SplaTOON: The Bonus Content!

Joy

Maegami Ida always thought there was something going on with the couple living next door. He could never pinpoint what it was, though. One night, they could be fighting, and the next, he could hear them lighting it up, so to speak. Such is love, he thought.

At least, that's what he heard about love. He was one of those bookish types who had more book smarts than social smarts. And could never get a girlfriend. Right now, his latest crush was the voice of the woman next door. So deep and luscious. She sounded like she could be a singer. Anyone who didn't watch them through their window would think she was a man. The problem was she already had a boyfriend, just like all the beautiful ones.

Did he just admit to watching these people? He had better get away from the window. Tonight, there was more shouting than usual. He did not want to know what the man had done to anger the woman so badly. He almost didn't want to watch, so he turned away, only listening to the woman's screams.

"I wouldn't sweat it," said Pachayo, his roommate, from the couch. "You spend too much time staring out that window anyway."

"It's not that," Maegami sat on the couch next to him. "It's just that..." He sighed, not knowing exactly how to put it into words-- "I think I'm jealous of the couple next door."

"What, jealous of their fighting?"

"They have their good days," Maegami defended the poor couple. "And you know what, there's nothing wrong with wanting that, wanting to be in love. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little joy in your life." He glanced back toward the window. The woman was leaving. She was clutching something to her chest.

"Have they broken up or something?" Pachayo joked.

"I can't tell." He wanted to get a closer look through the window, but the woman was gone. There wasn't going to be any more interaction between her and her lover tonight.

A few minutes after the woman left, he heard a knock at the door. Pachayo's ears perked up. "Now, who could be knocking at our door at this hour?"

Maegami got up, followed by Pachayo. They made it to the door, but when Maegami went to open it, it took a little force, as if someone had placed a small object against it.

"Must be a package," Pachayo reasoned. "Stupid deliveryman put it too close to the door again. Squeeze through and get it."

Maegami sighed and opened the door just enough to slip through. On the other side was definitely a small object.

It was a baby. An Octarian, just like him, and appeared to be a newborn. Its skin was dark, and judging from the size of the tentacles, Maegami could tell it was a girl. She had been wrapped in a pink blanket and placed in a shoebox hardly any bigger than her. At current, she was fast asleep, but who knows how long that would last?

Maegami picked up the baby while saying, "Dude, look at this."

Pachayo opened the door. "Is the package even bigger than we tho..." He saw the baby. "Holy carp. It's just like something out of a movie."

"You know what we gotta do now." Maegami looked down at the baby.

"Get it to a baby lost-and-found!"

"You think someone just lost their baby on our doorstep?"

"You're right..." Pachayo looked back into the house. "I don't think our bachelor pad is the best place for a baby."

"Well, we only need to keep her for the night, maybe a few more days," Maegami said. "At least, until we can find a foster home or adoption agency."

Pachayo shrugged. "Alright, but there's still nowhere for her to sleep."

The next thing Maegami knew, he was entering his room with a baby in his arms. "Here it is, uh, my room. You're gonna be sleeping here for the next night or two. I guess babies sleep for, like, eighteen hours a day, but for tonight, you can, uh..." What was he supposed to do while he put on his pajamas? He decided to put the baby on the twin bed near the back window.