The Case of the Missing Mechanical Pencil

I love Muji. There is no question about it. Whenever I go (I try to go as often as possible) I always buy something. And it's usually something I don't need. I can't help it. I love Muji.

So when the mechanical pencil (sharp pen/pacer/whatever you want to call it) I bought at Muji went missing, I was, well, distraught.

I have an orange mechanical pencil that's not from Muji. One of my 3nensei girls is in love with my orange mechanical pencil. She always tries to steal it from me - even going as far as tackling me in the hallway after class just to try to score the goods. But I have always managed to fend her off.

Then I bought my wonderful Muji mechanical pencil, and when I used it in class one day, she asked me where my orange one was. I told her it was in my pencil case. She asked if I don't want it anymore. I said I still do - as a back up, you know. She reached for my pencil case to try and get the orange mechanical pencil, but I snatched it up first. Then, when class was finishing, I went to put my Muji mechanical pencil in my pencil case. As I was doing so, I let my guard down, and WHOMP! The mechanical pencil from Muji was snatched from my hand. It was a hostage. She said she would keep it until I gave her the orange mechanical pencil. I laughed, pretended not to care, and walked out of the room. On the surface, I was cool as could be. Underneath, all I could think about was my Muji mechanical pencil.

A few days later when I opened my pencil case to get my Muji mechanical pencil, it wasn't there! Then I remembered the events a few days before. So when I saw her next, I questioned her on the whereabouts of my mechanical pencil. She denied having it. She said she gave the hostage back. Hmmm. I was perplexed.

Over the course of a week, I kept questioning her, and she kept asking me if I had found it. I hadn't. My Muji mechanical pencil was somewhere. But where, I didn't know.

Then yesterday, in class a boy asked me to describe my Muji mechanical pencil. I gave the best description I could. When I finished, he said "Oh, it's in the meeting room. You must have left it there after Selection English Class". My heart skipped a beat. Could it be true?

After class I went straight to the meeting room. And there, covered in chalk dust, was my Muji mechanical pencil. The case was solved. She didn't steal it (and I knew that all along). I left it behind. I left my Muji mechanical pencil behind. I made a pact to never do such a thing again.