Once more, Hato considered the worn down convenience store sign. She had dealt with them quite often. Yonaga had introduced her to the owner so long ago, a rather unpleasant peasant who smelled of questionable smoke.

'You can trust him as long as you can pay him' Yonaga had told her.

'But what if someone pays him more?' she had asked in response.

'There are bonds of koku forged in this shop. Not so fleeting as sworn oaths or even family. No one person can bring down the others without bringing themselves down. In this, you are safe, as are all of us.' Yonaga had responded.

Not much had changed in her time patronizing this shop. The storefront had gotten a little more run down, the clerk's screen a litte more shot up, and the thug at the door a bit rounder.

But if things worked out, this would be her last trip here. Hato wasn't going to miss any of it, not the stale smell of urine and desperation not the weedy little clerks lecherous glances. Still, without this shop, she would have been done a long time ago.

And so what she hoped was her last time, she approached the clerk, and slid three koku into the slot.

"A package of black mist cigarettes and a lotto form please." she requested.

The weedy clerk gave his traditional leer.

'Can't get enough, yeh?' he asked.

"Hopefully I win really big this time. Those last numbers were one off." she admitted.

Awa/Investigation, 2 Raises Called Void spent 37 vs. 35, Pass


The clerk gave his usual leer as the coins disappeared into the strongbox and he pressed the button beneath the counter. One of several really, but which one did what you couldn't tell from this side of the glass.

"Cigarettes are in the back, I'll have 'em brought up.' he said.

Hato nodded, filled out the lotto form, and took what she hoped was her last picture in the compromised, supposedly out of order photo booth.

A few minutes later, she had her package.