Controlling Power
Having finished our satisfying meal, we returned to our room. Perhaps because it was evening, everyone had changed into comfortable clothes and was wandering around the hallway. I stepped out into the corridor wearing my polka-dot pajamas. I paced around, dragging a pair of oversized slippers that belonged to Amy. Shine leaned against our doorframe, watching my every move.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
I had been pacing in circles with my arms crossed, but I stopped to answer her. "I'm thinking."
"Thinking?"
"Yeah."
"If you're thinking, why are you doing it out here?"
I paused at Shine's question. "We're out of snacks."
It was true. The snacks Amy had bought us were already gone. A single half-eaten cookie sat lonely in the middle of our room, but right now, I was craving something salty.
"What does that have to do with anything...?" Shine asked, looking puzzled.
Uncrossing my arms, I answered her. I raised a finger—a tiny finger pointing straight up toward the ceiling. Then, I lowered it to point down the far end of the hallway. "I was debating whether or not to go to the convenience store."
"Why?"
Shine didn't seem to understand why this was such a dilemma. But this was a matter of grave importance. The card Amy had left with us—if I used it, I could definitely buy a mountain of delicious snacks from the convenience store inside the building.
"If there's something you want to eat, you can just go buy it."
"That's the problem."
The problem was that I wanted too many things. If I picked out everything I wanted and checked out, I would definitely end up with a massive plastic bag in my arms. But with a body this small, there was no way I could easily carry something so heavy. I would probably have to spend ages dragging it all the way back to our room. And if I wasted that much time... I would definitely miss the beginning of my favorite anime! Even as I stood here agonizing over this serious dilemma, time was ticking away. Anxious, I stamped my feet. The oversized slippers hanging off my tiny feet made loud clack-clack sounds against the hallway floor.
"If it's too heavy, it'll be hard to carry."
Shine finally looked down at her own body. Her small hands twitched. She nodded, seemingly agreeing with my logic.
"Then we can just ask someone to help us."
"But Shine, Victor and Amy aren't here right now."
"There are plenty of other people around."
I looked around at her suggestion. There were people chatting with their friends outside their rooms, and others leaning against the walls, yawning with tired eyes. Just as she said, there were plenty of people around. But you see, Shine... I'm a little scared of strangers.
"Let's go."
While I was looking around, Shine stepped up and grabbed my arm. Before I could even gasp, she started dragging me along. The giant slippers wobbled, nearly slipping off my feet.
"Shine?"
"I'll take care of it."
Steadying my clumsy, stumbling steps, I followed behind Shine as we headed toward the convenience store.
Passing through the dormitory hallway, we arrived near the cafeteria. Even at this late hour, there were still people heading to the cafeteria for a meal. Every single one of them looked exhausted, yet a faint smile lingered on their lips. Right next to the cafeteria, just in front of a spacious lounge, sat a large convenience store. It had a massive television, plush chairs, and even a smoking room tucked away in the corner. It had absolutely everything. As I stood there blankly taking in the sights, Shine pulled me inside. The automatic doors slid open, revealing a spacious interior with a white floor, a white ceiling, and endless rows of shelves. The countless snacks lining those shelves instantly captured my gaze.
"Welcome~"
Leaving the clerk's greeting behind, I grabbed a shopping basket from the corner. After that, I began sweeping snacks into it without hesitation. For the snacks on the higher shelves, I jumped up to swipe them down. Bags of chips came raining down onto the floor.
"Ah..."
The clerk's gaze darted toward me. Keeping an eye on him, I quickly scooped up all the fallen bags from the floor and stuffed them into my basket. No harm done, right?
"Shine, don't you want anything?"
At my question, Shine picked up a small box of biscuit sticks.
"Just that one?"
"Yeah."
She seemed satisfied with just that and didn't choose anything else. Well, that took care of the snacks. Next up was the drinks. Pushing the basket along the floor like a shopping cart, I headed toward the beverage section.
Endless rows of plastic bottles with colorful labels met my eyes. The first thing I picked was a bottle of Coca-Cola, brimming with carbonation. The heavy weight of the plastic bottle strained my hand. I was already dreading the walk back. I imagined the thin plastic handles of the bag digging into my fingers. It would hurt. It would definitely hurt. But I was going to drink my cola. I tossed the bottle into the basket. The puffy, nitrogen-filled snack bags underneath groaned under the weight.
After adding a few more bottles of cola, my eyes locked onto the beer sitting in the alcohol section. Faint memories began to surface. The crisp carbonation. The refreshing throat-hit. The pleasant buzz.
"Mmm..."
My mouth watered. Swallowing hard, I glanced at Shine to gauge her reaction. "Shine, I want to drink that."
Shine looked at the canned beer I was pointing to and simply nodded. "Put it in the basket."
I quickly began stuffing cans of beer into the basket. There was no way a body this small could handle a lot of alcohol, but the sheer excitement of drinking beer for the first time in ages made such details irrelevant.
"Is that tasty?"
"Huh?"
An unexpected question. Flustered, I quickly hid a can of beer behind my back.
"I asked if it's tasty."
To call it "tasty"... was a bit complicated. "I guess...?"
"Then I'll drink it too."
I stared at Shine in disbelief. Kids shouldn't be drinking alcohol. But then again, my current body was also that of a child. My mind spun into a tangled mess.
"Huh...?"
Everything was getting jumbled up. Watching me stand there frozen with the can, Shine snatched it from my hands and tossed it into the basket.
"You got everything?"
"Yeah..."
At my reply, Shine pushed the basket toward the counter. I stared blankly at her back. This was a side of her I had never seen before. The sheer difference felt strangely jarring.
"Jeff."
Shaking my head at Shine's call, I walked over to her. The closer I got, the louder the ringing in my ears became. I placed the card on the counter and said, "Check out, please."
Taking the card, the clerk looked back and forth between me and the card, then leaned forward over the counter and spotted the basket on the floor. "All of this?"
"Yes."
As I struggled and groaned trying to lift the heavy basket, the clerk stepped out from behind the counter and picked it up for us. Beep— Beep— Beep— The rhythmic sound of the barcode scanner filled the air.
"Hey, kids."
"Yes?"
"Did you grab these by mistake?"
The clerk asked, setting aside the pile of canned beers I had gathered.
"No, we didn't!"
I jumped up in a panic, clinging to the edge of the counter. The clerk looked startled by my sudden leap.
"But this is for adults."
"Ah..."
I desperately racked my brain. What should I do? How could I safely secure this ice-cold beer? Just then, Amy's credit card caught my eye. "An... errand!"
Only then did the clerk properly examine the credit card. "Hmm..."
He turned the card over in his hands. "It's definitely an executive-grade card. Whose errand is this?"
"Amy's."
"Lady Amy?"
The clerk stroked his chin suspiciously. "But Lady Amy doesn't like alcohol..."
My eyes darted frantically in every direction as I searched for an excuse. Because I was hanging onto the counter, my legs dangled and swung in the air.
"Ugh..."
"Jeff."
"Shine?"
Shine's hand touched my dangling leg. She gently tugged on it, signaling me to come down. I hopped down from the counter.
"Ring it up."
Shine stepped forward, her voice dropping to a cold whisper. The ringing in my head grew deafeningly loud. Clutching my forehead, I collapsed to the floor. My vision whited out, leaving me completely blind.
"Jeff."
"Mmh?"
"Let's go."
As I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the blindness, Shine spoke to me. Before I knew it, my vision returned to normal. I looked around blankly. The convenience store was exactly the same as before, but there was one key difference: the clerk was acting strange. He stood there with a vacant expression, holding a massive plastic bag.
"He said he'd help us."
"Really?"
I smiled as I took the card Shine handed back to me. What a nice guy.
"Thank you!"
He didn't react to my gratitude at all. Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek.
The clerk carried the bag all the way to our room, set it down, and left without a single word.
"That worked out perfectly," Shine said.
I nodded in agreement. Checking the clock, I saw we had made it back in time. I rummaged through the bag and began setting up our feast. A mountain of snack bags spilled onto the small table, alongside the cold cans of beer and the giant bottle of cola. Once I grabbed a cup for the cola and sat down, the preparations were complete. Turning on the TV with the remote, I immediately grabbed a can of beer. The icy sensation spread through both of my hands. I lifted the beer, looking at it with sheer reverence.
Click. Click. My tiny fingers toyed with the tab of the can. Pshhh! Slipping my finger under the small gap, I pulled back hard. The can popped open, releasing a sharp hiss of carbonation. The familiar aroma wafted through the air, instantly making my mouth water. Shine opened her can in the exact same way. I locked eyes with her. Without a word, we both tipped our cans back and drank deeply. The beer flooded my tiny mouth, the cold liquid instantly lowering my body temperature. The sharp carbonation prickled my tongue. A bitter, aromatic note hit my nose first, followed by a rich apple fragrance that washed the bitterness away.
"Jeff."
"Yeah...?"
As I was chugging the beer, Shine called out to me. She was glaring at her can, sticking her tongue out. "Is this really supposed to taste good?"
I giggled, looking at her. "Maybe it's too much for you since you're still a kid, Shine."
Hehehe. A soft chuckle escaped me. The beer filling my stomach began to warm my body. My cheeks flushed a bright red. Unfazed by the rapidly rising buzz, I kept pouring the beer down my throat.
"I think it'sh delicioush."
"Jeff, you're weird."
"Nuh-uh!"
I proudly showed off, drinking even more just to prove my point to Shine. "So good!"
I emptied the entire can. My hand immediately reached for another. Watching me, Shine got a look of grim determination on her face and began chugging her own beer. Without another word, the two of us began absolutely demolishing the cans. How on earth did so much beer fit into such tiny bodies? My stomach felt completely bloated.
"Uuuuuh..."
My vision began to spin. The bright, flashing lights from the TV screen made my head dizzy. I knew it was my favorite anime playing, but the plot wasn't registering in my brain at all. Empty cans rolled messily across the table.