The New Year's Event
It was long after the announcement broadcasting the start of lunchtime had faded that Amy finally returned.
"Sorry!" I was collapsed on the bed from hunger, staring blankly at the door, when Amy burst in and shouted. A towering stack of large pizza boxes was clutched in her arms.
"Amy!"
"I'm so sorry, girls! Things ran a bit late..."
"It's okay!" I sprang up from the bed. The rich, savory scent of pizza wafting through the air made my head spin. Licking my lips in anticipation, I watched as she stepped into the room and set the boxes down on the table.
"Whoa..." Rain, who had been collapsed on the bed just like me, rose as if hypnotized by the smell and began to drift toward the table.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?"
"Nope." Shine and I were no different from Rain. We stumbled over to the table and took our seats. Amy looked down at us with an apologetic smile.
"What took you so long?"
"The New Year's event," Amy replied to Rain's question.
A New Year's event... I felt like we had one back at the laboratory too, but any further memories were shrouded in a thick fog. Only a vague sensation of having done something remained. Fumbling through my hazy memories, I opened my mouth wide as I stared at the pizza placed in front of me.
"What do you do at a New Year's event?"
"Oh, just this and that. We all gather to eat delicious food, sing songs, watch movies..." Shine asked Amy, seemingly intrigued by the concept of a New Year's celebration.
Leaving their conversation in the background, I picked up a slice of pizza. Since lunchtime had long since passed, I was absolutely starving. I needed this pizza to quiet my violently rumbling stomach. I rolled the slice up and stuffed it into my mouth. My cheeks puffed out to the bursting point.
"Has that much time passed already?" Rain murmured, pulling out her phone while chewing on her pizza. Her words made me realize just how quickly the days had flown by.
"I can literally feel myself aging day by day," Rain muttered softly.
Amy's face contorted into a bizarre grimace.
"Are you actually serious?"
"Of course. My body isn't what it used to be."
Amy simply stared down at Rain in silence. We managed to polish off every single slice of pizza Amy had brought. The four of us cleared ten whole boxes. Rubbing my tightly bloated stomach, I collapsed back onto the bed. I was too full to move.
"Ugh... so full." My chores for the day were completely finished. Although I still had a nap and the live broadcast of The Little Witch's Grand Adventure to look forward to, thanks to the drawing session I'd shared with Rain, I didn't have to solve any of those headache-inducing math problems today.
"I should probably head out soon," Rain muttered softly, pushing herself up from where she lay beside me.
"You're leaving already?"
"Yeah. We played plenty." Lying down with a warm, full belly, drowsiness began to wash over me. Blink, blink. As I blinked sleepily and stared blankly at Rain, she smiled and spoke.
"Don't forget the raincoats, girls!" Shine and I, lying side by side, merely nodded our heads.
"I told you not to force them."
"I'm not forcing them. I'm just asking them not to forget."
Amy and Rain bickered like close friends. After seeing Rain out, Amy returned to the room and began clearing away the empty pizza boxes.
"Did you study hard today?"
"Yes..." I answered, desperately trying to lift my heavy eyelids.
"Really?"
"Of course..." *Yaaawn.* A long, lazy yawn escaped my lips. With my mouth stretched wide and a tiny tear pricking the corner of my eye, I buried my face in the blanket.
"Oh, Shine, you're not sleeping?"
"No." My consciousness drifted away. I could hear Amy and Shine talking, but I couldn't muster the energy to respond. It was naptime. They said sleep was crucial for growing taller, so naps had to be just as important. Only a faint mumble escaped my barely parted lips.
Right after waking up from my nap, I wrapped up a day that was no different from any other. However, a change soon crept into our daily routine. Amy became much busier than usual. She would disappear at all hours of the day, summoned constantly by various departments. Because of this, Shine and I were left alone together more and more often.
"Amy seems really busy."
"Looks like it." I chatted with Shine as I began solving math problems. My pen moved without hesitation. The problems practically solved themselves. It felt as if a fog had lifted from my mind, leaving my thoughts crystal clear.
"It's not hard anymore, is it?" I nodded blankly at Shine's voice. She was right. It wasn't hard anymore. It was as if I were recalling something I had forgotten, or reviewing something I had already known all along. I could solve every single problem without a hitch. Why hadn't I been able to solve them before? It was a baffling mystery.
Having finished the problems, I began twirling the pen over my fingers. It was an unconscious habit. But the pen slipped from my grip and rolled across the table. A slight misalignment. A sensation different from usual. Yet, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong. Frustrated, I let out a sigh.
"Is it boring?"
"No, it's fun, but..." I mumbled in response to Shine's question, fidgeting with my fingers. While I did find some enjoyment in the fact that previously impossible problems were now easy, I didn't actually enjoy the act of studying itself. Shine, however, seemed to want me to develop a genuine interest in academics.
"Would you prefer harder ones after all?" Recalling my past struggles, I shook my head frantically. "No! No! I like it the way it is now!"
"Really?" Shine nodded and picked up her pen once more. She began pushing ahead, far past today's assigned study goals. As if finding joy in learning itself, a small smile played on her lips.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
"We're done studying for today."
"Are we?" At my words, Shine set her pen down without a hint of regret. Since Amy hadn't returned yet, we couldn't get our work graded. Resting my cheek against the table, I asked Shine,
"What should we do now?"
"Should we go see Rain?"
"Amy said Rain is busy too." I replied, recalling what Amy had told us. Rain was an executive, after all. As a team leader heading her own unit, she was also incredibly busy preparing for the New Year's event. The last time I had seen her was right before my nap on the day we ate pizza.
"Is the New Year's event really that important?"
"Seems so." I pouted, touching my lips. Victor also seemed busy with preparations, meaning there was absolutely no one here to play with us.
"What about visiting Rabin?"
"It's too far. And Amy said Rabin is on vacation."
"I see..." Shine slumped listlessly and wrapped her arms around me. Her soft arms encircled my waist, and she rested her head against my side. Gently stroking her hair, I said,
"Should we go to the park?"
"Won't we run into Gene again?" Shine flinched slightly at my suggestion. *No way.* Victor, Amy, and even Rain were all swamped with work. I highly doubted the leader of the organization would be idling away in a park at this hour.
"It'll probably be fine," I muttered, hopping down from my chair. Shine, who had been clinging to me, slid down with me.
"Are we really going to the park?"
"Yeah." Checking the time, I grabbed my bag. Just like last time, I packed a sketchbook, colored pencils, and crayons. I also snuck in some instant coffee mix to drink behind Amy's back.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"Be honest. You're only going out because you want to drink coffee, aren't you?" My eyes darted around at Shine's accusation. While it was true that I was bored, I couldn't deny that wanting to drink coffee was a major motivating factor.
"N-no, I'm not!"
"Really?" Shine murmured, reaching into my bag and pulling out the coffee packets.
"Ah..."
"Then you won't be needing these, right?" Shine tossed the confiscated coffee mix back into the cabinet.
"...Shine, do you hate coffee?"
"No."
"Then shouldn't we bring it along?"
"But if you drink this, you won't be able to sleep tonight." I couldn't argue with her logic. She was absolutely right. Pouting, I let out a small sigh and slung the bag over my shoulders. Just before leaving the room, I grabbed a pen and walked back to the table.
"Why?"
"Amy might come back while we're out." A small notepad was sitting on the table. I peeled off a sticky note and began to write.
Going to the park.
My handwriting was crooked and ugly. I don't think it used to be like this before. Right after writing the last letter, my fingers twitched, unable to let go of the pen.
"Jeff?"
"Yeah, I'm done." At Shine's prompting, I finally set the pen down. The pen slipped limply from my hand, rolling slowly across the table until it came to a stop right in front of the workbook Shine had left open.
"Let's go." Hand in hand, Shine and I slipped out of the room. Perhaps because the holiday season for the New Year's event had begun, the hallway—usually bustling with people—was completely deserted. After happily running down the empty corridor, we stopped in front of the convenience store. The clerk apparently hadn't taken a vacation, as the store was open for business as usual. I turned to Shine.
"...Should we buy some sandwiches?" She nodded. After purchasing some sandwiches and drinks from the convenience store, I stuffed them into my bag. Last time, I had carried them dangling in a plastic bag, which allowed a ruffian like Gene to steal them. Since there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again, I had to be careful. My yellow backpack puffed up, stuffed to the brim. The reassuring weight brought a small smile to my face.
"Where are we going today?"
"Hmm..." Where should we go? There was a spot where we could play catch, but since Shine disliked hard balls, that was out of the question. As I pondered her question, we arrived at the foot of the wide, sprawling staircase. Every time I came here, I couldn't help but think that these stairs were ridiculously high. Why on earth hadn't Gene installed an elevator here? Shine and I shut our mouths and began to climb. We had learned the hard way that talking while climbing only made us tire out faster. Perhaps because we had built up some stamina, we managed to climb all the way to the park without stopping once. Panting heavily, we sat down in a corner of the stairs to catch our breath.
"There aren't many people around." Just as she said, the park was practically empty. It seemed like almost everyone had gone on holiday. Catching my breath, I immediately stood up. Fewer people meant Shine and I could run around and play to our hearts' content.
"Let's go!" I said, reaching my hand out to her. Shine, who had been sitting on the steps, gently wrapped her hand around mine and stood up. The subtle warmth transferring from her fingertips sent a ticklish sensation fluttering in my chest. Stopping at the entrance of the park, we carefully scanned our surroundings. The wide, open park allowed us to see quite far without any obstructions.
"Looks like Gene isn't here." I nodded at Shine's words. Of course he wasn't.
"Today, we'll stop by the pond, pass the rabbit farm, and then head back across the blue bridge." I said, pointing to the large map at the park's entrance. Our route for the day was set.