With Keiji and Sandbar at the mall…
“Aw, this is my favorite part, yo!” Sandbar remarked as he walked along with his hands behind his head.
“Shopping for overpriced clothes in an oversized building?” Keiji snarked in return, “I don’t envy the people who work here.”
His words rang true. With the festival on the horizon, there were loads upon loads of people clamoring towards the stores to buy Eastern-styled clothing ahead of time.
But Sandbar wasn’t worried.
“Ah, don’t sweat it, man. I’ve got a plan. Or rather,” he pointed towards his sister who had been walking ahead of them alongside Yona. “Coral’s got a plan.”
“That I do, big brother,” Coral replied with a triumphant tone, “There’s a secret shop that only geniuses like me know about. Hold your applause please.”
Next to her, the tan, muscular girl wearing her typical Yakistani dress would ask, “...Yona have to wear special clothes at festival, yes? Will it help Yona look better?”
“Hey now, you look great as you are,” Sandbar replied with his usual lackadaisical demeanor, “In fact, you look great in anything, really.”
Yona giggled in response. “Sandbar always know how to make Yona feel better. That’s why Sandbar is best boyfriend.” she said as she wrapped her bicep around his neck, nearly causing the boy to choke-
“Hrrk! Y-yeah--totally…” he muttered under his breath with a smile.
Keiji walked ahead and asked Coral a question. “Is he okay?”
“Oh yeah,” Coral replied with a grin, “Big brother loves big girls like Yona.”
From the corner of his eye, Keiji could still see the pair smiling at each other as they walked along. “His body must be made of steel instead of bones, holy cow.”
“Right? In all seriousness though, he’s been the only one who really spent any time with her and helped her fit into Canterlot City.” Coral scratched the back of her head as she went on. “For some reason, people around here give her weird looks. I guess it’s cuz she’s not from around here, but still. Kinda crappy.”
“...Where’s she from again?” Keiji asked.
“Yakistan,” Coral answered, “It’s a region that lies a bit East of Europa though not really into the Far East--anyway, anyway--” she waved her hands and continued, “Lots of people seem to give her weird looks for some odd reason. Neither of them try to pay any attention to it, but it still sucks, ya know?”
Keiji folded his arms and scoffed. “Hmph. Being judged entirely based on how you look. I know what that’s like.”
“It’s a bit worse in this world though,” Coral went on, “Some people here like to judge others solely based on where they come from. Sad, honestly.”
“Shit for real?” Keiji asked as he started to recall his past. “And to think I thought my situation was far more isolated.” He then replied, “Sounds rough. Any idea what they say about Yona?”
The girl shrugged her shoulders and said, “I’d tell you, but that wouldn’t help much. So don’t take my word for it. I’m sure some idiots will make some passing comments by the time we get to the store.”
“Hm…” With a curious set of eyes fixated on the store they had been approaching, Keiji started to wonder if what Coral was saying held any weight or not. “Only way to find out is to see for myself, I suppose.”
On a dime, Coral switched gears and chirped, “Hey big brother, this way! One of my friends from school runs this place with his mom.”
Everyone followed Coral into the store and all around them were basic department store clothes like jeans, shirts, and sweaters. Nothing at all oriental.
Naturally, this left Sandbar confused. “Uh…Sis?” he asked as he walked up to her, “I don’t really see anything Eastern here. Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
“Pfft. Of course we are,” Coral scoffed as she approached the counter and addressed the boy standing behind it. “Skeedaddle, my dude--how are ya?”
The blue-skinned boy with a spiky head of blue and yellow hair wearing a store uniform was standing behind the counter and tapping on his phone with a chocolate candy stick in his mouth. But as soon as he heard Coral’s voice, he looked up and removed the candy stick with his free hand. “Oh hey, Currents. You’re here for…’the stuff’ right?”
“That’s right,” she replied in a low tone of voice, “Make sure nobody else sees.”
Skeedaddle pocketed his phone, and continued nibbling on the candy stick. “Gimme one second, eh?”
Keiji tilted his head and silently glared at Sandbar, looking for an answer.
Sandbar simply responded with a vacant shrug as he shut his eyes, as if to say, ‘Don’t ask me, bro.’
Yona simply stood eagerly, rocking back and forth on her heels with a smile on her face. “Yona can’t wait to see real Eastern clothing!”
“Well at least someone’s excited,” Keiji muttered under his breath. But then, from the corner of his eye and just barely within earshot…he’d hear some people from a nearby store talking.
“Omigawsh,” a girl said with a snicker, “She looks way too big to fit anything in there.”
Another girl next to her would follow up with a comment, “Pfft. Are you sure that thing is actually a girl? She looks like friggin’ wildebeest with all that weight.”
“You are sooo right. If she shows up at that festival, she’s gonna be so embarrassed. Can’t imagine anyone dating that walking meathead.”
Keiji simply froze in place as his hand curled into a fist. Unsure if anyone else had heard those comments from the strangers, he did his best to remain calm even though his hand was visibly shaking. “...You’re shitting me.”