“You mean you don’t mind me drinking your water, Mugino?”
“Nah, it’s fine. As long as you don’t down the whole thing.”
“…Okay, then. I’ll have some,” she said brusquely, taking the bottle.
She cast one last furtive glance in my direction before hesitantly raising the bottle to her lips and taking a big, long chug. She must have been really parched. After drinking about half the bottle in one gulp, she let out a satisfied breath. Then she turned to face me and her expression immediately did a 180 back to embarrassed.
“Don’t just stare at me while I’m drinking, creep.”
“Oh, sorry… My bad.”
Akira twisted the cap back on and practically shoved the bottle into my chest. “And you better wipe it off again too… Don’t you dare go licking the rim or anything, or I swear I’ll smack you upside the head.”
“I wasn’t planning to, sheesh…”
For someone who’d just been given a free drink in her time of need, she sure wasn’t acting all that grateful. I swallowed my pride and didn’t say another word as I stowed the water bottle into my backpack.
Just when I thought I couldn’t drag my tired body another step without collapsing, we finally found a road sign announcing that there was a rest stop just up ahead. If we only made it there, we could have all the drinking water we wanted. Akira and I celebrated this discovery as though we’d just found an oasis in the middle of a desert. And so we wrung the very last of our strength from our muscles and powered through until we reached the rest stop. Cutting a beeline across the wide-open parking lot, we made our way inside to the on-site convenience store, which had a food court in the back that included taiyaki and ice cream stands.
“Oh my god, I’m so thirsty. I need a cola ASAP…” said Akira as she headed straight for the beverages corner. I needed to restock on water too, so I followed after her, grabbed a couple bottles of the cheapest brand of mineral water from the fridge, and stuffed them into my backpack. Now that I no longer had to worry about keeping my thirst quenched, I was free to focus on just how famished I felt.
“We should rest here for a while,” I suggested.
Akira nodded as she chugged her soda. “Mm-hmm.” She had shown literally zero hesitation in walking over to the fridge and downing a big bottle of cola on the spot. Not that this was anything new, but it really hammered home that she didn’t feel any guilt whatsoever about not paying for things. It was enough to make me question her upbringing, honestly.
To be fair, this was all a matter of perspective. She and I were both stealing right now, so as far as the convenience store’s bottom line was concerned, I was no better than her simply because I felt guilty about it. At the same time, I didn’t want to give up all my morals just because I knew we wouldn’t get caught.
“Sorry, sir…” I said to the clerk with the permanent smile as I grabbed myself a freshly packed set of salmon onigiri, a sandwich, and a fish sausage from a nearby shelf. This would be more than enough for a filling lunch.
Akira and I headed into the food court. We were both feeling hungry and exhausted, so we didn’t have the capacity to talk while we ate; we consumed our respective meals in silence. Once my stomach was filled to the brim, I leaned back languidly in my chair and let out a great big yawn. I was so full I could feel a food coma coming on. I rested on my elbow with my head propped on my hand, thinking I could maybe catch a few winks while we were here. The moment I closed my eyes, sleep crept up on me like a thief in the night, and—
“Mngah?!”
I jolted awake. My head felt hazy, and I wasn’t sure what time it was—but it seemed I had indeed passed out right there on the spot. I lifted my head up off the table and massaged my stiff neck. Just how long had I been asleep?
“Wait, huh?”
I didn’t see Akira anywhere; maybe she’d gone to the bathroom. I kind of had to go too now, what with all the water I’d drunk before falling asleep. I rose from my chair and headed for the outdoor restrooms. On my way to the door, I spotted Akira crouched down in one of the aisles in the convenience store area. I could only see her face in profile, but her expression looked a bit stiff. I assumed she’d simply remembered something she needed and was searching for it—but just then, I saw her reach out and snatch something off the shelf, then tuck it swiftly into her pocket.
It was a movement so quick and nimble that I only caught a momentary glimpse of what she’d grabbed—but I was pretty sure it was a pack of batteries. Uncertain how to respond in the moment, I pretended not to have seen her and headed out toward the restrooms. Akira didn’t seem to notice me even as I walked out the door. As I did my business, I couldn’t help but think that her sleight of hand had been that of a seasoned shoplifter.