A Dog, a Dream and a Wasted Life

The hum of the airplane engines filled the silence between us.

I stared out the window, watching as the last traces of the country I once called home disappeared into the clouds.

For so many years, I had dreamed of leaving this place behind, starting fresh. I knew I wasn’t alone in that wish—so many people wanted a new beginning but never had the chance. And yet, now that I was finally doing it, I expected to feel something—sadness, nostalgia, maybe even fear.

But all I felt was relief.

I had nothing left to go back to.

Ayumi stretched in her seat beside me. “Man, I swear these long flights feel like they go on forever. And the movies they play on planes are always the worst.”

I chuckled softly. “Yeah… but I don’t mind. It gives me time to think.”

She turned toward me, tilting her head. “Oh? And what’s going through that head of yours, Yuuto?”

I hesitated. It wasn’t something I usually talked about, but maybe it was easier when speaking to a stranger I’d probably never see again.

“Just… my life, I guess.”

“That’s vague.” She smirked. “Was it a good or bad one?”

I sighed, leaning back against my seat. “I guess you would call it a bad one. I know there are people who have had it worse, but… I’ve been alone for a long time. My family never wanted me. My mom hated me because of my dad, and my dad treated me like I was worthless and always would be.”

Ayumi’s playful expression faded.

“I spent most of my life walking on eggshells. Every step I took, I had to be careful. If I said or did the wrong thing, if I was too present, if I even existed too loudly—it would just give them another reason to hate me.”

My grip tightened around Luffy’s leash as he slept peacefully on my lap.

“One day, they just… threw my stuff out onto the street. Me and Luffy. No warning, no second chances. Just like that, I was homeless.”

Ayumi’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

“At first, I tried to make it work. I figured, ‘Hey, at least I’m free now, right?’ But freedom doesn’t mean much when you have nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat. There were nights when I had to steal just to get by. Not because I wanted to, but because it was either that or starve.”

Ayumi stayed quiet, but I could feel the weight of her attention.

“And, you know, after a while, you start to think… maybe it would be easier to just end it.”

Her fingers twitched slightly, but still, she didn’t interrupt.

“But every time I got close to giving up, I looked at Luffy.”

I ran a hand through his fur, feeling his soft, steady breaths beneath my palm.

“No matter how bad things got, he was always there. Even when we were sleeping in my car, even when I had nothing to eat, even when I felt like I was the most worthless person on Earth—he never saw me that way. To him, I wasn’t a failure. I was just… his person.”

My voice cracked slightly, but I swallowed it down.

“I think, if he wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Ayumi exhaled slowly. “Yuuto…”

I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “Sorry, that got way too depressing.”

“No, don’t apologize.”

Her voice was softer than before.

“You’ve been through hell, but hearing all of this… I think it’s time you let it go. You deserve some peace of mind. You can’t be a prisoner to your past for the rest of your life. You’ve already been through the hardships—might as well make them count.”

I froze.

The words hit deeper than I expected.

“Yeah, well, hell kinda loses its sting after a while. But… you’re right. I’m tired of it. I don’t want to hold on to what happened anymore. I deserve some peace. A fresh start. Even if I only have a year… me and Luffy deserve that time to ourselves.”

She was quiet for a moment, then suddenly smirked. “You’re still on about that end-of-the-world garbage? I’m telling you to let go of the past, not give up entirely. But I do have one question—why Japan? Why now?”

I hesitated, but there was no point in hiding it.

“I wanted to be a mangaka.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait, seriously?”

I nodded. “Manga was the only thing that ever really made sense to me. It was my escape. My way of creating a world where people like me actually mattered. I spent years working toward it, entering competitions, trying to prove I was good enough.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“But I wasn’t.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I failed. Over and over. My stories weren’t good enough, my art wasn’t good enough. Even before the world started ending, my dream was already dying. The last bit of hope I had left was to at least see the place where I had always dreamed of making that dream come true. And… I wanted to see the cherry blossoms.”

I let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.

“It’s funny, really. I spent my whole life fighting for something, only for the universe to take it away before I even had the chance to make it real.”

I paused for a moment.

“But not everyone treated me like I didn’t belong. My sister… she helped me a lot.”

Ayumi blinked, surprised. “You have a sister?”

I nodded. “Yeah. She was the only one who really looked out for me. When I had nowhere to go, she let me sleep at her place. She made sure I had food, even when I had nothing. I don’t think I ever really told her how much that meant to me.”

A small, sad smile tugged at my lips.

“She’s the only family I had left that ever truly cared. I hope… I see her again someday.”

Ayumi didn’t say anything for a moment, just watching me carefully.

“You will.”

I turned toward her.

“You made it here, didn’t you? You said it yourself—you’ve been through hell, but you’re still here. And if you still have time, you still have a chance. Maybe to see your sister again. Maybe to finish what you started.”

She smirked. *“Besides, you’ve already got your first One Piece fan in Japan. That’s gotta count for something, right? Oh, and did you forget? I’m a mangaka too—so why don’t you work for me as my assistant?”

I stared at her for a moment before a small chuckle escaped me.

“Wait, assistant? Are you kidding? That would be amazing.”

Luffy stirred slightly, curling up against my chest. I ran my fingers through his fur, my mind quieter than it had been in years.

For the first time in a long, long time…

I wanted to try again.