Chapter 29: You pick things up fast
Minato smiled briefly, leaning back a little bit. "You pick things up fast," he exclaimed, watching her swipe through his iPhone with excitement and confidence.
Amelia tilted her head, scrolling clumsily through the apps. "Hmm... so this is how Asians store information?"
"Pretty much," he replied. "You can find anything here... history, music, even art."
"Hm... what’s this one?" Amelia asked, her finger hovering over a colorful icon of a man running from a giant monster.
Minato leaned over her shoulder, and the faint scent of soap was still clinging to her. "Oh, that one? It’s called Temple Run. It’s a mobile game... kind of old, but still fun."
Without hesitation, Amelia tapped the screen. The game loaded up with fast drums and rushing sounds, and almost instantly, a small, manly figure started sprinting through ruined temples chased by what looked like demonic monkeys. Her eyes widened slightly, with fascination and excitement.
"So..." she murmured, tilting her head. "You’re supposed to keep running?"
"Yeah," Minato chuckled, watching her try to swipe on the screen. "Just run, dodge obstacles, and collect enough coins. The goal is to see how far you can go before messing up."
Amelia’s brow furrowed as she was deep in concentration. "So it’s a survival trial. Gather resources, avoid death, and endure as long as possible."
Minato blinked, then laughed. "You make it sound like some ancient warrior test. It’s just a game."
"Games," she said calmly, her tone laced with curiosity. "I’ve never seen anything like this before. You Asians really do come up with strange ways to test yourselves."
"Amelia," Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his neck twice. "It’s human, not Asian. Asian is my race... from my continent. Humanity is the species."
She blinked at him, tilting her head like a confused cat. "Hmm... what difference does it make?"
Minato reached out and pinched her cheeks. "It makes a lot of difference, dummy. You can’t just call every human ’Asian.’ Listen attentively, or I will take back the phone."
"Ow...ow! Okay, okay, stop pulling!" She puffed her cheeks in protest, smacking his hand away. "You’re annoying."
He chuckled and leaned back, watching her focus again on the screen. But then she swiped too late, and the game character fell into a pit.
"Ah... No, no," she muttered, frowning at the Game Over screen.
"You’ll get the hang of it," Minato said, trying not to laugh. "You actually lasted longer than I did my first time."
Her lips twitched upward before she glared at him, flustered. "You caused it! If you hadn’t pulled my face, I would’ve made it!"
He laughed outright, holding his stomach.
Before he could finish, Amelia leaned forward and bit his neck, her fangs piercing just enough to draw a little blood. She drank briefly, then pulled back, licking her lips with satisfaction before turning her focus back to the phone.
"Better," she murmured as she kept playing, as if nothing had happened.
Minato blinked, still holding his neck, half in shock and half in disbelief. "Did you just..."
She ignored him completely, her eyes glued to the screen.
Minato smirked, leaned over, and shook her shoulders lightly while she played.
"Ah... stop it!" she shouted, swatting his arm as her character fell again.
They both laughed, letting the awkwardness fade away.
After a while, Amelia was still playing on Minato’s phone when it suddenly started ringing in her hands.
She glanced at the screen. "Yuto," she read aloud.
She turned to tell Minato... but stopped when she saw him fast asleep, hugging a pillow tightly, his breathing soft and steady.
For a moment, she just watched him. The way his face relaxed in his sleep... he looked completely different from the sarcastic and bantering guy she’d gotten used to. She knelt down beside him, gently brushing the strands of hair from his eyes.
Then, after a brief hesitation, she picked up the phone and pressed the green button.
"Hey, Minato! How have you been, man?" came a cheerful voice from the call.
Amelia froze for half a second, then cleared her throat. "Ehm... he’s asleep."
There was a pause on the other end. "...Eh? A girl?"
"Who exactly am I talking to?" Yuto asked, sounding confused.
"I’m Amelia Alexander Earhart... his partner," she replied calmly.
"Wait... did you say partner? ...Shit, Minato, you sneaky bastard."
Yuto laughed awkwardly through the speaker. "Sorry to interrupt you two! Just tell him Yuto called, yeah?"
"Yuto... okay. I’ll tell him," Amelia said, her tone flat but polite.
"Ah... thanks! Bye-bye... and don’t drain him too much!"
Amelia stared at the phone for a moment after the call ended, her brow twitching slightly.
Then she looked back at Minato, who was still sound asleep, and sighed. "...You really are troublesome," she whispered, setting the phone aside and quietly lying down beside him, her gaze softening just a little.
As she continued to watch him sleep... she noticed the faint rise and fall of his chest, the calm rhythm of his breathing. The way his hair fell over his forehead again made her fingers twitch with the urge to brush it aside a second time.
For a moment, she just listened... to the ticking of the alarm clock, the hum of the air conditioner, and his quiet breathing. It felt... oddly peaceful. Too peaceful for someone like her.
"...Why do humans look so defenseless when they sleep?" she murmured under her breath, her tone more curious than mocking. "You’re wide open... yet you trust so easily."
Her fingers hovered above his cheek but stopped midair. The warmth radiating from his skin pulled her in... tempting, familiar, yet somehow different this time.
She drew her hand back slowly, biting her lip. "Tch... why do I feel this way every time I look at you?"
Minato stirred slightly, his brows furrowing as if reacting to her voice. Amelia froze, her red eyes wide for a second... then became relaxed when he didn’t wake up.
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "Partner..." she repeated the word she said to Yuto, her voice soft, almost uncertain. "Is that how you really see me, Minato...?"
After a long silence, she turned her head again to look at him, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips. "You’d better not make me regret this, human."