The grocery store looks so busy at night. Many people come in and out buying some groceries to make their dinner. Like any other people, a guy with some tired eyes needs to buy some groceries. He looks uncomfortable with many people around but he has run out of coffee.
Just as he was about to enter, a little voice calls him. "Um... mister?" The guy then turns around to meet a little girl. The little girl has light blue wavy hair with red eyes. She wears a thin t-shirt and shorts despite the weather that is freezing but she wears gloves though.
The guy who looks like in his 20th are confused looking at the girl. The girl then stretches her hand out to him. In her hand there's a wallet. "Y-you dropped this. I would like to return it." The guy then realized and thank the little girl for giving it back. The girl then bows down and walk away.
While walking away, the guy notice that the little girl is shivering. Of course, she wore thin clothes in the winter. The little girl walks back to sit in front of the store, trying to her best to warm herself up. She looks like she was 10 or 12 years old which not what you want to find alone in the middle of nowhere at night.
The guy pities her, of course, change his mind from buying coffee and decide to do something right. 'The coffee can wait later.' He thought. "Hey kid." "Y-yeah mister? D-do you n-need something else?" "Since you gave back my wallet, let's go eat some food. There's good wing's fast food over there. My pay." He suggests.
"I-it's okay mister, I-I'm not that hungry anyway." As soon as she finished her word, her stomachs deny her statement. A growling that was so loud that the guy can heard it clearly. The little girl face immediately turns red from embarrassment, especially in front of a stranger.
"When was the last time you eat?" "U-uh... this morning." "What did you eat this morning?" "A slice of bread from a nice lady." The more the guy look at her, the more he notices how skinny she is. "Come on, let's eat some chicken wings. I'll pay for it." The girl then thinks for a bit.
She is really hungry but she doesn't want to make this random guy just pay her food. She doesn't like being a bothersome to this stranger. "It's fine kid. Let's just say, I'm just returning the favor. Okay?" The girl gives up, nods and follow the guy.
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The girl smilingly eating her food like it's the best meal she ever had with her finger carefully holding the wings. 'She must haven't eaten a proper meal for a long time. Look how skinny she is.' He thought. "Hey, kid. What's your name?" "Tora." "Any last name?" The girl shakes her head.
"How old are you?" "I'm 12." "Where is your family?" The girl frowns a bit. "I left them." The guy immediately looks confused. Usually the parents were the one who abandoned the kid to the street, but this kid is the one who decided to left? This is new to the guy.
"Why did you leave them? Are they mean to you?" "N-no, they're not bad to me. I-I just decided to live on my own. I just... don't want to be a bother." The guy get more shocked hearing that. A 12-year-old girl shouldn't think she is a bother to her family.
There must be something that happened to her to make her thinks like that. She then gets up from her sit to wash her hand. She comes back, sits at the chair and puts on the gloves back. Hm... wonder why she wears gloves. "How long have you been away from your family?" "For 2 years."
"Do you have a place to sleep?" "I-I did but I couldn't pay for the rent so they kicked me out." "What have you been doing to pay the rent?" "I do street art every day. I-I draw for people anything they request. D-do you want me to draw you, sir? It's for free. Especially after you payed for my food." The guy gets curious and nods.
She then grabs her little bag and pulls out a pencil. She starts to draw while the guy is in deep thought '2 years being a street artist. That doesn't really pay much and depends if people want to pay her or not in the end. At the street too? That's not a save place for a little kid like her.'
The guy grabs his chin. 'Maybe I should do something about this.' "H-here, mister." She gives the piece of paper to the guy. The guy looks really impress. It is so detail and not a skill we usually found in 12 years old kid. "This is really good drawing for 12 years old. How do you learn it?"
"I just try to draw everything I see and my brother really liked it so I started do more and then people in the street liked my drawing so I started doing street art." The guy nods in understanding. 'I should help her but if I ask her to stay with me, I'm sure that she will deny it.'
The guy then grabs some cash and gives it to the kid. "Uhm... uh m-mister? You don't have to p-pay for the drawing. It's just some s-sketch so it's free." She waves her hand around. "Plus, you're already paying for my meal and I-" "I'm a hero kid. I actually want to take you to the orphanage but I know you will run away anyway so here some cash to help you."
The little girl flinches hearing the guy is a hero and then stared at 3000 yen at the table, a bit glaring at the cash but she decides to grab the cash rather than a hero taking her to a place she hates. "Thank you so much, mister...uh..." "Call me Aizawa." "M-mister Aizawa. I'll remember this."
She then stands up and bow. "It's fine kid. I just cannot let-"
THUD!
The little girl suddenly collapses to the floor. "Kid?" The guy then tries to wake her up. When he turns her over, he notices that she is having a fever. 'Must be the weather and the fact she wears thin clothes.' He then picked up the girl and ran to the nearest clinic.
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Where am I...?
I notice that I'm in a clinic. I just remember that after bowing to Mr. Aizawa then suddenly I felt really dizzy and everything went black. "You okay kid?" I turn a bit to see Mr. Aizawa. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired." Mr Aizawa just sighs and gets to my eye level.
"How long have you been kicked out from your apartment? " "A month." Mr. Aizawa then looks sad. I can see pity in his eyes. I hate it. It's just like people on the street. "You are malnutrition, kid. A month without proper meal would make your body weaker and you also wear thin clothes in winter. No wonder you get fever."
I just looked away. "But I don't want to steal food. It's bad." I play with the IV that's attached to my hand. "How about you live with me for a while?" I immediately look at him after hearing that. 'But I will become a bother to him and he is a-.'
"Please don't sir, you already gave me money and meal for me. I don't want to be a bother." Suddenly, Mr. Aizawa places his hand on my shoulder. "Look kid, you're not a bother to anyone. I just can't let a kid try to survive in this freezing weather and no place to stay." He said.
"How about this? If you made enough money to pay rent for your own place, I'll let you be on your own but for now you will stay with me. Is that a deal?" I look at my hand. I could die if I say no because I don't know until when I will survive in the street. Getting a slice of bread this morning is a miracle by the nice lady. "Is it really ok?"
"Yeah kid. I have spare room that you can use. Do you know where your stuff?" "I sell them since I don't have money." Mr. Aizawa nods and pats my hair. "That's fine. We'll buy it later. I'll go pay for the clinic for a bit. Then we'll go to my place."
I nod and Mr. Aizawa left. I rub the tears from my eyes. He is too nice. Am I really not a bother to him? I hope I can repay him so...I don't have to be in debt with this hero.
To be continue...
