Chapter 1
Chapter 1
———————————————————————————————
When I opened my eyes, the white lace canopy was swaying gently in the breeze.
My body felt unusually heavy.
I didn't know where I was.
My bedroom doesn't have a canopy bed, and none of my friends own a house with such luxurious décor.
Apparently, I did it again.
No, it's more accurate to say I got laid again.
Most likely, this is the worst-case scenario where I picked up some woman at a club, pub, or bar, slept with her, blacked out from drinking too much, and now I don't remember a thing. This place must be a hotel. A love hotel. No doubt about it.
I shook my heavy head from side to side.
I thought there might be a strange woman beside me, but that wasn't the case. Instead, a clean-looking white washbasin sat on the table next to the bed, with an equally clean-looking towel draped over it. The room was about ten tatami mats in size, with a tasteful carpet laid out.
The furnishings included a bed, a luxurious-looking wardrobe, and a few chairs. All of them looked expensive, with an elegant British style.
A hospital?
No, it's far too extravagant for that. The more I looked, the stranger it seemed.
A canopy bed, a simple dark brown carpet made of some unknown material. Strange patterns were carved into the bed railings, and at the end of one was a thumb-sized carving of a woman modeled after some unfamiliar god. On closer inspection, the furniture, though seemingly high-end, felt more clunky than elegant. It was the epitome of a medieval-style setting.
Rather than "luxurious," it would be more accurate to call it "retro."
...I was starting to feel a bit anxious.
I replayed what had happened after work last night.
I shouted "Thank God it's Friday!" and went out with my coworkers to Roppongi, ate at our usual upscale Japanese restaurant, then hit a bar for drinks, booked a VIP seat at a club, and toasted with champagne again and again while swapping girls.
We drank a ton, also to celebrate a coworker's promotion.
I swung my tie around and danced like crazy.
After that, I took two girls I liked and headed outside.
Up to that point, I remember clearly.
Beyond that, my memory was like a fog.
My instincts were warning me that something extremely important had happened and I needed to remember it.
The more I tried to recall, the faster my heart pounded, and my head felt like it would explode from anxiety. A bad feeling surged through me, and sweat burst from every pore.
Disgusting cold sweat dripped from my forehead.
What the hell did I do after that?
How did it come to this?
I had to remember again.
I clearly remembered booking the VIP seat at the club. The third girl I hit on had beautiful legs that I couldn't stop touching. Her skin was pale and smooth—it felt amazing.
No, no, that's not it. What happened after that?
I grabbed that girl, and my coworker was leaning on some gal-looking party chick.
We were all drunk.
Then we left the venue, saying we'd go for another round...
That's right, we called a taxi.
I remembered up to that point—then a chilling realization made my whole body tremble.
That's right...
After that, I...
—I was run over by a speeding black luxury car.