"You really did it! How on earth did you manage to get me an extra 5 credits? Did you sell your body?!"
My head was spinning from Li Shijia's shaking. I quickly stopped her from further tormenting me. "So my body is only worth 5 credits."
"Hurry up and tell me, what trick did you use in that little brain of yours?"
"Senior Mori Reiko is reasonable and understanding. She thought it was understandable that you had an urgent matter, so she agreed."
"That's it?"
"That's it." I nodded obediently.
"Hah? I don't believe it. That old woman wouldn't let it go so easily." Li Shijia's beautiful big eyes rolled, and she slapped her forehead. "I know! Mori Reiko likes your type. She's smitten."
"..."
"Selling your body for my grand future. Truly moving and lamentable." She clicked her tongue in admiration.
I pinched her cheek. "I think your head is full of dirty thoughts."
"What? Are you finally going to make a move on me, little Nozawa? Please, be gentle." Li Shijia pretended to cry, looking like she was about to pull out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"Your little boyfriend would tear me to pieces."
"Ah, I forgot to tell you," Li Shijia put on a cute expression like the Peko-chan lollipop, sticking out her tongue, "I broke up!"
Only a month, and they broke up already? Seeing her completely unaffected, I wasn't surprised by this. Her personality was one of loving and hating boldly, coming and going quickly.
"When did it happen?"
"Just a few days ago, since Christmas is almost here." Li Shijia idly played with her hair. "I wanted to pick a good gift and send it directly to his house to surprise him, so I took his phone to check the detailed address. Turns out he was still tangled up with his ex-girlfriend. Tsk, he even bought a gift for his ex. So I broke up."
My impression of Peng Keming was actually pretty good. I could feel he took care of Li Shijia during the culture festival. I never would have thought he was the type to do such things. I couldn't help but sigh, you never truly know a person. Missing his ex while dating his current girlfriend? What a scumbag. Pah.
"Anyway, men are like clothes. If this one doesn't fit, just change it~"
"Clothes that don't fit should be thrown in the trash. By the way, he lives close to the emergency room, right?" I wiped the corner of my mouth with a tissue. "You could punch him around the abdomen when he's not paying attention. That area has the most organs, hitting it too hard can easily cause damage. Aim a bit above the lower abdomen. It won't show anything for a while, but there'll be internal bleeding later. Send him straight to the ER after hitting him."
Probably because it was too terrifying and incongruous for the usually mild-mannered me to say such things with a straight face, Li Shijia's jaw almost dropped. "Goodness, are you planning to take him out directly?"
"If he can do such things, he shouldn't be afraid of getting beaten up." I scanned the code to pay the bill, linking arms with her as we walked out. "Come on, let's go get milk tea."
The two of us arrived at the milk tea shop. There was a long line, with several young couples wearing matching colored knit hats, talking while hugging each other.
"Why are there so many people!" Li Shijia complained with a pained face. "I hate queuing the most."
"By the way, Christmas Eve is in a few days. Kusanagi invited you to come over to our place." I took out my phone to scan the code and order. "She wants to thank you for coming to support her last time. She specifically asked me if she could invite you."
"Big sister definitely has time! Tell her, on Christmas Eve, there are no dog men, only beautiful women."
"Yes, yes, yes, all beautiful women." I continued, "Oh, and she specifically asked me what you like, if you have any dietary restrictions. She's being very thoughtful."
"Aiyo, she's doing this for me because she loves the crow on the roof."
That phrase sounded familiar. Someone had mentioned it recently.
That night, in the early hours, I returned to the apartment against the biting cold wind. I quietly washed my face with hot water to get rid of the smell of smoke on me before returning to my room. I thought I could sleep a little longer, but unexpectedly, the girl's messages came one after another, fast and dense.
[Are you back?] [Are you asleep?]
My head hadn't even touched the pillow. Imagining Kusanagi sending messages from under the covers, I didn't know how to describe this feeling.
She was anxious for me to come back, her worry evident in every word. Did she want me to be asleep or not? If she truly wanted me to be asleep, she shouldn't have sent messages to disturb me. Sending messages meant she didn't want me to sleep.
[The electric blanket I bought isn't warm at all.] She sent another message, like a small complaint.
How is that possible? Products on Amazon can't be that unreliable.
While I was halfway through typing, another message from the girl arrived: [I accidentally broke the plug, there's no power. Can you come sleep with me?]
Wha—how did we circle back to this again? Isn't there still the air conditioner? I stared at that message, feeling the phone heat up, almost burning my hand. How should I reply? Maybe I should just say I'm already asleep, next time.
What the hell is 'next time'?
I rubbed the space between my eyebrows, carefully considered, and replied: [Already home, in my room, asleep. It's almost dawn, please endure a little longer. I'll definitely fix the electric blanket during the day.]
[But I'm so cold right now.] She also sent a pitiful little cat emoji. [Miss Nozawa, come keep me company, okay?]
...Unexpectedly stubborn. I found myself rubbing my temples more and more frequently.
[I went out, the smell of smoke is strong on me, better not. Next time, okay?]
[No.]
[Go to sleep first, be good.]
[Then you owe me. Next time, you have to pay me back double.]
Paying back double means once isn't enough, it has to be twice?
[What's with the 'double'? This isn't pachinko.]
[Miss Nozawa plays pachinko? In Japan, only middle-aged men play that.]
[...]
Being questioned about my gender by an underage girl again, this time with age added to it.
[It's only 5 AM now, aren't you sleepy? Can't sleep?]
[Who told you not to come keep me company?] From her reply, I could imagine her unreasonable, cold-tsundere appearance. [I don't mind Miss Nozawa's smoke smell.]
We were back to square one. My head started to hurt. Why did it feel like Kusanagi in the dead of night and early morning was completely different from her usual self? So stubborn and spoiled.
I decided not to reply to her anymore. I plugged in my phone to charge and leaned back on the pillow with my eyes closed, pretending to sleep. I only meant to rest a bit, but unexpectedly, I really fell asleep.
I slept very deeply. The flickering car lights outside the window, the light seeping through the cracks, all made my sleep deeper and more floating. A slender, pale foot slipped in barefoot, pushed open the door, and brought with it a faint, subtle fragrance.
The sleeping person noticed nothing, breathing long and soft. The pale foot paused by the bedside for a while, seemingly very interested in the person sleeping on the bed. A finger poked the cheek, sniffed the soft hair near the other's neck, then squatted and watched for a long time.
Waking up again, with bleary eyes, what I saw was Kusanagi, already fully dressed, and very obediently wearing long pants. But why was she in my room, and dressed so properly?
I asked her, "How did you..."
Kusanagi shook the guitar behind her. "Miss Nozawa wasn't replying to messages. I thought you went out drinking in the middle of the night and got dead drunk. I came over specifically to check."
Ah, sure enough, there were many unread messages from Kusanagi. I fell asleep and forgot to reply to her, making an underage kid worry about me. Sin, sin.
"Uh, sorry, I accidentally fell asleep in the morning." I rubbed my hair. "I didn't go out drinking in the middle of the night. Don't make wild guesses, kid."
"I was meddling in your business." The girl smiled a seemingly-not-smile. "Going out to smoke in the middle of the night is just as bad as drinking heavily."
"..." I looked embarrassed. How dare she lecture me? But seeing her eyes full of what seemed like reproachful yet worried anger, the words on the tip of my tongue were swallowed back down.
Kusanagi was silent for a moment before saying, "There are many drunk men in Tokyo in the early hours. They specifically harass single women. The Outrageous part is it doesn't constitute a crime. These people wake up crying and regretting, the police can't do anything about them. In the end, only women get hurt."
"Oh my god." I was stunned. Could this really happen in Tokyo, known for its good public safety? Could it be that Kusanagi suddenly sent me messages, worried something might happen to me, so she kept in constant contact?
"So don't go out so late, understand?" The girl lowered her eyelashes, turning her face away.
I suddenly stood up, vigorously ruffled her dark, glossy hair, and then pinched her cheek hard. The girl's smooth, white, soft cheek was left with a red mark from the pinch. She seemed a bit dazed by the sudden cheek-pinching.
I originally wanted to say thank you. But looking into her amber-like swirling eyes, I suddenly got stuck. These eyes were moist, dark, and bright. It was easy to get lost in them if you weren't careful, with deep whirlpools gently swallowing you up.
"...Thank you." The uttered thanks became dazed and dull.
Kusanagi's dark, glossy, slender eyelashes trembled.
I turned my face away, stood up, and started putting on my coat. "I know you were worried about me. Well, I'll be more careful in the future."
Not being able to honestly express my feelings is really a flaw.
The two of us then packed our things and went out together.
Her beautiful appearance with red lips and white teeth made people turn their heads to look. I wore a pair of UGG boots and, as usual, a trench coat, looking rather plain and disheveled. Standing next to Kusanagi really wasn't a wise move. I couldn't help but sigh.
"Miss Nozawa." The girl called me, having something to say.
I took off my headphones. Inside, the one and only song in the world was playing on loop.
"Let's spend Christmas Eve together at home. I want to invite Senior Shijia." She paused. "Senior Shijia is your best friend, right?"
"Yeah." I felt a bit gratified. She's grown up. Finally, after being so confrontational, she knows to be grateful to her senior. "Why did you suddenly think of Shijia-jiejie?"
The girl's ears turned soft red. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and said softly, "...Because I love the crow on the roof."
Love the crow on the roof? My brain, besides being quick with studying, is half a beat slow with everything else.
I was foolishly pondering the meaning of these words, feeling something was a bit off, when the girl's eyes, burning with a spreading, immature flame, stared straight at me.
But when I looked back, she had already lowered her gaze, turned around, and left behind a slender, Yingying retreating figure.
"Miss Nozawa, Merry Christmas Eve."