A Mysterious Encounter with Money-san: Episode 2

The Invisible Distance That Reveals True Connection

While having a late dinner, I found myself sitting absentmindedly in front of the TV. On the screen, a group of comedians were making a lively racket on some variety show. Although my eyes were fixed on the screen, none of it was registering in my mind—the sound merely blended into the background of my small apartment.

Dinner these days was always the same—a convenience store bento. It wasn’t particularly satisfying or memorable, and I ate it mechanically, one bite at a time. By the time I finished, I was left with a faint but familiar sense of emptiness lingering in my chest.

I picked up my phone, checking the screen out of habit. No missed calls from her. She usually called me right after leaving work, her voice tired but reassuring me she was on her way home. But today, no call had come.

As I mulled over her unusual silence, my phone buzzed unexpectedly. The screen lit up, displaying an incoming call from her.

With a somewhat heavy heart, I pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

Her voice came through the line—familiar, as always. We’d been dating for five years now, but lately, our conversations had been consumed by her endless complaints about work.

“So, my boss again… Honestly, he just doesn’t get it!”

She launched into her rant, her words coming rapid-fire. As I listened, my gaze drifted away into the distance. I could hear her voice, but her words felt oddly distant.

I found myself reminiscing about the early days of our relationship, when we’d spend hours dreaming about the future together. We’d talk until dawn, supporting each other no matter what. But now, all we seemed to do was vent at one another.

We were still together, yet somehow, she felt more out of reach than ever. When had things become this way?

“Yeah, that sounds tough,” I said, offering a noncommittal response as she finished her tirade.

After hanging up, I let out a deep sigh. What filled my chest wasn’t relief but an uneasy sense that the distance between us had grown even larger.

I glanced at my phone again and noticed an ad for an app I’d been searching earlier.

“DM: A messaging app for those seeking their true feelings.”

It looked like any ordinary ad. But somehow, the phrase “true feelings” resonated with me, striking a chord I hadn’t realized was there. Something inside me reacted.

“DM, huh… A pretty generic name,” I muttered.

And yet, the name stuck in my head, almost as if it had a special significance.

Before I knew it, my fingers were moving. I downloaded the app, watching the progress bar slowly fill on my screen.

As it loaded, a mix of a full stomach and gentle fatigue washed over me, and sleepiness began to set in.

By the time the download completed, my eyes had already closed, and I drifted off without even realizing it.

To Be Continued in “The Circulation of Trust and Abundance”