Amidst the roaring, off-season downpour, the sudden shriek of brakes and a car horn tore through the heavy rain, echoing through the downtown skyscrapers. A passerby turned in astonishment to find a car crashed into the guardrails, a feminine umbrella lying on the road, and a motionless woman on the ground beside the car.
The woman’s name was Ryoko Hayakawa, an ordinary woman one might find anywhere. Her family consisted of her parents and two younger sisters; as the eldest, she’d developed a stronger sense of responsibility than most. Still, she had no talents to speak of and a thoroughly average appearance. The only thing that separated her from the average woman was her love of video games, comics, and novels that she cultivated from a young age and never outgrew. She preferred going to manga cafes over bars and put her efforts into video games rather than searching for a husband. She was such a hardcore otaku that she prioritized waiting in long lines at the comic market for merch over enjoying the beach during the summer. Before she knew it, her 30th birthday had come and gone.
“My boyfriend stays on the other side of the screen.”
Hearing their oldest daughter say this with a straight face when asked about her prospects for marriage, her parents understood how hopeless she was. When some of her relatives asked the same question, she gave a sad smile, saying, “If only the man I love was alive...” She added a silent “in the real world” and covertly stuck her tongue out at them, only to meet her mother’s fury a few days later. While her mother’s fists took their toll on her, it came with the blessing of her relatives ceasing their aggressive attempts to set her up with someone.
This voluntary-spinster otaku, Ryoko, worked at the headquarters of a publicly traded company. Since her income was a little bit more than the average for women her age, she’d taken out a mortgage and purchased a condo close to her parents’ house in her late twenties, with an eye toward retirement. She had no intention of getting married nor any candidates for it in her life. She strived to pay off her mortgage as soon as possible and thought the condo would be a fine place to live if she ever did marry; if not, she could sell it off later in life. With her parents’ retirement and her own at the back of her mind, she was enjoying the stress-free single life.
While she always put her hobbies first, her career was still rewarding. As she did her job and trained newcomers, she acquired the position of the office momma bear before she knew it. At times, she cried when her best apprentice was snatched up by another department, and at other times she struggled with being bounced between departments herself. Even though she was no more than a small cog in her company’s machine, she felt fulfilled. She had no doubt that she could maintain her stable work-life balance until she retired. However, her ever-unchanging days came to an abrupt end.
The day before her 35th birthday, the weather was more like winter than fall. She emerged from her office after putting in some extra hours, only to be met with a downpour. The rain was cold, obtrusive, and very raucous as it tore at the ground.
“The forecast said it’d only be showers...”
With a sigh, Ryoko produced her favorite fold-up umbrella from her purse. The forecast had predicted a low chance of rain and only brief showers at worst. It could not have been more off the mark.
I could stop by somewhere for dinner to wait out the rain, but I can’t afford to miss the thing... Stupid rain.
With an internal grumble, Ryoko let out another little sigh. This wasn’t just the day before her 35th birthday; it was also the release day of a new female-led romance game she’d been anticipating for months—over six of them to be exact. If only she hadn’t had to work late. Usually, she would have left as soon as the work day had ended, ignoring the pleading glances of her coworkers. But today, her boss had begged her to finish up a task. Her nature as a lowly office worker did not allow her to refuse.
No amount of regret would bring back the time she had lost, though. To snatch up her video game as soon as possible, and to increase her play time by even a minute, Ryoko popped her umbrella open and stepped out into the downpour.
She was headed to the game shop she’d frequented since high school. Despite the convenience of ordering video games online and having them delivered, she couldn’t help but purchase and pre-order games at this store because of an acquaintance that worked there. She would chat about the new titles with Ryoko, and even held some titles that technically could not be pre-ordered. Even though society may frown upon a woman in her thirties buying some of these games, Ryoko had no shame or regret in doing so if it meant that she could dive into heated discussions with her favorite cashier.
“Woah, the light’s changing, and it’s changing fast!”
Ryoko muttered to herself, which happened more and more once she began living on her own. Any single woman living alone would find herself responding to a TV program aloud, surely. The crosswalk before her was the final obstacle to overcome before reaching her destination. The light took a very long time to change, and it would have been excruciating to wait for it in the cold and pouring rain. Besides, Ryoko’s fold-up umbrella didn’t have the strength to completely protect her from the downpour. The boots she just bought the other day, her favorite coat, and the expensive purse she had fallen in love with at first sight—they were all soaked by the rain at this point.
So, Ryoko began to run across the crosswalk as the walk sign began to blink. She’d made the wrong call. The lack of visibility and the video game she was about to play consuming all her thoughts had drastically reduced Ryoko’s common sense and situational awareness. As soon as she stepped from the curb to the second white line of the crosswalk, a car horn tore through the sound of the rain. When she turned toward the noise, a blinding glare turned her vision to white. Then, she felt a dull impact and saw the sky and the ground interchange in slow-motion. With a final thud, the world disappeared.
Ryoko could hear the pouring rain and screams in the distance as if she was submerged in water. The sounds retreated farther and farther away.
I have to call the store to let her know that I can’t pick the game up today...
After that thought crossed her mind, Ryoko’s consciousness was snuffed out, as if someone had flipped a switch.
Ryoko Hayakawa’s ordinary life had come to an unceremonious end via an automobile accident the day before her 35th birthday.