Prologue - 2

Sho slowly opened his eyes to see the person at the door. Observing the body structure, one could tell that he was a middle-aged person.

"I guess he also lives in this apartment. Well, the apartment is too big, and Sho doesn't know every person living here," Shin thought.

The man was wearing formal attire, perhaps coming from an office party or something.

Their eyes met, and he slowly started walking towards Sho.

'Good evening, sir,' Sho greeted him. The man looked pale and sad.

If said bluntly, he was an overweight man wearing a pair of glasses. He resembled a character often seen in manga and anime, who is usually portrayed negatively or with a dark aura that brings bad luck to those around them.

"..."

The man didn't greet him back. As he approached, Sho caught a whiff of the faint smell of alcohol, which became stronger as the man stood beside him, gazing at the sky.

'Are you alright, sir?' Sho wondered if something was bothering him.

‘Well, I won't concern myself even if something is bothering him because that's none of my business. I am doing this for the sake of formality since there is a possibility of him meeting my parents, and I don’t want to ruin it by acting carelessly,’ Sho thought.

Now that he had said everything, it was time to go back because the man had made the atmosphere awkward.

"Will you stand beside me for a minute, young man?" the man suddenly called out.

‘Eh? Why should I?’ Sho wondered.

Not that he could say it out loud. Sho quietly stood beside him, looking around the building. The atmosphere remained tense. Sho glanced in every direction, hoping to shake off the negative energy.

Suddenly, the man burst into tears.

‘Tch, I just want to go away from here. But I am not bold enough. I feel like a pushover,’ Sho thought.

'Uncle, please stop crying and tell me what happened,' Sho asked, concerned.

The man looked at him, mumbling between sobs.

".....none.....f.......ness."

'Um, what did you just say?' Sho inquired.

The man suddenly glared at him, as if trying to threaten him. Then he gritted his teeth and started shouting at Sho.

"I am saying it's none of your business, you bastard."

‘Huh?’

"Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong."

‘What is he spouting? Did he lose his mind from excessive drinking? First, he tells me to stand with him, and now when I did something a normal person would do, he is shouting at me. My mind was already quite disturbed, and now this man just made it worse,’ Sho thought.

The man continued to look at him.

"I am sorry for shouting at you like this when I was the one who made you stand with me."

‘Is he having some kind of mood swings or what? I don't know what will happen to me if I stay here any longer. I am done with all this nonsense. I just want to go back since I have taken too much mental damage,’ Sho thought.

'I'll be going now,' Sho said, starting to walk back.

This time, the man didn't call him back, so Sho looked back one last time to see what he was trying to do. As he looked back, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The man was standing on the edge of the fence of a 30-floor building.

'What are you doing? It's dangerous,' Sho called out, running towards him.

"I guess I am not that strong," the man said, stopping and looking at Sho.

"Don't worry, kid, I don't dare to do something like this."

‘And I got worried for nothing. He is just wasting more and more of my time,’ Sho thought.

"I had some problems I was dealing with, but I think it's not worth jumping from here."

‘Why is he telling me this? Just step down from the fence first because it's uncomfortable,’ Sho thought.

"Young man, can you give me a hand? I don't have good balance," the man asked.

‘It's obvious that your balance is off when you are carrying such a burden with you all the time,’ Sho thought.

Sho started moving towards him. He offered his hand so that the man could jump down, but...

'Errrghhhhh......Eeeeeegggghhhh!!'

Sho wasn't able to move his body at all.

‘What does this man eat to become this heavy?’ Sho thought.

"Wait, let me help you," the man said, putting all his weight over Sho's hand, trying to lean onto his side.

"Yeah, like this. Exert a little more force, kid," the man urged.

‘He should analyze the structure of his body before saying those words to someone,’ Sho thought.

The man started leaning towards Sho, or that was what was supposed to happen.

'Wait, uncle. Don't put pressure on my hand, or we'll both fall on the other side.'

The man's weight was already an obstacle, and now, instead of falling to Sho's side, he started pulling Sho towards him.

'Let go of my hand, uncle, or I will also fall,' Sho pleaded.

Fear and anxiety appeared on his face, but instead of releasing Sho's hand, the man tightened his grip.

‘Damn man,’ Sho thought.

'Have you lost your mind, uncle? Let go of my hand already.'

The situation was getting real. Sho's mind went blank with fear, and he forcefully released his hand.

"No, I don't want to die!" the man shouted.

While saying those words, he used all his strength to find something to hold onto, but there was nothing to grasp.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, somebody help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Luckily, his coat got stuck on one of the steel rods being used for the construction of their apartment's name.

"Huff, huff. Looks like I am saved. Where are you, you miscreant?" the man exclaimed.

Sho looked at him from the fence.

‘Looks like luck is on his side,’ he thought.

'Blame yourself. You were the one taking me with you when you were about to fall. Don't act like the victim here.'

"Okay, I understand. Now just get me out of here," the man pleaded.

'Wait, let me call someone to help you.'

"No, don't go. What if I fall before you come back?"

‘Selfish bastard. Although he has a point, how will I save him? Now he is stuck in a more dangerous situation than before. Hmm, I have an idea,’ Sho thought.

'Hey, uncle. Now that you have something to hold onto, try to pull yourself up a little.'

"But I don't have the energy to do it."

'Damn it. If you want to be saved, then do what I say or just stay there and die.'

"Okay, okay. I'll try."

Now it was Sho's turn. He leaned over the fence and crossed his legs between the poles. This way, he wouldn't fall, no matter how heavy the man was. Sho extended his hand to him.

"Won't you fall again, kid?" the man asked.

'Don't talk, just grab it.'

The man grabbed Sho's hand, and this time, it was not Sho being pulled. Slowly, the man began to ascend.

"Great idea, kid," the man praised.

‘Yes, he's almost there,’ Sho thought.

Crack... crraaccckk.

"..."

'...'

‘Damn it. Looks like the rod wasn't secure due to the construction, and the entire fence is cheaply built. Damn building, damn man, damn luck, damn everything,’ Sho thought.

Hoping for a miracle that wasn't going to happen, they both started falling from the rooftop, and Sho fainted, thinking about how accurate manga and anime can be.