A few days passed by in a flash.
On one particular morning, Ryoma once again awoke reluctantly on the sofa.
He reached out, preparing to grab a liquor bottle from the table.
Only when he was drunk could he fall asleep, and only in his dreams could he be reunited with his late wife and forget the pain that exhausted his body and soul.
But today, things seemed a little different.
His outstretched hand did not find a bottle.
Instead, he sensed someone standing in front of him.
He groggily opened his eyes and saw his daughter, Mei, standing opposite him.
For some reason, Mei, who was usually expressionless, now had a smile on her face.
She looked quite happy.
“Father, I’ve paid off the debt.” Ryoma forced himself to sit up, his face still etched with confusion.
“The debt…
I remember now.
The money I owed from a while back.
Ah…
you paid it off?” Ryoma finally remembered.
He had taken out a loan from some platform a while ago for gambling, and they had been hounding him with calls these past few days.
It was not a small sum of money.
In his current state, he had no idea how he would ever repay it, so he could only ignore it and live one day at a time.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that he still had a daughter.
The trouble he caused wouldn’t be his alone to bear; it would also affect Mei.
He was the father, yet his daughter had to clean up his mess.
Looking at the happy expression on Mei’s face, Ryoma was reminded of the time when he first met his wife.
He, too, had been just as full of hope for the future.
And the thought of his wife reminded him of her dying wish, her plea for him to take good care of their daughter…
He could almost see his wife in heaven, looking down at him with disappointed eyes.
Guilt surged in his heart.
A thousand words welled up inside him, but in the end, only one raspy phrase escaped his lips.
“I’m sorry, Mei…” “Father, don’t be shackled by the past anymore.” Seeing the hopeful look on Mei’s face, Ryoma felt even more guilty.
Perhaps he really should start over.
As if sensing her father’s anguish, Mei took out a banknote and handed it to Ryoma.
“Father, go buy some groceries.
We’re having Sukiyaki tonight.” Ryoma knew his daughter had seen his predicament.
She had always been so smart.
Asking him to go buy groceries was just an excuse.
Her real purpose was to spare his pride and give him time to get his head straight.
Ryoma was silent for a moment before taking the banknote from Mei.
He prepared to head out to buy the ingredients.
But just as he was about to leave, Mei stopped him, a pleading look in her eyes.
“Father, promise me.
Don’t touch that stuff again, okay?” Ryoma knew what Mei was talking about.
Gambling.
The habit he had picked up after falling into despair.
At this, a stiff smile formed on Ryoma’s lips.
“I won’t touch it again.
Never again…” —o— After leaving the house, a cold wind blew against him, making Ryoma shiver.
The fog in his alcohol-addled mind cleared instantly.
Memories of everything that had happened since his wife’s death began to surface.
And the more he remembered, the more Ryoma felt…
like he wasn’t even human.
At the same time, he found it incredible that he could have fallen so far.
Just a year ago, he was a recognized rising star in the scientific community.
But a year later, he had been reduced to the dregs of society, needing to be supported by his own daughter.
At this thought, guilt blossomed in his chest.
“I can’t keep living like this.
I have to find a job…” But his past actions had been too egregious.
He had offended nearly every friend he could have turned to.
Still, if he swallowed his pride and begged them, he could probably get a decent job.
“Ryoma, oh, Ryoma, you can’t fall any further.
Your daughter is waiting for you at home!” “Starting today, I’ll quit drinking and gambling.
I’ll make a clean break with the past and be a good father!” After resolving to part ways with his past, Ryoma felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
He set off to buy the groceries.
However, as he walked, he subconsciously stopped in front of a certain storefront.
It was a shop decorated with anime murals, giving the first impression that it sold anime merchandise.
But it was actually home to a pinball-like game that was all the rage in the Far East.
A small ball would be launched, rolling through a complex maze of pins inside the machine, eventually falling into a hole at the bottom to earn points.
Due to the clinking and clanking sound it made, it was called pachinko.
But Ryoma knew that while it appeared to be an entertainment game on the surface, it was, in essence, a form of open and legal gambling.
The points earned from these pachinko machines could be exchanged for cash at specific locations.
As for how he knew this?
Because he used to be a regular at this kind of shop.
Most of the money he had lost was lost here.
Clink, clank, clink…
The sounds drifted out from the shop.
Ryoma felt a slight tingling in his heart.
A certain craving began to grow from within.
Ryoma reached into his pocket and felt the banknote.
I still have some money for food.
Maybe I can try my luck…
The moment the thought arose, Ryoma shook his head violently.
“I can’t gamble anymore.
I promised Mei.” “I’m not the man I used to be.
I’ve made a clean break with the past!” With immense willpower, Ryoma forced his body to walk away.
After gritting his teeth and passing the entrance, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“See?
My self-control is still pretty strong.” Clink, clank, clink…
The crisp sound of colliding pinballs echoed out again.
Ryoma turned around and walked in.
“My luck’s pretty good today.
If I win, I’ll buy Mei a gift.
She’ll be really happy.” —o— A short while later, Ryoma stood at the entrance of the pachinko parlor, his body trembling uncontrollably.
His hand fumbled inside his pocket, trying to imagine the banknote was still there.
But unfortunately, his willpower was not nearly strong enough to rewrite reality.
Ryoma felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.
Fear spread through his heart.
The thought of going back empty-handed, of seeing the disappointed look in Mei’s eyes, made Ryoma feel as if his heart was being squeezed by an immense dread, making it difficult to even breathe.
As a man of science, he had never believed in the existence of things like gods.
But at this moment, he wished more than anything that a god truly existed and would show him a miracle.
Perhaps a deity in the great beyond really did hear his plea.
A pleasant voice suddenly drifted over from the side.
“O lost one…
come here.
The elf from the Elysian Realm will grant your wish~♬” Ryoma was drawn by the voice.
He subconsciously looked in its direction and found that it was coming from a small alley at the corner of the pachinko parlor.
He wasn’t sure what he was thinking—perhaps he was praying for that ethereal miracle—but Ryoma walked into the alley.
There, he found an ornate table set up.
And sitting opposite the table was a strikingly beautiful girl with light purple hair.
“My, a new customer~” “Who are you?” A sense of vigilance rose in Ryoma’s heart.
A girl like this, in a place like this, was not normal in any way.
“I am the Faded Elf from the Elysian Realm, and I specialize in granting wishes.” The self-proclaimed Faded Elf clasped her hands together, a flawless smile on her face.
“Of course, it comes at a price, you know~” On some strange impulse, Ryoma asked, “I need money.
Just 10,000 yen…” “I can grant that wish for you~♬” The Faded Elf produced a banknote from somewhere, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Ryoma.
That was a little too easy.
Ryoma’s vigilance increased.
“What’s the interest rate?
How long do I have to repay it?” The Faded Elf rested her chin on one hand and smiled.
“No repayment necessary.
This is a trade.
All I want is one day of your life.” “Take this 10,000 yen, and one day of your life belongs to me~♬” No contract, nothing like the yakuza, and everything about it screamed bizarre.
Logic told Ryoma that there was danger hidden here.
But another thought told him that if he went back empty-handed, what awaited him was likely Mei’s complete and utter disappointment.
In the end, Ryoma snatched the banknote and left this unsettling place without looking back.
“I’ll buy the groceries first.
I’ll find a job tomorrow.
I can pay the money back at the end of the month.
Worst case, I’ll pay her back double…” Ryoma walked out of the alley, ready to buy the groceries.
But as he turned the corner, he once again found himself in front of the pachinko parlor.
Ryoma quickened his pace, walking past it as if fleeing the plague.
But just as he was about to pass the entrance, his steps began to slow.
“If I could just win once, I could not only pay back that strange woman but also buy a gift for Mei.” SMACK!
Ryoma slapped himself hard across the face.
“Ryoma, how could you be so degenerate and despicable!
You can’t disappoint Mei again!” He swore on his wife’s soul in heaven, he would never touch gambling again!
This time, he absolutely would not go in.
Ryoma walked away without looking back.
Clink, clank, clink…
The sound of pinballs colliding echoed from inside the pachinko parlor.
Ryoma walked back in.
“There’s still a lot left over after buying groceries.
As long as I keep the grocery money…
if I can win just once with the rest, I can buy a gift and make Mei happy.” Ryoma comforted himself with this thought.
Sometime later.
Ryoma rushed out, his face deathly pale, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
He reached into his pocket.
The banknote that had once given him a sense of security was gone again.
On some strange impulse, he returned to the alley next door.
He found that the woman who called herself the Faded Elf was still there.
It was as if she had expected him to return.
“Want to trade again?” “One day of your life for 10,000 yen.
A fair price for young and old alike, you know~♬” Ryoma gritted his teeth.
“Give me another 10,000 yen.” —o—