Hanashima

➤1999: The Untamed Monster

The torrential rain began at dawn.

It stopped in the evening, but the air remained thick with moisture.

Hiding along a deserted road at night, the untamed monster quietly bided its time.

It was waiting for its prey, a girl who walked home alone along this road every night.

If the deed was done in minutes, there was little chance of witnesses, unless the monster was extremely unlucky.

On a whim, it looked up at the night sky—clear, as if the day of pouring rain had been an illusion. The full moon shone down from a black void.

The monster was afflicted with moonlight syndrome.

Twisted by the ailment, the beast was driven wild by unquenchable desire. It doesn't care what you call it.

On this night of the full moon, the monster was compelled to claim the girl as its own.

It had been lying in wait for an hour when she finally appeared.

This girl—it had been yearning for her day after day.

As usual, she was alone. There was no sign of anyone else on the long mountain road.

At last, her alluring body, clothed in a sailor school uniform, passed right by.

The monster leapt from the shadow of the trees and attacked her from behind.

Her reaction was a simple yelp of surprise, as if she'd mistaken the monster for an insect or small animal.

That was her last chance to cry for help. By the time she realized she was being attacked by someone—something—the monster's hands were already around her neck.

The last sounds the girl made were faint whimpers.

Long after she had gone limp, the monster did not loosen its grip, suspecting she might be pretending. For a few minutes more, it held on, then finally removed its hands from her slender neck. She collapsed lifelessly to the damp asphalt.

Turning her elegant body face-up, the monster grabbed her wrist—no pulse. It slid its hand under her blouse and pressed its palm against her sweaty skin. It waited one minute, then two. But her heart was no longer beating.

Beneath the moonlight, it heard the cry of something beautiful being born.

Yes. At last, the time had come.

Retrieving its sacred tools from the shadows, the monster began preparing for the ritual.

It felt no anxiety, despite this being its first time. There had been countless rehearsals in its twisted fantasies.

Everything went smoothly. It performed the sacred ritual with the utmost love, silently and perfectly.

Now, at long last, the girl belonged fully to the monster—only to it. Filled with joy, the monster tenderly kissed her and, with a dazed smile, made its way home.

The terrible night turned to dawn.

The first thing the girl felt upon waking was the dazzling sunlight. Instinctively shielding her face with her hands, she slowly opened her eyes and unsteadily got up. Before her was the narrow mountain path she always took to school.

What an awful nightmare—no, a nightmare would have been better. This was no dream. It was the horrifying reality of her pain, her fear, her despair. And finally, her death.

The terror of it all still lingered in her chest. But then, why was she still here?

In the light of dawn, the girl looked down at her own lifeless body lying at her feet and screamed.

➤2016: Kyoya Hyodo

A prefecture in northern Kanto region. The sixth floor of an office building just outside of downtown Inga.

This was the office of Imagine Crown Entertainment, a mid-sized IT company specializing in software development.

There's something I want to talk to you about. Are you free tonight?

Kyoya Hyodo stared at his computer screen for a solid fifteen minutes, struggling to find the perfect, poetic words worthy of a once-in-a-lifetime decision. Eventually, he decided to keep it simple and hit send.

His message would have immediately landed in the inbox of Miyuki Karasuya, his colleague sitting two desks away across the aisle.

Communicating this way was rather tedious, but office romances were forbidden. So despite their physical proximity, he needed to be discrete.

But he didn't really mind. In fact, he got a strange thrill using the office computer instead of his smartphone to contact her.

I hope this evening's guest of honor is well.

As he awaited his lover's reply, Kyoya quietly opened his desk drawer.

After carefully checking to make sure that the desks on either side were unoccupied, he pulled out a small box and opened the lid.

The vivid blue sapphire glittered with an eternal brilliance.

He looked at the engagement ring, which had cost him three months' salary, and struggled to keep himself from smiling.

Conversations like this should happen face-to-face, not through long messages on screens.

Perhaps he would do it in a restaurant—nothing too expensive, but with a first-class ambiance. Or maybe under the romantic solitude of the streetlights at night. He just needed to calmly show her the ring and say the magic words.

Will you marry me?

He and Miyuki had been dating for almost three and a half years now.

He had confessed his feelings for her on a whim during a company trip to a Hokkaido ski resort.

Kyoya would never forget the feeling of holding her close on the freezing ski slopes.

His computer dinged, and the inbox icon flashed.

He hurried to moved his mouse and click on it.

I'm free! Let's have dinner. There’s this cool new place that just opened up. I hear the food's really good, so I've been thinking of going there with you. I'm on a diet, so I can't eat much, but . . .

A cool restaurant with good food! Perfect.

Kyoya glanced over at Miyuki. She smiled and waved discreetly so their coworkers wouldn't notice. The sapphire ring would look beautiful on those fingers, Kyoya thought.

Miyuki's figure was toned, her limbs graceful and slender. She definitely didn’t need to diet.

At that moment, Kyoya was the happiest he had ever been. He clicked the reply button to set up their meeting time, no longer able to hide his grin.

First, they would have to visit her parents, then decide when and where to hold the wedding. For the honeymoon, perhaps back to Hokkaido? It was a bit cliché, but they had so many memories there.