A Midnight Scheme
I had to go! I had made up my mind to leave, but I couldn't just walk out this very second. The outside world was a dangerous, terrifying place. I sank back into my chair, warily reading the room as I glanced between Shine and Amy. Neither of them seemed to have any interest in the video I had just been watching. Letting out a soft sigh, I began to rack my brain. Both of them were dead set against me going outside. How on earth was I going to convince them?
"Shine~"
I decided to target Shine first. Spinning my chair around, I called out to her as she watched TV. She reacted to my voice, snapping her head around. Shine's face emerged from between the scattering threads of her silver hair.
"Hey... what do you think about... going outside?"
I had tried to keep my voice down, but Amy, who was sitting right next to Shine, must have overheard. Her gaze shifted toward me.
"Jeff. The outside is dangerous," Shine said, her tone coaxing.
I flinched and nodded. She was right, of course, but I still couldn't help wanting to go. I wanted to see that movie adaptation so badly.
"It's still too dangerous, so you can't," Amy chimed in.
I hung my head and mumbled back, "Still...?"
"Yes. There are still bad people out there looking for Shine and Jeff."
"Then, if the bad people disappear, can we go outside?"
When I asked with a glimmer of hope, Amy nodded. My eyes sparkled. So there was a way to go outside. But my excitement quickly deflated. How was I supposed to wait around for some vague day when the bad people would disappear? The movie was premiering in just two days.
"Could... could we maybe just sneak out and come back...?"
It was Shine who answered my timid plea.
"Jeff."
She rubbed her eyes and started walking toward me. I buried myself deep in the chair, covered my ears, and spun the chair around and around. I don't want to hear a lecture.
"Okay, okay! I won't go!" I cried out.
Through my spinning vision, Shine's figure loomed closer and closer. As I hurriedly blurted out my surrender, she stopped in her tracks, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Good. Because the outside is a very dangerous place."
I nodded along with her. She was right. The outside was an incredibly dangerous place. Terrifying wild dogs and thugs used to lurk in the streets, constantly watching for an opportunity to strike.
Fidgeting with the mouse in my lingering disappointment, I clicked the video play and pause buttons over and over. It was such a shame. I wanted to see it so badly. I didn't want to give up.
The danger Shine spoke of certainly conjured up vivid memories of threats I had faced firsthand in the past. But thinking about it now, with my current abilities, those were all things I could easily handle on my own. Shine is seriously underestimating me, I thought.
I spun the chair around once more. This was actually pretty fun. Both of them probably thought I had given up on going outside, but I hadn't. Not by a long shot.
Shutting down the computer, I walked over to the shelf where the coffee Amy often drank was kept. However, due to my short stature, I couldn't reach it. Even standing on my tiptoes and stretching my arm as far as it would go, it remained tantalizingly out of reach. I looked around for an alternative.
I spotted a chair near where Shine and Amy were sitting. Swallowing hard, I began to creep toward it. Fortunately, both of them had their eyes glued to the TV screen. This was my chance.
Grabbing the legs of the cushioned chair, I carefully began to drag it.
Screeech— screeech—
The sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor felt deafeningly loud. The chair was also much heavier than I expected. Gritting my teeth, I dragged it all the way over to the shelf.
Positioning the chair right up against the shelf, I stepped up onto it. Instantly, my field of vision elevated. Ah, so this is the world adults see. With a triumphant smirk, I reached toward the shelf.
My fingertips hovered just a hair's breadth away. I stretched my legs even further, straining upward. My extended fingers finally brushed against a coffee mix packet. With a soft rustling sound, I snatched it.
"Got it!"
"Got what?"
Startled by the sudden voice, I lost my footing. My vision tilted wildly as the coffee packets flew high into the air. As I tumbled backward, looking up at the ceiling, Amy's face appeared amidst the scattering rain of coffee packets. With a look of surprise, she reached out for me. With a soft oof, I landed safely in Amy's arms.
Clatter-clatter-thud—
The coffee packets rained down onto the floor, making a noisy racket.
"Ah..." I quickly looked away, avoiding Amy's gaze.
"Did you want some coffee?"
"U-Uh... yes."
"But Jeff, coffee isn't very good for kids your age," Amy said, gently setting me back down on the floor. "If you drink it now, you won't be able to sleep."
That was exactly the effect I was counting on. I fell asleep way too easily. Even if I took a nap, the moment Amy changed me into my pajamas and tucked me into bed, I would pass out instantly.
I still hadn't given up on going outside. To pull off my plan, I had to move in the dead of night, in the early hours of the morning when everyone else was asleep. And to make that happen, I absolutely needed coffee.
"Can't I just have one cup?"
"No."
Answering firmly, Amy began to pick up the scattered coffee packets from the floor. Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I stealthily kicked one of the packets into a corner. Caught by the tip of my toe, the packet slid into a blind spot out of Amy's line of sight.
"Heh... hehe..."
Looking at Amy's back as she cleaned up, a victorious smirk spread across my face. I quickly clapped my hands over my mouth as a giggle slipped out. Cupping my hands tightly over my lips, I warily watched Amy. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed what I did.
"Jeff, what are you doing?"
Another obstacle appeared. Feeling a cold sweat break out down my back, I slowly turned my head. Shine, who was supposed to be watching TV, was staring right at me.
"Did you... see that?"
"See what?"
"You know... what I just did."
"You laughing weirdly?"
I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Shine hadn't seen me hiding the coffee. But wait, laughing weirdly?
"Did I really laugh that weirdly?"
At my question, Shine seemed to ponder for a moment before slowly replying, "Yes."
I touched the corners of my mouth, my face falling. Was my laugh really that strange?
"Are you girls hungry?"
While I was busy touching my face and agonizing over my laugh, Amy, who had finished cleaning up the coffee, asked. A mug with steam rising from it was held in one of her hands. I licked my lips at the familiar aroma of coffee wafting through the air. Noticing my gaze, Amy smiled playfully and said, "I'll buy you some coffee milk later."
Though I was full of complaints, I nodded anyway. Coffee milk was delicious, after all.
"I'm hungry," Shine answered.
Amy checked the time and made a slightly conflicted face. It was a bit too early for dinner. The cafeteria definitely wouldn't be open yet.
"Should we have pizza for dinner tonight?"
At Amy's suggestion, I nodded vigorously. My white hair fluttered as my head bobbed up and down.
"Yes, please!!"
I patted my cheeks, already imagining the delicious taste of pizza. My mouth was watering. Swallowing the saliva pooling in my mouth, I eagerly awaited dinner.
"Hold on a moment."
Amy pulled out her phone and began tapping the screen. After a brief moment, she stepped out of the room. Only Shine and I were left in the room. Swelling with anticipation at the thought of eating pizza, I began my happy wait. Sitting in my chair, I swung my legs back and forth.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"Do you like pizza that much?"
"Yeah, it's delicious."
"Is everything delicious good?"
"Yep."
Shine fell into deep thought at my answer.
"Jeff, you like too many things."
"Is that weird?"
"No. I was just thinking about what would make a good present for you."
"A present for me?"
"Yes. I was trying to choose what to get you for your next birthday."
I fell silent at Shine's response. My next birthday...? Not only was it a long way off, but I had never really thought about receiving a birthday present from Shine. It had only been a few days since I received my very first birthday present ever.
"There's still plenty of time left."
"Yeah."
"So you can take your time thinking about it."
Shine nodded at my words. Watching her expression, I softly added, "I'll... I'll prepare a present for you too."
As if she had been waiting for those exact words, Shine beamed and wrapped her arms around me. Her soft embrace wasn't entirely unpleasant. It was just a little overwhelming.
"Jeff. Do you want to go outside by any chance?"
A quiet whisper tickled my ear. I shook my head frantically.
"No! No way! I'm absolutely not going out!"
I trembled with anxiety, terrified that Shine might have caught onto my plan.
"Okay, that's a relief then."
Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed. As Shine rubbed her soft cheek against mine, I couldn't even bring myself to push her away, remaining trapped in her embrace for quite a while.
Shine finally let go of me only when Amy returned. She came back carrying five massive boxes of pizza.
"This should be enough, right?"
My eyes sparkled as I stared up at the pizza. The boxes piled high in Amy's hands were set down on the table in front of us.
"Whoa..."
My mouth hung open at the mouth-watering aroma that instantly stimulated my appetite. Awakeners had to consume far more food than ordinary people. High-ranking Awakeners, even more so. So Amy's concern about whether it would be enough was perfectly reasonable.
Amy brought over large plates and set them in front of us. Forks and knives were laid out as well, though they would go unused. The massive pizzas were sliced and distributed onto our plates. A gigantic slice of pizza was placed into my two hands. The amount I could eat at once with my now-shrunken mouth was terribly limited. I stuffed the pizza into my mouth anyway.
The savory richness of the cheese wrapped around the tip of my tongue, followed by the tangy tomato sauce. Plump, snapping shrimp danced in my mouth. I devoured the pizza with a blissful smile. In a large cup that required both of my hands to hold, cola sloshed near the brim. The alluring sight of the ice-cold soda with cubes bobbing at the top naturally made me reach out for it.
It was an incredibly satisfying meal. My stomach was visibly bloated. As I slumped in my chair, groaning from fullness, Amy wiped my and Shine's mouths with wet wipes. All five pizzas had completely vanished into our three stomachs.
After finishing her meal, Amy cleaned up and immediately left the room. I was used to her being gone for quite a while after dinner by now. Thanks to dinner starting a bit earlier than usual, I still had plenty of time before the broadcast of Little Witch's Grand Adventure. If I brushed my teeth and washed my face, the timing would be just about perfect.
Grabbing Shine's hand, I headed into the bathroom. Stepping onto the stool Amy had set up, I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth. My pearly white teeth gleamed back at me in the mirror. Leaving the bathroom, I dashed straight to the TV. The familiar opening theme began to play. Sparkling starlight filled the screen. Clutching my pounding chest, I lost myself in the show.