Walking with her backpack in hand, dragging her suitcase along. Rei was walking across the small bridge that she had to pass by each day to school. 

The sky was dark and it was dinner time, but for her she had nowhere to go. 

Was she running away from home? No she was kicked out of her house by her father,

and her mother did nothing to stop that from happening. "Get out of the house now!" Rei's father slammed the door

in her face after throwing her backpack and suitcase out the door. Rei cried thinking about what had happened just

because she had warned her younger brother that he shouldn't date while he should be 

focusing on studying since exams were coming up."You shouldn't have told your brother that the girl he was dating

was going out with 2 other guys." Rei's mother scolded her."Look what you have done? Your brother is failing his math exam

just because of you. And he is always in the top 5 of his class list. How can he be a good example to the other students?"

His father continued to scream at Rei. "But I just wanted to make sure my brother knew what he was doing. I didn't want my brother

to be tricked..." Rei tried to explain that she was just worried about her brother. Its normal for a sister to be worried about her own little brother right?

"So what?" Her father continued on lecturing her. "You are just jealous that your brother had gotten a girlfriend once 

he was 16. So you had to make them break up right? Especially when he was studying for exams. You feel better 

once you did that? You know what? He is the one who is going to be the successor of my company. He has a future, not you." 

"What do you mean not me?" Rei demanded for an answer to her question.

"Women only are supposed to get pregnant, have kids and be a good housewife.

Men are the ones who are in charge of protecting the family. Since you are a girl. You can not do anything except to learn to be a good woman."

Rei's mother whispered in her ear, trying to get Rei to understandthe importance of being a son in their family.

"Why are you guys so gender-biased?" Rei asked. "Because we never wanted you in this family." 

Rei's father picked up her suitcase and backpack and threw it out the door."Get out!" Rei's father shouted. "Never come back again" Rei's mother said 

before the door slammed shut. 

Rei continued to walk block by block, trying to look for a place to stay but she only has 2000 yen in her pocket. 

"Smells like tonkatsu soup..." She lifted her nose into the air smelling the aroma. 

Walking a few steps forward, she noticed a menya. Tonkatsu ramen for half the price today. Customers discount.

She was in luck. She walked in sliding the door open dragging her suitcase along. 

"One Tonkatsu ramen please" she ordered once she found a place to sit. 

"Coming right up," the waitress walked away after placing a cup of water on her table. 

A few minutes after her ramen was here. 

"いただきます" she said before placing her spoon into the broth.

Taking a sip from her bowl of ramen, tears started forming in her eyes.

Memories of the first time she went to a ramen store with her parents when she was still 7 years old reminded her 

of her happy days of childhood. Compared to the situation she was in now, she wanted to go back to the past, but it would never come back. Never.

A boy was cleaning the tables from the other side of the store, looking at her. 

He immediately went into the kitchen to get some napkins and went over to hand her one.

"Thanks" she said while looking up to see the boy. 

He was about her age, and looked extremely worried. 

"Are you ok?" He asked hoping that she was alright. 

"I guess I'm fine." She replied while sniffing into the napkin. 

"Doesn't look like it though. You have your suitcase with you, are you homesick because you are running away from home?" 

"No actually I got kicked out of my house." She said while wiping her tears away with the back of her hands.

"Must have been some family problems?" He said while sitting down at the seat infront of her. "Want to tell me about it?" 

Rei continued crying. "I guess I won't ask about know. Wasn't a good idea for me to say that." So what are you planning to do?" He asked. 

"I don't know I have nowhere to stay today" Rei said not sure what to do herself.

"Hmm I'll ask my mom if our froom  for rent is ok for you to stay at today. Tommorow you can see if you can go home tommorow." He said 

before walking off to ask his mom who was working in the kitchen.

"Yes, she said its fine. Follow me" He said while taking her suitcase. "Where we going?" Rei said following the boy who was carrying the suitcase upstairs. 

"Oh we live upstairs from the menya, my family doesn't have enough money to buy a house so we live in the small apartment upstairs from the store..." 

The boy continued to talk about his family and that he was brought up by his mother and sisters...

"Um thanks." Rei said suddenly.

"Thanks about what?" The boy said, "Because we are letting you stay for the day?" Its fine" He laughed.

"My mom especially cares about girls like you. The ones who have been left behind or in a similar situation as her before. She is more 

understanding to them compared to me." He laughed thinking about how he is the only son raised in the family of girls. 

"By the way..." Rei continued to ask. "Whats your name?" 

"Hiro" He said with a smile. "And yours?" 

"Rei" She said.

She was greatful this was the first person  who cared about her. Even though they were pretty much strangers.

Because she knew no one in her family felt that she ever existed. She smiled while thinking 

that she wasn't alone for now. 

"Now see thats better." Hiro said staring at Rei.

"Hm?" Rei caught Hiro looking at her face. "What do you mean?" Rei asked. 

"You look prettier when you are smiling." Hiro said grinning at her before showing her to her room.