The Giant and the Pocky Girl

My Pocky

It was a cool Friday night in Akita. The snow had stopped falling for now, but it wouldn't last much longer. I stood behind the front counter of the sweets store, tapping my nail on the bench impatiently.

"Hurry up, I was supposed to be closed ten minutes ago." I snapped at the tall purple haired boy, who was currently holding two separate flavours of pocky; carlessly sucking on a lolipop while he read the packaging with care.

"Aya-chin, just a few more minutes..." Murasakibara mumbled, the lolipop stick was pushed to the opposite side of his mouth in the hollow of his cheek as he continue to read the packaging.

Ever since I started working at Sato's Candy Shop the giant would walk in fifteen minutes before closing he would grab a basket and start throwing all manner of sweets and chips into the basket. Usually he was alone but sometimes he would have a friend in toe. His throwing would be half hazard to begin with but everytime he went near the pocky section he spent upwards of thirty minutes trying to figure out which flavour of pocky he was going to buy.

Every. Damn. Week.

Tonight he came in dressed in basketball shorts, a jacket with the Teikō middle school emblem and jersey, mildly smelling of sweat.
Tonight's (in)decision consisted of matcha or plain chocolate pocky. Thrilling.

"My name is Sayaka. We've known each other for close to a year and you still get it wrong." I huffed, staring out the window, spotting my reflection.

It was a simple uniform, black pants, thin black ribbon instead of a tie and a white button up shirt with our logo on the front, it contrasted the light indigo of my hair and eyes. My hair was up in its usual half down, double space bun work hair style.

"That's why you are Aya-chin" Murasakibara spoke with indifference, too focused on the pocky box.

"Just buy both!"

"....."

"Well pick one!"

"Mmm." Another minute of silence passes.

"Hmmm, I'll call Aki-chin"

"No! That's it, times up!" I march over to the infamous Teikō center, snatching the box of chocolate pocky from his ridiculously large hand and pulling him by the handle of his grocery basket to the front of the store. He reminded me of a lost puppy, stupidly cute.
Murasakibara surprisingly walked with ease, considering his substantial height and weight. I am no pipsqueak by any means, but his 6'1 still towers over my 5'3 height. Its easy to see with that constant grumpy attitude and his height how people could be intimidated by him. He said nothing and eyed me with his usual bored stare as I started scanning everything into a bag, except the chocolate pocky.

"2,780 yen" Murasakibara sighed loudly, pulling a face as he pulled out the cash for all of his treats.

"Aya-chin you-"

"No."

"But I'm-"

"No Murasakibara-kun, we're leaving!"

The shear amount of candy he puts in his body is insane. As I placed the last candy bar into the grocery bag Murasakibara more or less snatched the bag out of my hand. He took one last sad look at the box of chocolate pocky next to my hand before stomping his way to the door, ever the insufferable boy he was.

"Hey!" I called as Murasakibara went for the door handle to exit the store. He grunted in response, slumped his shoulders and turned around to stare at me with the same irritated expression. I scanned the chocolate box of pocky and fished out my debit card from my pocket.

"For making me close the shop late, you can walk me to the bus stop" I said tossing the box of pocky to Murasakibara who caught it with ease.

"Can you at least leave me... one since I paid for them." A flicker of a smile danced across his face as he opened the pocky, leaning against the door as he waited for me to close up for the night.

I pulled my coat on after cash in out the till for the night. Murasakibara was standing by the door still, munching away blissfully on my pocky.
We turned the lights off and locked up, walking out into the brisk evening. We started walking to the nearest bus stop a few minutes away from the candy store.

"Murasakibara-kun"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't leave me one did you"

"...." instead of handing me my well deserved pocky stick, Murasakibara yanked the hood of my coat over my head as the first tentative snow flakes started drifting from the sky again.

We continued to the bus stop in silence. He popped open a bag of crisps loudly in my ear. We never again spoke of my pocky.