Axel is faintly aware of heavy rainfall. He feels so weary and falls upon his buttocks as anger, sorrow, shock, and guilt storm within him. He looks up as the rain falls over his face, mingling with his tears. He places his hands to his face and howls his anguish into them, then lowers them and tilts his head back up.
He continues to sit there as the rain soaks him to his skin.
He looks ahead at the approach of bright lights and a car engine. As it gets closer, he holds up his hand while squinting to shield his eyes from the bright headlights. It stops before him and he finally understands that he is sitting alongside a paved road, the part the car is approaching upon.
The driver honks its horn, compelling Axel to stand, and dims its lights so that Axel is able to lower his hand and look. The driver door opens and an umbrella first emerges, then the driver as they push it up. The driver gets out and walks around the car and up to him to stand between him and the lights, using their umbrella to shield out more light so that he can now see that the driver is a woman with bleached hair.
"Hey, can you understand Japanese?" The woman called over the combined din of the rain and the car's idling engine.
Axel nods repeatedly, though slowly.
"Oh, good," the woman said in a tone of relief. "I was never good with languages. Come inside the car with me. You can put your knapsack in the back and you sit up front with me."
For a moment Axel is hesitant, but does so. He removes his knapsack and opens the back door, first tucking his flashlight into it and putting it into the backseat. Axel gets in the front as the woman does so as well while folding up her umbrella and puts it into the backseat. She next turns on the cab light to look at him. With better lighting, Axel can see that she is a beautiful woman with droopy eyes and a kind smile.
"Now what's a good-looking foreigner like you doing out here on a lonely stretch of road on a dark rainy night?" she asked. With the noise of the car and rain muffled, he could hear the soft musical twang of her voice.
"I . . . I got caught outside while hiking," Axel answered.
"Is that so?" She mused. "It looks like you're far from your destination. What's your name?"
"A-Axel. Axel Sawyer."
"Please to meet you, Sawyer-san. My name is Miyo. Takano Miyo. Now let's be on our way." As she turns off the cab light and puts the car into motion.
The rain continues falling hard, splattering against the windshield of which the wipers are working hard to dispel. Axel is unsure of where she is taking him, but he doesn't care enough to be concerned.
"So where are you from, Axer-san?" Miyo asked breaking the silence. "May I call you Axer-san?"
"Y-Yes, and I am from America. The state of Ohio to be exact."
More silence follows.
"Any reason why you came to Japan?" Miyo next asked.
"I thought of where to go hiking, but I really couldn't figure out where. I read a book about Japan a couple of years ago and got the idea to do it. So I learned Japanese to be able to speak to other Japanese as I went all over the country because just as you proved, not all of you know English. The plan was to hike all around the edge of the main islands."
"That's very interesting," Miyo mused. "You must've put a lot of effort into your planning."
"That I did."
"You also look like you were grieving," as her tone becomes more empathetic. "Did you lose someone dear to you?"
Axel leers at her. This woman can clearly read him. "I . . . I'd rather not talk about it."
"I understand. I too know what it's like to lose people dear to you." As he can hear a touch of grief in her tone.
They drive on in silence. The rain still falls hard.
"Have you ever heard of a village called Hinamizawa?" Miyo suddenly asked.
"Yes," Axel answered.
"And what do you know of its history?"
"That the villagers are supposed to have once been ogres," Axel answered. "Then a goddess saved them and made them human once again. From then on, they had to partake in a ritual to stop them from reverting back into ogres."
"Well that's one part of it," Miyo mused. "The truth is that they all carry a pathogen that can cause them to go insane simply by leaving or even if they become stressed out from something they feel is outside their control."
Axel knows that she is talking about the Hinamizawa Syndrome.
They are soon turning down a road. They arrive at a small house and pull into the driveway, where she turns the engine off. She reaches behind and takes out her umbrella and opens the door.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Miyo asked. "Grab your backpack and come inside the house. Don't worry I live alone and there is no man."
Axel blinks in shock for a moment with shrunken irises. This complete stranger of a woman is showing him so much trust! He finally gets back out into the pouring rain. He retrieves his knapsack and follows Miyo up to the house. She unlocks the door and enters, turning on the lights. Axel follows her in, somewhat hesitant, and she closes the door behind him, locking it. The house is small, of compact design with rooms that are practical rather than desired.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Miyo said casually with a smile as she extends her arms momentarily. "This is where you will be spending the night with me."
"I-I assure you I won't do anything bad to you," Axel said hoarsely.
"I know you won't," Miyo said with a smile. "Now get your shoes off and leave your knapsack and follow me."
Axel does so, and even leaves his watch. He checks the time to see that it is past ten thirty P.M., and that the date is Sunday, June the nineteenth.
Miyo opens a door and turns on a light, revealing a standard Japanese bathroom.
"Go in and take off your clothes, then leave them outside," she instructed. "I have to make a phone call to know if an event is going to be cancelled."
Axel goes into her bathroom and closes the door. He begins to take off his wet clothes. Peel off, more accurately.
"So what if I'm not alone," Miyo said into her telephone receiver dryly with a frown. "That's not the issue here. The issue is, can we proceed with the execution of Emergency Manual Number Thirty-Four or not?"
She sighs in frustration as she tilts her head forward while closing her eyes.
"I figured it wouldn't with that all rain falling, so what's it going to be like tomorrow?"
Her head perks up as she smiles with her eyes widen and her irises shrunken slightly.
"Perfect! Just keep him sedated until then. And the woman . . . ? What?" As she grabs hold of the speaker end of her phone with her other hand in outrage. "And you didn't think to sedate her too?!"
She growls as she tilts her head forward with a close eyed scowl once again while clasping her nosebridge, then releases as she raises her head once again with a frown.
"No, we don't have the luxury of time nor candidates," she snapped. "So we'll just have to make use of her. Be sure to cover up any evidence . . . Yeah, that's a good idea. Is there anything else because I really have to go . . . Okay, thank you, goodbye."
Axel is sitting on a stool as he washes his hair after lathering himself over. The sound of the door opening makes him gasp as his heart skips a beat. He slowly looks back to see Miyo standing there with a towel wrapped around her torso. His irises are shrunken and shimmering.
"What's wrong, Axer-san?" She asked warmly as she smiles down at him. "Are you shy?"
Axel continues to gape up at her.
"I'll take that as a yes." As she enters.
Axel sits there with an uneasy expression.
"Come on, stand up," Miyo crooned encouragingly as she gestures while walking up to him. "Let me see you fully."
Axel takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes momentarily. He stands and turns to face her uncovered.
"Oh my," Miyo cooed with admiration as her eyes widen and her irises shrink while looking him over. "What a magnificent specimen you are, especially down there!"
She then drops her towel, giving Axel a start.
"What do you think?" Miyo asked as she does a three sixty, showing off her shapely body with large breasts.
"Y-You look beautiful yourself," he answered humbly.
"You're clearly being honest," Miyo mused as she gazes downward.
Axel smiles uneasily.
"Sit down and let me wash your hair and back," Miyo said softly as she walks up to him and takes the washcloth from him.
Axel sits facing the taps as Miyo takes some shampoo. She kneels behind Axel, making her hot spongy yet firm breasts press up against his back. He can feel her hard perky nipples pressing into him. She begins stroking her fingers through his hair. Her touch is sensuous and gentle.
"You blondes have such soft silky hair," Miyo sighed as she gently lathers his scalp. "As you can tell with me, it's a bleach job."
"Ah, th-thank you, Miyo," Axel gasped.
She strokes his hair back and takes soap to lather up his back.
"Like fresh snow," she mused as she gently digs her fingers into his skin. "I can see why you people like to refer to yourselves as White."
"Ah, thank you," Axel said shyly.
"Axer-kun," Miyo whispered musically into his ear as she rests her chin on his shoulder and embraces him from behind. Axel gasps with shock as his irises shrink.
Especially when she clasps him down there.
Miyo tenderly shushes into his ear as she works her hand. Axel shuts his eyes as he arches back, resting his head against Miyo's shoulder. He grunts as his mouth tightens against the increasing feeling . . .
Axel awakens to Miyo snuggling into him. The movement of her hot firm yet soft smooth naked body as she presses her large firm spongy breasts into his side while draping an arm around him causes him to go hard once again. Along with the memory of what they did together in the bathroom, of which they carried over here into her bedroom.
She presses her lips against his throat, causing him to groan with delight. She kisses her way up to his lips where she gently pushes her tongue into his mouth, making it feel as if it is melting into his mouth. All while she carresses his swollen maleness once again. He returns the kiss in kind, and they break away with a soft wet click.
"Again?" Miyo sighed impressively and pleasantly into his ear, making him groan with delight. "But my jaws are still sore and my backdoor still hurts." A whimisical whine in her tone. "But I think I can still take you into the proper orifice again. And this time," as she rolls over onto her back, "I'll let you be on top. But I do want your tongue in there again."
She throws the blankets aside and they go at it once again.
Axel once again awakens to the memory of enjoying himself with Miyo, along with the awareness of her beneath him with his cheek pressed into her neck. He feels her nuzzle her face into his crown and kiss him. He opens his eyes and raises his head to see that twilight now brightens the room and is able to see her smiling down at him. She pulls him forward and kisses him, her hot wet tongue seemingly melting into his own mouth to send a course of pleasure through him. She pulls away with a soft wet click.
"Good morning, Axer-kun," she said softly with a smile.
"Good morning, Miyo," he sighed in return.
They release and get up with Miyo turning on the light and reaching for her clock.
"Six o'clock," she sighed and puts it back. "We have to get up, and I don't just mean your erection." As she playfully slaps his buttock underneath the blankets.
"Do you need to be somewhere?" Axel asked as she sits up.
"I'm a nurse, remember," Miyo answered. "So I have to be at my job in a couple of hours."
"Very well," Axel sighed.
Miyo moves to get up and gasps painfully as she clasps her groin underneath the sheets.
"What's wrong?"
"Well," she answered with a playful sigh of embarrassment with closed eyes, "it's just that you're such a big boy."
"That's us White guys for you," Axel answered playfully with closed eyes as well, then gives her a playful leer. "Just be thankful I'm not a Black guy."
"Are you saying they're even bigger?" Miyo giggled.
"Personally, I've never seen it, but I've heard it a lot."
Both get up to reveal their nudity, along with the hickies on their respective bodies.
"Your clothes should be dry by now," Miyo said as she gets some clothes out to dress.
After dressing, Miyo leaves and soon returns with his clothes.
"They're still damp in areas, but you should still be able to wear them." As she lays them out on her bed.
Axel takes them and puts them on. He winces at the dampness of his clothes. They are soon dressed and emerge from her bedroom.
"It's going to be a good day today," Miyo said.
"Well that's good to hear," Axel answered.
"Where are you going to, anyway?" Miyo asked.
"I think I will pay Hinamizawa a visit before I continue my hike."
"Then, would you like a bite to eat before going on your way?"
"Okay."
Axel sees his watch on the table and picks it up to put on. The time is six thirty A.M. and the date is Monday, June the twentieth.
"It will have to be something light," Miyo said as she opens her fridge.
"Not a problem," Axel said.
As Miyo prepares a breakfast, Axel takes a moment to write in his notebook about the previous Universe #5, a rather short though tragic one. He fights to compose himself as he writes about it.
"Writing about your conquest?" Miyo mused playfully.
"What do you think?" Axel said whimsically.
"What's wrong, Axer-kun?" Miyo cooed.
"It's just that tough moment of when I left to come here," he sighed.
He prints out the heading, Universe #6, on a blank page and puts his notebook away. They eat a small breakfast of rice.
"That was pretty good," Axel said and downs a glass of juice.
"If you're every around this way," Miyo said. "Give me a holler."
"That I will," Axel answered. "Well, thank you for taking me in for the night. Feeding me . . . And fucking me."
"You're quite welcome," Miyo giggled.
"Can I have another kiss before I go?"
They do so, quite warmly.
"I think you better get going before we start up again," Miyo jested.
Axel nods sadly, then takes his knapsack, still damp, and carries it over to the door. He puts on his sneakers, wincing at the wetness still in them. He slings his knapsack over his back.
"Goodbye, Miyo," his tone soft and tender as sorrow wells up in him. "I hope we can cross paths again."
"Me too," she said.
Once outside the door, he closes it and starts walking.
