The most unusual of sounds was coming from the alarm clock on the nightstand. A sound that indicated this device had been abused many times to the point in which the speakers could no longer appropriately express the rights sounds. After slapping the alarm clock to the floor Shotaro rolled over in his bed and faced the wall. The alarm clock was still squawking but now it was a lot quieter. He questioned himself as to why he even still sets that thing. It’s not like he has a purpose to serve today. No work, no friends, no life. A pounding on the front door slowly came into focus. Had someone been knocking this whole time? Or did they just start? What time even is it? I attacked the clock without even looking at the time, were all things crossing his mind. Then, like a sack of potatoes falling on his face, he realized who It was at the door. It was Mia. Mia Hada, his next-door neighbor who graces him with her presence every single day even though he never asked. Sho knew she was here to make breakfast and get him up for the day. Never did he ask for these things, but she took it upon herself after moving next door to him five years ago. He didn’t hate her, but he wasn’t really fond of her. He thought sure she’s beautiful, smart, and thoughtful, but he knows he never did anything deserving of her kindness. Deep down she probably pitied him, and it pissed him off to think of it. The pounding at the door turned into what sounded like the door being kicked in by a pro wrestler. Before he could get out of bed the door suddenly unlocked and he could hear it open. From his room he heard what sounded like bags of groceries being piled onto his kitchen table and keys being set down.
Making his way down the hallway he saw Mia in the kitchen putting away groceries she had bought for him. She was humming to herself with giant early 2000’s headphones on. She had a giant smile on her face and didn’t seem to notice Sho’s entrance. He called out her name a few times, but she didn’t respond. She was too engulfed in her music to hear him. After continuously calling her name, he walked over to her and pulled her heads phones off.
“Hey jerk face what was that for?” She snatched the headphones out of Sho’s hands and tried to put them back on. Sho quickly snatches back her headphones, throws them on the couch behind him, and with an extreme sassiness spouts,
“Why do you knock so ferociously just to let yourself in? I could have been naked lying on my couch for all you knew.”
Mia giggles and states, “That’s exactly why I do that! For all I know you’re in here doing naked things that I don’t want to see. So, I knock like crazy to signal to you I’m coming in. And hopefully you take the hint. Kind of like how guys put a sock on the door handle when they have a girl over and don’t want their roommates coming in!”
“That must be some myth girls tell each other growing up because I never once put a sock on my doorknob to signal that to anyone.” Sho grabs some of the groceries and starts putting them away. Becoming a bit embarrassed he asks, “Why did you buy me all this? It’s not like I’m not eating. This isn’t your responsibility you know.”
“All you eat is garbage Taro. You eat cups of ramen, which aren’t even the good kind, and all you drink is tap water.” Mia almost gags finishing her sentence. To her there is nothing in the world as terrible as tap water. “If I wasn’t here to force feed you real food and fruit juices, you’d probably be ugly and ginormous!” She glances at him and looks him up and down. “Kind of weird that your diet is complete crap but you still seem pretty fit and tone. Beside your face with those dark circles around your eyes. Goddamn take a shower, would you? Even though you sleep all day it looks like you have been up for days. Here.” She tosses a bottle of 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash over at him. It hits him right in the face because he didn’t even make any effort to catch it. It falls to the floor and some soap gets on the carpet. For a moment he is zoned out in his own world thinking about his past. After a moment he snaps back to reality to find Mia face to face with him. “Helloooo anybody in there? Ground control to major Tom!” She backs up and extends her hand which has an assortment of vitamins and protein pills. “Take your protein pills and put your helmet on!” she kicks back and laughs at her own cleverness as she shoves the pills into Shotaro’s mouth. Sho almost chokes on them as he swallows them without any water.
“God damn, are you trying to kill me? I didn’t have anything to even wash them down with!” Mia does a playful spin back into the kitchen to continue putting away groceries as she ignores Sho and keeps humming the tune she was singing earlier. “Also, what was that crap? A few of those pills tasted how a stable smells and I’m pretty sure one of them was wet and slimy for some reason…”
Mia stops humming and glances over at him with big bright eyes. “They were super-secret mind control pills that the organization of shadows told me to give you! It’s all part of a super top secret need to know basis only plot to try and get you to be yourself again!”
“Super top-secret mind control pills huh? Wasn't much of a secret since you told me what they're for. Maybe you should take some too just in case you’re not being yourself.” He approaches her with a sinister look in his eyes.
“Hey back of mister! I’ll use my judo on you if you try anything!” Mia takes a defensive stance that definitely signifies she does not know judo in the slightest. “Besides, I already took mine.” She notices a pungent odor wafting over from Sho’s direction. “Oh, jeeze you smell like rotten eggs and barf you need to get in the shower before we need to call the swat team.” She plugs her nose with her fingers and her face turns sour.
“A hazmat team. Not a swat team.” He corrects her statement because he needs to show some intelligent dominance to preserve some of his pride as a man.
“Well you stink and you’re in the presence of a lady so you should take a shower and show some respect.” She spins around again and continues to put away the rest of the groceries. Sho gives in and heads down the hallway to the bathroom. The bathroom is the only room in his apartment that he cleans himself. He doesn’t know exactly why but part of him cleans the bathroom because he knows Mia is going to probably come over and for some reason, he deems that it must be clean and presentable. He can’t say the same about the rest of his house. It’s completely trashed. Towels, dishes, half eaten cups of ramen just everywhere. It’s probably a world record how fast he can destroy his own place merely hours after Mia scrubs it top to bottom and goes home.
In the shower Sho continues to think to himself. What does Mia see in him to keep coming over daily? He really isn’t the nicest to her and occasionally gets angry with her at the smallest things and exclaims how they aren’t even friends and asks why she’s even there. Every time he’s ever gotten this way with her, she just smiles really big and ignores him. He’s never gotten the feeling she’s in love with him or anything like that so what’s with her. He’s never seen anyone go into her place besides her. No family, no boyfriend, not a soul but her. He’s only been into her place a few times but not by his own accord. There was one time on his birthday she forced him over to eat cake and open presents she got him. And then there was one time where their power went out and the stench was unbearable in his apartment, so she made him sleep over until the power came back on. As he stood there and thought about her the water gradually started getting hotter and hotter. After a few seconds it was unbearable. “What in the hell!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Down the hall he could hear Mia squeak, “Sorry! I was watering some plants I bought you to help freshen this place up!” Sho gritted his teeth and shut the shower off. As he reached for his towel he slipped on the bottom of the tub and crashed onto the ground. Staring at the ceiling he took a deep breath.
“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s not my sister, she’s not my mom, just who does she think she is?!” He swiftly got up and charged out of the bathroom into the kitchen. “Just who do you think you are? Force feeding me top-secret pills and boiling me alive in the shower!?” Mia instantly turned away from Sho with a face as red as fire.”
“OH, MY LORD!” there were no other words she could find to say. Sho forgot his towel in his rage and was standing there naked dripping water everywhere. “Put some clothes on! Like right this instant mister!” Sho’s face lit up as if it was on fire. How the hell could he not have realized he was naked? What the hell were in those pills?! He stormed off back to his room in a fury. He frantically searched for some clean clothes but all he could find was what he was wearing from a few days back. He grabbed a few dryer sheets out of the box next to his bed and rubbed them all over his body. Making his way back into the kitchen he felt so stupid and embarrassed. Upon seeing him Mia grinned really big and said,
“If you try to pull the naked man thing on me again, I’ll have no choice but to use my ultimate move on you. And no one has lived to tell anyone else about my ultimate move.” She danced her way back into the kitchen and began to prepare to cook breakfast. To embarrassed to say anything Sho sat on his couch and turned on the television. As he flipped through random channels, he couldn’t find anything worth watching. One of the channels he stopped on was a channel broadcasting a live show from Downtown Tokyo. It was a piano concert. His hands began to tremble as he fumbled the remote in his hands for a moment. He quickly switched the channel and it ended up on some morning news network. His body was shaking, he felt hot and out of breath all within an instant. It felt like the ceiling was going to collapse on him if he didn’t get out of the way. While frozen on his couch, Mia looked over at him and asked, “You gonna make it over their champ?” After waiting for a response and getting none, she rushed over to him and got on her knees in front of him. She grabbed his hands and started calling out his name. “Shotaro! Hello! Are you okay! Say something! Please! Comeback!” After a moment, Sho snapped out of it. He noticed Mia kneeling in front of him calling out to him.
“I’m alright” he said sternly as he stood up. Without looking at her he walked towards his room and said. “We’re not even friends. I don’t have any. There’s no reason for you to be here. He went in his room and closed his door. Mia knelt there on the floor still and watched him as he left. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she managed to display the biggest smile she could.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqczHQVi8bl
