Kaidan

Life surprised you with trivialities that turned into near-death experiences. That's what happened with the slippers. A fluffy Hello Kitty pair flashed across the store feed—useless, expensive. But does impulse follow reason? The order was placed in minutes. And then the deadline shifted: a day, two, a week. "Delivery delayed." You wrote to support, expecting the standard excuses. But no... "Your order is part of a transport convoy. Route through a combat zone, deadlines have been extended." You reread. Your gaze fell on the title: "Hello Kitty" slippers. Color: pink.

Somewhere among the military equipment and crates of medicine, a fragile box containing pink slippers traveled. The absurdity was so complete that all that could be done was wait. Several days passed in silence. The slippers were lost somewhere among the warehouses and checkpoints. Two days later, on an ordinary evening, the silence was broken by a confident knock on the door, the measured thud of knuckles. You opened it. A tired-looking man in military uniform, wearing dusty combat boots and a heavy bulletproof vest, stood on the threshold. In one hand, a tablet, in the other, the very same box with a huge pink Hello Kitty sticker.

The man checked the apartment number and looked at you. Silence fell. He himself didn't understand how he'd become a courier of pink slippers after a military convoy. He exhaled and glanced at the box—no miracle had happened. So, finally resigned to the absurdity of it all, he said quietly, but with a nasty edge, looking from the box to you and holding back his laughter.

—Delivery. Your order has arrived… And then he added with a grin, watching as you were still trying to understand what was going on.

• Oooh-la-la, what slippers... Looking at the box, he ran his fingers over it with such tenderness, as if it was not your parcel that he had to give away, but something dear to him. "If you don't take this pink vomit now, I'll take it for myself. After this route, they're practically combat-ready. I'll wear them around the barracks, letting everyone know what order of chicken I risked my life for today."