Well, I'm building hype. Here you go.

~~~

I frowned. “So, you’re helping me… Why?”

“What horrible person wouldn’t help a lost, hungry kid? Unlike villains, I have morals.” He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet.

“Villains? You mean like criminals?”

“Well, yes and no.” The man put the jar of peanut butter on the counter and grabbed a couple of apples and a knife. He sliced the apples as he continued, “I don’t know where you’re from, but here, we face villains. I guess you could call them empowered criminals. Society relies on heroes to take most of them down, but the police cover the rest.”

A society of heroes and villains, I thought. Sounds vaguely familiar.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Dealt with a good few myself. They’re pretty mean, and most of them give a pretty good beating.” He put the apple slices in a nearby bowl and came over to sit next to me. “Hope you like apples. Don’t double dip.”

I took an apple slice and dipped it in the peanut butter. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem.”

I munched on the apple slices for a good few seconds before I asked him something. “Hey, um, I know we just met, but I never got your name. Is there something I can call you, Mister…?”

“Toshinori Yagi.”

“Hajimemashite, Yagi-san.”
Toshinori chuckled. “Hey, now. It’s not really fair for you to know my name while I don’t know yours.”

I smiled for the first time that night. This guy was chill. “Child. CJ Child.”

~~~

And that's it for now. Hehe. Bai.