"We got reports of missing people around this part of the city," Ayaka said, then took a sip of her tea. While I tried to drink mine, it burned my tongue, and I brought out my tongue and blew it with my hand. "We just want to know whether you saw anything unusual that could help us."
"You heard about it too?" Amai asked. "It started about two weeks ago. I'm sorry, but that's all I can say; I haven't seen anything strange."
"Okay, we will be taking our leave then," Ayaka announced.
"Wait!!!" Hinata shouted.
"Huh??" I answered. "What's wrong, Hinata?"
"I might be able to tell you something," she said shyly.
"Do you know anything about it?" Ayaka asked.
"Yes, the cause of it is actually my friend. His name is Tomura," Hinata replied. She looked shocked. I knew there was more to it, and she saw it all.
_HINATA'S FLASHBACK_
Tomura's father wasn't the type of father who supported his son's decision. It wasn't always like that; his father was a kind and gentle man who would do anything for his family. His mother was a human who worked as an executioner for the ASE; she was strong and praised for being a human but still had achieved so much. Tomura has pride in his mother and has always said he wants to be like her.
One day, during a mission, his mother died; she was said to have died in a village far from Tokyo. During a protection mission, a report about a boy possessed by a demon started killing everyone on sight, and to protect the client, she put herself in the way and was cut in half. The demon was never killed.
When Tomura's father heard what happened, he fainted and was taken to the hospital. The doctor said he had a heart attack and mental issues, and as a result, he blamed Tomura for his mother's death.
Sometimes, Tomura had fights with his father and ended up leaving home to stay at the Shinjuku station, while sometimes he came to me until the next morning. I took him home and apologized to his father, and sometimes the father accepted my apologies while he angrily chased us out. The doctor said it was the effect of his issue; he sometimes forgets about us, so I have to introduce myself and his son to him.
It was like that, almost every day until one night, Tomura had an argument with his father. It was about going to the ASE academy in China, but his father disagreed and tore his admission letter. Tomura angrily yelled at his father, saying he wished his father was the one who got killed instead of his mother, and left. I heard everything from my room window since it was opposite his. I knew he must have gone to the station since he didn't come to me. So I decided to go meet him.
When I got there, he was with someone. I couldn't tell who because I was far from them, but I sensed it was a demon. I decided not to go closer. The demon was sitting on the same bench as him; I guess he was talking to him about his father. He stood up and gave Tomura a bottle, and Tomura drank it all at once. He then walked slowly into the shadow. I approached Tomura and asked about his friend, but he told me it was none of my business.
"It's none of your business, Hinata; why are you always worried about me?" Tomura asked.
"You are my friend, and I can't leave you now that you need me most," I replied calmly, trying to calm him down. I looked at the bottle on the floor; it wasn't the type of drink you'll see anywhere. The glass was transparent, and there was red liquid inside. "Tomura, what's inside this bottle you took a drink from?" I said, pointing at it.
"It's nothing"
"Don't tell me it's nothing; I know that the person you were talking to just now is a demon."
"Ohhh, is it, I didn't realize. You can sense it from that far."
"Don't tell me... you too.... you took a path with the demon. You know what happens after it; they come for your soul after you fulfill your wish. What did you wish for?" I asked; I was getting scared.
"I wish to be all the things I can't be and to do all the things I can't do."
"What do you mean by that? What do you think your mom will say if she sees you?"
"My mom is dead!!" He said it as if he were happy that she died. "I'm glad that she died; if not, I'll never be able to do this; she couldn't see the truth, and she died because of her foolishness."
"I can't believe you will say such a thing"
His skin began to crack, revealing a red scale and marking a certain type of pattern on his body. "You better get out of here; I don't want you to be the first person I'll kill."
"But where're you going?" I asked.
"To find the demon who killed my mother, and when I find him, I'm going to make him pay."
After saying that he jumped before I could say anything, I expected he must have gone to his house first, so I went there. When I got there, his father was already dead, and the house was scattered with a broken window. I was scared; I didn't know what to do.
I decided to go home and act like nothing happened, but after a few weeks, there have been missing people, traces of blood, and some parts of the human body.
_HINATA'S FLASHBACK ENDS_
_KAKASHI'S P.O.V._
"I'm sorry, I kept this away from you. Please" Hinata cried. It must have been hard for her, knowing that her best friend was the one killing people. "I knew if I told you, you would have reported it to the academy. And I just don't want Tomura to die."
"What?!!!!, There have been reports of it for two weeks; why did you not say anything about it?. We would have kicked some demon butt," I shouted at her.
"No, dummy, you came yesterday, and even though we were here, we won't be the ones to dispatch it," Ayaka reminded me.
"Please, please, save Tomura. He is the only friend I have, please," she pleaded with me.
"I will save him, and he is not your only friend," she said, surprised. I squatted in front of her and gently patted her head. "I'm also your friend, aren't I?"
"Yes. Yes, you are. Thanks," she smiled.