A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
One morning, Ryoma once again woke up reluctantly on the couch.
He reached out by instinct, groping for the bottle on the table. Only by getting drunk could he fall asleep, and only in his dreams could he see his late wife again, escaping the pain that had ground his body and soul to dust.
But today, something was different.
His hand touched no bottle. Instead, he sensed someone standing in front of him. Groggily, he opened his eyes and saw his daughter, Mei, standing there.
For some reason, the usually expressionless Mei was smiling. She looked… happy.
"Dad, I've paid off the debt."
Ryoma forced himself upright, confusion still clinging to his face.
"The debt… ah, right. The money I borrowed a while ago. You… paid it off?"
Only then did he remember. Not long ago, he had borrowed money through certain platforms to gamble. Lately, the creditors had been calling him nonstop.
It was not a small amount. Cornered like this, he had not even known how to repay it, choosing instead to ignore the problem and drift from day to day.
Only now did it hit him.
He still had a daughter.
His mistakes did not end with him. They fell on Mei as well.
He was supposed to be the father, yet the mess he made had to be cleaned up by his child.
Looking at Mei's smile, Ryoma felt as though he were seeing the moment he first met his wife, when he too had been full of hope for the future.
And then he remembered her final wish, spoken on her deathbed. To take good care of their daughter.
In his mind's eye, he saw her disappointed gaze from beyond the grave.
Guilt surged up, countless words clogging his throat until all he could manage was a hoarse whisper.
"I'm sorry, Mei…"
"Dad, don't let the past chain you down."
Mei looked at him with hope in her eyes, and that only deepened his shame. Maybe… maybe it really was time to start over.
Sensing his turmoil, Mei pulled out a bill and handed it to him.
"Dad, go buy some ingredients. Let's have sukiyaki tonight."
Ryoma knew she understood his situation. She had always been that smart.
Sending him out to buy groceries was just an excuse. What she really wanted was to spare his pride, to give him time to steady himself.
After a brief silence, Ryoma accepted the money and prepared to leave.
But just as he reached the door, Mei grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with quiet pleading.
"Dad… promise me you won't touch that stuff again. Please?"
Ryoma knew exactly what she meant.
Gambling. The vice he had picked up after falling apart.
His lips twitched into a stiff smile.
"I won't. Never again…"
…
Outside, the cold wind hit him, making him shiver. The haze in his alcohol-soaked head cleared instantly.
Memories from after his wife's death flooded back, and the more he remembered, the more he realized just how despicable he had become.
A year ago, he had been a rising star in the scientific community. A year later, he was nothing but dead weight, living off his daughter.
Shame spread through his chest.
"I can't keep sinking like this. I need to find a job…"
He had burned bridges with almost everyone he once knew, but if he humbled himself and begged, maybe someone would still help him.
"Ryoma, you can't go on like this. Your daughter is waiting for you at home."
"Starting today, no more drinking, no more gambling. I'll cut clean from the past and be a proper father."
With that resolve made, he felt lighter than he had in a long time and headed off to buy groceries.
Then, without realizing it, he stopped in front of a storefront.
The walls were plastered with anime-style murals. At first glance, it looked like a shop selling merchandise.
But this was something else entirely.
Pachinko.
Steel balls launched into a machine, clattering through a maze before dropping into holes at the bottom to earn points.
The constant clink and clatter gave the game its name.
On the surface, it was entertainment.
In truth, it was legal gambling in plain sight.
The points earned could be exchanged for cash elsewhere.
Why did Ryoma know this so well?
Because he used to come here often. Most of his money had vanished into machines like these.
The clattering sounds drifted out of the shop, sending a faint tingle through his chest. A craving stirred.
He reached into his pocket and felt the bill.
He still had grocery money. Maybe he could try just once…
The thought had barely formed before he shook his head violently.
"No. I promised Mei."
"I'm not the same person anymore. I've cut ties with the past!"
With sheer willpower, he forced himself to walk away. Only after passing the entrance did he finally breathe out.
"Hah. Looks like my self-control isn't bad after all."
Clink, clatter.
The sound rang out again.
Ryoma turned and walked inside.
"If I win, I can buy Mei a present. She'll be happy."
…
Not long after, Ryoma stood trembling outside the pachinko parlor.
His hands fumbled in his pockets, desperately wishing the money was still there.
It wasn't.
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. Fear spread through his chest.
The thought of returning home empty-handed, of seeing the disappointment in Mei's eyes, made it hard to breathe.
As a scientist, he had never believed in gods.
But now, he desperately wished one existed. That a miracle might appear.
As if answering his prayer, a pleasant voice suddenly drifted from nearby.
"Lost soul… come this way. A fairy from the Elysian Fields can grant your wish~?"
Ryoma turned toward the voice. It came from a narrow alley beside the pachinko parlor.
Not knowing why, driven by desperation or hope for a miracle, he stepped inside.
A lavish table had been set up in the alley. Sitting opposite it was a breathtakingly beautiful girl with light purple hair.
"Oh my~ A new customer."
"Who are you?" Ryoma's guard went up. A girl like this appearing here was anything but normal.
"I am a Faded Fairy from the Elysian Fields, here to grant wishes," she said with her hands clasped, wearing a flawless smile. "Of course, everything has a price~"
Almost without thinking, Ryoma blurted out, "I need money. Ten thousand yen is enough…"
"I can grant that wish~?"
The fairy produced a bill from nowhere, set it on the table, and slid it toward him.
Too easy.
Ryoma grew wary.
"What's the interest? When do I repay it?"
The fairy rested her cheek on one hand and smiled.
"No repayment needed. It's a trade. One day of your life."
"Take the money, and one day of your life belongs to me~?"
No contract. No gangsters. Just something deeply unsettling.
Reason told him there was danger here.
But another voice whispered that if he went home empty-handed, Mei's disappointment would crush him.
In the end, he grabbed the money and fled without looking back.
"I'll buy the groceries first. Tomorrow I'll find a job. By the end of the month I can pay her back. Double, even…"
He left the alley and headed toward the store.
At the corner, the pachinko parlor appeared again.
He hurried past it like it was the plague.
But as he reached the door, his steps slowed.
"If I win once, I can pay that strange woman back and still buy Mei a present."
Smack.
He slapped himself hard.
"Ryoma, how can you be this pathetic? Don't disappoint Mei again!"
Swearing on his wife's spirit, he vowed never to gamble again.
This time, he would not go in.
He walked away without turning back.
Clink, clatter.
He walked back inside.
"There'll still be money left after groceries. If I just win once with the rest, I can make Mei happy."
That was how he justified it.
A while later, Ryoma stumbled out, face deathly pale, shaking uncontrollably.
He reached into his pocket.
Empty.
As if possessed, he staggered back to the alley. The Faded Fairy was still there, as if she had been waiting.
"Another trade?" she asked lightly.
"One day of life for ten thousand yen. Fair and square~?"
Ryoma clenched his teeth.
"Give me another ten thousand."
…
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