A "Date" in Niigata

[Kazu Chidori]

Kazu suddenly sprung up from her seat, as her best idea yet rushed into her mind. This may have been started by some cocky foreigner with no respect, but that didn't mean that it was going to be entirely bad. He had said something about a bowl of noodles, but there was no way it was going to end there. She was going to have the best date ever, annoying gun thief or not. Better yet, he was going to be exhausted by the end, and hopefully learn his lesson.

"A win-win situation", she said to herself. "I'll be right back, Jii-san".
"Oh of course, take as long as you like. This old shop doesn't see that much traffic these days, and God forbid I get in the way of youngsters enjoying their youth to the fullest."
"Arigato!", she said, rushing down the eternally sunlit corridors of the city.

As she passed from one shop to the next, planing out a route, she giggled to herself at her ever-so-malicious plan to take revenge. First, the a small tour of this commercial section to see if he can catch a hint at the foreseeable future. Then, the nice little noodle place, which already smelled of open-flame sukiyaki. Then, to a pleasant stroll in the park-space of the biodomes. Then, to the upper commercial district for karaoke, and the gift shop nearby. She has had an amazing singing since her childhood, and couldn't wait to best the foreigner on yet another field of combat. She had seen his cigarettes, and viewed this as an easy win. The gift shop would also be simple, as there was no way this man could know that it's commonplace to get a girl a nice little trinket. Another win, already in the bag. Finally, to the bar, for a good drink. She was known among her friends for steadily drinking her way through an entire store of Umeshu, her favorite drink. She knew that the volume would go down with stronger drinks, but still within inconceivable amounts to him. She would easily impress him in this area as well. She would then take him to the starsphere at the top of the base, and there it would end, with the deep hues of the system shining all around. Not only would she utterly defeat this man in every way on this date, and let him be humiliated by his own realization that he understands nothing about the culture he has found himself in, nor about women in general, but she would also have some of the most fun she would ever have on a single night out. A sense of preceding triumph filled her as she plotted out her path.

---

Kazu returned to the shopkeeper, with a mischievous smile on her face. He looked at her and laughed.
"Oh, he's really in for it, isn't he?"
"More than you could ever guess"
He laughed again. "Well? Surely you're going to tell me about him."
"He's an annoying foreigner, who's holding my stuff ransom for the price of a date."
"Ahh, sounds desperate to me."
"Yes he is. And you want to know the best part?"
"Oh, do tell.", he said, serving a customer.
"He wasn't even embarrassed when I called him out on it!"
The two burst out laughing. "Ah, he sounds Libertonian to me. No sense of shame, no sense of fear."

The two chattered on for a while, varying topics as they went; The beauty of the Sigma systems, the habits of the Gas Miners Guild, Kusari politics, how the actions of the other houses effect their jobs. She eventually got around to the stories her father had told her from his days as a GMG pilot.

"Aha, I used to be a pilot myself. I went on many great adventures with some good friends. You know how all that ended? I got a strong willed wife. Ooh, she was not happy about my travels to deep space. Made me quit and do something she said I was better at. So now I cook noodles." As he hefted his large stomach for effect. "Eat noodles too!"

They continued their chatter for some time, waiting for Kazu's date to show up. Both of them were excited, not necessarily for the same reasons, but the anticipation for a single Libertonian man has likely not been this high for a long time.