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Okarun stretched, exhaustion seeping through his muscles and deep into his bones. The training he had done with Turbo Granny had paid off, but not without its consequences. He wondered if he was ever going to truly get stronger or if he was going to fall into bed feeling like his body was dying every night for the rest of his life.
He shoved his legs into his sleeping bag, then asked Jiji, “Is it okay if I turn the light off now?” Jiji nodded, not fully looking at him. Taking off his glasses, Okarun snapped off the camping light they had been using then laid on his side, burying deeper into his sleeping bag as his eyes already started to drift closed.
Suddenly, he felt someone pressing themselves into his back, a hand at his waist. Okarun stiffened, his eyes snapping open. “J-J-Jiji?” he stammered. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“It’s cold,” Jiji said softly into his shoulder. “Sleeping closer together can help keep us warm. This is okay, isn’t it?”
Okarun hesitated, then gave a small nod. Jiji was right, it was getting into late fall, meaning the nights were getting colder and colder, and survival experts did always advise to share body heat in times like this.
Jiji tightened his arm around Okarun’s waist, curling his legs up until he and Okarun were fully pressed together. Okarun’s face blazed and his heart pounded, his body suddenly feeling as though he had sunk into a sauna. Those survival experts certainly knew what they were talking about, there was no way he was going to feel any of the night’s frost with the way Jiji was holding onto him like this.
Okarun had almost drifted off again when he heard Jiji speak. “Thank you,” he said, his voice muffled from how he had his forehead pressed into Okarun’s shoulder blade, so much so that Okarun almost didn’t hear him. “For getting the Evil Eye under control. For keeping Momo safe.”
Okarun let out a small breath. “You don’t have to thank me. We’re friends. Friends help each other.”
“But, still…” Jiji started to shake and at first Okarun thought he was cold but then he realized Jiji was crying. “This is all my fault, I put everyone in danger, especially Momo. I could have killed her, I still might kill her, but I can’t let the Evil Eye go. It’s…I…” He didn’t say anything else, just continued to cry.
“You won’t kill Miss Ayase. I’m going to make sure of that.”
“So I’m just going to kill you instead?” Jiji shook his head. “I don’t want that either.” His fingers curled into Okarun’s sleeping bag, pulling him closer.
“You’re not going to kill me,” Okarun said firmly. “Because I’m not going to lose.”
“But, you don’t know that. The Evil Eye, he’s so strong, so unpredictable. All it would take is once–”
“No. It won’t. This is more than just fighting and killing. You told me the Evil Eye has always been alone, so I won’t let him be alone. Once he realizes there are people who care about him, I don’t think he’ll want to kill everyone anymore. I think he’s just scared because he’s so lonely.”
Jiji was quiet for a long time before he said, “You’re a good guy, Okarun.”
Okarun gave a small laugh. “You’re a good guy, too.”
“No, I’m not. Not really. Not like you are. I don’t know if Momo told you, but I used to be really mean to her when we were kids. I thought all this ghost stuff was stupid and I would laugh at her for the things her grandma would have her do. The only reason why I’m nicer now is because I realized I was wrong and all this stuff does exist. But even if it didn’t, I shouldn’t have made fun of her like that.”
Okarun frowned. If things had been different, then Jiji probably would have been part of the scores of boys who jeered and threw things at him as he sat in the back of the class, doing his best to ignore them while reading his books about UFOs. “People make fun of me, too,” he said quietly. “Miss Ayase was the first person to ever stand up for me and be my friend. And I think that’s because she knew how it felt to be laughed at. If you hadn’t treated her like that when you were a kid, then she might not have cared when other people treated me like that, too.”
Jiji didn’t say anything.
“As stupid as it sounds, I like how things turned out. Even just a month ago, I didn’t have anyone who I could call a friend, but now I have Miss Ayase, and Miss Shiratori, and Taro, and Mr. Shrimp and his son, and you.”
“I don’t think that sounds stupid,” Jiji whispered. “I’m just grateful that we’re friends after everything I’ve done.”
“You mean after you showed the Evil Eye compassion?” Okarun asked. “I think that’s the thing that shows what type of person you are. We could have easily exorcized him and been done with all this, but instead of taking the easy route, you decided to be there for him. You decided not to abandon him. I think that’s really amazing. Not anyone would have done that.”
“I couldn’t leave him, not after everything he showed me. How alone he was his whole life, the way not a single person cared for him. He had no family, no friends. He died for selfish people, completely alone. It just…it broke my heart. It hurt too much to try to throw him away like how everyone else did.”
Okarun smiled. “See? You might have been a dumb kid, but I think you’re pretty smart now that you’ve grown up.” He felt Jiji push himself up on his elbow, then Jiji was pressing a kiss to his cheek, warmth bursting from the spot where the boy’s lips had touched.
“Thanks, Okarun. I’m really glad you and Momo are friends because if not, I never would have met you.”
“I-I–uh–y-y-yeah,” Okarun stammered, sweating with how hot his body felt.
Jiji laid back down, snuggling up to Okarun again. It didn’t take long for them to both fall asleep, both warm and comfortable to have the other so close.