《Hello Nightmare》


 1

    2019


    Heavy rain soaked the earth at noon, full of the hustle and bustle of the journey of human daily life. Doing all sorts of work utilizing their own capabilities. Various colours of umbrellas are seen colouring the scenery when viewed from above. In the middle of the busyness, there are two glimpses of humans standing on the ridge board of the gable roof. The building is quite tall if compared to others around it and looks like an ordinary apartment. The green painted building stands out a bit from the surrounding buildings because of its bright colour. It is impossible to see the two of them with the naked eye by the humans below even more so with the rain.


    They embrace the rain without an umbrella to cover them from the cold. Oddly, their clothes don''t even get a little wet. Their perfectly neat clothes are still intact and unsoaked.


    ¡°I believe this meeting is important as our life, that we have to hold it here with rain...Professor Yamato,¡± a dashing-looking man wearing a black suit with a black bowler hat said formally.


    ¡°Nah, nothing left to be valued in my life, Goro...I just want a breath of fresh air to make some decisions about a certain subject¡­the air conditioning will only worsen my thought,¡± an old man wearing a white lab coat with grizzled hair said calmly. He uses a long brown cane with almost half his height at his right side to maintain his stability on the roof.


    "Hahaha, this rain sure is solacing for an old man like us. So, which subject are you referring to?" Goro asked.


    "WW1...It''s meaningless to try to fix it," Professor Yamato explained in short.


    "I see...our first subject...hm, now I know why you chose this place. It does evoke some memories..." Goro said after he can relate this place to the purpose of the meeting.


    ¡°Hahaha...I know, some endings are fitting to be settled at the beginning of it¡­it''s just a cycle of the purpose and outcomes of it,¡± Professor Yamato looks into the sky like he recalls some memories.


    Perhaps we should end it when we have a chance before even starting it, so there will be no cycle at all...but it''s too late now. Professor Yamato monologues within himself.


    ¡°The relationship between the beginning and end huh¡­ I rather replace outcomes with achievement...We have gone so far and accomplished so much to just call it outcomes," Goro said while touching his chin that is adorned with a thin anchor beard.


    "Hmm, sacrificing one subject for another to thrive...that sounds pretty much like an achievement for everyone with a rational mind¡­" the professor said.


    "Yes, efficiency is a human motto after all. So, straight to the point, destroy it then?¡± Goro asked without wasting any time.


    "Hmm, let''s see...I have something to experiment with...so I want to ask your permission, can I use it? You know...it will be a waste to destroy it just like that," Professor Yamato asked politely.


    "Garbage isn''t needed in my work, you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn''t impact another subject, and make sure to report it to me from time to time, I don''t want someone doing something without my knowledge," Goro said straightly while holding the tips of his hat.


    "My pleasure then¡­" Professor Yamato expresses his gratitude.


    ¡°Zup!¡±


    Goro suddenly fades in a blink of an eye without a trace left on the roof like a ninja leaving Professor Yamato all alone on the roof.


    "It was just a matter of time before it came. Suddenly, everything is ''my'' work only," the professor muttered alone, "Poor boy¡­exploited half-dead, abandoned with eternal pain. Nevertheless, incapable of feeling the pain anymore, for it was already a part of him."


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    He gazes far into the sky before fading away just like Goro.


    ¡­


    2020


    In class 1-F of Yamazaki High School, the midterm examination went on in full intensity. The student all focused on their mind to answer the exam question. The boys were wearing formal white shirts with red ties matched with black slacks. The girls wore a sailor-style white uniform with red ribbon and black skirt.


    "5 more minutes left! Make sure you have already answered all the questions. To anyone who is already done, make a double-check. This is your last paper, make sure you don''t make silly mistakes."


    A chubby teacher with wavy short hair announces to her students before the examination reaches its ending.


    ...but I just answered half of it¡­and everything that I answered is based on my feelings...I don''t even know the right answer...


    Hiroshi stared at his English paper helplessly with his mouth opened slightly. He scratched his head making his already messy black hair more chaotic.


    "Time''s up! Put down your pen! Check your name!"


    ...guess I will just let it slide, ahh how can anyone answer this¡­? Did they speak English at home? I should try with mom and dad...


    With the thought that he will never finish it in time, he put down his pen accepting his fate.


    "Last student in each line, please stand up and help me pick up your friend''s paper."


    All the intended 5 students carry out the task given by the teachers. Three of them are boys and two are girls. The one in Hiroshi''s line is a boy.


    Hiroshi, who sat at the front row in the middle line of the class just waiting with patience for the last midterm paper to be gone from his sight.


    "Okay, thank you for helping me! All of you, wait for a moment! Let me check if everyone has already sent it!" She starts to count the answer sheets quietly after all of the paper arrives.


    "Okay! All 25 of you are here! You can be dismissed now!"


    The teacher says while packing the answer sheet into plastic. After she finishes it, she leaves the class in an instant without telling anything more.


    "Ahhh, it''s so hard!" a boy beside Hiroshi, with glasses and curly brown hair said to his friend while standing up from his seat.


    "Really? Not that hard honestly," a boy who is staying behind him with side fringe back hair, still packing his stationary, replied.


    "You are gifted with your brain...You will never understand someone like me."


    "Forget about that already, let''s go to the arcade. It''s already our last paper."


    "Hahaha, yeah let''s forget about the exam already! It''s just a midterm."


    Hiroshi heard the chat of some of his classmates from his seat right after the exam. They don''t even bother to chat with Hiroshi.


    Most of his classmates are already leaving their seats. Getting ready to walk their way home. Chatting about how hard the English exam was and what they will do after this.


    Yet Hiroshi just stays in his seat staring right at the whiteboard. No one comes near him to have a chat or to invite him to go home together. The other two who he heard their conversation before were also gone. It looks like he doesn''t exist in that class. Ignored by everyone like a ghost who can''t be seen by anyone.


    A minute after minute passed, the class became empty. The mixed sound of everyone''s voice was already lost from Hiroshi hearing. The clock showed 3.30 p.m.


    ...They are a bit late today...I want to go to the grocery store...


    "Hahaha! Is he still here?"


    "Yeah, that''s him!"


    A voice came from outside the class.


    "Shrkkk!"


    The sound of the front door sliding filled the deserted class. Three boys suddenly enter the class.


    "What a good boy you are!" a tall, skinny and bald boy says out loud.


    "Hahaha! What are you talking about Yuji? He is always a good boy!" a boy with an average height, style with a black undercut haircut agreed.


    "Shrk..."


    The third chubby boy with curly hair didn''t say anything and just proceeded to close the door slowly.


    They all go straight into Hiroshi and stand around him who still sits in his seat.


    "Oi, Hiroshi! Do you bring it?" Yuji asked in a low voice as he whispered.


    "Hahaha! Straight to the point huh?" the undercut boy said.


    "We shouldn''t waste time here, Yori...the faster we can get the better," Yuji said.


    "I know, I know, so Hiroshi...give it to us already¡­" Yori said.


    Hiroshi doesn''t say anything. He suddenly stands up and takes a step to the back of the class. The wrinkles on his shirt can be seen clearly after he stands up.


    "Oi, where do you want to go?" Yori grabs Hiroshi''s left shoulder.


    "The things...in my bag¡­" Hiroshi said in a dry tone, emotionless. His deep voice makes it like he doesn''t even have an interest in everything that happens now.


    "Oh¡­faster please" Yori let go of his shoulder.


    He leisurely takes a step toward the student''s locker behind the class. He reaches the farthest part of the locker, the top, near the window and opens it. He takes out a plain orange bag inside it and goes straight to the boys who are waiting at his seat.


    After he arrives at his seat, he puts his bag on his table and takes out something from it.


    "Here¡­" Hiroshi said while holding a pack of cigarettes in his grip.

 2

    "Oi, lower it...we will be in trouble if someone sees this," the chubby boy finally said something.


    "Relax Toshi...no one here now, they already go home," Yuji said to comfort Toshi.


    "Not the teachers¡­" Toshi replied in a low tone.


    "Whatever, let''s go already! They will wait for us," Yori takes the pack of cigarettes from Hiroshi''s grip and walks toward the front door.


    "Wait¡­" something seems to bother Yori.


    He stops right before he opens the door and checks the pack that he took from Hiroshi.


    "Why is it so light...huh?" As he opened the pack, surprisingly he found out that there''s only one cigarette in there.


    "Oi, Hiroshi...what the fuck is this?" Yori shows the inside of the pack to Hiroshi with an annoyed face.


    "Huh? There''s only one?!" Yuji comes closer to Yori to verify what he saw from afar.


    "Oi, explain this Hiroshi! Does it fall off into your bag?" Yori asked in a serious tone wondering where the other cigarettes went missing.


    "Oh, I tried it last night and for breakfast a little¡­It is so bad, I vomited it into the trash," Hiroshi answers straight and flat without any guilt written in his facial expressions. He doesn''t even try to make excuses to fool others. He straight out confessed that he was the one responsible for the missing cigarettes.


    "You what?!" Yuji shouted as anger and shock filled him. He walked furiously toward Hiroshi who was still standing near his seat.


    "Oi, oi...we ask you to buy and bring it to school only right? Right?! Is there anything we ask after that? No! Right?!" He yelled right in front of Hiroshi''s blank face and threw the pack of cigarettes at him. The only cigarette inside it came out from the pack.


    ...What should I eat for dinner¡­? I''m so hungry right now. Cigarettes don''t help to reduce my hunger...How do they eat that?


    "Look, he gave that look again...it seems like he already forgot all our lessons before!" Yori said while standing beside Yuji.


    ...I have to buy ingredients¡­


    "Oiii! Hiroshiii!!!" Yori pulled Hiroshi''s collar and shook it a little bit to ensure he paid attention to him.


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    ...Chicken curry...sounds good¡­mom and dad must like it...it''s their favourite after all...


    Hiroshi''s mind was indeed lost from its body, figuring about the future dinner he will have a few hours from now. An image of a few dishes already appeared in his imagination. He completely ignored the others.


    Yori on the other side already lost his patience.


    ¡°Dush!¡±


    A direct punch from Yori''s right hand landed perfectly on Hiroshi''s left cheek.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Losing his balance due to the hit, Hiroshi collided with one of the tables near him. The table and the chair that was put under it went upside down due to the impact of the collision. Hiroshi just remains to lie on his side without any effort to get up.


    ...Or, fried rice is not bad either...but, we already ran out of rice at home¡­


    In complete ignorance of the situation he is in, Hiroshi has a small dilemma of what he should eat to fill his stomach rather than thinking about how to fix the situation. Whether full of flavour curry or simple yet satiated fried rice are his two top choices to choose from.


    Yori''s punch does make a little red imprint on his left cheek, but it doesn''t seem to annoy him even a little. His expression doesn''t change.


    "Hey, don''t make such a loud noise¡­" Toshi spurted out a message to his friend that seems a little too late than it should be. The thunderous noise is already produced by Yori and definitely heard by someone nearby.


    "Do I look like I care? This motherfucker really gets on my nerves!" Yori yelled.


    "Oi, oi, I think we should settle this outside the school, there must be someone who heard that loud noise already¡­" Toshi advised them after thinking rationally without giving an interest in Yori''s words. He starts to act uneasily. His eyes darted nervously like someone who worried about something.


    "What the hell are you thinking Toshi? The boss will already be waiting for us right after we step out of this school!" Yuji holds Toshi''s shoulders with a pair of his hands to bring him back into reality.


    ...Oh, but don''t I want to buy ingredients anyway? I can buy rice too¡­


    "We will get our ass done anyway if we bring just one fucking cigarette for them! Let''s just soothe our soul by kicking this motherfucker ass!"


    Yori is approaching aggressively toward Hiroshi who is still lying on the floor and makes him lie on his back. He placed his right knee on top of Hiroshi''s chest while his hands grabbed Hiroshi''s collar.


    "Now, eat this you asshole!"


    He swings his right hand as far as he can before landing a similar punch as before to Hiroshi''s left cheek. He repeated the same way with his left hand toward Hiroshi''s right cheek. And the loop continues without stopping until he is satisfied.


    "Dush! Dush! Dush!"


    ...But, if I want to make curry anyway...I want to eat it with what? Of course, rice...


    Yuji and Toshi, knowing the nature of Yori when he lost his patience, just leer toward Yori''s action.


    "H-hey, Yori...that''s enough¡­" Yuji said even though he genuinely felt satisfied seeing Hiroshi being beaten up.


    "Oi, oi, he''s bleeding! It will be troublesome if someone notices it! Stop it already!" Toshi is worried if someone finds out, but he doesn''t even make any effort except for shouting his thoughts.


    "Huh? Oh! If you feel the bleeding isn''t enough, I will leave bruises on his face so anyone can see how bad he got schooled by me!" Yori deliberately misinterpreted Toshi''s words. Anger has already taken over his sanity. He continues to hit Hiroshi.


    ...So, whether it''s fried rice or chicken curry...I have to make rice¡­So, rice will be my top priority to buy today.


    Lost in his own world. Nothing can stop Hiroshi from thinking of food for himself. Although the blood already flowed from his nose, he took Yori''s punches without showing any sign of pain in his facial expression.


    "Shrkkk! Dum!"


    A sudden loud sound of the sliding door being slammed that came without any sign startled all the individuals in class 1-F except Hiroshi.


    "What is happening here?!"


    A female teacher in a matched navy blue office dress and skirt, with her black hair tied in a ponytail, stormed into the scene from the front door. Glaring at them fiercely with her upturned eyes after scanning the situation in a glance. Her hard angled eyebrow highlights her ferocity. Standing firmly while crossing her arm.

 3

    The boys were left stunned for a second before doing something every culprit would do. Yori and Yuji ran briskly towards the back door, disarraying all the chairs and tables in their path.


    "Hey, you two stop right there!"


    They just ignored her call with her smoky voice and ran away using the back door.


    While someone is doing something a sensible student would do. Toshi standing immobile right in his place, yet he can''t help his body from trembling in fear. Not that he can''t run from there, he is just too afraid to do it.


    The teacher doesn''t seem to have the interest to chase the other two as she notices someone already lying on the ground.


    She quickly goes to Hiroshi to check his condition.


    "You! Stay there!" She pointed toward Toshi.


    She kneels right beside Hiroshi and moves a nearby chair and table to give him space to breathe.


    "Hey? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"


    The teacher shook Hiroshi''s collarbone firmly to check if he could respond and still have consciousness. Hiroshi''s eyes are still wide open but still have no response. She took out her handkerchief and wiped a little blood that came from Hiroshi''s nose.


    "Hey, if you hear me, can you hold the handkerchief so your blood doesn''t flow through?"


    Hiroshi doesn''t respond. She put her handkerchief back into her pocket.


    ¡°You! Help me lift him. We¡¯ll go to the nurse room first,¡± she ordered Toshi.


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    ...Ahh...I¡¯ll go with chicken curry...it¡¯s been a long time since I last ate chicken¡­


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    "Wait¡­"


    The teacher found out there''s a cigarette on the ground and took it into her pocket. Toshi just gulps after he sees the teacher''s action.


    "You lift on the other side¡­"


    She instructed Toshi to do exactly as she did. They grab Hiroshi''s wrist and shoulder and make two human crutches to support him from both sides.


    "Ready?"


    "Y-yes."


    "Now!"


    They successfully lift him and go straight to the nurse room even though they are struggling a little bit because of Hiroshi''s weight, which is heavier than they thought.


    It took them about 5 minutes to arrive at the nurse room which was placed at the lowest level in the building while class 1-F was at level 2. They don''t come across anyone on the way as everyone already leaves.


    "Knock! Knock!"


    "Yes...how can I help...Oh! Get in, get in. What''s happened to him?"


    The nurse on duty wearing a green jacket welcomed them. The nurse fastly leads them to the nearest bed inside the nurse room.


    "Please check if he is alright!" The teachers said in a worried tone.


    "Okay, leave him to me." The nurse started to check Hiroshi from his head. She tries to find out if there''s any external bleeding.


    "There''s just a little bleeding in his nose¡­ Hey, can you hear me?"


    "Yeah, I''ll eat chicken curry today," Hiroshi suddenly said flatly after he silenced himself from the class.


    The teacher and Toshi look a bit shocked that he is talking.


    "Oh...how are you?" The nurse asked.


    "I have not bought the chicken yet¡­I don''t know if he''s fine or not..." Hiroshi spurts out dumb things from his mouth.


    "Oh...Uhm, teacher? What exactly happened to him?"


    "That''s your job to explain, doesn''t it?" The teacher stares at Toshi who is standing as stiff as a rock.


    Toshi explains everything about his pals punching Hiroshi but he never said the name of who actually does it or the things about the cigarette.


    "I see...I already double-checked his head and didn''t find any other external bleeding. Do you feel bad anywhere? Should I check your body too?" The nurse asked Hiroshi who looked fine with just a little bruise from Yori''s punch.


    "I want to go to the grocery."


    "What''s your name?" The teacher asked Hiroshi after she couldn''t find any nametag on his school uniform.


    "Hiroshi."


    "Okay, hear me, Hiroshi-san. Are you really okay? If you don''t feel well anywhere, the nurse here can help you, if you don''t want to, I can bring you to the nearest clinic," the teacher said in a calm tone while looking eye to eye with emotionless Hiroshi.


    "I''m fine."


    "I see¡­I hope you can say that after you eat this¡­"


    "Bang!"


    The teacher makes a finger gun sign using her right hand. Raising her thumb above her fist to act as a hammer, and her index fingers extended perpendicular to it acting as a barrel. A red bullet appeared from the teacher''s index finger that pointed toward Hiroshi in the blink of an eye. Her hand lifted slightly like a sign of an impact from the shot. The bullet brutally split Hiroshi''s mouth with one rumbling shot. The skin of his face shattered into a thousand parts that could not possibly be reassembled. His blood wandered in the room that was clean without any impurities just the previous second before. Everyone in the room was left surprised and terrified.


    Left headless, Hiroshi''s body was left on the bed accompanied by the fishy smell of his own blood.

 4

    "Ahh...ahhh...AHHHHHHHH!!!"


    A scream of fear that could deafen anyone who heard it up close was sung by the nurse. Sat in a state of shivering with fear trying to distance herself from the teacher after seeing things beyond her expectations.


    "Ahh...that''s a nice melody you have...I envy your voice, want to trade it with mine?"


    The teacher pointed the pistol sign toward the nurse who wearing a green jacket probably already on her way to get back home.


    "Wh-wh-what are y-you doing j-just now?" Toshi who left stunned for a while inadvertently questioning the teacher''s action.


    "Are you seriously questioning me right now? I thought you were good for nothing. Who just follows your friend''s wrongdoing as long as you save? You have the audacity to correct me?"


    "H-huh...h-huh¡­?"


    Toshiba trembling all over his body. Terrified by the psychotic teacher in front of him.


    "I saw everything Toshi...didn''t you just look at  Hiroshi being punched over and over again without trying to stop your friend?"


    The teachers walk around Toshi giving him a devilish look like something she loathes and hates with all her heart. Talking with a malicious tone using her smoky voice.


    "You just try to stop him after you realize Hiroshi''s bleeding and if someone notices it, and Hiroshi opens his mouth about you all...you will be in trouble because you will be assumed to have conspired with them¡­"


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    She hung her right hand on Toshi''s shoulders.


    "You don''t really care about him, right? All you care about is yourself¡­ As long as no one sees it, I can do whatever I want, as long as I''m fine, then the world can burn all it wants."


    She closed her face into Toshi''s pale face.


    "That''s all in you...you didn''t run because there''s already a witness. That''s right, I saw your face, and remember it clearly even deep in hell, I will tell God that this is the face I saw that day...so, pull him into hell with me!"


    She does the finger gun sign right into his head using her right hand that hangs up around Toshi''s shoulder.


    "Urh...urgh¡­urghhh...arghh...AARGGHHHHHH"


    He cries out with tears overflowing from his eyes.


    "N-no...n-no...d-don''t¡­for-forgive m-me!"


    "Really? Do you really mean it? I don''t think so...why don''t you just rot in hell right now, don''t need to wait for me to give your name to god!"


    "Fo-forgive me! I sw-swear I will ch-change! D-don''t shoot me!"


    "Aww, of course, I can forgive you¡­"


    "Bang!"


    "But the one you are supposed to ask forgiveness for is not here anyway...you can search for him in hell¡­ I''m just helping you to reach him faster."


    The teacher said with an evil grin. Toshi''s body collapsed into the ground, lifeless. The red bullet pierced his head from right to left. Unlike Hiroshi, Toshi''s face remains unscathed. There''s just a hole from the bullet that is left in his head with a bloody red bloodstain flowing from it into the white floor.


    "Hey! Do you want to sit there all day?"


    The nurse sat under the window shivering in fear assuming she was the next victim. She was powerless to escape because of the shock she experienced.


    "Oh...don''t worry, I''ll not do anything to you...but if you promise you will not tell anything about everything that happens here to anyone¡­Or else, you know what''s coming for you..."


    She pointed her finger gun sign toward the nurse''s forehead.


    "Ergh...ergh...o-ok...I''ll n-not t-tell anybody¡­"


    The nurse nodded in a tremble, agreeing to the terms given.


    "Now...get out from here¡­"


    She whispered to the nurse. With all the energy left in her body. She starts crawling before finding the momentum to stand up and run for her life. She left all her items in the room thinking only about her life.


    "Now...let''s hunt some nightmare¡­"


    Slowly, the teacher, who is the only one left with consciousness in the nurse room, pointed her finger gun sign right into her head. The only difference is she is using her left hand this time.


    "Bing!"


    A blue bullet pierced into her head. Her body crumpled on the white floor without a chain of blood flowing from her head.


    Three lifeless bodies were left in the nurse room.

 5

    ...What happened? The teacher pointed her hand toward me. And making weird-looking signs. What is that sign? Is it a dog? Or a snake maybe...Then, I saw a candy-like thing magically come from her index finger. Is that candy? It''s red though...like a candy that I like, the size is the same too. The next thing I know is I am stuck here.


    Hiroshi can recall the situation that happened before in detail. He saw almost everything in slow motion.


    Hiroshi floats without any direction in the dark unknown place. Absolute darkness filled the gravity less space. In an area with nothing can be seen but himself. There''s not even land to trace with his foot.


    ...I can''t see anything...am I dying? Hmm, I can''t eat chicken curry then¡­what am I supposed to eat here?


    Hiroshi tries to control his direction but fails helplessly. He can move part of his body, but cannot choose the way he''s going. Like trash falling in the vast sea, Hiroshi drifts directionless into mysterious areas alone.


    ...Ahh, I''m hungry...isn''t there any grocery around here?


    After a minute of boringness, one entity appears like a white puzzle being combined piece by piece automatically. Slowly it takes the shape of a human. Even though the space is so dark, he can see the human perfectly and clearly. But for some odd reason, Hiroshi doesn''t realize that the human is Toshi, who is one of the three of the students that met him earlier.


    ¡°Food? Oh...not food¡­Disappointing...¡±


    "Huh? Hah? Argh? Arghhhh!"


    The Human starts to scream unconditionally.


    ¡°Wh-where am I? Wh-why I-I¡¯m here? Huh? Wh-what is that?¡±


    A second later, he noticed Hiroshi''s existence. The human fearfully stared at Hiroshi like someone who saw something frightening.


    ¡°Huh? M-monster! MONSTER!¡±


    ...Huh? Monster? Where?


    ¡°Someone help me! Help me! I don¡¯t want to die! Help me! Anybody! Please!¡±


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    The human moving aimlessly floating in the dark space like someone drowning in the sea without the skill to swim. He desperately wants to run but he can¡¯t even control his body perfectly.


    ...There¡¯s no monster anywhere...I want to ask him if he knows any groceries around here...I''m getting hungry...food stalls are okay too.


    Hiroshi starts to force himself into the human slowly.


    ...Oh, I can go to him...I thought I can¡¯t move my body freely¡­


    Hiroshi feels like he¡¯s not moving before because he is floating in the dark space without any sign. There''s no difference if someone tries to move because there¡¯s no objective and direction that can be measured as the distance of how far they actually move.


    Even though he can move, he still can¡¯t control his direction smoothly. Rather than walking, it looks like Hiroshi tried to swim to the location of the human.


    ¡°Huh? Arghhh! Stop! Don¡¯t go near me! Go away! You monster! Are you...are you a Ni-nightmare? B-but you are not supposed to appear during the day! Don¡¯t come to me!¡±


    ...What¡¯s wrong with him? I just want to ask if he knows any grocery nearby¡­ Is he actually directing his words toward me? I don''t see anyone around here¡­


    For some unknown reason, Hiroshi doesn¡¯t recognize Toshi. There''s not a single memory in his mind about the boy who is there in the dark space with him. It''s like Hiroshi never met Toshi though they just met at his class.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I''m really sorry! Please spare my life! Don''t kill me! Please! I beg!"


    ...Why does he ask forgiveness? What things did he do wrong?


    "You''re really born to speak when it only matters to you huh?"


    A familiar woman''s voice coming from their back. Interrupting Toshi word of forgiveness. The word that anyone will say to the threat that endangers their own life.


    ¡°H-huh? Sen-sensei?!¡±


    Toshi was shocked when seeing the teachers from before who shot him and Hiroshi in exact form like before. She was wearing the same clothes as before, so did Toshi.


    ¡°Huh...I see that''s your true form¡­¡±


    Unlike Toshi who is scared as hell when looking at Hiroshi, the teacher seems calm and doesn''t bother with Hiroshi''s appearance. Hiroshi still looks clueless.


    ...What¡¯s wrong with everyone...one said about monsters, one said about ¡®true form¡¯... Is there anybody besides me here that I can¡¯t see?


    ¡°Y-you...you shoot me! Wh-what¡¯s wrong with you! Wh-what¡¯s happening here? Where am I?¡± Toshi yelled.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you drop the stuttering? It is starting to annoy me¡­¡±


    ¡°H-huh?¡±


    ¡°Haha...not like you can do anything anymore...you''re stuck here with that monster anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand a thing!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my problem¡­ Now, where¡¯s your core?¡±


    The teacher pointed her right hand toward Hiroshi, she made a finger gun sign just like in the nurse room.


    ...Huh? What is she talking about? Is she standing straight right now? How does she control her body in this place?


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    She releases three repetitive shots toward Hiroshi¡¯s body.


    "Arghhh!"


    Shocked and scared by the thump sound. Toshi ducks down as a defensive mechanism while covering his head with his arm even though there''s no ground.


    The impact from the shot made Hiroshi push backwards from his position. Hiroshi doesn¡¯t react that much. His face indicates zero expression and doesn''t show any pain from the shot.


    ...Huh? Is she shooting me? With what? It tickles a bit.


    Yet there¡¯s one peculiar thing that attracts his attention. He looked straight at his right hands. He realizes some odds behind his palm that he didn''t realize earlier because he was wearing a long-sleeve uniform and he was too busy thinking about food rather than himself.


    ...Wow¡­ Since when has my body fur become this thick? Wuuu...

 6

    Hiroshi looked at the state of his body and stroked his own fur. Thick red hair covered almost the entire body of Hiroshi. He touched his whole body like an itchy person and could feel the fur. But the red fur did not cover his whole body.


    The right side of his face remains as the original but the left side is covered with hair. In contrast to his head, the right side of his body is covered with red fur while the left side remains normal. As in the zig-zag pattern, his right leg is not covered with red fur while his left leg is the opposite.


    ¡­What type of nightmare is he? Looks like a werewolf, but why is his fur just half of his face?


    The teacher thought in her mind.


    ...Huh?


    Hiroshi checked the bullet that he was being shot with. He dug the bullet out of his body using his finger. A red bullet, just like the colour of blood. Hiroshi stares at the bullet intently.


    "Bang! Bang!"


    As Hiroshi''s attention is being captivated by the bullet, the teacher once again shoots him right in the head this time. Hiroshi once again is being pushed backwards by the impact. It looks like Hiroshi is floating like a corpse in that dark space with no ground to fall off.


    The bullet that he held before came loose from his grip. Drifting without direction.


    ...Shit, there are only five bullets left, I''m too confident the core is his heart or his head. What place is his core located if it''s not there? I can''t afford to gamble on this, that damn old man will not give me another bullet if I waste any more bullets without any result.


    The teacher observed Hiroshi. She hasn''t even moved an inch since her appearance in that place. Yet unlike the two other students, she doesn''t seem like losing her balance and floating in that space.


    ...Huh?


    Hiroshi finds back his consciousness just a second after his head kisses two bullets. Unlike in the nurse room, his head doesn''t split up into pieces. The bullets literally get into his head leaving a hole of its size at his forehead while the bullets stay deep in his head.


    ...Urgh, something in my head...tickles¡­


    Hiroshi touched his head.


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    ...I can''t take any risk...I must find its core first before shooting any more bullets¡­but, what can I find in this type of Region? There''s nothing to act as a clue¡­ I should get out first and gather other information¡­ But, is he still alive even if I''m not shooting his core?


    The teacher thought in her mind.


    "Wh-what are you doing sensei?! Why are you doing this to me?"


    Even though he is scared and his whole body is trembling, Toshi can''t help but ask the teacher.


    "Sensei? Oh...do you even know my name?"


    "Huh? Your name? Uh...I-I don''t remember...y-you are a new teacher right? And you haven''t taught my class yet, that''s why I don''t remember your name¡­"


    "Oh...you know what? That''s a good excuse. It''s like...you are not my student yet, so I don''t bound to answer your question¡­ Right?"


    "H-huh b-but¡­"


    "Don''t worry, you can ask questions from the monster over there, I also will come back later to tame him. So...have fun with him."


    Whatever, it''s not like he is a strong Nightmare to be used...I have nothing to lose here. He can''t even control himself in his own Region...


    The teacher once again pointed her left hand with a finger gun sign to her head.


    "Bing!"


    Right after she shot herself, in a blink of an eye, the teacher disappeared from the dark space as if she had never been there. There''s not a single trace of herself left in the dark space.


    "H-huh? Where is she going? Where is she? Oi...don''t leave me alone like this...where the fuck is this place! Oi! Stupid sensei!"


    Unable to hold his patience, Toshi yelled his heart out blaming the teacher who he doesn''t know her name for everything that happened to him.


    ...Urgh...what is this?


    Hiroshi is still digging inside his head to take the bullet out of his head.


    ¡°H-huh? The monster...it¡¯s still here...alive¡­¡±


    Toshi shivers as he sees Hiroshi who looks like a monster in his eyes. Even half of Hiroshi''s face can still be identified as Hiroshi because the red fur only covers half of it, Toshi absolutely ignores it and concludes that is a monster without having any other thought. The fact that he is too scared of the condition he is in also makes things hard for him to think about the things in front of him.


    ...How many of these things are inside of my body? I''m too lazy to take off all of it¡­ I¡¯m hungry too...oh, that boy is still there, I should ask him...uhm, what should I ask again? Uhm, how should my sentence sound like... Uhm, hey you, do you know any grocery nearby?... That¡¯s good, I''ll go with it


    ¡°Hey, are you the grocery store?¡±


    Hiroshi flatly asks the unorganized and stupid question to Toshi after he sees him.


    ...Is that the right sentence? Whatever...Oh, where was the woman before? Did she already find the grocery store?...


    Toshi doesn¡¯t answer Hiroshi''s question. He doesn¡¯t even hear the question in the first place. His mind became numb thinking how he could get out of that place and all that he had just seen. The outer appearance of Hiroshi, who looks like a half-monster, frightened him. He doesn¡¯t even have the energy to run. Not that he can run in the dark space without gravity though.


    ¡°Hsk...hsk...hsk¡­Please...spare my life...hsk...hsk...¡±


    Unable to think of anything else, the last resort he takes is crying in front of Hiroshi begging for his life. Ironically, asking for mercy to something who he views as a monster who shouldn''t have any feeling of mercy.


    ¡°Huh? Why are you crying...¡±


    ¡°H-huh? Y-you can talk?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask-¡±


    Hiroshi''s body suddenly became numb. He kneels from his position. His eyes blackout, like someone who is losing consciousness. His iris and pupil are nowhere to be seen, losing their colour to the darkness.


    After a second, his head moved up a bit. His mouth starts to move. With a deep and vicious voice that is totally different from the one talking before. It comes closer to Toshi.


    ¡°Sadly...you¡¯re the one...who can¡¯t talk right now¡­¡±


    "Huh? Argh...ARGHHHHHH!"


    ----

 7

    In the nurse room,


    What type of Region is that? It''s nothing. Just a dark space¡­


    The teacher wakes up from the body that she shot before. There''s no mark of the shot left on her head. The blue bullet is also already gone as she has never been shot.


    She looks around, Hiroshi''s body with the destroyed head still on the bed untouched from its position, the same as Toshi''s body on the floor. She comes to Hiroshi''s body and checks the pulse and his heartbeat. After that, she checks Toshi''s body.


    They are dead, no pulse or heartbeat can be heard. I thought he would survive that¡­ I''m not shooting his core¡­ Well, whatever¡­ I don''t have time for this.


    "Himiko!"


    She suddenly called out a name.


    "Y-yes ma''am!"


    A small white fox suddenly appears flying through the window, answering the teacher with a cute child voice.


    "Dispose of their body¡­"


    The fox stared at the two bodies.


    "W-why are there two of them?"


    She was confused about the situation.


    The teacher just ignored her question.


    "Puff!"


    She suddenly transforms into a girl with short white hair and a bang. She is wearing a white gown for a kid and not wearing any shoes.


    "B-but they still haven''t died¡­"


    "Huh? Are you kidding? What do you mean?"


    "I-I don''t know, their life force... is still intact with their body."


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    "I already checked their pulse and heartbeat, there''s no way they are alive. Just get rid of their body already."


    "H-huh...I-I don''t want to eat something that doesn''t die...it will make me a killer!"


    "Don''t get the wrong idea. I''m the one who kills them! Now-"


    "L-look!"


    Himiko pointed her right hand toward Hiroshi''s body. It started moving on its own, the pieces from his shattered head that separated from his body weirdly crawling back toward his main body.


    Pieces by pieces joined together to create his head back just like the original one without any change. A second later, Hiroshi''s head completely turned back to normal while he was still not conscious.


    "Urgh¡­"


    The one who the teacher taught was already dead, received his heartbeat back. His pulse started to drive his consciousness back to his body. Slowly, Hiroshi opened his eyes to see the world.


    "What is happening here, Himiko?"


    The teacher with a clueless expression asked.


    "I-I don''t know! Didn''t you shoot his core in his Region?"


    "I can''t find his core¡­ So, I get out before my bullet becomes less than five. "


    "Uhm what I know is the Nightmare that doesn''t get tamed will get back to their original body with the same condition they were in before...there will be no regeneration or whatever...but, the problem here is there''s no Nightmare with the human body before¡­"


    "Huh? I thought it''s normal for a Nightmare to have the original human body? You said about him before like he was not special or anything."


    "O-oh re-really hehe...hehe¡­ I must forget to tell you then...hehe."


    "The only funny thing here is the splat sound when I crash your head to the ground."


    "H-haa! S-sorry! I''m s-sorry ma''am. Promise I will not f-forget anything after this! S-spare me! B-but you are a Daymare, right? Don''t you already know about this? You should learn about it, right?"


    "Huh? Say it again¡­"


    The teacher looks at Himiko with a bitter and sharp gaze. Himiko''s words probably make her wind up.


    "Ug-ugh I''m sorry! I don''t mean like that! I''m sorry!"


    "Huh?"


    In the middle of their conversation, Hiroshi already finds his consciousness and sits on the bed. He looks at the teacher and Himiko repeatedly.


    ...Uhm, why am I here again? Urgh...I''m from the class, then they brought me here...Oh, is this a grocery store?


    Hiroshi doesn''t remember anything from the dark space. He only remembers the situation from his class.


    "M-ma''am, what should we do to him?"


    "Srss¡­"


    A weird sound suddenly comes from Toshi''s body that lies on the floor.


    "H-hah? What is that?"


    Himiko seems a little startled.


    ...Now what?


    The teacher seems calm even though she also doesn''t know what happened.


    Hiroshi doesn''t say anything and just looks at Toshi''s body.


    It gradually becomes like a piece of paper being burned by fire. His body turned into black ashes and vanished into the air.


    "Ma''am¡­"


    Himiko suddenly becomes pale. The coming of bad news was all written on her face.


    "What?"


    "H-his life force...it''s gone¡­he''s d-dead for sure..."


    "Oh, really? How can that be?"


    The teacher doesn''t seem to really care about it except for the cause of it.


    "I-I don''t know¡­"


    "What about that one? Does it still have his life force?"


    The teacher looks at Hiroshi who is still on the bed.


    "Oh¡­h-he''s still had it...w-wait¡­"


    "Huh? Why? What''s wrong? He''s gone too?"


    "There''s t-two of it¡­"


    "Huh?"


    The teacher was confused by Himiko''s statement.


    "His life force...it''s become t-two now¡­"

 8

    "And how can that be?"


    "I-I don''t know either¡­"


    "Forget about that for a second, how long will your illusion hold on?"


    "Uh, about five more minutes ma''am."


    "We should clean the mess up now, oh wait, there''s nothing to clean...his blood also cleans itself when he does his regeneration."


    The teacher checks the other side of the bed.


    "We should go already¡­ there''s a nurse we need to settle."


    She means the nurse who was with them before.


    "U-uhm, what are you gonna do with the nurse?"


    "Kill her of course."


    The teacher said without any guilt. Himiko''s eyes widened as she heard that.


    "B-but you promise to spare her life don''t you?"


    Himiko tries to avoid the killing.


    "You think she will keep quiet? She is probably already looking for the cops right now. I let her go before because I estimated your illusion will last until I tamed him. And it''s enough time to chase her right away. It will be a mess if she disturbs my body when I go to the Region anyway."


    "B-but she doesn''t do anything wrong!"


    "Well, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time¡­"


    "B-but¡­then, why don''t you just kill her before?!"


    Himiko shouted at her. She doesn''t find any valid reason to kill the nurse before.


    "Why do you get so worked up? You don''t feel bad when I say I want to kill this Nightmare¡­"


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    "Th-that because he''s a Nightmare! And I don''t remember in our plan that you will kid other innocent kids too!"


    Himiko acts like a kid who gets angry with their parents. Trying to blame everything on the teacher.


    "Ohh...oi, look at me¡­"


    The teacher comes closer to Himiko and stares sharply into her eyes. The difference between their height makes it look like a mom looking at her child.


    "If you think the nurse and the human kid don''t deserve to die...then what makes you think that the Nightmare deserves to die?


    The teacher asked Himiko while looking directly at her eyes looking down at her.


    " H-huh...b-because he''s a Nightmare...he is dangerous! That''s the reason he has to die! If nobody kills him, he will kill innocent people!"


    In stuttering, Himiko tries to justify her point.


    "Hahaha!"


    The teacher burst out laughing before asking a question.


    "Do you know how much time I spent watching this Nightmare?"


    The teacher gave a little glance at Hiroshi.


    "I-I don''t know...three days?"


    "Hahaha! How stupid can you be? Don''t you remember the exact time you told me about him?"


    "Uhm¡­ I don''t really remember..."


    "It''s a month ago idiot¡­we discuss every possible Nightmare that I can tame¡­ I''ve already surveyed all the possible Nightmares, but I think he is the easiest one to tame, I watched him for almost a week.¡±


    ¡°W-why don¡¯t you tell me this before we execute our plan?¡±


    ¡°Haha...Hahaha! Dumbass!¡±


    ¡°Pak!¡± The teacher gave a light tap to Himiko¡¯s head with her right hand.


    ¡°Auch¡­¡±


    ¡°I''ve already told you before, you are the one who can''t keep it in your mind sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh...hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevermind...what I want to say is he never attacked any human in my watch...not even a scratch of a wound he gave to the human. Not even at night...¡±


    ¡°W-what? Doesn''t he become his true form at night?¡±


    Himiko was confused.


    ¡°No, never. I only got to see his true form in the Region just now. And for this information, I¡¯m sure I never gave it to you before.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I just want to see the difference between your reaction toward humans and Nightmares...of course, you are Daymare¡­ you are supposed to help humans to fight the Nightmare...but what if the human is the one who threatens the Nightmare? Will your view of them reverse? Which side will you help?¡±


    ¡°H-huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°You see right? That he got beat up by the human? Yet you do nothing¡­¡±


    Himiko remembers when she watched Hiroshi getting punched by a boy in his class where she just saw beyond the window in her fox form.


    ¡°Because of what? Because he¡¯s a Nightmare¡­ There¡¯s no reason for you to protect him. Now, what if we reverse the situation? The one who gets beat up is the human, what are you gonna do?¡±


    There¡¯s not a single word that comes from Himiko. She doesn¡¯t find any excuses that she can give. With a defeated expression, she looked to the ground. She does not agree with what the teacher said nor does she want to argue about the point she said. She knows there¡¯s a truth behind her word yet she refuses to accept it yet she doesn''t know what to counter it.


    ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    Suddenly Hiroshi comes off from his bed and stands beside it. He doesn¡¯t get the situation he¡¯s in. In his mind, he just wants to bring himself off from there. He already chose the dish he wanted to make for dinner. Now he wants to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients that he lacks.


    ...Is she a teacher? That must be her child. Uhm, what should I tell them? What did they do to me again? Oh, she brought me from the class... I don¡¯t know the reason though. I should just thank her¡­.what should I say...


    ¡°I love cats.¡±


    Hiroshi said the most random thing that he doesn''t even think in his mind.


    ¡°Huh?¡±

 9

    ¡°Is this a good thing to do?¡±


    Himiko asked the teacher while walking beside her.


    ¡°Why not? He just wants to buy ingredients for his dinner right?¡±


    They two were walking side by side in the grocery store while looking at Hiroshi who was choosing something from the refrigerator.


    ...Meat...meat....ha...chicken! Uhm...is there any breast part left...oh, it''s there...


    ¡°Why do we have to accompany him?¡±


    After Hiroshi said thanks in his own way. He said that he will be departing from the nurse room so he can buy something in the grocery store. The teacher unexpectedly wants to join him on his way and force Himiko to join them.


    ¡°You already asked that question since we walked with him from school¡­¡±


    ¡°And you still don''t give me a valid answer!¡±


    ¡°I said it was just compensation so I will let go of the nurse¡­ Why are you so uneasy even if it gives you an advantage? Didn''t you don''t want me to kill the nurse? Is this too much of a price for it?"


    "Hrgh...whatever then. I can''t stay long, it will be a problem if any of my friends see us."


    "Oh...you have friends¡­"


    "O-of course I have! Do you think I don''t?"


    "No, I''m surprised there''s ''s'' in it hehe¡­"


    "H-hah? Stupid! I''m not a loser like you!"


    "Hahaha. You can go if you want now, you don''t even want to talk with him on our way here. But that''s enough for today¡­ I''ll contact you like always if there''s anything important."


    "I know."


    Himiko turned her back and started walking away from the teacher. There are not many people in the small grocery store that they went to.


    "It''s already 6.00 pm. No wonder there are so few people here."


    The teacher mumbled by herself.


    After a while, Hiroshi finally reached the cashier with a bunch of ingredients in his basket.


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    Night incoming, there''s not much I can do if Himiko''s illusion has already run out. Whatever, I''ll just use this chance to get to know him better. So I can identify where his core is in the next try. He doesn''t even care about it. Does he not remember that I shot him or is he just a plain idiot? Well, as long as it gives a benefit for me, I couldn''t care less.


    Hiroshi gets out of the grocery store followed by the teacher. He doesn''t pay attention to the teacher and just minds his own business. On the way to Hiroshi house, they walk in front of the school.


    They still there? Such consistency¡­


    The teacher looks at the tree across the street. Two students from before are watching Hiroshi but don''t take any action.


    They probably think I''m guarding this boy. If I''m not here, I''m sure they will go straight to him without thinking. They were already there from the moment we departed from school to the grocery store.


    Meanwhile,


    "Why is she following Hiroshi?" Yuji asked.


    "Of course to protect him from us stupid," Yori already guessed the reason behind it.


    "I don''t know why she is ignoring us. I''m certain that she already knows we are waiting here," Yori said.


    "Then why are we waiting here?" Yuji asked.


    "I hope she has already left when Hiroshi wants to go to his house. But knowing she was still with him. That just strengthened my guess that she knows we are here. Plus I don''t know if she already told another teacher. We haven''t contacted Toshi since then," Yori explained.


    "That fat boy! Why is he not running with us? Such an idiot," Yuji insulted Toshi.


    "Hey, you two!"


    A voice of a man breaking their chain of conversation. They know the owner of the voice from the reaction of their face. The fear and goosebumps that stab their feelings.


    "A-Aki! H-hey!¡±


    Yori, who was full of anger before acting as a child in front of his scary father. Standing firmly right in front of him is a man in his twenty wearing a black shirt with short brown jeans.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s the thing huh?¡±


    ¡°U-uh...the things¡­¡± Yori gulp. He glances at Yuji hoping he will explain everything to Aki.


    ¡°I-it''s on the way! Toshi is on his way to take it. We will go to the usual place to give it as always!¡±


    Yuji tries to make excuses to him as a last resort to get them out of the trouble.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± he closed himself to Yuji with a devilish look. His bald hair makes it look like he is a gangster in the town.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t make it before night, you know what will happen¡­¡±


    He whispers into Yuji''s face and instantly turns his back on the two of them. He finally walked away in the same path he came, leaving those two in agony.


    "Hey, what are we gonna do?" Yori looks miserable. He can''t imagine what Aki will do to them if they fail to deliver the good that is the cigarettes.


    "We should check the school, maybe Toshi being held by another teacher there," Yuji wants to meet Toshi as soon as possible.


    "What? What''s the point of having him? It''s not like he has cigarettes," Yuji only thinks about the things that Aki wants. He doesn''t care about his friend who Yuji feels is being arrested by the teacher.


    "Then what are we gonna do? This is the first time we failed to deliver it! That damn Hiroshi suddenly makes something stupid."


    "I know, we should go to his home. We will take Hiroshi to Aki. Tell him that Hiroshi stole the goods," Yuji thought of escaping from their mess.


    "Can''t you see the teacher is with him?"


    "Do you think the teacher will stay until night? Of course, she just accompanied him until he arrived home. She doesn''t have time to chit chat with him."


    "What time is it now?" Yuji pointed the watch at Yori''s right hand.


    Yori took a look at it, "6:15¡­"


    "The sunset for today is 7:17¡­ Yeah, we still have time. Do you know where his house is located?"


    "Yeah, it''s the same route toward Toshi house. Wait, you don''t know?"


    "I have never been Toshi house stupid¡­ whatever let''s go before it''s too late."


    After a minute of walking, Hiroshi and the teacher finally arrive at his home. He lives in a green coloured flat which contains five floors. They go straight to the highest floor.


    Hiroshi opens the door without unlocking anything.


    "Can I come in?"


    The teacher who followed him asked his permission. That''s the first thing she said to Hiroshi since they walked together from school. The teacher followed his back without having any conversation with him like a guard. Neither of them seems bothered by it.


    "No."


    ¡­


    Next day, Hiroshi awoke from his sleep. He smells a weird smell coming from his house and checks it.


    Two imperfect corpses lying in his kitchen.

 10

    "Oh¡­hey¡­" Hiroshi tries to call the corpse who obviously doesn''t answer.


    "What type of work are you doing?" Hiroshi touched their bodies.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, they must be tired of working¡­¡±


    He ignored it and went back to sleep. He''s not panicking.


    ¡­


    "What should I do today?" Andy opens her house window in her bedroom on the second floor. A double-storey terrace house. She''s wearing a white singlet with white short pants.


    "Anzu!" Himiko enters her house from the window.


    ¡°Sometimes you call me by my name, sometimes you call me ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯, can¡¯t you stick to one?¡± Anzu asked.


    ¡°It''s not a big matter you know¡­As long as you know I''m calling you,¡± Himiko replied.


    ¡°Whatever¡­What do you want to ask?"


    ¡°Do you get anything from the Nightmare?" she asked in fox form.


    "No, he doesn''t let me enter his house."


    "Then, why don''t you use force?¡±


    "I already ran out of bullets. How can I force him?"


    "Huh¡­"


    "I''ll get an extra bullet from the old man. Then maybe I''ll do something. But, it''s a holiday. I''ll have to go to his home again," Anzu said.


    "You want my illusion?¡± Himiko transforms into a human.


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    "Of course, I don''t want to take any risk of innocent citizen involvement," Anzu said.


    "Oh, but that''s not the case with the nurse or the boy from yesterday¡­" Himiko said in an unsatisfied tone.


    "Well, if they are the ones who interfere. I can''t do anything," Anzu said.


    "How did the boy interfere? You are the one who drags him. The nurse is also just doing her job. Himiko said.


    "Oh, you don''t want to blame your illusion that can only be used in certain areas? Out of every empty room in the school. You can only use it in the nurse room..." Anzu said.


    "H-huh? You know my power has its restrictions too. You should choose any other place in the world,¡± Himiko defended herself.


    "Imagine out of a hundred rooms, you can only use it in one room. You think I''ll consider doing it somewhere with more packed people?"


    "Ergh! You only care about yourself! Don''t say like people''s lives matter to you!" Himiko yelled.


    "Heh...the irony is it comes from your mouth...a Daymare''s mouth. How many people are being sacrificed to make one of you?" Anzu mocks her.


    "H-huh? What are you saying? That is just an illusionary conspiracy from your mind! You don''t know anything about us!"


    "And you know nothing about me...so it''s fair to just do our job that will benefit each other right? I have my objective, and you have yours...Don''t you want to get revenge for your parents?" Anzu said.


    Himiko is silent as she doesn''t want to continue their conversation.


    "Good, we''ll go to his house first," Anzu said.


    In front of Hiroshi¡¯s house,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, work hard. I¡¯ll lock the door so no one can interrupt your work.¡± Hiroshi said to the corpses before closing the door.


    I almost forgot today is the day¡­I''ll doom if I fell asleep back then¡­huh¡­


    Hiroshi stretched his body before coming down the stairs. He was wearing an all-black t-shirt and tracksuit.


    A minute later, he arrived at a park named Klaka Park.


    ¡°Ah! Hiroshi! You''re late!¡± an old granny called him while she was carrying a semi-broken vase.


    Hiroshi met her without saying a word. She drops the vase and Hiroshi takes it to a man who is waiting beside a small hole.


    Meanwhile,


    ¡°Hello! Hello!¡± Anzu knocks on Hiroshi¡¯s door. She''s wearing a blue t-shirt with black trousers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in the house.¡± Himiko standing behind Anzu. As always, she''s wearing an all-white dress.


    ¡°Yeah¡­can you track him?¡± Anzu asked.


    ¡°Krkkk¡­¡± suddenly, the door open itself and caught their attention.


    ¡°Huh¡­there¡¯s no one opening it¡­I¡¯m sure it¡¯s locked before,¡± Anzu takes a peek on the other side of the door, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we investigate a little?¡±


    She entered Hiroshi¡¯s house.


    ¡°Hey, this is wrong¡­you are doing a crime right now. We don¡¯t have permission to enter¡­¡± Himiko whispered as she was afraid someone would find them suspicious.


    ¡°Huh? Then you stay outside, rule freak¡­¡± Anzu said while she took off her shoes.


    "Sheshh! Ah, whatever!" Himiko, who was frustrated, finally decided to enter too.


    After they finished searching the house,


    "There''s absolutely nothing in here, just like an abandoned house¡­" Himiko said.


    "Yeah, no furniture, bed, curtain, closet or anything in it. Did he really just live in the empty house? Where are his clothes?¡± Anzu said.


    " Huh, he is a Nightmare after all, of course, we shouldn''t think he lives like normal people," Himiko stated.


    They are fed up with searching for something in the house and exit the house to search for Hiroshi.


    "Help...help¡­"


    A whisper comes from Hiroshi''s house after the exit but it doesn''t reach their hearing.

 11

    ¡°Hey, that''s him right?¡± Himiko pointed at someone in the park.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so¡­¡± Anzu said.


    They went to Hiroshi who is planting a tree.


    "Ah, who are you? Do you want to help us?" the granny said.


    They are a bit hesitant to help, but finally, they choose to help. They plant a tree around the park.


    "Why should we help them? This is just a waste of time," Himiko complained to Anzu in a slow tone.


    "Heh? I thought it was a Daymare job to help people?" Anzu said.


    "Ergh, I know, but not for this¡­" Himiko said.


    "Do you two happen to know Hiroshi?" the granny asked.


    "I''m his teacher. And this is his friend." Anzu pointed at Himiko.


    "Ha? I''m not-"


    "Who are you to him? Are you his grandmother?¡± Anzu blocks Himiko words.


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    "Oh, no, no...I just happened to find him sleeping in this park at night one day...and I brought him back to my home¡­¡± the granny said.


    "At night? Isn''t that dangerous? Isn''t there any Nightmare at that time?" Himiko asked.


    "I live there¡­" the granny pointed at a small hut in the middle of the park, "I heard some weird noises outside, when I checked from the window, I could see someone lying down on the ground¡­"


    The granny shares the story while planting the tree.


    "I know it can be dangerous, but I couldn''t stand looking at someone who looked helpless and ignored him to be a victim to Nightmare. So, I went to him, woke him up, and offered to let him stay at my house for one night."


    Doesn''t he have a desire to kill this woman? I thought all Nightmares should have it¡­


    "I asked him many things but he never answered. I thought he is mute because he never said anything...is he? If you are his teacher, you must know it, right?" the granny asked.


    "No, he''s not mute. He is just shy¡­" Anzu said.


    "Oh, I''m glad then¡­There you are! I really thought that you were a mute person. Aii, we already know each other for two months, yet you still have not opened your heart for me huh? Hahaha!" the granny yelled in a jokeful tone at Hiroshi who came to her.


    Hiroshi bowed his head down and left with an expressionless face as always.


    "Huh...that boy, it must be hard for him to live alone at his age¡­"


    "Do you ever come to his house?¡±


    "Yeah, sometimes I follow him back after he helps me here. You know, since that night he always comes back everyday even for a minute to visit me. So I decide to accompany him to his home. Surprisingly, he has no parents...so sometimes I''ll cook for him at his home and clean his messy house.


    "Oh, I see¡­"


    He seems like a normal human in her eyes¡­wait...


    "What do you mean messy house?"


    "Hiroshi''s house, of course. It''s always messy like there''s a kid playing in his house even though he lives alone. Just last week, his sofa got clawed by something like cats and it''s inside gets thrown off¡­"


    "Oh, I forgot auntie, there''s something I want to tell Hiroshi. May I have your permission to leave?" Anzu said suddenly.


    "Hahaha, you don''t have to ask to leave, you are the one helping me...you can go wherever you want," the granny said.


    "Alright then, thank you then Auntie¡­"


    "Kiko...call me Auntie Kiko," the granny said while smiling.


    Two of them go back to Hiroshi''s house.


    There''s no sofa in his house earlier, there must be something we overlooked. Anzu thought in her mind.

 12

    Anzu and Himiko caught up to Hiroshi and met him in front of his house.


    "Hiroshi, can I come in?" Anzu asked.


    "No."


    "We should just get in, why are you asking his permission?" Himiko whispered to Anzu.


    "There''s a risk¡­ and you said it like he will not hear you¡­"


    "As he cares, he''s not even mad¡­"


    "I don''t have enough bullets, if you want to trespass, don''t expect me to do anything."


    "It''s just his house, what kind of danger is waiting for us? Let''s go follow him after he enters."


    "Huh¡­ you said that but cowardly hiding behind waiting for me to enter¡­"


    As Hiroshi unlocked the door and opened it, Anzu and Himiko followed him. Weirdly, Hiroshi is not even blocking them from entering his house.


    "Look, he doesn''t even care¡­" Himiko said while hiding behind Anzu.


    They entered the house with a shocking revelation. It''s entirely different from the condition of the house they entered before. There''s furniture and all other things that should be in a house.


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    "How come? Didn''t it empty before?"


    "Hm, I heard about this before¡­it''s definitely his Region," Anzu said.


    "What? Is that possible?"


    "Wait, didn''t they teach you about this at training?"


    "Huh? No¡­"


    "You must be sleeping in the class then¡­"


    "What? No way! We never get informed of something like this! How did you know about it?"


    "Oh, it seems like there''s a difference between the Fantasion way and the Daymare way."


    As they were chatting while checking the house, Hiroshi got lost in their sight.


    "Where is him?¡± Andy asked.


    " I don''t know... where did he go after he entered? I didn''t notice it."


    They inspect every part of the house but don''t find him.


    Did he get out? We were too focused on the house itself that made us lose focus on him.


    "Hey, there''s some weird red book here," Himiko checked the book on the table.


    I didn''t see that earlier¡­


    "Wait¡­" A disturbing sensation filled Anzu''s heart after she saw the red book.


    "ITO ANZU! ANZU! ANZU CHAN!"


    An old memory was surfing through her mind.


    "Huh? Hey, what''s wrong Anzu?" Himiko realized Anzu was acting weird.


    "ANZU, LISTEN! THIS BOOK! THE RED ONE! IMPORTANT! YOU ARE A FANTASION. LISTEN TO ME!"


    "Hey!¡± Himiko grabs Anzu''s hand as she doesn''t react to her call. All the words playing in Anzu''s mind are gone but she still doesn''t come to her senses.


    "GRKKKK!"


    "W-what happens?" Himiko is frightened by a sudden earthquake.


    "GRKKKKKK!"


    Hiroshi''s house unreally shrinks like it is being folded from the outside. Himiko, who is panicking, goes into the window to get out but it won''t open the same as the house door. Anzu still has not moved from her position earlier, trying to get back to reality.


    "Hey! Anzu! Do something! The house is oddly shrinking! What''s happening here?" Himiko tries to get Anzu help but she still does not react.


    "What? Why can''t I transform?" Himiko tries to transform into her fox form but fails miserably.


    "GRKKKKKKKK"


    "Anzu! Do something! ANZU!!!"


    The two of them standing in the middle of the living room as the house consumes itself squeezing everything in the house including themselves.


    ****

 13

    2000


    "Ito Anzu!"


    "Yes!"


    "Yeah! That''s my daughter! You should answer like this when the teacher calls out your name okay?"


    "Of course mama!"


    A young girl was overjoyed by her mom teaching with a bright smile decorating her face. She is standing right in front of the mirror wearing a kindergarten uniform while her mother is embracing her from behind.


    ****


    "A new species known as Nightmare is straying around our capital in the night. We warn everyone to stay at home at night to avoid any unwanted incidents."


    Anzu heard vaguely from the news on television.


    "What is Nightmare mama?"


    "It''s just some kind of animal Anzu-chan...Nothing to worry about, they will take care of those," her mom said, but a sense of worry clearly showed on her face.


    "I have to call your father...take care of Ichiro for a while okay," her mother said.


    "Okay, mama!" Anzu plays with her baby brother on the floor.


    ****


    Meanwhile, in a lab, a woman with a ponytail who works with her computer listens to other people''s discussions.


    "Why has news about it already spread? Didn''t I say to keep it a secret!"


    A man with a white beard and rectangle spectacles shouted to his people at the oval table. He hit the table to show his dissatisfaction. He looks like a leader to them. There are ten of them sitting around the table. They all wear a white lab coat and seem to have an important meeting.


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    "It''s not our fault, the Nightmare already attacked a bunch of civilians in the open places. They already saw it with their eyes. There''s no way we can keep it a secret anymore," a woman with a bun who sat among the people said.


    "We should ignore that already, we better search for a way to stop them," a bald man said.


    "That''s why we don''t tell civilians about this, we still can''t find the way to stop them!" the leader said.


    "I think it''s okay for now, the government already ordered us to stay at home at night, we can cope with it in the meantime," another woman with blonde hair said.


    "They have not declared a state of emergency, it''s just mere advice and warning. Do you think all people will listen to it?" the leader said.


    "Relax, if they saw it themselves, then surely they will be afraid of it. The news already shows footage of the Nightmare," a chubby man said.


    "Sir! We still don''t know exactly where they appear. But we make a hypothesis that they come from the earth itself based on the evidence and witness," the woman with the ponytail suddenly comes to the leader.


    "Earth?"


    "Yes, most of the evidence shows a hole from the place the Nightmare appears. Even some civilians say they saw it arise from below," the woman continues.


    "I see, are they some kind of earth species or aliens from space or whatever it is?"


    "We still are not sure about that, but we can assure you that it is dangerous and attacking humans they saw without any particular reason."


    "I think we already know about that...Lab D. Can''t we contact them yet, Hana?" the leader asked.


    "No sir, they still don''t answer our call," the woman, whose name is Hana, answered.


    "Send our people there! What the hell happened there?"


    "Now sir?"


    "Don''t be stupid! Wait until sunrise! I don''t want any of my men getting attacked by those things¡­"


    It''s already been a week since these Nightmare things appeared out of nowhere...we try to keep it a secret but it''s too big to make sure it is under control. The only good thing is this Nightmare doesn''t appear during daylight hours.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it weird? We never get any report that they invade any house. It¡¯s like they never disturb people in their house,¡± the chubby man voiced his opinions.


    ¡°That¡¯s some useful information that we have to know. At this time, we still don''t know much about them. We can¡¯t deal with unknown things,¡± the leader said.


    For now, we just can hope in the military to handle the Nightmare.


    ****


    In the city,


    Unlike usual nights, no people are roaming enjoying their night. The noisy city turns into a quiet place.


    "Ngrttt! Ngrtt! Dum! Dum! Kpk! Kpk!"


    The sound of tanks and the footsteps of soldiers filled the void. A bunch of soldiers took cover behind the tank.


    "The target is reported to be around here roger! We are already in a position to block their way out roger!" a soldier named Daiki on his nametag communicates with his superior using his walkie talkie.


    "Krkk"


    "Good, make sure you beware from above too, we don''t know where the monster will attack," the voice from walkie talkie said.


    "Krkk"


    "Okay! Roger that!"


    "Krkk"


    "Shiuuu...shiuuu¡­"


    In the middle of their preparations, something lurks from the shadows of the building, waiting for time to show its claws.


    ****


    ¡°Mama, where¡¯s papa? Why is he still not back?¡± Anzu is filled with curiosity? She knows he usually comes back at this time.


    ¡°He''ll be back in the morning, Anzu chan. He has to stay in his workplace tonight.¡±


    "Knock! Knock!"


    The sound of knocking on the door interrupted their conversation.

 14

    "Hah! Hah! Hah!" Anzu woke up from her sleep.


    "W-what happened?"


    Why did I dream about that¡­ never mind. Did I faint? The book...I saw the red book...why is it in his house? Why don''t I realise it sooner?


    Anzu lying down on a sofa, she recognized the sofa as her own.


    I''m at my house? No, that can''t be. I''m pretty sure I''m in Hiroshi''s house just now. Wait, where''s Himiko?


    Anzu wanders around her house, and she can confirm that it really is her house. But there''s a weird feeling playing around. The scenery beyond the window also doesn''t look like the one she always stares at. She decided to get out of it. Once she is standing in front of her door, she reaches the doorknob and turns it around.


    "Woooooh" Anzu surprisingly turned upside down. Like the house itself twisting. All her furniture also fell into the ceiling. The gravity of her house suddenly changed.


    "What the¡­Urgh...it hurts¡­" Anzu is lying down on her ceiling, she can see the floor on top of her.


    "Screth! Scretch!"


    As she takes time to recover, a strange sound comes from the window.


    "Scretch! Scretch! SCRETCH!" She can hear it closer before it falls silent.


    Anzu slowly goes into the window to examine it.


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    "KLECKKKKKK!"


    The windows were broken by a single furry red hand with sharp claws. Hiroshi with his half fur form arises from the window.


    "Ergh¡­ Ergh¡­" Hiroshi breathing heavily. He crawls on the ground like a four-legged animal.


    What''s wrong with him?


    "Too¡­many¡­people¡­"


    "Huh? What are you saying?"


    "Need¡­to get¡­rid¡­some¡­"


    This is bad¡­


    Anzu prepares her finger gun.


    I only had five bullets left¡­ damn, why don''t I go refill it first before coming here?


    "Ergh¡­ Ergh¡­"


    Wait¡­ is he crying?


    In the middle of the madness, Anzu realizes a tear coming from Hiroshi''s eyes.


    "Wroghhh!"


    As she loses concentration because of the tears, Hiroshi takes advantage and pounce toward Anzu.


    Shit!


    Anzu has time to dodge his claws and goes to the left while Hiroshi bumps into the door.


    I need to get out of here.


    She runs with all her might to the window. Hiroshi tries to chase her but being blocked by the table Anzu throws into him to slow him down.


    Argh! Nevermind!


    Without thinking too much Anzu jump from the broken window.


    Shit! I''m dead! I''m dead! Huh?


    To her surprise, she doesn''t fall off into the ground, splitting into pieces. On the contrary, she was floating in the air.


    What the hell is happening? This is¡­definitely not my home¡­


    Anzu looks at his apartment, it is just a big building with no window except for her room. She is floating in a cube-like space as she can see the six equal square shape size black walls around it. Like a mega box that has many things including her house in it.


    What makes it precisely clear as a box is the edges and the corners are all in white lights.


    Hiroshi trying to swim in the air to reach Anzu.


    Is he trying to catch me? For what exactly? Wait, if this is his Region, then there should be his core anywhere! Find a clue! Find a clue!


    Anzu eyes wander around the place. There''s a green flat house that caught her eyes.


    That''s his house, doesn''t it? Is that his core? How should I shoot a core that big? First, I should get on the ground. I don''t even know how gravity works here.


    Just like Hiroshi, Anzu swims through the air to reach the ground. Once she is on the ground, she''s not floating anymore. She headed toward Hiroshi''s house.


    Once she enters it, an old woman is waiting inside sitting on the sofa.


    "Auntie...Kiko?!¡±

 15

    "What are you doing here?"


    Auntie Kiko doesn''t answer. She just smiled peacefully.


    Or...is it just an image? It''s not the real Auntie Kiko? That makes sense. Everything here is an image of what Hiroshi wants¡­


    ****


    "To kill or to tame a Nightmare, you must shoot it''s core. No other way around," a bald man in his fifties said to Anzu.


    "So I can find it in their Region?"


    "Yes, but not that easily, a core is what defines the Nightmare, an easy word is what is the strength of the Nightmare. As you can see, Nightmares make their Region their own way. You will see many types that differ from one another."


    "Is it possible to not find the core?"


    "Of course, there''s a Nightmare that nobody is able to find it''s core. The right thing to do is get out of the Region and prepare for the next battle."


    ****


    That''s what the old man said. Should I get out now? I can''t waste a bullet without any chance of success. There''s no way this house is his core...I''m not confident of it.


    "Bum!" the door was crashed by Hiroshi who had already arrived. Now, there''s nothing blocking his way to Anzu.


    "Ergh...Ergh¡­Whorgh!¡± Hiroshi dash forward.


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    "Bing!" Anzu quickly shoots himself with her left hand.


    Before he could reach Anzu, she had already disappeared from her position.


    ****


    Anzu is standing in Hiroshi''s empty house without any furniture. She checks everything and can confirm it in the real world. After waiting for some minutes, Anzu doesn''t find any Himiko trace.


    Is she already running away? Or is she still trapped in the Region? Ugh, I know she will be fine either way¡­ that''s enough for today.


    Anzu fled from Hiroshi''s house.


    ****


    In the afternoon, Anzu goes to an underground bar alone.


    "Is the old man here?¡± she asked the waitress.


    "He''s inside¡­"


    She opened the door that led her to one bald man checking his cabinet full of items.


    "Hey, Anzu¡­ Already running out of bullets?" the old man said.


    "I still have five left...reload it," Anzu shows her right hand finger gun. There''s five flickers of red light bullets arranged in her index finger.


    This girl...cold as always¡­


    "Okay then. Give me a minute."


    "Why did you give me this weird rule? How can it benefit you?" Anzu asked.


    "It''s not for my benefit, it''s for yours¡­if you can''t tame one Nightmare using only 5 bullet, than you are incompetent. You should give up on being a Nightmare."


    "Oh...so you want me to be precise in my decision?¡±


    "Huh? Of course not. I just want you to stop being a Fantasion. I always hope you will use more than five and come back with nothing. So you can''t ever reload your gun anymore."


    "Really? For that kind of reason? You know I will do anything for this...you think I will stop if you are not gonna help me anymore?¡±


    "Your father is dead!" he said in a serious tone.


    He stops talking instantly like he regrets saying it. Anzu also seems frustrated.


    "Huhhh...you are a grown woman with a career...you should stop clinging to nostalgia and the past¡­why don''t you focus on your future?"


    "You understand nothing¡­" Anzu mumbled.


    Huhh...poor girl¡­


    The old man takes a small bottle with red liquid and transfers it to an injection syringe.


    "Give me your hand," the old man took Anzu''s right hand and injected the red liquid into the index finger.


    "Ergh¡­" Anzu can feel a little pain from it.


    "Like I said before, this is not a science type of injection. So don''t mind the procedure and the place you get injected to."


    "I know¡­"


    After everything is completed. Anzu prepares to leave the bar.


    "It''s never too late to return back, Anzu¡­" the old man said before she left.


    Anzu left without a word.


    It''s too late Uncle Masaru...I''ll never go back until I find him...

 16

    It''s already night, and Anzu lies down on her bed.


    I dream about it again..the more I want to forget it, the more it haunts me...that night¡­


    ****


    2000


    The knock on the door is getting louder.


    "Anzu chan, take Ichiro upstairs and don¡¯t come down no matter what happens," her mother said in a serious tone.


    "Knock! Knock! Knock!"


    The knock gets louder. Anzu uses her raw strength to carry her brother without asking her mother too much.


    "Okay, mom. Come on, Ichiro chan. Shu...shu¡­"


    She caresses her brother''s head even though her brother doesn''t react wildly.


    Is that papa? Why does mama ask me to go upstairs?


    Anzu''s mother was left alone on the bottom floor.


    She takes a deep breath and slowly braves herself to take a step toward the door. She unties her bun and holds her pin as someone ready to attack.


    ¡°Klk!¡±


    She unlocked the doorknob. There¡¯s no force pushing the door after it is loose even though it''s knocked many times before. She slowly opened the door widely.


    ¡°Honey?¡±


    The body of a man she is familiar with is standing still beyond the door. She calls him but there¡¯s no answer.


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    ¡°No...you are not him! Who are you?¡±


    As the situation doesn¡¯t seem to sit well with her, she feels the difference between her husband and the man standing in front of him. She takes a step back and stretches out her pin which looks dangerous with its sharpness.


    ¡°He said¡­¡± the man tried to say something using his deep voice but got stuck doing it.


    That¡¯s...his voice...but, there¡¯s no life force in him¡­it is just as he said before...I can¡¯t be fooled by this creature. Calm yourself...just do as he instructs, I have to keep my distance without permitting him to enter the house.


    She trembles as she faces the man in front of him.


    ****


    ¡°Listen to me, Himari,¡± with a serious tone, a man with a white lab coat and brown hair said to her in their bedroom. They sit on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°What honey?¡±


    ¡°Starting this week, I will not go home. In one night, whatever night it is, there will be a ''guest'' coming to our house. You have to make sure he doesn¡¯t enter our house even if he looks like me.¡±


    ¡°What? What guest? I don¡¯t understand...¡±


    "I already teach you about the life force right¡­If the thing comes, check his life force, you will know for sure what I''m talking about. You can open the door but never permit him to enter."


    "You are not answering my question..." Himari looks down. She somewhat feels sad as she slowly understands what happens right now. The instruction from her husband already makes her understand.


    "I''m sorry honey¡­you already know about this don''t you?" he touched his wife''s face with a loving caress.


    "You will...come back to us...right?" she asked that question with hope.


    He just smiles without saying anything. He closes himself with his wife and hugs her tightly. In his arms, tears flowed down from her eyes. She can''t do anything to interrupt her husband''s choices. She accepted it with a hard feeling.


    ****


    I just have to do what Akito said...Never permit this thing to enter.


    ¡°He said...take care¡­¡±


    Huh? Is he talking? Take care?


    "Take care...of our¡­"


    He said it with a sad smile like someone who lost something precious to him. He raised his hand and pointed it toward the woman.


    "Srtt!"


    His right hand was sliced into dust as he crossed the house boundary. The part that is sliced floating like dust before disappearing.


    ¡°Wh-what happened?" Himari shivering as she watches the unnatural things happen in front of her. She keeps taking a step backwards to make sure the man can¡¯t touch her.


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    Even though fear already consumed herself, she had the guts to ask the man.


    ¡°Srtttt!¡±


    The man keeps getting forward, this time, he doesn¡¯t just enter the house with his hand. Half of his body was erased like a lump of meat being grinded.  His organ can be seen clearly by Himari. She can¡¯t help herself from feeling disgusted by it. She closed her mouth and looked away from the displeasing scenery.


    ¡°Srttttttt!¡±


    The creepy sound keeps getting louder as he tries to enter the house with his full body. Himari is aware that even though the scene in front of her will make anyone throw up, there''s no weird smell coming from it. As long as she doesn¡¯t see it, she can withhold herself from throwing up.


    ----


    In no time, the man disappeared from her sight.


    ¡°It¡¯s...gone¡­¡±


    ¡°Ma-mama?¡±


    Without having any time to calm herself, her daughter''s voice came from behind.


    "A-Anzu chan? Why are you here?"


    ¡°Wh-what...what ha-happened t-to pa-papa?¡±


    ...

 17

    2020


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Himiko wakes after she faints once Hiroshi''s house has folded.


    "Huh...huh...huh¡­"


    She searches for space to breathe like someone who just awakes from a nightmare. Her sweat filled her forehead.


    Urgh...wait, I don''t remember what I''m doing before I sleep¡­huh?


    She looks around and finds Hiroshi who sleeps on the floor. She is on the sofa in Hiroshi house.


    "My head...spinning¡­urgh."


    What am I doing here? What is he doing here? Where''s Anzu?


    She decides to walk around the house. It is exactly like the house that she entered with Hiroshi before. Not the empty one.


    "Auch!"


    She stepped on a key next to Hiroshi who was still asleep.


    Is this key to his house?


    She just ignored it and walked around the house to find Anzu but didn''t find her. As she explores the kitchen, a stinking smell disturbs her nose.


    "Help...help¡­help..."


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    A slow voice came from the kitchen.


    "Hah!"


    Himiko is terrified by two imperfect corpses lying on the floor. She tries to calm herself but fails. She ran away toward the door and left the house.


    ****


    Two days later, Anzu comes to school and finds a group of teachers talking about something important.


    ¡°Good morning Anzu¡­have you heard about that news?¡± a woman''s voice greeting her from behind.


    ¡°Oh, morning Hina¡­what news?¡±


    ¡°Two students are missing about three days before¡­their parents have already contacted the police.¡±


    ¡°Missing? Did you know who they are?¡±


    ¡°I''m teaching one of the student classes, his name is Tanaka Yori but not the other one, what is his name again¡­. Sato Yuji if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­I don''t remember teaching students with their names either¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh come on Anzu, you never remember your student name hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­yeah, that¡¯s a thing too¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever...we should hand it over to the cops to search for them, let¡¯s hope everything is fine for them.¡±


    ¡°Ehm¡­¡± Anzu nodded.


    It can¡¯t be¡­the two that followed Hiroshi last time right? What is their name again? Ehm¡­ No¡­I don''t think so. Wait, what about the boy that was left in Hiroshi¡¯s Region? I completely forgot about him¡­He must be the one that is being reported right? So there¡¯s another one missing? Eh¡­that doesn''t make sense¡­it must be another case. But that means the one in Hiroshi¡¯s Region is still not being detected as missing? Ergh, I''m thinking too much, not that I care¡­


    ****


    Even after all that has happened, Hiroshi still comes to school like a normal kid with his messy appearance. While the teacher gives a lesson in the front¡­


    Ergh¡­I¡¯m hungry. What should I eat for lunch? Onigiri sounds good¡­


    Hiroshi looked outside the class. A cat suddenly crossed on the balcony fence. Hiroshi¡¯s eyes turned maleficent like a predator while looking at it.


    ****


    Himiko in her human form is folding her shirt in a white room.


    It¡¯s been two days already¡­what should I do? If I tell others, they might find out about Anzu. But¡­I can''t just leave a nightmare killing humans like him. That¡¯s surely a human corpse¡­there¡¯s two of them¡­I don¡¯t know if she cares, but I should probably tell Anzu first.


    ¡°Himiko¡­Professor Yamato wants to see you,¡± a voice came from a speaker in her room.


    ¡°Oh¡­alright!¡±


    Himiko leaves her room and goes through a lab-like building with so many rooms. She arrives in one room with Professor Yamato''s name on the door. The door opened automatically after she arrived and closed when she entered. Professor Yamato is sitting on his chair.


    ¡°WF27¡­Right?¡± without wasting any time, he asked for something like a code name.


    ¡°Yes, professor! That¡¯s me¡­¡± Himiko answered with spirit.


    ¡°Are you enjoying your time with Hiroshi?¡±


    ¡°H-hah?¡± Himiko was too stunned to speak, she didn''t expect the Nightmare¡¯s name would be the thing that Professor Yamato would say to her.

 18

    Professor Yamato gives a silver watch to Himiko.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit clever? You¡¯ll have some serious problems if some daymare finds out about it.¡±


    Didn¡¯t he want to expose me?


    ¡°What do I have to do with this watch?¡±


    ¡°Wear it when you want to see the teacher, it will hide your presence from other Daymares.¡±


    ****


    Daymares have some sort of connection with each other. We can sense our friends'' presence in our minds whenever we are 1 kilometre away. It is just a presence, not that we know if another Daymare is in trouble or not. And there¡¯s no specific presence for each other. We all release the same type of presence. He doesn''t say anything about why he gave me the watch. Did he want me to keep Hiroshi as a secret from others?


    ¡°Himiko? Is everything okay?¡±


    A girl with brown hair with the same height as Himiko asked.


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    ¡°Oh¡­yeah everything is okay Sayu¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? You seem pensive, don¡¯t you want to start the obstacles?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hehe¡­just thinking about something¡­here I go!¡±


    In a big white looking hall with many drones and cameras, Himiko transforms into her fox form and starts jumping through the moving platform with water under it.


    ¡°Hya! Hya! Hya¡­eh¡­SPLASH!¡±


    As she jumps through it all, she slips in the final platform and falls into the water and turns back to her human form.


    ¡°WF27! What are you doing? Keep focus until the end! Try from the start!¡± A sound from the speaker said out loud.


    ¡°Here Himiko¡­¡± Sayu gave her a hand to get out of the water.


    ¡°Ergh¡­thanks Sayu¡­¡±


    ¡°You really are not feeling well, don¡¯t you? Want to rest a little bit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, hehe I¡¯m always like this though¡­I¡¯ll try again.¡±


    There are as many as twenty Daymares in their white fox form train there beside Himiko and Sayu. All trying to pass themselves from the many obstacles for their training. In another room, a big screen is being used by some scientist-like people to see the progress of all the Daymares in that training ground.


    ****


    It looks delicious¡­


    Hiroshi stares at a cat that licks its fur.


    "Do you want to get eaten?"


    Hiroshi said to the cat. The cat doesn''t run away as it seems like a tame one. The cat rubbed itself around Hiroshi''s leg.


    Hiroshi grabbed it and glared into her eyes with a menacing stare. The cat looks uncomfortable but can''t release itself due to Hiroshi''s tight hold.


    Is it good raw? Or grilled? Or fried?


    Hiroshi takes the cat closer.


    Maybe I should give it a bite...

 19

    "Meow!"


    "I love cats."


    Cats are awesome. Its charms make you drown in the abyss of vigilance for the creature.


    "Aww! Look at that! Must protect!"


    Scrubbing their cuteness into you to order a meal for their lazy stomach.


    "Yummy!"


    The cat said. Being feed for their cuteness


    "Nyum!"


    Hiroshi said. Devouring their cuteness.


    "Pang!"


    A girl on a mission, protecting cuteness. Feeding her leg to Hiroshi''s mouth. Fall, the cat eater, or the try to eat the cat boy. Smooching the floor. Run the cuteness, far from the boy who is supposed to eat it, run the sweetness, even from its protector.


    "I love cats."


    "Liar, why are you choking its head? Why do you try to bite it?"


    Silent, Hiroshi not answering, why even he said he loves cats.


    It''s fast, it''s far, it''s gone¡­


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    "I love cats."


    "Shut up! If you ever try to hurt the cat again, you''re done for!"


    A wild girl, with wild brown hair. Flying gracefully, freer than Hiroshi''s lunch, who will live with the fear of being devoured by a human-like creature.


    ****


    "Skrp! Skrp!"


    The wolf is being munched by an elephant in a forest.


    A boy looked beside it. Focus on every chew. A girl with a red ribbon on her hair standing by his side.


    "We should help it right?"


    "No, it''s okay, it''s a life cycle," the girl said.


    "I see."


    "Skrk! Skrk!"


    The cat is being munched by a wolf.


    A boy looked beside it. Focus on every chew. A girl standing by his side.


    "We shouldn''t help it right-"


    "Help the cat!" the girl said.


    "I see."


    The cat and the wolf, the cuteness and the fierceness. The ''help it'' and the ''life cycle''. After all, it all depends on one look to be judged.


    The boy looked at the wolf.


    "You are evil! It''s okay for you to die!"


    The boy looked at the cat.


    "I''ll protect you from anything!"


    "Good job! You understand it Hiroshi!" The girls said.


    ****


    Someone...help me¡­


    "Hah! Hah! Hah!"


    Hiroshi breathing unconditionally. Running from its ''eater''. In its half fur form.


    He passed all the house, with the eyes of a human peeking from the window. Unwanted to help.


    "Where are you? Come to me, my little wolf..." and old woman''s voice calling her prey.


    Someone! Anyone! Help me!


    "Look at that! A Nightmare!¡±


    "Hahaha run for your life!"


    "A Daymare must be the one chasing it, die you monster!"


    W-what...I''m doing...wrong¡­


    As he runs, an aura of curiosity stops him right in front of the mirror in a shop.


    I see¡­


    He sees. In himself. A wolf.


    ****


    "Meow!"


    "Pang!"


    He sees the cat run away. Saved by a human from himself.


    I see¡­


    He sees. In his lunch. A cat.


    Those he thinks. A cat is cute. A cat being protected. A cat is fed.


    "I love cat"