Another's Perspective-
I was a bit worried about how this morning would turn out, especially after what happened after returning back from the mall. I did take some antibiotics with some water last night, but that was as close as I could get for food... Even now as I'm waking up, my stomach churns in pain, almost as if someone is inside me desperately trying to break free. Meanwhile, looking up from my bed, I can see that the man is busy at his desk, snacking on some more potato chips which left my stomach in an even worse state than before. I guess I should go out and look for a job then...
Thinking so, I do my best to clean myself in the bathroom. There is a shower, but with Kanon applying that ointment and dressing on my arm, I honestly don't want to get it too wet, so I opt to just wash my face and other places on my body with a hand towel. However, looking at my face in the mirror, the right side of my face is still quite messed up from last night. I wonder if any employer would even want to hire someone like me when I look like this... Even makeup would barely do much to this...
Nevertheless, I do get out my makeup from my box of things before touching up my face, just to try and get the color somewhat back to normal. I'm not that skilled so I'm not too sure if it's even possible to hide the swelling. Anyways, this should work out for now.
I don't say anything to the man as I leave the apartment with my bag of things. This time, I've chosen to keep my most important things on me like my family pictures, the bunny plushie, the scarf and also the piece of paper that Kanon gave me. I really don't want to leave them behind knowing that that man can just suddenly trash my things if he pleases.
"Still... What am I even meant to do?"
People don't hire minors it seems... My phone and my money got robbed by those thugs... And what's the cherry on top is that now I'm being starved... A part of me does think that maybe he'll turn around and feed me when it comes down to it, but I guess that's just me being hopeful. Right now, I need to figure out how to make some money.
But even as I go around the street, visiting a few stores, I end up with the same response as yesterday, only this time they all seem to be looking at me weirdly. I guess I am "meant" to be in school, but it also could be because of my face. Not wanting to waste time after being denied, I leave the store before walking along the street to find the next one.
"Hey."
Suddenly, I hear a man speaking from behind me as I quickly turn around. He seems to be wearing a suit along with some glasses that hides his eyes. Is he a kind of business man?
"I hear you were looking for a job?"
Did he hear what happened just before? I'm not sure how I feel about being stalked like this, but-
"Yes."
I nod my head at the man.
"Well if you're interested, here's my card."
He calmly pulls out a card before offering it to me. I hesitate for moment but I end up grabbing it anyways out of curiosity.
"I have a few spots open at the moment so if you're interested just give that number a call."
Looking at the card, it reads "Purple Palace." There's not much details on the card besides the phone number like the man said, not to mention how decorated the card is. It definitely feels "girly" in my opinion. But seriously… How am I even meant to call this number anyways?
"Uhm, what exactly is this job-?"
But as I look up to ask the question, the man had disappeared among the crowd. What the hell was that about? Is he trying to be my savior or something? That said, I feel as though that this might be my best shot so far at getting a job. I'd love to call the number, but I'd need to find a phone somewhere. I wonder if someone around here could lend me theirs?
"Excuse me- ah, excuse me, sir? Could I-"
"...E-excuse me, could I borrow your-"
However, no matter how many times I ask the people passing by, they all seem to just ignore me, not batting a second eye at me, almost like they're disgusted the moment they look at me, refusing to spare me a single moment.
"Hahh~"
Defeated, I collapse onto the ground, resting my back against one of the walls just outside another store. In that moment, my stomach churns once more as I clenched my arm around my stomach to try and block out the pain. I really shouldn't have sat down like this, but I really need a break right now. Even now, my knees feel far too weak to try and stand back up.
"Hmm? Huh?!"
Suddenly, someone comes out of the store I'm resting next to as I turn to face them. I quickly recognize that it's Kanon's father who helps run that cat cafe.
"Reina, was it?"
I wave of relief washes over me upon hearing someone talk to me. I try to stand back up, forcing my knees to straighten out, but in turn I lose a bit of my balance as I end up leaning up against the wall.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fi-"
Catching myself from wanting to lie, I drop my head down to the ground, trying to steady myself.
"What are you doing out here? You should be at school."
"...I know."
"Where's that man, your guardian?"
Do I just tell him? I'm already this deep so I may as well, right?
"...He's at home working."
"...Excuse me."
He says in a more gentler voice as he brings his hand under my chin before gently trying to encourage me to look his way, however I quickly realize that he's actually trying to get a better look at the right side of my face before he quickly retracts his hand.
"Wh-what happened?"
"...I slipped."
I wanted to tell the truth again, but I really don't want to get these people involved. I can tell they're friendly people who care about others, even if this man's appearance is quite intimidating.
"Well try to be careful. It's due to rain soon so don't stay out too much-"
His voice cuts short upon hearing my stomach grumble once more as I clench onto my stomach again. I thought that maybe only I could hear it but I guess not.
"Hey. Would you like to join us for some lunch?"
"It's fine. I'm-"
But again, my stomach grumbles and churns in defiance to my words. Sure food will help, but I really don't want to be in dept to these people than I already am. Plus it's not like this will fix this issue long term. I don't want to be a parasite leeching off of others...
"It's alright. You never got to try out our food the other day, remember?"
"But-"
"Trust me, it's alright. My daughter's actually been a bit worried about you as well, so it'd be nice for her to have some peace of mind."
Kanon is worried about me? Is that because I never called her?
"...Okay."
"Heh. Then shall we get going?"
"Yeah..."
We begin walking back in the direction of the mall. The man actually ends up going a different path I took before which looks to have saved us a bit of time.
"So... Kanon is all alone at the cafe?"
"Nn! She's quite the worker haha. She takes after her mother."
"Where is she?"
"Oh, she works at a different job part-time while keeping our house all together."
For a second I thought that maybe Kanon's mother was also no longer here. I honestly feel a bit jealous...
"...So then, what were you doing out here?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just picking up some cat food. I was meant to do it this morning, but I completely forgot about it."
I'm starting to get an idea of the family dynamic even with this little talk. I'm sure Kanon and her mother ends up picking up what he ends up forgetting.
"Are the cats yours?"
"A couple of them, yes. The rest actually come from a shelter that my wife runs."
"I see."
"Heh. You like cats, Reina?"
"I've never had one before, but I don't hate them."
Growing up, our parents never got any pets, although my brother did often ask about getting a dog. I like to think about what would've happened if we all could've continued being together, maybe my brother could've gotten his wish.
"Hah..."
I miss them.
"You okay?"
"I'm okay. I was just thinking what it would be like owning a pet. My brother used to want one when we were growing up."
"It's a lot of work, sometimes even harder than raising a child. But my wife would probably think otherwise, haha. Oh! But you have siblings? Do they also live with you?"
"...No."
This change in the conversation has gotten a bit unnerving, but I try to keep myself calm as I continue walking beside him.
"Does he also have white hair like you?"
"No. Just my sis-"
My words make a sudden stop in my throat as I felt my heart stop for a moment, causing my feet to stop in place as well.
"Reina?"
The man notices, but it's too late. Even now I feel the tears begin to build up in my eyes. I try to wipe them before they can spill but I'm suddenly assaulted by the stinging pain from my right eye which only added to the tears as I find myself crying from the pain in both my face and heart.
"H-hey. It's okay! Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
The man gets down to my level, and right as he does so, I immediately move forward, clinging onto him as I press my face into his shirt, letting my tears flow by themselves as I try to stifle my cries.
"Hey hey~ It's okay. You're okay."
No I'm not. I'm all alone here. I don't know where my sis is, let alone my brother; my last remaining family... I'm stuck in that fucking apartment with that man who takes out his anger on me. I can't bring myself to say any of this to this man here though as my tears continue to fall.
"...S-sorry."
However, I manage to apologize in between my cries.
"What do you mean?"
"For- getting your shirt dirty..."
"Pfft ahaha. Don't mind that. I have plenty other shirts back home. Just let out everything you need."
His voice is so gentle... And his warmth... I find myself clinging onto him just a bit tighter as I let my last remaining tears flow out into his shirt.
"Feeling better?"
"...Nn."
"Good."
He gently pulls me away before smiling at me.
"I'm sorry. I promise I won't pry anymore."
"It's okay... I was just overreacting."
"It's not good to bottle up your emotions you know? But we're nearly there, so you think you can walk for a bit longer?"
"Yeah..."
"Good. Then prepare your stomach. I'll let you have anything on the menu. What would you like?"
It's honestly scary how different people can be. From my guardian to the thugs that robbed me, to this man... The city sure is a scary place. A small part of me questions how nice this man really is, but right now, my hunger is taking control of my body as I continue to follow him to the mall.
However, when we arrived inside the cafe-
"Reina!"
Kanon, still dressed in uniform, flung herself towards me as she quickly began inspecting me, quickly noticing my injuries on the right side of my face.
"What happened?!"
"..."
But unlike when I lied to her father, I couldn't bring myself to do the same to Kanon for some reason, leaving me in silence as I teeter between lying or telling the truth.
"...Father."
"Nn! On it."
And just like yesterday, Kanon took me in the back, away from the customers inside.
I really wish I didn't need to, but I just can't seem to figure out a better way out of this...
"So... What happened?"
"..."
Again, I fall silent despite that we're the only ones in this room.
"...Did 'he' do this to you?"
Her words cause my body to stiffen in disbelief along with her gently applying a cold compress to the right side of my face. I guess she did see a part of what happened yesterday when I was here, but how could she narrow the cause of this like that?
"He did, didn't he?"
"...Yes."
Confronted with her pinpointing the truth like that, I simply nod my head.
"Why didn't you call me?"
"I... don't have a phone at the moment."
"He won't let you have one?"
"No. I was robbed recently, so-"
"Robbed?!"
Oh... I wasn't actually planning on bringing that up, but it just came naturally, slipping out of my mouth at her question, like my dam of lies come pouring through the cracks from finally telling her the truth.
"Yeah..."
"Then... your cut."
"That was during that time... yeah."
She likely thought that my guardian did that to me if I didn't clarify just now.
"Could you hold this like this for a little? Don't press too hard."
"Mhmm."
I do as she says as I take over the ice pack that she had placed on my face. The coldness quickly spread throughout my hand, but it's not too uncomfortable. Kanon meanwhile goes to check on my arm, gently unraveling the bandage before removing the dressing.
"Well, the bleeding has subsided, but you're arm is still at a risk of infection. You're taking the antibiotics?"
"Mhmm. I took them this morning."
"Do you have them with you?"
"Mhmm."
I have also brought them in my bag as I have no idea what that man would do to them if I just left them. I know I might just be thinking of the worst case scenario, but I feel as though I need to be prepared for things like that now. I'm all alone as far as I'm aware.
"Then I'll go get you some-"
"Tadaa~"
However, barging into the room was another girl, looking to be around my age. But I suppose that this girl could also be a university student as well, maybe even a classmate of Kanon's
"Your father asked me to bring in something yummy in this room."
"Hehe. Perfect timing."
The girl carried over a platter of food, some of them in glasses while a couple others were on plates. All of them looked to be quite filling as I even spot a parfait which my eyes refuse to look away from.
"Thank you."
"Then I'll be off!"
Hearing Kanon's thanks, the girl goes back out of the room, leaving the platter of food with us.
"So, what would it be? The parfait?"
"Eh?"
"Hehe. I saw you eyeing it up. Don't worry. It's on us."
"Th-thank you..."
Gingerly, I grab hold of the parfait as I notice that it's strawberry flavored with pieces of sliced strawberries scattered inside. With the spoon in hand, I begin eating it slowly as the sweetness quickly fills my mouth. I hadn't even realized that I had swallowed yet before I found myself going for another spoonful, shoveling it into my mouth one after the other, not caring about how cold it is.
"Careful! You might get a brain freeze."
Despite her warning, I continue eating away at the parfait, this time going for the strawberry slices.
"Pfft, hehe."
"It's- delicious."
"I'm glad you like it. But don't forget about your meds."
"R-right."
I stop for a moment before going into my bag, pulling out the antibiotics.
"Huh?"
But when I do, Kanon looked to be concerned about something.
"Reina... Are those meant to be your antibiotics?"
"Yes."
"That's barely anything..."
Like she said, there's not much in this packet. I've only taken one and there's 6 pills left. I thought a week's worth would be fine, but it seems like it might not be the case.
"Is a week's worth not good?"
"For a cut as bad as that, I'd think a month's worth would be needed..."
So in other words, my guardian cheaped out on me.
"Tch..."
Kanon clicks her tongue before going into a nearby drawer before pulling out the familiar ointment yesterday along with the med-kit. She then carefully cleans my wound, wiping away any of the dried up blood before applying the ointment.
"You come back tomorrow, okay?"
"But-"
"Nope! No buts. This is serious. And if your guardian can't even get you proper help, let alone putting you in a situation where you get a wound like this, then I'll help out wherever I can."
"...I don't want to be a bother to you guys though."
"I can't just stand by idly as I watch a girl being treated like this, can I?"
She says as she applies the dressing and bandage, which did sting a little bit, however, her voice sounded a lot more stern compared to before. She even sounds more intimidating than her father I feel like.
"I won't be able to do much, but at least with this I think I can keep this under control."
"...Thank you."
I thought I could take control of the conversation and just get her to drop the help, but she seems quite stubborn. I wonder if she sees me like one of the cats here when they get injured?
"Reina."
"Yes?"
"Don't be afraid to ask for help, okay?"
"...Mhmm."
If she's going to be like this, then I wonder if I could ask about that?
"Then- would it be okay to borrow a phone?"
"Hmm? Ah, sure. What for?"
"Well, on the way here some guy gave me this."
I reach into my pocket before pulling out the business card that that man left me.
"Purple Palace? I've never heard of it..."
"A man offered me a job there earlier."
"What man?"
"I don't know. He wore a suit so he looked quite professional."
"...Stay away from this place."
Kanon's voice took on a more serious tone upon looking at the card further, cutting through the air sharply, causing a chill to run up my spine a bit.
"Why?"
"I wouldn't trust it. You're saying that he just randomly came up to you and offered you a job?"
"Well, he saw me looking for a job so I figured that maybe he was pitying me."
"Reina. You absolutely must NOT go to this place."
"..."
"Okay!?"
"Yes... Okay."
I never knew she could be this intimidating… She seriously beats out her father in that regard.
"Good."
"But I don't think anyone will hire me-"
"Then you'll work here."
"...Eh?"
Wait... Did I hear that right?
"Like I said, you can work here. Not officially, but you can help me out on my end. Just small end jobs here and there. I'll give you part of my salary."
"I can't do that!"
"Yes you will."
"But-"
"No buts! You start tomorrow, okay? I'll also change your dressing for you when you come in."
This girl... She sure is stubborn. But it's not like I can refuse, right? I wanted a job, and Kanon's giving it to me despite this place not hiring high schoolers. I'm not too sure what working in a place with cats will be like, but I'd like to think it's better than that job the man offered me. I don't even know what it's about, but it seems like Kanon has some sort of idea... Then that leaves with with no other choice, right?"
"...Okay."
"Great! Then I'll need your sizes."
"...Eh?"