Episode 30 — Solanine

Taste laid bare in the song choice, lyrics on the negative side, singing style that bordered on shouting. Regretting all of it, I set down the mic and returned to my seat. Then glanced nervously sideways.

“That was good — really, really good!”

Shion said it, clapping with small, quick pats. Perhaps because she’s usually the one receiving applause — her clapping had a certain endearing awkwardness to it.

And her eyes were sparkling, cheeks faintly flushed. Putting all of that into words led, in the end, only to adorable — which was frustrating. Where had the vocabulary I’d built up through years of writing fiction gone, exactly.

Lamenting this, and quietly relieved, I offered a word back.

“Thanks.”

Just that, out of embarrassment. And as if to fill the silence I’d left, Shion went on:

“Music having words in it is nice, isn’t it. And those words are words you love, and it’s your voice singing them — I thought, I really like that.”

Unusually talkative, Shion said it — looking straight at me. Her white skin, her long lashes, all the fullness of her beauty right before me, turned in my direction. My body went warm. Just that one phrase — like — and sweat wouldn’t stop, my throat going parched and impossible.

Using that physical affliction as an excuse, I tried to escape my racing heartbeat.

“I’m thirsty — shall we go get drinks?”
“Get them — not order them?”

Shion tilted her head, puzzled. Perhaps she didn’t know about drink bars.

“Karaoke has something called a drink bar — a place where you can help yourself to whatever you like.”
“I see.”

Still not quite understanding, even as she said it, Shion kept her head tilted.

“You’ll see when you get there. Come on.”

I said it and took Shion’s hand, standing up. Feeling a private embarrassment at having done it unconsciously, naturally — but Shion paid no attention to my inner state whatsoever.

“Okay.”

In her usual clear, transparent voice, she answered like a small child and stood up lightly.

I set off through the door, and she padded along behind. Adorable.

Finding something almost maternal in Shion’s adorableness, I found myself wondering what Shion had been like as a small child. An angel of a child, I could easily imagine — and in the middle of that slightly peculiar flight of fancy, I arrived at the drink bar.

“Here you can fill up with whatever you like.”

As I said it, I took a glass, added ice, and poured cola from the machine. Shion watched the whole process with wide eyes.

“Anything is fine?”
“Anything.”
“What about the money?”
“The money is included in the karaoke fee, so it’s all right.”

I answered as I retrieved my glass of cola — and then.

“Yay.”

Murmuring that with guileless delight, Shion started filling her own drink, following my example — or so I thought. A sudden emergency unfolded, and I found myself crying out before I could help it.

“Wait — Shion—”

By the time I called out it was already too late.

Like a child given a new toy, Shion had pressed button after button, and in no time at all had produced a liquid of deeply ominous colour. A toxic purple — like the eye of a discoloured potato, poisonous and vivid.

Seeing my alarm, Shion tilted her head.

“Is it bad?”
“It’s not bad, but…”
“There were so many drinks I’d never had before, so I wanted to try them all.”
“There are such things as limits…”
“Are there?”
“…Why don’t you try it?”

I encouraged her with the last of my energy, and Shion brought the cup to her lips, cautiously. And then.

She winced. Thoroughly.

“There you go.”

I said it, laughing in spite of myself at the gap between this and her usual composure — and Shion, still grimacing, released the following:

“It’s good — so I’d be willing to trade with you.”

A completely brazen proposal.

“You have that side to you sometimes, don’t you.”

I said it, implicitly declining, and Shion pushed her lips into a pout. And I thought she was adorable even pouting, which was the problem.

Looking away from that absurdity, I said:

“Well, I’ll help you with about half of it — for now let’s go back to the room. This time I want to hear Shion sing.”

Shion nodded with vigorous little nods, like a small child.