Wednesday afternoon.
Amai's family's bakery in right in front of me. Kēki Nashi, Jinsei Nashi is standing tall, colorful, proud, and busy. The outside is a light blue color of brick, the sign being an amber brown. A little donut light is flashing on the door, and the large window has a display of the variety of treats they serve. I can see couples drinking coffee and eating sweets inside, enjoying each other on their own. Happy children drool over the sight of the delicious snacks, with just a window preventing them from grabbing it and stuffing it into their mouths. Tired parents struggle with arguments, but eventually settle them with a compromise. This bakery is known for the delicious treats they serve. Now they've got their daughter making the best at school. Seems perfectly innocent, does it not?
Well, their daughter is the person who's seducing my senpai into her flawless charade. She could never love him the way I do. Sure, she can cook, but she can't love. Love isn't made through food, despite so many people begging to differ. Love is from your heart, your feelings, and your emotions. She could never do any of those if the only thing she ever talks about is what came out of the oven this morning.
Well...here goes nothing.
I enter Amai's bakery and take a good look at what's around me. Decorations, food, tables, clerks, normal everyday items you'd see in a café. Looking at the corner, I see two little doors that lead to a bathroom, one for men and one for women. Maybe that could be a good place to start...but, before I do, I at least want to have one last bite at what they offer before it's gone for possibly all eternity. I walk up to the counter.
"Konnichiwa, misu!" The tender exclaims, waving kindly to me with a big smile. They've hired the best workers for a happy place like this. "What can I get you on this fine day?" He asks, smiling wider.
"Cream bread, please," I say, pushing 90 yen on the counter. Cream bread was what I always got when I came here with my Mom. Even as a child, Mom would sometimes stop by here just to get me some. I've never really put much thought into it, but Mom really does do a whole lot for me. As he's preparing my bread, he decides to strike up a conversation.
"Just got off school?" He asks, grabbing a plastic bag for my bread.
"Yeah. I go to Akademi."
He pauses upon hearing my words. "Oh! Akademi? Akademi High School? That's like, the most famous school in Japan! They only open their doors to the smartest people! Wow, you're so lucky!"
"It's not so honorable. Bad things happen in the best places, too." I snap my eyes back over to him, trying to see if he could catch my subtle hint of what was going to take place sooner or later.
"What could be so bad about Akademi? Was it the murder that happened in the 80s?"
I shift my glance. "What murder?"
"You've never heard of it? There was a murder that happened at Akademi High in the late 80s. Some girl was killed in a bathroom on either the second or third floor."
"That's...pretty specific."
He chuckles. "Haha, yeah. Apparently, some journalist discovered that it was a girl who committed the crime, but it turned out that he just accused her. You should see the recording replay, she was pretty on point," he put some cream bread into the bag and studies my appearance. "And you know, you actually kind of look like her. Hair and all. Like, you look exactly like her. Pretty cool!"
"...What was the girl's name? The one who died?"
He stops and thinks for a minute. "Mmmm...I think it was Yurei Redi. A pretty young lady with coconut brown hair. It's a shame she died so brutally. A flower plucked far too soon."
"And who was the accused victim?"
He takes a minute to respond. "I can't remember...I think it was Ryanna, or Ryoshi or something. Oh, here's your bread."
I take the bag of bread and examine each loaf. "Thank you."
"Have a nice day!"
Examining each loaf, I sit down at an empty table and open up the plastic bag. I take one out and take a bite, enjoying the satisfying taste of it melting in my mouth. Tastes like nostalgia. I try to savor every little taste that's packed into them, going at a slower pace than normal. It would look as if I was just dumped, or lonely. I could tell by the way a girl was staring at me from the other side of the bakery, giving me concerned glances as if she was deciding whether to stand up and sit next to me or stay put in her own seat. But I helped her out by scaring her when she saw me staring back at her, and she looked back down at her own table.
The cream bread is really good. Maybe I should ask for two extra bags to take home before leaving. In fact, I might just do that. I walk back over to the counter and order two extra bags, pushing 180 yen towards the register. Grabbing my food, I sit back down at my table and continue eating what I had on my plate before I hear some voices.
"Hey! You!" a voice calls. Turning my head, I see a group of boys cornering a girl at her table. She's staring down at her table, ashamed. She has short dark blue hair with a purple-grey bandage covering her right eye. Her bangs are shaggy and fall in the middle of her forehead. Her visible eye is purple, but the other eye's color is unknown. The top half of her face is slightly shadowed. She wears a black choker with a crescent moon on it. She looks a little familiar...she almost looks like Chojo, the boy from my class who sits near Aoi. And, she's still wearing the school uniform. A boy with red hair and a piercing shows her a picture on his phone. "Damn, Kokuma, I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff, you wanna come with me?" His friends join in with his laughter, making a scene in the bakery. Many people stare at the action going on, as I turn my body fully towards them.
"You weren't meant to see that..." Kokuma says, lowly. I can tell she's embarrassed by the way she's talking. "those are private..." She continues, looking at her own phone. "why are they on here...?"
"I got a great deal with Info-chan, yeah!"
...
Oh, dear...poor Kokuma...he must've gotten a picture of her underwear. Info-chan must've sold the picture to him...Jeez, that's harsh. But that gives me another idea. When his face is turned, I snap a picture of the redhead's face, and send it to Info-chan, and let Kokuma stall them while I'm gathering my defense.
"Don't make a fuss about this...it's embarrassing..."
"If it was embarrassing, then why'd you wear it out in public?!"
"I...I wasn't...I wasn't expecting it...to..."
"You hate your friends, Haruto."
Haruto stops. I'm standing up from my chair. He slowly looks over at me. "What?"
"You hate your friends. You only hang out with them because you know how weird and out of place you'll look if you didn't have them. You fantasize about death at night and dream about Yui Rio. Every time you see someone you know, you imagine them being tortured. You don't want anyone to know how much of a freak you really are, Yuto. Leave her alone."
Haruto is frozen in place, as his friends eyeball him weirdly. "Who the hell are you?" He demands in his low voice. "How do you know all that?!" Kokuma is staring at me from her seat.
"I get great deals from Info-chan as well. Get out." I say, pointing to the door. All of his friends gladly walk out, wanting to avoid Haruto from his abnormal imagination, as he goes chasing after them. There. Problem solved. Sitting back down, I continue enjoying my bread, despite knowing that Kokuma is staring me down. I can feel her gaze on me with her single eye. Trying my previous technique, I quickly twist my head over to her, and sure enough, she's staring directly at me. Even though I gave her a frightening stare, she didn't even flinch at all. She was looking at me with a horrified expression, but it had a somewhat hidden "thank you" message in there in her eyes. I don't really know how to respond to this, so I just nod my head for a split-second at her, but she doesn't move a muscle. Ah, I see it now. She's a part of the occult club at school, so she's another one of those weirdos. I should probably just ignore her, she might get in the way of my plan.
Packing up, I take my three bags of cream bread and head on out, dismissing the looks I get from people as I go by. Yeah, a little abnormal for someone to be carrying three bags worth of cream bread, but you'd understand if you actually tasted these things. They're delicious. Besides, they're not going to last forever, so might as well take the whole stash while they're still available, y'know? Well, anyway, I set my bags on the ground, and to avoid suspicion, I start handing one or two loaves to a few homeless people nearby. I'm given sweet, smiling faces in return, but this is only a distraction. Pulling this facade off, I save at least a bag and a half for myself but give an extra loaf away to a little girl crying to get inside the bakery. I've never seen a mother's face feel more relieved. They better hold on to those while they last. Now that I've gained a more positive look at the town by some folks, I can at least look a little more natural. Running across the street to the market, I ask the merchant to hold my bags for me, acting like I was in a hurry for a job interview, or something similar. He gladly accepts my request and watches my bread for me. Perfect.
I dig my hands through my coat pockets, feeling the box of matches and the three lighters. I'm not so sure what the lighters are going to do, but they'll do at least something. Strolling back inside the bakery, I'm greeted by Kokuma, who was leaving at the time. Awkwardly, she apologizes and struggles to get around me, as I watch her blankly. She looks as if she wants to say something, but she can't quite get it out. I watch her stumble out of the bakery and shyly walk back down the sidewalk and out of sight. Whatever. I could possibly start the fire in the girl's bathroom, or like Mom told me, in the kitchen. The kitchen would probably be more effective, but since this is a busy place, someone would detect it quicker. The bathroom will have to do...
Casually, I push open the bathroom door and listen for any voices, but only silence rings through as an echo. Good. Better yet, there isn't a fire extinguisher in here. However, there is bound to be one in the kitchen. However...
These lighters carry fluid, right? So throwing these things in could potentially increase the amount of flame...genius! Taking the box of matches out of my pocket and taking a single match out, I examine where I could start a small fire. The floor is made of tile, so that couldn't work at all. But then, I hear...voices. From above. Looking up, I see a vent on the ceiling. An odd place to put a vent rather the wall, but it got my attention. Listening to the voices, I was able to come to the conclusion that this exact vent leads right to the kitchen. Looking back, I lock the bathroom door and attempt to get into the vent by jumping high enough to push on the metal, but it wasn't good enough. Stopping, I look around and find a small metal garbage can in the corner. If I turn it upside down, it might just be enough to reach. Doing so, I dump all of the paper towels onto the floor and place the can upside down beneath the vent. I balance myself out as I step onto it, using the sink counter as an advantage. It works! Putting all my force into it, I bust open the vent and climb inside. Pretty dusty up here...
"The hell was that noise?"
"I don't know, I'm busy!"
"Well keep going, we've got more customers!"
Yep, this leads right above the kitchen. And luckily, I brought my instruments with me, as well. I see some light up ahead while crawling through, and once I'm there, I peer down into the room. I'm able to see some folks running frantically around, panicking for more ingredients. Lots of flammable stuff down there...one problem is the fire extinguisher. But perhaps if I can control the fire enough, it'll block the way...
Carefully, I reach into my pocket without noise and light a match. Aiming it below, I drop the flaming stick in front of the stove, also throwing in a lighter. The lighter explodes on the ground, allowing the fluid to spread and catch fire. All at once, I drop the two other lighters and throw in two more matches, and it wasn't five seconds until I heard someone yelling. Need to get outta here...! Hastily, I inch myself back until I can't feel the floor anymore, and fall back into the bathroom. The smoke alarm is ringing, and I quickly unlock the bathroom door while covering my ears. By then, the entire kitchen had caught on fire from the lack of attention to the oven. Need to get ooouuuttt!
But before I exit the building, I take a glance in the kitchen, and I discover someone, the clerk who I've made a bond with, lying face down in the flames.
...
Screaming, crying, yelling, sirens, flames bellowing, crumbling, shrieking...all horrific sounds you could describe were heard. Police instantly showed up with some fire trucks, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see a familiar girl with light brown hair and casual clothes breaking down across the street. I run back across the street and back to the market, acting like I almost barely escaped the flames. The merchant is nowhere to be found, but hey, my bags of cream bread are still here. Picking them up, I turn around to see a bunch of people from school running over, along with Haruto and his friends.
"Mommy! I want my mommy! Mommy!" Wails a little girl, about the age of six. She's crying her eyes out while pointing at the burning building. Immediately, a woman comes forth and tries to lure the child away from the structure. "My mommy's in there! Get my mommy! Mommy, pleeeeaaase! Mommy! Mommyyy!" I watch the woman pick up the child and proceed down the street, pushing the child against her in an attempt of comfort, yet the child keeps on bawling tears out nonstop.
"OH MY GOD! RIKA!" I hear a man cry out in utter panic, as he starts to run towards the flame before being stopped by his wife. "RIKAAA! Get Rika out! Someone get Rika! Get my daughter! RIKA!" Would you look at that. The first time I've ever seen a grown man cry out in public.
"MOMMY!"
"RIKA!"
"AAHHHH!"
"Nooooo!"
...
The utter pain and destruction I've caused bellows before me, as I watch the once thriving bakery turn into a pile of ash, the fire extinguishers having no effect on the flames whatsoever. I see Kokuma being dragged out of the way of the flames by Haruto, saving her life. The flames feel hot against my skin, the tower of agony slowly growing. A veteran prevents it from spreading to the next building, and begins hosing it down. I look back over at the man who had lost his daughter. He had escaped his wife's grasp, and runs full speed into the flaming building, and his wife screams in fear. My mouth slightly hangs open. I've never seen a fire rise this high before...truly a remarkable experience.
"Everyone evacuate immediately!" Shouts an officer into a megaphone to the people safely on the streets, and he didn't have to say it twice before everyone scurried off like insects from an attack. Some shouting, some crying, some demanding for help, but I just stood there, watching. Watching the flames roars. Listening to the cries of young children about their parents. Parents crying about their children. An acquaintance that had died because of me. All these reasons are only just a few for what I should ashamed about. There are countless reasons to why this is tragic.
But I'm not ashamed. In fact...I'm proud of it. Proud of my hard work I had to go through just to get to this point. This feeling...it's familiar. Oddly familiar. It's a feeling of accomplishment and joy, mixed with a sick sense of humor you'd see in a TV show. But this wasn't reality TV. It was reality. I crack a smile at the corners of my mouth. Something pops out of the corner of the building, and I see the man who ran inside the building holding hands with a young girl who has a white shirt and brown hair that reaches her shoulders, and she coughs a few times as she listens to her father's pleas.
"Rika, come on, Rika, we need to get out of here! Everything's okay Rika, just stay close to daddy and everything will be okay..." I take in his words of comfort, and my eyes trail up above the two. A flaming board begins rocking, and adrenaline shoots through me.
"Come on..." I mutter, watching Rika and the board. "Now!" I whisper, taking a wild guess. The board keeps rocking.
"Oh, Rika..."
creak...
"Mommy's waiting for us Rika..." Rika falls down on her hands and knees, her lungs burning for the need of fresh air. She begins to choke on the dangerous smoke. "Oh god, Rika!"
creak...
"Daddy...I can't breath..."
creak...!
"Cover your mouth Rika, we need to hurry!" Her father runs back and starts to help her stand up.
"Heh...!" I chuckle, watching the board.
The board swings one or two more times, and the final swing is enough to allow it to tip. I clutch my fists and tighten every muscle, and my teeth are smashing down against each other as I tremble. The excitement! The adrenaline! The feeling! It's all coming back to me now! This sweet sensation! I love this feeling!
Rika's father looks up at the impending doom. It was heading straight for the one he cared about.
"Ri...RIKA!" Rika perks up at her father's shout, only to see the board come toppling down. "RIKAAAA!" He yells, rushing over to try and quickly do something—anything!
Rika screams.
"Daddy...What...Ah...! AAAAHHHHHHHH!
BAAAAM!
Rika's blood explodes from underneath the heavy board, as she's crushed underneath. The blood flies and lands on her father's shirt, face, and body. He stops in his own tracks, being forced to look at the horrible scene. Some of the blood went so far to even land on my jacket. Rika's arm laid motionless as some of her own blood leaked from her hand. Rika's name has been imprinted into my brain, and the scene...I want to rewind it and watch it again. To feel that tension, the impending danger, and the satisfying end.
I feel my mouth curl, allowing a full-on grin to find it's way across my face. I bring a finger up and try to hide it, but the audible sounds of my quiet laughter makes it more obvious. I then feel something on my finger, and shift my gaze down to observe. Ahaha...there it is...Rika's blood. Drops of blood had flown onto me from Rika, and I watch the bright, scarlet drop slowly slide down my hand. It looks...good. Can I...?
I can. I stick out my tongue and lick the drop away, creating a dark red smudge on the back of my hand. It tastes warm and salty...it's a new taste. ...I like this taste...
Soon enough, Rika's father is consumed by the fire, and I can hear a woman crying in the distance. "Ma'am, you must leave!" A female officer shouts, pointing at me. I look over at her, and she jumps from the sight of my face. My face...it was emotional. Eyes were wide with shadowed joy, a sharp grin that shows my teeth, awkward movements that speak malevolence. But I listen to her, and politely stroll off down the street, the face keeping its psychotic expression.
I've done it. I've destroyed the one thing that Amai treasures more than anything else in the world.
...
Thanks, Mom.
Home. Empty as ever. The time is 9:12. The events of Amai's bakery took place exactly four hours and nine minutes ago. News has spread widely across Japan, and even into America and Europe. Who knew that a simple house fire could gather so much attention? And all because of me! Me, one person who nonchalantly set the place on fire. Imagine that...the world is more naive than I thought. Of course, I need to Senpai away from this information, because I don't want this to be all for nothing! Now, I've been thinking a lot ever since I saw Amai discovering her bakery was on fire. I've been thinking...what exactly could push someone over the edge? Someone as kind as Amai herself could break, too. Anyone can. I know that as a fact because I've heard the news of Rika's mother. She's in a mental hospital for attempted suicide. And that little girl who lost her mommy; she actually succeeded in suicide by leaping from her balcony when the caretaker wasn't looking. Anyone with feelings can be pushed over with the help of a little shove. Of course...I don't have feelings. So that means...yeah. I can't be pushed.
What did Amai treasure the most in her life? Food? Family? Friends? Happiness? Love? No. She treasured the bakery. How do I know this? I've got an infamous blackmailer to help me with that. Now that Amai's most prized possession has been annihilated, her weak spot is left open and vulnerable. Remember when I said I was always an expert at manipulation? I'm not good at acting, but I can pull this off.
And according to Info-chan, Amai is also threatening to say her vows at the cherry tree. I need to act fast, or senpai might accept her from guilt! I've only got two days to pull this off...I hope it works.
Speaking of Info-chan, I've also started questioning to why she gave me privileges to such horrid acts...and won't even answer my questions to why she wanted to in the first place. Perhaps she has a grudge against Osana and Amai? And why is she teaming up with me? No, not teaming. She did say I could ignore her...does that mean she went through a list of people to...hold on a second. If she knew exactly why I was upset, does that mean she used me when I was emotionally vulnerable? She used Senpai to make me do something I would normally refuse to do...but...the fact that I forwardly offered to comeplete the task made it more tempting than it should. It's not everyday you get to apply to be a movie star, and it's not everyday you get to be famous. A chance like slaughtering someone in cold blood made it sound...exciting, exotic, new, odd, thrilling, and fun. Mix those together and you've got...temptation.
Twisting my head, I look at how much time has exactly passed. Twenty minutes. Strange...it felt longer than that. I turn my eyes to the ceiling once more as I sink deeper into my bed. Comfy. Many dreams are kept here. Ones that I've clmpeltely forgotten, or just never cared about. But tonight...tonight is when I'll dream of the guilty being executed, an instant reminder to me if I ever let my guard down. It'll also be a reminder to watch out for my own daily behavior if I catch Kuroko or Shiromi spying on me anymore for strange behavior. They're like police guards patrolling an important facility, keeping an eye out for anyone who looks suspicious.
And what better way to end a night of fire...
With some of Kuu's Yokai Story?
Flipping to the first page, I begin reading the horror story of a young woman who's mouth is stolen by an evil spirit.
I didn't sleep. I couldn't sleep. I would've slept. But I couldn't. I wanted to. But I didn't. Why, you ask? Because, I couldn't sleep. This feeling that pounds my head, shouting to be released, giving me excruciating migraines beyond comprehension is making me sore. I'm exhausted...I want to sleep so badly, but I can't. Is it because of the manga? Did it give me chills? No, not possible. Was it the haunting guilt that floated around my own imagination? No, couldn't be. So...what was it that kept me up all night? Tension? Fear? ...Wrong. It was thrill. The thrill of arriving at school and testing out the image I wish to be true, the image of telling Amai the truth about her bakery. I simply sat staring sat he desk...the desk that held my most prized possessions. Slowly, without turning my head, I got up and approached that desk that holds an apple core and a button. I took the apple core and licked the marks again, this time it being a more bitter flavor. Examining both items, I caress them gently with my index finger in a lovestruck trance, becoming dizzy with unexplainable euphoria. I've also built myself something for luck. Taking one last gaze on the two, I gently set them down in the small compartment of the shrine. The photo I keep is professionally placed, as I take it out and wipe the nasty dust off of it. A portrait of Senpai...his school picture. The way he smiles makes me want to go crazy! The way he spoke to me on day one, the way his hand felt, the way he keeps a steady life, everything about him makes me feel absolutely incredible! I love, and he will love me...
Even if it means by force.
At school, I stare at him from behind the tree while avoiding being spotted by anyone who's might be passing by. Everyone is in a much, much better mood compared to Monday. In fact, everyone seems to have forgotten the whole thing entirely. Senpai, not so much, but he does look a little a better. The trouble is, I overheard some of the teachers saying how he doesn't need to go to the counselor's office anymore because he's got someone else to keep him comfort. And I know exactly who that 'someone' is. Everyone isn't exactly okay, considering how everyone's favorite bakery burned down, but they all know how they're going to have to deal with it.
I decide to initiate my plan and walk past the fountain, my eyes locked on Senpai until I reach the North doors. As I turn the corner, I bump into another girl and we both fall backward.
"Oof!" She yelps, landing on her rear. I stand up without a scratch, and look at who I exactly ran into. My eyes light up as I see her. Kokuma! Kokuma looks up at me with horror, but her face turns gentle seconds after. "Oh! H-Hi, um..." she stumbles to stand up, stuttering. "S-Sorry, I didn't see you there...a-a-are you okay...?"
"Yeah."
She sighs in relief. "G-Good...um...cya, then...heheh..." she nervously squirms around, as I acknowledge her words and proceed down the hall, until I hear her shaky voice call out after me. "W-Wait!" Making an abrupt stop, I only turn my body halfway around, expecting her to say something quick so I could go on my way. But I was wrong. "L-Listen...um, about yesterday..." she begins, then taking a pause. Oh yeah, I forgot about how I defended her. "I just w-wanted to say...uh...I...um...th...th-tha..." Kokuma struggles to get her first word out as her body is shaking like a leaf, looking at me as if I knew what she's saying. No assumptions, I want to hear her say it.
"You wanted to say what?"
"Uhm...! I wanted to say...than...thank you..." the two final words go in a soft whisper, and I couldn't tell if she said anything at all.
I turn my head and cup my ear. "What was that?"
"Th-Thank you..." She says, slightly more audible.
"Huh?"
"I said thank you!" Kokuma blurts in a sudden shout, her arms straightening out towards the ground in frustration. That's more like it. "I don't why you did that for me...but, you have my gratitude...th-thanks...that's all I wanted to say...and," Oh jeez. "I was wondering...would you want to...um, join my club?" Her club...?
I allow myself to face her fully, watching her study my features. "What club?"
"The...here, I'll show you..." Kokuma says, as she takes my hand and leads me down the hall to the doors of a club room. I look up at the label, as Kokuma opens the door. I'm suddenly stumbled back by a blast of a haunting presence. Kokuma slowly turns her head to look at me, as numerous other followers inside the room do the same.
"Our Club. The Occult Club."
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