Two Tattlers Who Managed To Escape

15. Tangled in Numbers

Pov: Oliver

Sunlight lazily pierced through the glass windows of the bakery, wrapping the room in a warm glow of morning coziness. This morning was special. I eagerly awaited Fukase and his friends. Over the past two weeks, our relations had warmed slightly, although communicating with me remained a challenging ordeal for his friends, especially Len.

Meanwhile, Yohi was busy working in the bakery. I helped him as much as I could, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I was eager to leave and wander the city with my new friends, listening to the rumors and tales that "the Tattler" had spread around town.

— Hey, ring up the lady, I'll pull out the bread before it burns, it's too heavy for you, — said Hio, pushing me toward the counter and leaving me in front of a charming lady.

The lady, speaking as if to a six-year-old, requested a couple of pastries, which I handed to her. Then, with a smile, she handed me 13 coins. I froze, feeling panic rising in my chest. I needed to give change... subtract 7.50 from 13, but I just couldn't figure out how much that was. My heart pounded as I stood, unable to move, panicking as I looked at the lady. She looked at me with incomprehension but with patience, still waiting for her change.

Suddenly, Yohi returned and noticed my confusion. He quickly intervened and handed over the correct amount, gently patting me on the shoulder.

— Ha-ha, forgive him, he's visually impaired. In our previous town, he used to identify coins by touch, but in this town, they are quite different, and he's not used to it; I completely forgot about that, — the boy awkwardly smiled, patting me on the head. He was lying, blatantly and crudely, but I was too scared to speak, still recovering from the situation.

— Oh, what a nightmare... — exclaimed the customer, putting the change back into her purse, — It's so awful when children can't see the world... such a carefree time, and it's all so sad! But why doesn't he wear glasses?

— No, no! All is well! He has... farsightedness! — said Hio, trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, — He sees, but not up close! And he doesn't wear glasses — because he's still a foolish child, doesn't understand that it doesn't go away, and that it's better to see with 'silly and ugly glasses' than to get into such situations!

The lady was clearly relieved that not everything was as bad, and wishing me well, she left, leaving us alone. I shrank from embarrassment... I couldn't calculate something so simple. Yet, at the same time, I also felt anger and resentment boiling inside me. Again, Yohi had started a rumor that I was "blind," as he had in the previous town... it had irritated me then, and what now. It was all happening again! Once again, I would be perceived as the "poor blind boy who should be pitied." This "blindness" is now useless here; people aren't foolish enough to think of me as a person who, in exchange for sight, was granted the ability to see the truth, that wouldn't work here!

— Can't you subtract 7.50 from 13? — he asked, and his words almost rang in my ears.

I felt tears fill my eyes, and my heart clench with shame. I wanted to retort, but the words stuck in my throat, while Hio continued to mock:

— What, Oliver, are your math skills on a preschool level? I suspected things were bad, but to be this bad...

I couldn't endure the humiliation. Tears sprang from my eyes, and, forgetting everything else, I ran away from that place, from Hio, from his mockery. I had tried to learn counting in the past, but it never worked out, I was simply hopeless at math...

My vision blurred with tears, I could barely see the road ahead. Suddenly, without noticing someone in time to dodge, I collided with them. The impact made me stagger and fall to the ground. As I regained my senses, I found Fukase and his friends — Len, Piko, and Miki — standing over me with looks of surprise and slight concern.