The Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall boasted a new gift shop that had a knack for finding "perfect" gifts for the special people in your life.
Hizashi was impressed with the selection both in the store and the console catalog, but wanted to see if he could up the ante a bit. After waiting patiently for awhile a clerk was finally free and she smiled at him to indicate she was ready to help.
He flashed her his own winning smile and added a finger gun for good measure. "Hey there! I'm looking for some gifts for my girl and hope you can help me out."
"What does your girlfriend like, sir?"
"She really likes <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> stuff." Hizashi paused, then added quickly, "but not anything relating to the hero Cheshire. Just the characters in the book. Maybe, uh, movies too."
A young woman nearby turned to give him a sour look. "Doesn't like the hero? Why not? Because she's a woman?"
He blinked, startled, and opened his mouth to reply ...only to close it again just as fast. <i>Shop's fillled with people and people don't know about us yet - careful.</i> "Um."
"Women need to support, not to tear each other down," she insisted, frowning. The embarrassed clerk didn't know which way to look and Hizashi was wondering how he could get out of this situation gracefully.
She wouldn't let him get a word edgewise in, however, and started asking more questions. "If she's jealous of a hero that you'll never meet is she the right one for you? Huh?"
He chuckled, a flush burning across the bridge of his nose. "I, uh, doubt she's jealous of her."
"Oh? Have you ever told her you think she's hot?"
"My girl? Of course -!"
"No. Cheshire! Have you ever said that in front of her?"
"Ahhh..." He started to sweat. <i>There's no way this doesn't end up with me outing we're a couple. Like, no freaking way.</i>
"So you told your girlfriend you think another woman is attractive, and you think she's not jealous." A small crowd had gathered around them by now, attracted by the woman's wildly gestulating arms and her loud voice.
"Aw, c'mon," he tried a different tactic, smiling as much as he could under the circumstances. "Lyin' ain't a good look on anyone, right? And it's not what you think. Really."
She cut him off on another tirade. Now some young folks off to the side were recording, certain they might have a potential viral hit on their hands.
<i>And they do,</i> he thought, <i>but it's<i> not <i> what they think.</i>
Hizashi sighed, seeing that there was no avoiding the confession without creating further mayhem. He reached into his back pocket and took his wallet out while she stared accusingly at him.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, <i>listener</i>," he stressed as he showed her his hero I.D., "but my girlfriend doesn't want to collect merchandise of <i>herself</i>. It's kinda tacky, yanno?"
Baffled, the woman blinked several times at the photo and then at him. Long blond hair, doubled - no, tripled -- into a bun at the back of his head, the spiralling hazel eyes, sunglasses... and one very recognizable mustache.
There <i>it is</i>. He groaned inwardly as recognition flooded her taught features.
"Oh!" She paused, and then, incredibly yet inevitably added, "Can I get your autograph?"
