In the winter, the default menu for the makeshift soup kitchen was a hearty miso-based soup with root vegetables, called kenchinjiru, which was served along with a salted rice ball.
Winters had become especially harsh for the homeless after convenience stores had begun locking their waste bins. Fortunately, there were many support organizations in the capital of Tokyo which the homeless could turn to. Therefore it was no surprise that many chose to head into the big city.
Global warming was also good news for these people; although the breeze was still biting cold, some degree of comfort graced their faces as they loitered in the sun on a warm winter day.
While NPO members doled out food in disposable paper dishes, Kuji sorted blankets and underwear a distance away. Song was also seen in the organization's tent, talking to an elderly homeless person and rubbing his back. It was Song's job to examine the homeless' physical conditions and provide them with medicine if necessary. There was also an older female nurse who took their blood pressure when it was needed.
Kuji discreetly but firmly kept his eyes locked on Song as he sorted through clothing. He watched for who would approach him, who would talk to him. He had to report all of this information to Nango - that was why he was situated here, with a clear view of the man. At least that was what he told himself.
No, it's not. He knew it wasn't. The fact left a bitter taste in his mouth. The dark-haired woman who had been sitting in the driver's seat was leaning in towards Song. Her large stature balanced out well with Song's own towering height. You could say they looked like a good couple.
Although Song was in a religious occupation, Kuji found it hard to believe that he wouldn't be interested in women. Song only refused to have relations with Kuji because he wasn't interested in men. If that was the case, the man could vow celibacy all he wanted, but there was no doubt that he probably felt sexual desire for women. Song would probably never actually engage in the act with a woman, but just the idea of him feeling desire for one was hard for Kuji to bear.
He could still let it pass if a woman approached Song in church. But outside of the church, all of Kuji's restraint went out the window. The hatred he felt for all the women who approached Song inevitably showed in his face.
That was his biggest reason for distancing himself from Song in these situations.
Just then, Kuji spotted an unfamiliar man approaching the tent. He was wearing a half-length coat and jeans, with brown hair and an ear piercing. He was rather plump, with small eyes and full lips. He looked no older than thirty.
The man was bowing to Song and the members of the NPO and speaking to them. Kuji nonchalantly edged closer.
"...Yes, I was a homeless person myself once. Even before they coined the term 'Internet cafe refugees'."
The man pulled out his business cards from his inside pocket and began handing them out.
Doesn't seem like anyone suspicious, Kuji thought. No spy would go around handing out business cards. He read the card that was handed to him. It was printed with the words, "Kiyoshi Morimoto, Asylum Net."
"Asylum, as in a place of refuge," explained Morimoto. "My job is to help young people who go from Internet cafe to Internet cafe with no permanent place to stay. In other words, I run a youth shelter, you might say."
Morimoto spoke with fervor.