Chapter 23 - Blanket Helps Us Hide.

Being in the elevator with a girl is an awesome experience. Thousand of imaginations play the million of probability of what a male and female would do alone in tight space. If not for the sneaky camera I noticed installed up the corner, I would perform an AV scene#3 right now.

Ting.

Or maybe not because even without the camera time is still limited. it only takes two minutes for us to reach the third floor (AV scene should at least take twenty-to-thirty minutes something.) Or maybe not two minutes but a second for me. 'Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That mean you're shitty asshole,'says someone who dies. it's hard to grasp how time works, maybe time doesn't revolve around us that time. See?

"Sunbae?" It seems Sohee is already outside the elevator.. I'm not even embarrassed nor did Sohee bother to ask anymore. I just blank out sometimes. Left the reality sometimes.

We proceed down the hallway, passing each silent doors, 18, 19, 20.

"Do you like coffee, Sohee?" I ask as Sohee tries to match our pace together.

"I don't see why to like it," she says, "I just drink it because that's what everyone does." she chuckles, "so you're still trying to lighten the mood--"

"No, I'm genuinely curious,"

"Coffee?"

"Black beans."

"Is that interesting?"

"Not really, I just want to know your likes and dislikes if I want us to be closer."

"O--okay."

Did I score? I'm really disgusting.

She watches our pace and I intentionally keep breaking it.

"I like sandwiches, too."

I never had breakfast today. So mentioning a simple food is enough to make my stomach rumble.

"Did you have breakfast today, Sunbae?"

"No, Lilly doesn't help me with it?'

Sohee thinks about it, "does she ever cook? I thought you were the one who cooked in your house."

I don't remember how to cook. Goddamit, give me that memory at least. Now both of the people in that house don't know how to cook. How can we live? Oh--I did find a bunch of instant noodle packs in the kitchen and ate them yesterday, too. I don't know if boiling an instant noodle can be considered 'cooking.'

"Let's eat out," I say, "after we dealt with Mei."

Sohee nudges my abandonment, "'dealt' seems forced, Sunbae."

I smile, "then let's do help then."

"I prefer that."

21.

Sohee rubs her arm.

And I stare at the door.

A door that protects a girl from men outside her world. A door, a friend. A blind friend who only opens and closes, locked and unlocked. A thick door, an expressionless friend.

That frail girl with emerald eyes is behind this. When I say I would remember a pretty girl living here, I lie. I don't even know whether Life and Death keeps that memory from me. Or why. But really, asking someone who plays god is tiring and useless. Let her do what she sees fit.

"Are you ready, Sunbae?" Sohee asks with her quivering pink eyes.

I let her stare at my smile.

Our eyes return to the door. I don't know what Sohee thinks right now, perhaps worrying, perhaps even scared. But I'm thinking of something more exciting. Any seconds now after we push that bell, I would probably see Mei outside of the school ground and outside of her school uniform. Not naked (though I would like to see that) but maybe she's wearing a pajama. Or a T-shirt with a bear on it. Or any kind of thinner clothes. If you ask me what the last thing I expect Mei's wearing is lingerie. But who knows? Maybe she loves lingerie and can only wear her taste in her home.

Sohee brings her fist and hits the door three times.

I point out the bell, "why don't you use the bell?"

"Wouldn't that be a waste of electric energy?""

"You should try littering sometimes?"

As if she doesn't below what she hears from my mouth, "Little what?"

"Nothing," I cover, "just saying you're cute."

She blushes. Another point for me, collect many enough I can have an intimate relationship with her (or maybe we're at that point now.)

After what it seems to look like a minute or two, we can hear the door's lock clicking.

And the door cracks open.

A pair of emerald eyes peek at us. Or rather Sohee because it locks on her, ignoring my existence.

Sohee put her best smile on, "I'm here, Mei."

It's what she has to say to crack a safe of emeralds.

The door swings open.

Lingerie? Pajama? Bah! What do I expect? Of course Mei would wear a white, thick blanket around her body, covering all skin from the air. It's better than a hoodie, I suppose.

Mei wraps her blanket around Sohee, making two girls in one blanket. Or maybe she tries to hug her.

With a drop of happiness grinding at the corner of her eyes, Mei smiles. "Oh, Sohee. I've been waiting all night. I thought you'd not come, I thought I was just dreaming when you texted me."

Sohee gives a wobbly laughter, "but I just texted you this morning…that's forty minutes ago."

Mei dives in deeper in Sohee, "I--I'm thankful you're here."

"It seems something happened."

"Yes, I have one maths question I can't answer."

"Show me later."

Mei tries to pull her in, "then let's go in."

But Sohee resists. Of course she better be, if she just hopped into Mei's room then that'd leave me standing alone outside and being nothing in this hallway. But again she better explain my existence because I don't remember how many chromosomes we have as we are born--I call it penis, dick anyway.

Mei makes a face of confusion. I'm either sad or relive that the androphobic girl still doesn't realize I'm taking part in oxygen around her.

"I--I brought Sunbae together with me." Sohee's eyes rustle to me.

Mei eyes follow her trustee.

And the emeralds shrink.