My childhood friend has become a candidate for the Saintess. What's more, she's apparently the most powerful candidate of her generation. I'm her childhood friend and her boyfriend, but no matter how I look at it, this is clearly a path where she'll be stolen from me, isn't it?

This is the story of a boy who, with such thoughts, fear, and worries, nonetheless strives.

Recently, 'short story fraud' has become prevalent again, with examples of not only established authors but also developing ones resorting to it.

Therefore, I wrote this by creating a blatantly ugly 'short story fraud' with the intention of making those on their way to becoming top-tier authors think, 'I don't want to do anything like this,' and to provoke a sense of shame in those who are already top-tier, making them wonder, 'Is this what I'm doing?'

Just as there is the saying, 'an ant gnawing at the Great Buddha Hall,' used as an analogy for something utterly unshakeable, I don't believe actions by someone like me can change the world. However, there is also the saying, 'an ant's hole,' so I pray that at least this year, short stories will truly remain short stories.

Having made my excuses, it's still a fact that this is a 'short story fraud.' Readers who understand the circumstances are welcome, but those who don't are free to leave.