Chapter 12

That evening, Anji was painting the brown paint over Chipp's comment on his door when Millia came.

"Hello, Anji."

"Konbawa, Millia-san." said Anji cheerfully as he painted. "Will you look at this, Chipp that idiot just spray-painted on my door…"

"Anji?"

"Nani?"

"Don't you remember anything?" asked Millia.

"Remember what?" asked Anji blankly.

"…Nyet." said Millia finally, shaking her head. She looked at Baiken's door. "Poor Baiken…"

"What? What about Sis?" asked Anji. "By the way, what happened to her? She didn't come out for the whole day. I didn't see her since morning… have I done something to her? …No… I'm sure that I didn't…"

"…I don't know… Anji, I better go. I think, um, Sol is looking for me…" said Millia, finding an excuse.

"Okay… matte, Sol? As in Sol Badguy?"

"Yeah."

"Since when are you two so close together?" asked Anji curiously, smiling widely.

Millia looked at Anji's smiling face, straightaway she felt a pang of sadness as she remembered the innocent little bespectacled boy who dragged her out of the hostel with the intention to celebrate her birthday. Sure, Anji was an adult after all and he should change back to his actual age, but it's cruel for him to forget…

"…Long story. I better go, bye…" said Millia and she left before Anji could say anything else.

Anji scratched his head. What's with everyone today? Baiken refused to come out from her room, the rest of the girls looked as if someone had died and the guys… okay, they just behaved normally.

***

"Jam…" sang Anji as he went to her stall in the canteen during dinner time. "I want the tori karage bento."

Jam looked at him and sniffled.

"…What?" Anji asked before he checked himself for anything wrong.

"You… you have grown up!" cried Jam.

"…Hah?"

"I like you this way, but… you were so cute back then!" said Jam and she shoved a bento into Anji's hands. "Oh just take it and go!"

(Anji sweatdropped)

"Err… I want to pay for it…"

"It's free!" said Jam, still sniffling. "Just go…"

Anji went to sit down and straightaway, Axl and Johnny joined him.

"Look at the girls, they are so sad…" sighed Axl, shaking his head.

"I wish I have taken the potion too." said Johnny.

"What potion?" asked Anji.

"Never you mind." said Johnny and Axl together.

"Hey! Anyone of you wants to see the photos that we have taken at the beach?" asked Zappa, waving a stack of photos in his hand.

"Photos? Give me!" said Axl and Zappa gave them to him. "Oh you have taken me riding a bike with Bridget!"

"Where's the photo of me and the babes?" asked Johnny.

"Ano… since when you all went to the beach?" asked Anji.

The three guys looked at him.

"Err… when you were out." lied Axl.

"When?" asked Anji.

"A long time ago." said Johnny and Zappa nodded. "You were busy that day, so we had to go by ourselves."

"… Why didn't you ask me to come along?" asked Anji, slightly hurt. "I could rearrange my appointment…"

Anji went on complaining as the rest looked at the photos, trying to ignore him.

"You were there, only that you couldn't remember…" mumbled Axl.

"Oh this photo breaks my heart… Sol putting suntan lotion onto Millia's back! Why do you have to take this…" groaned Johnny at Zappa as he took out the next photo from the stack.

"…photo…" he trailed off when he saw the next photo.

"…Oi, who took this?" asked Johnny, looking at the photo.

"…I did. I thought it's rather interesting, so…" said Axl.

"Better not let these two see this." said Johnny.

"What kind of photo is it?" asked Anji.

Johnny took the photo away. "Nothing."

"Come on, let me see!" said Anji.

"No."

"… Ah, Millia-san." said Anji and Johnny turned his head to look behind when Anji snatched the photo out from his hands.

"Oi!" cried Johnny. "Oh shit."

Anji looked at the photo and blinked. "It's Sis… carrying a sleeping boy on her back."

The three guys held their breath as they waited for Anji's reaction.

Anji's face was blank, but then, he smiled. "Who is this boy? Maa, Sis looks so gentle… look at her eyes! They are full of warmth… why doesn't she look at me like that…"

The three guys sighed in relief.

"Just some boy that we saw at the beach." said Axl quickly before he took the photo away. "Oi, where's the photo of me with I-No?"

"You took a photo with I-No?" asked Johnny, his jaws dropped.

"Err, actually I took the photo with Axl in front and I-No sulking in the background…" said Zappa slowly.

"Hey where's that photo with the sandcastle?" asked Axl, changing the topic as Johnny looked at him with amusement.

"You mean the big sandcastle that we all have made?"

Anji was the one who gave that question.

Silence.

"How did you know?" asked Johnny.

Silence again.

"...Oh no, I just realized that I have already eaten an hour ago and I'm still full… I think I will give this back to Jam… it's untouched anyway…" said Anji and he stood up. "Going off, ja ne!"

The three guys just nodded and they started to whisper as Anji left.

He went to place the bento onto the counter of Jam's stall. "Jam, take it back. I'm not too hungry…"

"…But it's your favourite!" cried Jam. "You saved the chicken for the last, but you always ate so slow with your rice and Baiken always had to scream at you for eating like a tortoise…"

"She did? When?" asked Anji. "Since when she sat with me during meal time?"

"…Never mind." said Jam moodily and kept the bento away.

Anji then went off without a word.

***

Anji went back to the dormitory and as he walked on the stairs, he tried to remember what he had encountered back in the canteen.

"…Who is that boy on Baiken's back in the photo? He looks… like me when I was a boy… Can't be some stranger… Why did I mention about the sandcastle… did I build it with them…"

When he came to the second floor, he saw Yaone standing outside Baiken's door, with the owner of room as well. Baiken looked extremely depressed and she actually had the small blue butterflies blanket in her hand.

"I didn't know that you like him as a child…" said Yaone. "You always say that he's annoying…"

Baiken sniffled. "Yeah, but not all the time…he's quite adorable actually. Then I noticed that he has a lot of plus points, most of them are still there when he's an adult…"

"Who are you talking about?" asked Anji suddenly and the two turned their heads at the voice.

"…None of your busniess." said Baiken finally. She looked at Anji, sighed and looked away.

"Come on, let's go in and talk…" said Yaone and Anji said, "Err, Sis!"

"What?" asked Baiken quietly.

"…Can… Can I have that blanket? For a moment?" asked Anji timidly.

For a moment he thought Baiken was going to call him crazy, but then she handed it to him. "It's yours."

"Nani? But Sis, I don't have…"

Baiken went into her room and looking at Anji apologetically, Yaone closed the door.

Anji looked at the blanket and sniffed it. He then held it close. Why did he feel like he had own this blanket before? He didn't recall buying this…

Did he buy it? No…

Anji felt a slight headache and he rubbed his head with the blanket.

"I need a rest…" He muttered before he walked towards his room.

He then saw Sol and Millia standing outside Sol's room, talking.

"I can't go to the Isuka Room with you," said Millia in protest. "Yaone says that my injuries have not completely recovered yet."

"Millia, if you are out, Boy Scout will be with me and I don't want to get paired up with him."

"Get someone else to go with you."

Sol looked at Millia for a while before he poked Millia on the arm, hard. "Your injuries looked fine to me."

"Ouch!" screamed Millia in pain.

"Meanie!" shouted Anji straightaway.

Millia and Sol turned and both of them looked at Anji as if they had seen him wearing a pink shirt with blue butterflies.

"…What?" asked Sol in a low voice.

"Anji, did you just say…" asked Millia.

Anji covered his mouth as he realized what he had just said, "I said… I don't know! I …"

He then rubbed his head with his hand. "I can't help it… I can't stop these images…"

Sol frowned before he walked to Anji and looked at him directly in the eyes. "…Anji… how did Millia get her injuries?"

"…In a fight with Zato?" asked Anji. "No wait...There's a flood, no, explosion…"

"Did you build the entire sandcastle by yourself at the beach?"

"What… yes, I mean, no, I think I fell asleep… did I? Wait, did I dream all this…or…"

"What did you, Dizzy and Millia do when you dragged her out to celebrate her birthday?"

"…We went to the toy shop… no, it's candy shop and I bought… chocolate and Dizzy bought… she, she bought marshmallows…"

Sol looked at Millia and she slowly nodded in confirmation.

Anji groaned in pain. "W-What's happening? Why do I seem to have these weird…"

"Something is not right," said Sol to Millia. "The antidote doesn't seem to be working completely well. He's starting to remember what he has done when he's a kid."

"What kid?" asked Anji.

"Get Yaone," said Sol seriously. "Now."