A Perfectly Ordinary Picnic
I had been running around like crazy during the museum raid training. My breath was ragged, right up to my throat, and as I bent over gasping for air, Rain walked up and handed me a water bottle. It was a cute little chick-shaped bottle. It was definitely filled with nice, cold water. I took Rain's bottle and gulped it down in one go. The cool liquid poured down my throat as I drank greedily, and I could feel her eyes on me.
"Hmm? What?"
Why was she staring at me so intently? I asked her, puzzled. Rain quickly looked away and shook her head. She'd been acting a little strange lately. I licked the water that had dripped down around my lips, then handed the bottle back to her. The moment she took it, she gently stroked the opening where the water came out.
"Let's eat lunch!"
I was lying in the yard, resting my exhausted body, when Amy called out. Come to think of it, I was starting to get hungry. Since I hadn't heard Rain's usual lunch alarm go off, it must have been earlier than when we normally ate. I jumped up from my spot and ran over to Amy.
Amy was coming out into the yard carrying a large basket in her arms. After Shine and I had scattered earlier, she'd gone back inside the house—apparently to prepare lunch.
"Whoa..."
Inside Amy's basket were soft white bread, cheese, ham, and all kinds of vegetables. I immediately realized what she was planning to make.
"Sandwiches!"
"That's right. Sandwiches," Amy said, spreading out a wide picnic mat in the middle of the yard. The soft mat with just the right amount of weight gently pressed down the grass. We quickly took off our shoes and stepped onto it. The crisp crunch of the grass being crushed traveled up through the soles of my feet.
Trembling with excitement I couldn't hide, I reached straight for the basket Amy had set down. I wanted to eat right now, right away. But Amy's hand caught mine, stopping me from diving in.
"Huh?"
"None of you washed your hands."
At Amy's words, I looked at my own hands. After rolling around with all my might, climbing trees, and everything else, they were filthy. I nodded and jumped to my feet. Shine examined her own hands and stood up as well. Hers were no cleaner than mine. But Rain didn't get up. Curious, I looked down at her, and she raised a finger.
Her tiny finger shot up and wiggled gently, as if keeping rhythm. The cute movement of that little finger caught my eye, and at the same time, small droplets of water began to form around Rain. The water droplets sparkled brilliantly, reflecting the bright sunlight. It was so beautiful I couldn't help but stare in a daze.
"I'll clean them for you!"
Rain's water droplets floated over gently and wrapped around mine and Shine's hands, moving softly. The droplets swirled and rippled, and the water inside instantly washed away all the dirt. It really was an amazing ability. That's what I thought.
Thanks to Rain's help, Shine and I were able to clean our hands thoroughly and sat back down.
"All clean now!"
They really were sparkling. I proudly showed my hands to Amy, and Rain puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
"How's that?"
Amy gave a small smile at Rain's display, then reached out and patted her head a few times. A very, very happy smile bloomed across Rain's face.
I began making my sandwich with great care. I placed a slice of bread at the bottom, then layered ham, cheese, more ham, ham, ham, another layer of cheese, and two thin slices of tomato. I added just the right amount of ketchup, mayonnaise, and honey mustard. The result was an incredibly delicious-looking sandwich.
With trembling eyes, I picked it up. It was the perfect thickness and just the right size for one big bite. It was truly a perfect sandwich. I opened my mouth wide and took a huge bite.
The soft bread melted gently against my saliva, letting the ham and cheese inside flow out smoothly. My molars slowly pressed down on the sandwich, squeezing out all the hidden sweet sauces at once. They wrapped around the other ingredients in perfect harmony, sending an overwhelming wave of flavor crashing over my tongue.
"Is it really that good...?"
I couldn't even answer Shine's question. I just kept chewing, my whole body shivering. That was when it happened.
Shine's face suddenly leaned in close, and she took a big bite out of the sandwich still in my mouth. Our eyes met across the sandwich. I stared at her with wide, startled eyes, and her small lips began to chew slowly.
Those gently moving lips were so close. Her soft breath brushed against my face. My heart, which had been beating steadily, began to race faster and faster. A strange heat started rising through my body.
Chew, chew—Shine's mouth, which had seemed to move slowly at first, was gradually getting closer. Her eyes curved into gentle crescents, so the sandwich must have really been to her liking. I felt the same way. There was no way I could give up something this delicious.
Maybe that was why. My mouth moved on its own, greedily shoving the rest of the sandwich inside. Our faces drew closer and closer until our noses gently bumped together. Surprised by the soft sensation of her skin, I opened my eyes wide. Shine let out a small laugh. At the same time, the sandwich began to tear apart.
Unlike me, who was startled, Shine pulled her mouth back, stretching out the ham that hadn't torn yet. The piece of ham that had been halfway in my mouth was yanked away and disappeared straight into hers.
Shine sat back in her original spot and chewed with a satisfied expression. For some reason, my lips felt hot. I quickly turned my gaze to Rain and Amy.
Rain seemed completely focused on making her own sandwich, so she apparently hadn't seen what just happened. In front of her sat a sandwich as big as her own head. Amy didn't seem to have noticed either. She was tapping away at her phone, looking like she was dealing with work messages.
I let out a sigh of relief.
"It's delicious."
Shine's quiet voice slipped into my ear. Delicious. For some reason, that single word sounded so embarrassing. I lowered my head, remembering the texture of the ham that had slipped from my mouth. It must have been covered in my saliva, yet Shine didn't seem to mind at all as she happily chewed away.
Is it really that good? I wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come out. With trembling hands, I started making another sandwich. She won't steal this one too, right?
I was carefully bringing it to my mouth when Rain suddenly screamed.
"Kyaaaaak!"
It sounded like the cry of a girl fallen into despair. I whipped my head around at her scream. The giant sandwich in front of her had completely collapsed, its contents scattered everywhere. Ham, ham, cheese, ham, ham, cheese, egg, bacon, ham, bread, and then more ham and cheese in a ruined tower of sandwich debris. Looking at the scattered ingredients, I noticed there wasn't a single vegetable in it. Red ketchup and mustard sauce were smeared all over Rain's mouth. There were no bite marks on any of the scattered pieces, which meant the enormous sandwich sadly hadn't fit into her mouth.
Rain stared at the mess with a devastated expression.
"Rain!"
Amy acted like this wasn't the first or second time this had happened. She put away her phone and immediately started cleaning up. She swept the inedible ingredients into one pile and wiped the mat with a wet tissue.
I handed Rain the sandwich I had made while she was still looking miserable.
"Here. Eat this."
"Thank you..."
Rain immediately chomped down on the sandwich I'd offered her. I was taken aback. I'd handed it to her so she could hold it with her hands, but she just took it straight into her mouth. In the end, I couldn't pull my hand away until she'd eaten the entire thing.
Rain, who had been chewing blankly, finally seemed to realize what she'd done. Her face turned bright red.
"Me too."
At that moment, Shine, who had been quietly making her own sandwich beside me, held out the one she'd prepared and spoke. What does she want me to do? I blinked in confusion, and she forcibly placed the sandwich in my hand.
I instinctively lifted my hand and held the sandwich out to her. Then, just like Rain had done, she slowly took a bite of the sandwich I was holding. Nom nom—her small lips approached slowly. I twitched my fingers at the movement. Shine's mouth didn't stop. One bite, two bites, she kept eating until the entire sandwich was in her mouth. Her tiny lips and tongue gently brushed against my fingers and pulled away.
She must have licked off the bit of ketchup that was on my finger, right? Yeah, that's definitely what happened.
A strange heat wrapped around my fingertips. I fidgeted with my fingers while chewing on nothing.
"I-is... is it good?"
"Yeah. It's really good."
After answering, Shine kept staring at my fingers. I quickly hid my hand behind my back.
Maybe because my stomach was starting to feel full, I pulled out the phone from my pocket. Should I say something? Or should I just keep enjoying this moment? A giant scale appeared in my mind, weighing happy times against duty.
"Um, Amy!"
It was right when I'd made up my mind and was about to take my phone out of my pocket. Amy pulled out a box full of chocolates from the basket. The chocolates in that pretty box looked so tempting that I swallowed hard and pushed the phone deep back into my pocket.
"Yes?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
Maybe I can tell her a little later? The scale in my mind tilted heavily to one side. Amy's basket was full of other delicious things besides chocolate—soft, chewy, sweet fruit jelly and even dinosaur-shaped candies. I chewed happily as I accepted the chocolates Amy popped into my mouth. Just until I finish all of these. Really, just these. I mean it. I swear.