Without saying anything, I lightly tapped my can against hers.
*Clink*
The sound was hollow, lasting only a few seconds before being swallowed by the alleyway.
We both brought our drinks to our lips—and drank. The lukewarm tea slowly travelled down my throat and settled in my stomach. I usually preferred it cold, especially in summer, but there was nothing that could be done now.
After finishing the sip, I set the can down on the ground and leaned back against the wall.
"So," I said steadily, "why did you call me out here?"
She didn't answer immediately, still sipping her tea. When she finished, she set the can down, the metal not even scraping against the concrete.
"Well," she began slowly, tracing her finger against the rim of the can. "Is there a problem with just wanting to see you?"
She turned to me with an easy smile. My expression didn't waver, still gazing at my can.
"Don't look at me like that," I said.
Mei's shoulders dropped ever so slightly—but her smile didn't.
"You're so cold. But okay, I was getting bored anyway."
Mei began scooting closer to me, erasing the distance between us. I didn't move. The first couple of times had been a little strange, but now, I didn't care.
Once she was close enough, she leaned her head against my shoulder.
She didn't snuggle into it the way my sister would. It felt like her head just sat against my shoulder. Maybe the act itself was a charade, or maybe she genuinely didn't know what she was doing. It was hard to tell with her.
"Are you happy now?" I asked.
"Does my answer really matter?"
When she phrased it like that, I guess it didn't. Whether she was happy or not, we were still going to sit here in the dark for a while.
"So," she said, trying to strike up some conversation. "What did you guys do today?"
I picked up the can and held it loosely. "Well, we were talking about what Yu should do for his date tomorrow."
Once I finished talking, I brought the tea to my lips and took another lukewarm sip. It still wasn't refreshing.
"Oh?" Mei said, almost surprised. "Since when does he have a girlfriend?"
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" I quipped.
Just because I'm spending time with you like this doesn't mean you can talk badly about my best friend.
Though—I knew she didn't mean it like that.
Mei sighed, a sound devoid of actual annoyance. "You know I didn't mean it like that."
I let out a small chuckle. "I know. I was joking. Anyway, he doesn't have a girlfriend—yet."
Mei reached for the can in my hands instead of her own. I let her take it without any resistance.
She gently twirled the can; the sloshing tea filling the quiet space between us. "So, he's in the process of getting one?"
I nodded. "If it all goes well, then yeah."
"Is that so… then, I wish him luck."
Mei brought the can to her lips and took a sip. After a few seconds, she set it down right next to her own.
I stared at her lips intently, and an unserious grin slowly crept onto my face. An impulsive laugh surged up my throat, but I kept it in place.
Once I finally composed myself, I asked: "Isn't that an indirect kiss–"
"Don't start," she interrupted flatly.
I put on a disappointed frown. "You can't even entertain it a little bit? I thought it was pretty funny."
"No one actually gets embarrassed over an indirect kiss. Who cares."
Well, when she put it like that, it was hard to argue with. No one in real life actually cared that much about a shared drink when they reached our age.
"Whatever," I said, my usual tone returning. "Anyway, are you going to be studying for finals? They're supposed to be coming up pretty soon."
Mei turned to me with a look of genuine shock. "I'm surprised you actually remembered."
I scoffed. "Yeah… actually, I just found out—two hours ago."
"Figures."
I felt the urge to retort to her, but I kept it to myself.
"Anyway," Mei continued, her tone shifting. "I was studying from the time I got home until the time I came here. I wanted a little break, which is why I wanted to see you."
The way she said it so easily almost made me think for a second that she was being honest. But I wasn't naive enough to believe that now. Still—
"Is that so?" I replied, carefully shifting my posture to make sure not to disturb her. "Good work."
There wasn't a need to point it out or to ask—that wasn't our relationship. If she wanted me to know, she could tell me on her own. And it was the same way for me.
"So, do you plan on studying for exams?" Mei asked.
I shook my head. "Nope. I don't need to. I'm a genius."
Mei let out a soft "hmph". "You're so cocky. I hope you learn your lesson one day."
"I think my cockiness is part of my charm," I replied jokingly.
"Whatever you say."
With that, the conversation ended, and we were left in silence. There was no wind, no crickets, no cars—it was pure silence. Personally, I didn't mind it one bit.
Silence back at home was usually tense. As a kid, it was because I was afraid of making Dad angry. Nowadays, it was because I didn't want to disturb Mom.
But between her and me, silence was only just that—silence. It was strange, but oddly refreshing.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall as she leaned onto me, continuing to bask in this shared silence for just a little longer.
I took a deep breath, then broke the silence.
"Oh yeah, speaking of exams, wanna make a bet?"
At the mention of a bet, Mei lifted her head off my shoulder and looked right at me.
"What are we going to bet on?" she asked, although she probably already knew the answer.
An excited smirk tugged at the corners of my lips. "What else? Let's see who scores higher on the exams."
Mei inched away from me, though our shoulders still brushed against each other occasionally.
"Sure, I don't mind," she replied, seemingly indifferent. "What does the winner get? Pride?"
I paused. Now that she mentioned it, there was nothing I wanted—nor expected from her. Whenever we competed in the past, there were never any stakes, just bragging rights. Except we wouldn't even do that. So I was quite stumped.
"Hmmm, well, what would you want if you won?" I asked, bringing the topic to her instead.
Mei didn't answer. I thought she was still thinking, so I waited. And waited. And waited a little more. Still no response.
Curious, I glanced over from the corner of my eye.
A sudden chill bit into the back of my neck.
…So that's how it is.
She wasn't thinking at all. Her face was just—blank. As if she were a hollow, empty shell staring into the dark.
When she noticed my gaze, a cheery smile spread across her face.
"I don't know about winning, but if I lose, I'll do whatever you want me to do. How does that sound?"
I wanted to ask to what extent "whatever" was, but when I gazed into her hollow, will-less eyes, I found my answer.
What she said wasn't a lie.
It wasn't a charade, either.
But it wasn't genuine.
And that—
Was the scariest part.
I swallowed hard—and slowly nodded. "Sure, I can deal with that. Except…" I let a deliberate pause hang in the air.
Mei tilted her head. "Except what?"
I lifted our hands—which were still held together—until they reached eye level.
"If you win," I said, holding her hand firmly, "then I'll do whatever you want. There, that's even."
Her eyes flickered in an all-enveloping black for a split second. I didn't fail to notice. She knew I'd seen it. And yet, she replied with a cheery smile. "That sounds good to me!"
She let out a soft giggle. "I look forward to our bet, Hoshino!"
Her giggle gradually died down until not a single sound remained. We didn't say anything after that. We just sat in the silence once more.