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A Can of Soda

“Anon-kun, hurry up, the movie is going to start soon!”

A girl with blue pigtail shook your shoulder, her eyes darting impatiently between you and the doorway that was chock-full of people. Seeing your lack of reaction, she took the initiative and dragged you in. You could feel her cold, slender fingers wrapping around your wrist. She pulled you into the dark room, sat you down in the seat next to her, and put a big bag of buttery popcorn between the seats, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for the movie that’s about to start. 

Your memories started to come together, you were on a date with your beloved girlfriend, Hoshimachi Suisei. She wanted to see the Mugen Train movie that just came out so you went together. This should be a precious date for you two, yet you couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something was out of place…

“Dear, you’re not eating any?”

Suisei gestured at the bag of popcorn, already munching on a handful herself. You understood that she would feel bad if she is the only one eating, so you took some too. You popped a kernel into your mouth, savoring your favorite buttery taste that was …not there? 

The popcorn tasted bitter with none of the usual fluffiness, you glanced at Suisei who was absentmindedly munching at them with her eyes fixed on the screen. After making sure she was not watching, you faked a cough and took the popcorn out of your mouth. It was kind of gross but whatever. You considered the possibility of the one you just ate being the burnt one in the batch but your gut told you not to eat any more. You decided to just sip on your soda for the rest of the movie, pretending to take a handful every now and then to not let Suisei feel like she was scarfing the entire bag by herself.

The movie itself was fine, though you already read the manga so you already knew the plot beforehand. Watching Suisei’s reaction was more enjoyable than watching the actual movie. You burned into your memory how she laughed at the boar-headed boy charging into the train, how she stopped reaching for popcorns whenever an intense battle was happening, and how she cried along with the kids at the back at the end of the movie. You handed her a handkerchief like a true gentleman while desperately trying to hide your smug visage, already anticipating this event ever since you read the ending.

After the movie, you took her to the food court where you once again felt the aversion for food and opted for another can of soda.

“Aglio e Olio, and a glass of apple juice, please.”

You felt something waking up inside you when she pronounced the dish like a native, she flashed a seductive grin at the same time. That was totally intentional. The waiter brought your orders and set it on the table.

“You’re not ordering any food, Dear?”

You shook your head; you just don’t feel like eating anything today. She’s definitely going to laugh at you for that. But there were no laughs, guffaws, nor giggles. Her fork just stopped moving and you could feel her staring right into your soul. 

“I’m sorry, the date was boring, right?”

You stammered for an answer, it was nothing of the sorts. You just didn’t feel like eating, that’s all!

“You already seen the movie, right? You think I wouldn’t notice you looking at me the entire time and not the movie? Sorry for egoistically deciding the movie by myself. I am really, really sorry for that.”

Something is very, very wrong. Her voice was turning more bitter with each word. You assured her that you had only read the manga and you really wanted to see the movie with her. You blabbered about movie quality and other things until she spoke once again.

“I knew you didn’t eat any of the popcorn during the movie, and now you didn’t order any food for yourself. It is unpleasant to eat with me around, right? You also keep ordering soda, too. It is bad for your health, you know? Perhaps you were trying to make yourself sick so you don’t have to be around me anymore?”

You ran out of words. The girl in front of you was scarier than anything you’ve seen in your life. You could only muster the same pathetic answer you gave before.

“It’s nothing like that, I just didn’t feel like eating today…”

“So that’s the case! Ah, I’m glad. I thought I was hated by my dearest. Even so, you need to eat right! We don’t want you to collapse midway through our date, do we? We still have the whole day to enjoy, after all.”

Suisei’s face suddenly lit up with a smile. Her grin showed that she was just messing with you the entire time. Good lord, this is dangerous for your heart. Idols truly are terrifying. She twirled her fork around the noodle and brought it to your mouth. 

“Here, open wide!”

You didn’t feel like eating before, but being fed by her is a different story. You opened your mouth and took the noodle in. It was bitter and hard. Was Suisei still messing with you after all that? No way, she was enjoying her pasta until a minute ago. Something was probably wrong with your tastebuds today. Suisei smiled at you so you kept chewing on the noodle. It tasted worse with each bite; bitter, hard, and smelled like chemicals. Your vision started to blur and a massive headache assailed you. You fell over and the last thing you saw was Suisei trying catch you before you hit the ground. 

---

You woke up.

You’re in your room. There’s no Suisei, no food court, and no aglio e olio. Only you and a bunch of pills in your hand. You spit out some piece stuck on your teeth. You rose from your shitty sleeping mat that was so useless you might as well sleep on the floor and hurried to the fridge. You opened it to see a pack full of cheap soda and plain white rice. You quickly wolfed down the hard, tasteless rice and downed it with your daily fix of soda. 

Done with filling your belly, you went back to your room and put your meds in the farthest corner from reach, tied your hands to the nearby furniture so you couldn’t sleepwalk to where your meds are and covered your head with a pillow. You couldn’t just throw them away since your mother would periodically send people to make sure you take your meds. You kept mumbling the same phrase, hoping it would stick to you in your dreams, or hallucinations, as the doctor called them.

“Don’t eat… don’t eat… don’t eat…”

----

“Anon-kun, are you okay?”

Suisei’s worried voice was the first thing you heard when you woke up. Your felt head your head resting on something soft when you realized it was her thighs. You got up so quick Suisei almost screamed at you.

“Dear, you just fainted ten minutes ago! Rest a little bit, okay? Want me to get you something to eat?”

You clutched your head, your belly felt strangely full even though you hadn’t eaten anything since morning. Rather, you felt like you shouldn’t eat anything, no matter what happens. Suisei looked at you with worry, probably feeling like it was her fault you fainted in the first place.

“Just …a can of soda, please.”

Pasted: Jun 6, 2021, 7:14:07 pm
Views: 125