I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: SemiPickle

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Medicine.

That’s right.

Medicine.

Taking medicine is good.

It makes me happy.

There are many ways to be happy.

I could immerse myself in fantasies.

A fantasy that I was actually a happy person.

That being trapped in this white room was just a dream, and I was living happily with my family at home.

Playing with friends outside was fun.

But when I dream, I end up trapped in a strange white room.

That’s how it was.

I was playing.

Playing with my closest friend.

Happily.

Even thinking about what to play was fun.

It was a playground.

We were playing in an abandoned playground.

The slide and the swing were rusty, but we could still use them.

Then, in the next moment, my arm was shattered.

It wasn’t a playground but a strange operating room.

They said they were conducting an experiment.

They injected medicine, saying it was to measure my recovery rate.

Medicine.

Then, I was back in the playground again.

Playing at the playground.

It was just a creepy nightmare.

We were each other’s only friend.

We had no one else to lean on.

So, it was good to be together.

I didn’t know what would happen in the future.

But as long as we were together, everything was fine.

The future looked bright.

Then, in the next moment, I couldn’t see anything.

What the hell did they do to my eyes?

There was nothing I could do but endure, even if I had complaints.

I had no other choice.

After a little while, they injected the medicine again.

Then, I could see the playground again.

I kept having bad dreams, so I wasn’t in a good mood.

So, I complained to my friend.

“I had a bad dream.”

“It’s okay. It’s just a dream.”

My friend comforted me like that.

That’s right.

It was a dream.

But I still couldn’t see anything.

It felt like something was burning hot.

I heard them say I needed a different drug.

I wished they’d do it properly.

Though I didn’t know exactly what that meant.

Give me more medicine.

And then, I returned to the playground again.

The sky at the playground at sunset looked beautiful.

Even the ruins of crumbling buildings looked beautiful.

No one lived here, and no one managed this place.

The population had decreased, and everyone who was alive had moved to the city.

But there were still some people left here.

I could see a fence with the words, “Children are the future.”

Before it became a dilapidated ruin, it looked like there was a small elementary school here.

“If there’s a future, then we are the future.”

“We are?”

“Yes.”

What kind of future was that?

Were they hoping for a good future?

Someday, we’d grow up to be someone amazing.

I began to see again.

They yelled, asking what good it was to pour the raw solution directly.

I didn’t know what the raw solution was, but it was probably medicine.

Was the liquid running down my face tears, or was it the drug?

Then they poured more medicine.

I was having a conversation with my friend again.

It was a peaceful, everyday moment.

“What will you be when you grow up?”

“Hmm.”

I thought about it.

What would be a good thing to be?

“Something where I can help others… something like that.”

That was the answer I gave.

I was taught that helping others was a good thing.

When I grew up, I wanted to be a good person who helped others.

A good person.

So was I helping others right now?

They said this experiment could help people.

They said it could save many people.

They said it was a worthwhile thing to do.

I wanted to be a good child.

Then the adults would like me.

See, do you know why we can’t live in the city?

The adults hate us.

Even my parents, my relatives, and everyone else abandoned us.

Isn’t that true for you too?

“Someday, when I become someone amazing…”

Become amazing, huh.

I hoped that day would come.

At the very least, I wouldn’t be a burden to others.

I wouldn’t hold people back.

“Maybe…”

Yes, I’d become someone amazing.

Someone good.

“Maybe then, my parents would recognize me and come back.”

I knew.

They were dead.

They all died, leaving only me behind because of a monster attack.

“If I became really, really amazing, wouldn’t they come looking for me?”

But there was always a chance.

Even though they were surely dead.

They must be dead.

But maybe my family didn’t die.

Maybe they hadn’t died.

Just like I was still alive.

“Store the useful test subject properly.”

I was useful.

I was being helpful.

I was helping others.

It was an amazing thing.

Then someday, people would recognize me.

My family would come back to me.

Because I was a good child.

I wouldn’t hold anyone back.

I wouldn’t be a bother.

Don’t abandon me.

Can’t I stay with you?

The sun was setting on the playground now.

But it was still a relief that I had family.

I was so glad to have a friend who felt like family.

“Where are you?”

I searched for my friend.

We were playing hide-and-seek.

We promised to hide only near the playground, but I couldn’t see them.

“Hey, where are you?”

I couldn’t find them.

Where did they go?

“Hng…”

After searching for a long time, I couldn’t find them.

Tears started to come out.

Because I was scared.

“Here, here. I’m sorry.”

That was why we didn’t play hide-and-seek very often.

Because I’d cry whenever I got a little anxious.

Well, it wasn’t really a game worth playing with just the two of us.

I hated feeling like I was abandoned.

I didn’t want to be abandoned by anyone.

I hated seeing people I was close to leaving.

I hated seeing people I knew turn their backs on me.

Anyway, I hadn’t been abandoned.

Because I was a useful test subject.

Even if I couldn’t be anything else, I could at least be that.

That much made my life valuable.

I was living a meaningful life.

By the time I became an adult, I’d surely be a really good person.

Yeah.

What kind of person would I become?

I’d live in a nice house, together with my family.

I’d probably be very happy.

Would I have made lots of friends by then?

I started wondering about my friend’s name.

The friend I was so close to.

The kid I played with at the playground.

But I couldn’t remember the name.

It seemed like I’d forgotten all names, everything called a name.

I didn’t know why.

“I…”

My friend started to speak.

As if they’d made a decision.

“I, I’m going to help others too.”

“Really?”

So you’re going to become a good person too.

Just like me.

“And I’m going to protect everyone.”

Protect, huh.

I didn’t really understand what that meant.

It sounded like something very difficult.

Would you be able to do it?

“Will you protect me too?”

Protecting everyone.

Then that would mean me too.

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

“Augh…”

My legs wouldn’t move.

My legs.

“They should recover in about three hours.”

My legs wouldn’t move.

My legs wouldn’t move.

It hurt, something was wrong.

After three hours, I’d be okay.

It felt like a long time had passed.

I looked at the clock and saw there were 2 hours and 59 minutes left.

It felt like a long time had passed.

It was still 59 minutes.

Ah, I’ve really endured for a long time now.

It was still 59 minutes.

Still?

But I’m a good person.

Sacrifice?

Is that what this is?

If I sacrifice myself, won’t I gain something?

Isn’t this a good thing?

“Hehe, hehe, haha…”

Yes! It’s a good thing!

“You seem strange.”

“I was always like this.”

Am I a good child?

Am I a good child now?

Everyone likes me, right?

You won’t abandon me, right?

You’ll protect me, right?

Medicine, give me some more.

Just a little more.

And then I found the medicine.

It was really in the lab.

Just like Researcher A had said.

The lab was on the fourth floor.

It was large enough to hold even a huge monster.

“Ahah.”

I leaned against the window and looked outside.

People were fighting.

Most of the monsters had been dealt with.

One Awakener, killing monsters, stood out.

It was impossible not to notice that level of light in the middle of the night.

A hero.

A savior.

A protagonist.

That person was…

My friend.

Looking at it from the lab made it feel even more special.

It was vast.

Last time, I was the one lying on the experimental table.

This time, it was the opposite.

The ones lying on the experimental table were the staff here, not me.

The ones lying on the floor were not me either.

Thanks to that, I got a lot of medicine.

Thud.

[345 hours 16 minutes]

Clatter.

The syringe fell to the floor.

It was nice to recall happy memories, even if they were in fragments.

Though bad memories also surfaced, there was nothing I could do about that.

I had tried to be a good person.

But then, they said they were going to discard me.

They said they’d throw me into the incinerator.

It couldn’t be helped.

I just did to them what they did to me.

They wouldn’t have lasted even 30 seconds themselves.

I still couldn’t understand.

I did a good thing.

Wasn’t I doing something good?

Why didn’t they praise me and instead tried to throw me away?

Flash.

I saw light flashing again beyond the window.

Wow, a star.

I wanted to watch the stars.

Thud.

[353 hours 53 minutes]

Come to think of it, I promised to go stargazing together.

If I go to the rooftop, I’ll be able to see the stars.

But it feels lonely to watch alone.

The light flashed a few more times, and the monsters collapsed.

It didn’t seem like my friend came alone.

The beams of light coming from a distance were probably spells cast by companions.

It looked magnificent.

It was a spectacular sight from afar.

I didn’t want to see it up close.

It seemed the monster suppression would be completed soon.

I saw more people being rescued than running away.

I could see people entering this lab building too.

I faintly heard thudding sounds.

Someone was coming up the building.

“We’re the rescue team. You can come out safely!”

So they said.

“What… what could have done this… There might be a monster inside. Be careful.”

I could hear voices from the hallway.

They were almost here.

Thud.

“Haa.”

I felt good.

[361 hours 13 minutes]

That was the last of the medicine here.

There was less than I thought.

Bang!

The rescue team burst through the door.

Five armed people.

They seemed shocked by what they saw in the lab.

The corpses of monsters and humans were everywhere.

The only one still alive was me.

They finally seemed to notice me.

“[Please save me.]”

I smiled as I spoke.

They had come to save me.

Who else would they be here to save in a place like this?

I was lucky that someone came to save me even now.