Sometimes, I ponder deeply.

The daily grind relentlessly corners my spirit... My hair falls out, and an aging scent emanates from my body due to poor diet.

Although being of average build sounds decent, I'm thin yet with a protruding belly, and my forehead seems to constantly ooze oil.

I guess I've become what you'd call a typical middle-aged man.

Sigh~ "Another exhausting day," I murmur.

After buying beer and scallop cheese at the convenience store, I pull out an eco-friendly bag. Walking home at night, glancing at my smartphone, I see news about the Soccer World Cup.

"That's unusual these days," I muse, noticing a cardboard box near a lamppost.

I recall a TV report: abandoning pets is a crime, thanks to animal welfare groups. It's rare to find abandoned dogs or cats now.

"Maybe there's a bit of solace to be found here?"

Hoping for a kitten or puppy, I peek into the box.

"What?"

Inside is a small slime? It seems abandoned.

"I remember news about a recently discovered dungeon and taming monsters."

Dungeons seemed like a young person's craze, irrelevant to me. Yet, here I am, picking up a slime.

"It's quite small, isn't it?"

The palm-sized slime doesn't move, perhaps weakened.

"Hmm, is it dead? Guess I have no choice but to take it home."

If it's dead, I'd like to give it a proper send-off. With that thought, I put the slime in my eco-bag, which is already full with beer and scallop cheese.

"Looks like a water mochi. Now that I've brought it home, what does it eat?"

I search on my smartphone for how to care for a slime.

"Oh! Someone wrote a blog about it."

The blog by someone named Anju offers clear, detailed instructions on slime care.

"Ah, so slimes eat anything. Maybe I should start with water since it looks like a water mochi?"

I put water in a dish and place the slime near it. The slime quivers cutely.

"Oh, it's drinking!"

It quickly finishes the water, so I refill the dish. I've always liked lively pets, preferring plump and round ones over skinny ones. I hope this slime gets plump and round too.

"Ah, it's inconvenient without a name. It's sad to keep calling it just 'slime'... Hmm, how about 'Mizumochi' since it looks like a water mochi?"

The slime, now Mizumochi, quivered as it drank water.

"Hmm, do you like the name? Hehe, Mizumochi. Have you gotten a bit bigger than before?"

It's still palm-sized, but I feel like it's grown a little. Calling it by name, I felt a connection.

"Hehe, sorry, there's not much to eat right now. I'll go shopping tomorrow and buy lots of stuff. For now, can you eat a butter roll?"

I tear the butter roll into small pieces and offer them. Mizumochi doesn't have a mouth, but as I bring the bread close, it dissolves into its transparent body.

"Wow! So that's how you eat. Oh, you're a magical creature, right? I wonder if you'll harm me while I sleep?"

I check my phone again about taming magical creatures.

"Let's see... How to tame? First, weaken the creature. Well, it's already weak. Next, feed it its favorite food. Hmm, what does Mizumochi like?"

I search about slimes' preferences... and find they eat anything.

"Hmm, so anything is fine? Then the bread is okay? But I want to feed you better from tomorrow, so I should consider cooking. It'd be great to know what magical creatures find delicious."

I slide to the final step of taming.

"Okay, finally, give it a name. Once a magical creature accepts the name, it's tamed. After taming, you can communicate with the creature. It will follow your instructions, as long as it's not something it dislikes."

So, Mizumochi is already tamed?

"Mizumochi, if you don't mind, could you come to me and rest on my hand?"

I reach out to Mizumochi.

After trembling for a while, Mizumochi slowly moves towards me and rests on my palm.

"Wow!!! How adorable!!! Mizumochi is cool and jiggly, just perfect!!! I mustn't squish it, so I need to make a home for it."

Slimes like tight spaces, it seems. I should have picked up that cardboard box.

I offer something else as a makeshift home.

"Mizumochi, it's a mug, but would you like to get inside?"

I once saw a puppy in a mug on Newtube. Mizumochi is small enough to fit.

"Oh, oh, you're going in? Wow! It fits perfectly!"

Mizumochi fits neatly into the mug and stops moving.

"Are you sleeping? I'm off tomorrow, so I'll go shopping for various things. Sigh... Thinking about Mizumochi cheers me up, despite the hellish days I've had! Woah! It's so late already! I'm tired, so I'll take a shower and go to bed. The beer's probably warm by now, I'll drink it tomorrow."

Living alone, I've started talking to myself more. Today, that feels somehow nice.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.