As the afternoon arrived, Mason arrived at Shoko's shop ahead of schedule. As Shoko saw him, a wide grin appeared on his face.
"There he is! I could've sworn you're faster than Superman," he exclaimed.
However, Mason didn't seem fazed by his frivolous joke; he advanced toward him, his sweat breaking and crawling down his face.
"Have you sold it?" he asked.
Shoko stood up from his seat and attended to the arriving customer, leaving Mason's curiosity hanging like the clouds. When the customer left, Shoko turned his attention back to Mason, who seemed like he was going to die from answers starvation.
"Well... hopefully, it's sold. But–"
"But what!?" Mason cut in, frustrated, his chest heaving with each breath.
Shoko chuckled for a moment before turning serious. "Where did you see that necklace, Mason?" he inquired. "The artifact wasn't from our world; it's from beyond this planet. Where did you see it?"
Mason's curiosity slowly subsided for a moment, his mind reeling in confusion.
"I inherited it from my parents," he replied, and his expression hardened again, his frustration, which had been simmering just beneath, burst forth. "Why are you asking me trivial questions instead of going straight to the point!? I don't have much time, Shoko!"
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry for being too curious," Shoko said and sat down. "Many people reacted immediately when I posted the image of the necklace on the jewelry platform. There were many different bids. You're a millionaire, Mason!"
Shoko's last sentence brought Mason a pang of relief and gratitude. He felt there might still be hope. He raised his head back to Shoko.
"So, how much did you sell it for?" he demanded urgently.
Shoko leaned in and whispered, "Ten million dollars. Do you want it in cash or by check?"
Mason's eyes widened, dumbfounded. Is he kidding me? Could my necklace be worth such an amount? He thought to himself.
"Which do you have currently?" Mike finally asked, almost in a whisper, deciding to focus on getting the house first and sorting out his thoughts later.
"I have the cash right here," Shoko said. "And by the way, if I may ask, why do you need such a large amount of money?"
Mason scanned around the shop for any potential eavesdroppers.
"My foster parents' house is about to be sold. I want to purchase it before anyone else can," he whispered back. "Can you help me, Shoko?"
Shoko's face changed immediately when he heard Mason's reason. He had never believed the necklace he had been urging him to sell for the past two years was now being sold to save his family from being homeless. He admired the young boy's intelligence and kindness.
"Will you help me?" Mason asked again, jolting Shoko out of his reverie.
Shoko's eyes, which had clouded over, regained life again as he peered at Mason for a while. "Of course, why won't I help you? What do you want me to do?"
Mason pondered for a moment, his index fingers tapping on his head reflectively.
"You're going to buy the house in my stead and tell the landlady's daughter to make my parents sign the documents," he finally replied.
Shoko nodded vigorously.
"That sounded like a great idea. So where's this landlady's daughter?" he inquired.
"Give me a moment, I have to go get someone who might know her house," Mason said and briskly took off.
He ran as fast as he could back home. When he got there, he saw Raymond stepping out of his house, probably going somewhere. Relief washed over him, he would've lost him had he arrived a bit late.
"Hey Raymond! I have something to tell you!" Mason called out.
But when Raymond saw Mason, he ignored him and took the other side of the road. Mason ran after him, breathing heavily.
"I found a way to keep our house!" he shouted again as he saw Raymond disappearing behind the fence of his house.
Mason bent down to catch his breath, his stomach aching from the long run. Just as he raised up his head, he was met by Raymond's imposing figure. At first, he flinched as he couldn't fathom how he'd approached him so fast without his knowledge.
"You've found a way?" Raymond rasped, his eyes scanning Mason's, as if magnifying his genuineness. "Are you serious?"
Mason nodded slowly. "Do you know how to reach the landlady's daughter?" he asked.
Raymond nodded also, taking out his cellphone from his pocket.
"I have it here, what are you thinking of doing?" he replied.
Mason stood up from the ground, smiling charmingly.
"Join me and let's go buy our houses," he said and pivoted, heading toward the bridge to the other side of the town.
Raymond's eyes furrowed in confusion as he ran to catch up with him. "If you lie to me I'm fucking going to–"
"Call the landlady's daughter and tell her someone wants to buy her house right now!" Mason said, cutting off Raymond's whining. "Tell her to come meet that person at the 'Shoko jewelry' shop."
At first, Raymond was dumbfounded, but he had no choice but to obey. He also noticed Mason has been quite strange today, unlike before when he was always quiet, as if avoiding causing trouble.
As Raymond called the number and muttered some words into it, he hung up and ran toward Mason, who was already at the other end of the bridge. The rest of the journey was in total silence, with Raymond thinking of how he would give Mason the beating of his life should he end up deceiving him. And Mason, thinking of how to give Raymond the surprise and joy of his life.
After a few minutes of walking, they finally got into Shoko's shop.
"Hey, Mason, you've got a visitor!" Shoko shouted as he sighted Mason stepping across the threshold.
Mason and Raymond approached and were shocked to see the landlord's daughter already inside, sitting beside the counter.
Mason's keen sight allowed him to read the expression on the middle-aged woman's face; she was sad. Mason couldn't help but wonder what could've made her get there in such a hurry, it hasn't even been ten minutes yet. But whatever was going on with this woman, Mason's instincts told him she was experiencing something not good, and it wasn't about her mother's passing.
"Mrs. Alby! You're already here!?" Raymond's voice resonated through the shop.
However, as Mrs. Alby, the landlady's daughter, sighted Raymond, she briskly stood up, curious as she glanced toward the shop's door like she was expecting someone.
"Who's buying the house? Where are they?" she inquired, and one could tell she urgently wanted to sell off the house.
"He's the one buying it," Mason replied, pointing at Shoko. Mrs. Alby glanced at Shoko, stared at him for a while, and turned back to Raymond. "Is he really the one who wants to buy the house?" she inquired.
Raymond slowly turned to Mason, his gaze quizzical. "Ummm…. Yes, I think," he replied in a stammer.
"How much does it cost?" Shoko's voice boomed toward them. As everyone turned to face him, they saw a new side of him, a business negotiating side. Mrs. Alby slowly walked toward the counter. "Will you really buy it? How much are you going to pay for it?" she asked, as if imploring.
Mason thought for a moment. His instincts about this woman weren't wrong. She was asking if Shoko was going to buy it instead of asking if he'd seen the house first. She's also asking how much Shoko was going to buy the house instead of stating an exact price and starting a negotiation. No doubt, she's urgently in need of money, and it's not for her mother's funeral, it's for something more significant.
"How much do you need, Mrs. Alby?" Mason intervened confidently. Mrs. Alby glanced at him, unsure of whether to answer the young boy or ignore him and continue his discussion with the man who appeared to be the buyer.
"You can answer him, ma'am," Shoko chimed in, nodding at the woman.
Mrs. Alby thought for a moment but spoke no word. Mason told her to sit, and he stood in front of her. "You don't need the money for your grandmother's funeral, you need it for something else, right?" he asked.
The woman's eyes widened in terror, Mason could hear her muffled heartbeat. "Don't you think you're crossing the line!?" Raymond intervened, seemingly frustrated by Mason's question to the woman, whom he thought might still be moaning about her mother.
"Yes! I needed it for someone else! Are you happy rubbing salt on my wound?" Mrs. Alby blurted, tears streaming down her face. "My only daughter is in the hospital right now, and has less than a week to live if not operated on for a lung transplant. The hospital required 3 million dollars for the surgery to be done, and as if that's not enough, my mother also passed away."
She took her handkerchief and wiped her nose. "All the people who wanted to buy the house are offering ridiculously low amounts that wouldn't even cut the surgery price, saying it's because of the location. Are you happy now that you've heard my story?"
"None of us are here to mock or laugh at you; we also don't want to lose our house," Mason replied, feeling empathetic toward the woman. "We're going to buy the house right now, and you're going to save your daughter."