The smell of oil never left his hands.
No matter how many times he washed them, scrubbed them raw under cheap soap, it stayed. A constant reminder of where he was… and where he had been stuck for the past two years.
A college graduate.
Working in a mechanic shop.
For a salary that barely covered food.
Ren Akiyama let out a quiet breath as he tightened the last bolt on the rusted bike in front of him.
The metal creaked under his grip, just like everything else in his life.
Unstable. Temporary. Going nowhere.
"Oi, finish faster," the shop owner barked. "Customer's waiting."
"I know," Ren muttered.
He used to think life would be different after graduation. A decent job. A stable income. Maybe even respect.
Instead, he got this.
Grease-stained hands. Long hours. And a future that looked exactly the same as his present.
Every day.
That evening, under dim streetlights, his fingers brushed against something in his pocket.
A folded lottery ticket.
He bought one every day.
Not because he believed in luck.
But because it was the only thing in his life that might change.
He stopped under a flickering lamp.
The results had already been announced.
He hadn't checked yet.
Didn't want to.
Because most days, it ended the same way.
Nothing.
"Just check…" he whispered.
He unfolded the ticket slowly.
His eyes scanned the numbers once.
Then again.
And again.
His breath stopped.
"…No way."
Every number matched.
Fifty thousand dollars.
The world went silent.
No sound. No movement. Just the pounding of his own heartbeat.
For the first time in two years…
something had finally changed.
The next morning, Ren barely slept.
The ticket stayed in his hand the entire night, as if it might disappear if he let go.
By dawn, he was already on his way to claim the prize.
His steps were faster than usual. Lighter.
For once, the future didn't feel like a dead end.
He could quit the shop.
Find something better.
Start over.
Maybe… this was his chance.
He tightened his grip on the ticket and stepped onto the road.
A horn blared.
His head snapped up.
Too late.
A truck came rushing toward him, its headlights blinding, its engine roaring like something unstoppable.
For a split second, his mind went completely blank.
No thoughts. No plans. No future.
Only one realization.
"…So this is how it ends?"
Impact.
The world shattered.
Darkness swallowed everything.