A Place to Belong

Ren watched the events of his dream as if from the outside. A small boy in a middle school uniform walked holding hands with a girl in a too-big elementary school uniform who looked just like him. The wind blew their long black hair into their faces. The little boy scowled in annoyance while the little girl just laughed. She had a pink hair clip in her hair, more as a decoration than a functional tool, too weak to hold her thick hair. The identical freckles on their faces made it impossible not to see them as siblings.

"Brother, can we go to that cafe again where we went with Mom yesterday?"

The boy pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, whispering almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry, Reiko..."

The little girl couldn't have heard what he said, continuing with a big smile, "Maybe Mom would be happy again if we brought her some cake! Do you think if I ask Mom, she'll come to my school performance? Maybe I could invite our new dad, too! Hey, Ren, what do you thi—"

Little Ren clenched his hand so tightly his nails dug into his flesh, and fresh blood dripped from it. He grabbed his sister's shoulder and shook her. He desperately tried to find understanding in her eyes, but they were wide and blank, holding no comfort. Hot tears welled up in his eyes.

"Listen to me, Reiko!" he said, his voice cracking. "Miss Reiko, 'mom' doesn't want us. She's just using us to reel in a new man. We're just accidental mistakes! She doesn't have the slightest spark of love in her! Don't think of her as a mother! I'm the one who brings you food when you're sick, who picked you up from kindergarten, or who makes you bento!"

Reiko's eyes welled up with tears, and she started to cry loudly. No matter how much Ren tried to comfort her, she wouldn't stop. She crouched down and buried her face in her hands. People around them slowed down, but besides judgmental looks, they did nothing.

Reiko, taking advantage of the moment while her brother wasn't paying attention, jumped up and ran away. Ren ran after her, but after a while, he lost her. He skipped school and looked for her all day but couldn't find her.

Ren remembers going home that day. His sister was already in the house. Their mother—whom he never called "mother"—was already waiting at the door. Her hair was bleached, and only her roots showed her original hair color. Her strong freckles still showed through her makeup. Her mouth was painted red, and her clothes were flawless, expensive, designer brands. Without waiting for him to close the door, she slapped him. His weak body hit the door, and his face burned from the slap. He didn't cry. His mother hadn't been able to make him cry for a long time.

The memory of her hand on his cheek faded, giving way to another.

First year of high school. He worked at a restaurant after school as a cook. He used the money he earned to buy school supplies, his sister's medicine, and pay for the hospital. This salary wasn't enough for everything, so he often stole from his mother's wallet. He would wait until she lay passed out, the couch springs groaning under her weight, and he would reach into her purse, feeling for the crumpled bills. She always reeked of alcohol.

From the outside, the place seemed small and old, but inside it was cozy and tastefully decorated. Not many people knew about this business, but those who did came here every day, if for nothing else, for a conversation with the boss, who, with his son, prepared divine, delicious, warm meals. Ren stumbled in here by chance, but the boss was direct and kind to him. He offered him a warm meal for free, which made him cry for the first time in a long time. No one had ever been so kind to him. The man stayed with him, just smiling and patting his back while Ren cried into his ramen. Not long after, he offered Ren a job, which he accepted.

As his communication skills developed, he became more open, and he had a place where he enjoyed being. He often brought his sister here after school.

It was a Wednesday when he finished work late and started walking home. It was already warm, but he had sweated even more from cooking. He was wearing his school uniform; his hair was stuck to his sweaty face.

Before he went home, he stopped by a store to get a drink for himself. Upon entering, he was hit by a cool gust of air from the air conditioner. He was pleasantly lingering by the water bottles when he saw the same uniform in the other aisle, pacing back and forth.

Ren cautiously peeked over. At that very moment, she turned, and their gazes locked. She had small chocolates in her pockets, which she was trying to stuff even deeper. He turned on his heel, blushing, and headed for the cashier.

"Segawa, wait!"

He didn't wait. He put the water back and left with quick steps, the girl following him.

"Segawa—"

"I didn't see anything. If you want to steal, I won't tell anyone!" His voice was slightly raised. He didn’t want to get involved.

"What are you...?" She grabbed his wrist and didn't let go until he turned around. "I would never steal!"

"Then why were your pockets full of sweets?"

Miki Hoshikawa. Her parents owned a big tech company and several small businesses. The store was also theirs. They were in the same school, in the same year, but in different classes.

"So you ran away from home, but you got too hungry without money, so you went to your own store? Rich people have pretty big problems," he said sarcastically, which made the girl snap.

"You don't know anything about me! Do you think money can solve everything?"

Ren stood up, towering over the girl, and gritted his teeth.

"Yes! Money would solve 90% of my problems!"

Their bodies tensed against each other. Something unexplainable burned in their eyes, but there was something else in them, too. Loneliness, sorrow.

Miki's stomach rumbled, breaking the silence. Embarrassed, she put her hands on her face, turning her gaze away from the boy.

Ren sighed and picked up his bag. He took his key from his pocket and started walking alone. When the girl didn't follow him, he turned to her.

"Aren't you coming?"

He took her to the restaurant, whipped up a bowl of ramen, and paid for it himself by putting the money into the cash register.

Toya, the boy from his memory before, was his classmate in the second year of high school, who had just transferred there that year. Toya was objectively attractive, so lots of girls were around him, but the jealous boys didn't even look at him. He was a tall, half-Japanese man with dirty blonde hair that perfectly framed his oval face.

Ren was alone in the store on the weekend. He was humming to himself while making an omelet when the bell above the door chimed, and a gust of cool air hit his face.

"Welcome!" he called out, wiping his hands on his apron and turning to the counter.

A boy around his age stood there. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and, above that, an oversized red and black square shirt with blue jeans. Around his neck were multiple expensive-looking silver necklaces and matching rings on all of his fingers. He had a bewildered expression on his face, like he'd gotten lost in an unknown part of town. His gaze wandered around the small restaurant, amazed, then his eyes landed on Ren, and he grinned widely.

"Hey, I know you!" Ren tried to hide his face with his hand, but the new boy jumped around to get a better look at him. "Yeah, we're in the same class! You're Ren, right? I'm Toya."

Ren lowered his hand and ignored what he'd heard. He didn't come here to chat, especially not with people he knew from school.

"What can I get you? If you haven't decided, please look at the menu." He pushed a menu toward him, which Toya didn't even look at.

"It's incredible that you work here on the weekends! And that we happened to meet!"

Ren furrowed his brow as he tried to hold himself back. He finally continued with a forced smile. "Please leave if you're not going to order anything."

Toya eventually decided on a lemonade and katsudon, which he ate in silence while Ren washed dishes. The bell chimed again, and an adorable elderly couple entered, hand in hand. They came here often.

"Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki!" Ren wiped his hands and came out from behind the counter to greet them more closely. "How are you doing? Please, take a seat!" He pulled out a chair for the woman, who smiled and nodded at the boy.

Toya watched the events with boredom, stirring his drink with a straw. Ren behaved differently with the new customers than he did with him. His face flushed, and he chatted easily about small things. It made Toya jealous.

After that, Toya didn't give up on getting his first friend. During lunch break, he sat with the boy and Miki—even if they declined it—and he came into the restaurant several times to eat something and be with him, always with a persistent friendliness that Ren had never encountered before.

These two people made him feel, for the first time, like he wasn't alone in the world. They were the ones who invited him over, went to get his sister when he couldn't, and were just some of the most wonderful people he had ever met.