TWO WEEKS LATER
This moron Junior.
He makes my blood boil. He has just said one of the worst things I have ever heard.
"I dunno bro. Liking femboys is kinda gay."
What an idiot.
"No! For fuck's sake. Femboys themselves are gay, yes. But wanting to fuck or date someone who looks, acts and smells like a woman is not gay!" I yell passionately. This man is wrong.
"You're still liking a dude with a cock the end of the day." He shrugs.
"Yes. But that's the only thing that connects a femboy with a man. Everything else is literally the same as a woman's."
"Being gay is when dudes are attracted to other dudes. You like a dude. You're gay. Admit it, pussy."
"Being gay is when dudes are attracted to masculinity. I like people who look like women. I'm not gay, you smoothbrain."
"W-wait. You…actually like femboys? I thought you were joking." He starts blushing and twirling his hair again. What the fuck is up with him?
"Okay. I'm open to try. But I'm not gonna suck his dick or get railed by him or someth-wait why are we even having this conversation?" I'm confused. Why did he bring up femboys out of nowhere?
And how does a child like him know about femboys?
"W-what if the femboy is a girl? OwO" He asks.
"Bruh, that's literally just a girl." I answer. "I like girls. Why are even-"
"All I'm gonna say is-that's gay." He says.
"Whatever. If that's gay then I'm gay, I don't care." I reply. "BUT IF HE LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN, THAT'S NOT-"
This is how it's been going for the past week. We go to the nursery, but thankfully no one (*ahem* Pinku) really does anything to us. We hang out, throw a ball around and talk for a bit, then practice some magic.
I admit, I've been having as much fun as I did with Pinku and her friends.
"Anyways-" I throw the ball to him. "How's the Radar going?" I ask.
"I can sense the location of metals at about a 50 meter radius now." He replies.
He throws the ball back to me.
"It took me 5 months to learn that." I grumble as I throw the ball back to him.
He's learning at a scary fast rate. His efficiency has improved from 1% to 1.1% in the equivalent of one week. It's similar to being able to sit down and study 12 hours before final exams (without any prior preparation) and still manage to get a 95%.
Even getting a 5% efficiency is the equivalent of getting a PHD. The general's son, Kami has already gotten a 1.7% efficiency.
I'm still at 0.2% which is still above average for kids my age. The average is 0.1% up until the age of 18 and 1% at the age of 30.
So technically Kami and Junior are stronger than most 30 year olds.
"At this rate we'll be going to the caves by next week." I say.
I teach him a bit more until he does half a month's worth of progress in 3 hours.
"Oi! Stop learning so quickly, you're embarrassing me."
The day comes to and end and We're done for today.
"Good work. See you again tomorrow." I tell him.
"Yeah. Bye."
He's such a great kid. I know a little bit about his situation at his home and it's sad. I really wish for him to be happy.
"Oi, before you leave." I tell him.
"Yeah?" He looks back.
"I'm rooting for you."
He looks flustered, says "idiot." Then starts walking away.
what's up with him acting like a tsundere? Whatever. I'm going home.
Junior's POV
I'm dreading to go back home again. I was having so much fun. It's nice having a friend.
I sigh. To be given an intense source of joy only to immediately take it back and replace it with dread. Only life.
I wait outside until it looks dark enough to absolutely go home.
I feel the familiar sense of fear when I open the door. Too loud, and I might wake my dad up if he's sleeping.
My dad isn't sleeping.
He just watches me walk in and lay down on the floor.
"Where have you been getting food from?" My dad asks me.
"I work." I reply. I don't mention that Onna's dad gives me some food occasionally.
"And you don't even think to get your dad some of the food? After all the money I spent raising you?"
I stay silent. Letting my dad rant mostly works.
"And this is why you don't deserve anyone to care about you. Because you're a selfish little slut."
He isn't wrong.
"They give you food out of pity. So that it makes them feel like a hero. Nobody cares about me, and definitely nobody cares about you."
That is true. I know that Onna is my friend simply because he has fun.
He's my friend and he helps me because it makes him feel good.
And I wish it would remain that way. Someone as selfish as me doesn't deserve anything.
But that doesn't make it any less painful. I want him, or anyone to care for me. I would like to experience someone to care about me, even though I know I don't deserve it.
I just wish someone cares about me, and doesn't just form superficial relationships that only provide happiness.
"From my wife to my colleagues to even you. Everyone is keeping me down. That's why we can't get out. If someone as hard working as I cant get out of this mess, how can you?"
He's right. How can I expect getting out of poverty in just a couple of weeks from mining?
It sounds too good to be true. It probably is.
There is no escape. I'm stuck here forever.
This entire week, I spent so much time and effort learning to detect metals. It's all for nothing.
"You should stay with me happily. This is the only place you've got. You can't go anywhere else. I'm the only one who cares about you."
I've been deluding myself.
Onna is only using me for his happiness. He has been making me believe things that aren't real. Things that will break my heart once I realize are impossible to achieve.
I feel sick to my stomach.
There's no way out.
End of Junior's POV
THE NEXT DAY
"YO!" I run up to Junior in the nursery and put an arm around his shoulder.
Pinku and her gang notice me, but they don't do anything.
"Hey Onna." Junior looks at me tired. He's usually just as excited to meet his friend as I am.
"Didn't get enough sleep?" I ask.
"Nope. I'm well rested." He replies.
Junior looks miserable. I'm guessing something happened to him at home. His fucking father. I need to cheer him up.
I know, I'll tell him a joke.
"Knock knock." I say.
"It's a deez nuts joke isn't it?" He tells.
I don't reply. He's right.
Now he looks even worse.
Fuck! I need to tell a better joke.
"Hey, there's something clogged in my toilet."
"What is?" He asks.
"Deez nuts! Ha! Gotem, ha!"
"Please stop." He looks serious.
"Okay." I say.
…..
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"Alright."
The rest of the day passes by quietly.
We just end up throwing the ball around during the afternoon.
"I don't want to learn magic anymore." He says.
"What?" I stop throwing the ball. "Why not?"
"I…"
He steels himself up and says, "I appreciate everything you've done for me. I really do. But…I can't escape the condition I'm in."
"What are you talking about?" I say.
There's no hope for me. I'm not good enough to get out of poverty. And you giving me false hope hurts me a lot when I realize that it's never going to happen.
I think we should stop being friends."
What?
"Did your dad give you this idea?" I say.
He stays silent. But I know from his looks that I guessed right.
I clench my fists. What kind of parent would tell their child not to bother trying?
But I'm not going to stop being his friend that easily. He's the person I have the most fun hanging out with. I want him to live a better life.
If I was in his situation, what would I want?
I don't think hugging or any of that cringe shit is going to work. I simply don't see it working.
What I need to do now is to logically prove to him that I am not lying.
He's much better than me at magic. And he's got enough magic in him to land a cozy job. He's a genius when it comes to Metal Magic. He just has a pathetic father.
"I think-" I say
"Please don't." He interrupts me. "I don't want hope. Please."
He looks defeated.
I'm not fucking leaving without showing him what I see in him.
If I can't say it, I'll show it to him, then.
I grab his hand.
"What are you doing?" He sounds alarmed.
"I'll show you what I see." I tell him.
And I run, while holding his hand. Because walking while holding his hand would just look weird. Running's more dramatic.
I'll remove this fear of his by today.