*Eiji

  “Tck… Why can’t Ayaka be the one going around beggin'?” I clicked my tongue, muttering under my breath as I knocked on the apartment door right next to ours.

  “GO AWAY!” a voice warned from behind the wood. The aggression was badly formed; even a three-year-old would sound more intimidating.

  “It’s Eiji,” I said, loud enough to carry through.

  The sound of bolts and keys turning filled the hallway before the door opened. A young woman—a few years older than Oniisan (Haiji)—stood there holding a hammer. She wore a singlet and white shorts.

  ‘What does she think she could do with a freaking hammer around here?’ I sighed aloud. I wondered why she even took up space in this neighborhood.

  “Ohh… Eiji-kun. S…Sorry, I thought it was some... creep pretending to be you.” She tried to hide the hammer and her panic behind a smile.

  “Then why the hell did you open up? (Sigh) And what do you think you’d do with a fuckin' hammer?” I asked. I honestly wondered why I hadn’t come home yet to find out some punks had broken in, raped her, and killed her.

  She barely talked to anyone on the block besides us. According to my mom, she helps out, so I have to show her ‘kindness.’ But none of us are safe. We roll with the others on this block to survive—all of us except Oniisan. He only rolls with Daigo. But the rest of us know you don’t survive here alone, tucked inside your crib all day.

  “If I were taller… bigger… and came here to really harm you, I would have had my way. That hammer wouldn’t do a damn thing,” I told her matter-of-factly. She looked pitiful. “Just do yourself a favor—get some iron. You’ve got the coins for a small piece. Don’t die stupidly.”

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  “Some iron?” she asked, annoyingly innocent.

  “A gun… a freaking pistol.” I blunted it out with frustration. I was begging from someone who didn’t know her left from her right. She just stared blankly like a fuckin' moth before muttering, “Ok… I’ve heard… Thanks.”

  “W…What brings you here? I know you didn’t just come to lecture me.” She tried to mask her feelings with another smile.

  “We need some water.” I averted my gaze and held out the pail.

  “Is everything ok? I heard yelling and…”

  “Everything is freaking great,” I cut her off. “Luckily the bastard left. Now, do you have water or not?”

  I was irritably asking, but the truth was I was freaking scared. The moment I heard the old man shouting at Oniisan, I knew he was going to get the shit beaten out of him. Father hated him more than any of us.

  “Ok, I will get some water for you,” Fuyuko replied. She didn't press for more answers. She closed the door without taking the pail. I just stood there wondering what she’d put the water in. After a few minutes, she returned with a jug of water and a bottle of herbs.

  “Here’s some water. And… this is some pain-relief herb… in case you need it,” she said softly, handing them over.

  I didn't know why I’d bothered bringing the pail. Fuyuko does stuff like this all the time. She’s too good… too soft. She still screams "Tush-Conquest District girl"—maybe even Silver District—even after months of living in this shithole. Something really scarring must have forced her into the Sumiyoshi mud. Well, she can keep being naive and nice to us. It’s a freaking boon.

  I collected the items and walked back to our room. The moment I stepped inside, Oniisan asked with his usual coldness, his back to me, “Did you thank her?”

  ‘Shit, I always forget.’ I cussed in my mind. I couldn’t lie; he’d go ask her himself. He does shit like that. He took my silence as a ‘no.’

  “I have told you to always say a fuckin' ‘thank you’ anytime you take things from ‘her’!” His tone was low, but you could feel the anger. He’s as fuckin' scary as Father, only he doesn’t have to be drunk or loud. “Get your ass back there!”

  Ayaka took the supplies while I walked back to Fuyuko’s door.

  “Who’s that?” she yelled, more cautious this time.

  “It’s me… Eiji… again.”

  She opened the door. “Yes? Do you need anything else?” The desire to help was written all over her eyes.

  ‘The nerve of this woman! How can one be so nice?’

  “Thank you, Fuyuko-senpai… for the water… and the medicine,” I said as humbly as I could, bowing my head just a tiny bit.

  “No need, I’m always here if you need anything within my capability,” she smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

  Mission accomplished. Time to leave.

  “...Also, just because I said a hammer won’t do anything, doesn’t mean you should come out here bare-handed without a weapon,” I reproached her.

  “I… I was sure it was you… I heard your voice!”

  “Right… and you confirmed it was me since you can see through walls? Or did you know I wasn’t being forced by some crackheads to draw you out?” I mocked her.

  “Well…” She couldn't cook up a defense. Even her naive ass knew she was wrong.

  “Right,” I uttered, steppi

  ng back into our apartment to help my brother and sister tend to Mom.