Apologizing to Appleton
"You brushed your teeth properly, right?"
"Yeees~" I replied to Amy, flashing a bright smile to show off my teeth. The sparkling white gleam proved just how hard I had brushed them this morning.
"And Shine?"
"Ahhh—" Shine showed her teeth to Amy for inspection just like I did. Amy nodded in approval at our display and handed us our bags. Inside the plump, stuffed bags were today's snacks and the green juice Amy had prepared first thing in the morning. Shine and I slung the bags over our shoulders and slipped on our shoes. Our pretty black dress shoes sparkled as they caught the light.
As we were putting on our shoes, a light, pattering knock came from the door. The gentle sound made by those tiny hands could only belong to Rain.
"Jeff~ Shine~"
Hearing Rain's voice from outside, I immediately threw the door wide open. There stood Rain, wearing her chick backpack and smiling brightly. It looked like she was completely ready for school. Her neatly pressed uniform didn't have a single wrinkle, and her teeth sparkled just as brightly as mine and Shine's.
"Morning!"
"Morning!"
After exchanging cheerful greetings with Rain, we waited for Amy in the hallway. Seeing that Rain had arrived, Amy slipped on her coat and stepped out of the room.
"Are you all ready too, Rain?"
"Yep!" Rain replied, wiggling her hips. As she did, the wings of the chick backpack on her back fluttered up and down.
"You'll do well today too, right?"
"Of course!"
"You'll keep a good eye on the kids, right?"
"Naturally!"
Amy chuckled softly at Rain's energetic response and patted her head. Mornings on school days usually started like this. Before heading to the office, I checked to see if I had forgotten anything. My hands fumbled around inside my pockets. A few of Lucy's commemorative coins, a small iron rod, my dinosaur stone, my phone, and some pocket money to buy lunch. My preparations were absolutely perfect.
"Jeff, Shine. Is it school today too?"
"Yes!"
As we walked down the hallway with Amy, people passing by would often strike up a conversation. Since everyone was incredibly friendly, even Shine didn't push them away. I did my best to answer them as we walked forward.
Upon arriving at the office, Amy began her morning routine. She turned on the lights and connected the internet lines. Once the basic setup was complete, she stepped back out of the office.
"Victor isn't here," I muttered, looking around the office. Normally, Victor would have arrived even earlier than Amy to finish the preparations before heading out for his morning workout. But today, for some reason, there was no sign of him.
"Victor is on a business trip."
"Huh? So suddenly?"
"Yeah. Something came up in the early hours of the morning."
"Do... do you guys really just head out at dawn like that?"
"Yes. I've gone out a few times too. Didn't you know?"
My jaw dropped at Amy's words. Since I was a heavy sleeper, I had no idea she ever left in the middle of the night. I had simply assumed she woke up a little earlier than usual on those days.
"Did... did you know, Shine?"
"Yeah. Amy always says goodbye to me before she leaves."
"Really?" I looked at Amy in utter shock. Listening to our conversation, Amy chuckled softly and stroked my hair.
"I wanted to say goodbye to you too, Jeff, but you wouldn't wake up."
"Did... did you really try to wake me?"
"A few times at first."
I touched my cheeks, dumbfounded. I hadn't felt a thing. Was it because the bed was too comfortable? Once I fell asleep, I rarely woke up. I must have been so dead to the world that I couldn't even hear Amy trying to wake me.
"I felt like someone could have carried you away and you wouldn't have noticed. You were sleeping so soundly that I felt bad trying to wake you."
"What about... what about Shine?"
"Shine just opened her eyes the moment my feet touched the floor."
As I stared blankly at Shine with my mouth agape, she flashed me a mysterious smile. It was a deeply satisfied look, like the one she made after eating something incredibly delicious.
We immediately headed toward the warp gate. The location where the portal to the school was generated. Once we arrived, Amy typed a message on her phone. Shortly after, a massive warp gate materialized before our eyes. Staring at the writhing, giant circular space, I swallowed hard. Even though I passed through it every single day to go to school, it was always a little terrifying.
"You all remember, right? You promised to apologize to Appleton when you get to school today."
"Yes!" I answered Amy vigorously. Just as she said, Shine, Rain, and I had to apologize to Appleton. After scolding us, Amy had sat Shine and me down that evening to talk to us gently. She explained that what we did could have deeply hurt Appleton.
Inside my bag was a gift for her. It wasn't health food. It was a soft, sweet, and incredibly delicious present. A gift prepared by the donut company that was now registered under my and Shine's names: a box of fluffy Candy Cloud Donuts.
I patted my bag and muttered quietly, "Do you really think Appleton will forgive us?"
I was incredibly worried. Shine, however, seemed to think differently. Hearing my anxiety, she approached me with a soft smile.
"It's okay. Appleton will love your gift. And she'll accept your apology too."
"Really?"
"Yes. Because that's how it's going to be."
Shine spoke with absolute certainty. I tilted my head at her words. Sometimes, Shine said things that were hard to understand. She spoke as if she already knew exactly how the other person would react—or rather, how they had to react. And whenever she did, people actually behaved exactly as she predicted. When I asked her how she knew, she would only offer a mysterious smile and keep her mouth shut.
"You promise? Since you said so, I'll believe you."
I nodded, letting go of my worries. Appleton would be thrilled to receive my gift, and she would accept my apology without any hesitation. Since Shine said so, it was bound to happen.
"You'll all have a good day, right?"
"Yes!"
Now that my worries were gone, my voice naturally grew cheerful, and my steps became lighter.
"I'm going first!" As always, Rain dashed forward and threw herself into the warp gate. Shine and I waved goodbye to Amy before stepping into the portal ourselves.
The familiar, slight dizziness of warping washed over me. My body swayed slightly, and my vision blurred. I quickly found my center of gravity and stood up straight.
"Welcome."
Standing before us as we exited the warp was Shandroid. Seeing that she had come herself instead of sending Carmel, she must not have been very busy today.
"Hello!"
"You seem to be in high spirits. Did something good happen?"
I nodded at her question. The Candy Cloud Donuts resting in my bag had me practically floating. I'll eat them with Appleton once we get to the classroom. They're so delicious, she's bound to love them. Absolutely.
We immediately followed Shandroid out of the warp area. We had to act as if we had just arrived at school from the outside before anyone else showed up. Shandroid walked slowly down the hallway, briefing us on today's classes. As we exchanged casual conversation, she brought up the swimming club we had joined.
"I heard you joined the swimming club."
"Yes! We joined to go swimming."
"I was told that something rather peculiar happened on the day you girls joined..."
Shandroid let her voice trail off. Shine, Rain, and I exchanged guilty glances and shut our mouths.
"Fortunately, I heard no students were injured. If possible, I would appreciate it if you refrained from using your abilities within the school grounds."
I nodded at Shandroid's request. Watching me nod, she added in a softer tone, "Unlike you young ladies, the students here have not undergone professional training. Their resistance to abilities and physical capabilities are entirely average. Therefore, you must be careful."
Shine, Rain, and I all nodded in unison. At that, Shandroid smiled with satisfaction.
"That is all I have to say for today. I hope you have another wonderful day at school."
Our morning briefing was over. We waved goodbye to Shandroid and headed down the hallway toward our classroom. As we walked, the rhythmic thwack-thwack of a tennis ball would often echo from the courts. Just like right now.
Thwack! Thwack!
The sound of a ball striking a racket. I instinctively turned my head to look out the window. A young boy was vigorously moving his arms and legs, hitting a tennis ball. Felix, the tennis prodigy who was always practicing hard. But for some reason, a sudden wave of revulsion washed over me.
"Ugh..."
"What's wrong?"
As I grimaced and clutched my chest, Shine stepped closer to ask. Instead of answering, I pointed a trembling finger at Felix. A knowing smile spread across Shine's face.
"Why? Is there something weird about him?"
"I... I suddenly can't stand looking at him."
If I had just glanced past him, it would have been fine. But the moment I focused on the boy's movements, the trouble started. An inexplicable repulsion slowly reared its head, growing larger by the second. In the end, an instinctive disgust—as if I were looking at a creepy-crawly bug with too many legs—wrenched my stomach, forcing me to look away.
"Is that so? I see."
"Yeah. It's weird."
"No, it's not weird at all. It's perfectly natural."
I covered my mouth and nodded at Shine's words. I felt like the salad I ate this morning was about to make a reappearance.
"Calm down, Jeff. He's far away, and he hasn't even noticed us."
"Okay..."
Shine gently patted my back.
"Are you feeling sick, Jeff?"
Rain joined in, patting my back just like Shine did. Two pairs of small hands moved soothingly across my back.
"It's just... I don't know, it's just weird."
"You looked so happy a second ago. Did you see a bug or something?"
I nodded at Rain's words. Exactly. It felt just like seeing a bug. I'm sure I didn't feel this way until recently, though.
As I shook my head, muttering to myself, Shine cupped my cheeks.
"Ugh..."
"You're not the weird one, Jeff. It's supposed to be like this."
"Supposed to... be like this?"
"Yes."
"Did you feel this way too, Shine?"
"Yes. I'm exactly the same as you."
I nodded at Shine's words and slowly took a deep breath. Once Felix was out of my line of sight, my stomach began to settle.
"You didn't forget the gift for Appleton, right?"
"Nope."
I answered Shine while catching my breath. I had tucked it safely away in my bag, making sure not to forget it. I had checked it multiple times before leaving the room, ensuring it was securely packaged so it wouldn't lose its shape.
"Let's go!"
I shouted energetically and headed toward the classroom. Throwing open the slightly ajar door, I cried out at the top of my lungs:
"Appleton~!"