The faint call of "Newspapers, newspapers! Newspapers!" echoed faintly from outside, shattering the morning silence. Slowly, Reina's eyelids opened, blinking, trying to adjust to the light. Her hands rose, rubbing her still heavy eyes, the remnants of sleep clinging tightly.
"Reina, are you awake? Come on, get up and have breakfast. I've brought you lunch and your clothes are ready." The soft yet firm voice of a young woman, in her early thirties, sounded nearby. Her mother stood upright, exuding a motherly aura that was both calming and disciplining.
Reina's eyes slowly lifted, looking at her mother's face. A faint smile spread across her lips. "Ah, mother." She then got up from the sofa, her body a little stiff from sleeping in an unfamiliar place. The thick blanket slipped off her body, falling limply onto the sofa cushions.
"Hurry up, or you'll be late again," her mother repeated, grabbing Reina's wrist and tugging her slightly to get her moving. Reina let out a small, resigned sigh. She stepped past her mother, heading for her dark room.
As soon as she entered, Reina's eyes immediately fell on the bed. "Hmph, how long has my phone been there?" she muttered, surprised to see it lying on the pillow, a place she didn't remember putting it the night before.
She picked up her phone, the screen lit up, showing 6:08 a.m., April 10, 2026. She swiped the screen, making sure there were no other important messages.
On the bed, her school clothes were neatly laid out: a crisp white blazer, a dark turtleneck, and a plaid skirt. She wasted no time in changing, feeling the cool fabric of her uniform against her skin. Once ready, Reina left the room, her phone in her hand.
In the living room, before heading to the dining table, Reina grabbed a black, XXL-sized jacket hanging from a chair. A large American flag was emblazoned on the back. The jacket seemed to engulf her petite frame, giving her a sense of security and a hint of style.
As she approached her mother, who was already seated at the dining table, her mother glanced at the oversized jacket she was wearing. "Hmm, where's your bag?"
Hearing that question, Reina froze. Her expression changed to one of surprise for a moment, then she turned and hurried back to her room. "I forgot," she exclaimed, her voice slightly panicked. Inside, she quickly grabbed her jet-black schoolbag, lying on the floor near her desk.
.....
After finally leaving the house, Reina walked along the still-deserted sidewalk. The morning air felt cool against her face. Her steps slowed, enjoying the momentary tranquility. But suddenly, a man's baritone voice broke the silence, coming from behind.
"Newspapers. Newspapers. An old woman was raped by seven black men!"
A middle-aged newspaper vendor with a stack of papers in his hands hurried along. He stopped near a luxury black sedan stopped at a red light. "Buy it, sir," the vendor offered eagerly.
The man in the car rolled down his window and looked at the newspaper vendor with a curious look. "How much?" he asked, his voice deep.
"It's cheap, sir, only thirty yen," the seller replied, smiling broadly. The man in the car pulled out three ten-yen coins and handed them over, then grabbed the proffered newspaper.
The newspaper seller immediately sprang to his feet, continuing his shout, "Newspaper, newspaper, a driver has been scammed!"
Meanwhile, the man in the car opened his newspaper enthusiastically. His eyes scanned every page, searching for the news he'd heard. "Hey, where's the old woman who was raped by seven men? Damn, I've been tricked." he grumbled in annoyance, his expression sour.
Meanwhile, the newspaper seller continued walking until he finally reached Reina. "Would you like a newspaper, dear? Here's a good story, it says a driver has been scammed."
Reina, curious, asked, "How much is it?"
"It's cheap, only thirty yen," the seller replied, holding out his newspaper.
Reina reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out three thirty-yen coins, and handed them to him. He accepted the newspaper.
After handing over the newspaper, the salesman turned away, his voice becoming shrill again, "Newspaper, newspaper, newspaper. A minor has been scammed!"
Reina opened the newspaper and read the headline: "Man in Tokyo Wins Lottery Ticket to Disneyland." She read the entire article, standing on the curb, until she reached the end of the page. Confused, she flipped through the newspaper again. "So, where's the part where the driver got scammed?" She let out a long sigh, a small hint of annoyance creeping in. "Hmph, my thirty yen is gone," she muttered, feeling cheated.
She then continued on her way, but suddenly, a notification from her phone rang in her jacket pocket. Reina immediately took her phone and activated the screen. The notification came from the LINE app.
A message A sound came through. Without thinking, Reina pressed play. "AHHH. AHH AHH." A woman's loud moan filled the morning air, especially with Reina's phone volume turned up to maximum. Reina's face immediately flushed red, blood rushing to her cheeks.
She looked around, feeling mortified. Two male pedestrians were staring at her with expressions of surprise and slight amusement. Panic gripped her, Reina quickly turned off her phone, put it back in her pocket, and ran as fast as she could, trying to escape the stares and the embarrassment.
She finally stopped at a quieter intersection, her chest heaving with heavy breathing. Picking up her phone again, she typed a message with trembling fingers, her irritation mounting. "Damn you, Fang, you're embarrassing me."
However, Fang's only reply was a laughing emoji and the mocking sentence, "Your anger is the source of my happiness."
Reina replied with an angry emoji, her fingers pressing the screen with excessive force. An idea suddenly occurred to her, a small grin appearing on her face. She pressed the button to forward the lewd voice message to another contact.
The recipient was Yura, a senior she was quite close to, their relationship almost like sisterhood.
After Reina sent the message, a satisfied smile spread across her lips. She continued on her way, her steps now feeling lighter, as if the burden of her previous embarrassment had been somewhat lifted.