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Yoshino woke up with a frown.

Another day. Another day spent dealing with whatever the hell decided to elude her duties as Student Body President. Another day spent trying to survive in this great old city of theirs. Miso City. Fun times. Fun times indeed.

Morning went by like any other. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Make sure the twins didn't ditch school like the last time. Lock the door. Head out. Walking. Walking. Walking. Honestly, she was only trying to delay the inevitable, praying to whatever deity that watched over them to please oh please not screw up anything today. Of course, it was all futile.

Tsugumi Yoshino knew how cruel this city was. There was bound to be something, anything to make her regret crawling out of bed this morning. 

Likewise, Stukov woke up with probably the biggest shit eating grin of his life.

For the Russian exchange student Gregor Stukov, this would be another day tormenting and being generally disarmingly happy about the general state of affairs in this city. He wasn't sure whether it was in his nature, or it was just to irritate the ever living hell out of his Boss, Tsugumi Yoshino, but it was a good day regardless.

His morning was not quite as organized as some other people might prefer. He was also awake far later than some would be comfortable with, as he stumbled out of the bathroom, drying off and getting dressed at the same time, half falling into the kitchen as he threw some toast into the toaster as the local news station played on about whatever was going on today. And in about ten or so minutes after that he was out the door, eating his breakfast on the fly.

That regret Yoshino was waiting for was probably calling out right now as he walked out at an inlet on the road she was walking along. 

[color=ed1c24][b]"Morning, Boss!"[/b][/color]

[color=#8B8989]"Stukov,"[/color] Yoshino responded dryly. [color=#8B8989]"Isn't it too early in the morning to be bouncing around?"[/color]

The question was rhetorical, so she didn't expect her assistant to give a legitimate or even direct answer. Instead, she sighed, walking along the roads of Miso City with the intention of ending up at Miso Educational Center. Or at least, that's how it should have played out.

But no. Nothing in Miso City was ever that simple.

The two of them were passing by a local toy store, though something caught Yoshino's attention. That something turned to be the masses of police cars and ambulances piled all around the store. A cop with a megaphone was yelling out to someone apparently locked inside the shop.

"Come out with your hands where I can see them!"

Such a cliché phrasing. Likewise, the criminal inside the store had his own megaphone and was barking out demands in turn.

"No way buddy! Give me all the hot pepper sauce in the city or I start blowing off teddy bear heads!"

"Y-You fiend! Without those teddies, my kids ain't gonna stop crying till next week! Do you know how much sleep I get right now?!?"

"Then you better fork over the sauce or else!"

Yoshino sighed. 

[color=#8B8989]"Ignore it Stukov. We'll be late to class if we stick around-"[/color]

Stukov didn't let Yoshino get past 'Ignore it' before he hefted his cello case, grinning like a bloody loon.

[color=ed1c24][b]"It won't take that long Boss, it's just one guy, right? I mean, how many loonies would hold a teddy bear hostage?"[/b][/color]

In his other hand he had a very old, very plain looking black book that, if someone got the looks at the contents of, would probably cause them to vomit. But that was par for the course, really, and he was grinning ear to ear.

[color=ed1c24][b]"I go in first, and you come in after you hear commotion, sound like a great plan, da Boss?"[/b][/color]

She no doubt knew the exchange student well enough to know what he was thinking, and would probably want to at least get a word in edgewise before he took off, so he gave her that much time at least.

[color=#8B8989]"Yeah, ok. Sounds like a plan."[/color]

...is what she would have said when he took off, only to stay right where she was. 

[color=#8B8989]"Those papers aren't going to file themselves."[/color]

...is what she would have told herself had she chose to go straight to the education center.

But no. Life doesn't work that way in Miso City.

[color=#8B8989]"I'm giving us two minutes,"[/color] she told Stukov, briskly following his pace towards the toy store. [color=#8B8989]"After that, I'm ditching you for the paper work."[/color]

"H-Hey, you kids can't go in there," the cop called out to them.

[color=#8B8989]"Or what? You'll shoot us?"[/color]

"Well....no....damnit, just go in already."

Yoshino shook her head in annoyance, following after her eccentric partner into the fray.

[color=#8B8989]"Only in this city,"[/color] she muttered to herself.