The Man with Four Sugar Daddies

I'm tired. Sleepy. Worn out.

My heart is dead.

I want to die.

Only a bowl of someone else's rice can make me feel better.

Or several bowls.

(Look at my melancholy, lovable face.jpg)

After a road accident, I faked an injury and scrounged a bowl of rice from a wealthy big shot, A.

I started an online romance and scammed a bowl of rice from literary genius B.

I used A's rice to support a down-and-out rising star, and scored a bowl of rice from entertainment's all-around megastar C.

I used B's rice to fund a down-and-out rising star, and scored a bowl of rice from genius physicist D.

A, B, C, and D are all in my contacts, each saved under their own name.

Their initials are different, so I never message the wrong person. I'm such a clever little thing!

Then one day, I saw A, B, C, and D at X Restaurant, chatting and drinking together, having a grand old time.

Me: ? Let's get closer and listen.

A said, "C, you made it through those hard times on my money and got where you are today. You can't even call me big brother?"

Me: That's right, A really said the letter C out loud! The letter C in my contacts! He won't even call C by his name! A's usually not like this, he's so hard to read! ...No, I mean hard to read in that way. Don't get the wrong idea!

Me: B, C, and D are starting to talk too... Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Let me back away. Get out of here. They... they all knew each other? How many times have they met up like this? When did they figure out that I'm % #% =*+&#-￥%￥...!??

Me (pulling out the phone I bought with A's money): "Hello. I won't make a fuss anymore. I won't take a vacation. Right, right. I don't have a mental illness anymore. Yes, yes, yes. I've never wanted to live this badly! Now! Right now! Immediately! Let me rejoin the team! Make sure you erase every trace of me from society! Every last little trace!!!!!!!"

"As usual, make it look like you're dead?"

Me: "Absolutely. Thank you."

[Reader's Guide]

1. Seme protagonist: gloomy and aloof, a bit of a clown (?), lacking common sense, max-level powerhouse, and a rice-eater.

2. First-person narration in the main story, with excerpts from other characters' perspectives. The pairing is set; no spoilers.

3. The protagonist being heartbroken and wanting to die in the blurb isn't a joke. Rice curing him is a joke, probably. But in the end, the rice really does cure him.

[The premise is unchanged; title and blurb to be revised. Screenshot from February 28, 2023]

Theme: Love and peace, and prosperity for all.