NOVEL NEXT Prologue: I die~
“KANPAI!”
Naru stared at the bottle in her hand. On it, there was a Kirin. She briefly considered the nature of such a beast. A magical monster that heralded good omens. Immortal and beloved by all. With magic and blessings from the god.
[How pleasant… I wish I could be like that] She thought
Naru (Wished she was at home.)was out drinking with coworkers. She had just finished a death march at her black company and was currently trying to blow off steam. She was only coming out today because they had told her it would be their treat.
Frankly, Naru was tired and hadn’t slept in over 48 hours. She was still going out with her coworkers as a formality.
She was spinning the bottle in her hand trying not to fall asleep. She was dead tired feeling like she could fall asleep at any moments.
“Oi! Naru cheers!” Her coworkers said
[His name was Tanaka right?] Kotori thought as she stared at the young man.
Tanaka was one of her elders at the company and the one who had invited her out in the first place. Despite being at the company for longer than her he still looked younger than her 26-year-old self.
“Cheers…” Naru said halfheartedly raising her bottle to clink it with Tanaka’s
[So tired] She thought
Naru had taken the brunt of the work for the death march this time and was about to collapses. This time was more difficult since she was working with an international client. They had crazy requirements and a different time schedule that cause her to work for so long without sleep.
She felt her vision blur
[Eh?]
She rubbed her eyes.
Her limbs felt weaker than before. Not that she was very strong to begin with. But it was like something was sapping her strength
Naru stook up shakily. She had enough; she was going to go home and rest regardless of what Tanaka said.
“Going to the bathroom Naru?” Tanaka asked still smiling. He hadn’t noticed her shift in condition
Naru was holding her head groaning slightly
Her vision was starting to spin.
She looked at the bottle once again. The stylized image of the Kirin on it was still in her mind.
“Hey Naru, are you alright? You look a little unsteady there? Did you drink too much?” Tanaka asked laughing
Seeing that Naru wasn’t regaining her footing Tanaka started to look concerned
“Naru? Are you alright” he asked his face shifting into one of worry.
Naru felt the bottle slip from her hand and it dropped to the ground with a crash shattering into pieces. This managed to attract a few looks from the other patrons but someone drinking too much and dropping their bottles was a common enough occurrence that most people didn’t pay her a second glance.
Tanaka’s face on the other hand looked scared.
“Hey, Naru? Do you need me to call an ambulance?” He asked her.
Naru felt the strength leave her body
She collapsed into a slump on the ground.
Noticing the commotion, the other patrons in the bar were now looking at her.
[Ah I’m making a scene] She thought.
“Naru! Naru!” Tanaka said his voice rising in pitch
Tanaka was shaking her, trying to get the unresponsive Naru to respond.
She felt strength leaving her further and her vision darken.
She heard Tanaka yelling to the other patrons.
“Oi! You there call 119! Naru stay with me! Naru! Naru!”
[Ah, Tanaka you’re a good guy I’ll treat you next time] She thought smiling.
She stared at the broken bottle next to her. Despite the bottle shattering into pieces. The image of the Kirin was still there; somehow it had remained unshattered.
[How nice]
Then her vision went black.
Dead: Naru Otomo Age 26.
Cause: Overwork
