Dinner

Seiji came back to the apartment.

After he set his would-be killer on the couch, he went to his room to change wet clothes.

Upon changing pants, he reached for his pants pocket to take out his suicidal note.

And then...

A shock and stress painted on his face when he noticed, that the pocket to which he did hide his note, was empty.

'Did I lost it?'

. . .

'Yes. I did lost it. It must have fell out. But where did it fell? I still had it before I went into the alley and it—'

He stopped his analysis, sighing.

'It's probably in that dark alley... But... going for it will be worthless. It's for sure all dump and destroyed by rain. Damnit, I will probably have to write new letter.'

He exhaled through his nose.

"I do have luck in my life..." He said sarcastically.

---

Now, both of men were in living room.

Suddenly, the killer slowly opened his eyes.

Before him, he saw a white space illuminated by light.

He began to look around carefully to see where he was...

"Ugh... Where... am I...?" he muttered.

His gaze fell on a low coffee table, behind which was a television, to the left, a wooden bookcase with knick-knacks, and to the right, a tall modern standing lamp. Next to it, in a pot, there was a beautiful, well-kept Spathiphyllum flower.

'I am... in someone's house...?'  He thought to himself.

As his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he noticed a man standing nearby.

It was Seiji, who held a pillow, making it look like a shield against attacks.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Seiji's voice "Please, don't attack me yet!"

"Huh..!?" The killer asked puzzled,
'Who is this guy and why is he here with me??'

"You're not strong enough to stand up, let alone make any greater effort, (...)" Seiji began his monologue about health.

Meanwhile, the killer observed the place where he was... He wanted to find the fastest way to escape from it.

The whole place looked like a typical, modern Japanese apartment.

The walls were painted in warm colors and the bright light from LED lamps illuminated the entire room.

Beneath their feet was a solid wooden floor, on which modern furniture was placed.

They were in the living room, that was fused with the kitchen which was separated from the rest of the room by a half-wall.

"(...)- so please, stay here on this couch, don't move, and I'll go make you something to eat." Seiji finished his speech and made his way to the kitchen.

The killer's reaction to Seiji's request was immediate and aggressive. "Tch!" he hissed annoyed. "Don't tell me what to do!" he shouted with a hoarse, aggressive voice.

He tried to get up from the couch, but his movements were sluggish, and his legs almost buckled under his weight.

As quickly as he got up, he lost his balance and fell back to the floor in pain.

"I told you to sit down and wait," Seiji said, his voice sharp with a touch of exasperation. "You're barely able to stand."

"Tssk!" the man hissed again in response. He crossed his arms in frustration, and this time, settled comfortably on the couch.

Seiji, in the meantime, was already in the kitchen.

The murderer watched carefully as Seiji moved around the room, gathering ingredients from the fridge and shelves. On the kitchen counter, there was prepared rice, soy sauce, and nori. Without hesitation, Seiji began to prepare the food.

In the meantime, the killer reached into his pocket for his knife. He wanted to make a quiet attack on Seiji. He didn't trust him one bit and preferred to get rid of him to return to his criminal life on the street.

As he reached for where he had hidden the knife, in an instant, his grumpy expression turned into shock and fear when he found out that the knife was no longer there...

"It's gone... Where... where the hell is it!? I left it in that alley!?" he exclaimed as panic crept into his mind.

He quickly scanned the room, searching for any traces of the missing weapon.

Seiji's eyes narrowed as he heard killer's feared voice. With a sigh he also noticed him frantically patting his pockets. "Looking for this?" Seiji held up the knife. "You dropped it when you collapsed. I cleaned it. Figured it wouldn't do much good to let you stab me with a rusty blade full of bacteria."

The killer glared at Seiji, his chest tightening as panic crept in. 'My knife...'
"Give it back! You don't get to touch what's mine!" His voice broke as he shouted in anger,

He was ready to pounce on Seiji and take back his property at any cost.

Seiji noticed the killer's gaze on the tool. "No, no, no. Don't even think about it. Don't move from here. I'll give you the knife when you're healthy enough to walk on your own."

"I can walk, you stupid asshole! I'm not crippled!" The killer snapped in anger.

"Judging by what was in the alley, I'm far from claiming that you can do it. At least not when you're hungry." Seiji resumed preparing the meal.

"Tssk!" the killer hissed again. "Shut up, idiot!" he yelled and tried to get up again. His arms trembled as he tried to hold onto the furniture.

Suddenly, a heavy feeling overwhelmed him, and in an instant, he landed back on the couch. His body was too weak to make any movements requiring greater strength. Just as Seiji had said.

Seeing the killer's stubborn efforts, Seiji sighed. "Didn't your mom teach you manners? You curse terribly for someone your size."

Hearing this, the man became angry. He was ready to get up from the couch and use violence at all costs. "I'll kill you, you bastard!" His voice cracked under the weight of his frustration, his body trembling from weakness and rage. But beneath that fury lay something raw - a faint sense of defeat that he was desperately trying to hide.

"No, not when you're in this condition." Seiji replied.

Shortly afterward, the food was ready.

Seiji put the remaining rice in the fridge and served three onigiri on a low table in front of the couch.

The killer's gaze fixed on the rice balls. He looked at them suspiciously, feeling his stomach rumbling, but even despite hunger, he couldn't force himself to eat... Thoughts appeared in his head... Various ideas on how Seiji could have poisoned the onigiri...

Seiji noticed the killer's suspicious glances at the food. "What's wrong? Don't you like them?"

The man crossed his arms again and turned his head away. "They look suspicious. I bet you made them with some poison or other crap to kill me!"

"They're not poisoned. I'll show you." Seiji took one rice ball and took a bite. "See? Nothing happened." he added with calmness in his voice and put the onigiri back on the plate.

The killer looked at him with disgust. "Tch..." he hissed and carefully inspected the rice triangles.

Suddenly, he picked one of them and cautiously took a bite to make sure they were safe to eat. Hunger made his stomach growl loudly again, making him frustrated and even more eager to eat something right away.

Meanwhile, Seiji got up and returned to the kitchen to make drinks for himself and his guest. When he came back with two cups of tea, he was surprised to see that only one half-eaten ball was left on the plate.

'Looks like he quickly figured out they're not poisonous...'

He placed the tea cups on the table and looked at his guest, who was finishing chewing the rice. "And what about this last piece?"

"I'm not eating that! You've slobbered all over it!" the murderer said with his mouth full.

Seiji sighed and took the last ball of rice. "Okay... This one will be for me, for bringing you to my apartment."

Suddenly, the killer's stomach rumbled again.

Seiji was slightly surprised. "Are you still hungry?"

The short man nodded and stammered "Y-yes," in response, swallowing the rest of the food in his mouth. He felt embarrassed by the fact that the man standing in front of him heard a loud, annoying sound. "Damn..." he muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth in frustration..

"I think the onigiri wasn't enough for you. Maybe I'll order something bigger... hmm... maybe... How about ramen?"

"Y-yes!" Drool started to drip from the killer's mouth. Upon noticing warm droplets of saliva, he immediately wiped it. Then returned to his previous, more sinister expression...
It had been a while since he had something decent to eat.

"Well then, let it be ramen." Seiji made a call to one of the restaurants that served the dish.

***

A while later, they both enjoyed hot soup. During the meal, Seiji decided to explain the situation they both found themselves in, why he took a literal stranger under his roof. "Listen..." he began.

"Hm...?" The killer slowly raised his head with noodles in his mouth. His face, now in better lightning, and some gathered energy from food, looked more clear, almost-childlike and innocent for what he presented at their first meeting.

"So far, you're doing well... but... uh... you still need to work on... uh... Okay... I won't beat around the bush... I just want you to kill me."

"Huh? You could have said that earlier. I would have stabbed you to death!" the murderer grinned widely, showing the evil desires that appeared in his mind.

"Well, you can't. Certainly not in this state. You need to gain weight and strength. And if you were on the street, you'd die sooner than you did it."

"What!? You're saying I wouldn't survive on the street!?" the killer asked angrily.

"In your current state, it wouldn't be easy for you. And that's why... I decided to help you." Seiji explained.

The brown-haired man remembered what happened a few hours ago... Indeed, he was so weakened that he probably fainted. He was hungry, tired, and lacked money... As he looked at his savior, he couldn't help but wonder: 'Would I... really be dead...? If not for this guy..?'

Seiji looked at killer calmly, locking eyes with him. "Alright. Here's the deal. I'll give you shelter and food, and in return, when you're strong enough... you will kill me. Simple exchange."

"I will kill you?" The killer repeated, his voice low. "Hmm... But... can I kill you however I want?"

Seiji paused for a moment, considering the possibilities. "Yes," he said after a moment, his voice steady. "However you want."

A twisted grin slowly spread across killer's face, his red eyes gleaming with a disturbing glint. It was a smile that could send shivers down anyone's spine.

Seiji, however, remained composed. "Alright, I get it that you're happy that you can let your twisted killing desires come to life, but could you tone down the creepy smile?" he said, a hint of dry humor creeping into his voice. "You're already terrifying enough without it."

Killer's grin widened even further, his laughter erupting in a maniacal burst. "EHEHEHEHEHE!"

Seiji barely blinked, continuing to eat his noodles.

"Great, his laugh is worse than the smile," he muttered under his breath, keeping his tone light.

He knew better than to show any fear, but he felt the tension in the air.

"So, are we having a deal?" Seiji asked shortly after and held out his hand as a sign of agreement.

The killer looked at the hand uncertainly, as if he were wondering for a moment what to do.

Finally, with a slight hesitation, he extended his hand for a handshake — his grip was weak, cold, and short-lived. And yet...

"Deal!" He said shaking his hand with excitement and then slurped down his noodles. His eyes stayed locked on Seiji, gleaming with malice. It was clear he was already plotting, planning Seiji's demise.

Seiji remained unfazed on the outside, but he couldn't help the thought that crept into his mind.

'In the alley, he looked dangerous enough. Sitting this close, under the light, he still looks just as deadly. Even despite his baby-face.'

He took another calm bite of his food, ignoring the man's sinister gaze until he finished his meal.

Soon the bowls were empty. Seiji got up from the couch, cleared his throat, and began to speak,

"Well... Since we'll be living together for some time, let's start over."
He straightened up, then bowed politely.
"My name is Sekiguchi Seiji. Nice to meet you."

The criminal looked at Seiji cautiously, his eyes twitching slightly. Then he bowed too — hastily, awkwardly, as if he were just repeating the gesture halfheartedly.

"Uh... M-My name is... M-Miyahara Hideaki..." he stammered, barely looking up, his voice quiet, muffled, shy.

Seiji smiled again."I hope you'll feel comfortable here."

After a moment, Seiji leaned down to gather the dishes.

"Now... Let me collect these dirty—!!"

Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing his arm and pulling him to the ground.

As he fell, the dishes on the table shook.

After a moment, Seiji could see Hideaki's smiling face, shadowed, which made him look even darker, more vicious.

A maniacal expression was on killer's face "Can I kill you now?" he asked with a wide smile on his lips, then began to chuckle menacingly.