In his previous life, Mel had once had a friend. Whether they counted as good friends or not, even he did not know.
That person had been an ordinary guy like him. Not long after Mel dropped out of school, the guy somehow found him and spoke as though Mel absolutely had to go back. "Go back. Studying is the only way out. What are you even doing here?"
At first, Mel had not wanted to pay him any attention, because it was difficult for people to truly understand one another.
They argued. He yelled, releasing all the emotions he had bottled up. "How am I supposed to go back? My sister is only in middle school, my parents are unreliable, and I have no money! I need to eat! My sister needs to eat too! Tuition, living expenses—it's not just me. Do you think I can work while studying at the same time? I'm not a genius. My grades aren't good enough to get school aid!"
After pouring out all the pressure he had been carrying, that person merely looked at him without saying anything. His eyes seemed shocked, as though someone had suddenly shattered the walls of his greenhouse.
He must have thought about many things too. But they had both been students, with roughly the same understanding of the world. It was difficult.
After that argument, the person left him 300 and never appeared again. Mel never took the initiative to look for him either, and they did not meet again for many years.
Did that count as friendship?
Even now, Mel felt some regret when he thought about it. Those pressures should have been his alone to bear, yet he had suddenly dumped them onto his friend. That person must have considered helping him, but there