Price of Life

Chapter 1

If approaching despair would have a significant sound, it would be a pair of handcuffs clanking against a metal pipe.

This is what Isogai thought briefly as he pulled the handcuffs on his wrists that were looped around the metal pipes attached to the wall of a small, plain room. But the handcuffs didn't even budge. The boy stopped pulling and studied his aching wrists.

"I don't understand," Isogai wondered, confusion and worry evident in his voice. "Why did he do this to me? What does he want?"

All his thoughts were interrupted abruptly when he heard a key turning in a lock of a door. With his heartbeats echoing in his ears, Isogai turned his head towards the opening door.

Yesterday...

It was quiet in the class 3-E's classroom. All students seemed to be focusing on the Japanese assignment given by Korosensei, although it was likely that most of them were planning new ways to kill their teacher.

Isogai stopped writing as he glanced at a clock and seeing the time, he rose his hand. "Excuse me, Korosensei. I should leave now."

An octopus-like super creature rose his gaze from a textbook. "Oh, right. That doctor's appointment. Remember to ask about today's homeworks later," Korosensei reminded.

"Yes, sir," Isogai answered as he collected his belongings and rose from his seat. As quietly as possible the class' male representative left the classroom.

Nakamura stopped writing. "Isn't it weird that Isogai is the only one from our class who has to see the doctor again after that last week checkup?" she noted while leaning against the back of her chair.

Kataoka frowned. "I hope it isn't anything serious," she said as she squeezed her pencil slightly in her hand.

"Isogai is alright. He's an epitome of health," Maehara assured in his usual laid-back style. "He told me that it will be just an additional checkup."

"I didn't like that doctor who did us the checkup," Hara muttered. "She said that I should lose weight."

"That jerk!" Okano gasped.

"Now, everybody," Korosensei interrupted with clapping of his tentacles. "Let's focus on your assignment for now."

Isogai was sitting in a chair without his shirt while doctor Momoko Gakemi put a stethoscope in her ears.

"Alright, Isogai. Inhale," she said after placing the stethoscope on the left side of his chest.

Isogai inhaled and soon after that exhaled when the doctor told him do it. He then repeated it after the stethoscope was placed on the right side of his chest.

"Good. Now turn around," Gakemi asked.

Obediently Isogai turned and the doctor placed the stethoscope on his back.

"Sounds good," Gakemi noted after listening the boy's lungs. "Seems like you have healthy and strong lungs. The heart sounds good too. I bet you exercise a lot since you're in such a good shape."

"Our PE instructor makes us work really hard," Isogai told while he put his shirt back on but inside his mind he added: "And then there's our assassination target moving with the speed of Mach 20."

The doctor moved a long, brown strand of hair behind her ear before writing notes on the computer. "You don't drink alcohol or use drugs or other harmful things, do you?" she asked.

"Of course I don't."

"Good. Have you been sick lately?"

"Thankfully not."

"And how about- Oh, excuse me," Gakemi's questioning was cut short when a phone began ringing. She took her mobile phone from the pocket of her black skirt and answered: "Hello. Doctor Momoko Gakemi speaking. Oh, Mr. Okabe. How can I- What? Again?"

Isogai sat still and politely silent as the doctor lowered the mobile phone from her ear and sighed heavily before she put the phone back to her ear.

"Mr. Okabe," Gakemi said on the phone, "I recom- But- List- Don't interrupt me anymore." She then turned and formed a word 'Sorry' with her mouth to Isogai who seemed a little surprised by the sudden change of her tone of voice. Gakemi then continued the phone call with calmer tone. "Mr. Okabe. I think you should go to see an optician. You know that what you have seen can't be real. No, I'm not trying to avoid doing my job. I just- Fine. I schedule you an appointment but it isn't until next Monday. No, Mr. Okabe. I can't give you earlier day. My calendar is completely full. So it's Monday at 12 a.m. then? Good. Have a nice day, Mr. Okabe."

The doctor ended the call and put her mobile phone into the chest pocket of her pale red shirt. "I apologize for the interruption," Gakemi said to Isogai. "This is the third time already when one of my regular patients comes to meet me because they claimed they have seen a flying yellow octopus. Isn't it funny?"

"Yeah. Funny," Isogai answered with slight smile while his thoughts were drawn to his homeroom teacher fitting for the description.

"I just write Mr. Okabe's appointment down and then we can move on to the next test," Gakemi told the boy before she sat down on her chair and began tapping.

"There isn't anything wrong with me, right?" Isogai asked with worried expression. It would be horrible if he couldn't go to his part-time job because of some illness, not to mention the costs involved to its treatment.

"Don't worry. You seem healthy but it's important that we're completely sure that there isn't any kind of treacherous illness that can come as a surprise," the doctor reassured with smile. "You mentioned last time that one of your teachers smokes. Passive smoking is as dangerous to your health as if you were smoking yourself."

"Yes but she doesn't smoke near students anymore," Isogai told.

"That's good to hear but just in case," Gakemi noted as she stood up. "Now, let us continue."

Late in the evening a white van stopped at a gas station. A driver's door was opened and a man stepped out. After the tank was full and man had paid the gas, he leaned against the van and took his mobile phone from the pocket of his grey jeans. He chose a number and placed the phone to his ear.

"It's me," the man told when his call was answered. "We're here. Yes, we have everything. Have you finished the preparations?" The man frowned as he listened the answer. "I see… No. We can take care of it. We have done this before but we need a little bit more information. Aha… Okay… Alright, we'll come up with something. Just make sure that you're ready when we start."

The man ended the call and put his phone back into the pocket before he opened the driver's door.

A woman sitting in an adjacent seat rose her gaze from a screen of her phone when the man sat down in the driver's seat. "Do we have problems again, Shimada?" she asked with bored expression as she played with a strand of her black hair.

"No," he answered. "But we have to check a couple of places first. Search me the address of this place, Rinnoru."

After telling her the place they were going to check, Shimada started the car and left the gas station.

To be continue...