Koko-chi
The bandages wrapped around my wrist had grown thicker.
At this rate, am I going to end up walking around with my whole arm mummified in gauze…?
I'd bled more than expected, so treatment had dragged on, and by the time I finally left the nurse's office, lunch period was already underway.
The school nurse had assured me her ability would have me healed by tomorrow… but she'd also suggested I take the rest of the day off.
It hadn't even seemed like that deep a wound.
"First day, I go home early with a cold… today, I slash my own wrist trying to use my power and get told to leave early again……."
At this point, is the Academy just rejecting me?
I mean, if someone as perfect as me also got to claim an Academy education on her résumé, other people might start feeling the world was a little too unfair.
But I still wanted to attend the Academy…….
They'd only suggested I go home early. So if I simply didn't leave, that was that.
I'd just move carefully today.
I set off with light steps toward Class 2-2, where Adele and Tania would be.
Have they eaten lunch yet? It'd be nice if we could eat together.
I was trotting along cheerfully when a few students in the hallway turned their eyes on me.
I'd received countless stares living with this face, but being looked at still made me a little shy.
I offered an awkward smile to the students watching me — and they flinched, then bolted off somewhere.
Was my smile so embarrassing they had to run away?
Well, this face was that pretty.
Before long I slid open the door to Class 2-2, where Tania and Adele were, and every gaze in the room flew over and locked onto me.
Curiosity and fear mixed half-and-half in their eyes.
But the stares only held for a moment. All at once, every head turned away and everyone busied themselves with something else — reading a book, checking a phone, chatting with the friend beside them.
I tilted my head at how forced it all looked… and then a voice called my name from behind.
"Elysia."
"Huh?"
I spun around in surprise and found Adele grinning at me with that sly look of hers.
"Adele!"
I called her name happily, and Adele — still smiling that sly smile — lightly brushed my hair and teased,
"What brings you here? Don't tell me you came just to see me?"
"Yep!"
"…Huh?"
For some reason Adele's expression went blank for a second before snapping back. She brushed one hand across her face and asked, looking oddly flustered,
"So… what is it?"
"Hm? I just wanted to have lunch with you and Tania."
"Ah…."
She looked somehow disappointed.
"Why? Did you already eat?"
"No. Just… kind of embarrassed?"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head, not understanding, and Adele shook hers.
"It's nothing. More importantly, we should go find Tania…."
"Eli!"
While Adele and I were talking, Tania had somehow come right up beside us. She threw her arms wide and started to rush in for a hug — then suddenly stopped dead.
"Sniff. Sniff-sniff."
She closed her eyes and started smelling something.
Then her eyes snapped open and she snatched up my left hand.
"Ow. That hurts…."
Tania ignored my reaction completely, sniffed at my wrist, and glared at me with murderous eyes.
"Eli…."
"U-uh…?"
I squirmed under Tania's stare. Adele buried her nose against my left hand too, then muttered,
"Smell of blood…."
"……."
Adele smiled prettily.
Scary!
"Elysia."
"…Yeah?"
"What did I tell you yesterday morning?"
"……."
I quietly tried to look away — and this time Tania called my name in a cold voice.
"Eli."
"Y-yeah……."
"You broke your promise in a single day?"
"No… there was a good reason for this……."
"Eli."
"…Yeah……."
Tania had closed the distance until she was right in front of me. She leaned in and stroked my cheek with one hand.
A thick lily scent scrambled my thoughts.
"Are you going to do this again?"
"I won't…."
That was a lie.
But looking into Tania's sad eyes, I couldn't bring myself to boldly announce that I planned to keep slicing my wrist open with a knife.
Tania nodded as if she'd accept that for now, then laced her fingers through my right hand.
"Have you eaten lunch?"
"No… I wanted to eat with you and Adele…."
"Perfect. Shall we hit the school store together, then?"
"Yeah!"
I'm really craving chocolate cream buns today.
And since I had a sparring match, I should add a hot bar and banana milk too….
Adele, standing on my left, laced her fingers through my left hand.
I beamed and looked back and forth between the two of them on either side of me — and a thought suddenly struck me.
This feels kind of like… guardians holding a child's hands as they walk?
Do I look like someone you two need to protect that much…?
I turned trembling eyes on Adele. Our gazes met, and she smiled softly.
I turned to Tania, and she smiled at me just as tenderly.
There's something almost… maternal about their smiles…….
While I was thinking about it, I looked at Tania and tried something.
"Mom?"
"U-uh?! E-Eli… isn't that jumping ahead a little too far…?"
I left Tania sputtering something incomprehensible and tried it on Adele.
"Mom."
"What is it?"
"…She actually answered."
I muttered it under my breath while looking ahead, and I heard Adele snort with laughter.
Even if I'd made a little money from that last incident, I still wasn't in a position to freely buy expensive food the way Tania and Adele could.
Which was why all I currently held was a single triangle kimbap, a hot bar, and a banana milk.
"The chocolate cream buns are sold out……."
This can't be real….
I was despairing over a world without chocolate cream buns when Tania, watching me with pity from the side, offered comfort.
"Eli… want me to buy the chocolate cream bun company for you?"
No, I wasn't planning to eat that many?
I stared at her in disbelief… but her eyes held nothing but sincerity.
She was completely serious… that wasn't a joke…….
Her entire way of thinking was different from mine.
Then Adele cut in and scolded Tania.
"That's going too far. Elysia might feel pressured if you do something that extreme."
"…You think so?"
"It'd be much simpler to just buy this school store and have them set aside chocolate cream buns specifically for Elysia."
"Oh."
"……."
As expected, I'm the only normal person left in this world.
At this rate they really were going to buy a bakery or take over the school store, so I stepped in and stopped them.
"I can just buy some next time……."
"Hmm. Really?"
"Yeah."
Tania smacked her lips in disappointment and took a bite of the chicken skewer in her hand.
Steam rose from it as if it had just come off the grill, the batter looked perfectly crisp, and over it all was a beautiful red sauce gleaming in a gorgeous color.
A sweet-and-spicy aroma teased my nose, and a little of that sauce clung to Tania's lips as she chewed with obvious enjoyment.
Had I been staring too hard? Tania glanced at me a little self-consciously and asked,
"…Want some?"
Want some of what? The chicken skewer sauce on your lips?
But contrary to my hopes, what Tania held out was the chicken skewer she'd been eating.
"Ah… the chicken skewer."
"Hm? What else would it be besides the chicken skewer?"
"Nothing."
I laid my hand over Tania's where she held the skewer handle so it wouldn't wobble, and her hand trembled slightly.
I gently pulled it toward me and took a small bite.
"……!"
The temperature was perfect for eating — crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.
And that sauce, with its flawless balance of spicy and sweet.
"It's delicious…!"
I chewed carefully, swallowed, and delivered my review in a voice full of emotion. Tania let out a small laugh.
"Hm? Why are you laughing?"
"Mm. It's nothing."
She held the skewer out again.
"Want another bite?"
"Yeah!"
Tania really is the kindest friend in the world.
I should tell my other friends about this so they stop misunderstanding her….
No, wait. What if Tania starts sharing chicken skewers with other people too?
Yeah — monopolizing Tania is definitely the right call.
After that, following Tania's invitations, I took three more bites before finally asking her,
"Where'd you get this?"
"Hm? I bought it from a place called Koko's Chicken Skewers."
"Koko's Chicken Skewers……."
I repeated the name to myself so I wouldn't forget it.
"Then right now! Let's go buy some Koko-chi!"
I shot to my feet and shouted, and Tania looked puzzled.
"Huh? What's Koko-chi?"
"Koko's Chicken Skewers."
"Ah."
Tania nodded in understanding.
Koko's Chicken Skewers. Shortened: Koko-chi.
Easy to say, and cute too.
I started striding off, and Tania and Adele rose with small smiles of their own.
Except….
"Tania!"
"Yeah?"
"…Which way do we go?"
I still had no idea where Koko's Chicken Skewers was.
Tania snorted a laugh at my question, came over, took my hand, and started walking.
I followed her, feeling the warm temperature of her hand and the fire of pure love for Koko-chi blazing in my chest.
The place we arrived at was a chicken skewer stall right next to the school store.