Hey Ryuusei. How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“I see, so you’re three years older than me.”
Akane’s really attached to me.
After that day, the old men started to treat me quite harshly. Because of that it made my work harder. I was expecting my lunch time to be the time I can at least relax myself, but Akane kept being an annoyance to me so it was tiring instead.
“Hey Ryuusei. When’s your birthday?”
“Christmas.”
“I see, so you’re really three years older than me.”
Akane would stick close to my shoulder and kept talking without a pause even though the weather’s hot.
“Hey Ryuusei. What’s your bloodtype?”
“Don’t know.”
“Ehー, you don’t know that?”
And now she rests her head on my shoulder.
“Stop it already, it’s really hot.”
“It’s fine isn’t itー, you and me are friends aren’t we?”
“Don’t know. You’re annoying so stay away.”
“Don’t be so shy〜”
“I’m going to pour this juice on your head if you don’t stop you kid.”
“We’re going to play with water now? Okay sure, let’s do it〜!”
And now Akane links her arm with mine before raising it up, swinging it back and forth. I tried my best to hold the plastic bottle with my free right hand without crushing it, I’m seriously considering really pouring the juice over her head.
And so, this is why she’s so attached to me so badly that I felt fed up. Perhaps if she’s about the size of a cat then I can torelate it, but Akane’s much bigger than me.
And of course, the only change that happened isn’t only with Akane.
“Yo you damn kid. Today’s hot as well isn’t it!”
And no I’m not talking about the weather.
“I guess. Seems like this year’s summer is going to be long.”
“You’re really not polite aren’t you!”
The way the old men treated me start to become more and more annyoing. They’re still strict about work, but when it’s not time for that they’re always like this.
It’s really annoying to me honestly, but I never asked them to stop treating me like that though. Perhaps it’s just me subconsciously wanting it to be that way but myself at that time isn’t aware of it. This warmth feeling of family-like bonds felt kinda great.
Which is also why I understood the reason why Akane is so attached to me. According to her, her father passed away five years ago. What that means is, Akane at that time is just seven years old. Losing both of her parents at such a young age, she had nowhere to directed her desire to be pampered to, that is until I appeared in her life.
“Hey Ryuusei. Where do you live?”
Time flows again, and winter has come.
And Akane is still very much attached to me.
“I won’t tell you. You didn’t even tell me where you live.”
“Me? I live over there.”
Following Akane’s line of sight, I saw a small room that’s clearly a storage room.
“You meant that small room over there? For real?”
“Yeah, you play in there next time?”
“Nah I’d rather not.”
Although I understand the circumstances behind this factory but the darkness behind this factory is really deep. It’s just insale to let a kid like her live alone in a room like that.
“How long have you lived there?”
“About two years. I lived in my dad’s house before that though, but now I feel like I don’t want to leave the factory so……”
“I see.”
I paused a bit, finding the right words before speaking.
“Where’s the bathroom and stuff though?”
“I used nearby public bathhouse.”
“You sure had a lot of money.”
“Is that so? It’s only four hundred yen a time though?”
“So it’s about 150,000 yen a year huh, not as much as I thought it’d be.”
“I goes there twice a day so that’s only half of it.”
“You stinks.”
“I’m not stinkyー!”
Akane pulls my cheek in protest.
She then sniffs me and,
“Ryuusei you’re way more stinky than me.”
“Shut up, I stinked because I worked.”
“Yaーi, you’re angryー”
Slightly annoyed, I slapped the hand that was pulling on my cheek away. Akane laughed as she’s having fun.
It was around this time that I started to think.
To me, who exactly is Akane?
If it’s those old men then my relationship with them is simple, we’re just co-workers.
And those guys that I hang around with from my junior high is what I called friends.
But Akane is neither of those.
I thought that I was talking with just a child, however when I really think about it I’ve been treating her as a person of the same age as me.
I felt like my relationship with her is similar to something, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
And then I rememered the girl I met when I was in elementary school.
I felt like Akane is very similar to her.
That reminded me, at the last moment that guy said to me that we’re friends.
Then, does that mean me and Akane are friends?
“Hey Akane.”
“Oh, what’s up?”
One day, I asked Akane this question.
“Are we friends?”
“Of course we are, what are you even talking about?”
Akane answered so, as if it’s a natural answer.
“I see…… no, it’s nothing.”
“Ryuusei you weird. Did you hit your head?”
“Yeah maybe.”
Friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S.
It’s such a mysterious word.
Back in my junior high school days, there’s a delinquent in my class who would always takes other people’s stuff but then would say something like “We’re friends aren’t we?” to justify his action. And the guy I always hang out with would always reply him with “Yeah right we’re friends!”
And the girl who taught me the joy of interacting with other people also called me her “friend” as well.
Even Akane described our relationship as “friends”.
But all of them are different. Not a single one of them is similar to one another.
And yet, they’re called friends.
Then conversely, what is the special relationship that’s different from friends called.
……Is it, family?
If that’s the case then, no matter how much I think about this I’ll never come to an understanding.
Ever since I was told that she wished she had never given birth to me, I never talked to them ever again.
That’s my impression of my parents inside my heart.
My friends in junior high recognized it as a heroic story.
The old men at the factory treated it as just a joke.
As for Akane――
“Hey Ryuusei. What’s your mom and dad are like?”
One day, she asked me this question.
“I don’t know.”
“Ehー, just tell meー. Who do you resemble more Ryuusei? Your mom or your dad?”
Turning my head to Akane who’s still very much attached to me as usual, I sighed while replying back with my go-to answer.
“Ever since she told me she wished she had never given birth to me, I never talked to them ever again.”
Anytime a question about my family is brought up, this phrase will usually end the conversation.
Which is why I thought it’ll also be the same this time as well.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!!”
Someone shouted.
Well, that someone is Akane actually.
“What the hell is that!? No way that’s the case!!”
This is the first time I ever saw Akane being this angry.
Even though this is something totally unrelated to Akane, but her face is bright red, even her tears are starting to well up.
“Akane?”
Taken aback, I called her name out and then she pulled my shoulders rashly. I was pulled to Akane’s chest just like that, being hugged tightly.
“……That’s just the worst. They’re unforgivable. Isn’t that just too selfish.”
I can tell that the hands that are hugging me are trembling.
“Ryuusei you too, don’t say such a lonely thing so plainly like that……”
Since this is just so sudden, my head went completely blank. Along with that, I could feel my body trembling coupled with this numbness that went through my entire body.
“Akane, calm down.”
Surprisingly, I could let out a voice calmer than I thought it’d be.
“Please let me go, it hurts.”
“……Sorry.”
The first thing I saw after she let me go is Akane’s face that’s full of tears.
Her expression tense, her mouth slightly trembling.
“It’s whatever, I don’t really care much about it. It’s their freedom to think whatever they wanted to think.”
Intending to end this conversation with this, I said it out.
“No that’s not true.”
However Akane isn’t convinced.
With a face as sad as when she talked about the number of people in the factory was reducing, Akane continued.
“……The people children can rely on is only their parent isn’t it. No matter how hard children try to do things, if the adults doesn’t give them support then they can’t do anything. And yet, your parents said something like that to you…… that’s just cruel.”
What Akane said is right. Surely anyone with the same common sense would think the same way. The old men at the factory must’ve thought the same as well, but didn’t dare to say it out. No, it’s that they couldn’t say it rather.
And now the reason she could said that out because it’s her.
Losing both her parents at a young age, she couldn’t do anything on her own. So instead, the adults around her helped her. Which might be the reason why Akane understood just how important the existence called parents are to children, so much so that it pains her.
I guess that’s why she truly feels angry and sad when she heard what I said. She couldn’t keep her calm when she saw me talking about it like it was not a big deal.
Me at that time understood this as a feeling.
And surely, from this point on, Akane has become a special existence to me.
I truly thought that if it’s for her sake I can even throw my life away for that.
No matter how many years passed I’ll never forget her ever, she has become my precious friend.
One year passed, the second year goes by.
Just a little bit more and I’ll be eighteen.
The number of people in the factory start to increase, some long-forgotten machines that hadn’t been in use for years started to begin their new life again.
Now Akane’s fifteen, but she’s still attached to me like a kid as usual. There’s a slight change in height, and now I’m a little taller than Akane.
We’ll make this factory the best in Japan.
That’s Akane dream, and it has also become my dream as well.
At first I thought I was going to work at this factory just for a few months. But now that I’ve worked here for so long I feel attached to this place, and now I didn’t want to leave this factory anytime soon.
And then one day, we’ve had a rare visitor.
A tall man with a gentle smile, clad in black outfit.
He who suddenly appeared said this to us.
“I’m here to acquire this land of yours. Do cease all the operations within this facilty and sign on this document please.”
Under his mask of gentle smile, no one here had yet to realize that there’s something horrible hiding underneath it.
Hey Ryuusei. How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“I see, so you’re three years older than me.”
Akane’s really attached to me.
After that day, the old men started to treat me quite harshly. Because of that it made my work harder. I was expecting my lunch time to be the time I can at least relax myself, but Akane kept being an annoyance to me so it was tiring instead.
“Hey Ryuusei. When’s your birthday?”
“Christmas.”
“I see, so you’re really three years older than me.”
Akane would stick close to my shoulder and kept talking without a pause even though the weather’s hot.
“Hey Ryuusei. What’s your bloodtype?”
“Don’t know.”
“Ehー, you don’t know that?”
And now she rests her head on my shoulder.
“Stop it already, it’s really hot.”
“It’s fine isn’t itー, you and me are friends aren’t we?”
“Don’t know. You’re annoying so stay away.”
“Don’t be so shy〜”
“I’m going to pour this juice on your head if you don’t stop you kid.”
“We’re going to play with water now? Okay sure, let’s do it〜!”
And now Akane links her arm with mine before raising it up, swinging it back and forth. I tried my best to hold the plastic bottle with my free right hand without crushing it, I’m seriously considering really pouring the juice over her head.
And so, this is why she’s so attached to me so badly that I felt fed up. Perhaps if she’s about the size of a cat then I can torelate it, but Akane’s much bigger than me.
And of course, the only change that happened isn’t only with Akane.
“Yo you damn kid. Today’s hot as well isn’t it!”
And no I’m not talking about the weather.
“I guess. Seems like this year’s summer is going to be long.”
“You’re really not polite aren’t you!”
The way the old men treated me start to become more and more annyoing. They’re still strict about work, but when it’s not time for that they’re always like this.
It’s really annoying to me honestly, but I never asked them to stop treating me like that though. Perhaps it’s just me subconsciously wanting it to be that way but myself at that time isn’t aware of it. This warmth feeling of family-like bonds felt kinda great.
Which is also why I understood the reason why Akane is so attached to me. According to her, her father passed away five years ago. What that means is, Akane at that time is just seven years old. Losing both of her parents at such a young age, she had nowhere to directed her desire to be pampered to, that is until I appeared in her life.
“Hey Ryuusei. Where do you live?”
Time flows again, and winter has come.
And Akane is still very much attached to me.
“I won’t tell you. You didn’t even tell me where you live.”
“Me? I live over there.”
Following Akane’s line of sight, I saw a small room that’s clearly a storage room.
“You meant that small room over there? For real?”
“Yeah, you play in there next time?”
“Nah I’d rather not.”
Although I understand the circumstances behind this factory but the darkness behind this factory is really deep. It’s just insale to let a kid like her live alone in a room like that.
“How long have you lived there?”
“About two years. I lived in my dad’s house before that though, but now I feel like I don’t want to leave the factory so……”
“I see.”
I paused a bit, finding the right words before speaking.
“Where’s the bathroom and stuff though?”
“I used nearby public bathhouse.”
“You sure had a lot of money.”
“Is that so? It’s only four hundred yen a time though?”
“So it’s about 150,000 yen a year huh, not as much as I thought it’d be.”
“I goes there twice a day so that’s only half of it.”
“You stinks.”
“I’m not stinkyー!”
Akane pulls my cheek in protest.
She then sniffs me and,
“Ryuusei you’re way more stinky than me.”
“Shut up, I stinked because I worked.”
“Yaーi, you’re angryー”
Slightly annoyed, I slapped the hand that was pulling on my cheek away. Akane laughed as she’s having fun.
It was around this time that I started to think.
To me, who exactly is Akane?
If it’s those old men then my relationship with them is simple, we’re just co-workers.
And those guys that I hang around with from my junior high is what I called friends.
But Akane is neither of those.
I thought that I was talking with just a child, however when I really think about it I’ve been treating her as a person of the same age as me.
I felt like my relationship with her is similar to something, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
And then I rememered the girl I met when I was in elementary school.
I felt like Akane is very similar to her.
That reminded me, at the last moment that guy said to me that we’re friends.
Then, does that mean me and Akane are friends?
“Hey Akane.”
“Oh, what’s up?”
One day, I asked Akane this question.
“Are we friends?”
“Of course we are, what are you even talking about?”
Akane answered so, as if it’s a natural answer.
“I see…… no, it’s nothing.”
“Ryuusei you weird. Did you hit your head?”
“Yeah maybe.”
Friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S.
It’s such a mysterious word.
Back in my junior high school days, there’s a delinquent in my class who would always takes other people’s stuff but then would say something like “We’re friends aren’t we?” to justify his action. And the guy I always hang out with would always reply him with “Yeah right we’re friends!”
And the girl who taught me the joy of interacting with other people also called me her “friend” as well.
Even Akane described our relationship as “friends”.
But all of them are different. Not a single one of them is similar to one another.
And yet, they’re called friends.
Then conversely, what is the special relationship that’s different from friends called.
……Is it, family?
If that’s the case then, no matter how much I think about this I’ll never come to an understanding.
Ever since I was told that she wished she had never given birth to me, I never talked to them ever again.
That’s my impression of my parents inside my heart.
My friends in junior high recognized it as a heroic story.
The old men at the factory treated it as just a joke.
As for Akane――
“Hey Ryuusei. What’s your mom and dad are like?”
One day, she asked me this question.
“I don’t know.”
“Ehー, just tell meー. Who do you resemble more Ryuusei? Your mom or your dad?”
Turning my head to Akane who’s still very much attached to me as usual, I sighed while replying back with my go-to answer.
“Ever since she told me she wished she had never given birth to me, I never talked to them ever again.”
Anytime a question about my family is brought up, this phrase will usually end the conversation.
Which is why I thought it’ll also be the same this time as well.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!!”
Someone shouted.
Well, that someone is Akane actually.
“What the hell is that!? No way that’s the case!!”
This is the first time I ever saw Akane being this angry.
Even though this is something totally unrelated to Akane, but her face is bright red, even her tears are starting to well up.
“Akane?”
Taken aback, I called her name out and then she pulled my shoulders rashly. I was pulled to Akane’s chest just like that, being hugged tightly.
“……That’s just the worst. They’re unforgivable. Isn’t that just too selfish.”
I can tell that the hands that are hugging me are trembling.
“Ryuusei you too, don’t say such a lonely thing so plainly like that……”
Since this is just so sudden, my head went completely blank. Along with that, I could feel my body trembling coupled with this numbness that went through my entire body.
“Akane, calm down.”
Surprisingly, I could let out a voice calmer than I thought it’d be.
“Please let me go, it hurts.”
“……Sorry.”
The first thing I saw after she let me go is Akane’s face that’s full of tears.
Her expression tense, her mouth slightly trembling.
“It’s whatever, I don’t really care much about it. It’s their freedom to think whatever they wanted to think.”
Intending to end this conversation with this, I said it out.
“No that’s not true.”
However Akane isn’t convinced.
With a face as sad as when she talked about the number of people in the factory was reducing, Akane continued.
“……The people children can rely on is only their parent isn’t it. No matter how hard children try to do things, if the adults doesn’t give them support then they can’t do anything. And yet, your parents said something like that to you…… that’s just cruel.”
What Akane said is right. Surely anyone with the same common sense would think the same way. The old men at the factory must’ve thought the same as well, but didn’t dare to say it out. No, it’s that they couldn’t say it rather.
And now the reason she could said that out because it’s her.
Losing both her parents at a young age, she couldn’t do anything on her own. So instead, the adults around her helped her. Which might be the reason why Akane understood just how important the existence called parents are to children, so much so that it pains her.
I guess that’s why she truly feels angry and sad when she heard what I said. She couldn’t keep her calm when she saw me talking about it like it was not a big deal.
Me at that time understood this as a feeling.
And surely, from this point on, Akane has become a special existence to me.
I truly thought that if it’s for her sake I can even throw my life away for that.
No matter how many years passed I’ll never forget her ever, she has become my precious friend.
One year passed, the second year goes by.
Just a little bit more and I’ll be eighteen.
The number of people in the factory start to increase, some long-forgotten machines that hadn’t been in use for years started to begin their new life again.
Now Akane’s fifteen, but she’s still attached to me like a kid as usual. There’s a slight change in height, and now I’m a little taller than Akane.
We’ll make this factory the best in Japan.
That’s Akane dream, and it has also become my dream as well.
At first I thought I was going to work at this factory just for a few months. But now that I’ve worked here for so long I feel attached to this place, and now I didn’t want to leave this factory anytime soon.
And then one day, we’ve had a rare visitor.
A tall man with a gentle smile, clad in black outfit.
He who suddenly appeared said this to us.
“I’m here to acquire this land of yours. Do cease all the operations within this facilty and sign on this document please.”
Under his mask of gentle smile, no one here had yet to realize that there’s something horrible hiding underneath it.
