"...what's wrong, lil' sis? Do you want candy? Unfortunately, big brother doesn't have any candy, sorry."
"Huh? ...What do you mean? Who wants candy anyway? Besides, it seems our ages aren't that far apart."
"Eh, I'm twelve this year, so compared to an eight-year-old, that's a bit much..."
"Eight!? That's outrageous! I'm ten!"
"Eh, really? You don't look like my ten-year-old friend."
For some reason, our conversation ended up being about age, and to be told I look like an eight-year-old girl is truly outrageous... isn't it?
"Well, Erina does look small compared to children her age, but that's what makes her cute, hehe."
I knew it, Mom must like this situation and even agree with this smooth-talking kid.
Actually, I myself am a bit confused about my physical growth, which seems to be somewhat delayed compared to children of the same age as me, even though Mom and Dad are quite tall. So why am I experiencing a situation like this?
Hold on...
Why am I busy with this? There's something more important to take care of!
Besides, I still have plenty of time to grow because I'm still in my growth phase!
"Hey, don't change the subject! Show me your hand quickly!"
"Or what?" The kid's voice sounded very flat and was a stark contrast to his previously innocent behavior.
Just by looking at his appearance, I could guess that he probably lived in a harsh environment, but still, I couldn't let what he did to Mom slide.
"Argh, it hurts!"
"Erina!?"
So, I quickly pulled his arm, slid my hand to his wrist, and twisted his hand while trying to retrieve what he took from Mom: her red floral wallet.
"Alright! Alright! Take it, but please let go of my hand!"
"Haha, I knew it," I said triumphantly, "you might be able to do this to others, but--"
I hadn't even finished talking to the pickpocket kid when I suddenly felt a strong tug on my right ear, and it hurt so much!
"Ow--ouch! It hurts! Ow, it hurts!"
"You're being too much, Erina!"
The pain assaulting my ear was because Mom, without holding back, pinched my small ear, and she even scolded me. This was the first time Mom had pinched my ear like this; she had never done this to me before!
"You could break his arm, apologize to him quickly!"
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" I shouted in pain, "so please let go, it really hurts!"
After hearing my pleading apology, Mom finally released her hand from my earlobe.
"Ouch..."
I probably couldn't see my own ear right now, but with that pinch, my ear must be dark red by now.
While I was busy rubbing my ear to soothe the pain, Mom seemed to approach the child with a worried expression.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry about my tomboy daughter."
"Ugh, yes..."
Now Mom was anxiously questioning the child, and for some reason, I seemed to be the bad guy here.
When Mom shifted her gaze from the child to check if his hand was alright, I saw something that greatly ignited my anger towards the pickpocket kid. With a guilt-free face, he made a mocking expression at me, and he even stuck out his tongue!
"Mom, look! Look at his face!"
I shouted at Mom, pointing my index finger at the pickpocket kid, hoping Mom would see what he had done.
But that hope was in vain, because the kid quickly changed his face back to a pained expression as if he were a professional actor. And even worse, Mom gave me a terrifying look.
"Are you really okay?"
"Haha, seriously, I'm fine. Besides, Auntie's little girl isn't that strong."
For some reason, I felt like he intentionally emphasized the words "little girl" strongly, and he said it while looking at me.
This darn kid is definitely mocking me!
In all my life, I've never been this annoyed by a small child like him!
"Do we need to take you to the nearest community health center?"
"No need to trouble yourself, Auntie."
"Really?"
"Ow-ow!"
"Erina! Look what you've done!"
"Eh!? That part wasn't my fault!"
I firmly denied it because I still remembered that I twisted his wrist, but strangely, he looked pained in his shoulder when Mom touched it, so it's highly unlikely that what caused his pain was my doing.
"Is that true?" Asks Mom to that kid.
"Yeah that's true, she's not lying, Auntie."
"If so, what's the cause?"
"Haha, I got this from previous days when a military police officer caught me stealing bread from a store and then beat me with a stick."
The child's facial expression seemed calm and didn't match what he had just told us at all. Initially, we who heard it could only stand in silence and truly didn't expect what he had experienced, although I myself had somewhat guessed the kind of harsh life he was going through.
"That sounds excessive..." Mom said in a disbelieving tone.
"Is that so? But what can we do? All we can do is keep practicing so we don't get caught by them," he said again, as if what he experienced was normal.
Well, I fully understood the kid's feelings. After all, I had also been in the same position, feeling the harshness of surviving on the streets, or even worse.
"No, what they did was not right," Mom said in a very firm tone.
"Auntie is right, but unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it."
What the kid said was very true, because what Mom was talking about were military police who also had high authority in this country. So, we as ordinary people could only remain silent in fear and hope they wouldn't use their authority to harm us.
"At least come with us, I'll take you to the nearest community health center, and don't worry about the cost, I'll take care of it."
"Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but I don't want to trouble you. Besides, it's just a minor injury that will heal on its own."
"Don't say that, it might get worse if left alone."
The kid shook his head slowly, then replied to Mom, "It's okay, I've experienced worse than this."
"If you want, come to our house and have dinner together, you're hungry, aren't you?" Mom's voice sounded soft, not giving up on the kid's refusal.
"Eh!? Dinner!?"
And that's when his thought wall crumbled. His face, which had previously tried to remain calm with a forced smile, now radiated barely concealed enthusiasm. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly open—a change in expression so evident, as if the mask he had been wearing all this time had suddenly fallen off.
After previously trying hard to refuse Mom's invitation for fear of being a bother, he finally gave in when he heard the word "food." An irony, I thought. A tough street kid, able to endure beatings from military police, yet helpless in the face of an offer of a piece of bread. It's true, the stomach cannot be fooled.
"Is that okay?" The kid asked somewhat worriedly, "did Auntie forget I tried to steal your wallet?"
"Of course, in fact, that's precisely what made me want to help you."
"Thank you, I'm really sorry..."
Hearing that response, the kid seemed unable to hide his touched expression.
"Relax, in the end, maybe that's how I can help you."
"Auntie is truly like an angel who fell from the sky!"
The kid looked completely enchanted by my mother's kindness, as if, left unchecked, he might create a new cult to worship her. Haha, just kidding.
"But..."
While I was busy priding myself on being the child of such a kind, saint-like woman, the kid seemed to shift his gaze to me, but here, his expression turned to disappointment.
"What confuses me is how Auntie looks like an angel, but her daughter looks like a gorilla..."
"A gorilla!?" My jaw dropped. My eyes widened at him, disbelieving what I had just heard. I realize that I am indeed less feminine, but isn't this too much!?
"Pffft!"
"Mom!?" I turned sharply to Mom, who was now desperately holding back her laughter, her shoulders shaking. She was enjoying this. Of course, she was enjoying this!
My teeth were still clenched, holding back the curses that almost slipped out. A gorilla? This kid was going to regret it! But then, Mom's laughter echoed in the air, crisp and genuine, as if she had just rediscovered a long-lost light. Dad's death had left a huge hole in our lives, and often, I only saw her shrouded in sadness.
But now, under the twilight sky of the capital city, that laughter seemed to heal, filling the void. In every peal of her laughter, I felt a warmth that melted away my annoyance. And if being a 'gorilla' could trigger that laughter, perhaps I didn't mind too much.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I've laughed this freely in a year," she said, wiping away tears from laughing so hard, "the sky is getting darker, so let's hurry to the community health center first."
"Alright!"
"Alright..."
We continued walking. The sun slowly set on the horizon, casting captivating orange and golden colors among the silhouettes of the capital's beautiful buildings. Long shadows began to stretch across the sidewalk, as if enveloping our steps with the day's last warmth. Behind us, the twilight sky burned beautifully, painting a quiet yet meaningful scene.