The Mind Stone
"Are you sure you're okay with just that?"
"Yeah," I replied to Shine's question, staring down at the cup ramen sitting in front of me. I couldn't even remember why I used to crave this so much in the past. Only a faint, lingering trace of that feeling remained. Clutching the wooden chopsticks in my hand, I stared blankly into space. I had just poured the hot water in, so I had to wait for it to cook.
Rain, who had been doing nothing but freeloading on my fruit, had left after being summoned by Amy. She had probably gone back to the office.
"Will that be enough?"
"No way it wouldn't be," I answered, scanning the variety of cup ramen lined up next to it. Spicy, salty, sweet, and even some mysterious fruit flavor. "It's more than enough."
Shine had stayed by my side all day today. She did everything I asked since I couldn't move well, and she even accompanied me to the bathroom. We'd get in trouble if Amy found out, but I knew neither of us would say a word.
"Fuuu~" I blew on the noodles and shoved a steaming clump into my mouth. The first taste was familiarity. A comforting taste. A taste from my memories. Yet, for some reason, there was a scent to it that felt strangely foreign.
"Hey, Shine."
"Yeah?"
Shine was reading a comic book that Rain had brought over. Along with the comic books, she had also brought some novels. Personally, I preferred the novels she brought this time over these comic books. I could project myself into the situations. In the novels, I was free. I could go anywhere, and I was always alone—just like the protagonist. I slid the book on the table to the side and focused on eating my ramen.
"Weren't you doing something earlier, Shine?"
"What do you mean by that?"
When I asked her this while halfway through devouring my ramen, she asked back as if she didn't understand my question.
"Um, I mean, is it really okay for you to just stay here like this? I thought you had something you needed to do." I started beating around the bush. You were doing something before you came here, weren't you? That was what I meant.
"Yeah. It's fine."
But Shine didn't give me the answer I wanted. Frustration. And a pinch of disappointment. Pouting, I bit down on my empty chopsticks.
"Why the pouty face?"
"Because you aren't telling me anything, Shine."
Shine let out a soft chuckle at my complaint. She seemed to be in a great mood.
"Why are you so curious?"
"But you hate Jean, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do," she nodded readily.
"You're the type who doesn't even want to talk to someone you dislike. I... I know you well." Was there anyone else in this world who understood her as well as I did? I nodded as I spoke.
"But why were you with Jean then? I don't get it. Normally, you wouldn't go anywhere and would just stay by my side."
In the end, this was just me throwing a tantrum. If Shine had been the one by my side when I woke up instead of Rain, I wouldn't have had a single complaint.
"I felt left out. You weren't there, even though you usually never want to leave my side. But... but was Jean more important than me?"
I honestly poured my heart out. But once I laid it all bare, a sudden wave of embarrassment hit me, and I couldn't look her in the face. My cheeks burned. It was definitely because of this spicy ramen. I squeezed my eyes shut and gulped down the hot broth. My mouth was burning and stinging. My body heat was rising. Yes, it was absolutely the ramen's fault.
"Did you really think that? If so, that makes me really happy."
Shine said softly, gently placing her hand over mine. Only then did I raise my head to look at her expression. A bright smile graced her face, her eyes curving gently as she gazed at me. All of it hit me so suddenly. Startled by my pounding heart, I instinctively shrank back.
"Since you really feel that way, I'll tell you."
I nodded at Shine's words. She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before slowly opening her mouth.
"It's because of the Mind Stone."
"Why that?"
"If I have it, I can do something even more amazing. The moment I saw it, I knew instinctively."
"You saw it? What does it look like?"
"It's a red gem. Beautifully cut."
A simple description wasn't enough for me to picture it. I nodded at her words as I started on the next cup of ramen.
"Jean was probably the same. He must have felt the exact same thing the moment he saw it, just like me."
"Why would Jean feel the same way as you?"
"That's because I..."
Slurp. The sweet-flavored ramen melted slowly in my mouth. I chewed blankly. Her lips moved slowly. Yet, I couldn't hear a single sound.
"What?"
"Did you hear me?"
"No? I didn't hear anything. Shine, are you playing a prank on me?"
Frowning, I questioned her back when she asked if I had heard her clearly. It didn't seem like she was joking. She had definitely said something. But I couldn't hear it. Tell me again, Shine. When I looked at her with that silent plea, she nodded readily and spoke once more.
"I am —■■■"
Once again, I couldn't hear a thing.
"Still can't hear it?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
Shine smiled happily, seemingly pleased that I couldn't hear her, and wrapped her arms around me. What on earth was there to be happy about? I was annoyed that I couldn't hear.
"Jeff. You shouldn't think of this phenomenon as strange. And don't think it's weird that I went to Jean because of the Mind Stone either. Okay?"
"Why?"
"Just because. That's how it's always been."
I pouted again. I wasn't the type to be satisfied with a simple explanation like "that's how it's always been."
"I'll accept it if you give me a candy."
I felt like I needed at least a piece of candy to let it go. Shine burst into laughter again at my words. She pulled another candy from her pocket and handed it to me. This time, it was a lemon-flavored lollipop. It would be perfect for cleansing my palate after finishing all this ramen.
"The sparks aren't coming out anymore?"
"Sparks?"
"Yeah. It was crackling right in front of me and stinging."
Shine waved her hand in front of my eyes. I tilted my head at her words. Sparks and crackling? Was she talking about my ability? But I had never used my ability on Shine.
"Did I accidentally use my power on you?"
"No, no. It's nothing."
Shine shook her head. Satisfied that my curiosity was resolved, I smiled. The reason she went to Jean, whom she hated, was because of the Mind Stone. I didn't know if the Mind Stone was really worth that much, but either way, I accepted the explanation. As I continued eating the rest of my ramen, I noticed a faint light leaking from her pocket.
"What's that?"
Surely it was okay to ask about the light. Startled by my question, she quickly covered her pocket with her hand. The faint light leaking out instantly vanished.
"It's nothing."
"Am I not allowed to ask about that either?"
"Yeah."
Why were there so many off-limits topics? I finished the last of my cup ramen and lay back down on the bed.
"Are you all done?"
"Yeah."
Shine cleaned up everything I had eaten. Being sick was so comfortable; I almost wanted to just lie in bed for the rest of my life.
"Shine. You drank coffee, didn't you?"
Surely I could ask this, right? Lying down, I looked up at Shine and asked. As if it was a completely unexpected question, she just blinked blankly.
"You wouldn't let me have any, so why did you drink it yourself?"
"Well, that's..."
"I'm disappointed."
I buried my face in my pillow as I spoke. Immediately, I heard Shine moving in a panic.
"W-Wait! I'm sorry! It's my fault!"
Shine climbed onto the bed and began trying to turn my body around. However, remembering that I was in pain, she couldn't use much force. Finding her reaction amusing, I hugged the pillow even tighter. I absolutely couldn't let her see me smiling.
"Do you want to drink coffee? I'll bring you some then. So please, don't be disappointed..."
Straddling me, Shine pressed her body as close as possible and whispered softly in my ear. Her ticklish voice made my body shudder.
"Hmm? Come on. Show me your face."
Shine skillfully began to massage and tickle my body. Moving her hands as if she knew exactly where my weak spots were, my body reacted on its own.
"Ngh!"
A laughter-laced groan escaped through my tightly clenched teeth. Her hands swept rapidly over my armpits and thighs. Every time they did, my body curled up, letting out weak whimpers.
"W-Wait! I was just kidding!"
Feeling like things would get out of hand if this went on any longer, I gasped for breath and pulled the pillow away. Straddling me, Shine's gaze fell upon my face.
"That was a mean prank."
"Sorry..."
"Don't say you're disappointed."
"Okay..."
"I hate that word."
I shut my mouth and nodded at Shine's words. When she said she hated the word "disappointed," her expression looked incredibly sad. For a moment, neither of us said anything, simply exchanging glances. As I stared blankly up at her, a faint warmth began to kindle in her eyes.
And it was at that exact moment.
The closed hospital room door swung open, and Amy appeared. She wasn't alone. Rain was clinging tightly to her leg.
The two, who had been talking as they entered, fell silent the moment they saw Shine and me. Rain's face instantly turned bright red. Her mouth bobbed open and closed as if trying to say something, her eyes darting around in panic. Amy simply stared at us without a word.
"Amy!"
I bolted upright in bed. Running to her was out of the question, but I could at least wave my hand in delight. At my movement, Shine quietly backed away and sat on the edge of the bed, acting as if absolutely nothing had happened. Amy walked over to us in silence.
"Jeff. How is your body feeling?"
"I'm fine!"
I flailed my arms around to show Amy that my body was perfectly intact. At my antics, Amy chuckled softly and gently pushed me back down onto the bed.
"I heard you're still in pain and can't even walk."
"Uh... I think I could walk if I just endure the pain."
"No. Don't get up until you're fully healed. Stay right here."
"Okay..."
It was truly strange. I had so many things I wanted to say to Amy when I met her, but now that she was right in front of me, my mind settled into a calm tranquility.
"Shine."
"Yeah."
"You weren't doing anything strange, were you?"
"No. Jeff wouldn't show me her face, so I was just tickling her."
Shine didn't lie. I nodded in agreement with her explanation. Amy stared at Shine in silence for a moment before nodding with a small smile.
I began eagerly explaining to Amy what had happened that day—from the mindset I had when I went there, to why I ran to catch the train, and how much I had been worrying about her.
Amy, who had been listening quietly, took both of my hands in hers and spoke.
"Still, it was far too dangerous. Don't ever do something like that again. Understood?"
I rolled my eyes around at her words. If a similar situation arose again, I felt like it would be hard to keep that promise.
"Answer me."
"Okay..."
"You're promising me, right?"
"Yes..."
"If you break a promise, that makes you a liar, doesn't it?"
I nodded. Lying was what I hated most. So, I must not break this promise.
Amy smiled brightly at my response and pulled me into a warm embrace. Her arms were so comfortable that I felt like I could close my eyes and drift off to sleep right then and there.