Volume 1 Chapter 10 Regret
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Two months had already flown by since I quit my job.
Returning from the morning run that had become my daily routine, I’d take a hot shower and eat a light breakfast. Raw egg over rice and a can of mackerel. Some leftover side dishes from last night, and instant miso soup.
Once that was out of the way, I’d power on my brand-new laptop, pull up a browser, and idly skim the news. Nothing particularly caught my eye. More than anything, I just wanted to know what happened next.
I was hooked on a web novel that Hirose-kun¹, my former junior, had recommended to me.
Lately, I’d been devouring stories where the protagonist is in a world far from reality, wielding power however they please and earning everyone’s respect. There was something incredibly cathartic about losing myself in a sense of superiority, projecting myself onto a hero who could blow away every obstacle with an absolute, one-of-a-kind power.
I could see why Hirose-kun had been so worked up about it. When you’re exhausted by tedious work and messy relationships, web novels are easily one of the best ways to escape.
Plus, the fact that they’re free is a godsend. It feels like a dream to be able to read so many works at random when normally you’d have to buy the books. For a guy like me with zero income – a total NEET² – it’s perfect.
I even ended up “one-clicking” a tablet just to read them. A nice, slightly expensive one. My birthday was coming up, so I let my guard down with my wallet. Once the tablet arrived, I wouldn’t have to bother booting up the laptop; I could just lounge in bed and read. In hindsight, I should’ve bought the thing way sooner.
I’m sure I could’ve just walked to the local electronics store and had it immediately, but that’s too much effort. If I have that kind of time, I’d rather spend it reading the next chapter. Time is money, after all.
As a side note, my job hunt has made zero progress. I show my face at the unemployment office to keep the checks coming, but I haven’t seen a single workplace that makes me actually want to interview. I glance at job boards in between chapters, but every time I check the descriptions, the work looks like a total grind.
I use the “scout” feature on the sites to look within the same industry. If I want to be hired for my experience, that’s just the natural route. But every offer that comes in has a starting salary thirty to forty percent higher than what I was making. The high pay is tempting, sure, but the second I think about how much harder the work will be, I get cold feet.
I’m starting to think that once a corporate slave – a shachiku³ – stops working, they can never go back. I know I’m not in a position to be picky, but the idea of compromising only to end up in the same hell as last time is terrifying.
”Sigh… what a drag…” I muttered.
To avert my eyes from my anxiety about the future, I quietly close the job board and go back to devouring web novels. It’s fine. I still have time.
My weekdays are mostly that shade of gray, but once the weekend hits, everything bursts into color. My relationship with Toda-san and Mamiya-san is still going strong. Last week the three of us went to the aquarium, and this weekend they’re taking me to an all-you-can-eat cake buffet for my birthday.
I get it. I know they both like me.
But there’s been zero progress. You might think I’m a total wuss. I won’t deny it. But look, they’re basically always together. It’s a permanent two-on-one situation. If I were a little younger, I might have taken the plunge, but with both of them there, I have no idea how to handle it.
I don’t want to make a move just on impulse. If I’m going to do something, I want it to be a real relationship. I don’t want to be irresponsible with them. But if I choose one, I’ll probably end up drifting away from the other.
And I kind of hate that idea. The playful relationship the three of us have now is so comfortable that I find myself thinking… if we could just stay like this a little longer…
I can’t help but wish desperately that I had something unique about me… just like those web novel protagonists.
* * *
My stomach growls, signaling lunchtime. Out of habit, I lock my laptop before standing up and hauling my heavy ass out of the chair.
- Ding-dong.
”…Delivery service,” a voice called out.
The chime cuts through my thoughts as I scavenge through canned goods and pouches for something to eat. Looks like my long-awaited tablet is finally here. Driven by that typical Japanese urge to not keep people waiting, I open the door without even checking who it is.
”Coming! Just a second!” I said.
With a click, I swung the door open – only to find a man dressed entirely in black, his hat pulled low over his face.
-!?
In his hand was a kitchen knife.
Shit, are you kidding me!?
I realize how bad this is and try to slam the door, but he’s already forced his way inside. Phew… don’t panic. I force myself to swallow, my throat having gone bone-dry in an instant.
Panicking won’t make this any better. Fortunately, he didn’t lunge immediately. He’s about three feet away. I slowly back up. I keep him in my sights, watching his every move, ready to react the split-second he flinches.
I put more distance between us while looking for an opening. Maybe he’s being cautious, too, because he hasn’t moved yet. He shifts his grip on the knife from a reverse grip to a forward one.
I need a weapon. Something with more reach than a kitchen knife. Think! All I can see is the umbrella…
I don’t have to play fair. I just need to get the hell out of here. He’s specifically out to kill me. He’s not some random slasher. Would a random psycho bother ringing the doorbell before barging in?
Maybe if someone sees us, he’ll give up. Should I scream? What do I even yell to get people to come? Is it okay to drag neighbors into this? What if an old person shows up? How would I take responsibility if they got hurt? Would anyone even be around on a weekday afternoon anyway?
No… even if I screamed my head off, you wouldn’t give up, would you…?
”Man… what a total drag…” I whispered.
- Clack.
”Guh…”
I was too deep in my own head and stopped watching my step. I tripped over the robot vacuum, and my balance faltered for just a second.
”- OAAAAAAAAH!” the man screamed.
”!!”
I can’t react in time as he charges. I stumble and collapse backward.
”…Guh…… ugh,” I wheezed.
I manage to dodge the blade, but his knee slams into my chest, knocking the wind out of me.
”- RAAAH!!!”
”Gah………”
The man winds up his leg and stomps his foot down, slamming my head into the floor like he’s trying to crush it. My vision flickers. I can’t process what’s happening. My thoughts are a jumbled mess.
He flips the knife back to a reverse grip and plunges it into my chest without a shred of mercy while I lie there, paralyzed.
”……ah.”
”Hehe! You! It’s because! You! Thought you were! Hot shit! You! Ruined! My! Fucking! Life!” the man shrieked.
”………st…op…” I croaked.
”Huh!? You piece of shit! Everything! Was finally! Going! Well! You! Fucker! Fucking! Feel! My! Pain!”
He doesn’t even care about the blood spraying back at him as he stabs me again and again. Thud. Wet thud. The sickening sound repeats. I have no strength left to resist. I just lay there and take it.
”Pant… pant… pant…”
The man, out of breath, finally stops. For a moment, all I can hear is his ragged, filthy breathing.
”Huh?” he muttered.
I think our eyes met. I hear his irritated voice.
Seriously… how did things end up like this…? For you. And for me. I wanted to do things better…
Where did I go wrong…?
Was it when I quit the company -?
Was it when I took over as his trainer -?
Was it when I stopped job-hunting -?
Was it when I was assigned under you -?
Was it when I picked that company -?
Was it when I chose my university -?
Was it when I left home -?
Was it since I failed my high school entrance exams -?
Was it from the moment I started being jealous of my high-achieving siblings -?
No… I guess as long as I’m me, I would’ve ended up somewhere like this anyway…
Seriously… what a way to go…
”……ah… well… it doesn’t… matter… anymore…” I whispered.
”!? – YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!”
A scruffy beard, deep dark circles under eyes filled with pure hatred – my former boss screaming at the top of his lungs as he brings the knife down one last time.
That was the last thing I saw.
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Summary:
The protagonist enjoys a peaceful but stagnant NEET life, escaping into escapist web novels. His birthday approaches, and he shares a pleasant, albeit stalled, relationship with two women. This tranquility is shattered when his former boss breaks into his home and brutally stabs him to death.
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Trivia:
- The protagonist was the former boss’s OJT (On-the-Job Training) mentor/trainer.
- The protagonist’s birthday is very close to the day he is killed.
- The protagonist has high-achieving siblings whom he was jealous of.
- The boss blames the protagonist specifically for his life being ‘ruined’.
- The protagonist was reading a novel about an OP hero blowing away obstacles right before being killed by a man he couldn’t stop
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Character Insight:
The protagonist displays a deep sense of resignation and ‘mendokusai’ (what a drag) attitude even in the face of his own murder. His death triggers a retrospective regret, realizing his life’s trajectory might have been doomed by his own nature.
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Behind the Scenes:
This chapter serves as the ‘dark’ inciting incident, subverting the light-hearted morning routine with a graphic ‘revenge’ killing by a former colleague.
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TL Notes:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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