By the time I left the store, it was already past 06.00 pm. For a restaurant, it was the busiest time and it would normally need manpower as much as possible. But recently, my working time had been reduced blatantly, so I tend to go home at peak times. I’m a useless clerk after all.
I wonder if I’m going to get fired soon from here, too…..
I walked down the street while breathing out white air. The air in January was cold.
—early in the new year, the atmosphere was rejecting me with full power. The town have also forgotten my existence.
Unfamiliar signs. Unknown chain stores. The popular song that I have never heard of it, was played in the neighborhood.
Everything that I saw was a foreign object, all those entering my ears was uncomfortable.
I felt that I didn’t belong here. No, it wasn’t just feeling. I indeed didn’t belong here.
The world had completely changed when I was in an another world. I was a teenager who departed from Japan in 2000 and came back in 2017. I was in Urashima Taro's kind of situation.
I heard that cellular phones were getting as good as personal computer. I heard that GDP has overtaken China. I heard about nuclear power plant accident, and so on…..
Have I returned to a different another world?
It’s not my hometown.
There is no one who knows my success.
I’m all alone.
The only salvation for me was just a smartphone. There was application called social game that has become the main support of my heart. Whenever I had spare time, I would be busy tapping my smartphone until I had run out stamina (in-game).
From my sense, I was amazed that I could play the contents of a game-machine-level on mobile device.
The charge-inducing games that gotten excessively intense these days, made me a little interested. I guess the game industry was desperately trying to survive.
Huh, what am I? Worrying about such big enterprises when I lived desperately myself.
Well, I guess there is nothing wrong with that.
I’m getting tired of thinking about myself. I will put the future in the shelf, I just want to randomly talk about politics on the internet bulletin board, I’d like to spend my money on game, and so on.
If I seriously look for work, I guess my physical ability could do a lot. But it’s impossible for me now. My spirit withered. I have no right to do something big.
Sorry, Elsa.
I couldn’t save you.
I killed you.
Here, I will live in misery to atone it.
Therefore, please forgive me.
I will continue to hurt myself from now on.
When I think about the crime I had committed in that world, my eyes are still blurred. However, if there is an uncle who suddenly burst into tears on the street, the surrounding must be weirded out. Not good. I need to go to the place with not many people.
I rushed into nearby building in panic. I couldn’t see well because of the tears, but from the noise of electronic sounds, I could guess that I just entered a gaming center.
It was a suitable place for me. Nobody would care about an uncle playing the game here alone.
I sat down on a game table of the fighting action game located in the corner, and took out a smartphone from my pocket. For a change, I launched my favorite application.
Idol Maker ~ Princess Live!
The title call started with a cheerful anime voice. It was a rhythm game to produce a beautiful girl that aims for the top idol. This was the use of my salary. This was how I contribute to the society.
I saw this app in the ranking sales immediately after I purchased a smartphone. To tell the truth, I also saw a lot of medieval fantasy-style RPG game. Or rather it was the most popular genre out there.
I just couldn’t bring myself to play it at all, because until last year, I was really inside that kind of world, cutting and killing monsters.
I’m sick of it.
Also, the way of the game character holds the sword was wrong, you wouldn’t be able to cut the opponent properly.
I had become like this, so it wasn’t possible for me to enjoy that kind of game.
I wonder if a veteran soldier who watch a movie about war would also have this kind of feeling.
Compared to it, the sight of the world unrelated to myself, the polygon model idols, was soothing my heart.
“……….how cute!”
Accompanied by the sound of tapping and clicking, I gently stared at the screen.
The girls with long and black hair were dancing cheerfully. Moved their slender body hard, invited me to charge more.
There was a lot black haired girls with slender body, so I couldn’t help but becoming irritated.
The idols I organized in units inside the game, were look like Elsa somewhere.
She was also had a beautiful black hair and a slime body shape.
Longing for a girl who I could never meet again, it seemed I had sought her figure inside the game unnoticed.
It was truly miserable, and stupid…..
“……….shit!”
What’s wrong with that? Of course I couldn’t forget her!!
While making excuse to myself, I pressed the side of my smartphone for a few second.
“snap” —together with a shooting sound, the fixed pose of the idols was preserved.
You should look at such pictures when you’re feeling down. Their cuteness could turn the gloomy feeling into something green and refreshing. I wonder how could this picture was taken? When I flipped the screen of my smartphone—
“Hey, Uncle!”
I was called from behind.
It was the voice of a young woman. However, her voice had a threatening tone on it.
Dis she call me? I turned my face to the direction of the voice reflexively
"……….Elsa?"
I doubted my eyes.
Because there was a girl from an another world, who I loved with all my heart.
Because there was a girl that I had killed with this hands.
Straight black hair stretched to the waist. On her well-proportioned face, a light make-up was applied. From her blazer that went down a little, a glimpse of her modest valley could be seen a little.
Yes, it was a uniform.
She was not her.
She was a stranger that resembled her.
When I was taken aback, the high school girl that resembled Elsa, raised her voice again.
“You saw my panties a while ago and took a picture. Did you think I didn’t notice it?”
However, it was amazing. Even though she was a Japanese, but among all the people I’ve seen so far, she looked like a person from that world the most. I was admiring her unintentionally.
She was a beautiful girl of incredible level. Even if she aimed to be actress or idol, that was not something impossible. She would become one in a flash. If I was a producer from entertainment business or something, I’d give her my business card right away.
“Are you listening to me? Creepy Uncle!”
When I was making a thought trip, the black-haired high school girl raised her voice even more. It was a bad habit I picked from an another world. I got used to the roar of dragon and ogre so human shouting sounded like a cry of crickets to me.
But even if you don’t talk in a loud voice, I….. eh, is she angry now? I just realized it.
“Do you need something from me?”
“You took a picture of my panties with your smartphone, right? I know it immediately”
“Of course not. Look, I was just playing a game!”
I showed the screen of my smartphone to the high school girl who was fuming.
What would you think when you see an uncle playing a game where beautiful girls dancing and shaking their chest. The girl’s reaction was—
“Gross!”
It was expressed in single word. Even in 2017, there was a bad compatibility between otaku culture and young girls after all.
This was the Japan that I know. It wasn’t a pleasure situation no matter how I think about it, but I felt a little relieved to find something still unchanged.
When I missed the old days, a group of high school student came from behind photo booth corner. There were five boys and two girls.
Every single of them has brown or blonde hair and piercings on their ears or nose. Everyone wore sloppy uniform without exception.
Rather than returned from school, they seemed came straight from hoodlum course. They had that kind of air.
“What’s wrong, Rio?”
“He was secretly taking my picture. Or maybe not, but I don’t care because this uncle is an otaku. He must be up to something bad.”
“Seriously? What a bastard.”
I see. This high school girl is called Rio. Isn’t it your name cute? It suits you well.
Of course, even with this happy head, I understand the situation I’m in. It seems the act similar to that badger game is about to begin.
I nodded when I’ve decided my next course of action.
When I was in an another world, I killed cyclops with bare hand and turned it into barbecue ingredient. So it was impossible for mere high school students to give me fright.
Did he fed-up with my calm attitude? The conspicuously large-built man grabbed my shoulder roughly. He was a boy with villain-like eyes who had piercings all over his face.
Are you mistaking your face with piercings holder or something? That’s not a place to play with holes.
“Let’s going out a bit, Uncle. How about behind this building? …..come quickly!”
The boy who had piercings all over his face, prompted me with his jaws. This wasn’t an atmosphere which could be solved with a talk.
It can’t be helped. Let’s run wild for the first time in a while. I cracked my neck.
But before that, let’s confirm their strength ratio.
“……….status open.”