Akira came to the mansion by his own will, but he was now unable to leave. Toru, otherwise slow to act, followed his instincts to close all of the windows and switch off Akira's phone.
" Okay, now, slowly, tell me everything again" Toru said to Akira.
But Akira was frozen. If one would look into his eyes it would seem he is searching for an answer that could grant him life or death.
" I was here for one whole week. I know that. But I don't remember anything that happened." Akira finally broke his silence.
" Well there are witnesses here. But asking them would mean bringing suspicion upon ourselves. They haven't said anything yet, it doesn't seem they know what happened." Toru said while contemplating various outcomes to various actions.
" Let's start by searching the house." Toru decided. Akira nodded in agreement.
Toru was a towering man, even for Akira's 6 foot build. They went up the stairs and straight into the master bedroom. It seemed that in the afternoon everyone was taking a small personal break in the mansion. It was strangely synchronised.
" They're like NPCs. It almost feels like a simulation." Toru said as he looked through the walk in dresser for any clues.
" You should have been here the morning before. I felt like I isekai'd into a hentai plot."
Toru laughed.
They searched the room for hours, and went on to other parts of the mansion.
But they couldn't find anything. No blood, no weapon and no body.
" If you're messing with me, now would be the right time to tell me." Toru said as laid back on the lawn exhausted after 9 hours of searching.
" I wish it was a joke. But I know this man is dead and I could very well be the reason for it. " Akira said, wriggling in the bushes somewhere in the adjacent garden.
"Dinner is ready Master Akira" said Himawari.
Hearing a beautiful woman like her call Akira 'master' jolted Toru off the lawn and into standing with his mouth wide open.
Akira was too exhausted to acknowledge this comedy. He was drowning in the cold sweat of guilt that he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
At the 14 seater dinner table, a whole array of dishes was served. Italian pasta, Indian butter chicken, Japanese ramen and miso soup, you name it. It was the oddest variety of buffet ever laid in front of a man as confused as Toru.
Nevertheless, exhaustion did not let either thought or speech to come in the way of the mouths of young men and delicious food served by beautiful women.
" It makes me very happy master that you have finished all of the food today with your friend. Your sleep quarters are ready and the bath has been drawn."
Akira was losing his patience. To be treated like the owner of the mansion by qualified women was eating him alive to the point that he was ready to say no to anything.
" Kill her next" he heard a whisper.
He jumped to his feet and looked around.
" What the hell are you talking about?" he accused Toru.
Toru was lost and too full to take Akira on.
" snap her kneck."
Akira backed up against the wall, " no, this can't be it. I've lost my mind"
" is it that voice again?" Toru enquired with worry on his face.
Akira could not handle the guilt anymore, he rushed forward and fell at Himawari's feet. Himawari was taken aback, she had never seen anyone get ready to beg so pathetically.
Akira had snot running down his nose, tears came down like a waterfall, " I am sorry! I am so sorry! Call the police. I'll turn myself in. It's me I have lost my mind, I'm not fit to be in society." he howled on and on.
Himawari's heart ached. She didn't know what cause Akira to breakdown like that.
She knelt down to Akira's level and patted him on the head "It's okay. If you think you've made a mistake, I'll help you fix it."
Akira sobbed uncontrollably. Toru, unable to hold back now, began to sob too. He was a softie.
Akira finally brought up the courage to ask Himawari.
" Himawari, who is the man in these portraits? Where is he?"
Himawari took a moment to look back at the portraits. She thought about it quite intently. Toru and Akira were at their tiptoes waiting for her answer.
" I have no idea who that is" said Himawari.
Akira and Toru were stupified.
" Am I making things up? Is the voice in my head messing with me?" Akira thought to himself as he contemplated whether he should visit his old psychiatrist again.
"Akira, have you been hearing things again?" Toru said, quite annoyed now. It seemed he was also stretching his body to take a swing at Akira, cracking his knuckles and his neck.
Akira suddenly had a brilliant idea. "the voice! Why didn't I think about that? If I listen to the voice maybe we'll get to know what's really happening here?"
Toru was left speechless once again. A whole day spent in playing Akira's games, he decided that it was time to butt out of whatever mental circus Akira was organising now.
"Oh so now you want to listen to me. Well, then here's my two cents, snap her kneck now." said the voice.
"I can hear him I can hear him." said Akira excitedly.
"Are you seriously going to listen to your imaginary war demon now?" said Toru. "I'm calling your doctor, that's enough for one day." he went on.
" If the mongrel doesn't believe me, tell him to go and check the bedside drawer. He'll find our polaroids there from last week"
"He's giving us some proof. " Akira said.
Toru decided to humour Akira one last time, just to break him out of his apparent mental breakdown.
But what they found in the drawer left them terrified with brain tickles that will haunt them for years to come.
About a dozen pictures of Akira and the old man in the portraits eating together, gardening together and reading together. But then they saw the picture that the demon wanted them to see.
The old man was standing with Akira, the only picture where Akira's eyes were open, in the garden under fairylights and there was a menacingly tall and towering demon, long white face, wearing feudal era Japanese armour with luminous grey eyes.
Toru threw the picture on the floor and crawled back.
" What the hell is that?" Toru said.
"Well that's me! you and your demon granted my wish!" another voice came in now.
The two grown men in the room were about to soil their pants now.
" We're haunted." Toru said in a vehemently shaking voice.
"I think we should make a run for it" said Akira.
" Oh no! I didn't come to scare you! I wanted to thank you before going to the beyond, where all souls go. I guess the demon was right. You don't remember me at all, no one does!" said the voice.
Akira recognized this voice but he couldn't tell who it was exactly. Images began flashing in his mind and suddenly everything fell into place.
Seven days ago
An old man standing at a railway crossing was about to take his life. This was however a road that Akira frequented to buy supplies for the ramen shop. This was particularly early in the morning, hours before sunrise. Upon seeing the man, Akira said, " Why don't you have a good meal before going?"
The old man was taken aback. He wondered why Akira did not stop him from offing himself and why in the world would he suggest a last meal.
The old man, having nothing to lose, decided to go along. He was wearing a silk kimono and had well kept white hair. He seemed like he ate healthy and lived a life of comfort and luxury.
" I am not the cook here, but I am better than them." Akira boasted as he began to prepare ramen for the old man.
It was a secret between Akira and the old man, the ramen that he ate that day changed his entire life. Every sip of the broth, the flavourful pork and the slippery rice noodles brought a life into the old man that he feared losing now.
He began to sob uncontrollably. Akira stood silent, not wanting to embarass his elder. He handed him a small handkerchief.
" Let me repay your kindness" said the old man.
Akira sensed there was no talking him out of this one. He decided that being by this old man's side for now was of utmost importance in his life at this moment.
He went along,
For seven days, the old man treated Akira to a life of luxury and comfort that he had never dreamt of before.
He had kids who never visited him. After working hard for many years, this old man was left alone to wither away in the material wealth he had acquired.
Akira was a very softhearted person, he thought to himself, " a few hours of my life can bring peace to someone who has suffered for years.. for him it was the honourable thing to do.
They had tea together in the evening, small walks in the garden, if one would look at them, Akira's kindness was invisible as they seemed like father and son now.
The old man then confided in Akira. "I have no one to take care of me. Stage four, my body is giving up to cancer. I don't feel life is something trivial to give up or that it is courageous to take one's own life, but I don't want to die on a hospital bed all alone."
There were no tears from either side. The comfort of having each other, a father whose children did not care about him and a man who was abandoned as a child, found a sweet solace in each other.
His burial place was decided.
The old man left his mansion and savings to Akira, and the rest to his children who were abroad.
The demon wasn't as demonic as they thought. Maybe he isn't a demon at all.
There was a third person between these two, who was reading their wishes of being put out of misery.
" You might not believe me, and it is a wild stretch. But there is this voice that I have been living with" Akira said to the old man as they were having tea in the soft sunset light in the garden.
"I never had any childhood pictures. I was forbidden from taking any with anyone. The one picture I have with my parents, my mother covered my eyes. I have lived with a voice in my head that has always told me to click pictures with people who suffer and they will cease to exist" Akira said.
The old man chuckled. " You don't have to go that far to comfort me" he said.
" I have been going to a psychiatrist all my life and I've been convinced that I am sick. Except for one little memory that I had." Akira said now in a grim voice.
The old man was silent.
" There was a girl, Orihime. She was my classmate. We were 7. I liked her very much. I liked her so much that I wanted a picture with her even though I was so vehemently disciplined to never do. But one day, when we were having a study date, she took out her phone and said let's click a picture. I hesitated for a moment and told her about what my parents told me. She laughed and went on to take a selfie. I looked at her and that was the last memory I had of her. I never saw her again. My parents, my therapist, my friends, everyone convinced me otherwise. They said that person never existed." Akira stopped to take a breath.
"But I think she was real" He finished.
The old man, doubtful in the beginning, was now quite convinced.
"I used to suddenly not have any friends, after so many memories of going out with people. I developed a phobia of pictures and severe depression. Then I my friend Toru took me to a Psychiatrist. He says I hallucinate and I need to be on medication. But the medicine never helped." he added, sounding rather sad now.
"It seems you are some sort of grim reaper." The old man jested.
" But you want to try it, don't you?" Akira said.
"It could all be a sham. I think, however, we will find out the truth and maybe there's a silver lining in it for me as well. I don't have much time left anyways." said the old man.
Back to current day
Akira now remembered everything.
" He said you won't remember anything. But it seems your heart is too pure" said the old man, who was becoming fainter by the minute.
" Akira, I don't have much time. I am happy and grateful for your help. Please take care of Himawari, Asuka and Lilly. Open a Ramen shop for old people like me. Don't live in guilt and regret, I am happy I met you. Your demon isn't as bad as you think he is, it seems he has been protecting you" said the old man now vanishing out of sight.
Akira had so many questions. Looking at the picture in his hand with the old man, "so, no one remembers him now. It's like he never existed." he said.
Toru could hardly keep up with the sudden turn of events. He could see, however, the turmoil that Akira was about to faced and he didn't have the slightest clue about how he could help him.
Akira sat there, bent over the photograph, for hours on end. The sun had set and risen a few times and Toru had come every evening to check on Akira after closing his shop.
But Akira seemed defeated. He had decided that he was a murderer, but he could not figure what to do next.
Meanwhile, Himawari, Asuka, Lilly and Toru tried their best to help Akira.
But Toru was not patient.
He stormed into Akira's room now on the third day and punched him in the face. Toru began to violently beat the shit out of Akira.
Himawari and Asuka tried to stop him, but Lilly asked them to keep out of it.
"He needs it" Lilly said to them.
" He needs to fight this out. He needs a few punches in the face to feel punished for whatever he feels so guilty about" Lilly continued.
The three of them were surely robbed of all memories of their old master, but they could feel the pain of something missing in their hearts too.
There was no malice, but it seemed it relieved them too to see Akira work through his guilt and give their hearts some closure too.
"You have a warm bed, money and enough clothes in that closet that could clothe a whole homeless shelter." Toru said as he punched Akira.
" That old man treated you like his son, he was happy" He continued hitting him.
"And you're here, being pathetic? you damn loser" He hit him harder.
Blood spilled on the floor.
Toru held Akira by the collar and brought him close to his face " you don't have a single malicious bone in your body. All your life you've smiled at your misfortune, worked hard and given more than you had to offer."
Tears filled Toru's eyes "You are not a murderer. If you feel so fucking guilty then why don't you help other people and relieve yourself of your sins"
Akira looked at Toru now, the first time in three days.
" Give yourself a chance." said Toru.
Akira's eyes widened now, as he looked over Toru's shoulder. He could see the demon standing there.
He had never seen him before with his own eyes.
" Oh it feels great to be out again" said the demon.
Everyone in the room crawled away and huddled together.
" How did you... how did you come out?" Akira asked the Demon.
Toru, Himawari and Asuka were scared for their lives now, chanting whatever prayers they knew.
Meanwhile Lilly took her gun out and shot the demon in the chest. The Demon began screaming as he fell to the floor with a thud.
Everyone looked at Lilly.
"What he's literally a demon, what were you gonna do? Ask him questions?" she said.
"He's still breathing" said Asuka.
"Oh shut your trap Asuka, you and your hospitality bullshit" Lilly said and started picking a fight with Asuka.
"Everyone, let's calm down" Himawari stood up and approached Lilly and Asuka who were fighting over the demon who was trying hard to breathe.
Lilly and Asuka immediately backed off.
"I'll handle this. You guys tend to the guests and clean up for Master Akira" she said and no one dared disobey her.
" We will lock him in the room in the basement" Himawari added, as she looked at Toru to come and help her.
"Yeah of course, let me help you with that" Toru got up on his feet and helped her.
Now, these five odd characters were be stuck in a house with an ancient war demon who might die.
But what happens next changes everyone's lives forever.