Exploring the Valley

In this era where no word can better describe the social landscape than "reality," helping one another is both a science and an art. Often, deciding to help or not involves far more than it seems.

"If I help you, you'll think I pity you and get mad... If I don't, you'll think I'm arrogant and don't care about you enough." Max murmured as he walked slowly along the roadside.

Max finally chose a random place to eat, there was no need to think about it too much, unlike choosing a place to eat with a girlfriend.

Unlike most young people his age, Max didn't think having a partner was important. Protecting or pretending to care for someone else was a feeling he wasn't ready to experience, possibly because he wasn't prepared for a relationship.

He was realistic; few girls would be interested in someone as stoic as Max.

Moreover, his scar intimidated most people who might have been interested in talking to him. It wasn't impossible, but he still had to heal old wounds.

"Good morning..." Max opened the door of a small café and decided to sit near the TV to watch something entertaining while he had lunch.

These last few days, Max had been feeling somewhat distracted, and the things he'd been doing were very routine. Since it was summer vacation, he didn't want to leave the city because classes would resume soon.

In addition, he had never been interested in taking that kind of trip. His uncle worked, and he always trained, that was the deal he'd made with his uncle so he wouldn't intervene in his life.

"Welcome! Here's the menu; I'll be back in a moment!" said a young waitress, handing Max the menu.

"NASA scientists are closely monitoring massive sunspots on the sun's photosphere! Recently, the sunspots have been causing small explosions, reaching a critical level.

The recent solar flare was very large, causing a malfunction in communication equipment. Thus, reports sent to communication departments will receive the same response.

[The Earth's electromagnetic waves can travel into space from different electronic devices, exposing particles, which will cause communication interruptions.]"

"That's bad…" Max murmured as he thought about it more than he perceived.

"Not as bad as global warming, though most people don't care about that," the waitress said as she approached Max with a smile. "Have you decided what to order?"

Max smiled slightly, tapping the menu card with his fingers, and said, "A chicken baguette and a cup of coffee, please."

The waitress nodded. "I'll bring it to you right away. Be back in a minute."

Max nodded in response. After the waitress left, he thought, "Very professional not to judge me with her gaze; I guess Western people are different from those in the East."

In China and Japan, people hardly ever approached him besides his schoolmates. They all saw him as a monster, and maybe his reputation wasn't the best.

Many even hated him, coming to each of his fights hoping he'd get knocked out and his undefeated streak would be broken.

But that never happened, he was either disqualified or simply won the fight. He had never lost.

"[In recent news, the Sekai Taikai tournament will open its doors in the coming years, where the best martial artists from their respective countries will compete for supremacy in the contact sports world!

The last tournament was won by China, who has remained undefeated since a young man from the West joined a martial arts school and brought them the trophies from two championships."

Max was surprised; he didn't expect to hear about martial arts on a TV announcement, at least not here, since that tournament he'd won twice wasn't even broadcast in the West.

"Like I always say, if there's a war without weapons, the Chinese and Russians would beat us. Nowadays, if they're not asexual, you see men kissing in public; it's disgusting." A man in a military cap said these words as he drank his coffee.

"Maybe the Chinese are better fighters overall, but it's impossible for a fight to be displayed that way. But still, it's a shame; my daughter says she's a lesbian, I don't know if the young people today believe in Jesus anymore." A man in his fifties responded to the man who had just made his remarks.

The older men had a point, Max didn't understand how people were growing weaker every day. Not only that, but the mentality of staying strong was fading over time.

In ancient times, every man was muscular and focused on staying fit. Nowadays, good habits are disappearing, leading to an age of decline.

"Here's your chicken baguette and your coffee. Call me if you need more coffee," the waitress snapped Max out of his thoughts.

"Thank you very much," Max said as his cellphone received a message.

The food didn't taste right, even though it was delicious; Max's mind was filled with things that put him in a bad mood.

After finishing his lunch, Max didn't want to stay any longer and prepared to go shopping before heading home. He hadn't gone shopping for anything and wanted to fill all the empty supplies since he wouldn't be able to when classes resumed.

Returning along the closest path home, he stopped at a supermarket to buy some urgently needed items. The art of shopping had to be logical and well-balanced, especially if you're on a tight budget.

If it was food for a week or even several, canned food was a good choice since both Max and his sensei could easily and quickly prepare it. After that, some bags of rice, soup, and many canned goods that wouldn't spoil even if left on the shelves for months.

"I should get some ice cream, let's treat ourselves to luxuries I hadn't considered before." Max had already filled one cart with items and gone back for another. The second round of shopping was his favorite because he could buy whatever he wanted.

These were the small luxuries he could afford with the credit card his uncle had prepared for him, so he bought some chocolate boxes, 90% cocoa, lots of ice cream, nuts, and, of course, chips.

"Hey, idiot! I told you to stop following me!" shouted a female voice that immediately caught Max's attention.

"Is she being harassed?" Max hesitated for a moment before moving his cart towards the direction where he heard the voice.