Chapter 15: Socially Anxious Miss Liuli

(Part One)

After the delicate but simple dinner, Liuli’s mom starts clearing the dishes.
The house is so small that tables and chairs get folded up post-meal to free up space, making the room feel bigger.
Outside, the sky darkens, the orange-red sunset sinking slowly.
With most buildings two or three stories, Cola feels like she’s in a countryside village.
Yet this is Maebashi’s city center.

Since coming to Japan, Cola’s often griped about its flaws, but today, she thinks those standalone houses aren’t so bad.
—They at least make the sky feel open.

“Little Liuli~ the washing machine’s broken.
Can you take the clothes to the laundromat?”
Liuli’s mom calls from the sink, not looking up.

Liuli, digging for ice in the fridge, replies, “Sure~ where are they?”

“In the laundry basket.
The white dress is in a separate plastic bag—wash it separately.”

“Got it~”
Liuli scoops out clear, round ice cubes, drops them into a room-temperature Cola bottle, shakes it, and presses it to her cheek.
“Phew, so cool…
Um, Miss Cola?”

“What’s up?”

“Can you come with me to the laundromat?”

“Uh… far?”

“Not far!
Really close!”

“Alright, let’s go…”
Staying at someone’s house, Cola feels too awkward to laze around, even though she just wants to lie down.

“I’ll grab the basket!”

“I’ll wait by the door.”

Cola screws on the bottle cap and strolls to the entrance.
The sunset’s fading, night creeping in.
Cicadas chirp urgently, as if pleading with the sun not to set, reluctant for the day to end.
It’s summer, but the quiet street feels desolate with the insect hum.
Liuli’s lively voice soon breaks the melancholic silence.
“Miss Cola!
Got the laundry, let’s go?”

“That’s a big basket.
Need help?”

“No, no, I feel stronger than before.”

“Maybe ‘cause you’re a vampire now.”

“It’s almost night—vampire time.
I should be stronger~”

“Night does feel freer, like chilling in an AC room in summer.”
Cola nods, hands in pockets, ambling along the ditch.
“Laundromat’s ahead?”

“Turn left at the main road, then a short walk.
If you need to wash clothes, use that laundromat—new machines last year, not too pricey.”

“Oh…”
Cola slaps her forehead.
“My place doesn’t even have a washing machine, does it?”

“I checked, nope.”

“Guess I’ll buy one or use the laundromat.
Ugh, such a hassle.”
Her old high-rise apartment had all appliances; now, she’ll need to get her own…

“Check secondhand stores.
Might find something cheap and good.”

“Yeah, with a store near the house, it’s convenient.
Since it’s a rental, no need for fancy appliances…”

“Um… we’re at the road.”
Liuli’s lively demeanor shifts.
She glances around warily, pulls up her hoodie, and shrinks, looking like she’s up to no good.

“…What’re you doing?”
Cola’s baffled.

“T-there’s people… don’t want schoolmates to see me…”

“What’s the big deal?”

“N-nothing… it’s just… I don’t know what to say, it’d be awkward, so… better not get recognized.”

“Just chat a bit, no biggie.”
Growing up in Qingguo, Cola can’t relate.
Even meeting a teacher outside school, she’d just smile awkwardly, say hi, and move on.
No need to talk if there’s nothing to say.

“N-no way, I can’t…”

“You don’t seem like someone scared to talk.
You approached me when we didn’t even know each other!”

“Ehh—”
Liuli drags out the sound, stammering.
“T-that’s different!
W-we’re kindred spirits, so it’s okay…”

“Huh?
No clue what you mean.”
Cola shakes her half-empty Cola bottle, watching bubbles rise.
“Are you one of those loner kids at school?”

“Mm…”
Liuli nods silently.

“…Then why weren’t you this nervous during the day?”

“It’s cooler at night, so… everyone’s out…”

“What if you run into a schoolmate at the laundromat?”

“T-then I won’t wash!”

“What if you’re mid-wash?”

“Eh—ehh—!
Miss Cola, you’re bullying me…”
She pouts.

“Cough, okay, that probably won’t happen, right?”

“Mm… green light…”

“Oh, hurry, let’s go…”

(Part Two)

Maebashi’s streets aren’t bustling, but you see foreigners often—not tourist groups, but individuals living here, blending in so much you might forget this is an Asian city.
Despite being a main road, streetlights are sparse, with stretches of darkness.
Liuli, carrying the laundry basket, sways as she walks, occasionally glancing across the street, giving Cola a quick rundown.

“That’s a Sega arcade.
I went with friends a few times.
Lots of stuff, but mostly claw machines.
Gets boring after a bit.”

“Like doll-grabbing machines?”

“Yup, but you can grab Cola, chips, all sorts of random stuff.”

“Oh…”

“There’s another arcade over there, more fun.
Next to it’s a secondhand store for game consoles and accessories.”

“Oh, game consoles?”
Cola’s eyes light up.
“They got GBAs?”

“Yup.”

“NDS?”

“Yup.”

“Wow… cheap?”

“Hmm… kinda pricey for old consoles, I think?
I don’t know much, just went with friends.”

“Oh, you’re into newer consoles, right?”

“Sorta?
They’re more convenient… I don’t get all those complicated old controls.”

“Gotta check it out sometime…”
Cola nods, realizing they’re on a dim stretch of road.
The traffic light ahead glows brightly.
“That’s the laundromat, right?”

“Yup, we’re here… phew, no one I know, all good…
Miss Cola, let’s go in?”

“Sure.”

The laundromat’s nearly empty, just one young woman with manicured nails scrolling her phone.
Most machines are free.

“No one’s here?”
Cola peers inside, pushing the glass door.

Liuli mumbles, “It’s coin-operated.
I wouldn’t come if there were people…”

“Haha… yeah… Japan’s got so many unmanned self-service shops.”

“‘Cause there’s fewer people?
I think empty shops are nice.
I’d pick a vending machine over a convenience store any day…”

“I get why vending machines are everywhere now…”

(Part Three)

With so few people, Cola takes two machines—one for regular clothes, one for white dresses.
The machines hum and spin.
The two grab stools and sit nearby.
Outside the glass window, night has fully cloaked the city; the sunset’s gone.
Suddenly, raindrops speckle the glass, followed by a steady patter.
The sky grows gloomier, the city’s dim lights swallowed by darkness.

Liuli seems at ease, gazing at the street, swaying gently.
“Hey, Miss Cola, we vampires love the night, right?”

“If you mean staying up late, yeah, I do, but not ‘cause I love it—just can’t stop gaming…”

“So you like the night?”

“Uh… sure?”

“Mm, mm… I love nights, especially rainy ones.
They feel free, undisturbed, like a vampire apart from the mortal world, quietly watching—oh!
I’m a vampire now…”

“Not worried the rain’ll trap us here?”

“Then… we’ll stay longer.”
Liuli glances at the clean, tiled, white-walled laundromat—cleaner than most homes—and whispers mysteriously, “Um, Lord Cola, I’m a vampire now, but I don’t feel much different.
Can you teach me some vampire abilities?
Sorry… I don’t know how to use them…”

“You’ll probably figure them out slowly…
Uh, our bloodline might be different from others.”
Cola rubs her chin, sifting through her vague vampire knowledge.
“Oh, got one—a simple ability.
Wanna try?”

“Eh—what is it?
Invisibility, flying, or hypnosis?”

“No, those aren’t simple!
And you already hypnotized yourself once…”

“Huh?
What?”
She blinks, confused.

“Haha… n-nothing…
It’s sensing others’ emotions.”

“Hmm… how do I do that?”

“Let’s see… like that young woman.
Wanna know how she’s feeling?”

“She looks expressionless, probably calm, right?”

“Not necessarily…”