Vending Machine

"Sigh, if you don't stop me, I'll probably pick out the best clothes..." She said, sulking.

"Yes! Yes! Sorry, ma'am," Takeuchi said, half joking.

It would take forever if I didn't stop you... Takeuchi added, silently in his mind.

The park was almost empty, which made the atmosphere peaceful, but somehow looking at it made him feel sad.

"Sigh, you know there were a lot of bad rumors about you," She said suddenly.

"Is that so?" He asked, a little surprised. "Well, it doesn't bother me."

Sigh, I mean, I don't hear any rumors about me. From my first to second year, I thought I was invincible all the time. Of course, I talked to my classmates, but there wasn't a close friend. The last time I had a close friend was in middle school... Takeuchi thought as he recalled various faces he called friends.

"What are they talking about?" He asked curiously.

She touched her chin with her hand and said teasingly. "Umm, let me see, Takeuchi was a cloaked alien who spied on Earth for his master," she said, mimicking that one show where the victim talks while their face is covered. "Or he had a bad parent who beat him to death when he came home."

"Are you serious?" He asked seriously.

"Of course, it was a lie, I just made it all up!!!" she said, giggling.

Even though I had half expected this, I was still annoyed... Takeuchi thought, rather annoyed by the sudden 'prank' she pulled.

Sighing, Takeuchi decided to stand up. And he walked over to the vending machine behind them and said to her back figure, "Would you like something to drink?"

"You're nice," she teased, still giggling. "One Coke, please!"

"Sure!" he replied after putting the money in the machine and pressing two buttons for the Coke.

With a clacking sound, he picked up two cans of Coke from the vending machine and then walked back to his seat.

"Whatever," he said as he handed her the Coke.

The clacking sound echoed as they opened the Coke cans, and coincidentally, they made the sound of gulping at the same time.

After a sigh of satisfaction from a sip of Coke, Takeuchi met her eyes, and with a cracking smile, they laughed together at the sound they just made.

The orange sky lights up the park as they drink and talk about various topics, and just like that, they have filled their afternoon.

My time was wasted, but it doesn't matter. Because my thirst is gone and, most importantly, I had fun... Takeuchi thought as he looked up to the orange skies.

I guess this is what she means by traveling together... Takeuchi thought, and it somehow made him smile.

"That was a fun trip," He said suddenly. "Thank you. I had so much fun,"

"Haha! It was just a walk to the shopping district, Takeuchi!" she said, bursting into laughter. "Sometimes you can say something stupid, right, Haha!"

Sigh, she really is a complicated person... Takeuchi thought, holding his temper, somehow a little bit irritated by her laugh, but at the same time, he felt happy with it.

"Alright! Let's continue our journey home!" she said cheerfully.

"Alright, Alright," he said lazily, but somehow, he could feel a smile on his face.

With a smacking sound, his back hurt. Then he turned toward the culprit as he sighed.

"Have some spirit, will you!" she said after smacking his back. "Follow me to our home!"

Humming merrily, she walked happily as she led the way.

Seriously... Takeuchi thought, but with a smile, he decided not to talk about it.

"To our home!" He shouted, somehow relieved.

"To our home! Yay!" she shouted.

Whoever this girl is... Takeuchi thought as they shouted on the way home.

She was free. I was jealous but happy to get along with her. Maybe that's why I was drawn to her. Oh yes, maybe it was time to find out her name... Takeuchi thought.

But just as Takeuchi was about to approach her and ask her name, suddenly, a cold feeling filled his heart.

Takeuchi was familiar with the feeling when he was in middle school and getting blocked on his way home by a bunch of gangs.

He had the same cold feeling just like right now.

"Huh!?" He said, confused and shocked by the feeling he had.

He tried to walk, but then he realized that he couldn't move his body.

He realized that he had tried hard to move his body, but again, the attempt failed, but somehow, his eyeballs could still move.

My body, my body can't move, what's happening... Takeuchi thought, half shocked.

Paralyzed, he was forcing himself to move and see the environment around him, searching around for the culprit behind his paralyze.

And within a second, the darkness was reflected in his eyes.

Horror filled his heart as shock and anticipation that something would come out, but before he knew it, darkness was already covering the area as if it was already midnight.

But it can't be because there was a sunset just a second ago.

The girl... Takeuchi thought, somehow worried about her well-being.

Forcibly moving his eyeballs, he looked to his side and found a girl with long black braided hair beside him.

Just like him, she also seemed to stop in place.

Even stranger, she seemed stuck in frozen time with her hand raised in the air.

What happened? Has time frozen?... Takeuchi thought in shock, his expression unmoving like a sculpture.

He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

His mouth and surroundings remained still.

Slowly but surely, he felt himself sinking to the ground.

What is happening!?...

Hello? Is there anyone out there?... Takeuchi thought desperately, but no one answered him.

Panic, he looked down at his feet.

A dark mist was there.

It seemed to be pulling anything that was standing on it.

The ground was slowly getting closer to his face as he felt the dark mist pulling him in.

As he drowns, the view becomes shorter and shorter.

He can feel the dark mist pulling him from his feet to his hips and then up to his chest.

Finally, it reached under his eyes.

Damn it!...

Am I going to die?...

There are still so many things I want to do...

Desperately, he glances back at the girl by his side.

For some reason, she's not being pulled by the dark mist.

Even at such a time, she was beautiful...

And then his vision was filled with darkness, and his whole body disappeared, fully enveloped in the darkness of the dark mist.