I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

I said to myself.

Didn't I already know the answer...

The surroundings were still in the familiar darkness, only the area in front of him seemed to be shrouded in fog, which gradually dissipated.

Episode 1: Life

It's a nice day today...right?

Looking out the window, I could only sense the light that signaled a sunny day. Was it because the sun was too strong or because I was too tired to see clearly? It didn't seem to matter.

All I need to know is that I am in class.

"Come on, everyone, recite with me..."

The teacher's teaching voice reached my ears, and I suddenly realized that I was in class.

"Rien...people." "People!"

The sudden, intense sound brought me back to consciousness. Everything before me became clearer... the blackboard, the teacher writing on it, the desks in front of me, the empty playground outside the window—all became clearer as my spirits lifted.

Well, it seems I'm distracted again...

"......"

“Do you know what it means to be human?”

On the blackboard were characters composed of two strokes. They were so simple that even someone who had never been to school would recognize them... By the way, what grade was I in?

"I know!"

Hand raised.

I looked around lazily. It was from a classmate I didn't know... It's normal for me to not remember his name... It's normal... huh? Why...

"Then please answer..."

What about his name? Why isn't he mentioned? Ah... I guess it's because he needs no introduction... He seems to be a very good student. Well, that makes sense... I guess.

"First of all, structurally speaking, people should support each other. Only when they help each other can they be called human beings. Individuals alone cannot survive."

...well-reasoned and well-founded, comparable to the standard answer.

"yawn."

"And if I were to extend this a bit... even if you haven't learned the character 'quan', you should know it. 'Ren' is above 'wang'. From this perspective... people should be..."

There was a flicker in that guy's eyes that made me unhappy.

"The ruler of the whole world."

. . . . . . . . . .

It seems like villains always talk about wanting to dominate the world.

I thought silently as I stood in front of the store, refusing to move an inch even though I had no pocket money.

But normal people are so self-righteous that they think the world belongs to them. Compared to those who want to take over the world, it seems that ordinary people already think they are the masters of the world... And the reason why villains want to conquer the world is that they think the world does not belong to them yet.

"...Even if I ask the teacher, he probably won't answer."

Adults don't seem to welcome children asking questions about animation.

"...It's time to go."

I turned my eyes away from the toys being sold and started walking towards the setting sun.

"......"

I felt like I was...waiting for someone. But who, exactly, I couldn't seem to recall. I numbly walked towards home, the scenery along the way mostly familiar.

"...?"

I wanted to go home. Yes, I should have gone home. But an irresistible force pulled my head to the other side.

That's the park we usually go to after school. Wait, am I planning to go there...

The pace has changed.

..................

"Why are you so careless?"

"......"

I suddenly remembered that my hand had been cut by a sharp blade. What made me cry out was not just the pain of the wound, but also the red liquid that I witnessed for the first time...

Even though it was my first time witnessing this, I instinctively knew that this solidifying liquid was important to me.

Don't want to lose.

Instinctively not wanting to lose something that belonged to me, I tried my best with what I could do and instinctively sought help.

Crying and shouting.

The room echoed with my cries, and even now I can still break through the chaos of my memory and remember the sound of that time.

"squeak!!!----"

At this moment, a voice similar to my crying is echoing in my ears.

"..."

The people before me... look familiar. But I can't even pronounce their names... That doesn't matter. They don't inspire any desire to fit in.

"What is life to you?"

"What is it?"

"What are you doing?!" "Hey! Give it back to us!"

Speaking of which...

What is the basis for distinguishing them?

In my hand, I felt a soft touch and a force that was much weaker than mine.

How species other than humans survive is a question humans need to consider, a matter we can intervene in and freely decide. Perhaps many would answer... yes.

They arbitrarily decide the fate of species that cannot communicate. They decide based on their own interests and values...

but.

"I want to live."

There was no sound.

Just by feeling the struggle in my palm, I can sense what the life in my palm wants to convey.

Not only humans, but many things want to survive.

Hasn't this been conveyed... This species, completely different from the guys around who claim to be humans, can actually communicate with us.

"listen to me..."

When I tried to express my current thoughts to my fellow human beings who could understand what I was saying, I suddenly realized that...it seemed like they couldn't understand anything I said.

"Can language really allow people to communicate with each other?"

May I?

At that moment, I had questions.

"Give it back to us! If you want it, why don't you just catch it yourself?" "Do you want to be beaten?!"

But I could still understand what they were saying... And could the little creature in my hand understand it too? Probably... When any living creature realizes they're about to lose something important, they'll have a similar reaction.

"Hey, we're in the same class, so I don't want to fight you."

"..."

The person I could actually have a normal conversation with at this moment was the guy who said in class, "Humans are the masters of the world." Ah, if I could help it, I really didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"......"

"Okay, give me what you have in your hand." He said with an impatient tone and eyes, "It's just a sparrow that you can see everywhere... nothing special."

“…”

Come to think of it, it seems a lot of people think this way. There are so many non-human creatures out there anyway, so what's the big deal if they die...

“The sharp teeth pierced deep into the wildebeest’s flesh.

Even though the lion had bitten his throat and it was difficult to breathe, he still struggled to stand up. His eyes were looking at the wildebeest herd that had temporarily escaped danger and stopped running.

No living thing wants to die if it can. But that's just the way nature works."

It seems that dying really doesn't matter.

"You guys, what do you want it to do..."

But there are always some differences.

"Nothing, just for fun."

"Ah, is that so..."

Maybe that's why I hate him.

. . . . . . . .

I don't know what kind of mentality a predator has when killing its prey.

No mercy...with a little gratitude?

Thinking about questions that might never have answers, I slowly raised the trembling creature in my hand.

"now it's right..."

A familiar expression crossed his face. It was like... the look of a villain about to succeed.

"Well, I kind of hate cats."

"By the way, I actually hate cats."

"Hmm?" He was visibly stunned by my nonsensical question. "What do you mean?"

"..."

A friend told me this, though I can't remember who she is right now. But she must be someone very important to me.

Anyway, thank her for telling me this.

"Because although it looks cute... it's actually a brutal hunter who enjoys killing its prey." I stared at the life in my hand, lost in thought. It didn't yet have the ability to fly. Even if I wanted to open my hands and let it fly, I couldn't... "It has no mercy on the weak."

And the guy in front of me... strangely similar.

"...so what?"

The tone became anxious.

"So, I don't think cats would play with prey that can't escape."

"......"

My hands are shaking, not because I'm afraid... but because I'm trying to convey...

"sorry."

I don't know what life actually is... and whether I'm human or not doesn't seem to matter. At this moment, I just want the life in my arms to know... the pain I'm feeling, and the pain it's about to suffer.

If I could make it understand why I do this... I would rather give up my rights as a human being. But this is impossible after all...

"...What on earth are you talking about?"

"..."

I have always been a weak creature.

Because I can't allow a life that's about to suffer to escape, nor can I save it. All I can do is... harbor so-called kindness, deceiving myself and others, and...try to minimize its suffering.

The strength of the hands continued to increase.

In the end, the blood that did not belong to me flowed out from the palm of my hand.

Looking at his surprised expression, I raised my hands in front of him.

"In that case, do you still want it?"