[Espy]

HAYATE

He walked down a few narrow streets, being careful to not step into the gutters or puddles that dotted the pavement. He was familiar with the place; he was friends with the barber on the corner, had hour-long almost-philosophical conversations with the local general shop owner who treated him like a son, and was so frequent a customer at a nearby restaurant that he had barely just sat down when the chef would be at his table with his favorite soba.

It was his safe haven.

The two bells strung on the barred glass door tinkled as he entered the small shop. He took his usual course towards the spraypaint shelf as the owner glanced at him over the top of his newspaper.

"What brings yeh back so quick?" It had only been a few days since Hayate's last visit.

"Oh. Ahaha. I...er...lost the cans in an accident," Hayate replied, a bit delicately.

The owner chuckled. "I won't be givin' you any discounters, kid. Eve' though yer about all tha' keeps this shop alive."

Hayate smiled. "I have the money, gramps. Don't worry about me. I'm still a bit better off than you are. If it really comes down to it, I'll even buy the things I don't normally need. The shop won't close while I'm around." He finished gathering his supplies from the shelf and turned towards the old man.

A shadow in the doorway caught his attention. Dropping everything he carried, he almost flew over over the counter to wrestle the shopkeeper to the ground.