As Eiji decided to entrust Higurashi and his companions to Akira, he watched from the sidelines without any intention to interfere.
At least for now.
"Cough... I'm fine, Kencho. Thanks for trying to help."
Rubbing his bruised neck, Akira smiled optimistically at his friend.
"You're too reckless, Akira." Kencho said helplessly.
"I couldn't just watch Higurashi being killed in front of me."
Struggling to stand, Akira approached Higurashi, lying on the ground.
Not everyone has strong mental resilience, especially in life-and-death situations. Before Akira could say anything, one of Higurashi's comrades, a middle-aged man with short hair, had his mind shattered due to desperation.
"Why... Why did everything turn out like this? I just wanted to live a normal life, was that too much to ask?"
The middle-aged man stared at Eiji, with snot and tears.
Eiji remained silent without commenting. The other party's tears were not enough to sway his heart even a little.
The middle-aged man whined while venting his frustrations.
"When I got married, I wanted to build a comfortable family. But, unknowingly, I lost my place at home, always going to internet cafes or bars before returning home. Now, only inside the car can make me feel calm."
Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix were silent. They listened to the middle-aged man's story seriously. Especially Shizuka, who wanted to understand why ordinary people could do cruel things in the Apocalypse Era.
Unaware that he was made the subject of research, the middle-aged man kept talking.
"My relationship with my wife has long grown cold. Even if we talk, it turns into sarcasm or harsh words. In fact, I have no intention of repairing this relationship. Why do I work like a horse every day... for this loveless home?"
"Damn wife! Every time she opens her mouth, it's about not dirtying the toilet or asking when I'll get a promotion! So noisy!"
Forgetting the pain due to anger, the middle-aged man shouted.
"I'm the victim!"
"Huh?"
Akira and the others were surprised by the outburst of emotion from the middle-aged man.
On the other side, Eiji, with Six Eyes capable of seeing metaphysical things invisible to ordinary eyes, witnessed the overflow of negative emotions from the middle-aged man's body. In his eyes, the amount of negative energy was enough to produce a Class 3 Cursed Spirit in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
(Maybe due to different world rules, no matter how much negative energy someone has, it won't spawn Cursed Spirits) Eiji thought, feeling his insight expand.
With widened eyes, the middle-aged man vented his pent-up emotions for several years.
"Why does she feel like the victim in this marriage? Is it wrong that I couldn't be contacted when she was about to give birth? Actually, I don't want to serve corporate guests either!"
"I feel lonely too, but I always endure it! Anyway, the victim is me!"
*SLAP*
The sound of a slap echoed loudly.
Kencho, unable to bear hearing his complaints, was the one who slapped the middle-aged man.
"You—"
"It's up to you if you want to blame your wife. But have you ever given her a single flower on your wedding day?"
"..."
The middle-aged man was stunned, unable to answer Kencho's question because he had never given a flower to his wife even once.
"Have you ever expressed gratitude to your wife and asked about her grievances?"
"Hah..."
"Have you ever treated your wife as the number one woman in the world?"
Facing Kencho's arguments, the middle-aged man sweated profusely, his teeth chattering, unable to refute.
"Your loss of interest in her is because you've given up. Not trying to love her, not giving anything, you just want to be pampered by her... Your wife is not your mother."
"Silence, silence, silence!"
The middle-aged man couldn't argue against Kencho's points.
"You're the one who should be silent."
Eiji appeared in front of the middle-aged man. His finger touched the other party's forehead. Instantly, the middle-aged man fainted.
"What did you do, Kamiki!"
"Don't worry; he just fainted."
Ignoring Akira, Eiji looked at Kencho.
"W-What?"
Stared at by him, Kencho felt nervous.
Humans fear the unknown.
"Thank you; your words have taught me how to treat women well."
"Eh?"
Not only Kencho, but Akira and the others were also surprised by the sudden expression of gratitude.
"You're welcome. If you have questions about women, just find me. I'm an expert in things related to women." Kencho patted his chest and said confidently.
"Um."
Eiji nodded. At least, he felt he wouldn't treat women as badly as the middle-aged man did. Then, he stepped back a few steps, giving them space for interrogation.
Next, he heard their reasons one by one.
Perhaps because the middle-aged man was the pioneer, the others also revealed their complaints about the world.
The fat man used to work in an Italian restaurant. However, due to his poor memory, he was often scolded by the manager for delivering the wrong orders. Moreover, the food presentation in the restaurant used the Italian language. Also, due to his not-so-good-looking appearance, other staff in the kitchen never guided him even once.
In the workplace, undermining colleagues to look worst in the eyes of superiors is a common thing.
One night, the fat man was assigned to clean the kitchen when all the staff had gone home. The Italian restaurant caught fire due to a cigarette butt he threw into the trash. As a result, he was fired and demanded to compensate for all the losses.
As for the only woman, the office lady... She was a perfectionist, complaining about even the smallest issues.
Due to her perfectionist nature, her colleagues in the office isolated her.
"How about you, Higurashi."
Akira stared at the instigator of this tragedy.
"..."
Lying on his back, gazing at the sky, Higurashi recalled his past. Then, he began to tell his story.
"When I was in elementary school, I had friends like ordinary kids. During summer vacation, we played at the swimming pool every day until the sun went down. Looking back, that time was the peak of my life."
"When I entered junior high school, my awkward true personality started to emerge, and before I knew it, I was alienated by everyone around me. For three years in high school, I spent my time listening to rakugo while reading books without talking to anyone."
"I tried to change myself in college, with internships abroad, as a volunteer student, and even participating in self-development seminars. But, according to people's perspectives, I was just a person with high consciousness who had no dreams or ambitions."
"In the end, I didn't know what I wanted to do."
Higurashi turned and stared at Akira with hatred.
"You shouldn't have dreams and ambitions either... But, seeing you living carefree every day without burdens... I truly hate you, Akira."
"Higurashi..."
Akira looked at him confused; he never did anything wrong to him, so why was he hated so much?
"In conclusion, you're just envious of people living better lives than you."
Eiji who had been silent, began to speak.
"Yes, that might be true. Akira and I are the same, but why is he living a better life than me?! It's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, so get used to it."
Eiji raised his hand enveloped in red light.
Next, Higurashi and his companions were engulfed in flames equivalent to the surface of the sun.
Before they could scream, they turned into ashes, leaving nothing behind.
"..."
Akira and the others were stunned by the sudden change in the situation.