The story

After being done with shoving as much curry into us as possible, I managed to ‘convince’ Hikaru to clean the dishes in return for my cooking.

“You are so heartless, Taka”, he pretended to cry while drying the first plate with a piece of cloth, that definitely should be washed rather sooner than later.

“Some days I don’t know how I can continue to live as myself.”, I jokingly feigned sympathy.

I turned my gaze back to the TV, where a new episode of a popular show had started. I had never watched it but since everybody recently had started to talk about it, I had felt obliged to at least give it a try.

My eyes turned towards the table for a moment, before I realized that I had forgotten to put my book back in its place, when I had left this morning.

Just that now it wasn’t lying on the table. I quickly turned left and right, checking the couch, as well as the places around and under the table, since I thought it might have just fallen down.

“What’s going on?”, Hikaru asked.

“I can’t find my book.”, I replied, looking up at him, while still kneeling next to the couch in order to check under it.

“A book? Which book?”, he asked.

“The one that was laying on this table!”

He awkwardly started to play with his hands under my scrutiny, trying to hide the action behind his back, which made it seem all the more unnatural for him.

“What have you done?”, I ask him, jumping up in panic.

“I? Nothing…. Why should I touch your stuff?”

Again, this innocent act. So, he had in fact done something he felt like he maybe shouldn’t have.

“Then you tell me, somebody else came to our flat, had a short look and decided the book on the table was the only thing worth to be taken?”

He continued to fidget under my gaze, until he finally sighed.

“Ok! I admit it. I woke up today and you weren’t home and there was this book. I didn’t intend to read it, but I wanted to check what it was, and then I somehow started to read it, until the end, actually.”

“You read it?!”, I shouted. It wasn’t supposed to be read by anybody except for myself. The story had been altered, yes, but that didn’t mean I was sure I wouldn’t violate the deal that had brought me back here.

“Give it back!”, I demanded.

He fidgeted even more. Now I started to feel uneasy. Why did he fidget now? He had told me that he had read it completely. All that was needed to be done now was just to give it back.

“You know? I really enjoyed the story.”, he admitted.

“Good for you! Now give it back.”, I demanded another time.

“I enjoyed it so much that I might have sent it as a draft to a publishing agency.”, he added, fidgeting.

“You, what?”

My face went pale, and I had to sit down for a moment. He had not just read the story but sent it to a publisher. If the whole matter had been a grey area already, now I was a goner for sure.

“Maybe we can still get it back?”, he offered.

We both hastily put on shoes and jumped out of the door. He showed me the postbox where he had deposited the book. I tried to put my hand inside, but that of course didn’t work at all.

“We need to get something long and thin!”, I said, hoping to retrieve the book, but Hikaru didn’t seem to believe the attempt to be successful.

“I don’t think it is here anymore.”, he replied and knocked against the metal of the postbox. The sound itself made it clear, that the box had been already emptied.

“What now?”, I asked nobody in particular.

“What would be the worst thing that could happen?”

“You can’t even imagine.”, I sat down onto the floor next to the postbox.

“Worst case: They don’t even want the book. Best case: You become a famous author and gain a passive income. Doesn’t sound bad to me.”, he tried to lighten my mood.

“Thanks for the effort.”, I replied.

We went home again. The day was ruined in a way a day can only be ruined by an event that deeply unsettles one’s mind to the degree that it takes at least a few days to get back to a somewhat normal state.

I immediately went to my room upon arriving at our flat and didn’t leave it for the rest of the day. I fell into my bed and immediately fell asleep. If I hadn’t lacked sleep the whole day that would have been impossible.

The next days passed without me realizing it.

Hikaru tried to make up for his doings by finally managing his chores without having to be asked to do it.

A few weeks later we received a letter, which Hikaru had hastily opened.

“They like it!”, he exclaimed.

I sank back onto the couch. The whole matter would have been easier if they hadn’t taken a liking to it. I could just refuse, saying I made up my mind, but a silent voice inside me wanted my story to be published as well.

“What do you think?”, Hikaru asked.

“Your decision.”, I replied drily since he also had been the one to send the book in the first place.

“I promise I will be a great manager.”, he joked as he immediately left to formulate a response.

“I’m sure of it.”, I mumbled to myself.

Things had gotten into movement. Now at least two people had read my story and nothing bad had happened to me so far. Of course, this could immediately change, but for now I could only guess that my version was enough of a fictionalization in order to not violate my deal with the third voice.

“What could go wrong?”, I asked myself with a shrug.