episode_0048

Amy returned a long time after the announcement that it was lunchtime.

“Sorry!”

As I collapsed on the bed from hunger and stared blankly at the door, Amy burst open the door and came in shouting.

In her arms were several large pizza boxes stacked on top of each other.

“Amy!”

“Sorry guys! I’m a little late with work… .”

“It’s okay!”

I jumped up from my seat.

I couldn’t come to my senses because of the strong smell of pizza.

As I waited for Amy, licking my tongue, she came into the room and placed a pizza box on the table.

” and… .”

Lane, who had been lying on the bed like me, got up as if entranced by the smell of pizza and started to approach.

“You haven’t eaten yet?”

“Yes.”

Shine and I were no different from Rain.

He walks unsteadily to the table and sits down.

Amy looked down at us like that and smiled awkwardly.

“Why are you so late?”

“Because of the New Year’s event.”

Amy answered Lane’s question.

It’s a New Year’s event… .

I think I did it once at the lab, but I couldn’t remember anything more than that, as if I was obscured by the fog.

All that remained was a vague feeling of having done something.

As I searched through my hazy memories, I opened my mouth wide when I saw the pizza in front of me.

“What are you doing at the New Year’s event?”

“Just this and that. We all get together and eat delicious food, sing songs, watch movies… .”

Shine asked Amy a question, seeming interested in the New Year’s event.

I left their conversation behind and picked up the pizza.

It was way past lunchtime so I was really hungry.

To calm my rumbling, hungry stomach, this pizza was what I needed.

I rolled up the pizza and stuffed it into my mouth.

Both of her cheeks were swollen to the point where they felt like they would burst.

“Has time already passed so quickly?”

Lane, who was eating pizza, took out his cell phone and spoke.

I too could feel the days passing by in an instant through her words.

“I feel like I’m getting older day by day.”

Amy’s expression twisted grotesquely as Lane muttered softly.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. My body isn’t what it used to be.”

Amy just looked down at Lane without saying a word.

I was able to eat every single pizza Amy brought without missing a single one.

The four of us finished off a hot plate of pizza.

I was caressing my swollen belly when I fell down onto the bed.

I was so full I couldn’t move.

“Ouch… I’m full.”

I’m done with all my work for today.

Although I still had a nap and had to watch the original broadcast of [The Little Witch’s Great Adventure], I was able to avoid solving those headache-inducing problems today thanks to the drawing practice I did with Rain.

“I think I should go soon.”

Rain, who was lying next to me, muttered softly and sat up.

“Going already?”

“Yeah. Because I had a lot of fun.”

With my stomach full and my back warm, I’m starting to feel sleepy.

Blink, blink.

I blinked and stared blankly at Rain, and she smiled and said.

“Hey guys, don’t forget your raincoats! ”

Shine and I lay side by side and just nodded our heads.

“I told you not to force it on the kids.”

“I didn’t force you. I just asked you not to forget.”

Amy and Lane talking like close friends.

Amy, who had gone out to greet Lane until the end, returned to her room and started putting away the pizza boxes.

“Did you study hard today?”

“Yes… .”

I answered desperately, lifting my heavy eyelids.

“Really?”

“Yes… .”

Hwaam-

A yawn that bursts out in a droopy manner.

With her mouth wide open and tears welling up, she buried her face in the blanket.

“Oh my. Shine isn’t sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

A heavy, sinking consciousness.

I could hear Amy and Shine talking, but I couldn’t react.

It’s nap time now.

Since they said that sleep is important for growing taller, it was obvious that naps would be important too.

Only a mumbling sound came out from his mouth, which was opened with difficulty.

***

Right after waking up from my nap, I ended the day like any other.

But a change came to my daily life.

Amy has been busier than usual.

Amy disappears without regard to time.

Amy’s calls from here and there became more frequent.

Because of that, there was a lot of time left alone with Shine.

“I guess Amy is very busy.”

“I guess so.”

I started talking to Shine and solving math problems.

A pen that moves without any obstruction.

Problems that can be easily solved.

It felt like my blurry vision had become clearer and my head had become clearer.

“It’s not difficult anymore, right?”

I nodded absentmindedly at Shine’s voice as she spoke while looking at me.

She was right.

It wasn’t difficult anymore.

As if recalling something I had forgotten, as if revisiting something I originally knew.

I was able to solve all the problems without any problems.

Why couldn’t I solve it before?

It was an unsolved question.

After solving all the problems, I started rolling the pen over my finger.

A habit that comes out unconsciously.

But the pen slipped out of his hand and rolled across the table.

slip.

A different feeling than usual.

But I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.

Feeling frustrated, I let out a sigh for no reason.

“Isn’t it fun?”

“No. It’s fun, but… .”

He wiggled his fingers as he answered Shine’s question in small voices.

Although I was enjoying the fact that problems that I had been unable to solve were now easily solvable, I was not enjoying the fundamental fact of studying.

Maybe Shine wanted me to get interested in studying.

“Is it better to be difficult?”

I shook my head desperately, recalling past memories.

“No! No! I like it now!”

“Really?”

Shine nodded and picked up her pen again.

She started to study more than the assigned amount of work for the day.

There was a small smile on her lips, as if she was enjoying learning itself.

“Shine.”

“Huh?”

“Today’s study is finished.”

“Really?”

Shine put down her pen without hesitation at my words.

Amy hadn’t come back yet, so I couldn’t get graded.

I asked Shine a question, rubbing my cheek on the table.

“What do we do now?”

“Shall we go to Rain?”

“Rain said he was busy too.”

I answered, remembering what Amy had said.

Rain was also said to be an executive.

As a team leader leading a team, she also said that she was very busy preparing for the New Year’s event.

That was the last time I saw Lane, after eating pizza that day and before taking a nap.

“Is the New Year’s event that important?”

“I guess so.”

I touched my protruding lips.

Victor also seemed busy preparing for the New Year’s event, so there was no one here to play with us.

“Going to Rabin?”

“Too far. And Ravin said he was on vacation.”

“I see… .”

Shine limply hugged my body.

The arms wrapping around me gently and Shine’s head sticking to my side.

I said, slowly stroking her head.

“Shall we go to the park?”

“Will I meet Jin again?”

Shine flinched at my comment and replied.

Surely, that can’t be true.

Victor, Amy, and even Lane.

Everyone looked busy, so I wondered if the leader would be in the park at this time.

“I think it’ll be okay.”

I muttered and jumped down from the chair.

Shine, who had been hanging on my body, also got down from the chair with me.

“Are you really going to the park?”

“Yeah.”

I checked the time and packed my bag.

In my bag, I packed a sketchbook, colored pencils, and crayons just like before.

And I also packed some coffee mix for Amy to drink secretly.

“Jeff.”

“Huh?”

“Be honest. Are you going out because you want to drink coffee?”

I rolled my eyes at Shine’s words.

It was true that I was bored, but it wasn’t that I didn’t want to use that as an excuse to drink coffee.

“Ah… No, that’s not it?”

“Really?”

Shine muttered as she took the coffee mix out of her bag.

“Oops… .”

“Then this is unnecessary?”

Shine took the coffee mix out of her bag and put it back into Baekshi’s back.

“…Shine doesn’t like coffee?”

“No.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to take it with you?”

“But if I eat this, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

I couldn’t refute Shine’s words.

Because she was right.

I touched the corner of my mouth and put my bag on my back with a small sigh.

Just before leaving the room, I picked up my pen and headed to the table.

“Why?”

“Amy might come along.”

There was a small note on the table.

I took off the note and wrote something on it.

[I’m going to the park.]

Ugly, crooked handwriting.

I don’t think it was like this before.

Immediately after writing the last letter, I couldn’t put the pen down and my fingers twitched.

“Jeff?”

“Yeah. I wrote it all down.”

I put the pen down at Shine’s urging.

The pen, which fell limply, slowly rolled and stopped in front of the workbook that Shine had spread out.

“Let’s go.”

Shine and I left the room holding hands.

Could it be because it overlapped with the holiday season due to the New Year’s event?

The hallway, which was always full of people, was empty.

We were running excitedly through the empty hallway when we stopped in front of a convenience store.

The convenience store was operating normally, as it seemed like the clerk had not taken a vacation.

I asked Shine.

“…Should I buy a sandwich?”

She nodded.

I just bought a sandwich and a drink at the convenience store and put them in my bag.

Last time, I had my sandwich stolen by a thug like Jin because I was carrying it around in a convenience store bag.

There was no guarantee that something like that wouldn’t happen again this time, so we had to be careful.

The yellow bag was bulging to the brim.

A small smile appeared on my face at the solid weight.

“Where are you going today?”

“Um… .”

Where shall we go today?

There was a place to play catch, but since Shine hated hard balls, playing catch was out of the question.

While I was pondering Shine’s question, I was able to arrive in front of a wide staircase.

Every time I come here, I feel this way, but the stairs are really high.

Why didn’t Jin install an elevator here?

Shine and I started climbing the stairs with our mouths tightly shut.

Because I realized that if you talk while climbing stairs, you get tired faster.

But maybe it’s because my stamina has improved considerably.

I was able to climb the stairs to the park without stopping.

We were out of breath and went to the corner of the stairs to sit down and rest.

“There aren’t many people.”

As she said, there weren’t many people inside the park either.

It seemed like all those people were on vacation.

I took a deep breath and immediately got up from my seat.

If there were fewer people, it meant that Shine and I could run around freely.

“Let’s go!”

I held out my hand to her and said.

Shine, who was sitting on the stairs, stood up and gently held my hand.

The subtle warmth transmitted to my fingertips causes a tingling sensation to rise up from one side of my chest.

We stopped at the entrance to the park and began to look around carefully.

The park was wide open, allowing a clear view of the distance.

“I guess Jin isn’t here.”

I nodded to Shine’s words.

As expected, there was no way that could happen.

“Today, I’ll stop by the pond, pass the rabbit farm, and come back via the blue bridge.”

I said, pointing to a large map at the entrance to the park.

Today’s course has been decided.