one [sachio ueda]

t e n : m a i

I fiddled with the spoon, occasionally catching a glimpse of Sachio devouring the chicken legs. He sat facing me at the table while Coco's bowl was in a corner in the kitchen. She, too, was mercilessly chewing on the bone.

I was here, stuck with my stew. God knows what Sachio put in it.

What if he put poison in it?

"Whom were you talking to?" He broke the silence, his eyes still lowered on his food.

"A... Person?"

"Don't fuck with me." He scoffed. "The person seems close to you."

"It's literally the second or third time we were talking."

"And you already let that person hit?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I felt like slamming my hand on the table.

I ate the rest of the stew hurriedly so that I can go to the couch to sleep and get away from him.

"I'm just asking because I was curious."

I was his source of entertainment.

"I didn't know my life was that interesting."

"Forget it." He took another bite. "Let's make a deal. You clean up Coco's pee and poop for the next three days."

"How's that a deal?"

"It's not. I'm telling you to do it."

"I have an idea." I curled my lips upwards. "Let's play a game. Whoever loses does the deed."

After a lot of thinking, Sachio nodded.

"Two truths and a lie. You guess which one's a lie and you win. We continue after one round and keep going until one person can't guess correctly."

"Okay."

"I'll go first. First one. Fujio likes me more than he likes you. Second. I like dogs more than cats. Third, I like reading books."

"Easy. Third one."

"Wrong."

"What?" His face lit up for a second. "So Fujio likes me more?"

"No, the fuck. It's the second one. I like both cats and dogs equally."

"Okay." He looked away. "My turn. First sentence. I've been drunk before. Second, I have a crush on someone. Third, my favourite colour is white."

It's either the first one or the second one. The second one is more obvious. Sachio would never like someone. He's too 'busy'.

"Second one."

"Incorrect. It's the first one."

The fact that he had a crush was more frightening than the fact that I didn't win.

He already likes someone else, Mai. You can give up on him now.

I think I just felt my heart sink a little.

"My turn." I continued. There's no way I'm going to let him win this one. "First. I have a crush on someone too."

I meant Rao. It had to be Rao. No more Sachio.

"Second. I have been drunk before. Third. My favourite colour is blue."

"Uh... First one?"

"Wrong. It's the third one. My favourite colour is black."

He let out a loud sigh. "My turn I guess. First. I used to have two dogs. Second. I got chased by a dog. Third. I plan on adopting a dog soon."

I am Sachio's stalker. Or at least, was. He used to have two dogs when he was a kid and I had seen him get chased by a dog myself. But it was also very possible that he's going to get a dog soon. Maybe the first one is wrong since I am not sure of it anymore.