Vol 1 Chapter 1 (2/2)

into the vast world

However, because it's cold, I o Put on my

clothes, hat, and jacket There, all ready

Okay, I'oodbye to all that hikikomori

stuff See you

Goodbye

For some reason, the door to my apartment didn't open Why? Why

wouldn't the door open?

Anxiety consu to interfere with my

escape

”That's right Mr Satou, if you leave, you won't be a hikikomori any

longer,” my speakers informed me

So?

”So in your way”

The complete shock I received from that one phrase, transmitted by

my speakers, was absolutely indescribable

Interference

Now that they mentioned it, I was reminded of the time when I first

started my life as a hikikomori

It had been a painfully hot summer day

I sto up the slope to my school Sweat dripped

constantly and uncomfortably down the nape of my neck

There were very few people on the road—maybe a couple of

housewives heading ho people

heading for the sah

However, my journey to school that day was decidedly different

than it had been every other day Everyone I passed looked at me And I

Welcome to the NHK

16

was absolutely positive that though it was very, very quiet—almost so

quiet as to escapeakin

to a giggle Of this, I was certain

It's true

I'm positive

They each saw an to ridicule me! The housewives

and then the students, they all noticed hed

I was astonished Why? Why should they laugh at me?

”Hey, look at that guy There's so with him, huh?”

”Eful I wish he wouldn't leave his house”

”Ha ha ha He looks like such an idiot”

It couldn't beprobably wasn'tht not have beenjust a

persecution complex on my part

Listening carefully, I was sure I had heard them, their voices

me

Ever since then

Ever since then, I have been afraid of going outside

The speakers crackled ”That's right Those people who laughed at

you were interference operatives It's definitely not just a persecution

coainst you,

setting you up to become a hikikomori”

Ah! That's what happened! At that moment, the deep darkness that

had coveredtime finally was driven away

In short, up to this point, soically

now made

perfect sense! Who could have done such a thing? Why?

I had no idea No idea at all

Birth of a Soldier

17

Just then, my television suddenly whispered, ”The NHK is

operated with the help of subscribers like you” Those words, usually

barely noticeable, began to agitate me for some reason NHKI felt

that, within those three letters of the alphabet, sorave secret

This absolutely was not sorandeur or

ridiculous nonsense Even though I was currently right in mid-trip on a

powerful hallucinogen, it didn't mean that I had lost my ability to make a

sober judg far better than it had in

the previous twenty-two years of my entire life

One plus one equals to plus two equals four Look, ical

thought processes work perfectly!

That's why I need to think Right now, I need to think!

NHK In those three letters hides a tre to do with

me

For all intents and purposes, it was nothing more than a simple

hunch, but I could no longer have any doubt about its accuracy We

ht as well call the idea a divine revelation It wouldn't even be an

exaggeration to call this enlightenment

However, hmMy prior familiarity with NHK came to mind

Thinking about it, I remembered that when I was little, I had liked

NHK In elementary school, I saw Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

7

It

was such an interesting anime

Huh Anime

Mentioning anies of otaku

8

When it comes to

otaku, they tend to be poor at human contact People who are poor at

human contact tend to become hikikomori

Welcome to the NHK

18

Really?

I see! At this point, the direct connection between NHK and

hikikomori finally should be obvious to everyone In short, by

broadcasting such interesting anime, NHK mass-produced anime

otaku, thereby essentially creating hikikoe scale Dammit!

What a dirty thing to do!

However, now I had stu come

this far, I was only a step away from the perfect solution to the mystery

Resting ht

Thanks to the drugs,All the

furniture in my room cheered for me in unison

Right! With the help of my furniture friends, no one could stop me

It wasn't as though the cowardly interference operatives would pursue

me forever and ever This is the tiret

having mocked me

Only one more step

I' all these mysteries TV, kotatsu, computer, please

lend th!

And then, at that moment, I had a divine revelation Specifically, it

was sent directly to my brain in the form of a proverb: ”The name says it

all”9

Basically, the very name NHK should reveal the reality of the

organization NHK stands for ”Nippon Housou Kyoukai,”10 but that

couldn't be all it , had

to exist

NHK, NHK, NHKI keptthese three letters to

ain

Birth of a Soldier

19

N stands for Nippon If that's so, then H must be

I understood! It was all so simple! The mystery was finally solved I

had discovered the truth behind everything H stood for Hikikomori! In

other words, NHK represented ”Nippon Hikikomori Kyoukai”!11

My battle began that day

While I was tripping on hallucinogens, I failed to realize that the

reasonmore than

the fact that I had locked it That was just the tiniest of issues at hand,

though

No ht it out Until the day I have defeated the

NHK, I ht it out bravely I absolutely will not lose

Though sometimes, I do want to die