But in the place where I live, it's an ordinary scene.

As you can see from the picture, our bathroom is equipped with a toilet paper holder that can contain a refill, and there's always a stock of a fresh new roll of toilet paper, besides the one you are to use.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

But the problem is, no one besides me seems to refill the toilet paper, when they've run out of them at their turn.

So there's almost always a roll of paper left in the holder, even when the one above is left showing half of its core ... .

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Oh, please.

I've always took it for granted that whenever you run out of toilet paper while you were in, it was that person's responsibility to replace it with a new roll of paper, in cases when any of such items were prepared.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I thought it was something like an etiquette, to show some delicacy for the ones that came after, to replace the core of the toilet paper which you have used up with a new roll, so that whoever comes after won't feel unpleasant finding a bare core on the holder, when the time comes for them to use the paper.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

But in my house, things seemed to be a little different.

What brings me down is that it's almost always me doing the refilling, when the only person who seems to use that bathroom besides me, JoOusama, leaves the empty core still attached with only about half an inch of paper strapped around it, probably because she thinks it troublesome to take out the empty core and replace it with the new roll of paper hanging on the holder ... .

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

The reason I said 'almost always' is because there are times that JoOusama does refill that roll of paper, though it's mostly me in an average of 9 out of 10.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Now, imagine yourself going into the bathroom and pulling out the toilet paper when you're almost done with your business, then suddenly notice that you've run out of toilet paper with only a strip of paper left in your hand.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Most of you may not care about it so much at this point, but imagine it happening as often as once in every four or five times you go to the bathroom. How do you feel now?

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Moreover, imagine that it's meant to be that way, in order to make you take out the empty cores and replace it with a new roll of paper, just because the only other person who uses that bathroom doesn't want to do it herself.

Doesn't that bring you down?

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Well, it was the same for me, and I was in a 'give me a break' sort of mood. Until recently, I've found a way to enjoy it in someway.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

One day, I suddenly noticed that it was like the games kids play with sand. It's a game to scoop away sand one after another from a heap with a stick stuck on the top, and whoever made the stick on the top fall, would lose the game.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Applying the game to my toilet paper situation, it's me playing against JoOusama, playing the game of 'which of us is gonna refill the toilet paper, you or me?'.

Well, wouldn't it be at least a little more tolerable, if I see it that way as a game?

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

From that day on, my toilet paper games against JoOusama began.

If she leaves only half an inch of paper left, I'll wait till she uses the bathroom before I do. Then, it would be she making the stick fall in the former shown game, and it would be she doing the refilling, unless she's gone to the bathroom for nothing.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Whenever I've found that the paper was getting less, I tried to save up and adjust the amount of paper I use in my one visit to the bathroom, in order to avoid my losing the game.

Then, I also had to adjust the number of times for me to go to the bathroom, as well as the timing.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Now, this accepting the things that bring you down as a game, I think, was a good idea, if I say so myself. Besides, saving up the paper surely must be better for the global environment. Isn't this what you call 'killing two birds with one stone'?

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

But it takes a bit of skill to adjust the amount of paper, so as to make it run out at the perfect timing when it's JoOusama's turn.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I have been playing this toilet paper game for a while, but JoOusama was no little enemy, and most of the time she leaves a fine amount of paper. So I usually have to make the best of my puny little brains to make a guess, in order to figure out when the roll of toilet paper would run out.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

But again, doesn't using my brains make it 'killing three birds with one stone', in a sense that it prevents senility? If so, I must be a genius to come up with such an idea instead of just sit there feeling unpleasant, to enjoy a game, prevent senility by using my brains, and save the environment, all at once.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I hadn't asked JoOusama whether she would like to participate in this game or not, so I'll have to say that I'm just personally enjoying it, but I think it's much better than getting pissed off or feeling unpleasant, just because of JoOusama's stupid little egoism.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I don't know the exact results of which of us won the game how many times, since I haven't been keeping records or anything, but I think I've been beating her these few months.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Though the past two weeks, I've had other things to worry about and I haven't been paying much attention to this game, so I could be losing for more than a week by now.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

However, since I'm through with my troubles now, I think it's time I'd recovered and paid her back for my losses. All in good time, as I finished tapping the letter 'v' of the word 'recovered', I had the call of nature.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

So I left my desk to go to the bathroom, keen and ready to play the game.

Oooohhhh ... maaann.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

A bare core was hanging apologetically in the holder, while a fresh new roll completely untouched swung merrily below, as if waiting for me to replace it with the empty core.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

She's got me this time

You win, Joouama, but you know it's gonna be just for today. You wait and see ... .

The End

Caterpillar

The other day, I was walking home from the station as usual when I noticed a strange girl approaching from my front.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I was about to pass her by as nothing out of the ordinary, but as the distance between us drew closer enough to recognize each other's faces, she suddenly started to say something ... to me I guessed, for there was nobody else around on the street.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

I was astonished, and for a second my brains were in chaos.

I instantly braced myself. Who knows, she could be one of those lunatics, you know.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

The girl was still saying something to me, and at a rough estimate of 4.3 sconds later, I realized that whatever she was saying was in a foreign language, not Japanese.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

Although she was a total stranger to me, and of course the posibility of her being one of those lunatics hadn't be denied, she didn't seem to jump at me or do me any harm. Nor did she seem to go for my bag hanging from my right arm, which generally must contain some valuable articles inside.

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar

So I ordered myself to calm down and tried to listen to what she was saying.

From the sound of it, I figured that it could be Chinese though unfortunately, I have never in my life had Chinese language education, and I could not understand a word she was saying ... .

To be Continued ...

Caterpillar