"Wow, you're very rich."
Danica commented first when she saw Max tapping his phone away without looking anywhere else.
"Oh! Na, I was just checking them out, the display looks amazing compared to my old one."
Seeing it was very rude of him to keep using the phone, Max smiled awkwardly, he couldn't help it. Both phones were amazing, and with Internet on the go, it felt unreal.
"So where do you want to go next?"
"Near LMU, where I can rent a place."
"You didn't get a dorm?"
Danica asked with a shocked face, in her opinion, Max being in the dorm would be better. Munich is very expensive, she knows how much work she has to put in just to barely be able to survive here.
"I didn't get one, apparently you have to be very quick with the bookings, and my apartment's Wi-Fi was down that day. I tried like hundreds of times."
Max also shook his head in disappointment, he wanted to get a dorm room, which was of course the cheapest option for a student here, but he couldn't, the demand was too high, and he was a day too late.
"Alright, then. Finding an apartment is actually a very long process. I know an old couple nearby, maybe we should go there first?"
Danica offered, she knew many people, but near LMU is very specific. She knew an old couple in Schwabing, which is the area filled with bars and pubs, but that apartment was cheap enough for a student.
"Sure, let's go there."
Max immediately agreed, he doesn't have a reason not to. He doesn't even know where the hell the university is, running with the public is a hassle on its own, and searching for a trustworthy place in this economy was hard.
As the car turned right, the sun was finally going up, the street they entered looked a bit different, there were people wearing more vibrant colors and women with less clothing than usual.
"How are you with your studies, Max? Are you disciplined?"
"I try my best. I am not that good, but I am very disciplined. Why do you ask?"
"This area is called Schwabing, famous for its late-night parties and overly distracted atmosphere for a freshman."
"Oh! That? I don't care about those, I am not that social."
Max smiled confidently, he was very confident in his skill called discipline. Only this skill has taken him where he was, he was certain he could ignore parties, or who would invite him to one?
Blanka pouted while Danica nodded her head in satisfaction. As she was about to take her last turn to get to her destination, Max's eyes landed on a boy, who was maybe 8 or 9 years old, seated alone on a public bench.
"Stop the car, please."
"What happened?!!"
"Nothing, just stop the car."
Max requested Danica to stop her car because there was this little boy seated alone who reminded him of himself on a luxurious, colorful road. Only this boy looked black and white, he looked unfit.
Max knows this type, it was his type. Even back in Regensburg he was like this, unfit with the society, always in ragged clothes, looking like this country barely was made for him. Sometimes he also felt like this country hated him for being poor and without any parents.
As soon as the car stopped by the road, taking his backpack, Max ran with fierce speed towards that boy. Children this little are often very vulnerable, healthcare is free in Germany, but if his surveillance officer was not present, this boy would suffer.
"Hello."
Reaching the boy, Max instantly went onto his knees and smiled. In his head, he was a scary-looking person, so he didn't want the child to get scared by him, he tried to make as gentle a face as possible.
The child's knee was wounded, maybe he hurt himself, but Max doesn't have permission to touch him yet. The rules regarding children are very strict, so Max tried to have some conversation first, and then he will give the child his phone or buy him a bandage or something.
Danica looked at Blanka first, both sisters were still in the car, and this happened too fast for them to react. Seeing Blanka was as clueless as her, she turned the car off and gestured for Blanka to get out.
Seeing Max kneeling in front of a child shocked them no less, both sisters could guess by their clothing that Max was trying to help out the child somehow, but they felt like the place was a bit inappropriate and awkward for them to walk up to.
Max, on the other hand, didn't get any reply at all from the child, the child's eyes looked hopeless and sad. Max didn't get up, he smiled, on the contrary.
"You know, I can give you my phone so that you can call your surveillance officer."
Hearing about the 'surveillance officer,' the child finally looked up and met Max's eyes, he could see Max was really here to help him out, and he extended his hand as if to ask for the phone.
This kid and I are too similar, he's not trusting me at all. That's better.
Max, without any hesitation, gave the boy the first phone he could pull out from his pocket, the brand-new Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. The child had to hold it with two hands, as the phone was too big for him, and called someone.
"Yes, I am seated just outside 'Nancy Club,' alright, here, she wants to talk with you."
The child was surprisingly mature for his age, which didn't surprise Max at all. He explained to the 'surveillance officer' about his situation and stuff, then handed the phone to Max.
"Hello, Sir, I am so sorry, I was searching for him all over near the orphanage. His sister just died, so he's a bit unstable emotionally. If you don't mind, can you take him to the nearby pharmacy? I'll be there shortly. Near a strip club is not healthy for the baby."
Max's hand shook hearing about the sister, he also had a sister, not blood-related but a nun who he loved like a sister. She died from her medical complications in the past as well. When he heard about the strip club, he looked up and saw the neon sign, the boy was actually seated in front of a strip club.
"I will take him to the nearby pharmacy. I'll text you the address when I reach there. I am with my friends in a car, so don't worry about it, just come fast."
Ending the call, Max didn't wait for the child to respond, he just took him in his arms and walked towards the car. He doesn't want the child to see something he shouldn't, and also the wound on his knee might fester.
How can I forget? What happened to you, Max? Sister Meelah, how can I forget why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place? We need to focus, Max, but first let's manage the living arrangement.