Chương 2: Everyone Needs a Clown

Ch 02 - Everyone Needs a Clown Ring, ring! Toma pedaled his unicycle as he rolled down the sidewalk. A colorful sign rested in one hand while he called out to everyone passing by.

"Step right up! Step right up! Amazing deals are waiting for you at Star Toy Shop! Dolls, puzzles, games, and toys for every child! Come join the fun today!" He noticed two little kids running excitedly ahead of their parents. Without stopping, Toma slowed his pedaling and held a perfect balance on the unicycle. He raised the sign high for everyone to see while casually juggling three bright, colorful balls with his free hand.

"Come on over! Every kid deserves a new favorite toy! Visit Star Toy Shop for the biggest smiles in town!"

"Look at that goofy clown!" one of the boys shouted, laughing.

"His face looks so pathetic. He looks like an idiot."

"Yeah! He probably practices looking stupid every day!" the other boy chimed in, bursting into laughter. Their parents glanced over at Toma before laughing as well.

"Let him do his job," the father said with a grin.

"He's just trying to earn a living. If no one stops by, he might not even make enough for dinner." Still chuckling, the family continued down the street. Toma forced a smile until they were out of earshot.

"What a bunch of idiots," he said.

"The parents are idiots, and so are their kids."

"Hey!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind him.

"This clown's swearing! He just called all of you idiots!" Toma turned and saw a teenage boy pointing at him with a smug grin. The father of the two children heard the accusation and immediately stopped. His expression darkened as he strode straight toward Toma, grabbed the front of his clown costume, and pulled him closer.

"What did you just say about my kids?" Keeping the painted smile on his face, Toma quickly lifted his sign again.

"Star Toy Shop has the best toys in town! Great prices, wonderful gifts, and smiles guaranteed! Bring the whole family and don't miss today's specials!"

"Watch your mouth, you worthless clown!" the man snapped.

"You think you can insult my family and get away with it?" He shoved Toma hard. Toma struggled to keep his balance, wobbling wildly before finally tipping over. He hit the pavement with a loud thud, sending the three colorful juggling balls bouncing across the sidewalk. The man simply turned around and walked away. Several pedestrians stopped to watch. Then laughter broke out all around him.

Some pointed, others shook their heads, while a few simply walked away with amused smiles as Toma lay sprawled on the ground beside his unicycle. Before the commotion had even settled, the door of the nearby toy shop flew open. A man with a thick mustache and short black hair stormed outside. His face was red with anger as he marched straight toward the fallen Toma.

"Good afternoon, sir," Toma said as he climbed back to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing?" the man barked.

"Why are you making such a complete fool of yourself in front of everyone?"

"That's my job," Toma replied casually.

"I'm supposed to act silly. It makes people laugh."

"You stupid asshole!" the man snapped.

"You're nothing but bad luck! Everywhere you go, something goes wrong! Where the hell have you been?"

"I spent my lunch break at the game center next door."

"You think you can waste time however you want?" the man shouted.

"This isn't a charity! I hired you to bring customers in, not drive them away! You're going to bankrupt my shop!"

"I did exactly what you told me to do," Toma replied with a shrug.

"Whether people come in or not isn't completely up to me." The man cursed under his breath before shoving a hand into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet, counted a stack of bills, then flung the money straight into Toma's face. Toma instinctively shut his eyes as the bills slapped against him and scattered across the sidewalk.

"Take it!" the man yelled.

"Now get the hell away from my shop. You're fired! Don't ever show your face here again!" Without waiting for a response, he turned around and stomped back inside. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The moment the money landed on the ground, a few nearby children rushed toward the fluttering bills.

"Hey!" Toma shouted. He dropped to his knees, shielding the money with both arms before the children could grab it. Then he hurriedly picked up every bill one by one, stuffing them deep into his pocket as fast as he could. Once he was sure he hadn't missed a single one, Toma took off his messy orange wig. He tucked it under one arm, grabbed his unicycle, and quietly walked away from the shop.

"What an idiot," he muttered under his breath.

"I've only been working here for a week, and he already forgot. He just paid me for a full month." A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Works for me. He's the one who made the mistake, not me. Guess it's time to treat myself to a really good meal." Toma simply kept walking straight ahead, no longer paying attention to the people around him. The afternoon slowly drifted by, and after several hours, he slowed to a stop when he noticed someone walking toward him from the opposite direction. The woman stopped and waved with a bright smile.

"Toma! Why are you already back from work?" Toma walked over until he was standing in front of the young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties. She had short black hair that framed her face neatly and wore a fitted white blouse tucked into a dark pencil skirt.

"You too," Toma said.

"Why are you home so early? Your shift shouldn't be over yet." Instead of answering, the woman casually slipped an arm around his shoulders and turned him toward a modest house beside the quiet street. It was a small single-story home with faded cream walls, a tiny front yard surrounded by a low metal fence, and a narrow porch shaded by an old awning. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was clean, cozy, and clearly well cared for.

"Come on inside," she said with a tired yawn.

"I'm exhausted. I need to lie down."

"You're hugging me too tightly, Lina."

"We used to take baths together."

"Can you stop bringing up our childhood? We're adults now. People are going to get the wrong idea."

"So what?" Lina said with a shrug.

"I'm your big sister."

"You're my cousin."

"And what's the difference?" she shot back.

"What, being cousins suddenly means you'd be attracted to me? Do you really like your sexy older cousin that much?" She let go of him, laughing at his flustered expression, and opened the front door.

"Don't say weird things," Toma muttered.

"People might actually believe you, you idiot." The two of them walked inside together. Lina tossed her small handbag onto a nearby chair before collapsing onto the sofa with a long, tired sigh. Toma sat down on the sofa across from her and looked over at her.

"So," he asked, "why did you get home so early?" Lina didn't seem to care. She leaned back against the sofa, closed her eyes, and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"That bastard of a manager," she muttered.

"He set me up. That disgusting creep kept trying to hit on me, and when I turned him down, he got pissed. Then he made up an excuse to fire me."

"You're just going to let him get away with it?" Toma asked, frowning. Lina sat up and shook her head.

"I don't want to make things worse. Picking a fight with him won't solve anything." She rubbed her temples.

"I'll rest for a couple of days, then start looking for another job." She glanced around the modest living room before letting out another sigh.

"We've got three months of rent ahead of us. If we don't figure something out soon, we're going to be in serious trouble." She pushed herself to her feet and started walking toward her room.

"Lina." She stopped without turning around.

"What?"

"Uncle stopped by this morning." Lina froze. Her hands slowly tightened into fists.

"Sorry," Toma said quietly.

"I wasn't trying to upset you. I just thought you should know."

"That bastard still has the nerve to show his face?" she snapped, finally turning to face him.

"After selling off everything Mom left behind and dumping all his debts on me? Next time he comes here, tell him to go jump off a bridge. I don't have a father anymore." She turned and continued toward her room.

"I should probably move out too," Toma said.

"I'm an adult now. I can't keep living with you forever."

"Oh, shut up." Lina waved him off without even looking at him.

"You're really going to leave a beautiful single lady all alone in this house?" She snorted.

"Just stay here. I'd rather have you around than worry about you sleeping on the streets and going hungry." She opened the bedroom door.

"Just focus on working so you can go back to college." Without waiting for a reply, Lina walked into her room and quietly closed the door behind her. Toma stayed where he was, then reached for the orange wig. He ripped it off with a rough grip and threw it onto the floor. A second later, he snatched up the red clown nose and tossed that aside as well. His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white, trying to hold back the frustration building inside him. It was not exactly anger.

It was something heavier than that. He knew he should be looking for another job. Instead, he had come home like this, standing in front of Lina with nothing to show for himself, while she was already carrying enough burdens on her own. And yet, here he was. Just sitting here while that girl had been carrying everything by herself this whole time. His thoughts stopped when the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house. Toma looked up.

"Who could that be now? Uncle?" He got to his feet, walked over, and opened the front door. A delivery truck was parked outside. Two couriers were struggling to lower a massive package from the back. Toma simply watched them for a moment before turning his head toward the hallway.

"Lina! Did you order something this big?" A moment later, her bedroom door swung open. Lina stepped out wearing a black tank top and a pair of shorts. The moment she saw the package outside, her eyes widened.

"Damn," she muttered.

"That's the game capsule."

"The game capsule?"

"Yeah. The one everyone's been talking about. It's for Eternal Legacy."

"You bought one? No... wait. How did you even get one?" One of the couriers let out a tired laugh while adjusting his grip on the enormous crate.

"Delivery for Miss Lina. Could you tell us where you'd like us to put it? This thing weighs a ton." Toma glanced at him before stepping aside.

"Yeah, just bring it inside." The two men carefully carried the oversized package into the house. Even wrapped in thick protective material, its shape was impossible to miss. It was long and sleek, almost like a coffin at first glance, though much more refined. It was also noticeably more compact than the game capsules installed at the game center. After setting it down, one of the couriers stretched his back with a relieved sigh.

"Whew. You actually bought one of these?" he said with a laugh. His partner laughed too.

"You know, that thing costs enough to buy a house twice as nice as this." Still chuckling to themselves, the two men headed back outside. Toma watched them leave before closing the front door.

"Why does everyone have to talk like they're missing a few brain cells?" He let out a quiet sigh before turning back toward the neatly wrapped game capsule sitting in the middle of the living room. His eyes slowly lifted toward Lina, who was still standing there with a stiff expression.

"What is this?" he repeated.

"Damn," she muttered.

"What? Why 'damn'?"

"I'm screwed. He actually left this for me as a gift?"

"What?" Toma frowned.

"Who are you even talking about?"