Ah…this sucks, he thought. 

It was cold that winter; much worse than usual. As he glanced outside of the window of his small, unkempt apartment, he watched the snow pile up as the wind carried a seemingly boundless amount of the frosty, white particles. 

“ACHOO–!” He sneezed, bundling up in a blanket. 

What terrible timing for my heater to go out, he thought, I guess that’s to be expected with my luck. That’s all my shitty life is–bad luck. 

Sitting there as the T.V. was left on only for background noise as he attempted to sleep, it was simply impossible as the cold caused him to shiver. 

He had been debating on it all night, but he finally made his choice as he sprang up from his bed in a huff. 

Screw this, I can’t sleep in this cold. I’m freezing my ass off here! The convenience store should still be open–they might have some heaters left in stock, he thought. 

As he tightened his dark-gray coat and wrapped his plaid scarf around his neck for as much warmth as possible, he scrounged up the loose change on the table that was mixed with the opened, stale noodle cups laying around. 

“Daiki Hamasaki. Age twenty-four, jobless, penniless…save for the few bucks in my pocket,” that’s me, he thought. 

He wasn’t particularly bad looking, but nothing special either; short, shaggy hair of a dark-brown shade, and hazel eyes. The only thing going for him was that he was above average height, though he was often called a “beanpole” by people that knew him due to his lanky physique. 

It was even more reason why he needed a heater–his frail physique made the cold even more potent. 

As soon as he opened the door to leave, he was hit with a gust of the chilly, frosty air that instantly made him shiver throughout his body. 

“Brrr…” 

Should I wait until tomorrow? He thought. 

Glancing back into his apartment, he reminded himself of the few hours he just spent freezing while bundled within blankets, which prompted him to continue on his way as he locked the door behind him. 

Without gloves, he was forced to stuff his hands into the pockets of his coat as he walked down the stairs of his apartment complex, traversing the snow-slick parking lot as he shivered. 

Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t anybody else walking around the neighborhood at that time, especially during the peak of winter. 

I’m the only dumbass willing to go out here, he huffed out.

His breath left in a cold mist as his nose reddened while he kept his shoulder tucked close to his body in an attempt to retain any warmth. 

The convenience store was only a block away from his apartment, greeting him with its dimmed, L.E.D sign that looked like it would go out any day now. 

Bing-Bong. 

As he walked into the store, the chime he had heard countless times played as he let out a sigh of relief. It was much warmer within the store as a heater supplied it with adequate heat. 

The clerk didn’t greet him, as he was busy reading a swimsuit magazine while smoking a cigarette. 

Please, please…don’t be out of stock, he thought. 

Making his way to the back of the store, he found himself in the appliance section. There were a number of heaters in stock, however, the true problem made itself known. 

He was broke. 

There was enough money in his pocket for the lowest-end heater on the market, and that is what he searched for, rummaging around the products on the shelves. 

“Come on, I’m begging you here…” he mumbled desperately as he searched. 

After searching through all of the heaters on display, he found it, sitting at the very back of the shelf like a ray of divine light. 

There it is! He thought. 

Reaching out and grabbing it, it felt like he was holding the holy grail itself; a basic, minimal functions heater. 

He wanted to hug it, but he was afraid of looking like more of an absolute lunatic than he already did, arriving at that time of night in the freezing winter. 

Alright, now just to pay and get the hell out of–he thought, but his mind was interrupted. 

“Ah…I don’t have enough, do I?...” He realized, checking the change he had in his jacket. 

He felt like sinking down right then and there and being carried off to some other place, wanting to throw the heater to the wall. 

All of a sudden, the doors opened to rapid footsteps that stopped in front of the counter. 

“Huh? You need something?” The clerk asked without looking up from his magazine, huffing out smoke from his lips. 

He looked back to see a man dressed in all-black with an obscuring hoodie on, pulling something from the back of his pants. 

It was a long, reflective kitchen knife. 

A knife…?! He thought. 

“Yeah, give me everything you’ve got in that register!--And make it quick!” The man demanded. 

All of a sudden, the lax clerk was now wide-eyed, dropping his cigarette as he stepped back out of fear of the visceral tool in the robber’s hand. 

A robbery?! Are you kidding me?! My shit luck never ends–! He thought. 

As he stayed in the back of the store, peeking from behind a shelf as the robber continued to urge the clerk to give him all of the money in the register–an idea came. 

Hold on, this might actually be my lucky shot. If I drive the robber away, I’ll probably be rewarded–I can get this heater for free! He thought. 

The idea gave him confidence as he smiled nervously, readying himself as he slowly approached the robber from behind. 

The clerk noticed him with a surprised look in his eyes, but the look screamed “Don’t do this, dumbass!” but it was too late–his eyes were set on the prize. 

“Take this–!” 

He yelled out as he tossed the boxed product directly at the back of the robber’s head, causing the man to stumble a bit. 

Nice! Perfect hit! He thought. 

Following up, he intended to wrestle the knife away from the man’s grip, reaching out before–

“Ah.” 

It was a warm feeling. 

It felt as if every function of his body now focused on that overwhelming heat, coalescing at his gut. 

Ah, he thought, I’ve been…stabbed? 

As he looked down, he saw the large knife sunken so deep into his gut that all he could see was the handle, and the assailant’s hand that was now drenched in his flowing crimson. 

“I-I…I didn’t mean to do it!” The robber frantically called out, looking back at the clerk, “He ran straight at me–y-you saw that, right?! Right?!”

“...I don’t know, man. I don’t know…” The clerk held his head in shock. 

The last thing he saw in his fluttering, hazy vision was the look of regret on the robber’s face, and the shock on the clerk’s. 

Shit. 

I really…didn’t do anything with my life, did I?