The Place: Clarke Quay, Singapore
The Time: 1930 hrs "So this is Singapore," A diminutive Japanese teen with brown eyes and black hair done up in a pair of twin tails and
dressed in a black-and-white lolita-inspired dress mused as she walked through the busy lanes of Clarke Quay, weaving her way past the milling throngs of pedestrians and shoppers with a cartoony-looking green penguin tagging along next to her as she walked wing-in-hand, observing the passers-by and the neon lights of the various nightclubs and restaurants in the district. In Singapore's colonial days, before the construction of the seaport boats would transport cargo from larger cargo ships docked out at sea, unloading them here. Many of these colonial-era buildings still stand thanks to heritage and cultural conservation efforts, and in modern times have since been restored and refurbished into nightclubs and eateries, the district being a hotspot for nightlife activity in the island republic. At least, that was the information that Muchiko was able to learn about Clarke Quay based on what she'd browsed on the internet. She'd no idea why Pentaro-kun decided to come here out of all places, being completely unfamiliar with the place or its culture; but ever since she escaped from the mental institution, the Japanese teen was grateful for every opportunity to see new places and things in the world - plus, in an unfamiliar place like this there was also less likelihood of running into people who might know that she was in fact a runaway mental patient and thus would try to turn her over to the authorities, which would no doubt mean going back into that terrible, terrible place.
"Eh, Pentaro-kun? What is it?" Muchiko asked as she felt a sudden tug on her hand, causing the girl to stop in her tracks and turn her attention to her chibi animal companion, who looked up at Muchiko as he patted his belly with his other wing before pointing at his open beak. "Oh, Pentaro-kun is hungry? Come on then, let's find some place where we can find something to eat... you want filet mignon right?" Muchiko asked, with the penguin responding with a nod of his head. "Okay, now let's see... should we ask for directions?" the Japanese teen wondered, realizing that she couldn't read any of the English signs.
Half an hour later..."Is there not a single Japanese-speaker around here?" Muchiko grumbled as she sat on a nearby railing overlooking the Singapore River with a pouting expression, resting her cheeks on her hands with her elbows on her lap, her dangling legs covered in black tights swinging idly as she watched the water lapping against the embankments while Pentaro-kun sat right next to her in the same posture. As the Japanese teen sat brooding, she would fail to notice an approaching young man walk past her, eyeing the black leather-bound briefcase that was resting next to where she was sitting. Checking out the street directory in her hand, Muchiko was half-tempted to approach the Japanese Embassy, but wasn't sure if that was the wisest move especially if they found out that she was a mental institution escapee. It was at this point, from the corner of her eye did Muchiko notice a young man in a black hoodie and blue jeans swipe her briefcase - it was where her money and other necessities that Pentaro-kun had acquired for her were kept!
"HEY!" Muchiko shouted, pointing to the thief - and upon realizing the owner of the briefcase he was trying to steal had caught him in the act, said man would break into a sprint, attempting to lose Muchiko in the crowd. "Pentaro-kun! Stop him!" The Japanese teen exclaimed, jumping off the railing and pointing to the escaping thief, drawing curious stares from passers-by as the girl seemed to be talking to thin air. With an enraged squawk, Pentaro-kun shifted into his combat form and thus revealing his existence to everyone in the area, as with a flash a giant green cartoon penguin seemingly appeared out of thin air, flexing his wings. "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Muchiko yelped, repeating pretty much two of the few English words she knew as she ran after Pentaro-kun as the giant penguin embarked on a warpath to get back Muchiko's stolen briefcase, smashing tables and furniture in the Alfresco dining areas.
"Gomenasai!" Muchiko apologized, repeating a string of "excuse me's" and "sorry's" like a broken record as furniture was smashed, food was sent flying and people were sent screaming and running as the bustling nightlife scene became a panicked stampede as diners and pedestrians bumped into and scrambled over each other - some even resorting to jumping over the railings and into the river - in a desperate attempt to get out of the way of a raging cartoon avian who was hell-bent on getting some payback over the injustice and indignity that his friend had suffered! "Pentaro-kun! No!" Muchiko called out as she pushed her way against the tide of bodies to keep up with her avian companion, who was at this time out of earshot. If nobody stopped Pentaro-kun's rampage, who knows how much destruction he might cause!?