter directly into the space right in front of him. Shinji looked no worse for wear after his match with Yukimura, fortunately. Under his Fudomine pink helmet, Kamio beamed and waved at Shinji. “Hop on,” he said, reaching behind him for the black passenger helmet.
Shinji waved back then took the helmet from Kamio, putting it on before situating himself on the back of the moped. "Thank you very much for letting me come along, Kamio. I don't mind that we stop and make some normal deliveries. I have been curious as to how your business operates. Of course, I know the generalities of it, but to see you in action would be very interesting and if we don't find the pocky, that's okay too. It will be very nice to spend time with you."
Laughing as Shinji put on the helmet and wriggled up against his back, Kamio said, “Don’t be crazy — you’re the one doing me a favor.” After all, errands were much more fun in company. “Basically I wait for a message to my company email. So having you here will keep me at good energy.”
Until he got such a message, it wouldn’t be bad to troll around convenience stores. “Why don’t we check the Don-Ki by the station for your pocky?”
Last he remembered, they had a decent selection.
Shinji nodded at Kamio's suggestion then realized that Kamio probably didn't feel and definitely couldn't see him do so. "That would be fine. You're more familiar with the various convenience stores since you get to travel so much around the city. We can check any of them that you feel may have it." Remembering Shishido's request, he added on, "I'd also like to look for some pizzaman. They will likely be at the same place or at least at one of the stores we stop at, if that's okay with you. If not, I'll pick them up later." He really didn't want to inconvenience his friend at all.
As soon as Shinji acquiesced, Kamio zoomed off joyfully down the street with a familiar rhythm ageru ze! Although he went slower with Shinji than he would alone, Kamio bounced around like a ping-pong ball in vehicle form, the Tachibanana zooming from street to street with its riders while avoiding lights until they reached the main drag. “We should get pizzaman on the way back to the dorm, Shinji. That way it’s nice and hot for Shishido-san,” he suggested loudly over the scooter’s motor, when they stopped to wait.
The best thing about riding on Tachibanana-san was that it felt like a rollercoaster, but without the unnecessary loops and going upside down bits. Kamio was fast, but careful and Shinji greatly appreciated his friend's ability. "That is a very good idea," he called back to Kamio, "I'm sure Shishido-san would like hot pizzaman rather than cold or lukewarm. It wouldn't be fair to him if it came back unappetizing. I'd feel bad and want to go back out to get a properly hot pizzaman for him." He realized about halfway through his statement that the lights had changed and Kamio had began zooming through the streets once again, but Kamio probably knew what he was thinking after the initial statement anyway. He was a very good friend like that.
Although the actual contents of Shinji’s mutterings beyond his agreement were swallowed up by the wind, Kamio enjoyed the soft mumbling at his back. It was kind of like the Tachibanana’s motor, but far more gentle and better smelling.
They zoomed right past the red, pink, and yellow -- almost Fudomine colored -- Don-Ki store. But that was because Kamio wanted to park his moped in one of the adjacent side streets, where it would be slightly safer from passing cars. “Five minutes and…” Kamio looked at his digital watch. “Twenty seven seconds. Not bad!”
He locked the pink helmet along with the moped and held a hand out for Shinji’s guest helmet. “Does it feel faster?”
Shinji unstrapped his helmet once the moped had come to a stop and passed it over to Kamio before getting off the bike. Five and a half minutes seemed quite fast to him, even with the stop. He nodded in response to Kamio's question. "I think it would have been faster had we not hit the light, but it's a very good time regardless. You would have been faster if I hadn't been riding with you, so if you have a delivery to make between here and Basil Gardens, you could probably get there under five minutes assuming that there are no complications such as accidents, lights, or a mechanical malfunction."
Kamio took very good care of Tachibanana-san, so Shinji doubted there would be any major catastrophe to befall the bright yellow moped.
Shinji understood! “Yeah, it’s kind of hard because the most direct route has many lights, but the side streets can still sometimes take longer if you do only that. I’m still working out the most optimal route for speed!” Especially since the train station (located close to Don-Ki) was such a popular location.
After Kamio locked the bike with both helmets, he bounded up to the three-floor store with Shinji. “This store is so dangerous, the theme song always gets stuck in my head….but I think they have your pocky.”
Shinji was greeted with the song as soon as the doors opened. He thought it was a bit loud and that annoyed him. There was a great temptation to find whoever controlled the in-store speaker system to turn it down, but he didn't find anyone who looked important enough to have that kind of control. It also didn't take long for the jingle's tune to firmly lodge itself in his head.
"This is a very large store. I would be kind of surprised if they didn't have it, but I don't want to have too much hope. It's probably a very popular flavor which is why it's sold out. I can't really blame anyone for that because it's delicious and I appreciate that so many people also like the melon flavor as it strikes the perfect balance between too sweet and not sweet enough. It's more an essence of the flavor that hits you at just the right time and doesn't linger too long."
“If they don’t have it, we can go somewhere else…” Kamio tried to listen. Really and truly, he did, at least up until Shinji started talking about the perfect balance of flavors.
Then, his mind succumbed to the catchy tune. “Don don don, donkiiii…” he danced, shoulders and hips sliding in opposite as they ducked through the store toward the pocky aisle.
"I know we can go to other stores, but I don't want to make it too long of an errand as it might cut into your business. Given the amount of space here, I imagine they have--" Shinji looked at Kamio as he started dancing and singing to the store's theme song. It was very strange, almost as if a trance had come over his best friend. He didn't quite know what to do other than follow Kamio through the store.
In the pocky aisle, Shinji did his best to block out Kamio's affliction and searched the many boxes. There were so many... it was truly a bit overwhelming, but he spotted it, the illusive melon pocky right next to one that looked like confetti cake. On the top shelf.
Kamio probably wasn’t the most helpful. He bobbed around the rows, moving past and then circling around to come back up behind Shinji. “It’s not cutting in if I take you with me,” he sing-songed to remind Shinji. Although it did mean he couldn’t give rides, just bring things to people. He listened and moved, then came to a semi-stop behind Shinji (his fingers couldn’t help but tap against his thigh).
“Oh,” he said. “I can probably get it at a jump. Or pick you up.”
Or ask an employee, but that would take much too long.
Shinji didn't think jumping was a good idea. Nor did being picked up sound all that safe, not that he didn't trust Kamio, but more that wasn't exactly the most graceful person on the planet. "It would probably be a better idea to ask someone. I am worried about making a mess. Not that you would, but I think I might if I tried to get to the pocky. I imagine a clerk has an easier way to access the item I want without too much hassle," he said, closing his eyes briefly to try to tune out the song. That didn't help as his mind immediately decided to show him a worst-case scenario of the entire pocky shelf tumbling over and smacking into another shelf causing everything to domino.
"I am going to find someone to help us. If you want any particular kind of pocky, I'll get it for you. Strawberry is good, but I think you would enjoy the birthday cake one or maybe the chocolate sea salt," Shinji said as he started to walk away, his voice trailing off as he turned a corner.. "I don't think you'd like matcha; it's a bit bland, but you might find it interesting..."
“Probably the clerk has a ladder,” Kamio said, bouncing on his heels as he peered around at the different kinds of pocky. “I can go and find a clerk, or a ladder, you can…” Shinji had already walked off while Kamio executed his pace-and-dance of the snacks aisle. He examined the pockys with a wrinkled nose; they were a bit too sweet for him, but white day was coming up and he wanted to buy something for An-chan and probably for Shinji.
Shinji was already buying melon and he said that he liked strawberry. Birthday cake sounded a bit questionable -- how could pocky taste like a birthday cake? Because he could pretty much hear Shinji’s rant while looking at it, he went with the dark chocolate sea salt. Now as for An-chan, he had asked his sister what chocolate girls like, because he didn’t want to buy An just whatever had the most appealing package. Per his sister’s advice, he bopped around until he found white chocolate pretzels of a particular, nondescript brand.
As an afterthought, he grabbed a bag of shoyu senbe for himself.
Now where was Shinji? Maybe Kamio should run off and find him.
Shinji has eventually found a clerk three aisles away and not-so-briefly discussed his problem. The clerk had blinked at him a few times before he understood that Shinji wanted something from a high shelf. He led the employee back to the pocky aisle and pointed to the box with a melon pictured.
"I don't know how many there are, but I would like all of them that way I can space them out and not need to come back as soon. It will also give me the opportunity to share with my friends since none of them have ever tried melon and I think they would like the flavor. It's a bit subtle, but that's what I like best."
The clerk set up the ladder and grabbed five boxes of melon pocky, ignoring the rest of Shinji's monologue. Once back on the ground, he passed them over to Shinji and quickly walked away.
When the clerk walked away, Kamio was there to half drape over Shinji to look at the bounty. “Nice, I’m really glad that you found them here.”
However, he did hope that Shinji wouldn’t eat them so close together and give himself a stomachache. Maybe they also should pick up something healthy to eat on the way back from picking up Shishido’s pizzaman. “You ready for check out?”
"There are plenty to share. I really want you and An-chan to try this flavor. I hope you'll like it. Melon isn't a flavor many people would call a favorite and it's okay if you aren't a fan of it because I know it's an acquired taste. Thank you again for bringing me here," Shinji told him. He gave Kamio a grateful smile and nodded. "I'm ready if you are. Other than what I'd like to pick up for Shishido-san, I don't need anything else, but if you want to get more things, I'm fine helping you find those things."
Although Kamio didn’t like pocky on the whole, he did enjoy melon, so there was a greater than zero percent chance that he would enjoy this new flavor. “I’ll give it a try!” he said with enthusiasm, bounding just ahead of Shinji toward the checkout. He spun around, walking backward to look at his best friend while exiting. “I don’t really need anything, unless I get a --”
As if by some magic, Kamio’s work email notification sounded an excitable little techno blast. “Oh! I’ve got a customer.” Nibbling his lip and almost walking into a stack of ramen, Kamio concentrated on the email. “They want me to bring them gyudon from Yoshinoya and four beers.”
Shinji nodded, thankful that Kamio was willing to try the pocky. He knew his friend didn't normally go for anything sweet since the sugar wasn't the best source of energy to him, but there was always a small, occasional exception. Following behind Kamio, Shinji managed to grab Kamio before the other man toppled over a very nice decorative display of ramen packets. "Is that far away? If you need to go without me, I can make my way back. I remember the way we came, so it's no trouble. I can also take your items with me so they won't slow you down. I know how important delivering items quickly is, so I don't mind."
Kamio grinned at Shinji in thanks and gave him a pat on the back. This time, he managed to find the line while walking face forward. “Nah, it’s not far. I have enough time to take you home first, or you can just come with and complete the order.”
The Tachibanana only went slightly slower with two people, and the requested time of delivery was a half hour away. Plenty to work with.
Considering that he had yet to pick up the pizzaman for Shishido, Shinji determined that it would probably be better if he went with Kamio. "As long as I don't slow you down, I'd like to come with you. It will also be nice to see you at work. I think it will be fun to zoom through the streets. I could time you, if you'd like."
When it was his turn, Shinji stepped up to the counter and placed his boxes of pocky on it. He passed over enough yen then said a very quick 'thank you' before stepping aside to let Kamio check out.
Kamio’s eyes lit up. The cashier ignored this show of enthusiasm and went along pricing his items. “Yeah! Please time me,” the more errands he timed, the better estimates he could provide for his customers. “The delivery isn’t too far away from Basil. We can stop by the conbini after and then bring you home.”
He paid and bounced on his heels, looking forward to working with Shinji.
