Feeling lost or overwhelmed? Maybe you’ve whispered, “I can’t take this anymore,” or wondered, “Why is life so hard?” or “Does any of this even matter?”
If those thoughts have ever crossed your mind, this story might speak to you.
It follows a young girl at her lowest point, who unexpectedly meets a mysterious old man quietly eating a rice ball outside a convenience store. Their encounter sparks a quiet reflection on life, pain, and the small moments that help us keep going.
Why do we keep moving forward despite the weight of relationships, school pressure, or work stress? This short story offers a gentle, heartwarming perspective on the struggles we all face.
🎓 Recommended for learners preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 to N1 level. Use this video as a meaningful way to deepen your Japanese studies — and maybe find a little comfort along the way.
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Life is a game
教室のすみっこで、本を読むふりをしていた。(I was pretending to read a book in the corner of the classroom.)
学校ってくだらないよね。(School is pointless, isn’t it?)
ひとりだと変人扱いされる。(If you’re alone, you’re treated like a weirdo.)
ひとりだといじめられる。(If you’re alone, you get bullied.)
それに我慢できなければ喧嘩だ。(If you can’t stand it, you fight.)
どうして、ひとりだと駄目なんだよ。(Why is it so bad to be alone?)
面倒くさい。(It’s a pain.)
だから仲間をつくるの？(So that’s why people make friends?)
じゃあ、そこにいいヤツがいなかったらどうなるの？(Then what happens if there are no good people there?)
嫌なヤツとも仲良くなれってこと？(Does that mean you have to be friends with people you don’t like?)
……なにそれ。(……What’s that all about?)
笑える。もはや群れる動物だよね。(It’s funny. We’re just social animals, aren’t we?)
家畜と同じじゃん。(We’re the same as livestock.)
バカみたい。(It’s stupid.)
世界だって喧嘩ばかりじゃん。(Even the world is full of fighting.)
ニュースを見れば、毎日、どこかの国が、どこかの国と喧嘩している。(If you watch the news, some country is fighting with another country every day.)
毎日だ。(Every single day.)
人間は仲良くするより、喧嘩するほうが好きらしい。(It seems people prefer fighting over getting along.)
…そんな世界で、生きて何が楽しいの？(…In a world like that, what’s the point of living?)
ただのクソゲーじゃん。(It’s just a crappy game.)
もう、嫌なんだよ。(I’m so sick of it.)
全部、嫌なの。(I hate everything.)
だから今、ここにいる。(That’s why I’m here now.)
夜の高層ビルの屋上。(On the rooftop of a tall building at night.)
下は光の海。(Below is a sea of lights.)
…飛び降りたら、このどうでもいいクソゲームから抜け出せる。(…If I jump, I can escape from this pointless crappy game.)
そんなことを考えていると…。(While I was thinking about that…)
「……おーい、ちょっと場所あけてくれない？」(“…Hey, can you make a little room for me?”)
振り向くと、スーツ姿のおっさんが立っていた。(I turned around, and an old guy in a suit was standing there.)
手にはコンビニのおにぎり。(In his hand was a convenience store onigiri.)
なんでそんなもん食べながら話しかけてくんの？(Why is he talking to me while eating something like that?)
「……ここ、俺の休憩スポットなんだ」(“…This is my break spot.”)
頭を掻きむしりたくなるような衝動を抑えて答える。(I suppressed the urge to rip my hair out and answered.)
「……あっち行ってよ」(“…Go away.”)
「いやだね。俺はここで休憩したい」(No. I want to take a break here.)
意味わからない。(I don’t get it.)
私、今から飛び降りようとしているんだけど？(I’m about to jump off right now, you know?)
おっさんは私の横に立ち、夜景を見下ろした。(The old guy stood next to me and looked down at the night view.)
そして何も聞かないまま、おにぎりを食べながらつぶやく。(And without asking anything, he muttered while eating his onigiri.)
「ん…。たけぇーなー」(Mmm… it’s high up, isn’t it?)
その能天気な口調に耐えきれなくなって、思わず本音が出てしまう。(I couldn’t stand his carefree tone anymore and my true feelings spilled out.)
「あーもうっ！！クソゲーなんだよ！クソゲー！クソゲー！」(“Ah, come on!! It’s a crappy game! A crappy game! A crappy game!”)
「もう疲れたの！人間関係ってなんだよ！？めんどくせぇんだよ！ひとりで生きたらなんで駄目なんだよ！？」(“I’m so tired! What the hell are relationships?! They’re a pain! Why is it so wrong to live alone?!”)
「我慢して嫌なヤツとも仲良くなれってことでしょ！？」(“You’re telling me to put up with it and be friends with people I don’t like, right?!”)
「しかも、大人になって、会社で働くようになったら、それが当たり前なんでしょ！？」(“And once I become an adult and start working at a company, that’s just supposed to be normal, right?!”)
「世界中ケンカばっかだし。これから先も、ずっとそうなんでしょ？そんなの、生きる意味ある？ただのクソゲーじゃん！」(“The whole world is just full of fighting. And it’s going to be like that forever, isn’t it? What’s the point of living then? It’s just a crappy game!”)
気づいたら、涙が出ていた。(Before I knew it, I was crying.)
なんで泣いてるのか、自分でもわからない。(I didn’t even know why I was crying.)
今までの全部が、ぐちゃぐちゃになってあふれ出す。(Everything from before came out in a jumbled mess.)
おっさんはおにぎりを食べ終え、ぼそっとつぶやく。(The old guy finished his onigiri and muttered under his breath.)
「人生はな…。ただのクソゲーを、面白いゲームに変えるためのゲームづくりなんだよ」(“Life is… making a game to turn a crappy game into an interesting one.”)
おっさんが遠くの景色を眺めながらさらに続ける。(The old guy continued while gazing at the distant scenery.)
「面白いゲームにつくり変えるんだ」(You change it into an interesting game.)
「…は？なに言ってるの？」(“…Huh? What are you talking about?”)
思わず声が出た。(A voice came out without me thinking.)
「お前はゲームをしてばっかりだ。……しかもクソゲー」(“You’re always just playing games. …And crappy ones at that.”)
「ひとりだと駄目？嫌なヤツとも仲良くならないといけない？…何それ？お前、ひとりが怖いのか？」(“Is it bad to be alone? Do you have to get along with people you don’t like? …What’s that? Are you afraid of being alone?”)
「……俺、スクールの頃、ひとりだったけど平気だったぞ？それに今でも好きなヤツとしか仲良くしねぇよ」(“…I was alone back in school, but I was fine. And even now, I only get along with people I like.”)
「学校も会社も同じだ」(School and work are the same.)
「俺の上司は嫌なヤツだけど、仲良くしようなんて考えねぇよ」(My boss is a pain, but I don’t even think about trying to get along with him.)
「適当に話してるだけだ」(I just talk to him casually.)
「それよ。……適当でいいんだよ」(That’s it. …It’s okay to be casual about it.)
おっさんがペットボトルのお茶をグビグビ飲みながら話し続ける。(The old guy kept talking while chugging his bottled tea.)
「それと……。なんだっけ？」(“And… what was it again?”)
「あぁ、世界中で喧嘩ばかり？…お前の人生に関係ないだろ？」(“Ah, the whole world is just full of fighting? …That has nothing to do with your life, does it?”)
「……だからさ」(So…)
「……お前はクソゲーをプレイしているだけなんだよ」(You’re just playing a crappy game.)
「ゲームをプレイするんじゃなくて、面白いゲームをつくれ」(Don’t just play the game; make an interesting one.)
「お前が言ってることは全部、面白いゲームをつくれない言い訳だ」(“Everything you’re saying is just an excuse for not being able to make an interesting game.”)
放心して聞いていた。(I was listening in a daze.)
涙はすでに止まっている。(My tears had already stopped.)
何で泣いているのか、もはやわからない。(I no longer knew why I was crying.)
……むしろ恥ずかしい。(…Rather, I was embarrassed.)
同じクラスの子に比べて、私は自分のことを大人だと思っていた。(Compared to the kids in my class, I thought I was an adult.)
だけど。現実は……。(But. In reality…)
与えられたゲームに文句をつける、ただのクソガキだったのだ。(I was just a brat complaining about a game that was given to me.)
なんで私はここにいるんだろう。(Why am I even here?)
おっさんは、それ以上何も言わなかった。(The old guy didn’t say anything more.)
ただ、食べ終わった後のおにぎりの袋をポケットにしまって、「行くぞ」とだけ言った。(He just put the empty onigiri wrapper in his pocket and said, “Let’s go.”)
そう言われて、ふとわれに返る。(Hearing that, I suddenly came back to my senses.)
…でも目の前の夜景が、あまりにも綺麗だったので…。(…But the night view in front of me was so beautiful…)
「……もうちょっと、……見たい」(“…I want to… see it a little longer.”)
拗ねた子供みたいに、そうつぶやいた。(I muttered that like a pouting child.)
「確かに。綺麗だよな」(You’re right. It is beautiful.)
おっさんは、うっとりしながら大きな屁をした。(The old guy, while looking entranced, let out a big fart.)
「……やっぱり飛び降りていい？」(“…Can I just jump after all?”)
「やめとけ…。今のは…俺が悪かった」(“Don’t. …That was… my bad.”)
