Strangely, Osamu felt a little...optimistic at realizing that, as much of a nasty asshole as Mei was, she [i]did[/i] have principles. He would have mused on this further, if not for the fact that the boy still had nothing to eat. If only Ando Asami had not gone to that ramen shop; he could have had something to - no, this was not the time to cry over spilled milk! Just go to a convinience store and buy something - you have money, don't you?

And, with that, Osamu climbed down the building through the [i]other[/i] fire escape, before running off to look for some food.

[b][i]A Few Minutes Later[/i][/b]

Osamu was eating instant noodles at the bottom of the stairs of a small shop that sold snacks, his mood happier now. He was also drinking water. Of course, this didn't mean that he was abandoning his duties; he just had to refuel.