A middle-aged man in a large black trench coat adjusted his collar and set off, his steps brisk, his face filled with anticipation. He remembered how, when his wife and children waited for him at home, he never walked slowly. Now, his pace quickened even more-he couldn't wait to return to his warm home.
Watching the man, Reo felt a pang in his heart. "I wish I had something to look forward to like that," he thought. But, with a bitter smile, he shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of such unrealistic hopes. The cold wind made him shrink his neck reflexively. Today's temperature was especially low, and his thin clothes offered little protection; Reo trembled slightly in the chill.
Reo, twelve years old this year, survived by picking through rubbish. At an age when a child should be nourished by three meals a day, Reo's body, long deprived of proper food, was scrawny. His thin frame shivered in the wind. He wore a sweater so large and worn, it couldn't even be patched anymore, and his dark cloth trousers were riddled with holes, exposing the yellowed skin beneath.
Reo was both unfortunate and fortunate. Unfortunate, because at an age when he should have been happily attending school, he was instead searching for salvageable waste to feed and clothe himself. Fortunate, because when he wandered to this place, lost and without purpose, he met the old man.
It had been an equally cold day. Reo, so hungry he could barely stand, collapsed to the ground, his vision going black. That was when the old man found him.
On his way home, the old man saw Reo lying on the ground and hesitated. He frowned, then walked over to the shivering child, whose skin had taken on a bluish hue as he clung to life. The old man decided to help, bending down and lifting Reo off the ground, surprised by how little he weighed.
That was the first time the old man and Reo met. But a good beginning does not always lead to a good ending. The old man, who had just enough for himself, now had another mouth to feed. The harsh winter and hunger proved too much, and he succumbed to the cold.
When the old man passed away, Reo didn't cry. Years of wandering had given him a tough heart. He knew tears were useless; he needed to think about how to survive. The old man left him a rusted, leaking tricycle and an abandoned house.
"If I hadn't met the old man, I would have frozen into a popsicle in some forgotten corner", Reo thought, laughing at himself. "It was my luck to meet him-what more can I hope for now?" Standing up, Reo pushed aside his thoughts, grabbed the battered tricycle, and set out in search of empty bottles and cans. It was the time when students left school, and Reo could sometimes find treasures discarded by them.
When he arrived at Kigumo Junior High School, the air was filled with the shouts of hawkers and the tempting aroma of food from the stalls. It was a feast for the senses, but it only made Reo's stomach clench tighter.
Female students in neat uniforms clustered around the food stalls, creating a lively scene that attracted idle troublemakers. But to Reo, none of it was as appealing as a few empty drink cans. His little hands, purple from the cold, gripped the handlebars of his tricycle tightly, as if that could keep the chill at bay. He pushed the tricycle slowly, his eyes scanning the ground for discarded cans.
"Just a few more, and I'll have enough for dinner. Come on, Reo!" he encouraged himself, clenching his small fists. He dared not walk too quickly, afraid he might miss a can. "Damn, did the cleaners change their route today?" Reo muttered. The ground was bare, nothing to exchange for money-only dust swirling in the wind, as if mocking him.
But Reo didn't lose hope. There was a small garbage dump in a nearby alley he visited every day. A smile crept onto his face as he hurried toward it, his steps quickening. He reached the wall, stood on tiptoe, and peered inside.
"How could this be?" Reo froze, his smile vanishing. There were no bottles or jars to sell, only piles of useless trash and a foul stench. In the past, even on bad days, he could find plenty of empty cans here. Today, there wasn't a single one.
Cursing, Reo was about to head back to his small shack when a sudden gust of wind whipped past his ears. Before he could react, pain shot through the back of his head. The sharp clang of metal caught his attention. He turned and saw an empty Coke can rolling slowly on the ground. A sense of dread filled him.
"Haha, looking for dinner in there!" jeered a twelve-year-old boy, round and loud, pointing at Reo while his friends laughed. The fat on his face quivered with each laugh.
Reo frowned at their ridicule. The harsh laughter echoed in his ears, but he ignored it, bending down to silently pick up the Coke can. Their laughter grew louder, but Reo didn't care. He was used to this-he'd gone from confusion and anger to numb acceptance. Now, he just pretended these people didn't exist.
But his indifference only seemed to provoke the bully further. The boy began pelting him with glass bottles and cans. Poor Reo could only squat down, covering his head with both hands, trying to protect himself and silently enduring the blows.
"One day, I'll make you regret this," Reo whispered. He wanted to fight back, but he remembered too well how this bully's father had once broken his hand and warned him to stay away, or else he'd lose his life.
Reo could still feel the burning pain from that fracture. He wanted to resist, but faced with overwhelming power, he was helpless. After the pain came numbness-not just in his body, but deep inside. Eventually, the other children ran out of things to throw.
Reo stayed squatting until the noise faded and the stinging pain in his head and feet dulled. Ignoring his injuries, he gathered the cans and loaded them onto his tricycle. Normally, he would have been happy-but not this time.
"Why do you do this to me? Is it just because I'm a beggar? Why? It's not fair. One day, I'll make you pay. I swear it," he muttered, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Dragging his tired body back to the small shack, Reo's heart was heavy with gloom.
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A/N: If you like the fanfic please show some support and throw some stones.