[Series] 31-year-old unemployed, writing a book

This is the first page of a story about me, a 31-year-old unemployed person, deciding to "write a book" and taking a small step forward.

Whoops, you're probably thinking, "What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden?"
And you must also be wondering, who exactly are you?

There's no point in trying to look back through my articles from here.
After all, this is only my second article.
Besides, for some reason in my previous article, I started writing my thoughts without even introducing myself.

(...By the way, despite writing that previous article with great enthusiasm, the response was lackluster. If you're kind, please take a peek at it while you're at it.)

That said, it feels embarrassing to write an article saying, "I'm introducing myself again!"
(Just to avoid any misunderstanding, I'm not dismissing self-introduction articles. In fact, I search for and read them, and they are all wonderful.)

So I came up with an idea.
Why not write what they call a "self-story" as a way of introducing myself?

Sorry. I jumped ahead too quickly.
To explain things in order, I had a new dream just three days ago.

That dream is...

I want to share the delusional world inside my head with the world!

What that means is something I wrote about on Threads a little while ago, so I've quoted it here after making some minor corrections.
It's a bit long, so if you're a broad-minded reader who thinks, "Well, I'll listen," please read on.

There is, of course, a reason why I started having this dream, but I'll save that for another article.

Well, I tried to sound cool by calling it a "self-story," but in short, it's just another way of saying self-introduction.

|I, Paruko, am my name.

I've talked for so long despite the preamble that I almost forgot to introduce myself again.

My name is Paruko. Please get to know me from here on out.
As for my age—you already know.
Just in case, as the title says, I am 31 this year. I am currently unemployed. I'm worried that people might think I'm a "total NEET," but I do have some work experience.

I was born and raised in Shikoku. And I have never lived outside of Shikoku.
I've longed for the city, but sadly, I've missed every opportunity to go.

However, at this age, it's strange how I've come to find country life, which I thought had nothing, to be comfortable.
Besides, a Saizeriya and a Francfranc have opened, and I hear a Burger King is coming next year. With more of my favorite shops, I'm a little excited.
Being able to be happy about things like this must be a privilege of living in the countryside.
(...If you were able to identify the prefecture from this, your observation skills are amazing. Please give it a like while you're at it.)

My background is as follows.

As a token of my gratitude to you for reading this far, I will briefly share my background, or rather, my life story.
(If you thought, 'I don't really want to know,' you are honest, and that's fine. But I won't let you scroll past this.)

My background from childhood to the present is as follows.

• Childhood: Raised by a civil servant father, I was a 'good kid' who was told I was 'earnest.' However, my head was in the clouds.

• Junior High: Mass-produced dark history poems and lyric notebooks.

• High School: In charge of lighting for the drama club -> I was thrilled, thinking it was my 'true calling,' but my parents cut me down, saying there was 'no demand for it.'

• 20s: Worked as a civil servant for about 8 years. I had stability, but my heart was lost.

• Present: 31-year-old unemployed. I remembered my dream and decided to 'write a book.'

You don't think I'm going to make you read through this whole background, do you?
Rest assured. I'm not that cruel.

I want you to look at the title again.
[Series] It says that, doesn't it? Have you realized it yet?

To put it simply, the article you are reading now is a self-introduction.
But I want you to remember the dream I mentioned earlier.

That's right. The challenge to achieve my dream has already begun.
This is not just a self-introduction, but a life-sized story featuring myself.

By the way, I have also started this challenge on Instagram.
If you are interested, please come and take a look.
This is your chance to call yourself an 'original fan' from this very moment.

My future prospects are as follows.

When people hear the word 'series,' some might wonder, 'Will this actually continue?'

To be honest, I love the works of CLAMP, especially xxxHolic and GATE7. But since I prefer to wait for the collected volumes, I have had the frustrating experience of wondering, 'What will happen to this story? Will the series continue?' when new volumes are slow to come out.
(Of course, as a fan, I know how to wait patiently.)

That is why I will clearly state my future prospects here.
'31-Year-Old Unemployed, Writing a Book'—this self-story consists of five parts in total.

The structure of each part is as follows.

• Episode 1: The Day I Decided to Write

• Episode 2: Letting Go of 8 Years as a Civil Servant

• Episode 3: Days of Losing Confidence

• Episode 4: Meeting Someone

• Episode 5: Finding the Path of Writing Stories

(*Note: The author, Paruko, is quite whimsical. It is not guaranteed that things will proceed exactly as described above. Please be patient with me.)

Thank you for reading this far. First, let me express my gratitude.

Well, how was it? Did anything resonate with you, even just a little?

While this is my own personal challenge, it is a story that continues because you read it. Please, I hope you will continue to turn the pages with me from here on out.

And if you find yourself thinking, 'I'm curious about what happens next,' I would be overjoyed if you supported me with a like or a follow.

Please, I want you to jump for joy with me, too.
(In other words, I would be happy if you felt free to check back for the next installment.)