New Novel - Read Here
"Hey, Daiki. Am I hallucinating, or has Kashima Souta somehow turned into an incarnation of despair? The whole place is reeking of it."
"You're not seeing things. He has been like this, sprawled on his table with not as much of a twitch, since I entered the classroom."
The voices of my friends, Nakano Akihito and Mori Daiki, seemingly talking about me, reached my ear from above my head. Though I had neither energy nor will to even raise my head.
Nakano Akihito was a boy with rather neutral features, a pair of gentle eyes, and extraordinarily well-sculpted facial structure. In contrast, Mori Daiki featured dyed brown hair, and a pair of sharp eyes that gives him a rather fierce outlook.
We'd been buddies since high school, and I mostly hung around with them on the days I had no part-time shift. And it's precisely because we knew each other well that they got the gist of my fractured mental state, and didn't force me to get up. I really liked them for that. Right now, I really wanted to be left alone.
"Mhm, so his gacha pull went dud again? But... no. Even then, he would make one or two comments, so not a single reaction is definitely strange."
"*Sniff-Sniff-Sniff*."
"Ah, he is even crying."
"Uh-huh, the last time he cried like that was when his 150,000 ended up with nothing, right?"
"Yeah, I think it was last October. I recall he was trying for some swimsuit character in one of those game, but didn't get it."
"Can you not pour salt on my wound for god's sakeeee?!?"
" "Oh, he revived." "
Give me a break! It was the nightmare so glaring even among my dud record that I really want nothing but to obliterate it out of my freaking memory!!!
"Anyway, what's the scene now? Did you lose 200,000 yen this time?"
"Either that, or maybe your parents found out about your overspending and banned you from living alone?"
"For pity's sake, just what do you think of me?!"
" "A gacha addict?" "
"Can you not chorus your replies?! Also, I am not some addict damn it."
" "Huh?" "
A pair of befuddled gazes fell over me. It was if they're saying 'are you hearing yourself?'. These were my words!
"Someone like me isn't even equal to the pinky toe of real addicted persons."
“Eh, you seem plenty addicted to me though. No sane person would stretch their living expense to the point they're living on scraps just to save them for gacha pulls."
"I concur~. If you aren't the textbook example of an addict, then I fear half of the addicts from all over the world would be labelled sane."
Damn it, they sure were running their mouths as it pleased them!
"I am merely a small fish among all those addicts though."
"Daiki, my ears aren’t ringing right? Somehow, I think I just heard Souta calling himself a mere small fish after all that.”
"I heard that too, so you're not alone. What the hell do you mean you're a small fish?"
"Fine, it's about time to educate you two ignorant people. Listen well, small fishes are one who lives on scrap to save for gacha."
"All the fancy explanations when they’re just addicts…?"
"Did you listen to me? Living on scraps, and spending only 100,000 or below are only novice in this field."
"By your words, that would be 1.2 million yen, and still a small fish."
"And that they're. 100,000 yen is literally the lowest denomination here, and at that level, they're mere beginners."
"Wow, are you hearing him? He just said 100,000 is only the lowest denominator."
"He definitely has some loose screws~."
Hey, I am completely sane, alright?
"Anyway, only when you spend more than 100,000 yen can you call yourself a proper addict. Oh, and if you're spending beyond 10 million a year, you're a professional addict."
"If someone is able to have as much as tens of million yearly, wouldn't they be living leisurely if they invest that in life well?"
"What do you think professional in the profession addict even mean?
"Holy, look at his eyes. This guy is definitely aiming for a professional addict level. I am now worried about his future."
Listening to the last remark, I inadvertently sprawled back onto my table and globes of tears streamed down.
"*Sniff-Sniff*."
"He's crying again."
"He’s scaring me today. Really, what in the world happened?"
............Haaa.
"Being a professional addict is merely a pipe dream now......"
"Damn, so I was right. That guy was serious."
"Money should be used wisely, you know that?"
"Is this what all you have to say?!?!"
We're talking about my dream, dammit! My dream was to roll into enough money to never worry about gacha funds. This dream was the fuel that motivates me to live, and now that dream was unreachable!
"Anyway, enough about addicts or whatnot. Seriously, just tell me what happened?"
"Yeah. Saying you can no longer become a professional addict explains nothing."
Ugh, I really didn't want to bring it, but that wouldn't be an explanation then. ...I really have to steel myself.
"......I got a unique skill."
"Aah, so that's what it is about. Right, you turned 16 yesterday."
Ever since dungeons surfaced into the world, when someone turned 16, they would acquire an ability called Skill. Though, as of now, the probability of it occurring was 1:100.
"Wait, seriously?! Then are you going to aim for harem too?! Man, I am so jealous of you!!"
The harem lover bastard shouted, uncaring for my inner turmoil.
"Woah, calm down, Daiki. He only said he got a skill, but that doesn't explain his depression. After all, if he has acquired skill, money shouldn't even be a problem anymore. He would've gained the ultimate means to reach his dream of becoming a professional addict."
"Wait, you've got a point. You don't exactly need a strong skill to make money in a dungeon, but it's another matter if he can't go—no way! It's a demerit skill?"
"...............................Mhm."
Among unique skills existed a certain subset that instead only interfered in daily life—Demerit Skill.
Daiki seemed to have noticed the crux of the problem and inquired.
I groaned in reply. Opening my mouth was too much work. I didn't have energy for that. After all, if occurence rate of Unique Skill was 1:100, then occurrence of Demerit Skill was 1:100 of Unique Skill awakeners. In other words, you had to be unlucky as hell to be that one person among tens of thousands people to acquire Demerit Skill.
Why did it have to me......
"And... what's that unique skill exactly?"
"......«Spendlock»."
" "The what?" "
"I said «SPENDLOCK»."
"No, I mean we heard you for the first time, but it's just... if I guessed it right, literally, is that mean......"
"IT'S STOPPING ME FROM SPENDINGGGG——!!!"
It was the only thing that kept me going, you know thaaaat?!!?!?!!!
"This is certainly a peculiar skill I have heard nothing about."
"If you ask me, it sounds like even the big G got worried about your future seeing your current addiction and gave you heavenly punishment."
"A god like that needs to dieeeeee!!!"
"I honestly am on the side of God for this one. Honestly, it might not be my money, but I felt something dying inside me every time I see you splurging like there's no tomorrow."
"Ugh....."
My tears had graduated from the stream, and turned into a river.
What did I even do to deserve this......