I've had enough.

Yuna helped her aunt walk out from the bathroom. She carefully set her aunt back to the futon and pulled the blanket over her.

"I'm sorry for troubling you, Yuna..." She whispered, trying not to wake up her son.

"You're not bothering me at all." Yuna replied.

"It's because of me that you and Hiroto... can't enjoy your childhood... playing with friends and such..." Yuna's aunt muttered.

"Don't worry about that, it's not your fault... Please return to sleep. You have to rest." Yuna said.

Her aunt smiled sadly at her before closing her eyes. Yuna stayed by her side until she fell asleep.

When the sun peeked out, Yuna folded her own futon and stood up. She walked back to the bathroom to freshen herself. After that, she wore her footwear and left the house.

Cold breaths came out from her mouth as she walked through the dawn streets. Her black kimono wasn't thick enough to keep her warm from the winter air. She made her way to a big house.

A puppy stood as she saw Yuna walking into the house. She barked a few times. Her tail was wagging behind her with her tongue out. She was delighted to see Yuna.

Yuna crouched down and patted the puppy's head. The puppy licked the untended wound on her forehead, which made Yuna smile. She stood up and knocked on the door for a few times, rubbing her arms a few times.

The door opened and a middle-aged woman came out.

"Oh, you're here! Come in and clean the house! You have to clean the courtyard too! Oh, please hurry up! My in-laws are going to visit today!" The woman said.

Yuna walked inside the house, taking off her footwear. She rolled up her sleeves as she walked to the room. She took a wet cloth and started to wipe the floors.

Every Sunday, Yuna comes there to clean the house and prepare breakfast. Basically, the woman hired her as a house servant. The woman was busy with her own works so she didn't have time to look after the house.

Yuna spent some hours before finally finishing her job. The woman quickly kicked her out from the house. Yuna stared at the closed door as the puppy rubbed herself against Yuna's leg.

The door slid open again.

"I can't pay you today. Just take this in change. It's some leftovers from yesterday's dinner." The woman said as she threw a package of woven palm leaves to the grounds.

The puppy sniffed the package. She chewed on it, before Yuna took it away from her. Yuna's stomach growled as the puppy barked at her.

"You want this, don't you?" Yuna asked the puppy. "I'm hungry too. But I want to take it back to my aunt and cousin."

Yuna crouched down and ruffled the puppy's fur. She unwrapped the leaves and saw some rice balls inside. She took one of it and held it out to the puppy. The puppy quickly munched on it.

"You have to eat more, Rei. You're so skinny." Yuna said to the puppy.

The puppy, who was called Rei, stopped eating the rice ball. She turned her head away from the food.

"Why aren't you finishing it?" Yuna asked and Rei whined.

"It's such a waste..." Yuna muttered as she stared at half-eaten rice ball on her palm.

She moved her palm to her mouth and took a bite of it, not caring if it was bitten by a dog. She chewed on the rice.

"... It's salty..." She muttered with a frown. Despite that, she finished the food. Growing up in a poor family has taught her not to waste food.

Rei licked away all the remaining rice grains on Yuna's palm. Yuna wrapped back the leaves. She picked Rei up and held her close, snuggling against her fur.

Rei barked happily.

Yuna said goodbye to her as she put her down. Yuna walked away from the house. A bunch of adults walked past her and entered the house. Yuna stopped and looked back at them.

"Welcome! Welcome! I just finished cleaning the house!" Yuna heard the woman she worked for said.

She snapped her head around, searching for anyone suspicious. She shrugged off the feeling of being watched and walked away.

•••

After she gave the food to her cousin, Yuna left immediately toward her workplace. She would work for anyone who's willing to pay her. That afternoon, she was doing the deliveries.

Carrying a heavy basket of fruits on her back, she read the note containing her destination. She diligently walked from house to house.

When the sun set, she was finished with her work.

Taking her payment, which wasn't enough to even buy a bread, she dragged her feet toward her house. She rubbed her palms together, her body was cold because of the chilly weather. Her stomach growled as she walked.

"Oh, I haven't eat anything since morning..." She mumbled in realization. She fastened her pace, wanting to go home and eat her cousin's cooking.

Yuna took on all the heavy works because she's physically stronger than Hiroto. Hiroto usually stays at home to take care of his mother and do some easy tasks, such as knitting. Yuna would take his products and sell them in the village.

As she walked past a shop, someone grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back. Yuna looked above.

"Hey. You've got nerves, showing yourself in front of me again after you humiliated me yesterday."

It was the man who sells medicine.

He delivered a punch toward Yuna's stomach. Yuna coughed in pain as she fell to the grounds. The man kept beating her up, kicking her face, stomach, and legs.

"What did I do to deserve that kind of humiliation, huh?! If I ever see that friend of yours, I'll beat him like this too!" He yelled.

Yuna was curled up on the grounds, eyes shutting tightly. She wanted to fight back, but she got no strength left.

"Don't ever come back here! I won't sell anything to you even if you have the money!"

The man finally stopped his attacks. He turned around and walked away, fuming. Yuna stayed still in the middle of the empty streets. Cold breaths came out everytime she panted.

"... Disgusting..." She mumbled.

She clenched her fists in rage. Images of the man and every other persons who have done terrible things to her appeared inside her mind.

"Everyone... is disgusting..."

Yuna forced herself up. All parts of her body was stinging. Her trembling legs made their way slowly toward Yuna's house. Her stomach kept growling as she walked.

"... I should've eaten something first..."

Her weak legs finally gave up before she could reach her house. Yuna collapsed on the grounds, vision blurring. She didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

She tried to adjust her vision, but she failed.

Something cold fell down on her hand. Yuna's eyes glanced up at the sky. White particles were falling down from above.

It was the first snow.

Her eyes slowly closed.

A figure of a man appeared as darkness took over.

He was standing in front of a river, smiling warmly.

"Have you lived a happy life?"

Ah, that voice again.

Just stop appearing every time I was about to cross the damn river.

Stupid Dad.

•••

Sanemi stopped beside a girl who was lying on the cold grounds. He crouched down beside her and shook her shoulders.

"Hey." He called.

He moved her face, looking at the red marks because of the man beating her earlier.

Sanemi looked at the girl with pity.

He has been watching her since she left her house in the morning. He wanted to step in when the man started to beat her up, but he didn't. He knew that she wouldn't like it.

He knew it because they're alike. He wouldn't like it if a stranger saw him in such a vulnerable state.

Sanemi recalled his conversation with Oyakata-sama yesterday.

"About that girl you wanted to recruit..." Sanemi trailed off.

"What's wrong with Yuna?" Oyakata-sama asked.

"Why do you want her to join the corps so bad? I mean... I know you're doing a favor for her father, but she didn't want to join. It looks like she's really against the idea." Sanemi said.

"Youhei's last wish before he passed away, only Yuna can fulfill it." Oyakata-sama answered.

"About Yuna... No one ever tries to understand her." He continued.

"If I can meet her myself, I would've done it. I called her with the Kasugaigarasu, and my wife personally visited her, but nothing seems to get through her."

"What do you think after meeting her, Sanemi? Are you able to see what she's going through right now?" Oyakata-sama asked.

"... I guess..." Sanemi mumbled.

Oyakata-sama smiled at him.

"Yuna is a strong girl, Sanemi. You'll understand if you get to know her." Oyakata-sama said.

"... I'll try to." Sanemi said as he turned around.

"I'm quite happy that you're doing this for me." Oyakata-sama said.

"... It's just... to make up for what I've done to you..."

"I don't hold grudges." Oyakata-sama chuckled.

"But I'm counting on you, Sanemi."

That's why he decided to follow her for a day and he picked a wrong day to do so. He watched her working as hard as she could, sharing her food with a puppy, trying to earn money for her family, getting beaten up because of something she didn't do.

He watched her trying to keep living.

It was more than enough to earn Sanemi's pity.

Sanemi stared at Yuna as the snow fell down on both of them. He carefully scooped her small body in his arms.

"Himejima-san always says that you're a poor child." Sanemi said.

"I kinda know what he means now."