It wasn’t long after her first mission that Kita was sent on another. This time the instructions seemed a little clearer – find someone’s lost shoe. Simple enough, but from what she had experienced in the last mission Kita was already preparing herself for some random twist or fork in the road. The thing that confused Kita most about this mission was that said person who had lost a shoe was walking around the village with only one shoe on. Why bother looking for that shoe, if you could just as easily buy a new pair? To have to walk around the village with only one shoe on seemed both humiliating and stupid.

”Where to look first… a shoe… a shoe could be anywhere!” Kita thought aloud as she sat on a bench near a park. The girl sighed, wracking her brain with possibilities, but the sound of children laughing behind her was all she could focus on. Popping her head up from the backrest of the bench, Kita saw a group of children playing around in the field. They seemed to be chasing something, or more accurately tripping over themselves as they attempted to follow a ball of fluff. Strange… She thought to herself, about to turn back until she realized that the ball of fluff was actually an animal – an oversized rabbit with something in its mouth. In that split second of sudden realization, Kita hopped over the bench, landing softly on her feet as she sprinted towards the group. ”Catch it! Catch it! It has the shoe!” Kita shouted to the kids, though they barely seemed old enough to be able to walk properly, let alone chase an animal known for evading capture.

You’re starting a scene… Kita! Calm down, just catch it on your own! She thought to herself as she ran around the kids in her pursuit of the rabbit. ”Drop it…! Drop it…! Bad…! Bad fluffy…!” She shouted every once in a while. This little thing was fast, turning right and left and weaving through the park. By this point, Kita knew people around the park would think she had lost it or something, but all she could focus on was that shoe. What did the rabbit want with a shoe anyways? Animals didn’t wear shoes, only humans did! ”Silly thing! Those aren’t for you!” Kita shouted, as if she could reason with the animal. The entire time, it seemed as if Kita was at even speeds with the rabbit, if not slightly slower, so by the time it weaved a path towards its hole Kita was still a fair distance from it.

”Aww dang! Noo! I need that shoe! Fluffy come back!” Kita shouted as she kneeled at the base of the rabbit hole and stuck her face over it. ”Pleaseee? Let me have that shoe! I really nee-“ Before she could finish her sentence, a handful of dirt came out of the hole and into her face, causing the girl to spring back and wipe her sleeves on her face. ”Blehh! Ahhhh what am I going to do now? I can’t fail this mission… not my second one!”

Kita had to think of something... and quick. There was a poor, innocent, shoeless person wandering the streets of Kumo. Then it came to her – just buy a new pair. She could remember in general what the shoe looked like – it was blue, with a black bottom and white laces. Maybe she could find something along those lines in the market. The girl immediately sprang to her feet and ran in that direction, passing by every store she knew until she finally found a similar pair.

Unsure of which shoe the person actually lost, Kita decided to buy both of them. She thanked the store owner before dashing out in search of the subject of this mission. “I have your shoe, sir!” She said as she quickly glanced at his feet to determine which shoe to give him. “I know it looks a bit weird, but that’s because kids were playing with it… but here you go!” She said as she handed him the left one. The man smiled, thanking her as he put the new shoe on and tried it out with a walk.

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