[Date Unspecified]
My supply of ration bars is gone. Guess it's time to start tightening my belt.
Slept in the park for two nights—restless both times. Had some homeless folks rummaging through the bins at night. Maybe I should find a different spot to crash.
Medication's still okay. Carrots are running low, but I'll manage.
Ugh, I must be the most pathetic transmigrator ever.
Construction sites won't take me, restaurants won't hire me—can't even get fake papers. My language skills are half-baked, and I stick out like a sore thumb. What am I supposed to do, steal copper wires to survive?
This city's huge and modern, sure, but to me right now, it's just an endless, steel-made wilderness.
At least in a real wilderness, I could eat grass. Here, all I've got are leaves from street trees.
Whatever. Tonight, I'll try sleeping under a bridge.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Weird smell under the bridge—didn't sleep a wink.
Starting to stink a little... hah, I've really turned into a bum.
Not a cent to my name. Too proud to beg, too unskilled to steal. My phone's dead. Sometimes I wonder why I'm even still alive.
Getting a bit too noticeable now—gotta find a way to clean myself up.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Tried camping out at McDonald's today.
Says it's open 24 hours, but sitting there for four or five hours with just one lemonade—until the place emptied out—was kinda rough.
A staff member came over and asked if they could clear my tray... hah, what tray? Even if you kick me out, I've got nowhere to go.
Didn't seem like they wanted to call the cops. Guess it makes sense—I'm wearing a windbreaker, carrying a backpack. Don't exactly look broke. Plus, with this foreigner face, I can just play dumb by saying, "Sorry, I'm not able to speak Japanese."
Gonna nap a bit at the table. Should be safer than the park.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Safe, my ass.
Woke up this morning to find my backpack stolen.
Tried asking the staff for security footage, but they couldn't understand me. Wanted to call the police—but as an undocumented nobody, I had to bolt.
Why'd you even take that backpack? There was nothing in it. My phone was on me, my journal was under my arm.
Ugh, if you'd tried swiping my phone, I'd have woken up. But snatching the bag and running? Seriously?
...Wait, no. There was something in it.
My meds.
Dammit.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Those Gypsy-style street stalls are popping up again. Doesn't anyone regulate these?
Feels like there are more of them lately. Guess Japan's public order isn't as perfect as they say.
Whatever. I'll just take a detour.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Three days without meds, and now I'm coughing up blood.
So it really is Soul Dissolution Syndrome.
Don't have enough carrots for a full bottle, but the store sells them loose—just enough for one day.
What do I do...?
I still want to live. Even like this, I still want to live. This desire is so fierce, I...
I...
There's a way. There's a race today at Hanshin Racecourse. If I join and win, I'll get carrots—buy myself more time.
But... I'm nervous. No Hayakawa Tazuna to help me this time—I can't even get into the venue. And what if Symboli Rudolf put the word out? If they catch me the moment I show up, I'm done for.
Let me think.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
I'm alive.
Ate a hot meal for the first time in ages, took a proper shower. Almost moved to tears.
Just as I guessed—the achievement system isn't tied to the race organizers.
Meaning, whether they let me compete or not doesn't matter. What matters is whether I decide to race.
Credentials or not, if I set foot on the track, the achievement unlocks. Even if my result isn't recognized, as long as I truly cross the finish line first, the reward is mine.
So my path is clear.
Sneak into the racecourse before the start, step onto the track the moment the gates open, blow past all the runners, hit the finish line, and get out before anyone realizes.
Operation success! 300 carrots in hand. Enough for meds, with a little left to exchange for cash.
Guess I've got some talent for this.
With cash, I've got way more options for lodging. Most hotels and inns still ask for ID, but not all of them.
Bathhouses, karaoke joints, pool halls—any of those work.
Finally, no more sleeping in malls and dodging security patrols every night.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Cops are everywhere again. Did I go too far at the racecourse last time?
I did sneak into a G2 stakes race—way bigger than the previous ones.
Guess I should lay low... But thanks to my weekly "visits" to the track lately, I'm finally living comfortably.
No more nasty bread or ration bars. No more tap water.
Time to move to another city. Tokyo has more races, and I absolutely need to run in the upcoming Yayoi Sho. To Tokyo it is.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
Looks like I can't take the bullet train...
Guess I'll walk along the highway to Tokyo.
Traveling light, with nothing to my name. Never knew this kind of freedom in my past life.
So Japan has vast wheat fields too... Oh, right—maybe the more developed the agriculture, the more common these landscapes are.
There's even a forest... though I'm not sure if it's natural or planted.
Heard there's a bear problem in Japan lately. Hope I don't run into one on the road.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
No way I could make the whole trip in one day.
If I could, I'd literally be Grass Wonder.
Saw a cycling group on the road—can't believe people bike that far. Impressive.
Spent the night at a rest stop—bluffed my way through, no one asked for ID. Being a foreigner really comes in handy.
Such a soft bed. So happy.
--+--
[Date Unspecified]
In Tokyo now, running into one-sided "acquaintances" a lot more.
Especially seeing all those familiar faces on TVs in shop windows.
Aha, so Tokai Teio just debuted. That means I'll be up against her in the Yayoi Sho.
Wait, is Tokai Teio even running in the Yayoi Sho...?
And Neo Universe just debuted too? That doesn't seem right. In my memory, Neo Universe was clearly...
Was clearly...
What was I going to say?
Something's off. I've got a feeling this Neo Universe isn't right.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.