crime

Heightened sensibilities regarding child safety get man written up for asking directions

55 Comments
By Karen Masuda

An elementary schoolgirl in Aichi Prefecture is believed to have reported a man to the police late last week when he stopped her to ask for directions to the station.

Most elementary aged children in Japan make their way to and from school on foot, with each child’s route kept on file at the school office to ensure their safety. Children are also arranged into small groups or have walking buddies who take the same route, and local Parent Teacher Associations ensure that there is always someone manning busy intersections each morning to help the children cross the street and keep an eye open for anything suspicious.

Kids are taught the safety rules of not only the road, but also how to prevent becoming victims of crime. Of course, talking to strangers is out of the question, but they are also encouraged to report anything "out of the ordinary." On occasions such as these, the "suspicious characters" are reported, and a letter goes out informing parents about the time and place of the sighting, as well as the physical description of the individual.

Although the details of the incident in Aichi are not yet clear, it is believed that this deeply ingrained fear of "suspicious persons" is the basis for the girl calling the police. Of course, it is necessary to take precautions and better to err on the side of caution, but it does seem a waste of police resources to be called out for a man who only asked directions to the station. Regardless of the man’s true intentions and seemingly innocent conduct, the incident was written up as one of the "Suspicious Characters Reports" anyway. The date and time of the incident along with the words the man used when asking the way to the station and his physical description were all made note of.

Many Japanese Internet users were shocked to hear that a person innocently asking directions should be reported to the police. Here are some of their comments:

“It is a crime to go near a kid!” “I can’t ask for directions anymore.” “What can you do?” “What a difficult world it has become.” “The era of not being able to ask directions…” “How frightening!” “The world has become a frightening place.” “It is sad that suspicion raises such doubt.” “I don’t think I want to walk around outside any more.” “I suppose it’s only a matter of time before there are more cases like this.” “Before you know it guys will be getting arrested just for walking about.” “That’s awful!” “What’s the world coming to?”

The guy was simply asking for directions. But then kids’ safety isn’t something to be taken lightly, and sadly there is a genuine need for crime prevention paraphernalia that kids can carry around with them including wireless GPS systems and alarms.

Belle Maison provides crime prevention noisemakers in the shape of cute animals priced at 819 yen each. When you pull at the head of the cute animal it sets off a loud alarm, attracting the right kind of attention and hopefully scaring away the wrong kind. You can choose from a seal, panda, bear, or cat design.

Noisemakers are good because a kid probably won’t use it unless he or she feels the need, and hopefully someone merely asking the way to the station won’t cause any child to pull the alarm. It would be better, of course, if the world were a place where children didn’t have to worry about having to protect themselves from someone who wishes them harm; a world where they didn’t have to be afraid or feel like they have to discern who is out to hurt them and who is not.

Read more stories on RocketNews24. -- Police Report of Suspicious Person Fitting the Description of Police -- Japanese Man Pulls Knife on Teenagers For Littering -- Fashion Magazine for Elementary School Girls May Be of Interest to Child Molesters as Well

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55 Comments
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The knee jerk reactions are ridiculous. I saw a bunch of over zealous mothers gang up on a man once for taking pictures of a little girl a swimming practice, calling him a pedophile and a pervert. Turns out that the little girl was his own daughter. The group of monster mothers weren't even apologetic after they knew that facts, telling him that he should have known better...its a sad state when you can't even talk to a kid anymore without looking suspicious or being accused of something.

12 ( +15 / -4 )

What excuse does he have though, don't most phones have google maps etc, I know the article makes it sound knee-jerk, but why ask a young girl anyway, they probably barely know their own neighbourhood. Why not stop an adult ?

-11 ( +7 / -18 )

An elementary schoolchild can be 12 years old, and therefore probably looked able to explain where the station was to a stranger. Still, she reacted on her instincts, which is never a bad thing- perhaps something a bit less extreme next time, like to ignore him, keep walking, and tell a teacher when she got to school?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Never a bad thing for kids to be cautious than not. We should accept incidents like this to happen every once in a while and continue to prioritize safety.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

It isn't clear from the article what status the "Suspicious Characters Reports" have, or how the police responded. But if they just filed it and left it at that, it doesn't seem such a big deal. And if they get a bunch of similar reports about a man asking school kids directions in the same vicinity over a short space of time, the original report is perhaps no longer trivial and we might be thanking the girl for her actions.

Going slightly off topic, I once served as the local bohan bucho for a year in a town in Wakayama in the early nineties. (It was a jijikai responsibility that passed from house to house. I wasn't voted in.) One of my responsibilities was to look out for 'suspicious characters'. The training involved a small lecture and a screening of Minbo No Onna at the local police station. The police seemed amused by my presence. I guess foreigners might normally come under the definition of 'suspicious character', but if so, they tactfully dropped it from the curriculum that year. Anyway, the main responsibility was reporting broken street lights. Exciting times!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Okay, so he was written up. What comes of it? Does this go into a database and is this information shared with other stations or other prefectures? Maria's comments are spot on.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I agree that kids can never be too cautious, it really makes me pause as I am one of those people who is always asking for directions in places I haven't been before. I normally ask women as they seem more open than men but I don't choose children unless there are no one else available as I find them highly unreliable.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You can't be too careful, but did the guy really need to be written up? and what does that entail, anyway? If police just followed it up, found the man, and asked questions, I see no problem with that. But again, what does 'written up' mean? The article's a little vague, but if it just means the incident itself was written down and the man was not questioned or taken in, then fine. Better to be safe than sorry. Now if the man had been taken to the station for serious questioning, I can see a problem.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Most kids walking alone would get nervous if a stranger walked up to them, however innocent the stranger's intentions may be. Despite the shock that many have expressed at the guy being reported, I wouldn't approach an elementary school age kid in a quiet street to ask them anything. It was very naive of the guy to do this and the child was right to report the incident.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

fear and paranoia! It is sad that now even Japan is becoming like other countires like America in fearing strangers...what a way to teach your children about other people....sad! Poor guy!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The funny thing is that it really depends what the guy or person looks or looked like. If he was a model looking type, handsome that all mothers would go crazy over then it would not have been such a big deal. Either that or a foreigner being blond blue eyes , (the type kids get fascinated by and mothers go gaga over) then again it would not have been a problem. Probably this innocent guy looked a bit strange and this is what made the girl report it. This is the problems around the world, looks matter for every outcome. Pretty sad world we live in.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

sadly there is a genuine need for crime prevention paraphernalia that kids can carry around with them including wireless GPS systems and alarms.

There is? Really? The only crime reports I've seen regarding kids in the last couple of months have been car crashes and their parents trying to kill them. "Stranger danger" doesn't seem to be a problem in Japan, so I'd very much like the author to back up this statement.

As everyone brushing off this "writing up" as nothing, I sincerely hope that there was a written apology that was equally public, or else everyone with an elementary school age child will be looking at that person like they're a pedophile. Seriously, a newspaper would be sued for publishing an unsubstantiated allegation like this, so why should schools be any different?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Next time I see a kid walking toward me, I'm going to cross the road.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Regarding erring on the side of caution, why is it deemed ok for lots of parents to drive and have their young child jumping around unrestrained on the passenger seat? Sounds more dangerous than someone asking for directions to me.

8 ( +9 / -2 )

Of course "stranger danger" is a problem in Japan. I work at middle schools and elementary schools, and see reports like the one mentioned here come in at least a few times a week. Most of the time the persons described seem legitimately suspicious (young man asking girls what kind of sweets they like, woman in car with dark windows offering a ride to students, etc.), so the concern for the students' safety is real. The most obvious solution is, where possible, for parents to accompany their kids on their walk to school, and pick them up at the end of the day; it's baffling that that isn't more commonly done.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

No adult, male or female should be talking to or approaching any unaccompanied child in the street. It was deeply suspicious that he chose to ask a child instead of an adult, and this girl is to be praised for her sensible reaction.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

I wonder if the guy had candy with him? Wasnt her favorite obviously

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

I think she absolutely did the right thing. If all the media from her actions scare even just 1 possible child sex offender or child abuser away from approaching a young person, then it was totally worth.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Sitations like this may soon drive men like these to commit suicide!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

boraxDec. 12, 2012 - 10:39AM JST Of course "stranger danger" is a problem in Japan. I work at middle schools and elementary schools, and see reports like the one mentioned here come in at least a few times a week. Most of the time the persons described seem legitimately suspicious (young man asking girls what kind of sweets they like, woman in car with dark windows offering a ride to students, etc.), so the concern for the students' safety is real.

But no actual incidents. In other words just more hysteria and fear mongering that breaks down any sense of community in a country where isolation is a MAJOR psychological problem. And what precisely are you teaching these kids? To mistrust everyone around them so that when they have a real problem, like someone trying to touch them, then they can't turn to anyone else for help. Brilliant move... simply brilliant.

HomeschoolerDec. 12, 2012 - 11:27AM JST No adult, male or female should be talking to or approaching any unaccompanied child in the street. It was deeply suspicious that he chose to ask a child instead of an adult, and this girl is to be praised for her sensible reaction.

Hysteria at its finest. Perhaps there were no adults around? Or perhaps this was Tokyo where I always ask teenagers for directions since the adults won't stop to spit on you if you were on fire.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

You guys are talking as if this guy was arrested or something. Nobody even knows who this guy is. Just a description of the incident, that's all. What were the cops supposed to do, tell the girl not to worry about? Better safe than sorry. If you don't want to get your feelings hurt, don't ask little girls by themselves for directions.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Funny, when we gave the police the number plate of the guy who called some kids over to watch him wank off in his car, the police did nothing as the car was from far away Hiroshima.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If you're a middle-aged male, never ever speak to a child you don't know. Simple as that.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

smithjapan:

" You can't be too careful, but did the guy really need to be written up? "

The article does not say that the guy was written up; only the "incident". Seems like a waste of paper to me, but no harm done.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Hopefully I am reading this article correctly here and the girl just reported what had occurred to someone at her school and the school just put out a report about what happened.

There is nothing here that says anyone was detained or about any specific person being talked about either.

The girl in question was just following school policies about reporting strange incidents and the people in charge about putting out the report must have had reason enough to publish it based upon the girls statements.

Better safe than sorry, and I'll bet that there is more to the story than just a guy asking questions about directions and it was something more creepy that made the girl report the incident in the first place.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

why would you want to ask directions from an elementary kid i do not understand... for my own safety as well i would just go up to an establishment and ask there, not some tomu diku and hari..

1 ( +2 / -1 )

This is not the first time. They even reported a suspicious looking guy for walking while wearing white gloves. You can see the reports on the police website.

Pro tip: why ask directions to children when you can look for a beautiful grown up woman and ask her instead? She might even walk you to the place where you want to go. Has worked nicely for me thus far.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I once saw a small girl crossing the street and I saw that some sort of pendant dropped in the middle of the street that was attached to her backpack. So I talked to her to tell her that she had lost something on the street. She went back to pick it up before the lights turned red again. If I didn't tell her, the next thing that would have happened is that a couple of cars would have rolled over the item. I guess next time it's better to just be an ignorant like anyone else around you.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

But no actual incidents. In other words just more hysteria and fear mongering that breaks down any sense of community in a country where isolation is a MAJOR psychological problem.

So a stranger telling kids to get into their car doesn't count as an incident? What, we have to wait until a kid gets raped or killed before encouraging them to be cautious and safe? Oh, wait..."actual incidents" happen around the country every year, which is why we're having this discussion in the first place. Taking the rule of "don't talk to strangers" one step further to "let us know when an unknown adult talks to you" doesn't exactly qualify as hysteria or fear mongering.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Others have said the same as me, yet I get 9 minus votes ..... I take it there are a lot of paedos hiding among JT users.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

sad....I have a son but I tell him people are friendly and no ned to be afraid of strangers...I would rather him grow up to trust people than be afraid of them...it is sad to read how many people here support this hysteria...yes it is hysteria....just sad..... Zichi...you are excatly right!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Avalon, if a child drops something in a road, let alone a child without an adult, the safe thing to do is to treat it as lost, and not go back to retrieve it and risk being run over. A gewgaw on a bag is not worth the risk. Perhaps it would have been better not to talk to that child, and encourage them to go back into the road!

I do not leave the safety of my children to chance, young children should be accompanied, and if the child is still in elementary school they are just that - young children. It is naievety to believe that all adults who approach young children are safe and mean no harm. The danger from strangers is not lessened because of other valid risks! Any adult who talks to a child they do not know knows they are breaking social norms by bothering that child, no need for outrage, it is not something they should be doing in the first place.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

@Homeschooler Are you trying to educate me? You probably won't understand this but the problem is that because of people like you (and people like Ewan above who automatically designates everyone as a paedo who has a different opinion than him) the world becomes more and more a place where everyone instantly draws the guns about the slightest glimpse of suspicion. In the US or elsewhere west this might already be the case but please keep your western thinking outside when entering Japan. The atmosphere that people like you are creating will be a much more far-reaching problem.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Homeschooler

Any adult who talks to a child they do not know knows they are breaking social norms by bothering that child,

So if you saw an elementary school kid drop a train ticket on the platform you'd say nothing? Not the kind of world I want to live in....

8 ( +8 / -0 )

boraxDec. 12, 2012 - 01:53PM JST So a stranger telling kids to get into their car doesn't count as an incident?

The voice of the hysterical. You can't even remember what you wrote. You wrote, "woman in car with dark windows offering a ride to students". That is NOT "telling kids to get into their car", that is "woman" (possibly another parent) "offering a ride" (possibly because it's raining/snowing/hailing). This sort of hysteria turns an act of kindness into a crime.

Taking the rule of "don't talk to strangers" one step further to "let us know when an unknown adult talks to you" doesn't exactly qualify as hysteria or fear mongering.

Except they've not taken if from "don't talk to strangers" to "let us know when an unknown adult talks to you", to "report anything “out of the ordinary.”". You know what's out of the ordinary in Japan Borax? ... you are. As a foreigner expect to see yourself featured regularly in the local elementary school's list of "suspicious characters", and be visited by the police following up on these reports. That's the problem with this movement, it leads to fear of foreigners specifically, but all adults and all authority figures, including teachers. Unfortunately teachers haven't even studied a day of child psychology and don't understand how this sort of initiative eventually undermines their own authority and results in awful school conditions.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

It may sound like a slippery slope argument, but pretty soon men won't be able to compliment women for fear of sexual harassment accusations. An adult cant talk to a child for fear of pedophilia accusations....etc. It's become a society of unwarranted fear.

Sure a child should be weary of any stranger who approaches him/her, but as they know not to go off with them and keep a reasonable distance, a child should not be afraid to answer a simple question asked by an adult.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sorry but why the heck would you ask a child for directions? Something is wrong here.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Exactly ! ^

I know in a perfect world , we wouldn't have to live in fear ...... but this is Japan, people land of lolicon, sexualising schoolies etc.

Why would an adult male ask a primary school kid, not only a kid but a girl kiddy ?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

While I hate the microscope which men get placed under for trivial things, this fella does seem to have chosen the wrong individual to ask for directions from. The database is good too.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

I am so sick and tired of the present moral climate which holds that all men are guilty (of being perverts and paedophiles) until proven innocent (how, exactly?). I'm a working woman and a proud feminist, and I've had my share of knockbacks in the male-ruled world, but this ridiculous culture of blaming men for everything has got to end.

On a more practical note, if you ever need to ask for directions in Japan, you'd better approach a middle-aged obasan. They are usually very familiar with the neighbourhood, and far less likely to make false accusations. If you get a particularly friendly one in Osaka, she'll even offer to escort you there!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Obviously the child was afraid, for whatever the reason, and she acted on her fear. She did the right thing. If you feel fear then it's for a reason. You are supposed to either fight or flee. She fled, and that could have saved her life instead of potentially going along with some stranger. I'm not necessarily saying that he was suspicious, that I don't know. Society tells us to "be nice" or something and drown or ignore our genuine suspicion or fear on the gut-level that could be genuinely telling us something. We know when something doesn't feel right, yet we ignore it out of politeness, etc. That information is valuable and it could potentially save our lives. Our intuition is our survival mechanism and we've evolved to have this ability over millions of years. We just "know" when something doesn't feel right or when somebody is suspicious. The trick is listen to it instead of ignoring it.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

So if you saw an elementary school kid drop a train ticket on the platform you'd say nothing? Not the kind of world I want to live in....

Actually I would like to live in the kind of world where young children are not left alone, and have a carer with them at all times. If this little girl had been dropped off and picked up from school then her mother could have given directions to the man, instead of putting him at risk of being suspected of being someone "undesireable" and her daughter at risk of danger from a stranger.

An elementary school kid should not be getting on a train alone in my opinion. Unfortunately we do not live in a country where parents supervise their young children in public.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Actually I would like to live in the kind of world where young children are not left alone, and have a carer with them at all times. If this little girl had been dropped off and picked up from school then her mother could have given directions to the man, instead of putting him at risk of being suspected of being someone "undesireable" and her daughter at risk of danger from a stranger.

And sadly kids like this will end up needing someone to watch over them when they become adults as well. Risk is one thing, but there is acceptable risk and sending off a child to school for the most part is acceptable risk.

If you want to keep your child attached by their cord that's your business, but please dont assume that everyone else wants that for their own children. Children NEED to learn to adapt and adjust to their surroundings and be taught to be street smart and make wise choices and decisions. Having someone watch over them all the time is overkill.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Thomas AndersonDec. 12, 2012 - 06:55PM JST Obviously the child was afraid, for whatever the reason, and she acted on her fear. She did the right thing. If you feel fear then it's for a reason.

She was afraid because she was TOLD to be afraid of strangers. Of course now she sees her story in the school newspaper and feels proud for telling about the dangerous stranger. She'll get a lot of attention and praise, and her friends will praise her. Soon she'll be on the lookout for any stranger, no matter what they're doing, so she can get more praise and attention. Then she'll discover that any adult is fair game, and that any claims made by a kid against an adult will automatically result in the adult being undersuspicion. ... and then we'll have the situation we have in UK and US schools where the kids just flat-out tell the teachers, "I don't want to do my homework, and if you don't give me an A I'll say you touched me.". ... and in response no-one will be able to believe anything that kids say and we'll be worse off than we are now.

If anyone actually took a moment to understand what motivates kids (the need for approval from their peers and attention from important adults like parents and teachers), they'd understand exactly where this sort of policy leads. Kids at this age have only a passing understanding of the full impact of what an accusation can do to an adult's life, but they have a full understanding of how good all the attention feels.

Frankly this is idiotic. Oh, and when some person who's named and shamed for asking for directions finally does commit suicide all the knee-jerk hysteria merchants on these forums will just nod their heads and say, "Look, that person was clearly guilty!", and not see that the accusation led to them losing their job, being hauled in for questioning by the local police for days on end, ended their marriage, and made them a local pariah.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

We are talking about an elementary school children, who need and deserve supervision, not the over 11/12 year olds who are more capable on every level of caring for themselves for short periods of time. See if a school in America or the UK would let a child make its own way there and home by themselves at this stage, it just would not happen because people are aware of the risks to little kids.

Do you seriously think that small children should be thrown out to fend for themselves? I see it so much here in Japan and its dangerous for drivers and small children playing in the streets, it causes situations like this, and other situations which small children are just not capable of handling alone. They are not mini adults they are children and need to be taken care of properly. Clearly some posters just do not understand that. At least I won't be the parent bemoaning my child being taken by a freak, or run down, or causing problems for others, because I know where they are and what they are up to. Its called parental responsibility. You let go gradually, not cut the cord and throw them out to sink or swim.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@Homeschooler

An elementary school kid should not be getting on a train alone in my opinion. Unfortunately we do not live in a country where parents supervise their young children in public.

You dodge my question with consummate ease, but I still want an answer. If you saw an elementary school kid drop a ticket on the platform, would you speak up or not?

Remember, you said "Any adult who talks to a child they do not know knows they are breaking social norms by bothering that child...."

So, which is it?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

We are talking about an elementary school children, who need and deserve supervision, not the over 11/12 year olds who are more capable on every level of caring for themselves for short periods of time. See if a school in America or the UK would let a child make its own way there and home by themselves at this stage, it just would not happen because people are aware of the risks to little kids.

You obviously are unaware that most Japanese ES kids walk to school. Many younger ones in 1st grade walk with their parents, friends, or with other siblings.

Oh and you are ASSUMING this was a younger child, it could very well have been a 5th or 6th grader as well. And this child should be commended for reporting something she felt was out of hand and not normal. It's the PTA and police and school who are responsible for publishing any reports and they would not have done so without justifiable cause.

You continually fail to remember that this is Japan. Things are different here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A child reporting a suspicious person is a fine goal. However, asking for directions to a location is not normally considered "suspicious" activity. It doesn't sound like the guy was arrested (nor should he have been), so I'm chalking this story up to a big, fat "meh". If he's later found to have asked other school girls the same question, THEN I might think something's not right.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

No smoke without fire.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan and their stupid overexaggirations. You can't do ANYTHING in Japan without somebody freaking out. Now, I just don't give a flying fart and do what I want to. I get the same looks as before, when I actually tried to be polite. That speaks volumes to me...

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Lucabrasi, I've not got much time to reply, but I absolutely would NOT stop a child to alert them to the fact they had dropped this mythical ticket in a train station. I would, however, tell a railway employee who I saw dropping the ticket and hand that ticket in. It is not safe to talk to child you do not know, you could either scare them, like this man clearly did when he spoke to the girl to "ask directions", or else someone could mistake your helpful act as something entirely different.

Its not a lot to ask that people supervise their children, walk them to and from school, just like millions do in countries where they do not leave the safety of their children mostly to chance.

If they are still in elementary school they ARE still young children. This is Japan, but Im sick to death of hearing how things are different here. Yes, different, but not different in a good way. Look at that case of a 3 year old being taken care of by a five year old, and the little kid getting run over and killed in the street. That is a prime example of this malignant neglect of children which is pervades throughout Japanese society. Children are children, and Japanese child is no less worthy of needing of support and supervision than an western child at that kind of age.

Being alone in the streets at a young age is not a sign that Japanese children are somehow more capable than those from the west, it is a sign that Japanese parents need to be a whole lot more responsible.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

As a foreigner expect to see yourself featured regularly in the local elementary school's list of "suspicious characters", and be visited by the police following up on these reports. That's the problem with this movement, it leads to fear of foreigners specifically, but all adults and all authority figures, including teachers.

Frungy, putting all pointless syntax issues aside, you are by far the most hysterical and alarmist-sounding person in this thread.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

boraxDec. 13, 2012 - 01:17PM JST Frungy, putting all pointless syntax issues aside, you are by far the most hysterical and alarmist-sounding person in this thread.

Says the person who misquotes himself in order to backtrack and make a quite innocent situation seem like a crime.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

First of all, what kind of idiot asks an elementary schoolchild for directions? Find someone older.

Second, the article states the details of the incident are not yet clear, so we don't know if the man was behaving strangely or not. How do we know he wasn't acting creepy as well as asking directions to get close to a child?

The sensible thing is to ask someone older for directions. The article writer is quick to condemn this as a waste of police time and assumes it was all very innocent, while at the same time acknowledging that the facts are not yet clear.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Better safe then sorry. The child is safe. Note to self on next trip to Japan continue to only ask adults for assistance considering I always get lost anyway lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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