Someone Who Wants To Be An Actual Person.

"Hey, Ken. Are you scared?"

"Scared of what?"

"Of the future."

"Am I supposed to be scared?"

"Aren't you worried about what will happen in the future?"

"No. What's the point? The future is going to happen. So why bother worrying about it now when you can worry about it later?"

"…I guess you have a point."

"You see? Now let's go play!"

"Thinking back on it now, I was so carefree."

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"Thank you for your purchase! Would you like to round up your total to support the local animal shelter?"

"Sure why not."

"Thank you for your patronage! Come back again soon!"

I leave the convenience store and begin to walk home, wondering why I paid seventeen dollars and sixty-three cents for some ramen and rice. And to top it off, rounding up the purchase to eighteen dollars for something I could care less about. "Why the hell did I do that?" I ask myself.

On the way home I keep checking my bag of ramen and rice to see if I was just imagining that I paid so much for so little. Eventually though I stop checking the bag and try to enjoy the rest of the walk home. The town of Zanaha is my hometown that me and my mom moved to after my father died from illness about a year after I was born. I don't remember anything about him, and my mom doesn't hang any pictures of him in our house; probably because she doesn't want to remember the bittersweet memories of him. In fact, I think the reason we moved here was probably because she didn't want to stay in the same place where she met and fell in love with him. Her side of the family provides her some money every once in a while, at least until she is ready to work again, so we don't have to worry too much about any money issues.

After a while I finally reach our house. It isn't too big, but it has a second floor with four different rooms. Three of them being suitable bedrooms and the other, a washroom. On the first floor there is a decently sized living room on the right of the main entrance, where we have a couch, coffee table and a medium sized TV on top of a television stand that sits against the wall, facing the couch. To the left of that is the kitchen where we have a stove, fridge, microwave, and a sink. And if you take another left, you are back in the hallway that you enter from the front entrance, where you can easily access the bathroom which is just under the stairs. I open the front door and head inside.

"I'm home."

"Ah Ken, finally back home I see. I know you're old enough to do what you please, but it is almost ten O'clock. Please plan your errands ahead of time, will you?"

"I'll think about it."

"So? What did you get this time?"

"Does it matter?"

"It matters to me. And the money that I gave you and continue to give you. So? What did you buy?"

I let out a slightly irritated sigh. "Just some ramen and rice."

"You really went out this late just for that? Come on Ken, would it have killed you to wait until tomorrow afternoon?"

"You're the one who said I could do whatever I please. Also, I need more money; this costed me eighteen dollars."

"Eighteen?! You spent eighteen dollars on ramen and rice?!" She sighs and goes quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again. "Fine, I can spare you thirty dollars. But Ken, if you are old enough to do what you want then you are also old enough to get a job and start making your own money. I can't keep giving you money after all. You're seventeen now, so it is time you started being a little more responsible and stopped paying so much for things like...ramen and rice."

"I'll think about it"

I say as I head upstairs and into my room. The room is dark and messy, and the window's curtains are closed blocking any moonlight from shining through, and some dirty pieces of clothes are scattered across the floor. Truth is I never really found a reason to keep my room tidy when everything is just going to be cleaned eventually. The clothes will go in the wash when I eventually run out of clean clothes. The window and its curtains will be open when I need to let fresh air in. In time everything will solve itself so why bother solving it so early? I throw the grocery bag on the ground near my bed, and I plop into the bed itself. I pick up my small ball, about the size of my palm, and begin throwing it into the air and catching it repeatedly.

"She was pretty upset at me for spending so much money on that rice and ramen. But then again, it's money that she gave me, so therefore it is my money. She shouldn't be mad in the first place since it was my money that I spent, not hers."

But she has a point. I'd rather not pay that much using my allowance on little things like this. Maybe I should listen to her advice and get a job. But a job is too much work. But it's either that or hope I have enough to pay eighteen dollars just for the rice next time. And besides that, I could buy some stuff of my own at some point. I guess I can at least look for a job. Eventually I call it a night and go to bed.

I wake up the next morning at seven to get ready for school. Like most highschoolers, I have little care for school but unlike most highschoolers, I actually attend and learn what I can so I can make a decent living after graduation. After taking a shower, brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I set off to school. I don't usually eat breakfast as I don't prefer to, and it also saves my mom some money from having to buy more food. After a thirty-minute walk I reach Zanaha High. It is a somewhat big school with a surprisingly large number of students for such a small town. There are three floors, and each has a lot of rooms with different purposes. Classes don't start until eight fifteen so after adding up how long it takes for me to wake up and get to school, I have about fifteen minutes before first period starts. I decided to spend my free time in class and sit at my desk where I either read a book I borrowed from the school library or read the local news on my phone. Occasionally I'll also listen to music from my phone with my earphones plugged in. Compared to the other students in the school, I'm an odd one out. I tend to keep my distance from other students and try not to engage in any conversation with them unless needed. I'm not shy or anything, I just don't see the point in going out of my way to strike up a meaningless conversation, let alone making a friend or two. Besides, I doubt anyone would want to get along with someone like me anyhow. During lunch I eat on the school rooftop. It is quiet there and I am alone with my thoughts; or I would be if it weren't for the loud ass sports club that practices every lunch period. And not to mention the other students that come up here to spend their lunch period as well. Eventually school ends at three thirty in the afternoon and I decided to take this time to research job openings on my phone.

The convenience store I went to last night has an opening for restock. If they are charging a high price for rice and ramen but not even paying their workers half of that then I definitely don't want to work there. Grate's Burgers has an opening for grilling the actual burgers and preparing them. I can manage the not-so-good work environment but collaborating with other co-workers isn't something I want to do. There is a beginning office worker type of job in the area as well. Pay is decent and with this type of job I don't have to worry about having to socialize much either. Thing is, as good as it sounds, even I don't want to be chained down in an office typing away on a computer for what could possibly be the rest of my life.

As I scroll the listings on my phone and begin to lose hope, I find one that catches my eye. It is a small shop, close to my mom's house; the owner states that he only needs help with restocking his supply. For such a small store, he tends to go out of stock quickly and needs help moving new and old products around. The old man who owns and runs the store is named Hinami Shukaza and the store itself is called Hinami's Collections. He seems to be about seventy, entering his eighties. It's amazing how he can still run a store at such an old age. The shop itself seems to sell a bunch of random things and food at prices that are considered affordable for highschoolers; which would explain why he goes out of stock often. Selling random and possibly good or even great things at a decent price isn't a bad business idea. I decide to apply for the job since he pays well, and it doesn't seem like I need to do much outside of the actual job.

I put my phone back in my pocket and begin to stretch my neck a little after having looked down at the screen for so long. I have been crouching outside the school's entrance this entire time; I bet the other students thought I was waiting for someone to pick me up or something. Or thought I was waiting for someone inside the school itself. Or they probably didn't even take notice of me at all. Yeah, that's probably it. As I get ready to head back home, I see a girl staring in my direction from the left. She is about my height, so around 5'6 and has short brown hair along with crazy orange eyes. Her physique seems to be quite developed as well; most likely from exercising regularly. It seems she also goes to this school judging from the school uniform except, unlike the traditional female school uniform she has shorts on instead of a skirt. It might have also been made by the school as well considering it goes with the rest of her school outfit. About three seconds later I realized she was actually staring at me and not just in my direction. And just as I was about to say something, she speaks.

"Weirdo." And then she turns around and runs off.

"I'm not the only one who is at school almost an hour after it's closed, you little asshole." I say to myself before setting off in the opposite direction of her and towards home. And after another dreadful thirty-minute walk I finally reach home.

"I seriously need a faster way of getting around the area, so I don't have to do some damn exercise just to get to school and back again." There are train cars, but I can't afford to keep using them almost six days a week. I enter the house and take my shoes off at the entrance.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back. How was school?" My mom asks from the kitchen, making dinner.

"Same as it always is."

"Just be grateful that you got an average day and not a bad one."

"I guess. Anyway, I decided to look for a job after school today."

"Oh? And how did it go?"

"Took a long time but I found something. Some old man, about a 10-minute walk from here, needs some help moving stuff around his shop. States that he pays well."

"I see. Well good for you Ken. I guess you learned your lesson about spending money you can't afford to spend, haven't you?"

"That and among other reasons, I guess."

"Has he responded back about interviewing you yet?"

"No not yet. Guess an old man like him needs his rest."

"Well I'm sure he will soon. Remember to check again tomorrow to see if he has gotten in touch with you. Now besides that, dinner will be done soon. About ten or maybe fifteen minutes."

"Got it." I sit on the couch and watch some TV. Nothing interesting is on but I like to watch the news. I find it entertaining and informative to learn about my town and neighborhood. I even subscribe to their newsletter on my phone so I can stay up to date. I don't have a lot of interesting things to do in my life besides watching TV and occasionally browsing my phone. I don't have any hobbies or do any sports or anything. I guess I'm a pretty boring guy but if you ask me there is nothing wrong with being boring if you don't actually care about being boring. A little while after dinner, I get a response back from the old man whom I applied for a job under.

"Hello Ken. After looking at your application I would love to interview you in person tomorrow if that fits your schedule. I hope you have a good rest of your day!"

Pretty short message but if he is that old then not only can he most likely not be able to text that well, but he also probably doesn't even know how to work a phone that good in the first place. I responded back saying tomorrow works fine after school, which ends at three thirty. I didn't get a reply back; probably because he is sleeping. It is now six in the afternoon; after washing the few dishes and utensils in the sink, I decided to call it a day.

The next morning arrives, and I go about my usual morning routine and head to school. During my free period I decided to spend my time reading in the school library, the book being about the media and how easily it can be manipulated. It is probably one of the most uninteresting books ever written but to someone like me who enjoys general media, it's probably one of the most interesting books I have read in my life so far. Mid reading session I am interrupted by the school's librarian. "You actually like that stuff?" He asks me. He has short blonde hair, wears slightly blue tinted glasses to go with his soft blue colored eyes and also appears to be a bit shorter than me. "Yeah, I do. It may not be interesting to you, but it is to me. So, do you mind leaving me alone?" He puts on an apologetic face and speaks once again. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to insult you. I meant to say it in a way like 'you enjoy that stuff as well' not as in a way to ridicule your interests." As surprising as that is to hear, I don't really pay him much mind and instead just keep focusing on my book. He speaks again after realizing I wasn't going to say anything back at him. "So, if you don't mind me asking" Which I do. "Why are you interested in media? Looking to be a news reporter perhaps?" "Nope, nothing like that. I just like to watch and take notes of everything that's going on." "Really? Then me and you aren't so different after all!" Just then the bell rings and it is almost time for classes to start. "Ah shoot, classes are about to begin! Um, my names Junya, what's yours?" "Ken." Junya runs to the library entrance "Let's talk again soon, okay?!" He says as he leaves. "Guess I'm not the only odd person in this school after all." I say to myself before putting the book back and walking to class.

School ends for today and I make my way towards the old man's shop for the interview. After about 40 minutes of walking, I finally made it. The shop is on the sidewalk and looks as if it was originally made for a small bakery but instead had a secondhand shop makeover. As I go up its two steps and enter the shop through the front door, I am hit with a very dated and nostalgic feeling. The place is clean and polished, but you can tell it is overdue for a renovation. The wooden floor creaks with almost every step, the wallpaper looks as if it was made in the eighteen hundreds and although I can't really explain it, almost everything you touch in here feels like it was made a very long time ago. Even the smell of the store stands out. Kind of like entering a candy store when you were a kid and all the candy blended into one smell. There are about six of the same shelves against the left and right walls, all seem to be full of different kinds of things. Four of the shelves are on the right and two on the left. There is also a damn ice box in the left corner of the store next to the entrance filled with ice cream and popsicles and other frozen food, and on its right is a smaller shelf full of all kinds of snacks and such. In the back of the store is a counter on the left along with a cashier and stairs leading up to the second level. At the bottom of the stairs is a doorway with no door and all of a sudden, an old man emerges from the doorway itself. His hair is pretty short and seems to have lost its color. He stands slightly hunched over as if his back can no longer stay completely upright anymore and he wears thin glasses on his dark brown eyes. "Excuse me, my name is Ken and I'm here for an interview." The old man smiles before speaking. "I see. So, you're Ken then. How nice it is to meet you. Eh, if you don't mind, I'd like to get a good look at you my boy" "He begins to observe my body, holding his left hand up to his chin and his eyes half closed to help him focus. "Hmm you look good kid. Eh, real handsome too. I bet you get all the ladies at school ha-ha." "Uh thanks I guess and no, I prefer not to talk to anyone at school." "Prefer, or too scared to see how they treat you? I wonder…" He adds on to my statement. "Eh, doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you are perfect for the job. Now when do you think you can start?" "Wait, that's it? What about my interview?" I ask. He lets out a small chuckle before speaking again. "When I look at you, I see someone who wants to be not only a person, but a good person. That alone is a good enough reason to eh, let you work here ha-ha." "What does that even mean?" "Maybe one day, you'll find the answer to that yourself. One day." I decide to just ignore all that and decide that maybe he is just a little insane after having been alive this long "I…see." The old man smiles again before speaking. "Anyway eh, when do you think you can start? As you know already, I just need some help moving things around and putting them where they need to go." "Oh, uh any time after school and on the weekends if you need me here. If that's okay with you." "Yes, those times seem fine. I don't open shop until a little after three in the afternoon so it should fit your timetable perfectly. Can you come in tomorrow?" "Yeah." "Great! Then I'll see you tomorrow my boy." "I'll be seeing you. Goodbye." I leave the store and begin walking home, thinking about how that all went. Hinama is nice and pretty humble as well. I doubt I'll be as happy as him when I'm that old. It actually makes me wonder what makes him so happy. I don't think he is married or anything and his shop, as good as it sounds, only makes a decent amount of money so it is not like he is rich or either. "I wonder…" I ponder to myself. I made it back home and although it was only a ten-minute walk, my mom insisted I called her immediately after the interview and told her how it went, which I did. After she heard that I got the job she said she'd be making a special dinner tonight. I told her that was unnecessary, but she didn't listen and hung up the phone. And although I asked her not to, smelling the food from outside the house was refreshing.

"I'm home."