268.4 - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

The Crocodile's Soliloquy -3- Foxes, whales, hedgehogs. One by one, they disappeared. The numerous companions who once crowded the sales floor dwindled in number, and before I knew it, I found myself placed on a cart marked with "Sale." Something's off. This doesn't make any sense. It's impossible to believe that I, the most excellent crocodile of all, am being treated this way. Although there are others alongside me on the cart, when compared to the number of companions who have found their masters, we are but a few. Why did it come to this? I was supposed to be the first to have a kind and wonderful master, dedicatedly protecting and supplying tissues. But to think that no master would ever appear was something I never expected. I'm saddened. Again today, the heartless voice of a clerk making comments like "unsold stock" reaches my ears. It's over. I'm done for. Surely I will be discarded without ever fulfilling my role as a tissue cover. ※※※ ※※※ ※※※ Just when I was drowning in such pessimism, I was saved by Shiori-chan, a middle school student. She rescued me from the cart, marked with a forty percent off tag, carried me to the register, and took me home. Once there, she placed me in the sunniest spot in the room to bask, fluffing up my gloomy spirits. Naturally, she filled my belly with tissues, finally giving me a purpose. Half a year has gone by since then, during which Shiori-chan became my idol, and I became the first member of Shiori-chan's fan club. Though she's still a child in middle school, Shiori-chan is truly a kind and wonderful person. I feel fortunate to be working as a tissue cover for Shiori-chan. With her, there's no fear of being discarded, and I don't have to feel sad watching my companions find their masters. Sometimes, Shiori-chan even pets me. I have been happy here ever since I arrived. However, there is something that concerns me. I often notice Shiori-chan looking lonely. Whether it's a school day or not, Shiori-chan is always by herself. It's rare for anyone other than Shiori-chan to enter this room. That's why I want to practice talking. So that one day, I might become someone Shiori-chan can talk to.