2:49 AM — The Hour When Excuses No Longer Work
The Konbini smelled of burnt coffee and expired lies. Miyu had come four nights in a row, always with her black cloak and the smile of a schoolgirl lost in a world that didn't deserve her optimism, to talk about ghosts and urban legends as if it were normal for a middle school student to be in a Konbini at 2 AM. Coincidentally, for four nights straight, Aoi had disappeared down the drink aisle with increasingly absurd excuses: "I'm going to count the cockroaches," "The fridge is calling me," "I think I left my dignity in the bathroom."
But tonight, I wasn't going to let her run away.
Spoiler.
Tonight, I understood why curiosity killed the cat.
The cat was an idiot, an idiot who was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He had it coming.
"What's going on with Miyu?" I asked, not looking up from the counter where Aoi had just left a half-eaten onigiri.
"Miyu?" She shrugged, toying with her dog collar. "The girl with the cloak? No idea. Maybe she got bored of your bad jokes."
"No, I mean that," I put down the rag I'd been using to wipe the same spot for the tenth time. "Why do you hide every time she comes?"
"I don't hide," she said, jumping off the counter. "I'm just avoiding boredom. That brat talks more than a politician on the campaign trail."
"Liar," I looked directly at her. "Do you know her? From Shinozaki?"
Her eyes narrowed, but her smile remained.
"You think I'd associate with a weirdo like that?" She moved closer, rocking on her heels.
"I think you're scared of her."
The word resonated like a blow in the Konbini's silence. Aoi went still, her fingers trembling on her collar.
"I'm not scared..." she whispered, but her voice broke on the last syllable.
"Then what." I stepped closer, ignoring the voice in my head screaming "Stop." "Why are you hiding from her?"
"Because of nothing!" she shouted, backing up until she hit the drink fridge. "What's wrong with you? Are you an idiot?"
"I am, but that's not the point." I took another step, feeling the humid, salty(?) air. "Why are you scared of a middle school student?"
"Because of nothing that concerns you!" Her laugh sounded like shattering glass. "Do you like Miyu? Is that it? Do you love her cheap cosplay cloak and her lost puppy dog eyes?"
"You know I don't."
"Then why...!" She stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze darted to the entrance. "I have to go to the bathroom..." she murmured, lowering her head.
"No." I moved between her and the staff room door.
"Hiroto-kun, I have to go."
"No." I couldn't back down, not at this point. I was like a stupid cat playing with a time bomb, treating it like a toy.
"This has nothing to do with you."
"But it has to do with you."
...
She moved fast. She tried to escape by slipping past me to flee to the staff room. By reflex, I grabbed her wrist tightly to stop her from hiding.
Mistake.
Aoi froze. Her eyes widened, her breathing quickened, her mouth opened, showing me her teeth. It wasn't a smile. It was a warning. In that moment, she wasn't the provocative Aoi, the liar, the playful, mocking girl who teased customers. She was a frightened predator, trapped in a memory she had buried deep in the ocean floor.
"Let me go..." she murmured, pulling hard. "Please, let me go..."
"Aoi..." In that moment, I understood the stupidity of what I was doing.
"Let me go!" Her voice was a choked scream, her nails digging into my hand. "Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME! LET GO OF ME!"
But I didn't let go. I couldn't, I couldn't move.
Then, she did it.
Her teeth, those sharp little shark teeth she always used to smile, sank into my hand with animal force. A sharp, hot pain, followed by the feeling of warm blood running down my skin.
"Shit!" The sensation of her teeth sinking into my skin made me react. I let go of her wrist, and she scrambled back like a wounded animal, her lips stained red.
"Never..." she panted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked at me with a cold, empty expression in her eyes. "Never touch me, or I'll rip your arms off." It wasn't a joke. It was a real threat.
She ran towards the storage room, the door slamming shut behind her.
I stood there, holding my bleeding hand, the drops falling onto the counter like ink from a broken pen. The buzz of the lights mixed with the ringing in my ears, until the ding of the entrance sounded.
Shit...
Miyu was at the door, her cloak fluttering slightly. Her eyes widened behind her glasses at the sight of the blood.
"W-what happened?" she asked, approaching with cautious steps.
"Nothing..." I said, hiding my hand behind my back. "An accident with a can."
She looked towards the closed storage room, then at me, and for a moment, she seemed to understand more than I would have liked.
"Do you need... help?" her voice trembled, but she didn't back away.
The Konbini stopped. Somewhere, behind the storage room door, I could feel Aoi holding her breath. And I, with my hand still dripping, knew the manager would kill me if he found out what happened.
"Yes," I lied, for the first time without sarcasm.
Miyu opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of a crash from the storage room cut her off.
The night wasn't over yet.