episode_0015

After a satisfying meal, we returned to our room.

Perhaps because it was dinner time, everyone was dressed in comfortable clothes and walking around the hallway.

I came out into the hallway wearing my polka dot pajamas.

Amy paces around the hallway, dragging her oversized slippers.

Shine stands in front of the door and watches what I do.

“Jeff.”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing?”

I walked around in circles with my arms crossed and answered Shine’s words.

“I was thinking about it.”

“Worried?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you out there worrying?”

I stopped walking at Shine’s words.

“The candy fell down.”

Yes, that’s right.

The snacks Amy bought were already almost gone.

There was a pile of leftover cookies sitting in the middle of the room, but right now I was craving something salty.

“What does that have to do with anything…?”

Shine asks curiously.

I uncross my arms and answer her.

Then raise your finger.

A little finger reaching high into the sky.

The finger moves down and points across the hallway.

“I was thinking about whether to go to the convenience store or not.”

“Why?”

Shine didn’t seem to know why I was struggling.

But this was a very important issue.

The card Amy gave me.

If I used this card, I would definitely be able to buy a lot of delicious snacks at the convenience store inside the building.

“If there’s something you want to eat, just go buy it.”

“That’s the problem.”

The problem was that there were so many things I wanted to eat.

After you’ve picked out a few things and finished paying, you’ll definitely find yourself with a large plastic bag in your arms.

But with such a small body, it would not be easy to move such a heavy object.

It was clear that it would take a long time to drag it into the room.

Well then, if you delay like that!

I was sure I was going to miss the first part of my favorite anime.

Even while I’m having such serious worries, time passes.

I felt impatient and stamped my feet.

The large slippers on the small feet clattered down the hallway.

“If it’s too heavy, it’ll be hard to move.”

Only then does Shine look down at her body.

Little hands are fidgeting.

She nods too.

It seemed like he agreed with my thoughts.

“Then you can just ask for help.”

“But Shine. Victor and Amy aren’t here right now.”

“There are other people around you.”

I look around at her words.

A person who comes out of the accommodation and chats with his close friends.

A person yawning, leaning against the wall with tired eyes.

As she said, there were a lot of other people around her.

But you know what?

Shine.

I’m a little afraid of strangers.

“Let’s go.”

As I was looking around, Shine came up to me and grabbed my arm.

Before I know it, I start to get drawn to her.

A pair of large slippers are about to come off, dangling.

“Shine?”

“I’ll solve it.”

I straighten up my staggering steps and follow Shine to the convenience store.

After passing through a hallway filled with accommodations, you arrive near a restaurant.

Even at this late hour, there were people heading to restaurants to eat.

They all had tired faces.

Still, there was a small smile on his lips.

Next to the restaurant, right in front of the spacious shelter, was a large convenience store.

A large television and comfy chairs.

To the smoking room in the corner.

There was nothing that wasn’t there.

I was blankly looking around when Shine guided me into the convenience store.

The automatic door opens to reveal a spacious interior.

White floor and ceiling.

Countless rows of display shelves.

The numerous sweets placed on top catch the eye.

“Welcome~”

I ignore the clerk’s voice and pick up the basket placed in the corner.

After that, he starts sweeping up the snacks without hesitation.

Jump on the high-positioned sweets to grab them.

Envelopes falling to the floor with a thud.

“Oops… .”

The clerk’s gaze flies in.

I swept all the snacks off the floor into the basket, keeping an eye on him.

Is this okay?

“Shine, do you want to eat anything?”

Shine picked up a small stick of candy at my words.

“Is that really the only one?”

“Yeah.”

She was satisfied with that and didn’t choose any more.

Then the cookies are finished.

Now it was time to choose something to drink.

I pushed the basket I had placed on the floor like a shopping cart and headed towards the place where the drinks were.

Countless rows of plastic bottles.

A fancy label attached to it.

The first thing I chose was a cola that was full of carbonation.

The weight of the heavy plastic bottle feels heavy in my hand.

I’m already afraid to take it.

I think of my hands crushed in a thin envelope handle.

It must hurt.

It’s definitely going to hurt.

But I’ll drink cola.

Throw the cola into the basket.

The soft, nitrogen-packed cookies are crushed.

After pouring a few more bottles of cola, my eyes are drawn to the beer on display in the liquor corner.

A vague memory begins to emerge.

A tangy carbonated drink.

A refreshing aftertaste.

A pleasant intoxication.

“Um… .”

My mouth is watering.

I swallowed hard and looked at Shine’s expression.

“Shine I want to drink that.”

Shine nods and talks while looking at the can of beer I pointed at.

“Put it in the basket.”

I quickly stuffed the cans of beer into the basket.

It was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to drink much with such a small body, but it didn’t matter because he thought he would be able to drink beer for the first time in a long time.

“Is that tasty?”

“Huh?”

An unexpected question.

I hide the can of beer behind my back with a puzzled expression.

“Is that tasty?”

It was a bit tricky to say it was delicious.

“I guess so… ?”

“Then I want to drink too.”

I looked at Shine with bewildered eyes.

Children shouldn’t drink alcohol or anything like that.

But my body is still too young to consider that.

My mind is getting complicated.

“Huh… ?”

Something is mixed up and thrown together.

Shine, who was looking at me standing there holding a can of beer, snatched the can from my hand and put it in the basket.

“Did you choose everything?”

“Yeah… .”

Shine pushes the basket toward the counter in response to my answer.

I blankly stare at her back.

A movement never seen before.

It feels strange because their appearances are so different.

“Jeff.”

He nods his head at Shine’s call and approaches her.

The closer I get, the stronger the tinnitus in my head becomes.

I said, placing my card on the counter.

“Please calculate it.”

The clerk who received the card looked at me and the card alternately, then leaned forward and found a basket on the floor.

“All of this?”

“Yes.”

As I was struggling to pick up the basket, the clerk came out from behind the counter and picked up the basket.

Beep-beep-beep-

The beeping sound of the barcode is heard with a steady rhythm.

“Hey guys.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t this the wrong choice?”

The clerk said that and took away the cans of beer I had brought in.

“No!”

I jump up in a hurry and hang on the counter.

The clerk looks surprised at my sudden approach.

“But this is for adults only.”

“Ah… .”

I start to rack my brain desperately.

What should I do?

How can I safely drink that cold beer?

Amy’s credit card comes into my sight.

“Poem… . Errand!”

Only then does the clerk check the credit card.

“Hmm… .”

The clerk begins passing the credit card around.

“It’s definitely an executive card. But whose errand is it?”

“Amy.”

“Amy?”

The clerk strokes my chin suspiciously.

“But Amy, you don’t like alcohol?”

Crumbling, rumbling.

He starts to roll his eyes in all directions and desperately searches for an answer.

My feet are dangling and shaking because I’m hanging from the counter.

“Ugh… .”

“Jeff.”

“Shine?”

Shine’s hand touches the dangling leg.

She gently pulls my leg.

It seemed like it meant to tell me to come down.

I jump down from the counter I was hanging on.

“Calculate it for me.”

Shine, who stepped forward, muttered in a cold voice.

The tinnitus in my head becomes stronger.

I clutch my forehead and slump down in my seat.

My vision turns white and I can’t see anything.

“Jeff.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go.”

As I was rubbing my eyes because I couldn’t see anything, Shine spoke to me.

The gaze soon returns to normal.

I looked around blankly.

A convenience store just like before.

But there was one difference.

The clerk’s condition is strange.

He was holding a large envelope with a blank expression.

“That guy helped me.”

“Really?”

I smiled as I accepted the card Shine offered me.

He’s a good person.

“Thank you!”

He didn’t respond to my greeting at all.

He scratches his cheek, feeling slightly embarrassed.

The clerk put the envelope down in our room and left without saying anything.

“That’s really fortunate.”

I nod at Shine’s words.

Check your watch.

Arrived on time.

I started setting out the food and drinks while rummaging through the bags.

A bag of cookies spilled out onto a small table.

A cold can of beer.

Even a large cola.

Just bring a cup to drink your cola from and sit down, and you’re ready to go.

I turned on the television with the remote control and immediately grabbed a can of beer.

A cold sensation that fills both hands.

I lift my beer with a look of admiration.

Tick- Tick-

Her little finger touches the opener of a can of beer.

Chiik-

Pull hard with your finger inserted through the small gap.

The lid of the can of beer opens and strong carbonation leaks out.

The familiar scent wafting through the air stimulates the salivary glands.

Shine also lifts the can of beer in the same way as me.

I exchange glances with Shine.

Without saying who would go first, we poured ourselves a cold can of beer.

A beer that fills your small mouth.

Cool liquids lower your body temperature.

The tangy carbonation tingles the tongue.

A bitter scent that stimulates the first taste lingers in the nostrils.

The rich apple flavor that follows erases the bitterness.

“Jeff.”

“Huh… ?”

As I was gulping down my beer, I heard Shine’s call.

She was sticking her tongue out, staring at her beer.

“Is this delicious?”

I smiled at Shine.

“Shine is still young, so it might be hard for her.”

Kicking – a small laugh escapes.

A large amount of beer in the stomach generates heat in the body.

Both cheeks turn red.

He continues to pour cans of beer without being frightened by the rapidly rising intoxication.

“What about me?”

“Jeff is weird.”

“No?”

I showed off drinking beer like Shine was a savage.

“It’s delicious!”

Empty the entire can.

My hand picked up another can.

Shine, who was looking at me like that, started pouring the can of beer into her mouth with a determined look on her face.

The two of us started downing our cans of beer in silence.

How did such a small body fit so much beer?

My stomach is bloated and full.

“Eeee… .”

My gaze begins to spin.

The bright lights coming from the television screen are distracting.

I know there’s an anime I like, but the content just doesn’t stick in my head.

Empty cans litter the table.