Find the Shoe:

Sunadokei reread the mission scroll again for what seemed like the hundredth time. She couldn’t actually believe this had been something available, it seemed absolutely asinine that anyone had actually bothered to submit this as a mission request. Finding a lost shoe, someone seriously lost their shoe and expected a ninja to help retrieve it for them. Sunadokei had snatched the mission up the moment she had seen it, it seemed too easy to be real, she could hardly believe it when the proctor had signed off with her. It was staggering stupid, but it paid almost as well as the other D-Rank missions. So Sunadokei was eager to earn a respectable wage for doing something that was so simple and so easy, and so that’s why she was currently walking happily down the street humming to herself as she tucked the scroll back snuggly into her vast cleavage for safekeeping, leaping through the air before landing deftly on a rooftop.

The address from the scroll wasn’t far off, only a few blocks further to the north. Sunadokei ran along the tops of houses, moving with the grace of a cat as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop avoiding the bustling streets below. She stopped to observe the road signs, confirming she was going the right way. A few more houses over and the curvaceous kunoichi believed she’d found the right place. Sunadokei hopped down back to street level, double checking the address and slipping her mission scroll out of her bust to confirm that it was the right place. Resecuring her scroll mentally confirming it was indeed the correct destination, Sunadokei stepped up to the front door of the house and knocked on the door. She rocked back and forth impatiently on the balls of her feet as she waited for the owner to arrive, hoping that they were at least home today. After waiting a minute, the woman made a slight scowl, wishing she had a watch to check the time. Sunadokei went to knock again and just as her hand was about to reach the door it quickly swung open.

She paused mid knock, blinking twice before withdrawing her hand. “Hello!” Sunadokei said sweetly, blushing slightly from failing to anticipate the owner arriving. The man before her looked like a wreck, his clothes were mismatched, his hair simply a mess, and he was… only wearing one shoe. Sunadokei sighed at the sight of that, realizing this might be a very long day. “Who… Who are you exactly? I don’t remember ordering pizza, or a hooker. You didn’t eat the pizza did you?” The man gestured to Sunadokei’s plump round belly and she blushed heavily. “No! Why would I? Do I look like a pizza delivery girl to yo---- HOOKER!!??” Steam practically came out of her flared nostrils and Sunadokei stomped her foot menacingly on the ground.

The man raised his hand defensively, grimacing at the very angry, very buxom woman before him. “Sorry, sorry, I just thought with your… you know…” Sunadokei ran her hand down across her face, her temper calming slightly, more out of her sense of annoyance. “Anyways… um…. Miss. Why exactly are you here then anyways?” Sunadokei almost forgot why she arrived herself, temporarily blocking out the mission at hand. She pulled the mission scroll out of her vast cleavage and unrolled it to show to the man. “You’re Baka Wasureppoi right? The one who filled out this mission request form with the Academy?” At this point Sunadokei wasn’t sure of anything, she might be living in a dream world given how this mission had been.

The man paused, wide eyed as he watched the display as Sunadokei’s massive bust jiggled upon retrieving her scroll. She inspected it carefully, her emerald gaze wandering up and down the writing of the parchment as the woman confirmed her address with a grimace. As she confirmed her suspicious Sunadokei looked again to the man standing opposite her, cocking an eyebrow as she met his dopey gaze. “I am Mr. Wasureppoi, at least, that's who I think I am.” Sunadokei groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Ok then, easier question. Is your first name Baka, and do you live at this house?” Sunadokei spoke a bit more slowly this time, she couldn't tell if the man was forgetful or just incredibly stupid. Her patience was already wearing thin enough as is. The man perked up, his face lighting up in what seemed like delight. “I am! I do! Hello Miss, pleasure to meet you. I am Baka! How did you know?” Sunadokei played ignorant, bowing again as she 'greeted’ him. “It says on the Mission Form you filled out with the Academy. I was sent to help you… recover a shoe. That's not code for something more dangerous, is it?” The buxom beauty spoke carefully, trying to remain calm and professional now that she was more or less officially on her mission.

“Oh right!” Baka said triumphantly as the words seemed to connect the dots in his feeble mind. “Right! Right! That's exactly what I needed. I was looking for a shoe, do you think you could help me find it?” Sunadokei looked down at the man's feet, making the sudden realization he had one bare foot. She grimaced slightly and forced a smile. “Of coouuurse Mr. Wasureppoi, I'd love to help you find your missing shoe. Do you have any clue where it might be?” Sunadokei asked trepidatiously, unsure what answer she should actually expect. Her scatter brained employee merely shrugged and scratched at his balding head.

“Welllll… now that you mention it. I can't say that I do. That's probably why I hired you in the first place.” Sunadokei opened her mouth to speak in rebuttal, but instead remained silent. The man made a staggeringly good point. Even a broken clock was right twice a day it would seem. She paused to think a bit before replying. “Were you doing anything noteworthy before you lost it? Maybe, I don't know, getting dressed to leave the house. Or cooking yourself a delicious breakfast?” Once more the woman's questions sent the wheels turning in her employer’s head. Mr. Wasureppoi seemed to drift away into his own special world of thought.

“Hmm… well let me see. I woke up, then I went to bed, then I woke up again. Then I went back to bed again. Then after that I woke up. Then after that I went into the bathroom to freshen up.” Sunadokei stood silently, a blank expression on her face as she listened. She had no words, no emotions, trapped in a limbo between angry, embarrassment, and frustration. “Then I went downstairs and made myself some toast. Then I went and put my shoes on, the tile floor makes my feet cold.” Sunadokei desperately wanted to stop the man there, but she didn't want Mr. Wasureppoi’s revelations to end. “Then I went to do laundry, but I tripped on those damn stairs. Then I heard the doorbell ring and this hooker with huuuge tits was there. Then she started berating me for calling her a… oh wait, that was you wasn't it.”

Sunadokei sighed and looked at her acquaintance, utterly exasperated at the short sighted man's ramblings. “Yes, that was me.” She said simply, breathing in deep to calm her inner rage. “Ok, well, it's good that you told me. Now, do you think you could let me inside so that I can look around? It would make my job a lot easier than just talking out here.” Mr. Wasureppoi seemed slightly stunned by the suggestion, quickly speaking in response. “Yes, yes, of course! Come right inside, search wherever you need to. I wouldn't want to hamper your investigation.” The man stepped aside, and led Sunadokei into his humble abode. She was fairly sure investigation was the wrong word for what she was doing, but she didn't bother to correct Wasureppoi about anything anymore. The man seemingly existed on his own strange little world.

Inside Wasureppoi's house Sunadokei found endless clutter. The man's home was as disorganized as his mind seemed to be. She was considering checking in with the medical-nin to make sure he didn't have some mental disorder. Making her way to the aforementioned stairs, Sunadokei trudged down into the disorganized man's basement. “Do you need me to help search, Miss… um… Hooker?” Sunadokei closed her eyes and prayed silently to any god that was listening. “No thank you sir, I have everything handled myself.” There was an audible pause before she heard an “Ok then!” And the man seemed to stumble off, to which Sunadokei hoped he wasn’t going to injure himself. She decided he’d lived in this house seemingly alone for… probably a while, he’d be fine with five minutes without her supervision. This allowed her some uninterrupted time to search for his damned shoe.

Sunadokei checked the stairs, to no avail. No shoe in sight she moved to inspect the rest of the basement, checking inside and under random boxes, on shelves, even inside the man’s washing machine and dryer. Scratching her chin Sunadokei tried to look at things from another perspective. She tried to put herself in the mindset of an idiot, which meant where on earth could be that shoe. The curvaceous kunoichi returned to the stairs, seeing if there was a crawl space beneath. To her amazement there was, and she pulled it open. Inside was a safe, which was even more puzzling. At least, it would have been, if it were actually closed up. Instead it stood there, held wide open. Sunadokei didn’t know if she should curse aloud or sigh in relief, though she ended up doing a good deal of both. Inside the safe were dozens and dozens of left shoes. All crammed in there so full it seemed the door wouldn’t even shut if you tried. Sunadokei had long given up trying to understand her employer’s madness, now firmly believing him to be at least partially insane. She scooped up an armful of shoes and made her way carefully back upstairs.

When Sunadokei returned to the main level of Mr. Wasureppoi’s house she looked around, unable to find him. She moved into the kitchen, then the living room, then finally headed upstairs. What she found confused her further, though she was fast growing number to it all. Baka sat on his bed, surrounded by right shoes. At least enough to match the missing ones from the basement. “Um…” Sunadokei said meekly, unsure what words to even use. “I found these downstairs, you had them in a safe under the stairs. I think it might be what you’re looking for.” She heaped the pile of left shoes on Wasureppoi’s bed, watching as his face lit up like a child’s at Christmas. “Oh my god! Sunadokei you found them! I completely forgot I put them there was safekeeping. Thank you so much!” Sunadokei was actually surprised the man remembered her name, thankful he hadn’t just called her ‘hooker’ again. She assumed it was some moment of mental clarity brought on by the rush of adrenaline from being presented his missing shoes.

Baka moved to embrace Sunadokei into a tight hug, squished up against her bust he let out a sigh of relief. “Um... thank… you, but sir, could you please let go of me. You’re… kind of crushing me.” The now embarrassed woman asked meekly. “Oh, sorry, of course.” Wasureppoi said quickly, pulling himself away. “However can I pay you for your help Miss? You’ve done me such a great service today.” The man had tremendous enthusiasm, no one could say otherwise. Sunadokei just smiled and blushed slightly, rubbing a hand to the back of her neck. “Oh please, it was nothing. As for payment, just pay the fee listed on the mission contract you signed. I’ll get my cut and the Academy gets the rest. That make sense to you?” She stated simply, quite ready to finally be rid of this mission. Baka nodded in acknowledgement, “Alright Miss, I’ll do just that.” He said simply, moving again to transfix on his shoes. “Alright then… I’ll be going now.” Sunadokei said swiftly, as she turned to depart the room. She quickly made her way out the man's house and back onto the streets outside, after that ordeal she was thoroughly ready to be done with the day.

---

(Thread Exit)
Word Count: 2,130
D-Rank Mission: 600/600
Training:
Reaction Time from E-1 to D-0: 675/675
Strength from D-0 to D-2: 725/725, 75 Ryo

Remaining Word Count: 2,130-600-675-725=130