Wake up, be calculated, be reserved, work for the sake of the world, the world you hold up. Go to work, be a cog, and hold up the world you work for, the world that needs you. Go home, be proud of minimal achievements, and be happy you hold up the world. Be pleased that you are entirely replaceable in the machine. Be happy that… Be happy that… What is happiness?

The routine was the same daily: slaving away with the false hope of something greater.

Daku Sanyu has always been a shy and reserved young man, but his acting demeanor was not a result of timidity or lack of confidence. Instead, it was a product of his upbringing, marked with tragedy and hardship. All he ever wanted was to feel the same happiness he had shared with his parents just one last time, but as days went by, hope kept getting weaker. Like a candle reaching the end of its wick

Daku was born just six years before tragedy; he had lost his parents in the nuclear warfare of World War II, The Hiroshima bombing. He was only six years old when the atomic bomb fell, leaving him orphaned and alone. In the chaos that followed, Daku had learned to fend for himself, scavenging for food and shelter in the city's ruins, learning skills to help him barely survive on the outskirts of Tokyo, where the government had taken him after the attack.

Daku's experiences deepened his shyness and introversion as he grew older. Due to a lack of trust, he had learned to keep to himself, avoiding the city's crowds and noise. But despite his reserve, there was something about Daku that drew people to him, a quality people couldn't quite pin down. He was handsome, in a quiet way, with golden blond hair and deep-set blue eyes that seemed to hold a world of secrets. And an undeniable kindness and goodness about him made him stand out in a world so cruel and unforgiving.

Now, at twenty, Daku lives in Tokyo, struggling to make ends meet. He has taken on countless odd jobs over the years, from cleaning toilets to delivering food, but it seems as though he could never quite catch a break. His debts hung heavy over him like a cloud, threatening to crush him beneath its weight.

Despite his struggles, Daku remains determined to make something of himself. He spends long hours studying Japanese grammar and vocabulary, determined to improve his language skills and make himself more marketable. But as the months passed by, despite all his efforts, it became all too clear that no matter how hard he worked, he would never be able to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in.

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Due to this backdrop of despair, Daku painted himself; he decided to take drastic action. One evening, as he sat alone in his tiny apartment overlooking the neon-lit streets below, he decided to change the course of his life forever.

He stood from his chair and walked over to the window, gazing at the city below. The sounds of traffic and chatter drifted up from the streets below, creating a strange sense of nostalgia within Daku. They seemed distant and muffled now, as though they had been seen and heard through a thick fog.

Daku's mind wandered back to his childhood, to the days when his parents were still alive, and he could still remember what it felt like to be happy. He remembered their faces clearly - his mother's kind smile and gentle touch, his father's deep voice and steady gaze - but now they seemed like distant memories, like ancient relics from another era.

As he stood there, lost in thought, Daku felt a sudden sense of clarity wash over him, as if suddenly he could breathe again. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders - a weight he had carried for far too long. He knew what he had to do.

Without hesitation, Daku walked over to his small bedside table and retrieved a small notebook filled with neatly written notes and calculations. He flipped through its pages quickly, checking figures, making last-minute adjustments, and carefully adding his last words before slipping it back on the shelf. In summary, he was just saying, "fuck this place."

Then, he turned back to the window and looked at the city below, the bright colors as blinding and corporate as they always were. He took a deep breath before stepping onto the narrow ledge outside; the wind whipped around him like a living thing, tugging at his clothes and hair as he leaned out, embracing the emptiness below. But Daku remained calm and composed - this was not something new to him, death was not a threat, it was a gift - and, as he closed his eyes and prepared himself for what came next, a final thought resounded through his head, an echo of the memories he wished he had created, and with that, he took a step forward.

The world around him faded into darkness as Daku plunged into the abyss below - not with fear or regret but with a sense of peace and acceptance that he had never known. As he fell through the air towards certain death, he knew that this was not an end but a beginning - a chance for him to start anew far from this world that had taken everything from him. He had heard of "reincarnation". Hey, what if he got lucky? As he closed his eyes for what he believed would be the final time, Daku felt the same calm wash over him - a calm that promised hope and new beginnings beyond what he could ever have imagined before this momentous decision was made. Then, everything went dark. He finally felt at peace. Daku would never experience anything again.

Or so he thought…