Chapter 0
"Taxi, over here!"
I had just gotten off work and hurried out onto the road to hail a taxi.
Of all times, I’d gotten off at eleven, so all the buses had stopped running.
I’d taken a taxi home just like this yesterday, too. Who knew this would happen again?
At this rate, all my living expenses are going to disappear into taxi fares.
"Where are you headed?"
"Please take me to xxx Villa."
"All right."
The ride from work to my place was pretty long.
Since the fare was bound to be steep, I tried to avoid taking taxis whenever possible.
If I walked all the way home from here, there was no way I’d make it to work on time tomorrow.
'What a pathetic life, still doing this at thirty.'
I’d worked myself to the bone and never even managed to get a proper girlfriend.
No wonder my college nickname was Living Fossil.
For me, the only time I could escape was when I read a novel titled 'The Return of the Genius Prosecutor.'
I’d gone in full of anticipation, only to find a notice that the series had been discontinued instead of a new chapter.
'Shit?'
Screaming inwardly, I went to the community forum, only to find it flooded with talk about the novel.
When a novel that had been hugely popular in its genre suddenly went on hiatus, all sorts of speculative posts began to appear.
Some people were cursing out the author, while plenty of others were saying they didn’t know what they were supposed to read now.
The novel’s notice contained nothing but the short sentence, 'The series is discontinued.'
Since no reason whatsoever had been given, every community was buzzing with talk about the novel.
I’d been reading it since the moment it first started serializing, so it felt like I’d been hit hard from behind.
In a burst of anger, I wrote the author an email asking what on earth had happened and demanding an explanation.
When I posted the email I’d sent on the forum, lots of people commented that they’d sent one too.
I didn’t particularly want to curse the author out, but I couldn’t help being angry.
Unable to vent that anger, I ended up dozing off in the moving taxi.
I’d been worn down by work and the shocking news, so it was no wonder I fell asleep as if I’d passed out.
****
The Duke of Acaron's estate.
"Oh my. Who is this child?"
"How strange. A child couldn't have gotten in here alone."
"Shall we take them inside for now?"
"I suppose we should. We can't just leave them here."
The two people dressed as maids picked up the child lying in the bushes and returned to the estate.
The child, who looked to be about five, was fast asleep with their face scrunched up.
As if they were having a nightmare.