Chapter 22 Part 2: Shine’s Favorite Things

Amy continued to explain citizenship to us as we headed to the restaurant.

It seemed like she wanted to make us realize how important it was, but Shine continued to look around with an uninterested expression.

“Shine, are you listening?”

“Yeah.”

Shine answered Amy’s words absentmindedly and walked around the hallway.

However, since she never left Amy’s certain radius, it seemed that Shine also relied on Amy a lot.

“So how many levels of general citizenship are there?”

“Level 3.”

“What did Jeff and Shine receive?”

“Level 5.”

“Good. You remember well.”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll ask you one last question.”

Shine, who had been walking around here and there, stopped moving at Amy’s words.

“Good. Let me ask you one last question.”

Amy made a subtle expression at Shine’s attitude as she spoke with her hands on her hips and her chest out as if she was willing to listen.

“What area can Level 5 citizenship go to at most?”

“Area 5.”

5th grade citizenship, a high-grade citizenship that the average person cannot obtain even if they work their whole life.

Amy gave us such citizenship so easily, without any price.

I couldn’t even guess her status.

I had never heard of someone who could easily obtain 5th grade citizenship.

Even listening to her, it seemed like she could issue even higher-grade citizenship.

The district I was born in was District 23.

A place where vagabonds who didn’t even have citizenship live.

A district whose symbol is a giant garbage mountain where trash from all over the world gathers.

I quickly shook my head as my childhood memories came back to me.

“Amy.”

“Huh?”

“Is there a level after 3rd grade citizenship?”

“Yes, but it’s a level that can’t be obtained through normal means.”

“What’s good about having a high grade?”

“You can do a lot of things.”

“A lot of things?”

Shine seemed to be interested in citizenship.

She walked close to Amy and grabbed her hand.

“Anything you want?”

“Most of it.”

“Can you have everything you want?”

Shine’s eyes began to sparkle. Amy looked into Shine’s eyes, then crouched down and met Shine’s gaze.

“Do you want anything, Shine?”

“There’s a lot.”

“You’ll be able to have them all later.”

Amy smiled slightly and patted Shine’s head.

We entered the restaurant and started eating.

Shine, who had become interested in citizenship, started asking Amy a lot of questions to the point of being annoying.

However, Amy answered all of Shine’s questions without getting annoyed.

Among them, she vaguely brushed aside the questions that were difficult to answer.

“I want to know Amy’s grade.”

“You’ll find out later.”

“I want to know too.”

“It’s mealtime now, so be quiet.”

Amy said that and put her finger to her lips.

Shine and I looked around only then.

It seemed like our voices had gotten louder without us realizing it.

Everyone around us was looking in our direction. I quickly lowered my head.

It was because the gazes of so many people were burdensome.

However, Shine was not like that.

Instead, she glared at them as if asking why they were looking at us.

But people give her a small smile, thinking that Shine’s behavior is cute.

After finishing the meal, when they returned to the room, Shine said to Amy,

“Amy. Give me your citizenship card.”

“Are you sure you won’t lose it?” Amy said, pulling the card out of her pocket.

“Yeah.”

“And Jeff?”

“I’m fine.” I shook my head, uninterested.

It’s a citizenship that I can’t use once I go back.

It’s a high-level one, but it’s something I can’t use, so I’m not interested.

“Then I’ll keep it!”

Shine jumped up from the floor and took out the two cards Amy was holding.

“Jeff, is that really not important?”

“Yes.”

I nodded while looking at Shine, who was smiling brightly while holding my cards.

It was a story that didn’t really matter to me, that Amy had, that Shine had.

I’m going back.

Yes.

I have to go back.

I have to get out of here.

Memories that I had forgotten came back to me.

My hazy sense of purpose gradually became clearer.

I blankly looked down at my two hands.

My small hands moved slowly.

It wasn’t my body.

“Jeff!”

“Jeff!”

“…Yeah.”

A bright voice came to my ear.

I blankly raised my head at that.

Shine, who was smiling brightly, approached me and held up the cards.

“I’ll keep it.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

Shine, that’s not important to me right now.

I rubbed my forehead and sank into a nearby chair.

The more my hazy memories became clearer, the worse my headache became.

What had I been doing?

“Amy.”

“Huh?”

I put my hand on the table.

My small hand stretched out and tapped the high table.

My small fingers made a steady rhythmic sound.

Knock-knock-knock.

The dull sound resonated repeatedly.

I closed my eyes and cleared my mind.

“When can I leave?”

The words I spoke with difficulty were an expression of my desire to leave, to get out of this place.

Disparate memories blurrily intruded.

Memories flashed before my eyes.

But they weren’t my memories.

Memories of Shine?

That was ridiculous.

Fragments of disparate memories that I had taken for granted, that I had considered mine, fell away.

My memories came to mind after that.

The trigger was a memory from my childhood.

A huge mountain of trash rose up, pushing away memories of my happy childhood with Shine.

“Jeff?”

Shine’s strange voice flies in.

I raise my hand urgently.

“Shine. Wait…”

When she comes, it becomes hazy.

Something very important sinks deeply.

I get up from my seat and start to step back.

Shine, who had been looking at me with a puzzled look, makes a surprised expression as if she realized something and hurriedly runs to me.

Shine, who ran as if flying, hugs my body.

The vivid memories disappear in an instant.

A body falling backwards, silver threads scattering.

Amy reaching out her hand toward us as if surprised.

All the scenes start to dissipate.

I hear noise.

I fall to the floor and blankly stare up at the ceiling.

My white gaze quickly begins to recover.

The fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling are dazzling.

I raised my hand and rubbed my eyes.

“Jeff.”

I rubbed my eyes, then turned my head at Shine’s whispered words.

Shine, who was holding me tightly, was looking at me.

“Shine.”

“Jeff. Stay still for a moment.”

Inod. Just as she said, just as she wanted.

The headache quickly begins to disappear.

The fragmented memories begin to forcibly reassemble.

A faint fog descends as if covering the original spot.

“Guys, are you okay?”

“Amy.”

A huge shadow appears above my head where I was lying.

I let out a faint smile at Amy’s appearance with her back to the fluorescent light.

Amy seems worried, and reaches out her hand to help me and Shine up.

My staggering body quickly regains its original sense of balance.

“Amy. What did I just say?”

My memories are vaguely mixed.

I ask Amy, gently pushing Shine away from my arms.

“Just now?”

Amy tilts her head at my question.

She stroked her chin and soon shook her head.

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

“That’s right. I didn’t say anything.”

Shine, who had escaped my embrace, looked up at Amy and said.

Just as she said, I didn’t say anything.

Just. Just. What was I trying to do?

I frowned.

I felt like I had just remembered something important, but I can’t remember anything.

Was it really something important?

I felt very confused by the fact that I couldn’t remember, by the feeling that only traces remained.

Shine’s gaze looking at me.

My reflection in her gaze.

The girl who looked exactly like her was definitely me.

It was me.

That was an undeniable fact.

“Shine… I’m weird…”

Strange. Really weird.

Weren’t your arms a little longer?

Your legs were longer, too.

Your fingers were thicker.

You weren’t this short.

“No. Jeff. You’re not weird.”

Shine came to me.

Her arms were wide open.

Her warm embrace wrapped around me.

I buried my head in her embrace.

My confused mind quickly begins to calm down.

“Jeff was going to watch TV.”

Shine’s voice flows out quietly.

I nod.

Yes. I was going to watch TV.

The thoughts that had been running through my head before quickly disappear.

I turn my head and check my watch.

There’s not much time left until my favorite program starts.

“Right….”

“Yes. Jeff.”

The sad face disappears, and a smile appears in the empty space.

“Amy.”

“Huh?”

I call out to Amy because I have something I want to say to her.

My eyes fly around the room.

The snacks are gone.

I’ve eaten them all.

I don’t remember how many snacks I’ve destroyed with this small body.

“We’re out of snacks.”

“We’re out of cola.”

Shine also nods.

“Already?”

Amy asks in surprise, and I nod.

“You’re saying you’ve already eaten all that?”

Amy says, looking at the trash can in the corner of the room.

The overflowing snack bags.

And the empty plastic bottles.

The separation of waste was the result of thoughtless, ignorant shoving.

“I understand, since you’re growing up.”

Amy let out a small sigh and walked to the door to start putting on her shoes.

“I’ll go too.”

Shine, who had been clinging to me, broke away and ran to Amy.

I felt regret at the warmth that had disappeared.

I touched my empty arm and waved goodbye to them.

Right after Shine and Amy left the room, I got up from my seat and grabbed the remote control.

My little finger pressed the button on the remote control.

It was pressed with a firm feeling.

The television screen immediately lit up.

The girl’s figure on the black screen disappeared in an instant.