For the next couple of days Ayumu was under strict observation every few minutes a nurse would come and make rounds, check up on his drip ask hi is he was or wasn't feeling any discomfort, being aware of the fact that Ayumu didn't have any family members or people who would visit him she tried her best to make some small talk with him so his mind wouldn't wander off to negative things
After keeping him under observation for a couple days it was finally time for him to be shifted to a normal ward, making entrance in the ward Ayumu was taken aback as he saw the room had two beds in it and demanded the staff to arrange him a private room
The staff explained to him that due to the increased number of accidents all the private room were completely occupied and they told him that it was the reason they gave him a sharing room with had no other patients in it at the time being even though that was just a front in truth the nurse taking care of Ayumu had filled in a word to her fellow staff and insisted on giving Ayumu a sharing room so he wouldn't feel so lonely staying cooped up alone in a room for months
As time passed by nothing much really happened in Ayumu's life he was just laying in the bed all day long the visits from nurses had reduced quiet a bit as he was no longer under observation. A nurse would only come once every few hours to remind him of the medicines he was supposed to take and other than that only cafeteria and janitorial staff would pay him a visit
He had explained the situation to his employees and told them to keep him updated with daily reports on how the work was proceeding and told them explicitly not to pay him a visit in the hospital as he couldn't afford to be seen weak in front of them
As Ayumu had nothing to do to pass time he was more and more in touch with his daily routine of imagining unnecessary scenarios today he was taking a trip toward the famous otaku city of Akihabara
It was a paradise for people who interested in the manga and anime culture of Japan. The area was shinning even after sun had gone down, you could hear the sounds of video games from ever nook and corner. Akihabara mostly famous for its electronics market and anime and manga stores which dealt in all kinds of collectibles.
The place usually attracted a different type of crowd compared to what you find in a tourist attraction spot, the people generally visiting this sparkling city mostly consisted of people who kept to themselves and were there to fulfil only one purpose which was to fill their hearts with the things they cherished.
To Ayumu this seemed the best type of crowd it showed him that how people could enjoy being in their own company without needing any one else in life and unconsciously he would drop in a smile once in a while roaming around the streets
Since he had made his way all the way there it was only a matter of time till he was captivated by a gaming parlour and was completely immersed in playing games there before he knew it was time for the shop to close and he bowed to the staff and took his leave this had been one of the most enjoyable day in Ayumu's life he hadn't felt so fulfilled and happy in quite a while
Since Ayumu was having so much fun he didn't even realize that he was famished till a loud grumble sound came from his stomach and he decided to hit a restaurant before heading back on his way to train station he saw a ramen shop and figured nothing could beat a nice bowl of ramen at the time and entered the shop without second thoughts
The shop had a very pleasant atmosphere even after being so close to the buzzing city of Akihabara the shopped was filled with silence and even had a digital ordering system to keep interaction with staff a minimum to Ayumu's amusement this was the best place to be after being surrounded by such a lively one the whole day
Quietly taking his seat Ayumu scrolled through the menu and settled on Miso ramen with extra topping of roasted pork and seaweed. Waiting for his order Ayumu just closed his eyes and listened to the crickets chirping nearby he was covered in a feeling of bliss
The air surrounding him filled with the rich fragrance of the ramen as the waiter brought him his meal he opened his and took a look at the bowl each ingredient was placed separately in a way that brought spectacle to the dish in terms of just look and smell the dish was already fulfilling enough and then Ayumu dug in to the dish and was left bewitched he didn't even remember when a meal tasted so good, maybe it was because he was famished or maybe it was because of the enjoyment he had the entire day that made he feel that way but he just knew this was a meal he just wouldn't forget as long as he lived
After Ayumu finished the meal, he left the money on the table and asked if he could have a word with the chef before he took his leave, somewhat reluctant at first the waiter accompanied him to the chef
After coming face to face to the chef Ayumu just bowed down to pay his respect to the chef and thanked him for the explicit meal filling the chef's heart with warmth. The chef just smiled back at him and said "we would look forward to your continued patronage"
With his belly and heart fulfilled Ayumu took his leave from the restaurant and resumed his journey back home by the time he reached the train station it was already very late and the entire station was at a standstill. He seemed to be the only person who was waiting for the next train at the time which was delayed by 10 minutes due to weather abnormality
The train station had never seemed so creepy and eerie to him before feeling a chill down his spine and a bit scared Ayumu decided to head back and take a cab instead. It might have been more costly and time ineffective usually but at the moment nothing so trivial could have made him stay at the station any longer
Ayumu managed to get a cab relatively soon and as soon as the cab started moving he took a sigh of relief like he had managed to run away from something truly horrid beyond his comprehension after taking a few deep breaths he completely calmed down in fact he was so much relaxed that before he knew it he dozed off
Sounds of girls giggling woke Ayumu up he checked his surroundings and found himself in some stranger's room with even his clothes changed he got up from bed and opened the door slightly to check outside, no one seemed to be around there and the sounds of giggling seemed to continue coming from downstairs
Ayumu went downstairs to check what was going on only to find the family of cab driver enjoying a meal with his family after making eye contact with Ayumu he told his family "Looks like our guest is awake and we can finally have some fun with him" looking back at Ayumu he offered him to have a seat
Ayumu sat down and the driver explained him that he didn't exactly specify where his home was and no matter how hard he tried to wake Ayumu up nothing seemed to help so he brought him to his place and placed Ayumu on his bed for the time being
Ayumu bowed and thanked the driver for being so considerate to him but colour drained from his face when he heard the driver's response to it. The driver told him with a smile
"It is customary in our people to be nice to our food"
He panicked for a moment and thought he might still be half asleep and unable to comprehend what he told him so he asked the driver
"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that could you please repeat yourself?"
The cab driver still smiling told him
"Sure, It's customary in our people to be nice to our meal, you see we are a family of cannibals and the humans umm they just taste to damn delicious may daughters are especially fond a person's legs and my sir you seem to have decent ones so the were really happy when I bought you in, personally I'm a biggest fan of intestines unfortunately it would take some time to have a look at that and my wife here is a huge fan of delicates and she hasn't been able to stop drooling after she changed you and got a look at what you were packing"
Ayumu's face kept getting paler and paler as the driver kept on telling him all that his face had a nervous smile and he started to laugh like a maniac fear had completely ingulfed him and slowly the cab driver approached him, Ayumu terror stuck unable to even move a single muscle saw him approaching as a god of death a Shinigami indeed
The cab driver slowly caressed Ayumu's cheek with his hand and getting closer to him whispered in his ear "It's best not to keep my daughters waiting any longer so we should get started now after all it will take some time to properly marinate you as well"
Those were the last words he heard as the cab driver's wife chopped his head with such brute strength that it spun in air a few times before landing on ground and facing his own headless body