บท 105: Chapter 104: "Turning Carbon into Diamond part 1"
...
*Some hours earlier*
*Door slams*
Angry man: "Get out of here, you bitch! You're nothing but a waste of time and money. Don't you dare set foot in my place ever again..." yelled a man as he pushed a woman.
The woman fell to the ground, but instead of worrying about her safety, she clung to her guitar, shielding it with her body to prevent any damage.
Angry man: "Ha! What good is that guitar? Stupid woman, all you've done is scare away my customers..." the man said disdainfully as he forcefully closed the door.
From start to finish, the woman didn't say a word, but her clenched fists, white-knuckled, reflected her rage.
As she got up from the ground, she slung her guitar over her shoulder and picked up her belongings from the ground.
Seeing that her phone screen had gained another crack, she let out a sad sigh.
With some fear, she turned it on and fiddled with it a bit.
Seeing that it still worked, she sighed in relief.
Woman: "It still works... thank God..." she said as she put it away and picked up her small suitcase, slinging it over her shoulder.
As she walked, she thought about her situation.
Her name was Arai Doichi, and she was 21 years old this year. She was a street performer.
She currently lived, or rather had lived, in the place she was just thrown out of, so one could say she was now homeless.
Her belongings consisted of what was in the small suitcase, her phone, and the guitar on her back.
With nothing else to do, she looked for a nearby park and sat down to rest.
Doichi: *Sigh* "This keeps getting worse... is this the third or fourth time?" she said, somewhat doubtful, as she took out her phone.
Seeing it had only three cracks, she said:
Doichi: "So it's three... Ha, who would have thought this little thing could survive three face-first falls and still be alive. Xiaomi really does have good models." She said, somewhat amused, as she played with the phone before putting it back in her pocket.
*Growl*
Doichi: "..."
The woman was somewhat embarrassed by how loud her stomach growled.
Doichi: "Ah! Damn it, that old man could have at least thrown me out at night. Maybe I could have made some money in tips..." she grumbled, annoyed, as she rummaged through her suitcase.
She pulled out a small, thin frog-shaped wallet.
Seeing it so thin saddened the young woman's heart, and reluctantly, she opened it.
Two 1,000 yen bills and two 500 yen coins, a total of 3,000 yen.
That was all her money.
The woman was somewhat sad and hesitant, but with the hunger from not eating for two days, she had no choice but to go to the convenience store.
With luck, she would find those precious tuna onigiris that only cost 530 yen. With luck, they would be about to expire, and she could ask for a discount and get them for 500 yen, saving a bit.
With these thoughts, she headed to the store.
When she arrived at the store she frequented, the clerk looked at her with disgust.
Doichi had beautiful navy blue hair, but due to her poor economic situation, it was now unkempt and long enough to cover her eyes, not to mention it was a bit disheveled from being thrown earlier.
Her clothes still had some dust and were somewhat tattered.
She couldn't get tips yesterday, so she couldn't gather money for the laundry.
It didn't help that her cheeks still had some dust.
She had bad luck, and the park's water fountain wasn't working, so she couldn't clean herself properly.
Before she could say anything, the boy spoke.
Arrogant boy: "Get out of here! We don't allow homeless people in this store!" the boy yelled.
Doichi was scared by the sudden shout and unconsciously took a step back.
Seeing the woman step back, the boy at the register continued.
Arrogant boy: "Get out before I call the police!" he yelled with smugness and disdain reflected in his eyes.
Doichi's face turned red with anger.
Doichi: "You! Is this how you treat people?" she yelled, upset.
Although Doichi was in a bad situation, in her heyday, she was known for her bad temper and short fuse.
Her father jokingly called her his little stormy ocean.
Arrogant boy: "A homeless person dares to..." before the boy could continue, he was hit by an old woman who emerged from the door behind him.
Manager: "You stupid brat, how dare you treat customers like that! Apologize immediately if you don't want to be fired and have me tell your father everything you just did! Who gave you the right to insult in my store!" the old woman growled, angry.
The boy was stunned and then paled.
Seeing the old woman's severe face and realizing she wouldn't back down, he reluctantly apologized.
Doichi smiled and then thanked the old woman.
The old woman shook her head and apologized.
Manager: "I'm sorry for this, Do-Chan... you must have felt wronged, right? As a reward, I'll give you these three onigiris besides the one you're going to buy." the old woman said as she placed the products in a plastic bag and quietly added a bottle of water.
Doichi: "Baa-San, it's not necessary, I can still buy them..." she said, embarrassed.
Manager: "Not at all, not at all... it's my fault for not watching this brat... he's a child hired as a favor to a friend, but who would have expected him to be like this... accept this as my apology, please..." said the old woman.
Doichi was going to refuse, but feeling the hole in her stomach widen, she took it with embarrassment.
She handed over the money for the onigiri she was originally going to buy, and before leaving, she asked the old woman.
Doichi: "Oba-San, do you mind if I borrow your bathroom for a moment... I was thrown out of my previous place and didn't have time to clean myself..." she said, embarrassed.
Manager: "Not at all, dear... your father was a good friend of mine, and it saddens me to see his daughter in such a situation. You can use the bathroom in my house. I have everything you need... and don't hurry to refuse, take it as part of my apology for the behavior of that child." the old woman said sternly.
Doichi smiled helplessly and agreed.
She then followed the old woman to the back of the store and borrowed her bathroom.
...
*Some time later*
The arrogant boy was grumbling angrily as he arranged the products on the shelves.
Then he saw a beautiful woman with long blue hair.
Her face was beautiful and brave.
And her navy blue eyes almost took his breath away.
But then he saw her clothes.
Arrogant boy: "Those clothes... you're the homeless one!" he exclaimed, surprised.
Doichi: "..." she didn't have the energy to say anything or get angry. The most frustrating or disheartening thing was that he wasn't wrong.
Without saying more, she left the store carrying her things.
She had said goodbye to the old woman when she left the bathroom.
Then she returned to that park.
While eating, she looked at her guitar.
It was a collector's guitar bought by her father.
In the corner was a signature she didn't understand.
Her father said it was Michael Jackson's signature, but she wasn't so sure.
Looking at this guitar in her lap brought back memories.
Her mother died when she was 10 years old, leaving only her and her father.
Her father wasn't good at jobs, but he was a good bassist and did wonders with guitars.
He became a street performer and did surprisingly well, even gaining a small fan club that could support him enough, as well as one or two spontaneous jobs that gave him enough money to pay for her studies.
Unfortunately, her father died protecting her from a robbery a year ago.
She was forced to look for a job to pay the hospital bills.
But her former bad temper and bad habit of speaking her mind caused her many problems, and she couldn't keep the jobs.
With no other option, she took her father's guitar and tried to follow in his footsteps.
She did well until the news came.
Her father didn't survive one of the surgeries he underwent.
When she heard that, it was like her world went dark.
Since that day, she couldn't play the guitar well.
When she was about to finish a song, she made many mistakes.
Making her only source of income disappear as well.
She had mortgaged her house to the bank to get a loan for her father's operation.
She could have kept up with her street performances if it weren't for the current problem.
Unable to pay the loan, she ended up on the street.
Since then, she went from place to place but was always thrown out due to her inability.
After so much misfortune, she finally managed to suppress her bad habit and improve her somewhat rebellious personality.
But it seemed her opportunities had run out.
If it weren't for the old manager's help, she would have starved to death long ago.
A few tears fell on the guitar.
Seeing this, she woke up
and quickly wiped them away.
She wouldn't allow herself to cry.
She had to be strong.
For herself and for her father.
In the distance, she heard some youths talking.
Teen 1: "Man, that girl is amazing! I can't help but hum her songs. I even sing them at the top of my lungs in the shower!"
Teen 2: "I know! Me too! And damn, she's really beautiful... Ah! I'd pay a fortune just for her to say my name! Ai-Chan is so cute! I even heard she's our age..."
Teen 1: "Yeah, I heard that too! It's incredible! She'll undoubtedly be Japan's next big Idol!"
Teen 2: "Oh? And who's the first?"
Teen 1: "Are you stupid? Don't forget the Wandering Musician. Haven't you seen the lines of girls that form to see him every time he performs? Damn, there are even communities formed just by girls who like him. I heard they even exchange photos..."
Teen 2: "It's true! Haha, now that I remember, the Wandering Musician is even her teacher... Ha! Like father, like daughter..."
Doichi heard the conversation and couldn't help but feel angry.
In the past, she was also given the title of Great Idol... but look at her now.
And now, a little girl less than half her age was already a boom. She couldn't help but ignite her somewhat dimmed ego.
She thought, "If that girl can do it, so can I," and with renewed energy, she prepared her guitar.
She didn't know where this impulse came from, but she didn't care.
She decided to take advantage of this opportunity and let out all her grievances and dissatisfaction with her life in this song...
…
Doichi: "What is rightness? What is stupidity?... I will show you what they are…"
Doichi's voice resonated through the park as she continued singing with fiery intensity. Her anger, frustration, and determination filled every note.
Doichi: "I was an honor student being young… Before I realized, I was already grow up… a train of thought like a knife… which I didn't have that with me… But I'm not having enough fun… Something missing… these troubles better be somebody's fault… I'm confused errday… Well, is that so? Understanding the latest trends… Checking stock market on my way to work… joining a company with pure spirit… these are the obvious rules for us workers…"
She sang in a steady rhythm while gradually increasing her speed.
At the end, she took a breath and, with a voice worthy of a Yankee, shouted.
Doichi: "Huh?? Shut up, shut up, shut the f*** up!... I'm healthier than you think… you are too mediocre to understand me, perhaps… ah, you are so perfect match… Those ordinary melodies of yours… Shut up, shut up, shut the f*** up!... I deal things differently so no problem at all!!"
[BGM USSEWA – ADO]
…
Author's Note: "Well, here is the promised chapter. Although I had previously promised to publish the chapter earlier, the national holidays in my country came, and the workload increased, so I didn't have time. But now I'm bringing the chapters, hehe. Remember to drink plenty of water and that I love you all very much. Sincerely, your favorite depressive author."
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