Chapter 03

Michi had a football autographed by a famous footballer which Hiro didn't have and he wanted Michi's football but Michi refused to give it to him. Instead, he suggested that they played together but Hiro didn't know what it meant to share.

He had always had his own things. Even if he wanted something that belonged to his brother or sister, they would just give it to him and buy another one so Hiro was very confused when Michi said they could share.

Hiro didn't understand the concept of sharing. What was it and why should he do it? It would be easier if he just owned the ball. That way, he could play with it whenever and however he wanted.

He wanted the ball to be his and his alone and so, Hiro demanded it. Michi was surprised at how a person could blatantly demand something that wasn't theirs so he refused to play with Hiro and went home.

Hiro was very upset and reported this to his parents and his parents got him his own signed ball but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted Michi's ball. At the young age of 7, Hiro thought Michi's ball was cooler than his own because it was signed first so he wanted it. He even proposed that they exchange their balls but Michi refused, saying his father gave it to him so it was precious but Hiro was stubborn.

As a child, he was so used to getting what he wanted that if he didn't, he'd even go on a hunger strike and cry all day.

Being the precious last child of the Watanabe family, no one wanted to see him cry so they pampered and indulged him. They tried to make him understand that he couldn't just have another people's property but Hiro didn't understand at all. He was quite unreasonable.

Helpless, his parents invited the Aoyamas over for dinner and asked if Michi's ball could be sold to them at a very high price. The Aoyamas were a poor family and they needed money for Michi's education and their restaurant so they agreed to sell the ball.

Michi was angry and picked a fight with Hiro. The 7-year-old children threw punches and kicks at each other and ended up rolling on the floor, pulling at each other's hair and cheeks in anger.

They were separated by the parents who profusely apologised to each other and the Aoyamas took their son home. The next day, Michi's special ball was delivered to the Watanabe's doorstep.

That day, Hiro was happy but at the same time, he wasn't. He didn't know what to do with two balls.

Hiro had a lot of friends. Some genuinely liked to hang out with him while some liked him because of his money and influence.

If you want to be popular, just befriend Hiro. If you want people to come to your party, make sure Hiro goes too. If you wanted to win an election like being the president of the student body, make sure Hiro was on your side. If you want to get a girlfriend, just tell Hiro to say good things about you to any girl of your choice.

From a young age, Hiro was everything. Please Hiro and you please the entire Watanabe family.

As time went on, Hiro became bored. Even with two balls, he wasn't happy anymore and he didn't want to play alone. Every day, he would make his sister take him to the park to see Michi but Michi always refused to play with him.

One day, he asked his sister why and she explained everything to him. She asked him how he would feel if his favourite toy was sold to someone else. He felt scared and said he wouldn't like it and he cried from the mere thought. That day, Hiro finally understood how Michi felt the day his ball was sold.

Hiro threw a tantrum until his parents took him to the Aoyama's house and he returned the ball to Michi. He also apologised to both Michi and his parents. The Aoyamas wanted to return the money but the Watanabes refused to take it back and told the Aoyamas to accept it as a gift for letting their sons be friends.

Hiro and Michi then became best friends.

Unfortunately, as time went by, they drifted apart because Hiro gained admission to a prestigious school for the rich and Michi couldn't afford it. The Watanabes also moved to another neighbourhood and Hiro lost contact with Michi.

Years passed and the things Hiro's family did were discovered by the government. Their properties were seized. His parents were imprisoned and he and his siblings were left homeless.

That was when Hiro began to suffer.

Everyone he knew ran away from him. Everyone abandoned him and for the first time in his life, Hiro realised that he was all alone. One by one, the people he called his friends revealed their true colours and it dawned on him that none of them cared for him. They only cared for what he had. When he lost everything, they left too.

The only person who showed him kindness was Michi.

It was a cold night and Hiro had finished his first job which was to wash dishes in a restaurant. He used his first earnings to buy a lavish dinner for his brother and sister but on his way back, he was ambushed by some goons who snatched the food and beat him up.

Hiro experienced extreme physical and emotional pain for the first time in his life.

Physical from the beating and emotional from the food that was snatched away. It was then he understood what it felt like to work hard for something and have it taken away by people who did not deserve it.

Hiro was filled with deep sorrow that night. He kept wishing it was all one bad dream but it wasn't and he knew it.

Fortunately, Michi found him on the floor, nearly freezing to death and took him home. He warmed him up, treated his injuries and gave him food to eat.

For the first time in his life, Hiro experienced extreme fatigue, starvation and sweet kindness. He cried profusely and stuck to Michi like glue since that day.

That was how they became best friends once again.

Still, Hiro's life did not get better.

At first, Hiro's brother did everything for them, not wanting them to experience the harshness of the world. He did everything he could. He sold his cars, his clothes, his prized possessions, he sold everything but it wasn't enough. Hiro and his sister were high maintenance. Even if he told them to manage what they had, Hiro and his sister didn't know how. After all, they had never managed in their lives before. Money came in whenever their brother sold something but their brother could never make a living because no one wanted to associate themselves with him due to what their parents did.

Slowly, as months went by and the brother sold everything he had, Hiro came to know what it meant to be poor. What it meant to starve. What it meant to be cold during winter and how it felt to leave without an air conditioner during summer. He came to know what it meant to have nothing. To be nothing.

He experienced what it was like to be bullied, to be looked down upon, to be avoided, to be insulted and humiliated.

At first, he was headstrong and arrogant but as time went by, he learned to be humble. He learned to work hard and be diligent. He learned to manage and share. He became a hardworking man.

********

"I can't believe I got the job," Hiro told his sister excitedly. They went to the Facility first then went to visit his sister but Michi left first because his uncle needed him at the shop. "And it was so easy. They only asked my name and if I was healthy enough to work then told me to come back by 7 am tomorrow. Sister, I'm officially hired!"

He held his sister's white bony fingers, smiling happily. "And the pay is really good. We'll be able to afford better meals now."

Watanabe Saika smiled softly at her younger brother who continued chatting excitedly. He had grown so much. Ever since he came to know that she had cancer, he changed and became very responsible. Not once did he let her starve since that day.

She felt guilty for being sick. Guilty for putting her brothers into such a dilemma. Guilty for making her younger brother grow up too fast and work to feed her. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Hiro was their beloved baby brother. Someone they treated like gold. He used to be so chubby and cute. Now, he was thin and bony. He didn't look like the Hiro of 4 years ago. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Hiro noticed this and stopped talking, his excitement being replaced by concern. "Sister, are you okay? Does anywhere hurt? Should I call a nurse?"