[h2]Wakahisa Kanon[/h2]

Kanon stared at the contents of her change purse in slight disappointment. No matter how tempting the smells that wafted from the bakery were, she just couldn't afford it. With a sigh, she picked up her school bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulder. She had hoped to surprise Shiroi with favorite bread, but taking care of the young shikigami and her assortment of pets were proving to be too much for her measly inheritance. 

Maybe it was time to get a job? She was in her final year of high school and could always forgo college to go straight into the work force. And really, it wasn't as if she didn't expect this inevitability from the moment of her father's passing.

Not too far from the bakery, she spotted an underclassman that she occasionally noticed around the school and city. Kanon couldn't remember his name (Higurashi maybe?) but she had heard a classmate or two talk about him once. Not that she could recall what that was about either as she rarely paid attention to gossip, either. 

With a friendly smile, she greeted the boy with with a wave. Unfortunately, in her absent minded thoughts about the future, she didn't realize that she had left her school bag open. Or that the contents of her bag had fell out one by one, leaving a trail of paper and books.

[hr]

[h2]Cornelia Marie Falkenrath[/h2]

The playground was eerily devoid of activity. Only a single child, clearly foreign, sat on a swing as she stared blankly at the dirt. Cornelia was avoiding going home, or more accurately, she wasn't allowed to return home until the night had passed. Of course, she couldn't even really do anything until it was night fall. So here she was, sitting alone in this empty playground.

Or so she thought.

The crunch of shoes stepping on loose gravel made the young blonde look up. A younger girl stood in front of her, carrying a large purple ball. Curiously staring at Cornelia, she held out her ball, "Do you want to play?"

Cornelia stared back, not uttering a word. Play? She didn't even know how.

The girl scrunched her eyebrows, "You don't want to...? Ah! Do you speak Japanese?"

"... yes," she replied slowly, unsure what to make of the situation. Cornelia really did want to play. But... something in the back of her head told her no. It insisted that she would get punished for playing. 

She... hated being punished.

"Does that mean we can play?!" The girl asked again with a cheerful smile.

The magus continued to stare back quietly. A moment passed before she shook her head. The other girl instantly deflated, probably disappointed in how her attempt to make a new friend ended poorly.

"Oh, okay," She said softly before walking off, once again leaving Cornelia alone to her swing.