《Shuren》 Chapter 1: One Of Those Days ¡®Six years, five months and eleven days.¡¯ Shuren held his nose, which was throbbing with waves of pain as he tried to calm himself. He was already hunched over before he realised it and as he opened his eyes, he saw a ball rolling away, stopping at the feet of a young boy. ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast, hurry up. Mother Margret said you shouldn¡¯t keep everyone waiting.¡± Shuren let out an involuntary grunt as he picked himself up from the ground. Not only was his nose causing him problems, he was still very tired from the day before. The dirty washcloth in his hand was evidence of his labours. ¡®Just six years, five months and eleven days.¡¯ He rubbed his eyes and suppressed a yawn before fixing his gaze on the boy standing opposite him. The boy was of a similar height to Shuren and was dressed in what could only be described as rags, the same as Shuren. But, unlike Shuren, the boy had a healthy glow about him. Evidence of a good night¡¯s rest. Shuren put on a smile as bright as he could and bowed his head politely. ¡°Thanks for the wake-up call, James.¡± ¡°Whatever. Just hurry it up.¡± ¡°I shan''t delay.¡± ¡°Humph.¡± James kicked the ball up into the air and caught it before running off. ¡®Six years, five months and eleven days and all of this will be behind me.¡¯ Shuren rubbed his nose as he walked down the hallway and to the nearest bathroom. Six years, five months and eleven days. That was how long it would take for him to reach his twelfth birthday, and also how long he would have to stay in this orphanage. ¡®Ah. It feels like such a long time.¡¯ He raised his hands to wash them along with the washcloth and noticed that they were shaking. ¡®It looks like today is going to be one of those days¡­ I should at least try to hold out until tomorrow. That would be a lot more convenient.¡¯ After the water coming from the cloth was clear enough, he used it to clean his face. He hoped it would also help him to keep his eyes open. After all, he couldn¡¯t very well allow himself to nod off during breakfast. ¡®There. All clean.¡¯ He rubbed his hands on his face to help it dry faster and hung his washcloth on a rack after wringing out the excess water. Then he took a look in the mirror above the sink and straightened himself up. ¡®At least there¡¯s no blood this time. Miss Margret shouldn¡¯t have much to complain about. Though, knowing her, I probably shouldn¡¯t delay for too long.¡¯ Shuren made his way over to the dining hall. His pace neither fast nor slow. Even his footsteps were quiet enough as not to cause a disturbance but loud enough so that his appearance wouldn¡¯t come as a surprise to anyone. As he entered the hall, he turned to face the middle-aged woman seated at the head of the table and put on his smile, bowing slightly as he did. ¡°I must apologise for the delay. I hope you all didn¡¯t wait too long.¡± He said that, but it didn¡¯t look like anyone had been waiting for him. All thirty-odd seats at the table were filled and by the sound of things, his tardiness hadn¡¯t inconvenienced anyone. The middle-aged woman spoke without bothering to look at him. ¡°Oh? You decided to show up? Here I was thinking you had decided to continue your nap. And in the middle of the hallway, no less! How inconsiderate could you get?¡± Shuren quickly brought his hands behind his back and deepened his bow. ¡°It was my mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have selfishly taken up space in the hallway. I hope you¡¯ll find it in your heart to forgive me, Miss Margret.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Well. As long as you know what you did wrong, it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t look past. Go. Eat your breakfast.¡± ¡°Many thanks, Miss Margret.¡± Shuren straightened himself and walked to a corner of the hall. There, on the floor, was a bowl of oats with his name on it. Seeing it, his hands which he had just managed to calm, began to shake once more. ¡®It¡¯s even less than before!¡¯ His shoulders rose and his teeth were chattering. He held his hands in front of himself to prevent anyone from seeing them. ¡®Deep breaths, Shuren. Deep breaths.¡¯ Knowing that Miss Margret was most likely observing him, he struggled to calm himself. It wouldn¡¯t do him any good if she were to find him guilty of committing a breach of etiquette. ¡®Remember. Kill them with kindness.¡¯ After chanting his mantra, he managed to get his emotions under control. Kindness. It was his greatest weapon and it was already starting to take an effect with the other kids. However, Miss Margret was a different matter. No matter how politely he behaved in front of her, she never went easy on him. But even with that being the case, he still believed that he would be able to kill her with his kindness one day. He sat down facing the corner and ate his oats in silence. After he finished, he stood and walked back to Miss Margret who had a smile on her face as she watched the children eating their meals. ¡°Miss Margret. May I have a moment of your time?¡± Her smile faded away as she turned to look Shuren in the eye. There was no trace of the motherly aura that had existed just a moment ago. Instead, she looked at him with those eyes. Most adults seemed to have those same eyes when they looked at him. ¡°Can you not see that I¡¯m busy?¡± ¡°I apologise, Miss Margret, but¡­¡± He smiled and raised his bowl, showing her the inside. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any breakfast left over? I would be most grateful if I could have another bowl.¡± He then quickly bowed and added a few more words. ¡°Not that I¡¯m not grateful for what I have already received.¡± Miss Margret raised a brow. ¡°Another bowl? I think you¡¯ve had quite enough already.¡± Shuren tried to speak, but he was cut off by Miss Margret, who raised a finger. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of talking back to me, are you?¡± Shuren brought the bowl behind his back and bowed once more. ¡°O-of course not, Miss Margret.¡± Miss Margret retracted her raised finger into crossed arms. ¡°You know, I always say that gluttony isn¡¯t a good quality to nurture in oneself. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Wholeheartedly.¡± ¡°Now, what do you say?¡± Shuren bowed. ¡°I apologise for disturbing you all.¡± ¡°Good. Now off you go.¡± Miss Margret undid her crossed arms and shooed him away. ¡®I just have to get past today.¡¯ Shuren bowed one last time before returning to his corner. As he sat there, trying to block out the sounds of the conversations the other kids were having, he couldn¡¯t help but notice one such conversation. ¡°Mother Margret, can I have some more?¡± ¡°It¡¯s may I have, and yes you may. You¡¯re still a growing boy, after all.¡± ¡°Right. May. Sorry, Mother Margret.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. Does anyone else want another bowl? There¡¯s plenty enough for everyone.¡± The sounds of the cheering children complemented Shuren¡¯s chattering teeth quite nicely. ¡®Ah. I might not last until tomorrow¡­¡¯ *** Shuren waited for everyone to finish their breakfast before he washed his bowl and headed to the laundry room to grab a clean change of clothes. He put them in a basket and made his way to the outside of the shower room where he sat himself down. It had already been hard enough for him to keep himself awake during breakfast, and now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about running afoul of Miss Margret, his exhaustion got the better of him. It wasn¡¯t until a while later that he was awakened by the sounds of the children leaving the shower room. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been out for, but if things went as usual, then it was at least an hour. After waking up, he waited for the last person to leave before he entered the shower room and put his dirty clothes among the others. He then placed his basket on a bench and went for his shower. Usually, at this time, all of the warm water would have been used up. Today was no exception. As the cold water rained down on him, Shuren thought about his situation. ¡®Six years, five months and eleven days¡­ But that¡¯s at the latest. I¡¯ve seen people leave here as early as six years old. It happened last year and again this year. And when it does happen, it¡¯s usually not just one person. It looks like whatever is happening every year is my ticket out of here. But what is it? Is it related to the lessons? I hope not.¡¯ The orphanage also functioned as a boarding school and all of the children were taught by Miss Margret in the classroom. All of the children, that is, except Shuren. Everyone else was part of these lessons where they would learn various things, but Shuren could only rely on the bits and pieces that they would reveal during their conversations. As a result, both his reading and writing were subpar. But it hadn¡¯t impaired his ability to speak. In fact, he managed to pick up the spoken language much faster than the other children his age. ¡®If it¡¯s to do with the lessons, then I really will be here for another six years, five months and eleven days. But there are more pressing matters at this time.¡¯ He felt a bubbling sensation coming from the pit of his stomach. ¡®I can¡¯t wait much longer. But it¡¯s not a school day, meaning the others will be spread out all over the place. I won¡¯t be able to find a quiet place. The only choice is to go into the forest, but¡­¡¯ If he went into the forest outside the village, he would be sure to find a quiet place. But in order to do that, he would have to pass through the village first. If the orphanage was said to be an inhospitable place for Shuren, then Krola Village was downright dangerous. In the orphanage, he only had to deal with the bullying of other children, aged twelve at the most. The only adult there was Miss Margret, and while she didn¡¯t do him any favours, she had never raised her hand against him. The land beyond the orphanage, however, didn¡¯t play by the same rules. Most of the people out there were adults, and it seemed everyone had a bone to pick with him. Coming home with severe bodily injuries after an excursion into the village was not a rare occurrence at all for Shuren. In fact, it was less likely for him to get back in one piece. ¡®There¡¯s no other choice. The people out there can hurt me, but they can¡¯t make me go hungry.¡¯ That was a privilege unique to Miss Margret and was the method by which she had Shuren held by the ears. Not only did she arbitrarily reduce his portions, she would outright refuse to feed him at the slightest offence. ¡®Then it¡¯s decided.¡¯ Shuren finished up his shower and picked up his change of clothes, which someone had knocked to the ground, before dressing and headed over to Miss Margret¡¯s office. He knocked thrice and waited for her response. ¡°W-Who is it?¡± ¡°Miss Margret. May I have a moment of your time?¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you. Come in.¡± Shuren pushed open the door and saw that Miss Margret was looking over a few documents. She held one sheet of paper in her hand and had serious expression on her face. He closed the door behind him and walked up to her desk. Miss Margret stayed silent for a moment as she looked at the sheet of paper in her hand. She then placed it down and turned a piercing gaze to Shuren. ¡°Make it quick.¡± Shuren put on his smile and bowed politely. ¡°I have come to ask for your permission to take a stroll outside.¡± ¡°Oh? Could it be that you aren¡¯t content here?¡± ¡°Perish the thought. I merely thought it would be pleasant to take in the scenery of our beautiful village.¡± Miss Margret opened a drawer and retrieved a nail file before leaning back in her chair, returning her gaze to the piece of paper she had been looking at earlier. She filed the nail of her index finger and blew the dust away before moving on to the next. ¡°You know what you¡¯re getting yourself into. We don¡¯t have any medical professionals here.¡± ¡°I am aware, yes.¡± ¡°Let me be clear. Don¡¯t expect anyone to take pity on you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± ¡°Then you can go and die for all I care.¡± Shuren placed his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. ¡°Many thanks, Miss Margret. I shall be taking my leave now.¡± Shuren left the office and picked up a roll of gauze before heading out of the orphanage. ¡®All things considered, that went better than expected. Now, to take care of business.¡¯ Chapter 2: Eyes Like Mine Miss Margret leaned back into her seat after Shuren left her office. She placed her nail file back into her desk drawer after she was done using it and turned her attention back to the documents on her desk. After a while, she let out a deep sigh. ¡®I told them I don¡¯t need any help. And yet¡­¡¯ The documents contained information on the new employee who would be joining the orphanage tomorrow. When asked, Miss Margret said she was managing fine on her own and that introducing a new mother may make the environment awkward for the children, but it seemed her input was ignored. She lifted the page with the employee¡¯s profile up above her head, blocking the light coming from the bulb attached to the ceiling and looked up to it. ¡®26 years old, married to a successful businessman and has a six-year-old daughter enrolled in the Academy. Why on earth would she volunteer to work here?¡¯ If Miss Margret were to be completely honest, she would admit that she was jealous of this new employee¡¯s stats. She was ten years younger, arguably better looking than she had been at the same age, and had a husband and child to boot. If Miss Margret had all that, she wouldn¡¯t be working in the orphanage, that¡¯s for sure. ¡®Well, whatever. As long as she understands that I¡¯m the head mother, we shouldn¡¯t have any problems. It¡¯s just¡­¡¯ Miss Margret placed the piece of paper back on the desk and stood up, taking the opportunity to stretch. She then started pacing around the room. ¡®The money. She¡¯ll want a slice.¡¯ That was her primary concern. As the head mother, and the only employee at the orphanage these past five years, she¡¯s had complete control over the funds the orphanage received from the village. With a few adjustments on her part, she managed to reduce the operating costs to well below the amount the orphanage was given. And, of course, she had been pocketing the difference. That was all good and well while she was the only one there, but any adult who spent a decent amount of time at the orphanage would discover what she had done. And there wasn¡¯t a doubt in her mind that this new employee would want in on it. ¡®She better not get too greedy.¡¯ Miss Margret was willing to give away forty percent at most. Any more than that, and it would be benefiting the other party too much and she would pull the plug. ¡®Let¡¯s just wait until tomorrow. Perhaps she and I can become friends rather than enemies.¡¯ A few hours passed and she looked out to the sunset through the window behind her desk. As the orange light blanketed the sky, the corners of her mouth raised. ¡®It looks like there¡¯s going to be one less mouth to feed today.¡¯ *** ¡®It¡¯s getting late.¡¯ As the lighting in the forest grew warmer and dimmer, Shuren realised that he was pushed for time. If he didn¡¯t make it back to the orphanage before curfew, he wouldn¡¯t be getting any dinner today. ¡®And that¡¯s not the end of it.¡¯ Miss Margret wasn¡¯t such a lenient person. She wouldn¡¯t stop at just one meal. He would miss dinner today, and also miss tomorrow¡¯s meals as well. That was a fate most unpleasant, so Shuren got up from the ground and dusted himself off. ¡®Better hurry.¡¯ He started jogging out of the forest and had managed to make it halfway when he heard something. He stopped in his tracks and ducked for cover. Shuren wasn¡¯t afraid that some wild beast would come and attack him. The forest didn¡¯t have any. What he was fearful of was running into the wrong type of person out there. If he had such misfortune today, he would surely miss curfew.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Staying as silent as possible, hidden behind some bushes, Shuren waited for the people to pass. As they came closer, Shuren could see that it was two people, one carrying the other on their back, and soon enough, he could hear what they were saying. ¡°Can we do this again tomorrow, Brother? I want to see your concealed weapon techniques next.¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t. I have an important mission tomorrow.¡± ¡°Aw. You always have missions. And all of them are important. Why don¡¯t you ignore this one?¡± ¡°Ignore a mission? What do you think our father would say about that?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Maybe you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Speaking of, why don¡¯t you ask him to take my place?¡± ¡°But you¡¯re better at using concealed weapons than him. Can¡¯t Dad take your place on your mission?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± ¡°Then when can you show me?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± At this point, Shuren could clearly see the two people. One was a boy, who appeared to be in his early teenage years and on his back, was a boy who looked to be around the same age as Shuren. The older one turned to the younger one whose head was above his shoulder. He happened to be looking in Shuren¡¯s direction, and in reaction, Shuren¡¯s body grew tense. But after a moment, he calmed himself down. It didn¡¯t look like he had been spotted. ¡°Sorry, Ryoma. I don¡¯t have much time.¡± The younger one was silent for a moment. ¡°I know that. You do lots of important things for the village and you¡¯re the pride of our family. Of House Nightfall. It only makes sense that you don¡¯t have a lot of time to spend with me.¡± ¡°Sorry, Ryoma.¡± The younger one smiled brightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. After all, I¡¯m also proud to have a big brother like you.¡± He kissed his brother¡¯s cheek, and they both smiled. At that moment, Shuren felt as if the world had stopped moving. He felt a warmth around his eyes and a pain in his chest. A pain he knew all too well. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had felt this pain, but it certainly wasn¡¯t few. He also didn¡¯t know what to call what he was seeing, but he recognised it as that thing everyone else was allowed to have but he wasn¡¯t. Before he could dwell on it too long, his body was shaken by the sound of the voice of the older one. ¡°Those eyes. You must be Shuren, of House Rainfell.¡± Hurrying to retreat, Shuren fell on his backside. When he looked back up to see where the other person was, he saw the same still image from a moment ago. Other than his proximity to the two boys, not a thing had changed. ¡®Hm?¡¯ Upon closer inspection, Shuren spotted one difference. The eyes of the older one had undergone some strange transformation. They resembled the night sky and Shuren could see stars floating above his irises. Looking around, he noticed that he was the only thing moving in the whole forest as far as his eyes could see. He directed his gaze back to the eyes of the older one. ¡°My name is indeed Shuren, but I believe you may have mistaken me for someone else.¡± Shuren didn¡¯t know what was happening, but he was spoken to so he responded. ¡°It would be my honour for you to grace me with your name, Sir.¡± ¡°You can drop the formalities.¡± Sure enough, Shuren didn¡¯t see any change in the environment. Everything stayed perfectly still aside from himself and the stars in the older one¡¯s eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare be discourteous.¡± There was no response for a while and Shuren decided to stay silent until the other party spoke. ¡°Tell me. Do you hate the village?¡± Shuren put on his smile. ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s only because of the village that I have been able to survive for this long. To return kindness with enmity would be most unpardonable.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The other party seemed to be taken aback. ¡°You don¡¯t need to show me that fake smile of yours. And your lies are far too obvious.¡± This time, it was Shuren¡¯s turn to be taken aback. ¡°P-Pardon me, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Never mind then.¡± Shuren bowed. ¡°Then, may I ask what business you have with me, Sir?¡± ¡°You¡¯re hard to talk to.¡± ¡°I apologise for the inconvenience.¡± Again, there was a brief silence. ¡°Just know this. The hatred you feel has been manufactured.¡± Shuren¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Believe it or not, there are those out there who would treat you as their own.¡± Shuren smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no one like that.¡± ¡°Your view is too narrow. But that¡¯s hardly a fault of yours. Take this as advice from someone further along the path than you. There are all sorts of people in this world, and you¡¯ve met but a handful.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many I meet. They¡¯re all the same. They all look at me with the same eyes.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then, have you met someone like me before? Someone with the same eyes as mine?¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t say that I have.¡± ¡°Then, another piece of advice. Don¡¯t close your heart off to others just yet. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never see the eyes that will be your salvation.¡± Shuren bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± At some point, his smile had disappeared. Eyes that bring salvation. He had a feeling he had seen them once before, but he couldn¡¯t remember where. ¡°One last thing. Don¡¯t trust anyone who promises to take you out of your circumstances. That is something you must achieve through your own efforts.¡± The world around Shuren began to ripple and everything seemed to be getting sucked into those two starry eyes. ¡°Wait! Why are you telling me all of this?¡± ¡°Because I also had my smile taken from me.¡± As if a veil had been lifted, the motionless world Shuren had just been in disappeared and everything came back to life. The only thing was, the two boys were nowhere to be seen. ¡®Uh oh.¡¯ Aside from things resuming their motion, the colours also changed, signifying that time had, in fact, not been frozen and all of what just happened had moved Shuren closer to curfew. At this point, jogging was no longer sufficient, so Shuren ran as fast as he could, only hoping that his legs would be able to carry him past the threshold of the orphanage in time. *** ¡°Stop right there.¡± Shuren was panting heavily, almost at the orphanage, when he heard a voice and found himself heading face-first to the ground. ¡®Now, of all times.¡¯ He picked himself up from the ground and turned a smiling face to the young man who had just made him fall. As he did, he found himself surrounded by the young man and four other people. Two young men and two young women. ¡°Is there anything I can help you fine ladies and gentlemen with?¡± The one who had tripped him over used his thumb to point to a nearby alleyway. Seeing what the other party was getting at, Shuren almost dropped his smile, but he caught himself. ¡°Apologies, but it¡¯s quite close to curfew, so if we could postpone this for another time-¡± He tried to speak, but before he could say much, he was pushed in the direction of the alley. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ve missed curfew¡­¡¯ He took a deep breath and let out a sigh, then bowed and led the way into the alley. Chapter 3: Pretty Brown Eyes ¡®Six years, five months and eleven days¡­¡¯ Shuren struggled to pick himself back up from the ground. His vision was blurred by tears and his entire body was screaming in pain. He could only manage to get himself back on his feet after much effort thanks to a nearby wall he used for support. ¡°They said his body was pretty sturdy.¡± One of the young men chuckled as he shook his wrist. ¡°They weren¡¯t lying.¡± He was feeling some pain after having delivered the blow which had knocked Shuren down. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, this is great stress relief.¡± ¡°Why should you get to have all the fun? Step aside.¡± Another young man walked up to Shuren, who was unsteady on his feet. He grabbed Shuren¡¯s hair and pulled it to raise his head which had been drooping downward. After seeing his face, he clicked his tongue. ¡°Get that stupid smirk off your face! Who told you you were allowed to smile? HUH?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shuren tried to respond, but he found it incredibly difficult to speak at this time. It also didn¡¯t help that the other fellow had struck his jaw before he could say anything. Shuren again found himself on the floor, but this time, he didn¡¯t bother to get back up. His line of sight led to the opening of the alleyway, where he saw several people take a glance before going about their business. Some of them had those same eyes. The eyes he saw the most. If it wasn¡¯t malice, it was indifference, but the former was far more populous. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Ha ha. Ha ha ha. HAHAHAHA!¡± The young man who had just punched him was taken aback by his sudden laughter and retreated a step. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± In an attempt to silence Shuren, he kicked him in the abdomen, which caused his laughter to turn into coughing for a while, but he resumed his laughter shortly afterword. This aggravated the young man, provoking him to kick Shuren repeatedly. But he was unable to stop the boy¡¯s laughter, which grew more and more exaggerated. The young man turned a questioning gaze to his friends, but they were similarly lost for words. If kicking and punching didn¡¯t work, what was he looking at them for? After a while, Shuren¡¯s laughter died down. ¡°Sorry. But it¡¯s funny, isn¡¯t it?¡± The five exchanged glances before one of the young women spoke. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Shuren chuckled before speaking once more. ¡°Six years, five months and eleven days. I¡¯ve been keeping count. In six years, five months and eleven days, I¡¯ll finally be out of the orphanage. But, somehow, I keep forgetting that this is all that¡¯s waiting for me.¡± Silence resounded for a few seconds. Shuren took the opportunity to turn himself over so that he was lying face-up, looking to the sky. He hadn¡¯t paid attention to it earlier, and his vision wasn¡¯t at it¡¯s best right now, but from what he could see above the walls of the alleyway, the sky was gloomy at this time. ¡®Not even the sky will let me have a moment of enjoyment, huh? Figures.¡¯ Shuren closed his eyes and tried to close off the rest of the world at the same time. At this point, he was already too hurt to be able to put up any kind of resistance. *** ¡°Strange seeing you here. Has the mister fallen ill?¡± Her husband usually did the grocery shopping, so it was rare for her to be found at the grocery stores, but today was different. ¡°No. I just wanted a change of pace today. Is that so strange?¡± The cashier smiled mischievously. ¡°Getting tired of the experiments, are we?¡± ¡°N-no¡­ How could I tire of my husband¡¯s cooking? It¡¯s¡­ delicious...¡± ¡°Try saying it again with a straight face.¡± ¡°¡­ Could you just ring me up please?¡± ¡°No problem at all.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be 2500 ryo.¡± She gave the cashier her money then turned to leave, but the cashier placed a hand on her shoulder before she could. ¡°I threw in a few travelling rations for you, on me.¡± She turned back around and took the cashier¡¯s hand, then nodded her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much this means to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Just, when he irons out the issues, send some my way.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You got it.¡± She waved goodbye to the cashier and went on her way. It was getting quite late and her husband tended to worry about her... being late to try his latest recipes¡­ She looked down to the bag of groceries she had just purchased, her heart aflutter. Tonight, she could finally eat something fit for human consumption. Normally, her husband would cook, but if she were forced to eat one more ramen bread, she was afraid of what she would do to him. So, tonight, they were having beef stew. When she saw the lights of her home lit up, her face followed suit and she skipped over joyously. As she approached the door, she reached her hand out for the handle but suddenly looked back with a slight frown on her face. She retraced the steps she had just taken, walking backwards as if time were being reversed, until she reached a certain location. There, she turned her head to the left where she heard a commotion. ¡°Who gave you the right to talk about the future? HUH?!¡± ¡°Do you know how many people had their futures destroyed because of you?!¡± ¡°I dare you to say one more word!¡± Curiosity pulled her closer and closer until she could faintly see what was happening in the dimly-lit alleyway. Five youths were stomping on another person who was lying on the ground. She couldn¡¯t quite make out the appearance of that last person because of the way the youths were positioned, but through gaps in their formation, she could see that he was dressed in patchwork clothing. ¡®Bullying a homeless man?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help but shake her head in disapproval as she sped up. She tried to make some preliminary observations, piecing together whatever she could to understand how this situation came about. There was no smell of alcohol, so chances were, he hadn¡¯t caused this through drunken behaviour. He, himself, wasn¡¯t saying anything or doing anything to provoke the situation further. Then there was the shouting she had heard. It seemed this was fuelled by personal grievance. She was only a few steps away from the group when she caught a glimpse of the person¡¯s face. Her eyes opened wide and both of her hands found themselves over her mouth. She was so shocked that she dropped her bag of groceries. What she had thought was the body of a homeless man in the foetal position turned out to be the body of a child sprawled out across the floor. These youths had been stomping all over him, not even bothering to avoid his face. ¡°Stop!¡± She wasted no time in getting between the youths and the child, her arms spread out as she faced the assailants. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± The youths were surprised that someone had stepped in. One of them raised a brow and pointed at Shuren. ¡°See for yourself.¡± She turned to look at the boy. It only caused her heart to ache for him. The youths became further confused when she turned back to them with a frown on her face and no intention to step away. ¡°Don¡¯t you see who that is?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± They exchanged glances before one of the boys stepped closer. ¡°What are you getting so worked up for, lady? Just mind your own business.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Another of them added on. ¡°We¡¯re just releasing a little stress. It¡¯s no big deal. You can have a go after we¡¯re done if you want.¡± Her frown deepened and her breathing grew heavy. When she responded, it was with a volume she rarely produced. ¡°You all should be ashamed of yourselves! How could you do this to a child?!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Rather than being ruffled by the lady¡¯s yelling, the youths just found themselves less and less able to understand the situation. ¡°What? Are you trying to protect him? Why would you do that? Are you from out of town? Listen, this here is-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Let me tell you this, you brats, if you intend to keep harming this boy, you¡¯ll have to get past me first!¡± She entered a fighting stance, fully intending to beat the brats off if they came a step closer. None of those present noticed that the boy, who had kept his eyes shut for a while now, had opened them once more. He was recalling words he had heard not too long ago. Believe it or not, there are those out there who would treat you as their own. He didn¡¯t put any stock in those words at the time, but for just this moment, he thought they may be true. Meanwhile, the youths exchanged awkward glances once more. ¡°¡­ Foreigners¡­¡± One of the young women checked her watch. ¡°You guys. It¡¯s getting pretty late. Do you think we might miss the sale? I wanted to get some new shoes today.¡± ¡°Crap, you¡¯re right. I needed to pick up some strings for my zither. My dad will kill me if I make another excuse.¡± ¡°Well, this was getting pretty boring anyway. I think I¡¯m gonna go buy some nail paint myself.¡± The youths started walking away, treating this situation as just another event in their day-to-day lives. ¡°Hey, who wants to get me something to eat?¡± ¡°No way, where¡¯d all your lotto money go?¡± ¡°You mean that 10,000 ryo? How long was that supposed to last? Right now, I¡¯m broke as a joke.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That sounds like a you problem¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. What about you ladies? Get me something good and you can go out on a date with yours truly.¡± ¡°A date? With you? Blegh. I¡¯ll give you the money if you agree to stay away from me.¡± ¡°Ah. Your cruelty knows no bounds. But¡­ I¡¯ll take you up on that¡­¡± *** She turned to look at the boy and saw that he was doing the same. Her knees were already on the ground before she consciously made the decision to get closer to him. He remained motionless, only staring into her eyes, his gaze so focused that it unsettled her. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± In response to her words, his brows furrowed slightly before relaxing once more. ¡°We need to get you to a doctor immediately.¡± She wanted to pick him up, but she realised that she didn¡¯t know the extent of his injuries. It may be that moving him would only make things worse. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll go get help.¡± It was then that a quiet voice responded. ¡°Doctors¡­ Doctors are for people.¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he was saying, and as she was about to get up to find help, she heard his voice once more. ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I would like to ask you something. If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for talking. You need help.¡± He smiled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re seriously injured, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°No. I meant why do you want to help me?¡± ¡°¡­ Because you¡¯re injured¡­¡± He was silent for a while but his smile, mangled though it may be, never left his face. She really wanted to stop wasting time talking to him, but she found herself drawn in by the boy who was smiling despite his having just been beaten to a pulp. He also found himself intrigued by the lady. ¡°Are you new to town?¡± ¡°Something like that. Why?¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Your eyes. I¡¯ve never seen any like them before. They¡¯re pretty.¡± ¡°You think my eyes are pretty?¡± She was taken aback. ¡°They¡¯re just regular brown eyes.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s a place where eyes like yours are regular, I would like to go there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She was left without any words to say. His words sounded hopeful, but she could tell that he didn¡¯t believe in such a place. While she was lost in thought, he began to move, attempting to sit up. ¡°Don¡¯t move. You must be in excruciating pain.¡± He shook his head and got up with much effort, bringing himself to her eye level. He smiled at her, who raised her hands to catch him should he fall. ¡°This is the easy kind of pain.¡± He stumbled and almost lost his footing, but managed to steady himself. Looking at her face, he could see that she wanted further explanation. ¡°All you have to do is wait a little bit and it goes away by itself. It¡¯s easy.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what other kind of pain is there?¡± His eyes shook and his entire body shivered at the thought. ¡°Hunger.¡± ¡°Hunger?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worse than this?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand him. Being hungry for a little bit should pale in comparison to the injuries he¡¯d sustained. But by the way he spoke of it, it would seem that he would take this over hunger any day. ¡°Much worse. They don¡¯t even compare. But even so, hunger can also be fixed. All you have to do is eat. There¡¯s one more pain that never goes away.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I feel it every day.¡± ¡°A chronic illness?¡± She frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve studied a little bit of medicine, so I might be able to tell you something about it. Show me where it hurts.¡± He made to wave his hand but realised that it was too painful to be worth it, so he stuck to using words. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. It doesn¡¯t actually hurt, but when I feel it, my throat feels funny, and my breathing becomes short and choppy.¡± His gaze lowered to the floor as he thought of the other symptoms. ¡°Sometimes, water comes out of my eyes, even though I haven¡¯t gotten injured. When that happens, my nose gets runny as well.¡± He remembered one last thing. ¡°Oh, right. My hands start shaking as well when it gets really bad. Have you heard of it before?¡± To his surprise, when he looked up to her face, he saw something familiar. Short and choppy breaths, water building up in the eyes¡­ Wasn¡¯t this what he had just described? ¡°Do you have it too?¡± ¡°No!¡± She wiped her eyes using her sleeve. ¡°You poor thing. I used to go through similar things a long time ago, but then I found the cure.¡± ¡°Really?¡± His days would go by much smoother if he could find the cure for this particular ailment. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Love.¡± His air of expectancy quickly faded back to neutrality, then to a smile. He now knew the name of what he had seen back in the forest. The only thing was¡­ ¡°Then it¡¯s not for me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same reason I can¡¯t go to a doctor. Those things are for people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a monster. No one will treat me, and no one will love me. It¡¯s not for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, I should probably get going. It was nice to meet you, Miss. If we ever have the chance to meet again, I hope your eyes will still be as pretty as they are now.¡± After bidding her farewell, he walked back down the alleyway. It was as he was entering the street that he heard her voice from behind. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. There¡¯s no such thing as someone who can¡¯t be loved. Even monsters don¡¯t come into this world alone!¡± His footsteps halted for a moment before he continued on his way. After exiting the alleyway, he took a moment to look up to the sky. It was surprisingly beautiful. He recalled the sky he had seen earlier. It didn¡¯t match up. He turned back to the sky above the alleyway and saw that there was a chimney nearby, from which black smoke was spreading. ¡®My view is too narrow, huh?¡¯