Chapter 1: Yuuji A “Hiki-NEET” Evolves into “Loner NEET”

Part 2: Yuuji, Giving up on Leaving the House

*3rd POV, past tense*

「What is this? No, I understand. This is a forest. Yup, a genuine forest. It’s a broadleaves kind of forest. What a beautiful verdant leaves. It’s must be Spring. In front of me, is a forest. In the left, is also a forest. In the right, still a forest. Behind me.... is also forest, huh? Wow. The forest behind me is thinner. I could see the faraway mountains. What a nice scenery.」

Yuuji became confused!

To left his 10 years of Hiki-NEET behind, Houjou Yuuji, 30 years old and jobless, finally moved his feet to step out from his house. He came out with the a.s.sistance of his beloved partner Kotarou, but the outside of his house's premise was a forest.

Of course, Houjou family’s house is not located in the middle of forest. It was a single house unit that was built in the suburb of a prefectural capital city in North Kanto. It also had neighbors, although separated from them by 300 meters either way. But the current situation was just like in Gunma[1].

「It’s that right? While I shut myself in the house for 10 years, we moved our residence, right? How about you Kotarou? Do you know something?」

Yuuji couldn’t recover from his confusion. The end result was that he was asking a dog. Of course, she wouldn’t know. No, since Kotarou was smart, she might know something, but she just can’t speak. ‘Don’t you want to go outside?’ ‘Don’t you want to take a walk?’ She merely wagged her tail as if saying that, and waiting for Yuuji in front of the gate.

「That must be it. It’s not our residence that moved, but the neighbors that moved out, yup. Since I'm always in the house, we can’t change our residence without me being  aware of it. Haha, I am a bakastupid fool.」

Without doubt, he is a Baka. Even if his neighbors moved out, it won’t become a forest even if 10 years went by. Yup, no freaking way. Yuuji still didn’t recover from his confusion, repeating his nonsensical mutterings continuously, but at that time.

Gegyaaaa!

Yuuji and Kotarou look at the direction of the roar that came from the sky.

What they saw was a strange bird.

Its wingspan was about 10 meters. On the wing's edge was a sharp claw. Its slender streamlined body was ashen in color. Its lizard-like head had a long neck, with fangs jutted from its mouth. In its hind leg it seemed like it was firmly grasping at a green human-shaped thing.[2]

One person and one animal stared up dumbfounded, while the strange bird flew away into the direction of a mountain that faintly can be seen. Yuuji and Kotarou stood silently. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. Finally they finished rebooting.

「All right! Let’s go inside the house. We will give our best shot tomorrow, Kotarou. I really will leave the house tomorrow.」

Just like a 360 degree circle, his panic soon calmed, but what should he think about the strange bird? For the time being, he just decided to ignore what he had seen. He was fleeing from reality.

「All right! Kotarou, today you can come inside the house! Wh~y? Because, I now live alone in the house, so let’s live along together.」

Hearing Yuuji’s word, Kotarou ran to the dog house in the corner of the garden. Yuuji, who had stood still and trembling in shock, was now turned into smiling. Kotarou had put her favorite blanket in her mouth and was running back. Since it has heard that it can come inside the house. What a clever dog. The blanket was dirty though.