A sudden intense feeling of weakness overpowered me as I was climbing the staircase of the organization and I began to fall backward when, unexpectedly, a pair of hands caught my shoulders from behind and steadied me.
Instantaneously, I looked over my shoulder at the person who had prevented me from tumbling my way down the stairs and breaking my limbs.
'Ayame...' I murmured, in surprise. I hadn't seen him arrive. Apparently, he was just returning from mission. 'Thank you,' I told him with a small bow of the head, as he released my shoulders.
The attack of cataplexy had lasted only a few seconds.
'It's okay. Is the master there?'
'Yes. I was actually going up to see him to hand him over my report of mission,' I replied and we went to Master Kagami's office together. After having accomplished the job I had came for, I left the blond boy with the master.
As I came down into the hall, a surprise was awaiting me.
I paused down at the foot of the staircase, my eyes widening at the three persons standing there in the hall.
'Yosunori, Sōsuke, Nene!' I gasped out, in astonishment.
'Your master told me that you'll come to make him your report and that we could meet you,' said Yosunori Shimazaki, smilingly, and we all took a seat at a table.
They seemed to be doing good. It made me glad.
'He's someone really generous. He kindly proposed to help us settle down in Toda. And I also met one of your friends, Sho-san; he immediately put me into contact with someone for a job!'
I smiled, happily. 'I'm sure that you're going to love it here.'
The back door opened at that moment and I took a look backward to see Agasa Tsudzuri enter the hall.
Her expression became sullen when her eyes fell onto me. She glanced at the three persons who sat with me then and turning her face away, she crossed the room, snorting, 'Tsk! I don't know why I'm not at all surprised to see Shun Shutsuki, the psychotic killer, with members of an Inugami-mochi family!'
The three Shimazaki siblings stared at me in shock, and I averted my eyes, feeling uncomfortable.
'So, you are...' Yosunori whispered. 'Don't worry! I don't believe that you can kill innocent people. You trusted us blindly and I think that we owe you the same.'
I looked up in surprise and found his younger siblings and him smiling at me reassuringly.
'In fact, it is to thank you that we came to see you. I'm relieved to know that you didn't have any problems because of us,' he added.
We talked for a small while and after having said goodbye to them, I headed back home, with the sun setting down the horizon.
I was sure that we'd meet again, now that they were going to stay in Toda.
Just as I entered Shiratori neighborhood, suddenly, my eyes landed onto a familiar face on the other side of the road from where I was walking.
I recognized Shuko Higaonna on the spot.
The latter was in school uniform, having joined the local high school; her head lowered as she walked, her expression troubled.
She didn't seem to be paying attention to her surroundings and as I watched, to my horror, I realized that she was about to cross the road absent-mindedly, while a truck was speeding towards her.
Instantaneously, I ran up to her and seizing her by her wrist, I pulled her out of the way of the upcoming vehicle in the nick of time.
I stared breathlessly after the truck moving away with its horn blaring, before my eyes shifted onto Shuko Higaonna who seemed to come to at that moment.
'Are you alright?' I inquired, deeply concerned. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had forgotten the world around her.
'Ye-Yes,' she stuttered, disheveled by her near accident.
She stared at me for a minute then, her expression tortured.
'We know each other, right? You're Shun Shutsuki,' she said, her voice coming out hoarse.
Out of the blue, she threw her arms around my neck in a hug, breaking into tears.
Puzzled, I stood motionless for a minute before I caressed her back comfortingly.
***
A few minutes later...
'I'm having great difficulty dealing with my dad's demise,' murmured Shuko Higaonna.
We had taken seat at the small fountain within the park in Shiratori. The public area wasn't very far from where we had come across of each other and it was a good place to sit and talk.
'And all the things that happened afterwards...'
The families of the students who had been killed were never going to learn that Naoto had been possessed and that it had actually been the demon Kaiken who had committed the massacre; Naoto Higaonna having been a victim too. For them, the late teacher was a psychopath and it was absolutely horrible to have a loved one remembered in such a way.
Her possession by the same demon had been, without question, an extremely traumatizing experience for the girl.
'What makes everything worst is my mom. After my dad's death, overwhelmed with grief, she has secluded herself from the rest of the world and… me. She doesn't leave her room anymore. She doesn't talk to me. I find it very, very hard.' She glanced at me. 'I don't dare to tell the master or Tsunan about my troubles; they've already done so much! They come to see us whenever they have the time. Every time, I lie to them and tell them that my mom has gone out or she's sleeping.'
'I'm really sorry,' I whispered, appalled.
She wiped her tears then, faking a smile to reassure me.
'No! It's me who's sorry! I'm bothering you with my problems!' She jerked to her feet then, grabbing her school bag. 'It's getting late. I should get back home now!'
The sun had already set by now.
'I'll walk you home,' I said, worried to leave her alone in her present state of mind. 'That is, if it's okay with you?'
'Yes. Thanks a lot.'
We set out together and reached her house forty minutes later.
Shiragiku and Shuko Higaonna had settled down in a sweet little house in Kuribayashi neighborhood. It resembled their ancient home a lot. There was a front yard with a parched path in the middle that led up to the front porch of the one-storied house.
'Please, come in!' she told me.
I took a glance around of the house as I entered.
There was a large kitchen on the left, with a smaller living room on the right. A corridor opened opposite of the front door which led to two bedrooms facing each other.
I noticed the loads of utensils in the sink of the kitchen waiting to be washed. I guessed that it was Shuko who was in charge of doing all the household works due to the state her mother was in, and because the girl had to go to school and do her homeworks, it wasn't easy for her to manage the house on her own.
'Do you want me to take care of that?' I offered, kindly.
She glanced at the sink then back at me, her face flushing up. 'Oh, uh- Okay! Thanks.' She told me then, 'I'll go check on my mom.'
I nodded and hitching up my sleeves, I made for the sink, getting to work immediately while Shuko headed for her mother's room. I heard her knock once, before calling out to her mother, from outside of the door, in a strained voice, 'Okā-san! It's me, Shuko! I'm home!'
But there was no response.
The girl remained there for a whole while. I couldn't see her expression but I was sure that she was resisting the urge to cry. When she came back, I turned half-around to face her, anxious.
'I- I think I'll go lie down a bit. You don't mind, do you?' she murmured, morosely.
I shook my head in answer and followed her with the eyes until she got out of sight.
The girl needed her mom. She wanted her mother to open up to her, to hug her, for them to cry together.
Shuko needed to find back some of the family that she used to have.
After having done the dishes, I realized that that there were no left-overs or anything for dinner. I was sure that Shiragiku didn't eat much these days and I doubted that Shuko would have the heart to cook.
I decided to cook for them a little something to fill their stomachs, making do with what they had in their refrigerator.
When I was done, I took a glance at the clock on the wall and realized that it had gotten incredibly late and Tsunan risked to be worried.
It was past eight o'clock!
Not wanting to disturb Shuko, I jotted down a small note for her to see it when she'd come out of her room, leaving it onto the dining table, before I came out of the house, hurrying my way back home.
The streets were empty at this hour.
As I was walking my way down a small alley in Shiratori neighborhood, abruptly, I heard a noise behind me that made me jump.
Turning around to have a look, I didn't see anyone or anything.
I continued to walk for a minute when, I heard a noise behind me yet again. I swung around on the spot, my eyes traveling the empty alley.
My heart picked up speed as I had the very strange impression of not being alone; of being stalked.
I set back walking, accelerating my pace, having the jitters.
Out of the blue, I heard somebody speak my name in a whisper.
Letting out a gasp, I jerked to a stop and made a complete turn onto myself, my eyes searching, my heart fluttering in my chest.
That voice! I know that voice too well!
Panic shooting through my veins, I took to my heels and went head-on into someone on my way.
I looked up instantly to see Tadashi who let out a grunt.
I was horror-struck!
'You seem surprised to see me! And yet, I told that we'll see each other again, didn't I, Shun?' he said, his tone sardonic.
Automatically, I swung around, trying to run away from him, but he seized me by my wrists, flinging me back around to face him; holding my hands up at my shoulder level in iron grips.
I stared up into his eyes, completely terrified.
In all of a sudden, the Omamori Tsunan had given me began to glow from within the chest of my kimono. Wiping off his mocking smile, Tadashi released my wrists instantaneously, pulling his hands violently away as though these had entered into contact with something hot.
'What's that?' he demanded, angrily, staring at the Omamori which burnt its way out of my kimono, and landed on the floor at our feet, consuming itself in a white flame.
Past my first instant of shock, I took to my heels again, running as fast as I could to escape Tadashi, taking advantage of the fact that he was distracted.
As I rounded a corner, I staggered to a stop, my heart jumping to my throat as I realized that I had entered a dead-end.
'You can't escape me!' stated Tadashi as he appeared out of nowhere behind me, speaking in my ears.
I startled up and made a small run away from him- ahead into the dead-end- before I turned around to face him; feeling utterly distressed.
'You've hurt me just a while ago, you know that?' he said, shaking his hand slightly in pain, his mocking smile having returned. 'You deserve that I teach you a good lesson for that!'
He began to make towards me and I retrogressed, fearfully. I was about to attempt to get past him when, he seized me by my wrist, breaking my stride.
'You're trembling! You may also cry miserably if you want, considering what's awaiting you!'
My eyes grew huge at him in terror, my heart going insane in my chest.
He stepped in closer and I backed away until I felt my back become pressed against something.
I looked around to see a wall.
Abruptly, he slammed his palms against it on either side of my head, causing me to flinch and stare at him again.
'Prepare yourself to suffer!'
A shrill ran down my spine at his words and my legs gave up under me at that moment. I plumped down on my behind on the ground, incapable of tearing my wide eyes away from the demon anymore, so much I was terrorized.
He sank down onto the ground to be at eye level with me, with one of his knees in between my legs, and he grabbed my shoulder firmly, his other hand still resting against the wall by my head.
'Why- Why are you doing this, Tadashi?' I choked out.
'I already told you. I'm a demon; it is in my profound nature to despise humans. You have no idea the pleasure that it gives me to make you suffer! And if I don't kill you, it's only because I want to break you again and again. Without our little encounters, life will seem rather boring to me!'
Without any warning, he grabbed me by the chin to turn my face to the side and releasing my shoulder, he lowered the collar of my kimono with his other hand and he bit me in-between my neck and right shoulder; breaking the skin and making blood flow.
I shrieked out in pain and tried to shove him off, but he pinned my hand on the ground, tilting my face further to the side to sink his sharp teeth deeper into my flesh.
'Ta-Tadashi, stop! It- It hurts!' I begged, beginning to feel light-headed, my vision starting to blur.
When he finally pulled away, I slumped on my side on the floor, my whole body having gone limp.
The last thing that I saw before I lost consciousness was the demon fixating me with his eyes glazed over, blood having trickled the corner of his mouth down his chin.
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
San - a Japanese honorific; e.g., Sho-san