Chapter 03: Old Man

"My can is empty too. What should we do next, huh." The office lady beside me slowly stood up and began to stretch her arms upwards, letting out small groans. "Hey, I think your creepiness is now rubbing in me too."

"How can you say so?" I too, also followed suite and picked up the plastic bag containing the things I stole earlier.

"I also feel enlightened now, all thanks to you. Nothing holds me back to live anyways. My daughter is already dead. I don't have any more living relatives nor do I have any friends and I was fired a few hours ago. My world pretty much ended way before so I don't mind dying right now... Ahh... I'm starting to sound creepy like a certain lonely broke-ass someone."

"Don't look at me." I irritatedly retorted. "Anyways, wanna have a stroll?"

"Sure." She immediately agreed and started walking away from me.

Wait!

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Family, huh...

I wonder what my family is doing right now...

I bet they're all panicking or something. Just thinking about their silly faces makes me want to laugh...

"Where are we going anyways?" She asked. I forgot we're walking together because we've been silent for a while now.

"Uh, just moving around, I guess? I really don't know myself on where to go..."

I wonder what's the old man landlord is doing right now. Is he still frozen in shock? Is my curry already cold? I kinda wanna resume dinner now but I also want to relieve some stress by walking for a bit.

I feel kinda bad for ditching him during dinner though. I hope he doesn't take it personally ー!

"Hey, isn't that..." She suddenly stopped walking and looked towards the direction of the burning convenience store that the people raided a few hours ago.

Even from this distance, I recognized who the girl that was standing in front of the store. Talk about a convenient coincidence.

"Airi..." I muttered. "A... Airi! AIRI!!!" I then called out to the girl, confirming if she's really the landlord's daughter.

I ran towards her and it seemed that I startled her. "What?" She glared at us with hostility.

"Airi... So you're still alive, huh..."

"What are you saying, man? Of course, I'm still alive." Airi then puffed a smoke, looking like a delinquent and began squatting like a delinquent.

"Your father is worried about you, you know?... And your hair is blond with blue highlights now... Cool though." Yeah. In my surprise, she really looks cool in her delinquent style but I was also dumbfounded though. She really didn't look that before.

"Who cares about that old fart? He can just die or whatever for all I care. Also, go away. You're giving me the creeps." Ouch... But to be honest, Airi is like me.

I don't know why or how come he hated his father but I know that the hatred she's feeling right now is probably similar to mine in regards to my family. However, I won't let it slide that she told the landlord to die. My family who is just a bunch of shitheads and his father who is seriously concerned for her are different that's why I want to do something for the last time because this might be honestly our last time.

If I wouldn't be able to fix my relationship with my family then I wish I could at least fix that old man's connection with her daughter before I die. This is the best I can do for him

"Airi!" I exclaimed.

"What?!" She irritatedly asked back.

"Are you really okay with this?! Everyone will die im three days, you know!"

"W-Why are you getting mad, huh?!" Airi stood up and angrily grabbed the collar of my shirt. "Who cares about that old man! Who cares about your goddamn opinion! You're just an outsider, nothing but a parasite to the society! You can't even live by yourself... You're just mooching off some cash to that old geezer."

What she said is true...

I'm nothing but a parasite. However... "Aren't you the same?! Getting hooked up by many random guys, fucking here and there and using his father's wealth for drugs?! You're just like me! A human garbage" Also, I didn't mention it but she looked like she's about to cry. Well, she's a kid, alright. And she's shaking too. I felt sad for her...

"NO, I'M NOT!!! I will never be a trash like you! B-Besides, it's not my fault that I'm like this... Why are you siding with that old man anyways? You're just a homeless man who happened to be saved by him!"

"I owe him everything... It might not be an exaggeration if I told you that I literally owe him my life."

For some reason, Airi's eyes soften and then she slowly let go of me as she averted her glares from me.

"Why? He's just a worthless old man anyways..."

"Is he though?"

After I said the last line, silence followed us.

Looking around, this place felt deserted. It's void of life. Even the convenience store employee I met this morning was gone too. All that were left here were garbages from the annoying squabble earlier, empty shelves inside a burning store in ruins and us.

"It feels empty, isn't it?" I whispered under my breath as I stare at the nothingness of this place. "Airi."

"What?" She reluctantly replied.

"Are you happy?"

"Of course, I am. Knowing that everything can finally end, I feel happier than I have ever been."

"Even if you smile like that, you can't fool anyone. If you're really happy with your life, what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?"

"D-Does it matter?"

"It does... To be honest, you look happier two years ago. It's around the time I first lived in the apartment complex your old man owns. Do you still remember that?"

"Like I care."

Heh... Even if Airi doesn't remember it now, I still know it all well.

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . .

It was around a normal winter afternoon two years ago, outside on this very convenience store that I met her father.

I was about to sleep somewhere nearby that time when I saw the landlord exiting the store.

He noticed my presence and approached me. When he's coming near me, he started taking something on his pocket.

I thought he's trying to get his phone to call the police so I ran away. However, the landlord shouted, "Here!"

Of course, it made me stop and look back at him.

In my surprise, instead of his phone, he fetch his wallet and gave me 1,000 yen.

"O-Old man! I can't accept money this big..." I reluctantly got the bill.

"It's okay, it's okay. This is just a trivial amount. You can have it."

"Erm, uh, thank you..?" Is it really alright though?

He gently put the money in my palm and closed it.

"What are you doing here anyways? You're pretty young to be homeless, aren't you?" The landlord smiled at me for the first time and it's also the first time that someone didn't look at me with resentment in their eyes.

"Well, stuff happened so I ended up like this hehe..." This is awkward.

"Anyways, wanna have a quick chat on the park nearby? My daughter is about to come home from school anytime soon so I'm waiting for her. I brought our dinner along the way. Besides, going home and going to her school is kind of a hassle so I will rather wait here."

What a nice man... Ah, well. It's just a quick chat anyways so rather than sleeping on any cold places throughout the day like what I usually do, I would prefer talking to a random old man to kill time.

"How about your wife, sir? Wait, is it even alright for me to be talking with you? I'm just a nobody..." I said, trailing off my voice.

"She's in our house right now. Probably watching her favorite soap opera again hahaha. And it's alright kid. You're not a nobody."

"I-Is that so? Man, now I kinda wish watching it too. It's been a while since I watched something on TV."

The two of us started walking to the park he mentioned. We then both sat at the same bench.

"Here." The landlord threw me a can of coffee. "Drink it. It can make you warm yourself a bit."

"Thanks, sir..."

"No need to be reserved. Miyano is fine."

"Oh... Erm, thanks for this, Miyano-san." It's been days since I got a taste of a coffee. Ahh... This tastes good as always!

Miyano-san or should I say, the landlord/old man, started telling his stories like the old man he always is. He mentioned a lot of things like his daughter who turned out to be Airi, his wife and how they were a happy family and his life as a landlord. It was a fun conversation, really.

Just to be fair with him, I also told him about my life situations starting from me dropping out in high school up to how I ended in this place. Without realizing it, we became both comfortable associating with each other.

"You had it rough for a kid, huh..." That's all he managed to comment after hearing my side of things.

"Yeah, I guess." And personally, this was expected. It's all my fault that my life went downhill anyways so I really don't have anyone to blame if I lived a rough life myself.

Talking with him relieved me a lot of stress and made me feel at ease even for a bit, though.

We just met yet I felt that he's a very kind and loving person. His family must be very lucky to have him.

Up to this point, I'm still confused on why would he really stroke up a conversation with me on random like there's literally a lot of homeless people in the world. Maybe this is what they call "fated encounter", I guess?

"Oh, wait a minute." The old man suddenly felt excited as he took his phone. "My daughter's calling. Excuse me." So it was his daughter, huh.

Miyano-san distanced himself from me for a couple of minutes before returning. You can clearly see how happy he was by having a quick talk with her daughter, even over a phone.

"Sorry but I have to go now. My daughter is waiting for me. Nice having you company, boy! See you next time!" Old man Miyano said his farewell to me and walked away. He was waving his hand to me and so I was to him before he turned his back.

That was the nicest conversation I had in a while... Or that's how it was supposed to be.