Eventually, though, at some point in time, every human being, no matter who, must work. That’s the fact of the matter.

I couldn’t just keep riding my parents’ coattails forever.

And I couldn’t keep tricking my parents with the worst kinds of lies like, “It’s all right! Even if I did quit college with only a few qualifications, I’ll have no trouble finding work! Right now, I’m studying for all kinds of certifications, including the IT-administrator certificate, the TOEFL, word processing, computing, and abacus proficiency, among other things. Please, send me just a little more allowance!”

Yeah, my time limit was approaching. It might even be just a few months away.

Before my parents stopped sending my allowance, I needed to reform my leechlike personality and escape this rotten hikikomori lifestyle.

I had to take down the N.H.K.

Could I do it? Could I do something that reckless?

The world outside my apartment was full of danger. Cars drove at fearsome speeds, cedar pollen floated on the wind, and random killers sometimes haunted the streets. Could I really launch myself into that dangerous world? Would I really be okay?

Quite honestly, I was very anxious about it.

Actually, it was impossible.

A loser like me could never lead a regular life within society. A normal social life would be impossible for someone who, just yesterday, woke at the decent hour of seven o’clock in the morning for the first time in a long while, only to lie in bed, lost in thought, until afternoon. Yes, a decent life in conventional society would be impossible for someone who, after that, decided to take a quick nap, closing his eyes only to sleep soundly through the day and night until five o’clock this morning.

A normal life within society would be impossible for someone like me, who tried so unsuccessfully to apply Freudian analysis to last night’s dream. My dream featured indulging in an impure heterosexual relationship in a small room with the female upperclassman from high school, and my analysis suggested only that it indicated a subconscious desire to indulge an impure heterosexual relationship in a small room with the female upperclassman from high school. My final result concluded, “What part of this is a dream interpretation? You’re just reiterating the same thing!”

Impossible for me, who went to eat breakfast and, upon opening the refrigerator, realized that there was not a single item of food inside. Impossible for me, who then decided to ignore my empty stomach and take a bath, only to discover that I was entirely out of both soap and shampoo.