---
When I was a kid, I used to believe that one day, when I grew up, I'd become someone successful.
But that was just the naive dream of a child who didn't understand how cruel the world could be.
And now that I'm an adult… well, look at me.
I'm nobody.
I didn't become anything in the end.
Pretty useless, huh?
Even now, I don't have a steady job.
What a pathetic person.
Sometimes I think—if only I hadn't done that thing back then, maybe my life wouldn't have turned out this way.
Haaah…
I step out of my small apartment and walk past the building's hallway. The night air brushes against my skin—cold, biting, making me regret not bringing a jacket.
I walk along the sidewalk, the city lights flickering all around me.
It's not that late, just 7:18 p.m.
People pass by in pairs—some with their lovers, some with kids, others with friends or family.
Just seeing them makes me feel envious.
You know, I've never been good at forming relationships.
Maybe that's why I envy them—ordinary people living ordinary lives.
…
After walking for a while, I finally arrive at my workplace.
A small café that stays open until midnight.
I have no idea what the owner was thinking.
I may not be a social person, but that doesn't mean I can't talk.
Honestly, it's an easy job.
All you have to do is serve customers with a smile—and I'm pretty good at faking one.
I enter through the back door and head to the employee room to change clothes.
"Hey, how's it going, Clement?" someone calls out behind me.
"Yeah, I'm good. You?"
It's Nico—my coworker for the same shift.
"Same here," he replies briefly.
After changing, I start working. Cleaning tables, checking chairs, and then waiting for customers.
Tonight is quiet, as usual.
"Well, that's normal," I mumble.
Hardly anyone comes here anymore. Too many cafés in this city.
…
Before I know it, midnight arrives.
Finally, my shift ends.
We clean up, close the doors, and lock up tight.
"See you tomorrow, Clement."
"Yeah, see you."
After that, I head to a nearby convenience store to buy dinner.
A canned coffee and a boxed meal—almost expired, but cheaper that way.
Then I go to the park not far from my apartment.
I sit on a wooden bench and start eating.
Honestly, it tastes bland. But cheap food has its charm, I guess.
"…"
Sitting alone in the dark might look strange, but it's already part of my routine. Somehow, I've grown to like it.
Sometimes it feels lonely, but that's fine.
Loneliness has always been a part of me anyway.
After finishing my coffee, I stand up and head home.
The streets are still lively—mostly young people.
They're doing stupid things that could ruin their future: drinking, shouting, laughing without reason.
Don't they realize how foolish that looks?
Well, not my problem.
I'm not their parent, after all.
When I get back to my apartment, I drop onto my thin mattress.
I close my eyes.
But sleep doesn't come.
"Damn it… must be that coffee."
Haaah…
I hate nights like this—when my mind won't stop running.
"…"
Life is exhausting.
Not everything you do will work out.
And even if it does, the result never lasts.
Frustrating, isn't it?
If only life were that simple—where all you needed to do was try your best, without worrying about anything else.
I grab my phone, looking for some distraction.
A Tensura fanfic pops up on my feed. I've never really followed the series, but I know the gist—someone reincarnates as a slime.
How lucky, right? To escape a life like this.
And the fanfic itself?
Trash.
The author's probably just another pervy otaku.
Filled with cheap smut and nonsense plotlines.
Nothing more than a wet dream written down.
If I were the main character, I wouldn't waste time like that.
I'd chase something else. Maybe… freedom. Seeing the world, perhaps.
That used to be my dream—to travel the world.
But like most things in my life, it never came true.
My eyelids grow heavy.
Guess the coffee's finally wearing off.
I keep scrolling through trash fanfics until my eyes can't stay open.
I put my phone aside, close my eyes, and drift off.
"…"
And just like that, I fall asleep—
because my mind is too tired to think anymore.
---