He tilted his head to one side in confusion.
“Body Clock? I didn’t know there was such a thing…”
It sounded kind of strange, but it definitely got his attention. The name made it sound like if you used this thing—whatever it was—it would correct your body’s actual internal clock and allow you to live a much more regular, punctual lifestyle.
“Wouldn’t that be nice? I wonder what kind of clock it is, though.”
Just as Tokio was mumbling to himself, there was a ka-chak as the doorknob turned and the front door swung open.
Somebody from inside the store showed his face…although maybe that wasn’t the best way of putting it. Tokio couldn’t see a face. The man was wearing a wide-brimmed hat low over his eyes and a big scarf. Anything between that was cast in deep shadow. His whole head looked like a solid mass of darkness.
Tokio blinked several times, thinking maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he still couldn’t make out the strange man’s features.
“Ah, a customer. Welcome,” said the man. “Feel free to step inside and browse our wares.”
He looked incredibly suspicious at first glance, but apparently, he was just someone who worked in the store.
“Huh? O-oh, sorry, no, I’m not really…” Feeling flustered, Tokio shook his head, taking a step back. “I need to get to school…”
“I see you read our little flyer. Are you interested in a Body Clock of your own?”
Those words had Tokio stopping in his tracks.
I’m so late, I really shouldn’t let anything else slow me down. But then again…
He could at least stand outside the store and listen to what the man had to say. His eyes drifted to the flyer on the door.
“B-Body Clock… That’s an interesting name. Does it have some kind of special features?” Tokio asked.
The man’s hat bobbed up and down. “True to the name, our Body Clock goes inside your body. As for special features, what stands out most are its incredibly accurate alarms. Use this function, and you can guarantee you’ll wake up, get hungry, or go to sleep at the exact time you set, right down to the second.”
Tokio was astounded. That definitely wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear.
“Wow… That doesn’t even sound like a clock anymore,” he said. “It’s more like something to do with your body’s natural sense of time.”
“Yes, but ours keep time far more accurately than your body’s natural clock.”
“That’s not really what I meant—”
“Would you like to see the real thing in person?”
The strange man retreated into the store without waiting for an answer. Tokio hesitated for only a moment before following him.
I might as well. What’s the worst that can happen?
A clock that went inside your body… And one with alarms to help you wake up, get hungry, or fall asleep right on time, too. It sounded so wonderful—unreal, even—that he let his curiosity get the better of him.
I’m already late. The teachers are gonna get mad at me anyway, so it’s not like it’ll do any harm to spend a little bit of time here.
Now that he’d made the decision, he was going to dig in his heels and see it through.
He entered the store’s dim, dingy interior. The ticking of countless clocks echoed throughout the place. A large grandfather clock in a corner of the store rang with a loud bong. A cuckoo flew out of a nearby cuckoo clock and chirped. An automaton clock’s face revolved, and the clock played a music box melody while the puppets inside it danced.
Finally, Tokio arrived at the back of the room to find an old-looking table with a small box on top of it.
“This is our Body Clock, as advertised in our flyer out front,” the strange man explained.
“This…?”
The shadowy shopkeeper motioned to the box, and Tokio looked down at it.
It was a fairly normal-looking plastic case with a clear lid. Inside it, however, was something more unexpected.
“Huh? You’re telling me this is a clock…?”
As far as Tokio could see, all the case contained were a pill the size of the nail on his pinkie finger and a capsule that was a little bigger.
“It looks more like cold medicine.”
“I suppose it does. This Body Clock has been made ingestible for extra convenience. You can take it with water, just like you do with cold medicine, nutritional supplements, or other pills and tablets.”
“So it is a pill? You have to swallow this thing?”
“That’s absolutely right,” the shopkeeper answered, as if what he was describing was the most natural thing in the world. “This capsule contains the main part of the Body Clock. Once you swallow it, it will automatically integrate itself into your body.”
“Wow, that does sound pretty convenient… What’s the little one for?”
“This is the Battery Lozenge that goes with it. It’s what powers the Body Clock.”
“O-oh. So you swallow the clock and the battery together?”
“That’s right. Once you take the lozenge, it will provide power to the Body Clock with no further action needed on your part.”
“Wow…”
Tokio had been rooted to the spot throughout this whole sales pitch, staring at the box so intently that he was practically leaning over it now. The man in the hat paid him no mind and continued talking.
“Simply swallow one of these, and you’ll never need an external clock again. As I said before, this clock has an incredibly accurate alarm function. Your sleep cycle and mealtimes can all be adjusted exactly as you want. It’s perfect for people who want to live a regular, punctual lifestyle.”
Tokio came back to his senses, his head snapping up to stare at the man. The more Tokio heard about this Body Clock, the more it sounded like just what he’d been looking for.
“Uh… How much does it cost?” he asked hesitantly.
If possible, he wanted to buy it then and there and try it out. But if everything the shopkeeper had told him was true, a rare item like this with such amazing features was probably really expensive. Or what if the strange man was making it all up, and this was just some cold medicine being sold at a high markup? Thinking about it realistically, that was the much more likely explanation. As Tokio waited for the shopkeeper to answer, he felt more and more uneasy.
“Well, now…,” the shopkeeper muttered, as if thinking things over. “Do you already have a clock or watch on you, young man?”
“Huh? Yeah, I think so. Hold on…”
Thrown off by the sudden question, Tokio fumbled with his belongings.
“This is the one I’m using right now…,” he said, showing the man the keychain-style watch he had attached to his schoolbag. “It’s the only watch that I carry around with me.”
“I see. In that case, how about a trade? The Body Clock in exchange for your old watch?”
“Huh? Are you sure? This isn’t anything particularly special or valuable…”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter… No, it doesn’t matter at all. You see, I am not in this business for the money.”
That statement had Tokio visibly confused. “Why would you open a store, other than to make money? Why are you doing this?”
“Naturally, all I desire”—the man seemed to falter for a moment before continuing—“is for my customers to be happy.”
His voice was filled with friendliness and warmth. Of course, Tokio couldn’t tell if the man was actually smiling. He even tried to check, but no matter how he squinted at the narrow gap between the shopkeeper’s hat and scarf, no facial features ever seemed to emerge from the darkness.
I guess it’s no big deal if I lose this old thing. It’s not like anyone would scam me just to get a cheap watch, either.
He still had some lingering doubts, but in the end, if his old watch was all he stood to lose, it was worth taking a chance. Especially if this Body Clock turned out to be the real thing…
“What do you say? Do we have a deal?” the shopkeeper asked.
“…Yes! I’ll take it!”
Tokio unfastened the keychain watch from his bag and handed it over.
“Thank you for your purchase. If you’d like to ingest the Body Clock here and now, I can get a glass of water for you.”
“O-oh, yeah, that’d be great…”
The strange man disappeared through a door at the back of the store, returning a few moments later with a glass of water. Who would’ve thought you could order clocks to eat just like fast food?
Still dazed by the bizarreness of the whole situation, Tokio took the glass. He reached out for the case on the table, but then he thought of something and stopped.
“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask first,” he said.
“Certainly. What is it?”
“What should I do if this Body Clock breaks? Can I bring it here to get it repaired?”
“Oh, is that all? You needn’t worry about that.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“This Body Clock is guaranteed to never break down.”
The shopkeeper delivered this promise with absolute confidence. That was good enough for Tokio, and he once more reached for the case. He opened the clear lid and took out the Body Clock capsule and Battery Lozenge.
First, he put the capsule containing the clock itself in his mouth. Then he took a gulp of water to wash it down. He did the same with the battery.
“…”
Tokio set the glass on the table and put his hand over his stomach quizzically. He didn’t feel any different…
“It may take a while for the contents of the tablet to dissolve and work their way into your system,” the shopkeeper said.
“…Is that how it works?”
“Indeed. It will probably kick in around the time you get to school.”
Those words jogged Tokio’s memory. School! He was going to be late again!
“I, uh… I’d better get going…”
“Take care. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”
The strange man waved good-bye, and Tokio gave a little bow before exiting the store.