It's eight o'clock now.
Three of my friends left my house thirty minutes ago.
Pretty fun. I can understand one of the important things about life in society. Individual interaction with a small group called friends is a normal thing that most people do.
Teenage life starts when you are in middle school. One can begin to understand about friendship and love. A small world where they grow in the social sphere, then to a higher level.
In my case, I started in high school. When I was first introduced to this world, I was like a bird who was new to the outside world. So far it only lives in a cage, and over time the bird will learn to fly.
From birth, birds are fed by their owners. they cannot and are not used to foraging on their own. So according to some calculations, those who cannot adapt will die within the first three days in the wild. At most, they will last up to a week. Then, if the bird still has the strength to go on, it will continue to live with the desire for freedom. Otherwise, they will die.
I imagined it. If I don't meet Matsuo, maybe I won't be able to interact normally like this. Moreover, make some friends quickly. My social skills are all thanks to him.
'Did the generation before me also experience the same thing?'
They say that the previous generation was flawed and failed. They were completely destroyed in the face of the new society.
Like newborns, they need a parent figure to step into the new world. No matter how great a person was created through a training program, humans still had their limits.
I was enjoying the night breeze on the veranda. Through the floor where I live, I can see the view of the city at night. Excess light pollution makes stars invisible in the sky. The trees in the garden with their nocturnal animals, began to whisper to each other.
There was a cat sleeping on the tree. The cat squirmed and licked its paw, then as if noticing my gaze, it stared back at me. Its black fur made a contrast to the night, but the shining yellow eyes were the only difference.
For some reason, the longer I stared, the more strange the feeling that enveloped my heart became. As if invited to a strange night world.
Insects like crickets, horn beetles, spiders, and caterpillars on leaves. They are all children's toys. I often see groups of children with nets and small jars in their hands to catch some insects. They will collect them or just play with them.
Watching them around made me wonder. As someone who always lived in the city, what was it like playing in the forest and catching an insect?
I remember my bad experience in the past when I had trouble getting rid of a caterpillar that suddenly appeared in my head. I suspect the caterpillar fell from the top of the tree right on my head.
I didn't know what to do, let alone have the courage to get rid of the caterpillar with my own hands. I feel amused. So, I ended up letting it stay in my head until the afternoon, then I headed home. Matsuo got rid of the caterpillar for me.
From that experience, I realized how pathetic the frog in the well is. There's a huge world to explore and a wide variety of situations that will help you adapt to a new human being.
A voice like a small bell, it called out to me in a sweet, ear-pleasing voice.
"Hey"
I turned to the side. Behind the thin wall that separated the verandas from one another, a familiar face glanced over. Her straight blonde hair fluttered in the night breeze. That beautiful face will never make people tired of seeing her.
"Hi."
"What are you doing?"
"Just enjoying the breeze."
She narrowed her eyes, and then turned her face away.
We were silent for a moment. I spent my time looking at her for a while. There is a perfume with a citrus scent tickling my nose. Looks like she used perfume today. Did she just visit somewhere? Or play with her friends? She never used that perfume at school or when we ate together.
Shiina spent her time just staring at the moon in the distance. I don't know what she was thinking. However, it seems we both have the same thoughts to ponder.
"You want pizza?"
Unable to stand this silence, I decided to ask.
"Pizza?"
"Yes, my friend ordered it. Actually, it's a portion for 6 people and there's still some. You want some?"
Instead of leaving it in the fridge overnight, it would be great to have a friend to share.
I know she must have been cooking for dinner. However, at least a few late-night snacks would be fine. There are several problems, for example, she is a type of person who maintains a regular and healthy diet. Sure, pizza isn't a healthy food to be consumed continuously. But, at least there are times when you enjoy yourself.
"No thanks. I'm already full."
I've clouded it. This is the answer I've been waiting for.
Concentrating, I forced contractions the nerves and the muscles in my face. I've been practicing this for months, and will proudly show it here.
"You... what's with that expression?"
Yes, it worked!
"No, it's just... I have to finish all this pizza alone. I thought of sharing it with you."
You did it, awesome me.
"I see... well, I'll eat some."
OK, now-
"I can't stand that expression of yours, it really doesn't suit you."
I don't know why my months of practice just hit a dead end. This is not the result I expected. She should feel sorry for me, not mock me.
"Fuuun~ you look sullen."
"Is that true? Does my face show that?"
"No, your face is boring as usual."
It's not my fault I'm like this.
"Then, how in the world you know the expression I have right now?"
"Just guessing. I'm used to imagining it in my head while I'm with you. Since you rarely show an expression, so I imagined it myself."
"That sounds creepy."
However. I really wish I could express myself more when interacting with other people. But pushing yourself too hard isn't good either. I just need to get used to it, and practice more in the mirror.
The closer I got to that expectation, the weirder it felt to me. It was as if, I was being swallowed up by a new personality that I had created myself. But it is not possible. Hey, it's a lot better to be yourself in the end.
"Though, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm sure you'd be much more attractive if you smiled more often."
"Like this?" I tried to smile, but I guess it didn't work. My cheeks itch.
"No just forget it."
Immediate refusal. I'm sure it looks weird to her.
"Is it that bad huh?" I ask
"Since you've gone to the trouble of finding me on the veranda just to share a pizza, I'll eat it for you."
She instead changed the subject.
I showed the pizza in the box I brought. Shiina was a bit surprised to see the big box. Apart from pizza, there are several appetizers. But only a few nuget and bread left. I saved it for tomorrow morning. All that's left is...
"The pizza... what is the topping on it?"
"Pineapple."
She only ate half of it and hesitated to take the next bite. But it's not as bad as most people think. It still tasted right with the mozzarella and cheese.
"Why does everyone have a problem with pineapple on pizza?"
"Because pineapple is a fruit"
"So are tomatoes."
"But you don't put pineapple on pizza."
"You're not even Italiano, you know?"
Honestly, it didn't taste that bad. Although it was a bit strange at first.
As if irritated, Shiina pointed to the topping on the pizza she was holding. "See the sauce? It's a tomato. The combination is really weird, pineapple combined with tomato," she further explained, "the taste might get mixed up, it would end up weak on one side. Especially if the pineapple is canned, and has been pre-cooked with a lot of syrup and other added sugars. You can eat all this without diabetes later?"
Just seeing your smile makes me diabetic.
I thought, why do Italians hate pineapple on pizza because it's a symbol of their cultural appropriation? And people from various countries are joining this trend of globalization rejecting pineapple with pizza, as a form of cultural appreciation of other countries.
"I don't hate pineapple with pizza. I just don't like the taste. If you want to make pizza with pineapple topping, make sure to use fresh fruit. Because pineapple tastes great when it's fresh."
So you're saying we should separate the two contradictory flavors and use a different recipe specifically for topping the pineapple on pizza? Eliminate tomatoes and cheese? No, maybe without ketchup.
Shiina herself liked to cook, so it was only natural that she was an expert on this. Her knowledge of cuisine from other countries amazed me.
We share and finish pizzas in boxes, chatting occasionally or just enjoying our time alone in daydreams.
"By the way, did you just come from somewhere?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"It's just that I smell a strong perfume from you."
"!"
She gasped, and her cheeks turned red. I don't know what made her embarrassed.
She doesn't use perfume at school. Usually, the scent of the shampoo she wears is enough to attract the attention of the boys near her. Plus girls tend to have a special scent that sticks to their bodies.
No matter when they're sweating after gym class, or in hot weather, I always find this distinctive scent tickling my nose. It can't be rigid with all the girls you meet, only a few.
I assumed the scent was from deodorant or perfume. But why is it the same for all girls too?
Shiina coughed once and looked at me.
"This is because... I just tried out the perfume I just bought."
"The perfume you just bought?"
"The perfume I just bought."
Nodding, Shiina gave me a stern look that this was normal.
I decided to ignore it. After all, it's not unusual for a girl to use perfume.
But, let's try to be thorough and explore the reasons behind it all. I remember the incident like a movie being replayed.
I'm not the innocent boy you all imagine. I understand a little about the interactive relationship between the opposite sex. Their body language, their expressions, and what preparations they do to appear more attractive in front of others.
When I went to the veranda, I actually expected that Shiina would also appear there. She had said, "Since you've gone to the trouble of finding me on the veranda just to share a pizza, I'll eat it for you."
Almost like she was really expecting to see me on the veranda. I could just reply to her with, "I didn't bring this pizza for you" and the like. However, I found it meaningless. Pizza is just a tool for me to provoke her to ensure her goals. I purposely offered her pizza, then made an expression as if I had a hard time finishing this, and waited for her response.
From this, what can I conclude?
If Eiichirou were here right now, he would relate this to the Mystery of Love book which he proudly boasts as the masterpiece of the mystery research club in middle school.
What, WHo, Why, and How
In mystery novels, this becomes a guide to solving existing criminal problems. However, in the real world, mystery cases are not as complicated as most detective stories. They just made it that complicated to bold the pages. Like Zodiac Murder for example.
Is it about love?
I don't think it's there yet.
Let's look at the subject named Shiina Mahiru first. We can use the 3W1H implementation above.
What, what happened? In this case, a person shows interest to some extent in the relationship of two people.
Who, who is the subject? Of course Shiina.
Why, why can that happen? There is a resemblance between the two of us.
How, how can this happen? Of course through our relationship as neighbors.
Then putting it all together creates an almost perfect little hypothesis. But if I draw a line along the relationship, then I can conclude that feeling is not LOVE.
I can guess for sure.
She was alone in a lonely world.
And when she saw and think there is the same person as her, she thought she won't be alone in this world anymore.
Unfortunately, that person dond't give a damn care about the world anymore.
She mistakenly thought that I was the same as her. Little did she know, that it was all just my fake image.
Because I don't care if I'm lonely or not. I've been standing at the top for a long time, and those emotions are long gone.
Now is nothing more than a new experience, a new world, a new life.