Chapter 4: Jobless.

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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It was 4 PM and I was collecting free job-hunting papers at a random convenience store. If I am too slow while inside here, something bad might happen to me. In fact, it was thanks to several short visits to stores that I was able to collect quite a few of the info papers. In that lieu, it was quite the catch.

Welp, speak of the devil. The women around me are already starting to get furious at my presence, so it’s time to wrap up. Trotting back out of the store, I made my way through the back alleys, despite it still being day outside. I never usually go home this early, so it was a fresh change of pace, though, it wasn’t the time to marvel at small things.

I was actually fired.

A few moments ago, I tried—vehemently—to get my point across to the president and the director, saying things such as, “Wait! I was working! This is a false accusation!”. I even changed my tone and begged for help from those around me. I implored and cried for a retraction, but to no avail.

Normally, I would’ve laughed off unjust treatment no matter what was said, but I couldn’t afford to be fired.

It’s a matter of life and death.

However, no matter how many times I protested, the decision to fire me had already been made. An unreversible decision at that. Not the president nor the director would do anything in my stead. I even told them I would most likely die if I was fired, but they laughed me off the room instead.

…It isn’t funny. I haven’t lived my life yet, it’s been too short.

I can already foresee that landing another job will be tough, and I don’t even know if my family will allow me to stay at their place while I’m out job hunting. Maybe, my sister would even say, “Why do we have to feed the breadwinners?”

So, if I can’t work and have no place to live, I’ll end up homeless. From there, it will be impossible for me to make it in life again, so I’ll be dead in less than a year. Besides, I no longer have any face to show my “childhood friend” after being fired. What childish results have I shown, huh?

I still had nothing to repay her with.

Gradually, I felt something prickling against my neck. It was as if a snake slowly coiled itself around, slicking by my Adam’s apple and tightening its grip. Then, I recalled what happened soon after my firing.

That trashy manager director only got himself off on my own suffering, relishing in every second of my crying and screaming. He held no regard for my own growing anxiety.

But I couldn’t just give up, I had to avoid being fired.

Anything would be fine, even heavy chores. Please, just let me work for this company. I can’t throw dirt on my “childhood friend’s face”—I desperately prayed while kneeling down on the ground.

Despite my humiliating myself,

“Did you know? You don’t even need to work anymore. Just drown in a ditch somewhere.”

“You’re a fool. Do you think you’ll get a pass just by using my own daughter’s name?”

They would not listen to a single word I’d say. And as a final nail in the coffin, the women around the scene started chanting and screaming for me to get kicked off as soon as possible.

I felt bitter and I could see myself shaking in pure frustration. I couldn’t even repay the person who saved me from certain doom.

“You’re a scumbag who only repays kindness with enmity,” the director said her final words to my crumbling self. —But aren’t you the one who robbed me of that opportunity? I asked her inside my head.

The whole reason for firing me is a baseless accusation.

God damn it… I had my last bit of resistance before giving up. Then, I told them to give my “childhood friend” my regards, and thus my short five-year career was over. Just like that.

“My daughter will be glad to see you gone.”

I was hated by every single one of them until the very end.

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As a result of that whole debacle, I was jobless. After all this time working, even if I’d never escape being fired, I should at least have gotten some sort of grace period until I was actually out while I searched for a new job.

Haah…

In this case, will I even get my unemployment benefits immediately? Oh, and how do I explain it to my family? What if I get kicked out of the house? What will my “childhood friend” even think? …I wonder if she regrets giving me a chance.

Worries flooded my mind, one by one, and none of them had any solutions.

As I trudged along mulling over my issues, I arrived home in what felt like seconds. My stomach hurt and I was hungry… Ugh, I wonder if anyone’s at home? I mean, it’s probably still early, so I don’t think they are yet. It’ll be trouble if I meet anyone.

To be completely honest, I’m dead scared of going inside. Not going is not an option though. I have to find a new job and to do that, I need my phone’s home. I don’t even have my own smartphone!

Going in…

Don’t be there, don’t be there, don’t be there! Please, God, please! I’ll do anything! I opened the front door while pleading for help to every single god I could think of.

Please!

And… My sister and my mother were there, standing in the doorway.

G, God, why?!

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“Oh, and?” My sister looked at me grumpily.

If I were to summarize what her short two words meant, “Huh? Why are you home so early? What about work?” would be probably on the nose. The sad part is that after being abused for so long, I could understand all of that from just the tone of her voice.

To be honest, if I just go and say, “I’ve been fired,” it’s going to be a huge deal. I need to change the subject somehow…

“And don’t you dare change the subject!”

I started talking about the weather at random and she grabbed my bag and threw it on my face. Isn’t it too early for physical abuse?

Ugh, I just don’t know what to say. My sister is gradually becoming more and more grumpy with my lack of answers. She hates unclear things the most. Oh, actually, that’s an idea. I should just piss off my sister and leave it at that.

She has a low boiling point whenever I don’t say anything. She might even get physical with me like she did this morning. So, if she keeps hitting me, she’ll end up coming back to her senses like, “Oh? Why was I even angry in the first place?”

S, should I do it? No, I will! She’s a bit of a dumb girl, so it’ll work out somehow! Ever so slightly, I saw a glimmer of hope in the distance. I had to play my tricks.

“What? That paper… Did you get fired?” But my mother easily saw through it, and my heart basically stopped at that point. It was way too quick for comfort. Is she a detective or something? Does she know everything about her son?

Oh, parental love. Truly heartfelt. It’s unfortunate she has none towards me.

Stop glaring at me as if I’m trash! I mentally told the two of them. At this point, I’ll have no more excuses. I have no choice but to ask for help. I need to somehow avoid getting kicked out of this house.

“Retard… I’m done with you and your unemployment. Pack your things and leave,” my sister said so and disappeared into the living room with her beautiful face still contorted ineffably. There was no room for pity, but I foresaw it. I mean, I didn’t expect anything from my sister in the first place.

My only hope left is my mother. Please, listen to my pleas!

“She’s right, but… It’s just pitiful to kick you out so soon.”

As expected of my mom!

“You can stay tomorrow and the day after that. In the meantime, pack up your things to leave.”

Hooray! I got two days of grace! I can’t believe it!

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