episode_0212

“Jeff! Shine! Rain!”

Appleton answered my call cheerfully and jumped up from his seat.

As I looked at her with her eyes sparkling like a puppy waiting for its owner, my heart ached as I remembered all the terrible things I had done to her.

I ran towards her and grabbed her hands.

“I’m sorry for everything!”

“What, what?”

Was it because the apology was too sudden?

Appleton didn’t seem to know why I was apologizing.

After I sat her down, I explained to her that I owed her an apology for slurping down the green juice, just like Amy had told me.

“That’s okay… I got used to it and it’s also good for the body.”

“Really? But Amy said, a good kid should definitely apologize for his mistakes.”

Appleton stroked his cheek with a sheepish expression at my words.

But I didn’t let go of her hand.

After looking at her for a while with shining eyes, Appleton nodded with a small smile.

“Okay, I accept your apology.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s okay now.”

“Oh, thank goodness!”

Appleton forgave us too easily, contrary to my fears.

Shine’s eyes also sparkled as if she was surprised at the apology that ended so blandly.

I let go of Appleton’s hand and placed my full bag on the desk.

“Excuse me, I prepared a gift as an apology. I hope you like it…”

As I began mumbling softly and rummaging through my bag, Appleton’s pigtails stood up.

Her expression suddenly becomes anxious.

Why are you making that face?

Have I ever taken anything strange out of my bag?

I took out a large box from my bag, recalling past memories.

The plump dinosaur’s belly sags.

“Ta-da!”

A nice and sturdy box.

The cover had the words, “Flying Taste! Candy Cloud Donuts!” written on it.

When I look at the box with the picture of clouds in a mixture of pink and blue, my mouth naturally starts to water.

“This, this is…?”

“Candy cloud donuts. I prepared them for you.”

I pushed the box to Appleton’s desk.

Appleton, who was shaking with anxiety, accepted the box and stroked its surface with his small hands.

She opened her mouth with an expression of disbelief.

“Excuse me, is this really a gift?”

“Yeah!”

As I nodded in response to her question, a smile slowly appeared on her face.

“Open it quickly!”

“Yeah!”

Appleton answered my question and unpacked the box.

The thin paper strips broke and the mouth of the large box opened, revealing inside a beautiful cloud candy donut along with a sweet fragrance.

It smelled really sweet.

My tongue licked at the strong smell that made my brain feel like it was being pickled in sugar.

It wasn’t just me.

Shine and Rain, who had already tried this donut, also smiled with shining eyes and mouths watering.

“Wow…”

Appleton was noticeably pleased.

The happy smile on her face told me that she was truly delighted to receive this gift.

Appleton, who had been looking at the cute and pretty donuts for a long time, took out his camera from his bag and started taking pictures.

Once from the top, once from the left and once from the right.

And then once you hold it in your hand.

Afterwards, she carefully put the camera down and took a bite of a large donut.

The pink donut that entered her mouth began to melt like a cloud.

Appleton said, drooling as he stuffed the donut into his mouth until it was full.

“It’s delicious!”

I nodded, swallowing the saliva flowing from my mouth.

I knew what she tasted like now.

Appleton, who was so absorbed in the taste of the donut, smiled happily and munched on it, then as if he realized something, he held the donut out to me.

“Want to eat together?”

It was half expected, but it was okay for Appleton to eat it alone.

But she willingly chose to share her donuts with us.

As I looked at Appleton with trembling eyes, she moved her small lips and answered.

“That, eating together is more delicious than eating alone.”

Her words were correct.

The large box of donuts boasted enough to feed all of us.

It might not be enough to fill you up, but it was just the right amount if you were feeling like you were having a snack.

I took the dinosaur water bottle out of my bag, holding the donut in my hand.

Appleton looked terrified when he saw the dinosaur water bottle, but I shook my head to reassure him.

There will be no more green juice for Appleton.

This is what Amy prepared for me, Shine, and Lane.

It was said that we, not anyone else, had to drink it ourselves.

I closed my eyes tightly and put the straw on the dinosaur water bottle in my mouth.

The strong smell of green juice is already beginning to rise through the straw.

I sucked my lips in preparation for the green waves that were to come.

The cold liquid pours through the straw and into your mouth.

Before you know it, a faint honey scent wafts over your tongue, surprising you with the cool sensation that rolls over your tongue, erasing the bitterness typical of green juice.

I opened my eyes, startled by the taste.

Shine and Rain’s situation seemed no different, as they looked at their water bottles with strange eyes.

Is this really the health drink that Amy prepared?

Is it true that it always boasts a bitter taste?

My question was so natural.

Although there was still a bit of bitterness left, the floral scent mixed with the right amount of honey balanced the overall taste of the juice.

After taking the straw out of his mouth, he licked his lips.

Even the aftertaste was clean.

At this level, I can drink as much as I want.

I thought so.

My gaze turned to the other hand.

The sweet sky blue donut showed off its beautiful appearance.

She was tempting me with her cute body, telling me to eat her quickly.

I stuck my tongue out and licked the surface of the donut.

The smooth, sweet sugar coating melts and falls into your mouth.

I immediately opened my mouth wide and took a big bite into the cute donut.

This guy, dance on my lips.

My tongue began to play with the donut.

But it was my tongue that was being toyed with.

My tongue melts in the sweetness that rushes in like a wave.

I felt like all the tension in my body was released and my body was melting away.

I slumped in my chair and muttered.

As I was eating all the donuts in such happiness, the teacher in charge of the class came in.

He looked like a middle-aged man, and when he noticed us eating our donuts, he cleared his throat and waited patiently for us.

He was a truly considerate teacher.

It was awkward and hard to keep watching, but he didn’t seem like a bad person.

The class was really boring.

I’m so bored, I’m starting to feel sleepy.

What is Shine doing?

I turned my head slightly while lying face down on the desk to look at Shine, and saw that instead of the textbook, she had taken out another book and was reading it.

[How to conquer the economy.]

It looked like a difficult book.

Where on earth does she get books like that?

It didn’t seem like something you would buy online.

Then, could it be a gift from Grandpa Perman?

You send me a lot of dolls and toys, but why do you only send such difficult books to Shine, who looks just like me?

I puffed out my cheeks and fiddled with the phone in my pocket.

After class, I should call Grandpa Ferman and ask him why.

I shifted my gaze again.

It was to check on Rain, who was sitting next to Shine.

As always, she was fast asleep, face down on her desk, her chick bag acting as a pillow.

When on earth did you fall asleep?

I never once saw her get up and take a class.

Appleton was the only student around me who was taking classes diligently.

She focused on the teacher’s words and moved her pen diligently.

Is that boring class fun?

As I was leaning on the desk, rubbing my cheek and looking at her, Appleton’s eyes turned to me, perhaps sensing my gaze.

“Appleton.”

“Huh?”

She looked at me, smiled slightly, and put her hand in her bag as if to take out her camera.

“Are you enjoying the class?”

“No?”

Appleton answered my questions lightly and took pictures of me with his camera.

There was no sound or light, so there was no problem using the camera during class.

“Did it turn out well?”

As Appleton took the picture, Shine said:

I was concentrating on the book, but when did I close it again?

She put down the book she was reading, turned around, and held out her hand to Appleton as if asking him to show her the photograph.

Appleton also seemed familiar with Shine’s attitude, handing him a camera and showing him the photos.

The confirmed photo was then sent to Shine’s cell phone again.

***

After the morning classes, while eating lunch, I was able to hear an interesting story from Appleton.

“Old teacher?”

“Yeah. There’s a no trespassing sign posted over there on the other side of the mountain.”

I shook my head at Appleton’s words.

I knew there was a mountain behind the house, but I had never been beyond it, so I had no idea what was there.

“There was something like that left? I thought Grandpa Perman would have pushed it away.”

I nodded to Shine’s words.

As she said, it was quite possible, considering her grandfather’s usual personality.

“I don’t know why it wasn’t torn down, but rumor has it that a ghost sometimes appears there.”

“You, a ghost?”

Lane looked surprised at Appleton’s words and asked back.

I was so surprised that she even dropped the small cherry tomato she was holding in her mouth.

The cherry tomatoes fell with a thud and rolled across the floor.

“Rain Ghost is scary?”

I asked Lane, wondering if it was true.

She looked visibly embarrassed by my question and shook her head in response.

“No!”

Yes, ghosts, what are commonly called ghosts, are just illusions created by the human brain.

I nodded, holding Shine’s hand tightly under the table.

“But why are you suddenly talking about the old teacher?”

“That’s right, there is a senior who disagreed with me on whether or not there are ghosts.”

Appleton answered Shine’s question while fiddling with his camera.

“Then which side is Appleton on? Do you think ghosts really exist?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Do you think that senior exists?”

“Yeah. So my senior and I made a bet. We would go into the old school building at different times and take pictures of the surroundings. If there was something ghostly in the pictures, my senior would win, but if there was nothing, I would win.”

Shine, who had been listening to Appleton quietly, nodded and answered.

“What do you get if you win that bet?”

“Well, I haven’t said anything about that yet…”

I let out a small laugh at Appleton’s answer.

It was a really childish fight.

It was clear that his pride was hurt because he had different opinions while talking with that senior.

After all, children are children.

I jumped up from my seat, grabbing my empty lunch box.

But Shine wouldn’t let go of my hand.

“Jeff. Where are you going?”

“I was thinking of going back now that I had eaten everything?”

I spoke to Shine while showing her the empty lunch box.

Then she shook her head and answered.

“I don’t know why Appleton brought this up to us?”

“Mom, I don’t know? Seriously. I really don’t know!”

“Really?”

I waved my hands desperately.

But Shine wouldn’t let go of my hand.

She said to Appleton with a strange laugh.

“Appleton. I’ll help you take some pictures. In return, can you take a lot of pictures of Jeff in there?”

“Really? I can take as many pictures as you want of Jeff!”

I shouted at Shine, who was continuing the conversation without any reason.

“Sha, shine! But isn’t lunch time almost here?”

“Talk to Shandroy and it’ll be fine. Is Jeff scared of ghosts? ”

Shine spoke to me with a strange look in her eyes.

My pride flared at the playfulness in her voice.

It’s not scary at all. I don’t believe in ghosts.

“No!”

“Then can I go?”

I kept my mouth shut at Shine’s words.

Then I met Rain’s eyes.

The two girls had expressions of fear on their faces that anyone could tell.

They could tell what expressions they were making at the moment by looking at the reflections in each other’s eyes.

For some reason, I didn’t want to lose to Rain.

I answered loudly, boasting.

“Of course I can go! There are no ghosts or anything. I’m not scared at all?”

Then, as if he couldn’t give up, Rain jumped up from his seat and answered.

“Of course! I’ll go too! I thought I wanted to go!”

After hearing our answer, Shine smiled slightly and said to Appleton.

“Okay, you heard? Everyone will help you.”

Appleton was very pleased with Shine’s words.