Chapter 33: The End of the Fourth Simulation
Shoko Nishimiya fell slightly silent.
She didn't quite know what to say.
Facing Haruka's gaze, Shoko's eyes darted away, and her hand movements while signing became a bit disorganized.
Seeing Shoko like this, Haruka already had the answer in his heart.
It seemed she wasn't doing well either.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be here.
Sigh.
Haruka's expression softened a little.
"Shoko, how about coming to work at my shop?"
?
"It's not far from here. A self-service convenience store. You just need to help manage the register."
Haruka said with a smile.
Shoko was a bit surprised. She pointed at herself, then at the restaurant, and then at Haruka.
"Don't worry. That store makes a decent profit, and I really need someone I trust to handle the money. It's a matter of finances, after all. If I don't find a friend, how can I be at ease?"
Haruka said this to Shoko.
"As for this place, I don't think the manager will mind."
Shoko thought about it very seriously.
Although she was already working, the pressure on her mother was still immense. Her grandmother was still working hard, and Yuzuru's schooling wasn't finished yet.
Having worked for a while, she understood very well that survival in this society relied on those small numbers.
You never really grasp the cost of daily life until you're the one running a household.
The current Shoko subconsciously began to calculate and budget.
Watching Shoko, who was still calculating, Haruka didn't rush her. He waited quietly.
A moment later, Shoko pointed toward the back.
Haruka nodded. "Okay. Go ask."
Shoko went into the back kitchen and found a woman who looked confident and stylish.
It hadn't been easy for Shoko to find this job; no one wanted to hire a disabled person.
It was only because this shop owner was kind-hearted that she took her in.
So, she still wanted to ask.
"..."
"So, that person is Shoko-chan's friend?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Mm, alright. I agree. But I want to go take a look too."
Shoko walked out with a smile full of gratitude, heading toward him.
Sunlight poured down.
Shoko's smile was the same as ever, only now it seemed to carry a touch of the dust and smoke of real life.
***
[After lamenting the impermanence of the world and showing that inexplicable kindness...]
[You continued to pour your energy into making money.]
[But the more you researched, the more despair you felt.]
What the hell is wrong with this country?!
Why are there so many monopolies?!
[You discovered that the mindset from your previous life was hardly effective here. The behemoths in this place are numerous, each bigger than the last.]
[If you really want to become a member of the elite, starting from nothing gives you worse odds than just marrying into the family of some financial magnate or wealthy business owner and stepping into their company.]
[You became lost.]
[Time passed, and you graduated.]
[Your fighting spirit was gradually worn away, and you became content with the status quo.]
[Under your special care, Shoko Nishimiya lived a decent life, but her smiles were still decreasing.]
[You, who had gradually settled into complacency, finally turned your gaze to those around you and began to consider other things.]
[Just as you noticed Shoko's situation and prepared to help...]
[Shoko's grandmother passed away.]
[You met Shoko's family, under these unfortunate circumstances.]
[The next day.]
[Shoko Nishimiya's family moved away. It seemed they were returning to the countryside.]
[Everything happened too fast, leaving you no time to react.]
[Shoko Nishimiya's departure left you feeling a sense of loss. Another familiar person had left. And given their situation, you might never see them again in this lifetime. Staying in your empty, spacious house, you suddenly felt an indescribable loneliness.]
[How long has it been since you had fun, since you opened your heart to someone?]
[Now, even if you wanted to go out for a meal, you wouldn't know who to call.]
[You felt that for the sake of money, you seemed to have neglected other things. Once they are gone, it is hard to get them back...]
[Afterward, you transferred a sum of money to Shoko's card and rejected Shoko's incoming call.]
[You began watching movies alone, eating nabe alone, playing games alone, shopping alone...]
[One day, you got diarrhea from eating so-called Kaiseki cuisine and returned home rather late. On the street, you saw a blonde girl fighting a group of men in black sunglasses.]
[Without hesitation, you hid to the side and called the police.]
[However, immediately after, the blonde girl and the group of men actually pulled out guns!]
Bang!
[Amidst the intense sounds of gunfire, you seemed to have been hit by a stray bullet.]
On the chaotic street.
Ai Hayasaka clutched her arm and walked to Haruka's side. Looking at him, she revealed a trace of surprise.
After hesitating for a moment, she called an ambulance for him, performed emergency first aid, and then hurriedly left.
Haruka lay on the cold pavement.
Gazing at the dim, starless sky.
At this moment, his mind seemed to empty out completely.
He couldn't help but recall his entire life.
It seemed... only the carefree happiness of childhood was the best. After growing up, because he wasn't good with words, he loathed socializing.
But for a better life, he had to join the rat race with everyone else.
Like a screw in the great machine of society, he had no thoughts of his own, no voice of his own, just drifting with the current.
Only when he returned home after work and watched virtual anime works could he find that tiny shred of solace.
Then...
He reincarnated here, awakening his memories.
He thought he would live a protagonist's life, bending the world to his will, building a business empire.
For this desire, he was disciplined like never before, loved learning, and even when he met those anime characters, his will did not waver...
But...
But...
Until the end of his life.
He discovered that apart from the carefree happiness of childhood, he had nothing worth remembering.
Alone... always alone...
Wealth determines reality, but reality is not just wealth...
"I seem... to have been too extreme..."
"Life..."
On the streets of Tokyo.
In the cold night.
A man looked at the sky with a confused expression and died.
***
Meanwhile.
In a certain place.
Shoko, who had moved back to her hometown, took down the photos of dead animals that her sister had taken to stop her from committing suicide, stacking them one by one.
Then, she left a bank card behind.
Looking back one last time at the childhood home.
Shoko jumped into the pond without looking back.
She was too tired.
Mom, Grandma, Yuzuru—they were too tired as well.
She had been selfish for so long; it was time to think more about her family...
In the pond, two koi fish, startled, entangled with each other.
...
[Character Death]
[Simulation End]
In reality.
Facing this sudden end to the simulation.
Haruka didn't scream or curse.
Instead, he fell somewhat silent.
"Money, status, power, influence—aren't they good things?"
Haruka, his thoughts a bit complex, stopped thinking about these things.
He looked at the simulation interface again.
He had a premonition that the evaluation for this simulation wouldn't be good.
He only hoped it would be "Poor."
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