ClZH: Because of our inattention to DSDM and Card Hazzard, X and I are coming up with this Net Meiru to keep you occupied until then.

X: ENJOY!

-------

"Higure-Sama!"

The owner of the local Battle Chip shop turned and smiled; prepared to greet any potential customers with a smile. He had been having a respectably good day, and the light voices of more children, pockets bulky with cash from the recent doling out of allowances, signified that his day was about to get better. He smiled brightly, and directed the children individually to the several stands that were adorned with chips.

His customers were very adamant about Net battling with chips bought from the world famous Higure-ya, and were regulars. Yet, being children, they enjoyed the sensation of being herded towards the stands, and Higure loved the idea of being the shepherd. His two assistants, Shuuko and Nanako, loved interacting with the children as well. The three staff members intermingled with the children so often that they were prepared to offer advice on the folders with which they battled, often choices on Regular Chips or Program Advances.

Higure-ya was famous, not only for its amazing hospitality, but also because Net Savior Hikari Net and his NetNavi, Rockman.EXE, were two of the many regulars of the shop. Often, masses of foreigners from Akihara School District's multiple exchange programs would swarm his store in droves in the hope that they could gain a glimpse of the famous Hero. Higure smiled as he remembered that some of the older girls had tried to get something a little more than a mere glimpse of him.

Still, Net was a truly faithful customer, and actually one of Higure's favorite non-commercial suppliers. Net would, on occasion, go into the dark Uranet to find the specific chip that had been on the wish-lists that had adorned the corner wall. Chips on these lists were not supplied by major companies on a regular basis and could only be ordered if the customer had one in his Library. His customers would exchange information on their Data Libraries in the hopes that their friend would have the chip that they longed for, but there were some that were so rare that they graced the lists on his wall. Net would sometimes, when buying chips in large bulks that he would, pause and examine the corner wall.

Higure knew that, whenever Net examined the wall, his shop could expect a huge increase in stock for those particular chips, and sometimes, Net would provide the chip shop with custom-made "Holiday" chips that made use of a thematic gag or symbol. Each new holiday season that came around: Halloween or Christmas or whatever, Net would, under the penname "Six of One", walk into the store during the early hours of the morning (one of the staff would let him in) give bags of chips to the staff as gifts for the holiday season, and walk around the store, placing chips on the stands, generally organizing them by age groups, swear the staff to secrecy, and leave for his bed, which he knew he would be woken from by a typically annoyed Rockman (who knew absolutely nothing of Net's early morning deliveries, and thus, by Net's reckoning, could not notice anything unusual and tell the others).

Higure brought himself back to the present to attend to his growing number of customers. He was, surprisingly, getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of customers. It was too early in the afternoon for them to show up; they should've had homework to do. He looked around, and immediately caught site of the problem: Net was presently sitting down in the corner on the sofa rubbing his eyes, and a large mass of students were trying to get close.

Fed up with it, Net stood and began walking away, forging his path through the omnipresent crowd and walking towards the opposite wall, where the Wish-List hung. Higure perked up visibly, but his expression noticeably changed to one of surprise as Netto turned and left the shop, sniffling and rubbing his eyes.