How To Eat Life:Chapter 1-3

#1-3_otogiri_tobi / Heaven and Earth Turns

Tobi occupied the third seat from the front, next to the window. Sitting one seat ahead and to the right-front was a serious female student named Kon Chiami, who diligently listened to the teachers and took notes in the front row.

Tobi didn't know much about Chiami, except that she was often accompanied by several other people. But what caught his attention was the bat or flying squirrel-like creature clinging to her back.

"Well, we already noticed that a long time ago," Baku, who was forcibly tied to the desk, whispered cautiously like a backpack. "Those creatures are different from O-Ryuu's Chinu. They simply stick to humans' backs without causing any harm. It's just that ordinary people can't see these peculiar things."

Baku's words were accurate. Although these strange creatures weren't abundant or rare, they were present in the school, the town, and even the facility.

Tobi had become accustomed to their presence. As long as they weren't overly large or swarming, he simply acknowledged their existence without much surprise. However, curiosity gnawed at him.

Trying not to move his face too much, Tobi glanced diagonally behind him. The male student sitting there was gesturing as if engaged in some kind of exchange.

Masaki Shuuji, also known as Masamune. Tobi recalled that nickname, a combination of his first name and surname. Masamune was a lively and expressive student, often telling jokes and making people laugh. Tobi still remembered an exciting comedy act he had performed with someone that had left a lasting impression. He was someone who stood out in class.

Perched on Masamune's neatly set, short hair was a small, monkey-like creature. Its body resembled the size of a tarsier, a small nocturnal primate, but it possessed scales or bark-like skin, similar to the vertically striped epidermis of a Japanese cedar tree. The creature mimicked the "speak no evil" pose of the three wise monkeys, covering its mouth with its forelimbs.

Among the students in class 3 of the second year, Tobi knew of two individuals with strange companions: Kon Chiami and Masaki Shuuji. This ratio of peculiar occurrences was average, with one or two people per class.

However, there was another person that Shiratama had mentioned to Tobi on the stairs—a girl named Shizukudani. The last seat in the middle row belonged to her, but Tobi had never seen her occupy that seat. Apparently, she had stopped coming to school in the middle of the first year and began attending classes in the infirmary instead.

Shizukudani also had a peculiar creature attached to her, according to Shiratama.

"Four people," Baku muttered.

Observing the classroom from his seat, Tobi noticed Shiratama turn her face towards him. The teacher was writing on the blackboard, and the class remained silent. Shiratama must have heard Baku's voice as well.

"That seems like quite a lot, doesn't it? If we include you, Tobi, it makes five out of thirty-six students in this class. Approximately one in seven. That's quite a significant number..."

Tobi felt an urge to kick Baku, not wanting him to continue speaking endlessly without anyone else hearing. However, Tobi realized that Shiratama could indeed hear Baku's words. It was a close call; he almost waved his hand when Shiratama waved hers. He quickly regained his composure and turned his attention forward, resting his chin on his hand.

After the last period, Tobi put his chair on his desk and prepared to leave the classroom. However, Shiratama called out to him, halting his departure.

"Ah, Otogiri-kun."

"What is it?"

"I still have a lot to talk to you about. Do you have any plans after this?"

"Not... really."

"Then, I'm sorry, but could you wait for me somewhere? I have cleaning duty today."

"...Sure, at the entrance."

"Understood. I'll finish up as quickly as I can."

Their classmates gave them strange looks, including Kon Chiami and Masaki Shuuji. Tobi wondered why it was considered strange for Shiratama to talk to him normally. Though he couldn't fully grasp the reasons, he felt uncomfortable and awkward in that situation.

"See you later," Tobi said curtly, leaving the classroom as if escaping. He hurried through the hall, descended the stairs energetically, and swiftly changed his shoes at the shoe box. As he stepped out of the entrance, the janitor Haizaki was watering the front yard flower beds with a green watering can.

"Hello, Otogiri-kun. You're as fast as usual, huh? Goodbye...?"

"I'm not leaving yet."

Without thinking, he replied in a harsh tone.

Haizaki was taken aback.

"Eh? Is that so?"

"...It's none of your business, is it."

"Ah... yeah. I don't mean to pry. Sorry."

"It's nothing to apologize for. You didn't—"

Tobi clicked his tongue and hit his fist against his forehead. No matter what, using the phrasing 'you' was not good.

Tobi was annoyed by Haizaki's repeated apologies. Baku, who was still tied to the desk, murmured, "Haizaki-san didn't do anything wrong."

"Sorry."

Haizaki's face distorted, realizing his mistake.

"I did it again. My senpai warned me before too, 'stop immediately apologizing for everything.' It's a habit, you know? Ah, darn it. But that sure brings me back. They were a strict senpai, you see. I was scolded a lot. It was scary, you see. But they were a good person."

"...What a chatty person," Baku whispered.

Tobi felt the same. Haizaki spoke in a soft, non-imposing voice, and Tobi had listened without thinking. He didn't care about Haizaki's senpai or anything related to him. Haizaki was just a janitor. His senpai might have been the previous janitor, but Tobi didn't care either way.

"Oh—"

Haizaki panicked and raised the watering can. While absorbed in talking, he had started pouring water outside of the flower beds.

"What are you doing..."

"Sorry. Wah, I apologized again. Just now, though, probably would've been an ok time to apologize? Nah, there's nothing to apologize for. I just made the asphalt a bit wet. It'll dry in no time anyway. Huh, Otogiri-kun, aren't you going home? Ahh, you said so, huh. You're not leaving yet. Why? Ah, that might be prying. You don't have to answer that, okay? I just accidentally asked while rambling. Sorry. Ahh, I apologized again. My senpai would be appalled at what a state I'm in. I haven't grown at all..."

"What is this, a comic monologue?" Baku mocked.

Without thinking, Tobi also stared at Haizaki coldly. Haizaki rubbed the side of his neck in embarrassment.

"Talking too much has also been a fault of mine since way back, you see. Ahh, I just can't fix it. I do try to be careful, but I end up forgetting to be careful, you see."

"You sure you're not just stupid?" Baku venomously remarked.

Thinking he couldn't hear it anyway, Baku said it without restraint.

"Haha... right."

Haizaki looked around nervously, realizing that his behavior was drawing attention. He had a towel on his neck and used it to wipe his face. It seemed like he was trying to hide something.

Something felt off to Tobi, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Nonetheless, Haizaki should have been working during this time.

"...Don't mind me. How about you focus on your job?"

"You're absolutely right!"

Haizaki nodded forcefully and resumed watering the plants.

"When you think of autumn, it's chrysanthemums, but cosmos are nice too, huh? There are also roses that bloom in autumn. And the second bloom of dahlias sure is pretty, huh? Dahlias. Dah

lias, huh. Ah, that's right, Otogiri-kun, what flowers do you like?"

Could it be that Tobi was wrong for not leaving already? Haizaki seemed to enjoy talking extravagantly. If there was someone nearby, he couldn't help but engage in conversation.

"...I'm not interested, I guess. I don't really know much about them."

"I see. That's true, huh. I had no idea when I was young either. Until I changed jobs, I guess. Before, when it came to flowers, I was just like, 'they're blooming, huh.' But when I started planting and taking care of them myself, all of a sudden, I was thinking stuff like 'how many more times will I get to see sakura again?'"

"Haizaki-san isn't at that age yet, is he?"

"Compared to you guys, I'm quite the old geezer already. To think I've become the kind of old geezer who enjoys flowers. But if you think about it, maybe growing old isn't necessarily that bad. I've come to appreciate more refined things, after all. Simply put, I'm still growing older right now."

As students leaving school passed by, Haizaki bid them goodbye with a smile. He even called out their names, like 'Yamada-san' or 'Ueyama-san,' showing that he had gone out of his way to remember them. Tobi didn't even know the names of most people in his grade.

"...Flowers or refinement or whatever. I don't really get what you're talking about."

"There was also a time when I didn't understand a thing. That's just how it is, you see. It's unexpected, you see. Ah, my watering can is empty. I was still trying to water. Wasn't I doing anything?"

Haizaki looked up at the sky and lightly raised one hand.

"How uncool. I'm so disorganized. I need to get more water. I have other work to do too. See you, Otogiri-kun. No wait, you said you weren't going home yet. Sorry. Uwah, I apologized…"

Tobi felt like he was starting to understand Haizaki's senpai who often scolded him.

Tobi watched Haizaki walk away and sighed.

"...What is with that person?"

"What an odd guy. But it's rare, isn't it? Tobi talking with someone so much. No wait, you were chatting away with O-Ryuu. That means you've been talking a lot with people aside from me, huh? The Tobi, talking."

Tobi took Baku off his shoulder and spun him around vigorously.

"Hey, stop it! My eyes are spinning! I said stop it, idiot!"

What kind of backpack had eyes that could spin? Did Baku even have eyes? He seemed to see things. Did that mean they didn't exist?

"Baku is the oddest one here..."

Tobi grumbled quietly and shouldered Baku once again.

"Spinning a backpack around in broad daylight like this, I can't win against you."

"Should I spin you some more?"

"Seriously, stop it."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Like I said, it's not! Don't spin me. Under any circumstances, do not spin me. I will not forgive you if you do. Absolutely no spinning allowed!"

After a while, Shiratama came out from the school entrance. She spotted Tobi right away and trotted up to him. In addition to her school bag, Shiratama was wearing the pochette that hid Chinurasha on her shoulder.

"Sorry for the wait."

"Well, that was pretty quick, wasn't it?"

"It's because I gave it my all cleaning. I got a little sweaty."

Shiratama's skin was originally quite pale. Now that Tobi noticed, her cheeks were somewhat flushed. Her forehead was slightly sweaty.

Feeling like he had seen something he shouldn't have seen, Tobi turned away.

"...Um, should we go? The question is where we should go, though..."

"Is it better to have a destination?"

"Better than not having one."

"Um..."

"If you have somewhere you'd like to go?"

"What about Otogiri-kun?"

"Me? Not really..."

"What a boring guy you are."

Baku laughed with a keke.

Tobi tried to hit him with his elbow but abandoned the idea. There were plenty of students around them, leaving school. Tobi had forgotten about that. There was something wrong with him.

"That's correct," Shiratama exclaimed with wide-open eyes, startled.

"I actually have one. A place I want to go."

There was definitely something off with him.

Tobi couldn't bring himself to look directly at Shiratama's face. Instead, he found himself tilting his head and glancing at her from the side. Would this kind of gaze come off as creepy? But Shiratama didn't seem to mind.

"I want to go to a convenience store. Is that alright?"

They avoided the stores nearest to the school because buying snacks was against the school rules. Not everyone followed this rule, but if someone found out and reported it, a teacher might be called and issue a warning. Tobi didn't care much, but Shiratama probably did.

Then why did Shiratama suggest going to a convenience store?

After walking for about twelve or thirteen minutes from the school, just as they were about to enter a convenience store, a question popped into Tobi's mind.

Tobi opened the door and was about to step inside the convenience store.

When he turned to face Shiratama, she seemed hesitant to even step on the doormat in front of the door. Her chin was slightly tucked in, and her shoulders were tense.

"...Aren't you coming in?"

Tobi usually refrained from going to convenience stores, mostly to avoid wasting money. If he needed to buy something, he would quickly stop by on his way back from school or wherever. He wouldn't hesitate. It was just a convenience store.

But maybe, for Shiratama, it wasn't just a convenience store?

"I... I am coming in."

Her speech was somewhat strange, and her eyes seemed watery. Shiratama was obviously nervous.

Tobi temporarily closed the door.

"If it bothers you because buying snacks is against the school rules, do you want to stop?"

"No."

Shiratama firmly declared, giving Tobi a stern glare. Well, strictly speaking, it might not be considered a glare, but it was an intense stare. Or rather, it was an utmost seriousness. It made Tobi a little scared. It wasn't like their lives were on the line. It was too serious.

"Then..."

Tobi reopened the door and stepped into the convenience store. Shiratama followed, but her movements were awkward. She seemed visibly frozen with fear. Her expression appeared stiff as well. It was excessively serious.

"...Are you alright?"

"I'm... fine."

Her words were few, and it was evident that something was bothering her. Even the female clerk seemed suspicious.

"You look like someone who's about to shoplift, you know..."

As Baku commented, Shiratama sharply turned her head.

"No way! Shoplift? I would never..."

"Shiratama-san," Tobi mildly scolded.

Shiratama made a strange sound, something like "huff-", and her eyes darted towards the clerk at the register.

The clerk glanced at Shiratama from the corner of her eye and cleared her throat. She was definitely keeping an eye on Shiratama. It couldn't be helped. Tobi himself felt a sense of shame.

"Are you planning to buy something?"

"...A drink."

Her voice squeaked like a mosquito. Shiratama seemed incredibly dejected.

Tobi turned to Shiratama and reached out for her hand, but quickly withdrew it.

What was Tobi about to do? He was probably about to take Shiratama's hand and lead her to the aisle with bottled and canned drinks.

But there was no need to go that far. Of course not. Shiratama wasn't a small child.

They picked their drinks from the shelf behind the glass door. Shirat

ama confidently grabbed a grape-flavored soda, while Tobi chose the cheapest barley tea. It was a waste of money, but Tobi had his own way of reading the situation. He also wanted to avoid giving Shiratama the impression that he was cheap.

After paying and leaving the store, Shiratama clutched the soda bottle tightly and closed her eyes.

"I bought it. It's grape-flavored."

"Eh? Is it some kind of special edition or something? That juice..."

"I buy it sometimes. Secretly, very occasionally. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's been a popular item for a long time. They always have it in stock."

"Ah, I see."

"Going into a convenience store is quite exciting. If my grandfather and grandmother found out, they would scold me for sure."

"...Shiratama-san's grandparents must be strict."

"They are strict for my sake."

Shiratama smiled, but her gaze dropped downward. Even though she was smiling, a shadow cast over her face.

She referred to them as 'grandfather and grandmother' instead of 'parents'. She must have her own circumstances. It's not like he wasn't curious, but he wasn't particularly eager to find out. It was a hassle to talk about himself with others. He wouldn't want to be asked either.

"Do you want to drink this somewhere? It's a bit crowded here, you know."

Shiratama met his gaze with determination and nodded.

"Yes."

Above the hill road with stone walls on one side, there were stone steps on the left. Beyond the stone steps, there was a small open space. Gravel was spread out, and three rusted horizontal bars of different heights were installed. In truth, it was nothing more than horizontal bars. That's why it was called the horizontal bar park.

Tobi sat on the tallest bar of the horizontal bar park and took a sip of his barley tea. Shiratama stood with her back against the pillars of the bars. She seemed unsure whether to open her soda bottle or not.

She had been hesitating for quite a while now.

Why didn't she just open it already? Was it really something to hesitate about? Obviously, you couldn't drink the soda without opening the cap. Didn't she buy the soda to drink it because she wanted to?

As he began to internally fret and was about to let it go, Shiratama finally decisively opened the bottle. She brought it to her lips, took a small sip, and shivered.

"..."

Baku attempted to say something but stopped. Tobi also wanted to say something to her, but for now, he silently observed her. Shiratama carefully recapped the bottle, shook her shoulders up and down, and let out a sigh.

“It's delicious."

"...It just tasted good?" Baku interjected in a small voice.

Shiratama opened her eyes and lifted the bottle, gazing at it in fascination.

"It really is tasty. No matter how many times I drink it."

"That's great," Tobi replied, unable to come up with a more elaborate response.

Shiratama smiled at him.

"I feel like I could fight for a month after this."

"Fight?" Tobi questioned, intrigued.

"Yes—"

Shiratama shook her head vigorously, causing her long hair to sway.

"No! Fighting is just a metaphor."

"You like it that much..."

"Like?" Shiratama tilted her head and blinked. Tobi felt flustered for some reason.

"...Well, I mean, that juice. You like it... right?"

"My grandmother says that except for 100% juice content, cold beverages, especially carbonated drinks, are the devil's drink, so I'm strictly forbidden from consuming them..."

"'The devil' is quite an exaggeration," Baku commented in a dumbfounded tone, causing Shiratama to lower her gaze.

"She says it's because they are bad for your health. My grandmother despises things that are detrimental to health. Thanks to that, I grew up quickly, as you can see."

Baku snickered mockingly with a "kekkekke."

"Aren't you secretly indulging in it properly? The devil's drink."

Shiratama dramatically scrunched up her face.

"I can't deny that at all..."

Tobi took another sip of his barley tea and then playfully placed the bottle inside Baku. Gripping the bar with both hands, he spun around once backward.

"Amazing!"

Shiratama's eyes widened instantly.

"That move, if I recall correctly, is Hell's Spin! Right?"

"...Maybe. That might have been its name."

"Can you rotate forward too?"

"Oh, forward spins? I can do those as well..."

Tobi faced forward and spun around once. Shiratama jumped up in excitement.

"Heaven's Spin!"

"...I can spin around as many times as I want."

"I want to see!"

"Sure..."

Tobi spun backward three times and then proceeded to spin forward three times.

Shiratama looked astonished.

"Y-you've shown me something I didn't know was humanly possible..."

"...It's not that big of a deal, is it? Just this..."

"What's this?" Baku laughed boisterously.

"Even a cheeky brat gets embarrassed, huh, Tobi?"

"Hah? I'm not embarrassed..."

"Cou-could it be, you can do even more amazing moves...?"

Shiratama's eyes sparkled, and her pupils seemed to dilate. She appeared tremendously excited, with high expectations.

"...Well, I can do more if that's what you want. Didn't you say you have lots to talk about?"

"That can wait!" Shiratama responded promptly.

In the end, Tobi ended up performing the stunt of spinning around repeatedly, then releasing and grabbing the bar in the middle of a spin.