Payback's a Brick

[Aura]

School was a place where Hirono was required to spend most of her days. Her house was where she ate and slept, but not much else. Downtown, however, was where she lived.

Shiroiwa wasn't one of Greater East Asia's bigger cities, but it was still a city, which meant that there was fun to be found if you knew where to look. There were plenty of food stalls, restaurants, stores, hotels, bars, clubs, and whatever else. It was these bustling streets that were Hirono's playground, where she could indulge in whatever form of entertainment she desired. Spend a whole afternoon at an arcade? Sure, that works. Have the best damn meal at a revolving sushi bar? Great idea if you've got the spare cash for it.

While those were all fine, Hirono had a taste for the wilder side of things. Sneaking into bars and clubs was a huge thrill. Even though she didn't drink, dancing the night away was an awesome way to burn off the stress that came from the rest of life's bullshit. Even if she didn't have a ton of money to spare, she had gotten good enough at shoplifting to make sure that she didn't go home empty-handed too often. Of course, she was better at it when Mitsuko or Yoshimi were there to be a distraction while she went to work.

This evening she was flying solo, and that was fine by her. She had come dressed for whatever she needed. She had a plain black hooded sweatshirt. Warm enough, and deep enough pockets to stash something of reasonable size. Flashy graphic tank top underneath, matched with a knee-length skirt for style. Finally, a pair of sneakers. perfectly functional and easy to run in. Whatever the night brought her, she was ready.

She walked down one of Shiroiwa's main streets with familiar swagger. She nodded to a familiar takoyaki vendor as she rounded a corner. Looked like a fresh batch was getting cooked up, so she might have to double back sooner rather than later. But first, she needed to check out the area to see what else was going down.

Hirono made her way down the street, eyes peeled for her night's target. Bars, storefronts, everything was looking pretty enticing tonight. Before she could get around to making up her mind, she was distracted by a car passing by and pulling into the parking lot outside of a one of the city's nicer restaurants. Hirono hung back, remaining inconspicuous amidst the crowd of people walking down the sidewalk. However, there was something familiar about it. She watched a man leave the car, and she realized straight away where she recognized him.

Motherfucker owed her money.

Two weeks ago, shithead offered her a stack of bills, then flaked out once it was time to pay. Did he think that the pleasure of his company was some type of privilege? Hirono wouldn't be one to agree. The guy was heading inside with some girl on his arm. Wife? Girlfriend? Hirono didn't know, and she didn't really care. Just gave her more reason to think the guy was a scumbag, really.

She didn't like being lied to, and she didn't like being disrespected.

Part of her wanted to head in and wreck the guy's day by telling wife-girlfriend-whoever what her man's been doing behind her back, but that plan didn't seem so solid. He'd just deny everything, and she didn't want to draw that kind of attention to herself. She needed a different way to get back at him, and looking at his car, she was pretty sure that she had one in mind.

She put up her hood and approached the parking lot. She picked a brick off of a stack that had been laying next to a recently-paved wall on the edge of the lot, and walked until she was about fifteen feet away from the car's back window. It wasn't luxury, but it was definitely a very decent vehicle. She figured that the guy can't be hurting for cash driving something like that.

Maybe that would be something he'd be willing to pay for.

In her best imitation of a baseball pitch, she lobbed the brick through the air, and it sailed into the back window of the car. Once she heard the glass break, it was swiftly followed by a blaring alarm. Realizing her new problem, Hirono turned on her heel and ran away, turning the first corner she could see. She didn't bother to look back and see if anyone came out of the restaurant, or if the guy had come out to see what had happened. She was focused on getting the hell out of there before someone had the chance to identify her.

Sustained by adrenaline, she hurried through the streets, taking several turns in case anyone was tailing her. She dodged through bodies in the crowd, keeping a quick pace as she fed off of her determination to get out of trouble. Eventually she disappeared into one of downtown's many alleyways. Her mind was running as fast as her feet, and there were two different thoughts engaged in battle in her mind.

Bastard deserved it.

Holy shit, please don't let me get caught.

Hirono kept running, and she didn't know how far away she had to get before she could relax. In her desperation, she stripped off her sweatshirt and knotted it around her waist, hoping that would be less inconspicuous. She was pinning her hopes on them looking for a hooded girl in a black sweatshirt. Granted, she could have thrown it away, but if she came home without the sweatshirt, then she's be in for a grilling from her parents. Granted, she wasn't sure they knew or cared when she left the house or what she was wearing, but it was a chance that she wasn't willing to take regardless.

She exited the alley and walked into a nearby cafe. It wasn't the kind of place that she would normally go to. No music, no excitement, nothing but a small corner cafe. She played it casual. As far as they knew, nothing was wrong. She was just a young woman coming in for an evening visit.

Weighing her options, she put in an order for coffee and a sandwich. She figured she could lie low for a few minutes before hitting the bus stop and heading home. It looked like her night out was getting cut much shorter than she had planned. With her adrenaline finally fading, Hirono rested her head against the back of her booth and sighed.

In the back of her mind, she knew that throwing the brick was stupid, dangerous, and would cause problems for her. But in the moment, it just felt good.