Ready Player Zero

Chapter 3: Lunchtime

Toshiro spun around quickly. Standing in front of him was indeed a child, who couldn't have been more than ten years old, especially with his extremely skinny frame.

His dark brown hair was disheveled but matched the color of his eyes, open wide. He blinked a few times, head tilted in a manner that made his tone one of curiosity more than accusation at finding a stranger in an area that he had likely made his own.

After taking a few seconds to process all of this, Toshiro tried to come up with a suitable answer to the previous question. He finally decided on the simplest reply he could give: "I'm Toshiro."

The boy hesitated for a moment, and almost seemed about to question the response, but then he simply nodded instead. "My name is Zhou."

Toshiro noticed something that he hadn't heard earlier due to his surprise, that the boy had a slight accent. It was strangely comforting, in a sense, to meet someone else who spoke English as a second language in this city full of people speedily chattering away naturally. To finally not be the only outsider.

There was another pause as Toshiro wondered how to phrase his next words. He was definitely concerned for this boy who seemed to be hiding alone in the forest, but he didn't want to scare him away either. "Is that bag in the tree yours?"

Zhou simply nodded again in response.

"If you don't mind me asking...is there a particular reason you have a bag up there?"

A look of wary cautiousness flashed across Zhou's face, and he looked down at the ground, silent.

"It's alright then, if you don't want to answer. I was just curious."

Zhou remained quiet but glanced up at Toshiro again.

"Would you mind if I asked you some more questions? If there's anything else you prefer not to talk about, you don't have to. I just want to get to know you a little."

Another pause, and then, "Okay." The word was soft, barely a whisper.

"Are you cold?"

Zhou looked slightly startled, apparently confused at the change of subject. Then he seemed to notice for the first time that his coat was thin and somewhat ragged and his pants were also thin and too short for him, clothing definitely not suited for the snowy wintertime.

"No, I—uh....yes? I don't know," he mumbled.

"Would you like to go somewhere warmer, perhaps somewhere indoors in the city?" Toshiro glanced at his watch. "It's around lunchtime now. Do you want to join me for a meal? My treat."

Toshiro spotted a fleeting glance of temptation in Zhou's face, but then it faded and he shook his head. "It's okay, sir, I wouldn't want to bother you."

The strange politeness of this boy was almost amusingly ironic. Toshiro was the one who had trespassed into Zhou's territory, yet Zhou was being the apologetic and respectful one. And why was such a well-mannered child hidden out here in a forest?

"You don't have to call me sir. Just Toshiro is fine. I'm not that old, am I?" That managed to get a shy chuckle out of Zhou. "Anyway, it wouldn't be a bother. Lunch is no fun without company, is it?"

Zhou hesitated again before replying. "I suppose so...If you're sure it's not too troublesome..."

"Don't worry about it, you're actually the one doing me a favor. It's terribly lonely to eat by yourself. Now, where do you wanna eat?"