Chapter 1 - The Unusual Incident of the Left Eye

When I woke up in the morning, my left field of vision was tinged with crimson.

It wasn’t just the color.

There was a burning sensation too.

As if a flame had ignited deep within my eyeball.

“What is this…”

I muttered on the bed.

Recollections of being caught by the section chief after work yesterday, dragged to a bar, subjected to the section chief’s lectures and tales of valor from his reckless youth, forced to drink…

After that, did I pass out drunk, and how did I manage to get back from the bar to my apartment? I couldn’t remember.

No… there are things I do remember.

Certainly, throwing up everything in the alley behind the bar district, a vague memory of being taken care of by a kind passerby. Wait, did I assist someone who seemed on the verge of collapsing from intoxication, just like me?

Too drunk, to be honest, I don’t remember well.

…Did I accidentally rub my eyes with dirty hands at that time?

However, for now, there was no pain in my eyes, and no gritty sensation typical of eye diseases.

It’s a bit confusing with one eye’s vision being red, but that’s it.

In fact, my condition is much better than yesterday.

I’m not particularly strong with alcohol, so after being dragged to the bar by the section chief, I should have suffered from severe hangovers every time the morning after.

Anyway, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

So, I looked in the mirror.

“…………”

Messy bed hair, unkempt beard from just waking up.

The appearance of a drowsy old man.

I am Arata Hiroi, 35 years old.

Undoubtedly, it’s me.

Now, about the eyes.

It was shining red.

Not bloodshot or anything. It was shining bright red.

I don’t get it.

“What is this…”

Clearly, my eyes were abnormal.

It’s probably an illness.

But an illness where the eyes glow? I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing.

I mean, this… it’s like ‘magic eyes,’ isn’t it?

The eerie glow of a 35-year-old company Slave’s one eye, explosively appearing, as if from manga or anime.

The visual is too terrible.

I wish this happened during my chuunibyou phase at least…

Setting jokes aside.

In reality, this is quite serious.

Eye diseases can be quite dangerous.

Even something like a sty or conjunctivitis, if worsened, could lead to blindness.

If the eyes are glowing… I can’t even guess what might happen in the end.

So, I’d like to quickly consult an ophthalmologist, but it’s impossible for a while.

Because I have work on weekdays.

From 7:30 in the morning until 23:00 at night, packed.

Regular hours are supposedly from 9:00 in the morning to 18:00 in the evening.

It’s the fault of our black company, but probably, I won’t be able to return home during the hours when the ophthalmologist is open.

In that case, I’ll have to see a doctor on weekends…

“Um… today is Wednesday, so…”

At least, for about three days, it seems.

I hope it doesn’t get worse than this.

However, there’s no point in worrying.

Morning time quickly passes.

I hastily washed my face, fixed my bed hair in a hurry, and changed into a worn-out suit.

Then, I pulled out the medicine box from the shelf in my room.

Inside, there should be leftovers of an eye patch I bought at a pharmacy when I had a sty…

“Oh, there it is.”

I found what I was looking for and put it on.

This is my current social lifeline.

“And, it’s time.”

Suddenly realizing, when I looked at the clock, it was already past six.

To the company, it takes just under an hour door to door.

If I leave now, I’ll have enough time.

For breakfast, I can buy some jelly at the convenience store and gulp it down on the station platform.

“Sigh… I need to buy an additional eye patch…”

Even if I can’t go to the ophthalmologist, I want to leave the company at a time when the drugstore is open.

If that’s impossible… I’ll have to reuse this one for a while.

However, well.

There’s no pain or discomfort in the eye itself.

Anyway, my physical condition is much better than yesterday.

When I arrive at the office, I’ll probably be teased by the section chief and colleagues… but I should be able to get through today somehow.

Well, most likely it will be fine.

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Until that moment, that’s what I thought.

I never imagined that the awakening of this ‘magic eye’ would drastically change my life from now on.