—Alright... it's time to spin the bottle —I announced with moderately fake enthusiasm.
Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was excited or just bored to the brink of collapse.
At the moment, we were playing "Truth or Dare" with Matsushita, Satou, and me.
Yeah. Just three people.
I'm not even sure if this still counts as a social gathering or more like a mock interrogation.
But hey, having fewer friends does have its perks: fewer witnesses when you make a fool of yourself.
I placed the empty bottle in the center, gave it a decisive spin —as if spinning it harder would somehow add prestige to this moment— and watched it whirl quickly.
The suspense was real. The drama, unnecessary.
Eventually, the bottle slowed down... and landed right on Satou.
—Nooooooo! —she screamed, covering her face with both hands as if she'd just seen her own middle-school handwriting.
I leaned back a little and smiled.
—Hehe... Alright, Satou. Truth or dare?
She hesitated for a second, as if that would change anything.
—Ugh... Truth... —she said with a resigned voice. The classic move of someone who thinks "truth" is the safe option. Naïve.
—Hmm... Alright then —I put my hand on my chin, pretending to be in deep contemplation—. Satou, is it true you wet the bed until you were eight?
Satou's face froze. It was like watching someone witness their reputation collapse live.
—EH?! H-How do you kno—?! —her voice cracked midway, and instead of finishing, she slowly turned her head... toward Matsushita.
Oh, that look. That mix of betrayal, disappointment, and "I will hide your socks forever."
Matsushita raised her hands like someone caught at gunpoint.
—I'm sorry, Satou! But you know our group doesn't keep secrets. Not even the ones that should stay buried under seven layers of dignity.
—So it's true, huh? —I cut in with a grin—. Interesting info. Very useful if we ever need to blackmail you.
Satou puffed her cheeks, visibly red.
—Fine! Yes, it's true! But it was my brothers' fault! They forced me to watch horror movies when I was five! What did you expect me to do?!! I was a poor traumatized kid...
—And a constant source of extra laundry —I added, earning myself a murderous glare.
—You're such a jerk —she muttered, crossing her arms.
—Thanks. It's part of my personality.
Matsushita chuckled under her breath.
—Honestly, it's kind of cute, Satou. Look on the bright side: at least it doesn't happen anymore... right?
—Of course not! —Satou exploded— What kind of question is that?!
I raised an eyebrow.
—Well, technically you didn't pick "dare"...
She glared at me, then with the fury of someone seeking vengeance but unable to do it legally, spun the bottle.
—I hope it lands on you! —she snapped as the bottle whirled like its only mission in life was to ruin someone's evening.
Spin after spin, the night went on...
And even though it was just the three of us, I had a feeling this game was about to escalate faster than a school rumor.
The bottle spun.
Spun as if it had a divine purpose. As if it knew it was about to destroy friendships.
And when it finally stopped, the makeshift tape-arrow pointed...
—HA! —shouted Satou with a vindictive grin— It's you, idiot!
—What? No way... VAR review! —I leaned in to check the angle. But no doubt. The damn bottle had betrayed me.
Satou rubbed her hands together like a mid-budget anime villain.
—Alright, genius. Truth or dare?
I took a deep breath. This was a trap. A bomb disguised as a choice.
—Pff, dare. I've got nothing to hide.
—Ooooh, how brave —Matsushita smirked.
—Yeah, yeah. I feel brave now. Doubt I'll still feel that way in five minutes.
Satou crossed her legs, thinking. Never a good sign.
—Your dare is... to send a voice note to Kushida-chan saying: "I dreamed about you last night. You were dressed as a unicorn. I liked it more than I should have."
I almost choked on air.
—WHAAAT?!
—Oh come on! Just one voice note! You said you had nothing to hide! —she sang with cruelty.
—This should be illegal. I could literally get kicked out of every school group chat.
—Well, you can refuse the dare... and tell us which of us two you'd rather kiss —Matsushita added, as if she hadn't just poured gasoline on the fire.
—What kind of demons are you two?! —I said, clutching my head.
Satou tossed me her phone.
—Do it. The voice note. And put it on speaker.
Their faces. That sadistic excitement. This must've been what medieval crowds looked like during public executions.
—Alright... fine —I said, resigned, and hit "record."
I took a breath.
—Hello, Kushida. I dreamed about you last night... you were dressed as a unicorn. And... I liked it more than I should have...
I hit "send."
The silence that followed was deadly. Silence followed by a double combo of explosive laughter.
—NO WAY YOU ACTUALLY SENT IT! —Matsushita screamed, rolling on the floor.
—I SHOULD'VE RECORDED YOUR FACE! —Satou cried from laughter.
—I regret every life decision I've made —I muttered.
[Message seen at 11:09 PM]
Oh no.
Before I could process the death of my reputation, the bottle was spinning again. This time, courtesy of Matsushita.
And of course, because the universe hates me, it landed on her.
—Ah, crap —she said.
—Ohhh, this is gonna be good —Satou grinned—. You get to pick, truth or dare?
—Truth! —Matsushita said instantly. Interesting... she picked fast. That gave me ideas.
I leaned toward her with a devilish smile.
—Have you ever worn someone else's underwear without them knowing?
Silence.
Matsushita instantly turned red, like someone had hit an emergency button.
—That doesn't count as a valid question! It's illegal! There are limits!
—Since when? —I replied, grinning like the devil at a nun meeting—. We're playing a game where someone already admitted to wetting the bed until eight. There's no turning back now.
Matsushita covered her face with her hands.
—Fine, but don't laugh! It was years ago... I was at a friend's house, we had a sleepover with a bunch of girls, and... I forgot to pack extra underwear. She lent me one, and... I accidentally kept it.
—What do you mean "accidentally"? —I raised a brow.
—I forgot it in my backpack for weeks! And then it was too awkward to return it! —she confessed, utterly defeated—. I got attached, okay?!
Satou burst out laughing.
—You're officially a sentimental panty thief! Horrifying!
—Shut up, Miss Nightmare-With-Clowns! —Matsushita shot back.
—They were zombies, not clowns!
—Same difference!
I was basically drowning in laughter.
—This is the best thing that's happened to me in months —I muttered.
Still red, Matsushita grabbed the bottle with shaky, vengeful hands and spun it.
It spun, spun... and landed on me again.
—What kind of curse did God put on me?! —I groaned.
Matsushita narrowed her eyes, smiling.
—Alright, main character: truth or dare?
—Dare. Again. What the hell. I already lost my dignity with the unicorn.
She leaned closer with that "this will hurt" smile.
—I dare you to text Horikita and say: "Your voice makes me sleepy, but in a nice way. Like you're singing me ancient Japanese lullabies."
—You want me dead, don't you? —I asked, raising a brow.
—With style —she replied without hesitation.
Satou was already on the floor, slapping the tatami from laughter.
—You can't say that to Horikita! She'll suspend you with just a look!
I sighed. It was either that or "truth," and I feared their questions more than Horikita's wrath.
I typed the message.
—Sent?
—Sent. —I showed them the screen like a soldier revealing a war wound.
Both girls screamed "NOOOO!" at the same time, but judging from their faces, they were delighted with the chaos.
—I'm gonna need a new identity. Maybe I'll escape to Okinawa —I said, collapsing dramatically.
—Stop whining and spin the bottle, ex-unicorn! —Satou laughed.
The bottle spun and landed back on Matsushita.
—Alright —I rubbed my hands with a mischievous grin—. Let's spice this up a bit.
—Uh-oh —she muttered.
—Truth or dare?
—Truth —she said firmly, like someone about to jump off a bridge but with style.
—Who in our class do you imagine kissing the most?
Satou let out a dramatic scream.
—WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?! I JUST WANTED TO PLAY PEACEFULLY!
Matsushita stared at me. Then she looked down, like she was making a deal with the devil, and sighed.
—...Endo.
Silence.
I blinked. Satou blinked. The universe blinked.
—Me? —I asked, pointing at myself, as if there was another Endo in the room—. Wow, I didn't know my "I woke up and didn't comb my hair" look was that effective.
—Shut up! —Matsushita threw a pillow at my face—. That's not why I said it!
—Of course not —I said, catching the pillow with smug confidence—. It was obviously for my dazzling personality, not this amazing Pikachu pajama I'm wearing.
—That's part of the problem! —she shouted, red as a tomato—. You confuse me! One day you look like you don't even know where you're standing, and the next you buy me ice cream without me asking!
Satou just sat there, wide-eyed.
—I'm feeling butterflies... but they're not mine —she whispered—. This is getting so good!
I crossed my arms, pretending total serenity.
—Well, Matsushita... —I said dramatically— if you ever want to give it a shot, I should warn you: my kisses are intermediate level, with an optional DLC of cuddles if there's trust.
—YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!!! —she screamed, covering her face.
—Confirmed, but I'm an idiot with style —I winked.
Satou was already crying from laughter.
—I don't know if I want you two to end up together or kill each other! There's no middle ground!
—That's how great love stories are —I said, spinning the bottle with the smug smile of a low-budget rom-com protagonist.
We kept playing, spinning the bottle.
It spun slowly, slowly... and landed on Satou.
—Satou, truth or dare —Matsushita asked with the smile of someone who already had everything planned.
—Dare —Satou said with a shaky voice, like she knew she was about to turn as red as a tomato.
Matsushita crossed her arms, smirked, and declared:
—Perfect. Satou, your dare is to whisper in my ear —not Endo's, mind you— the cheesiest, most cringe-inducing line you can come up with, with the straightest face possible. And then you have to repeat it, seriously, but whispering it to Endo this time, really close.
Satou gulped, and I already felt the heat rising in my cheeks, anticipating what was coming.
—Seriously? —Satou asked, trying to look brave, but her eyes said "help me."
—Yes, seriously. Or do you want Matsushita to give you another dare? —I said sarcastically, though honestly I was more nervous than she was.
Satou leaned in, looked me straight in the eye, and in a low, trembling voice, whispered:
—Endo... you're like that coffee I need in the morning to not die... sweet and strong at the same time.
I froze for a second, feeling my heart jump out of my chest. I tried to keep a straight face but ended up laughing nervously.
—Wow, Satou... I didn't know you had a hidden poet side. Should I feel flattered or alarmed? —I asked, giving her a "what did you just do to me" look.
She blushed to her ears and said:
—Don't make fun of me! It took a lot to say that!
—I'm not making fun... it's just that... well, if I were a coffee, I'd probably be decaf —I replied with a crooked smile—. But hey, thanks for saving me from boredom.
Both girls burst out laughing, and I just thought that, after all, this game could definitely get interesting.
—Your turn, Endo —Matsushita said, still laughing.
I ran a hand through my hair, ready to see what awaited me next.