The clouded sky lit up like a windowpane reflecting sunlight.
After hours asleep beneath the snow, once again…
He looked like a snowman.
He moved slightly, only to realize there was a trash bag on his head.
"Oh…"
He said, discouraged.
"They threw trash on my head again!"
He brushed the snow off his clothes but not his hair. His stomach growled, and he remembered his plan from the day before.
"Oh right!
I should ask for coins to buy that delicious bread that wouldn't let me sleep!"
He stood up quickly with a radiant expression that still felt empty no matter how much he smiled.
He walked toward the alley's exit, passing a trash bin…
A bag…
A poster he brushed with his hand…
A jar…
A trash bin…
A bag…
A poster he brushed with his hand…
A jar…
This time, Athan didn't react. He picked up the jar, stepped into the street, and sat down by the roadside.
"I'm a blind child! ♪"
"I'm very hungry! ♪"
A fragment of the jar broke in his hand.
"Waaaa!!"
A fake wail—twisted, like a crying baby.
People began to look at him with disturbed expressions, many quickening their pace.
"The jar my mommy gave me before she died broke!"
Athan felt several footsteps approaching him
and heard a voice far too arrogant for the place they were in.
"What do we have here?..~
Poor thing..~"
Some girls laughed with their hands over their mouths.
"Look, so you can see how humble I am with the poor..~"
Athan heard a coin fall into the jar.
Small and very light.
It was just a single yenny.
"How humble you are, John..~
Heeheehee.."
"Yes, girls.
I'm very considerate when it comes to supporting the rats down below."
"Thank you very much!"
Athan said, raising his voice. The youths laughed a little at him and walked away.
"Mmmmmmph…
This is going to take a while…
And I'm very hungry…"
After a long while, he heard footsteps.
Synchronized and firm.
Metal clashing against metal.
There were three members of the royal guard on their usual patrol. The one with the most distinctive steps approached Athan quickly. Athan recognized—
A scarf, a shield and a stinger, and a youthful but kind voice.
"Poor boy!.." the guard said with concern.
"You must be very hungry!
Here—this should let you eat today."
Athan felt a piece of paper fall to the bottom of the jar.
"Paper?
What is this paper supposed to do to feed me?.."
Athan's tone shifted automatically to disappointment, as if part of him didn't know what had fallen into the jar.
"Ah… it's a bill.
It's 50 yennys."
"They're barely being used yet, but…
You should be able to buy a good meal with this."
"Ah…
I see!!
Thank you very much, then."
His voice always sounded empty when he gave thanks.
A part of him always thanked out of habit.
That day, Athan entered the bakery smelling like garbage and bought a sandwich.
Then he returned to the alley.
As he went in, he passed by…
A poster he brushed with his hand…
A bag and a trash bin…
"The path is short when it feels like it…"
He sat in his usual spot and ate happily until he was full for the first time in weeks.
"I want more…
I want to eat this every day!
I should get a job…"