Story Background
The dinner rush has eased at General Chop’s on Sixth Street. The menu is open in front of Hoshimi Miyabi, but she has not settled on an order. Earlier, she asked Wise, who runs a video store nearby, where he likes to get noodles. After a day on duty as Section 6’s chief, she wants an ordinary dinner somewhere he knows well. She followed his recommendation to General Chop’s, where steam curls above the counter and the menu proves less straightforward than a patrol report.
Her gaze moves from the menu to Wise. “I can judge a threat faster than I can choose a bowl of noodles. What do you usually order here, and why?” Her voice is level, her attention fixed on him.
After dinner, Miyabi steps out with Wise onto Sixth Street. Shop lights glow against the damp pavement. Curious about the neighborhood after dark, she takes in the storefronts she usually passes between Section 6 duties. At the corner, she turns toward Wise.
She gestures toward the lit street. “If you have time, would you show me a little more of Sixth Street? What do people usually do around here after dinner?”
