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WARNING

THIS SEGMENT OF THE STORY CONTAINS SOME RIDICULOUS s.h.i.+T YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN, EXPERIENCED, OR WITNESSED FIRST-HAND.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Reader discretion is advised.

Prologue

Year 20XX, Winter, On A Certain Day in February.

I, Hotta Youta, am twenty-seven years old this year. I live alone where my age equals my time without a girlfriend. Also a virgin,  high school dropout and a former-hikikomori.

Currently working at metalworking factory, in Tokyo’s metropolitan Oota district.

“It was a cold day like this, when Tanaka pa.s.sed away….”

Having finished work, it was a boring walk home, while, regretfully recalling painful memories.

I became a hikikomori in my high school days— even though I call it h.e.l.l, I am by no means exaggerating it.

My only back-up plan was taking the entrance exam, in case I failed the enrollment for other private high schools, but I failed to pa.s.s the examination for even low level private high school. At that time, my friend, Tanaka Kouji and I, were bullied by three DQN(delinquent) in the same cla.s.s.

I think because we were targeted we both became thin and weak-willed.

Then getting beaten up was a common occurrence.

Extortion, burning my skin with cigarette buds, masturbating in front of the delinquents, licking and drinking out of a urinal— they never stopped.

I was scared of getting to know my cla.s.smates so I kept thinking that they were of no concern to me.

The homeroom teacher, wanting to avoid the situation, pretended not to see most of the fights.

Without the courage to oppose them, we just continued to take the bullying silently.

I was released from their bullying only when we got to second year.

The reason is that our cla.s.ses changed.

It turned out only I was separated from them while Tanaka and the delinquents were in the same cla.s.sroom.

Since they’d need to go out of their way to cross over to my cla.s.sroom, they didn’t bother bullying me. The outcome was, the brunt of it was concentrated on Tanaka. Yet, I didn’t even think of helping him.

I just breathed a sigh of relief having been released from being bullied.

As I expected, I’ll only be saved if he’s sacrificed.

An incident occurred before second year’s winter break.

As a former bullied child, I chose to distance myself from the surroundings; always eating lunch alone.

Rather than eat in the toilet in winter, the back of the school building is less popular. Therefore, in those cold days, I always ate lunch outside.

Tanaka and the delinquents had gathered there.

He was naked in seiza position on the ground while s.h.i.+vering and fully soaked with water.

Besides being left with a water bucket, he apparently had dry leaves clinging to his body.

The delinquent group seemed to be having fun as they laughed and took pictures with their smartphone.

Tanaka recognizing me, faced me with a gaze seeking for help.

The three of them also turned around after noticing me.

“What are you looking at? Skinny midget.”

“What’s with that expression? Huh!?”

I became frightened by their voice and ran away at full speed

Tanaka’s face went paled in despair after I abandoned him. Even now, I vividly remember it.

I definitely won’t forget this for my entire life.

That very same night, Tanaka committed suicide by hanging himself by the slide at the playground.

In his suicide note he accused about the bullying done by those 3.

The school dealt with the problem by immediately and indefinitely suspending those the trio.

By immediately suspending them, the school had intended to conclude the incident before the situation had become worse.

After the school disposed of them according to their plan, it had become a discussion about the perpetrators’ companions.

A settlement to the discussion was met in one month.

The perpetrators had to pay fine which was a lot of money to the victim’s parents when they settled.

Tanaka’s suicide ended up in a small column written on a local newspaper.

Since that year, I had stayed inside my home.

I felt responsible for Tanaka’s suicide — furthermore, now that he pa.s.sed away, I became the target of the delinquent’s bullying while sitting around. And because of my fear of being bullied, I became unable to leave from my room at my home.

I’m a pessimistic, despicable coward. However, I was unable to leave my room at those days.

Eventually, I dropped out of high school.

Since then, I’d always stayed inside my room engrossed in gaming, manga, anime, model guns, and modern weapon system and the like.

I admired modern weapon system especially the model guns. Then, using a real handgun to shoot those three delinquents to death. I really want to have a dream where I board a tank and chase them and stuff.

When I approached the age of twenty, my father’s connections in Tokyo’s Oota district will get me a job in a metalwork factory, or I’ll get a million yen and leave my family.

1,000,000 is a lot. But, at best, I don’t think I’ll have that in only a year.

I can’t have that option. —

However, it was good regardless of the outcome. Even though I’m sometimes confine myself indoors, aside from taking the responsibility for my younger siblings, I had no future prospects.