A Story About Being Shaken Down

A long time ago, I was shaken down.

I was a first-year middle school student at the time, and someone around my age (likely older) suddenly approached me and asked me to lend them money.

However, because I had just bought a Papico at a convenience store, I only had about a dozen yen on me.
I had so little change that I worried I might get hit even if I handed it over.
I was terrified by the reality that I would get hit whether I gave it to them or not.

Feeling strangely apologetic toward the middle schooler who kept demanding I pay up, I held my wallet out in front of them and turned it upside down to show them the contents.

...8 yen.

"Huh?"

The middle schooler let out a voice at the sheer insignificance of the amount.

"Huh?"

I also let out a cry of surprise at the amount being even lower than I expected.
An awkward silence fell between us for a while.

Furthermore, my mother was supposed to pick me up that day, so I had promised to call home.
It was only then that I realized I had fallen into a situation where I didn't even have the money for that call.
This was no longer about being shaken down.
I cursed my own actions, wondering why on earth I had bought that Papico.

For some reason, the person shaking me down gave off an approachable vibe, so I offered them half of my Papico, asking if they wanted some.
I had suddenly felt lonely because I had no money left.

"Oh, uh. No, I feel bad since you only have 8 yen..."

They actually ended up being somewhat hesitant.
Even as a middle schooler, I became anxious, wondering if my financial situation was really that dire.

I thought they would take it and leave immediately, but for some reason, we ended up eating the Papico together.
A delinquent sucking on a Papico with all their might isn't exactly intimidating.
Being a foolish kid, I was sucking on it desperately, trying to remove all the air from my mouth as if creating a vacuum, when...

"You're supposed to rub it with your hands to melt it first. That makes it easier to suck."

They even went as far as to give me instructions on how to eat a Papico.
Taking advantage of their helpful nature, I asked,

"I need to call home, do you happen to have a 10-yen coin?"

When I asked that,

"Why are you trying to borrow money from the person who just asked you to lend them money?"

They replied with a perfectly logical answer.

When I said, "But I gave you a Papico, didn't I?", they looked at me as if they were seeing some strange, unrecognizable insect. Once I realized why it felt so familiar, I saw it was identical to the look on my friend's face the first time they saw a hammerhead flatworm.

I felt like I understood a little bit of how that hammerhead flatworm must have felt back then.

However, when I explained my predicament, they let out a massive sigh and then quietly held out a 10-yen coin.
I thanked them with great joy, called my mother, and told her to wait because I would pay her back immediately, but then—

"Huh? ...Never mind. I'm going home."

And with that, they left.
I had been abandoned by my mugger.

Later, when I told a friend that I had been mugged, they were shocked and offered to go tell a teacher, but I didn't know how to explain the fact that I had been mugged but had actually come out ahead by 10 yen, so I ended up not telling any adults.

If I told my mother, the fact that I had spent the money for the phone call on a Papico would come to light and I would get scolded even more, which was another reason I couldn't tell her.

If there is anyone out there who once mugged someone and ended up losing 10 yen instead, please get in touch.
I'm sorry about that, somehow.