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What does he gain...
A man with short brown hair and large, soft eyes makes his way down the streets of Fukuoka in the early morning light. A stream of cold water hits his head briefly, and he looks up to a drainpipe peering over a rooftop, a thin waterfall now on its way. Shaking off the droplets from his hair, he glances around and finds a rather pathetic-looking potted gingko tree. He picks the pot up and places it under the stream of roof water, then continues on his way.
He comes to an intersection and sees a street food vendor, a middle-aged woman, struggling to get her cart off out of the road and onto the sidewalk. After checking to make sure he'll be clear of oncoming traffic, the young man hurries across the street to offer the woman his assistance. Together, the pair quickly and carefully lift her cart up a few centimeters so the larger rear wheels can clear the curb. The woman smiles graciously at the young man, and thanks him before going on her way.
As he sits at his favorite outdoor seafood shop eating his lunch of grilled eel over rice, a helpless mew startles the man. He looks down to see an adult black-and-white cat staring up at him with pleading and expecting eyes, its tail resting neatly over its forepaws as if to show it had manners. The young man smiles warmly before splitting his remaining eel in half and dropping some of the fish onto the ground. The cat quickly bends its head to begin feasting on its newfound meal as it begins to purr. The man ignores the raised eyebrows he receives from all the passerby.
...for doing this everyday?
The short-haired man comes up to a dirtied and worn mother and daughter, clearly beggars, seated on some carboard mats at the entrance to an unwelcoming alley. They sit there, defeated yet hopeful at every person who walks by, and the man reads on a crudely-made sign at the front of their setup: "For Education." If he had to guess, the girl would be in first grade, but the joy that should be in her eyes for her age is amiss. He opens his wallet and pulls out a few one-thousand-yen banknotes, placing them in the styrofoam cup the girl is holding in her hands. She and her mother deeply bow in gratitude and humility as Sakaeguchi just gives them a reassuring smile and continues on his way. He doesn't notice the clerk in the glasses shop across the street just shaking his head in haughty derision.
On his train ride home, he notices from his seat a schoolboy with lots of baggage stuggling to maintain his grip on the grab handles as the train makes its way through the city. He taps the boy's arm and offers his seat; the student accepts the gesture with a sigh of relief and thanks Sakaeguchi as he sets his bags down and relaxes into the train seat.
When he enters his housing complex, he carefully ties a bundle of small bananas to the door handle of his neighbor, a sweet elderly lady who lives alone, and then quickly makes his way into his own apartment. He always vanishes into his home before the granny down the hall can open the door and figure out who keeps leaving her bananas every week.
He won't become richer...
Sakaeguchi passes by the gingko tree a few more times throughout the week; it's still underneath the steady stream from the rooftop and it appears to be in the beginnings of growing some leaves. He nods approvingly at the sight and makes his way down the sidewalk.
The street food vendor is already stuck at the intersection by the time Sakaeguchi arrives. He snickers in amusement as the woman waves him over with a grin and says, "It's about time you showed up, young man!" It's become a routine for the two of them, and Sakaeguchi sometimes even sticks around to help the vendor serve some customers before he politely excuses himself.
He's already ordered an extra portion of eel when the cat comes up to him to meow pitifully for food. He drops the kitty's share of seafood on the ground and reaches down to give the feline some scratches behind its ears as it tucks into its meal; he thinks he hears the cat purr louder now.
...nor will he appear on TV.
When he approaches the mother and daughter by the alley, he notices that the small girl isn't even looking at him. Sakaeguchi finds it odd, but still nonetheless pulls a few more banknotes out of his wallet and makes his donation to her styrofoam cup. She finally glances up into Sakaeguchi's gaze with large, pleading eyes and then bows her head gratefully when he gives her the money. The mother cracks a hesitant smile at the man before also bowing in appreciation.
He makes sure to save the poor schoolboy a seat on the crowded train; once Sakaeguchi sees the boy enter the train with bags full of books and school materials, he simply stands from his seat and gestures to the student, who quickly moves to take Sakaeguchi's spot, thanking him profusely each time.
Sakaeguchi is less slick about the bananas one day, as the elderly lady manages to open her door and see Sakaeguchi disappear into his apartment. She had a feeling it was the young man leaving her a weekly source of potassium on her door handle, but now she smiles in confidence, knowing her hunch was correct all along.
What he does receive are emotions.
The tree is looking healthy and is budding with vibrant green leaves underneath the rooftop waterfall, although Sakaeguchi pays it no mind.
He witnesses happiness.
The street vendor laughs along with her new 'helper' as they push her cart down the sidewalk, making sure to avoid any curbs that may get her stuck again. Sakaeguchi almost can't believe what he sees when the woman serves a customer a meal, making sure to emphasize that she gave them 'a little bit extra for free'.
He reaches a deeper understanding...
The cat now brushes against his legs after he feeds it, purring obnoxiously loud but still giving Sakaeguchi joy nonetheless as he reaches down to pet it. He doesn't expect it to follow him to his next destination, but it turns out the cat decided to adopt the young man as its owner.
...feels the love.
The young man hasn't even finished placing the bananas on the handle when the door creaks open and the grandmother is standing there, laughing. Sakaeguchi hesitantly hands her the small bundle in his hands and she takes them, gesturing for him to come closer. He steps forward and the old woman pulls him into a tight hug, both of them grinning uncontrollably as the granny thanks him for looking out for her in such a small way.
He receives what money can't buy...
Sakaeguchi is already opening his wallet and ready to pull out some more banknotes, so when he looks up to give the little girl his money, his heart freezes in terror when she isn't there. He looks to the mother, who still silently returns his gaze before hearing the little girl call out to her mom from down the sidewalk. He whips his head in the direction of her voice and a lump forms in his throat. There's the little girl, standing there in a clean school uniform, a bright blue backpack on her shoulders, and a contagious grin on her face. Sakaeguchi's mouth drops open in stunned silence as he witnesses the girl coming home from her first day of school, and feels as if he can't breathe. He doesn't notice the mother smiling up at him, nor does he see the glasses shop clerk stare at the scene in disbelief. Finally, the young man begins to form an open-mouthed smile as he tries to figure out if he's laughing or crying.
...a world made more beautiful.