During this time, nothing was going well for me. I was feeling hopeless and my mind and body were weak.

Later, when I consulted a lawyer, I was told the 'two months' worth of pay was too little. I should have been able to claim at least six months' worth...dammit!

Even so, when I was younger I was an active kid, good at studying and sports, and was called a prodigy.

My dad was an master of ancient martial arts, and trained me well when I was little.

In middle school, I joined the soccer team and became the regular goalkeeper.

Since I was also learning kendo at home, I wanted to play a sport with a ball.

But around my first year of high school, I developed a spinal tumor and had to have surgery. They made a hole in my spine to remove the tumor, and the hole is still there.

Even though I was still young, I was left with partial paralysis in my right leg and suffered from severe lower back pain.

My high school life after that was hell...or not quite, but it wasn't enjoyable.

Whether they knew about my condition after the surgery or not, there were some guys who bullied me as I had become passive.

"Are you old man?"

I was showered with those heartless words and laughter many times.

Even though I can get so much pain that I can't sleep unless I take medicine, there are some people in junior high and high school who would say hurtful things without any hesitation...

Well, maybe I said stuff like that too...

Depending on the air pressure and my physical condition, I would also get pain in my hips and legs, sometimes becoming unable to walk properly.

Lacking motivation, everyday was spent either gaming or obsessively drawing illustrations for my hobbies.

My grades plummeted, falling to the worst 10 in my grade.

But thanks in part to those efforts, I was able to become a designer at a game company.

In the end though, I'm back to being unemployed...

Adding insult to injury, I got dumped by my girlfriend of several months.

My ex-girlfriend Ayami scolded me at a bar.

"You're really just like a kid. Why couldn't you put up with it?"

"Ah, but Ayami, you were sympathetic about my complaints..."

"Well of course I'd listen to some complaints from my boyfriend. But to lose your job because of it...aren't you an idiot? You really frustrate me...I can't do this anymore. Let's break up."

Ayami blurted out wanting to break up as if taking out her anger on me.

"Since this is the last time, I'll cover the bill. You're unemployed after all."

My pride was ripped to shreds. And even though it was lame, I had no other option but to let her pay for me. I know I'm pathetic.

At that time, I didn't have any money. Actually, it's my fault, but I was wasting money as if I was dependent on something. Even though my job didn't last long, I went crazy buying my hobby games and figurines of my favorite characters, and my savings were running out.

My room was overflowing with unopened boxes stacked full of figures. Feeling disgusted with myself, I regretted it. Relying too much on something is probably something I should fix.

I understood there were a lot of things wrong with me, but I had lost both my job and girlfriend.

My mom would always say, "Suicide is cowardly. It's just escaping from this world," whenever news of suicides came on. So I was determined not to take that path.

During that time, assaulted by negative thoughts, I had completely lost motivation and was lifeless.

I hardly played any games or drew illustrations, things I used to enjoy. If I were to put these negative ideas into action, I'd probably just want to sleep all day in my room and even getting up would be a bother.

If I were the aggressive go-getter type, my actions may have gone in an even worse direction when fueled by negativity. So in a way, my complete lack of motivation could be seen as a 'strength'. This is a positive interpretation.

Even I could be aggressive about something - the release day of a figure of Takeru Gouriki, a character I loved dearly. Despite the name, she's a woman with the blood of powerful Japanese ogres, beautiful yet strong.

*Takeru＝Name of a legendary Japanese hero

*Gouriki＝Herculean strength

Yes, I never learn. Although I lost in the pre-order battle on the net, when I heard you could still buy it on release day if you lined up, I went to Akihabara that day.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Listening to my beloved singer Shite Aido's songs on wireless earbuds, I headed out filled with excitement. She's a mysterious artist likely in her teens. Contrary to her name, her songs tend toward cheerful.

*Aido＝sorrow

...But in the end, I wasn't able to buy it.

There, I ran into my former colleagues Ken K. and Ryo S.

"Oh~! Isn't that Mr. Takemi~!"

Ken called out to me. I had my earbuds in but I don't usually listen at a very loud volume. I grew uneasy, my face twitching. Still, I took out one earbud to listen.

"Were you aiming for the Takeru Gouriki figure too?"

"Ah, yeah. But..."

"Too bad, they're sold out~. How disappointing~"

Ken said sarcastically, showing off the box of the figure I wanted, and making fun of me with a disgusting laugh along with Ryo.

I shouldn't deal with people like that, but I was disgusted with myself because everything wasn't going well.

"What now~? Let's go to the maid cafe, to the maid cafe!"

The loud voice of Ryo, Ken's stupid sidekick, echoed from downstairs.

Those two, despite appearances, seem to be major womanizers. Of course it's just the mouth.

If I remember correctly, this is the same shopping building that my mother took me to when I was a child, and there must have been a small shrine on the roof.

I thought it would be better to ask God... So I headed to the rooftop.

I was thinking of praying for better luck and for being able to get a job again.

Rain clouds suddenly began to cover the sky, and thunder began to rumble.

Perhaps due to the change in atmospheric pressure, I felt throbbing pain and numbness from my lower back to my right leg, and I started walking with a slight limp. When I feel pain, I feel depressed and it becomes painful.

When I arrived at the rooftop, I saw a beautiful blue swallowtail butterfly dancing.

The fence on the roof looked surprisingly easy to climb. A bad idea popped into my head. My legs hurt, but that doesn't mean I can't move. I found a place that seemed easy to climb and looked down on the city from there. I don't like high places. My legs froze and my balls shrunk.

It was at that time. I hadn't climbed the mountain yet, but a girl suddenly came up to me and started talking to me, probably because she was curious about my situation.

"Um~...are you okay?"

She is a high school girl with black hair that wraps around her face in a short bob.

She is of average height, but has long limbs, is slender, and has a good figure. Her fair skin, small face, and bright eyes made her extremely cute.

I was upset when such a beautiful girl suddenly spoke to me.

"Ah, ha ha ha, no, I was just admiring the view! The view is great!"

The voice rises. I took off my earphones.

"Oh, that's right! The weather has taken a turn for the worse... It's sunny over there, but it's cloudy here. ... Ah! There's an angel's ladder!"

When the girl said that, she pointed to the distant sky.

"I-I wonder if the angel... will greet you..."

I blurted out something strange.

"Eh...maybe..."

The girl looked at her with a quizzical look on her face, as if peering at her.

When I looked closely at her, I noticed that for a Japanese person, the pigment in her eyes was pale, giving them a blue tint.

"No, I-I'm not thinking about that! Yes..."

"...Is that so? Um, I might be misunderstanding this, but could you please reconsider?"

"No, that's not true... Ah, no... Ah, I think I should pray at the shrine."

"Ah, that's right! Isn't that good? I'm sure God will listen to your worries."

The girl grabbed my hand with both of hers and pulled me towards the shrine.

(Ah...a young girl's hands are so soft...Maybe today's my lucky day...Maybe life's not over yet...)

I thought so, but my foot was hurting, so I ended up walking in a way that made me feel stuck.

"Ah... are your legs okay? Come to think of it, it was a little earlier..."

"Ah, this is... hahaha... it's been a bit bad for a long time."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I should've realized..."

The girl looked at me worried. While getting sympathy can be hard in its own way, it's not like my leg always hurts so people don't often notice day to day. Going unnoticed is painful too. Her kindness sunk in deeply.

"No, no, not at all! I'm fine with this! Ah, then I'll pray and then I'll go home!"

When I said that, the girl smiled sweetly. Her smile made my heart skip a beat, my eyes losing focus.

Maybe my face was flushed and I was sweating a little.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a favor too. Um, if you'd like, would you like to have a little talk after visiting the shrine? There's an old-fashioned, retro coffee shop downstairs that serves delicious coffee."

She was probably just being considerate asking me. I decided to take her up on the offer.

"Ah... yes. Oh, if it's okay with me(Boku*)..."

I didn't say "Ore*" but just said "Boku*" like a good boy.

*"Ore" = first person of a naughty man in Japanese

*"Boku" = first person of a good boy in Japanese

While walking, a girl asked me a question.

"Ah, uh, music... what kind of music were you listening to?"

"...Ah, Shite Aido..."

"Ah, ah~! That's so good~! I-I love you too~"

I guess he liked it very much. The girl's face was slightly flushed and she gave me a big smile.

Seeing her so adorable, my heart skipped again as my face grew hot.

And just like that, the girl and I stand in front of the torii gate.

[Raido Shrine] was written on the torii gate. It seems to be dedicated to the god of thunder.

"Ah, I'll think about my wish, so please go first..."

I let the girl go first. Ladies First.

"Then please excuse me first."

The girl bowed and passed through the shrine's torii gate. I thanked God in front of the torii gate.

"Then please excuse me first."

The girl bowed and passed through the shrine's torii gate. I thanked God in front of the torii gate.

(Dear gods...Thank you for letting me meet such a cute girl. To be honest, I was considering suicide but this helped me realize life's not over yet. Starting tomorrow, I'll do my best to keep on living.)

For me, it was a huge event that made me feel grateful to God.

The girl finished praying and turned around.

At that moment, boom!! With a roar, I was enveloped in light and was blown backwards. Lightning struck.

It was so sudden I couldn't comprehend it.

When I came to, the girl had collapsed. I immediately ran to her. Oddly, she looked unhurt but had lost consciousness. I desperately called out to her. Thinking back now, I remembered feeling like static electricity was crackling all over.

"I've gotta call for help...!"

Just as I stood up thinking this, I was once again enveloped in light. It seemed like another bolt of lightning had struck.

In an instant, I felt as if my body was floating, and I could see myself and the fallen girl a few meters below.

"...Huh? Could I be dead?"

The moment I thought that, I felt like I was being blown thousands of meters into the sky and into a world above the clouds. It's just a feeling. I'm not sure, but...

And it was surrounded by light.