A Fragrant Misunderstanding
It was late evening at Team Harmonize's quarters. Even Amy, having finally finished her paperwork, had climbed into bed to get some sleep. I let out a soft sigh under the covers, hugging the book tightly to my chest. How had time flown by so fast? I could have easily looked up the parts I missed today on a computer, but I found it hard to believe that a tiny book like this had completely stolen my attention. It was fun, sure. But if someone asked me if I liked it more than Lucy... well, my answer would be a hesitant "maybe."
"Jeff." Just then, a tiny whisper drifted up from beneath the blankets. The covers wriggled, and out popped Shine.
"Shine?"
"Yeah, it's me," she replied, crawling closer to my side. Her warm skin radiated a gentle, cozy heat.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I woke up in the middle of the night." Shine let out a wide yawn, her small mouth stretching. Smacking her lips sleepily, her eyes suddenly sparkled as she spotted the book in my hands. "What kind of book is that?"
"This is..."
"Rain gave it to you, right?"
"Yeah."
"Show me too." Shine sat up and held out her hand. After glancing over to make sure Amy was fast asleep, I handed the book over to her.
"Is it a picture book?"
"Yeah." I nodded. I had no intention of telling Shine yet—specifically, that I had developed a slight interest in a book with that kind of content. If Shine ever found out... I swallowed hard and shook my head to clear the thought.
Shine began flipping through the small book. With every turn of her fingers, the faint, comforting scent of paper drifted through the air. Reading in a dark room is bad for your eyes. With that thought in mind, I spoke up. "Shine."
"Yeah?"
"Let's look at the book later. In the morning."
Shine didn't answer. She turned the picture book this way and that, then suddenly tapped one of the pages with her finger. Instantly, hidden words began to rapidly appear. Spreading across the page like ink bleeding into water, the letters laid bare the book's contents without reservation. As I sat there, jaw slack in sheer panic, Shine giggled softly and waved the book. "I've already read it."
Cold sweat broke out down my spine.
"It was fun, wasn't it?" Shine asked. Her voice dropped to a low, velvety whisper that seemed to wrap around my entire body. She began to crawl toward me with agonizing slowness. The rustle of her body brushing against the blankets sounded as loud as thunder in my ears.
"How was it?"
"W-what was?"
"The book." Creeping closer, Shine draped her arms over my shoulders as if to pull me into an embrace. Terrified by her sudden boldness, I scrambled backward, burying myself deeper under the covers.
"Don't run away." Shine pursued me. Deep beneath the blankets, the sound of rustling fabric echoed in all directions. Our little game of hide-and-seek under the covers came to a swift end. I was no match for her. Pinning my arms down with surprising strength, she straddled my waist and looked down at me.
"Tell me. It was fun, right?"
"Yeah." I hated lying, so I didn't. Hearing the truth slip from my lips, a bright, triumphant smile spread across Shine's face.
"I liked it too."
"Okay..." Shine quickly flipped through the pages in her hand. The rapid, rhythmic flutter of the paper tickled my ears. "Here. Here. And here." Shine pointed at the illustrations, showing them to me. It was too dark to read the text properly, but I could still make out the drawings.
"Like this part in the flowerbed." Shine set the book down gently. Her words immediately conjured the scene in my mind. The phrase "flowerbed" instantly triggered the memory of that specific page. The younger sister, gazing down at her older sister resting in a field of flowers, leans in and steals a soft kiss on her lips. Startled by her own actions, she covers her mouth, clutches her pounding heart, and flees. As flower petals scatter in the wind, the older sister opens her eyes, touches her lips, and sits up. Her gaze lingers in the direction her sister ran. And that's how the scene ends.
I swallowed hard. There was something deeply unsettling about the way Shine was staring down at me. *Thump, thump.* My heart began to beat wildly inside my small chest. My head spun so much that I couldn't tell if the frantic thumping belonged to her or to me.
"Stay still."
"Shine!"
"Shush." I thrashed my pinned hands, my struggles shaking Shine's body along with mine. The blankets rustled violently. Our breathing grew ragged, and soft, breathless gasps filled the space between us.
"It's not weird."
"But..." Shine was trying to convince me. Her past words echoed in my mind—how she had learned what families are supposed to do from books, how it wasn't strange at all. As if the things depicted in the book were perfectly normal. Shine's pale face drew closer and closer. Her cascading white hair fell around us like a curtain, shutting out the rest of the world. My vision was filled with nothing but her face.
"Just stay still for a second." A brief yet agonizingly long silence stretched between us. In the quiet room, where only our ragged breathing could be heard, a sudden movement shattered the tension. Shine's slowly approaching face snapped to the side. A shift in weight registered beside us on the bed. The soft covers rustled, and Amy's figure shifted.
"Jeff? Shine?" Still half-asleep, Amy's heavy-lidded eyes slowly drifted toward us. I held my breath. Like a child caught red-handed, I couldn't utter a word or make a single move. Shine seemed to be in the same boat, freezing completely in her position straddling me.
"Mmm..." Amy rubbed her eyes and reached out. Her long arms slid under Shine's armpits, scooping her up effortlessly and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Jeff is trying to sleep." Only then could I finally breathe. With the suffocating tension broken, I cautiously wiggled my fingers and toes. My wrists, which Shine had been gripping so tightly, still tingled. Amy must have assumed I was already asleep since I was lying down. Holding Shine close, Amy began to lecture her.
"Shine."
"Yeah."
"You shouldn't climb on top of people when they're sleeping."
"Okay."
"Good girl." Letting out a long, sleepy yawn, Amy gently stroked Shine's hair, then rolled over, pulling Shine down with her. Flustered, Shine squirmed and struggled to break free from Amy's grasp, but Amy's arms were locked tight.
"It's too tight, Amy." After twisting around a few more times, Shine let out a defeated sigh and gave up. Poking only my head out from under the covers to observe her, I playfully stuck my tongue out at her. Serves you right. Shine's eyes locked onto my tongue, then darted away. Seeing her scowl in irritation, I quickly ducked back under the blankets. With the covers pulled all the way over my head, it was pitch black. Only then did I let out a true sigh of relief. Thank goodness the lights were off. If it had been bright, Shine would have definitely seen my face. My skin felt as hot as if I had just stepped out of a boiling bath. Cupping my burning cheeks, I slowly tried to calm my breathing. The frantic pounding of my heart finally began to subside. I couldn't shake the memory of Shine's face drawing closer and closer. Rubbing my eyes, I buried my face in the pillow. Thanks to Amy keeping Shine pinned in her embrace, I was able to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next morning. Waking up a bit earlier than usual, I sat up and immediately checked my body. I wanted to see if there were any more of those "bug bites" that had started appearing a few days ago. Recalling the marks that had been left on my neck, cheeks, and even just below my belly button, I was relieved to find that no new ones had been added.
"No bites today," I muttered blankly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Amy was already awake, tapping away on her laptop, while Shine was still fast asleep, wrapped up like a burrito in the blankets. I hopped off the bed and went to sit in front of Amy.
"Jeff? You're up early."
"Yes." Amy glanced at the clock, looking slightly surprised. I nodded in response. I really had woken up earlier than usual.
"Did you get bitten again?"
"No, not even once today."
"The new medicine must be working well, then." Saying this, Amy pulled out a small spray bottle.
"Is that bug spray?"
"Yes. It's great because it doesn't have a scent." *Spurt—* Amy sprayed it once into the air as she spoke. Just as she said, it was completely odorless.
"Are you just going to sit there?"
"Mmm..."
"Hurry up and go wash." Seeing me lazily rubbing my cheek against the table, Amy nudged me. I scowled at her words, letting out a small sigh as I dragged myself toward the bathroom.
I hated mornings. I didn't want to brush my teeth, and I didn't want to wash my face. I just wanted to sleep forever. Some days were just like that. Squeezing toothpaste onto my brush and popping it into my mouth, I stared out the small window opposite the bathroom. Hanging on a long clothesline outside was my giant dinosaur onesie, drooping limply. It should be fully dry by today. I can wear it tonight, right? I absolutely adored the fluffy, cozy texture of that dinosaur onesie Amy had bought me. Since I only had one, I couldn't wear it every day, but that was exactly what made it so special. If something special became an everyday thing, it wouldn't be special anymore.
"Jeff." While I was blankly brushing my teeth, the bathroom door creaked open and Shine walked in. Her eyes were half-closed with sleep, and her unsteady, wobbling steps looked incredibly precarious. Letting out a massive yawn, Shine shuffled over and clung to my leg.
"Wait, Shine. I'm brushing my teeth." Standing on the stepping stool, I wobbled under her weight and lowered my center of gravity as I spoke. But Shine didn't even pretend to listen. Instead, she buried her face right between my thighs and began rubbing her cheeks against them.
"Mmph..." Spitting out some foam, I whimpered. I couldn't even stand properly because of her. As I awkwardly tried to keep brushing in that bizarre posture, Shine started doing something even weirder.
*Sniff, sniff.*
"What are you doing...?" I stopped brushing and looked down. Shine had her head buried right against my foot, sniffing it.
"Smelling you," she replied with absolute confidence. Her shameless attitude left me utterly flabbergasted. My tiny toes wriggled uncontrollably in sheer embarrassment. I yanked my foot out of Shine's grasp and hopped down from the stool.
Shine didn't say another word. She just stared at me, let out a tiny giggle, and then climbed onto the stool to start brushing her own teeth. Her bizarre behavior aside, I couldn't get it out of my head. My smell. She was sniffing me. And not just anywhere, but my foot of all places. Hesitantly, I parted my lips to call out to her.
"Um... Shine. About that..."
"Yeah?" When she turned to look at me with an innocent, questioning expression, I lost my nerve and shut my mouth. How was I even supposed to ask? "Hey, what do my feet smell like?" What if my feet actually stank? I looked down at my feet. My tiny toes curled inward as if trying to hide. Ultimately, I shook my head, left the bathroom, and went to sit on the bed.
Amy's eyes were still glued to her laptop screen. Keeping a wary eye on her, I cautiously bent my leg and lifted my foot. My small, pale foot came right up to my face. I leaned in and took a careful sniff. Fortunately, there was absolutely no smell. That meant I had nothing to be embarrassed about. I could hold my head high! Putting my foot back down, I marched confidently back into the bathroom.
"Shine!"
"Hmm?" Shine was still brushing her teeth.
"My feet don't smell!" At my proud declaration, Shine stared at me, her mouth hanging open. The toothbrush in her hand wobbled precariously before slipping from her fingers and clattering onto the floor.