The Legend of HAL
The world is a mess. I'm still not entirely sure if what I'm seeing is real. But the people living in this world go about their days without any issues. No one points it out. They just faithfully live in the present. So I guess I'm the problem here.
That middle schooler sneaking a smoke in the alley and bolting? 21. The neighbor uncle who just came by for side dishes? 110. That crazy cat lady throwing a fit over there? 56. Wait, no. It just went up. 57. And that red number climbing along with her lion's roar. What the hell is this, you ask? What else? Those numbers floating above people's heads. You want to know what they mean? Beats me. Lol, no clue.
Middle school, second year. The stormy age of adolescence. A time of overflowing sensitivity. And the prime production period for black history that makes you kick your blankets every night for the rest of your life. That's exactly when this bullshit first started appearing.
Black numbers ticking up in real time. And right next to them, red numbers in parentheses. They were all different, but every single person had them. Everyone except me, that is.
But if I asked anyone about it outright, the only response I'd get was, "What the hell is wrong with this idiot?"
Alright, let's think about it. One day, something starts appearing above people's heads. And only I can see it. The vibe hits you instantly. It's the protagonist setup from those hunter novels: I Alone Can See It.
When you think of a middle schooler with chuunibyou syndrome becoming the protagonist, what comes to mind? Exactly. "Ah, can't resist a status window."
The moment I got home, I dug out the winter scarf I'd used last year and wrapped it around my neck like a muffler. Then I struck a dramatic pose in front of the mirror and screamed at the top of my lungs.
I kept ranting like an idiot for a while, but instead of the dearly desired status window, what appeared was my parents. They stared at me with serious expressions, then suddenly started crying. Before I knew it, they were rushing me off somewhere. An amusement park? Nope. A mental hospital!
Initial Diagnosis: Early-stage Mental Illness
What I received in the end wasn't some grand opportunity or a new awakening ability. It was an early mental illness diagnosis. And it happened during my second year of middle school, no less.
I wanted to vent this injustice to someone. Honestly, hasn't everyone done it at least once? "Heh heh! My left arm's black dragon is going wild!" I'm basically the same. So I ended up complaining to the retired hunter uncle who lived next door.
Yeah. I admit it. I really am a fucking idiot. Of all people, I had to say it to that bastard. Thanks to him, I became a certified genuine idiot recognized by a hunter.
The blazing flames of my chuunibyou were snuffed out in an instant. After that, I stopped paying any attention to the numbers. After all, nothing good had come from it.
The one silver lining from getting certified as an idiot was that my interactions with the neighbor uncle increased.
"Uncle, why do you always laugh whenever you see me? Makes me want to crack your skull open."
"It's because I feel your idiot aura every time I look at you."
The uncle, who looked like a perfect freeloader on the outside, was grinning at me like an idiot.
"Hunters are people too. It's normal to have one idiot among them."
"Where else would you find an idiot who screams 'Status window!!!' at the top of his lungs? Right here!"
"You son of a bitch."
It pissed me off, but I didn't try to fight him. No matter how rotten he was, he was still a hunter. But if I just took it lying down, what would that make me? Ah, this is that frustrating feeling. The kind where you want to drop the story from the very beginning.
"Watch your skull. I'll smash it soon."
"Say whatever you want. It doesn't hurt me one bit."
Oh really?
"Today's side dish will just be the braised cod. That's all you're getting."
"I'm sorry."
Where do you get off acting up, you bastard?
One peculiar thing I learned while getting closer to the uncle was that, despite his sloppy lifestyle, he did a lot of things in advance. Let me give you some examples.
On days he randomly took an umbrella, a sudden shower would pour down even though the forecast said nothing. On days he suddenly grabbed a shopping basket, a surprise special discount would pop up at the mart.
At first, once or twice, you could chalk it up to coincidence. But if it kept happening? That's when it entered the realm of suspicion.
"Uncle, why do you do so many things in advance?"
"You'll understand once you experience it yourself."
One day I went over and asked him directly, but all I got back was vague nonsense.
"Man, you're twisting your words weirdly."
"The one who's twisted is your life. Mental hospital for chuunibyou? You haven't killed yourself yet?"
"You fucking dog."
"Anyway, you'll find out soon enough."
After spouting that ambiguous crap, the uncle suddenly stood up, pulled an unopened CD from his bookshelf, and shoved it at me without warning.
"It's a gift. The greatest adult video of my life."
"Wait, this is brand new. How is it a masterpiece?"
".....I've already seen it."
"...? Well, got it."
The uncle kept avoiding eye contact, and for some reason he looked especially uneasy today. Still, at this age full of youthful vigor, every adult video was like an oasis in the desert. Worried it might go bad, I tucked it carefully into my pocket and brought it home like a treasure.
And now it was the middle of the night, with my parents sound asleep. I quietly started playing the video in the dark for a secret, erotic experience.
The familiar warning message and boring opening. But I endured it. Patience is the best seasoning, after all.
After a short yet long wait, a woman finally appeared in the center of the screen.
Whoa. Insane. Glad I'm alive... In my head, the version of me with a solemn expression was signing a document on paper. Sign here! This really is a masterpiece!
I leaned closer to the screen to see every detail. Since there wasn't even any mosaic, I was certain this would be the ultimate experience.
And that was the biggest mistake of my life.
.....?
Grand...ma?
....Why is a grandma appearing there?
An incomprehensible reality—no, a cruel reality that should never be comprehended—seared itself clearly into my brain. The version of me that had been signing the document in my head suddenly started committing suicide.
Ah. Mom. Fuck.
My parents, woken by my scream, burst out of their room in a panic. But I couldn't tell them the truth. Imagine saying I screamed because I watched an adult video with a grandma in it. My parents would gently stroke me with warm hands and guide me straight to the mental hospital. A second visit before even becoming an adult? That's the setup. The suicide setup, damn it.
To my parents who were looking at me suspiciously, I mumbled something about a cockroach appearing. They still didn't seem fully convinced but reluctantly returned to their room. I quietly lay down in bed and tried to sleep.
But the wound deeply engraved in my mind wouldn't allow it. No. This wasn't just a wound. It was an abyss. An abyss that humans must never set foot in. It had to be sunk to the bottom of the endless pit and sealed away. Yet I had broken the seal and stepped inside. I had touched the taboo.
And the price was devastating.
The abyss had taken root in my mind, wriggling and flaunting its presence to the fullest. I was truly fucked.
Just by existing, the abyss slowly began devouring my mind. My deteriorating psyche soon became perfect fuel for rage, and that rage pointed its blade at the culprit behind this disaster.
'You fucking uncle... take good care of your head. I'm really going to kill you.'
It was the moment I unintentionally set the goal for my life.