The warmth of the morning sun touched his skin, coaxing him out of his uneasy slumber. His body ached, stiff from sleeping in the alley, but the sun brought a small comfort. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The light of the new day should have felt hopeful, but to him, it only deepened the gloom within. His eyes, once bright and blue like the open sky, had grown duller—shadows from what he had endured weighing them down.
He sat up, hands trembling slightly as he pushed his weak body from the cold ground. He had no choice but to move, even though he hadn't eaten in days. His stomach was tight with hunger, and his legs felt like they could barely carry him. But he couldn't stay in one place for too long. Not here.
Despite the fear gnawing at him, he found himself drawn back to the scrap yard. Something about the kids he'd seen yesterday... How could they live in a place like this? He remembered how they were collecting junk—surviving by scavenging scraps from the broken world around them.
He wandered closer, staying low as he approached. His eyes flitted between the piles of discarded metal and the kids digging through them, hoping to go unnoticed.
Two boys were hard at work. One of them was sorting through a pile of junk, pulling out anything that seemed remotely useful. The other stood lazily nearby, doing nothing to help.
"Tsk, Arata, how long are you going to slack off?" the boy digging through the pile complained, shooting a glare at his companion.
Arata stretched, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Heeeh, I don't feel like it. I'll leave it to you, the professional," he replied, mocking the other boy's efforts.
The boy lurking in the shadows—who still had no name of his own—watched, tense and alert. He didn't trust anyone. His experiences had taught him that kindness was just a trick. But even so, curiosity drew him closer.
Just then, a voice called out from behind him. "Hey there, you were here yesterday too!" The boy spun around, heart hammering in his chest.
There she was—the girl with the short, ramen-colored hair and bright red eyes, smiling at him as if they were old friends. "You don't need to run away! We won't hurt you," she said with a gentle tone, stepping closer.
But the boy didn't believe her. He saw through the innocence in her eyes. She was blocking his escape route, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed the other boys had stopped what they were doing and were now watching him too. He was surrounded.
Panic surged through his veins. 'No, no, no… I can't let them catch me.'
Without thinking, he darted toward the only open path he saw—a small hill made from a pile of junk. He scrambled behind it, breath coming in ragged gasps. His hand pressed against the sharp edges of the scrap, and he winced in pain. When he looked down, he saw a rusty old kitchen knife sticking out from the debris. He grabbed it, his fingers wrapping tightly around the handle, the blade shaking in his grasp.
Behind him, the group of kids exchanged uneasy glances. "What should we do, Minoru?" Arata asked, frowning. "He definitely doesn't want to talk to us."
Minoru, the boy who seemed to lead the group, gave a cautious look toward the junk hill. Before he could respond, one of the others—Hideaki—started walking toward it.
"Hey there!" Hideaki called out, raising his hands to show they were empty. "See? I have nothing on me. I won't do any harm."
"Hideaki, get back! It's dangerous," Minoru said, his voice laced with warning.
Hideaki waved him off. "He won't do anything—" But before he could finish his sentence, Hideaki froze, feeling something cold pressed against his throat. The boy had the rusty knife at his neck, his eyes wide with fear and desperation.
Rin's smile faded as she saw what was happening. "Please… don't hurt him," she said, her voice soft and pleading. "I don't know why you're scared, but we really won't hurt you. I promise."
Her red eyes welled with tears, and for a moment, the boy hesitated. 'What am I doing? They're just kids...' He lowered the knife slowly, releasing Hideaki from his grip.
Hideaki stumbled backward, pressing his hand to his neck where the blade had been only moments ago.
"Are you okay?" Minoru asked, concern flooding his face.
Hideaki nodded, though his voice was shaky. "Yeah, I'm fine. We should just leave him alone," he muttered.
Minoru turned to the others, shaking his head. "Arata, Rin, we're going back. He clearly doesn't want to be around us."
As they began to leave, Minoru suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wait—where's Rin?"
Arata shrugged, barely paying attention. "She ran after the other guy."
Minoru's eyes widened in frustration. "And why didn't you stop her?!"
"She said it would be fine," Arata replied, not seeming all that bothered.
Minoru sighed in frustration. "Everyone, go back to the base. I'll wait here for Rin."
---
The boy, still shaken from the encounter, ran back to the alley where he had been hiding. His breath came in short gasps, his heart pounding in his chest. He sat down, clutching his knees to his chest, the knife now discarded at his side.
'What was I thinking?' He couldn't get the image of Hideaki out of his head—the way he had nearly hurt him, maybe even killed him. *They ambushed me, but still... What's wrong with me?*
As he sat there, his mind racing, a shadow moved beside him. Startled, he glanced up to see the girl again—the one who had spoken to him. Rin.
She sat down slowly, leaving a small distance between them. "Hey, sorry if we scared you earlier," she said softly, her voice free of anger or judgment. "We really didn't mean any harm."
The boy flinched, instinctively raising his hands to protect himself, but there was no threat in Rin's presence. She wasn't like the others he had encountered. He lowered his arms, his heart still racing but with less fear now.
"My name is Masaharu Rin," she said with a warm smile, as if she hadn't just watched him nearly harm her friend.
He stared at her, confused. 'Why is she being so kind to me?'
"And what's your name?" Rin asked, tilting her head curiously.
He froze. 'My name?' It felt strange, as if he had forgotten who he was—or maybe he had never had a name to begin with. His voice was barely a whisper as he answered, "No… name."
Rin's eyes lit up with excitement. "No name? Then how about I give you one?"
He blinked, unsure how to respond. 'Give me a name?'
Rin didn't wait for his answer. She pointed at him, her face bright with enthusiasm. "Your name will be Musashi!" she declared confidently.
He stared at her in disbelief. 'Musashi...?'
"Yep, Musashi!" Rin repeated, nodding proudly. She then extended her hand toward him. "So, Musashi, how about we be friends?"
The boy—now Musashi—hesitated. The word 'friends' sounded foreign to him, like something from a world he had long forgotten. But Rin's smile was warm and inviting, and despite himself, he found himself nodding.
Rin cheered, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Come on! I can't wait to introduce you to the others!"
He let her drag him along, too stunned to resist. His mind was filled with confusion and a strange warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he had a name.
'Musashi… and friends.'
(End of Chapter)