5. World's End

It's an exceptional thing when Jersey sits there in front of him, munching a take-away onigiri (surprisingly, not a banana this time) with an empty stare to the table, without saying anything.

The tension threatens cold sweat to run down Parka's neck. What has gotten into the blonde's head, he wonders. Mustn't be a good sign. What if the world ends tomorrow?!

Okay, that escalates too quickly.

"Hey, Parka," Jersey speaks out of the blue without averting his empty gaze. "Lately I've been working harder to earn money—see? I've bought my own meal." Oh, even the said person points out the oddity.

"Yeah?" Jersey shouldn't know how very nervous he actually is. It takes all of his willpower just to say a 'yeah'.

"And it's for buying Melody's latest photo book."

"Uh… Yeah?"

"And they're out of prints already?!" Jersey suddenly snaps, hitting the table with his empty hand. But then he buries his face in his arm, wailing out. "I-I just don't know what to do with life anymore—I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end…"

"… It doesn't even matter."

"You lose." He gets up from the table just to say that out loud, then he's back to his 'wailing position' on the table.

"Wait, the hell is this all about?!"

"I don't care. I have no will to live anymore."

"Wait, what?! It's… it's just a photo book. People will upload the scans to the internet anyway!"

"That is a law-breaking action. People who do that should just be banished from this country."

"It doesn't need to get that far!"

"Then how can this country stay strong? With all that unforgivable crime, we will slowly crumble and crumble, until there is no more that left in us. Imagine how it would be."

"Well, that actually sounds kinda bad, though—but, wait, since when words like that come out from your mouth?! What are we even talking about?"

Honestly, he expected the blond to continue his rambling or ranting or wailing or whatever that is, but that doesn't happen. He goes silent, too silent that it freaks him out.

Actually what is all of that about?!

"I was happy that… that you changed the topic—that's… that's really nice of you," Jersey says, all with a solemn look on his face. "But when it all ends, I… I realize what the meaning of reality is. No matter what I can't change the fact that I couldn't get my grasp on the photo book. Reality is not a good friend."

And Parka just cannot hold it any longer and speaks right away, "You're being overly dramatic!"

"I've said that I don't care, didn't I…?"

And he's back in his head-desk position, with an arm raised up just enough to keep his meal away from the table.

Parka sighs.

"Hey," he starts, hitting the blonde's head with his fist. "Come on. Go grab some ice cream with me after school, will ya?"

Jersey lifts his head to give Parka a look. "That's so childish."

"And now you're calling me childish?! Who's moping over an out-of-print photo book here?!"

"Well," he pauses, "Not that I have any objection to that." Then he stands up, taking a bite of his rice before saying, "So, ice cream after school? It's gonna be my treat."

It's ice cream. Well, it was his idea so the blond over there will cheer up a bit, but anyways, said guy just said that he's gonna buy him some ice cream. Ice cream, for free! He's supposed to be happy, right? Anything that involves ice cream should make him happy, right? But that sudden statement just puts him in an uneasiness. He doesn't understand what's going on and, Jersey? Jersey who had just moped for not being able to get a photo book? That same Jersey, now offering him ice cream? Just, what on earth is going on.

"Is the world really ending tomorrow?"

"Come again?"

"Ah, forget it…"

~~For Azure-Blue-15: Ah, that actually makes sense, why girls go in groups to the restrooms... Anyways, thanks so much for the review!