Hi again, says Mia, smiling.
But then.....
Whaaaat—when did you age so fast?!
What are you saying? Who are you?
Wait, what? Could I be at the wrong address? No, this is the Rowy family house. You gotta be kidding with me!! This man must be that boy's father. Wow, he looks just like him… except older. I guess genetics really do their job.
Hi, I'm here to inform you that a box was sent here by mistake. I would like to take the box back and give you the correct package.
Meanwhile, Lui in his room
Hmm… you gotta be kidding me. It happened again. Great, now I can't even sleep.
(If Lui wakes up early once, he will wake up at the same time the whole week. It isn't voluntary,it's just a weird habit he has had since high school.)
What's going on down there?
watches from the window.
Huh? The DragYourBox van… wait, what is it doing here? I already received the package.
Oh no… you mean they came back again to get the package? There was a mistake,I knew it. But the problem is… if I'm up here, who is talking to them?
slowly goes downstairs
hears dad's voice.
Huh?! D-dad is home? What happened to his work? He and mom are always at work. What is he doing here now?
It can't be…
Could he be talking with the company to get me a job?
I mean… if that happens, I'm kinda happy since I'll get a job… but can I actually pull it off? Communicating with people daily… delivering boxes…
Oh, I forgot. I don't even know how to drive. But I think there were opportunities at that company.
quietly goes back to his room.
searches the web.
DragYourBox…
Hmm, let's see.
Work part-time. Can't drive? No problem at DragYourBox. You can even deliver nearby boxes on foot.
Omg… this looks like a good job. I could definitely do this.
But what if they don't accept me?
Can I handle the pressure from customers?
Can I drag boxes?
What if they are heavy?
What if I deliver them late and make mistakes?
What about the money? Do they pay enough?
Are they even legal as a company?
Ahhh! Why am I like this?!
Even back then I always thought about every possible outcome or possibility for jobs… all for nothing.
Why can't I just get into one job without worrying about so many things?
How can I fix myself…
Door closing sound.
They finished.
I wonder if he got me a job.
He looks out the window.
Oh… it's that girl who sent the wrong package.
Mia sees Lui at the window.
Why did she turn back? Did she forget something?
Meanwhile, Mia
Huh… so he was in the house after all.
Well, goodbye for now, cute boy.
waves at Lui.
Lui quickly hides under the window.
Omg! She saw me looking at her! This is embarrassing!
Did she wave to say I caught you?
Did I do something bad?
Anxious, Lui walks downstairs toward the door.
I gotta talk to dad somehow.
Door opens.
Ben sees Lui crouched on the floor like a frog.
Yo son, what are you doing?
Lui quickly stands up.
Nothing… just playing games.
I see. I just wanted to tell you that your mom and I are proud of you for what you did yesterday. And we're sorry for making you go through all that trouble.
I have to go to work now, so see you later.
Door closes.
M-me?
They are proud of me?
But… I'm a parasite. How can they be proud of me?
Tears fall from Lui's eyes.
I should be proud too, right? If they are proud of me… then maybe I can be proud of myself too.
I wish I could tell them sometimes how I feel.
He wipes his face.
Stop it, idiot. You aren't a baby. Eighteen-year-old guys don't cry. They toughen themselves up.
Better get on my computer and create some new designs.
I didn't even ask dad about the job. But judging by the fact that he didn't mention it, I guess I was rejected.
Well… nothing I can do.
Car sounds outside.
What's that? Did she come again?
He spies from the window.
Oh… no. It's just big cars at the neighbor's house.
What are they buying?
Who cares. As long as they don't bother me, it doesn't matter.
Not like I could raise my voice to them anyway.
laughs with a depressed face.
Looking at his computer.
So many analytics…
Metube… Dingaling… BlueBubble… Adyobe Stock…
All for nothing.
On Metube I got 53 people, but none watch my anime videos.
Should I have done anime recaps instead?
Why are anime recommendations more popular? I know what the best anime are!
Or is it just subjective…
Maybe I'm not the best, but still… I should earn something from this.
So far only Metube shows some progress. The others show zero.
And even Metube only grows because of the sounds I use.
I wish platforms would just pay people directly and not only through monetization.
Growls.
Hmm… you still want food?
Can't you take one day off? We could save food if you did.
Stomach growls.
I hate you.
He goes downstairs to eat.
While eating
Why am I even so hungry?
I don't work. I don't do anything.
Do I have a high metabolism or something?
I wonder if I could make money from that somehow.
Thinking about it… human organs are quite expensive, right?
Maybe I could sell a kidney.
I think you can live with only one…
As if I have anything to do.
No. I should take better care of myself.
But the money would eventually run out.
I need something lasting.
Something that grows money.
Like… a job.
Huh.
A job is my only salvation, I guess.
But I can't stop thinking about it even though I know it won't solve everything.
I'll still be the same person… just with money.
And my mental health might go down every day because of it.
Ahh…
What is my purpose in life?
Are there any hints or tips?
How do other people make life look so easy?
Famous actors… singers… idols… anime voice actors…
I just want enough money to help my family.
That's enough for me. At least for now.
Construction sounds outside.
What is that noise?
The neighbors?
He looks out the window.
Huh? What are they doing?
steps away from the window.
Why am I so unlucky every time I start thinking about life…
Construction sounds again.
Stop! Somebody stop it! I had enough!
He looks out the window again.
They are doing THIS?!