Chapter 16: Tasting Emotions in the Laundromat

(Part One)

Cola, new to this ability, digs through her inherited memories, teaching on the fly.

“First… hold out one hand.”

“Left or right?”

“The one you write with.”

“Left, then?”

“Oh, you’re left-handed, Liuli?”

“Actually right-handed… but as a kid, I wanted to be unique, so I used my left hand.
Got used to it and couldn’t go back.
My right-hand writing’s ugly now.”
Liuli tucks her bangs, embarrassed.

“Okay, left hand.
Clench your fist.”

“Like… this?”

“Yup, now flip it, back facing up.”

“Back up… then what?”

Cola glances at the young woman on her phone, lowering her voice.
“Imagine the magic circuit in your body.
If it’s hard to feel, close your eyes.”

“What’s a magic circuit look like?”

“Uh… probably different for everyone.”
Cola coughs.
“Mine’s a Cola bottle.”

“Hmm, then mine’s probably like yours… a Sprite bottle?”

“What’s the difference…”

“Sprite bottles have tiny holes, right?”

“They’re basically the same shape.”

“Fine… I’ll imagine it…”

Liuli closes her eyes, focusing hard.
Honestly, she looks less like she’s channeling magic and more like she’s holding in a pee…

The rain outside picks up.
The glass door slides open, and a tired-looking man in a suit steps in, no umbrella, hair and shoulders damp.

“Mm…”

“Got it imagined?”

“G-got startled…”

“It’s fine, take your time.
Picture the magic circuit, then imagine it glowing, with liquid flowing through it…”

“Mm…”

Cola sniffs, catching a faint whiff of magic.

“Got it?”

“T-then… what?”
Liuli’s voice trembles with excitement.

“Keep the circuit stable, look at that woman, and imagine sensing a flavor.”

“Mm… a flavor… sour, a bit bitter…”

“Now picture a scene.”

“Mm… huh… she moved?”

“She didn’t.
It’s just in your mind.”

“Mm…”
Liuli’s orange-red glowing eyes blink.
“She’s smashing things…”

“Sour, bitter, smashing stuff… probably jealousy.”

“Eh?
Jealousy…”

“Looks calm, but maybe jealous inside.
Her texts might even be gossiping.”

“Ehh—no way?”

“Just a guess.
What about that guy?”

“A hot feeling, ah…!”
Liuli shuts her eyes, her face flushing red.
Her loud yelp draws puzzled glances from the woman and the man.

“T-they’re not still looking, right…?”
Liuli peeks one eye open after a moment.

“Nah, they’re not.
What’d you see?”

“T-that guy stripped naked and pinned the young lady down, doing weird stuff…”

“Pfft… looks steady and tired, but thinking that underneath.”

“Amazing, it’s like mind-reading!”

“A bit different from mind-reading.”

“But tasting emotions is so fun!”

“Get comfy with this ability first.
Learning too much at once makes you a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.”

“Mm, mm, this is plenty for me.
Thank you so much, revered Vampire Prince Lord Cola!”

“Shh, shh—you’re too loud!”

“Eh?!”
Liuli turns beet red, shrinking as if she wants to vanish.

Vampires do have invisibility, but Cola hasn’t found that memory yet.
She only knows a bit of illusion magic—fine in the air, too obvious on the ground.
The laundromat quiets, only the gurgle of washing machines remaining.
The young woman finishes first, grabs her clothes, and leaves.
The man leans against the wall, phone slipping from his hand, seemingly asleep.

A beep-beep jolts Liuli from her embarrassment.
She hurriedly pulls clothes from the machine, draping them over her arm.

“Done?”
Cola tilts her head.

“Need to dry them…”

“Oh… it’s stuffy in here.”
Cola points outside.
“Gonna get some air.”

“Sure, Miss Cola.”
Liuli smiles, but there’s a slight distance in it.
Maybe this is her usual way with others—hiding behind a mask, showing only a non-offensive girl persona.

(Part Two)

Outside, the rain keeps falling.
Cola walks a few steps to a vending machine in a nearby residential alley, buys a canned Cola, pops the tab with a click, and chugs two big gulps.
“Ahh—freshly opened Cola’s the best.
That warm dreg from earlier was awful.”
She sighs contentedly, shaking raindrops from her hair, and looks across the street.

This side’s dimmer compared to the brighter lights opposite.
It’s dark, but cars still pass by.
In the short time she’s standing here, Cola notices only K-Cars—light compact cars, like a slightly bigger version of China’s Wuling Hongguang Mini.
Big cars are rare in Japan; regular sedans count as “big.”
SUVs or muscle off-roaders, common back home, are almost nonexistent.
Trucks are tiny too—big rigs like in China are nearly extinct in Japanese cities.

“Phew… Japan…”
Cola blinks, dazed.
A year in, she sometimes feels she’s still in Qingguo.
Before opening her eyes in the morning, she pictures her plain old ceiling at home, even hearing the old men downstairs playing cards in the senior center.
Her Qingguo home was an ordinary complex—decent but aged, mostly elderly residents.
The senior center opened at 5 or 6 a.m., always noisy.
Without that racket, she’d sleep less soundly.

A year feels like nothing—just learning some Japanese.
But she’s proud: mastering Japanese in a year is impressive.
Why didn’t she study this hard in high school back home?
These past few days have been especially full and long.
She doesn’t hate her pretty new body but isn’t used to it.
Too short, bad sightlines; shorter legs, slower walking; less strength, her lead-heavy backpack killing her; and her dislike of the sun’s worse—she sticks to shadows whenever possible.

What’s life as a girl going to be like?
She hasn’t thought it through.
Even if her mom starts researching now, results in three years would be a miracle.
She’ll have to adapt to this life.
And with her allowance cut, she’s on her own.
Renting that apartment costs nearly 10,000 RMB upfront… for a place with 2,000 RMB monthly rent.
She curses internally: Japan’s rental system is such a scam.
That 10,000 RMB wipes out her savings.

She never saved much—living frugally as a rich kid was still comfortable.
But her mom’s firm: no more allowance, no matter how she begs.
“Gotta rely on myself… one million yen, about 50,000 RMB… buying stuff, handling fees, it won’t last long.”
Cola clutches her head, smoothing her silky silver hair.
“Work?
I’ve never worked for anyone in my life…”

“Miss Cola~!”
Liuli’s voice cuts through her thoughts.
“Clothes are done, let’s go?”

“Oh, that was quick…”
Cola eyes the basket, lined with a plastic bag, clothes neatly folded, ready for the wardrobe.
“All sorted already?”

“Yup, your clothes are here too.”

“Whoa, you washed mine?
I didn’t even notice…”
Cola scratches her cheek, embarrassed.

“Was washing anyway, so I included them.
But undergarments you wash yourself—oh, weird, you wear men’s boxers, and… uh… no… um…”
Liuli blushes, gesturing at her chest.

“Oh, no bra?
Good thing I don’t need one now.
Flat’s refreshing.”

“D-don’t give up on yourself…”

“Huh?
I’m not.”

“Eh…”
Liuli blinks dazedly, then looks at the rain.
“But we can’t go back yet, it’s still pouring…”

“Yeah, raining… oh, I’ve got an idea.”

“What?”

Cola smirks mysteriously, staring at her half-empty can.
With a thought, she guides the liquid out, shaping it into an umbrella—complete with a handle, looking legit.

“Wow—”

“No handle, and I can make the canopy bigger… there, done.”

“Is this liquid control?”

“Kinda… but we can only control blood.”

“Eh, then why Cola?”

“Ahem, for our bloodline, Cola’s basically blood…”

“Wow—cool!!”

“So, back home?”

“Can I try?”

“No way, master emotion-sensing first!”

“Ehh—”

“Don’t look so disappointed!
I’ll teach you later.”

“Really?”

“Really, really.”