"Who is this child? Why did you bring him home?"
Koji stood at the doorway, carrying a small boy wrapped in an old cloth.
"I… I don't know. I found him behind the garbage house in the back street," he said softly. "We don't have a child… maybe we should adopt him."
His wife looked at the boy—dirty, weak, but with strangely calm eyes.
"But what if his real parents show up one day?"
Koji sighed. "We'll worry about that later. For now… let's give him a name."
He gently touched the boy's head.
"From today… your name will be Nobu."
And from that moment, Nobu's new life began.
Eight Years Later
Time passed, and Nobu grew into a kind, cheerful boy.
Koji loved him like his own blood.
One day, Koji and the now-eight-year-old Nobu walked to the market.
Nobu's eyes sparkled when he saw a huge toy displayed in a shop on the main road.
"Wow! Dad, look at that!"
Without thinking, Nobu dashed across the street.
A loud horn—
A speeding truck—
"NOBU!!" Koji shouted.
Koji sprinted and pushed Nobu away with all his strength.
The truck slammed into Koji instead.
The world froze.
Nobu fell to the ground, shaking.
"D-Dad…?"
But Koji didn't move again.
Tears rolled down Nobu's cheeks as he saw the only father he ever knew lying still on the road.
Lost and Alone
The market was far, and Nobu had never traveled alone.
He tried to walk home, but every street looked unfamiliar.
Hours passed, and eventually, he wandered into a dark alley.
There, sitting on a broken wooden crate, was a small boy around six years old.
"Hey… you look lost," the boy said with a friendly smile.
"My name's Beru."
Nobu wiped his tears. "I… I can't find my home."
Beru's expression softened.
"Then stay with me. At least for today."
A day turned into a week.
A week turned into a month.
And in that time, the two boys formed a bond—
A bond strong enough to change the future.