MTLNOVEL Chapter 1
Every day, I work, come home, eat, and bathe. By the time I finish, it’s already past midnight.
On the rare days off, I spend the whole day watching anime I’ve recorded or reading the light novels stacked up on my shelf.
It’s been 20 years since I graduated high school and started working at the factory. Before I knew it, I was 38 years old.
Living such an irregular life, coupled with a lack of exercise, has caused my belly to stick out. My hairline is starting to recede—probably due to the stress.
At this age, I no longer have the energy to change anything. I just go through the motions of work, enduring the hysterics of middle management.
“What a truly boring life,” I muttered without meaning to.
Looking back, the time right after I graduated high school was when I felt most full of energy and motivation.
When I first started at the factory where I work now, I thought of it as just a stepping stone. I believed—without any real reason—that I would climb the ranks, get scouted, and build a successful career.
But reality is not so kind. Today, too, I worked late into the night due to the impossibly tight schedules.
The team, made up of unmotivated workers earning low wages, fell behind on the tasks, and I got an earful from management: “You’re nothing but a worthless leech on this company!”
On days like this, the only thing to do is go home, drink, and forget everything.
I was on my way home, stopping by the convenience store to pick up some booze and snacks—
—when I crossed paths with a group of college students.
They were laughing and having fun, their smiles radiant, untouched by the darkness of the adult world.
Watching them, I felt a pang of envy mixed with self-pity.
I’ve never had a girlfriend in my entire life. Seeing these students enjoying their youth filled me with jealousy.
The next moment, a sports car came speeding in from the side.
The students froze, unable to react to the sudden danger.
My body moved on its own. The car’s headlights bore down on me as I shoved them out of the way.
I succeeded in pushing them aside, but in the next instant—
—everything went dark.