Jikininkis into Your Night

His words leave me taken aback. Jikininkis. Monsters disturbingly resembling humans at first sight, they feast on corpses. They are the reason people avoid going out at night, since it’s at that time they roam through the streets.

“You’re fighting these monsters?” I ask, confused.

“That’s our reason for staying in Yokohama, yeah.” Poltergeist replies.

    The thought of Mr. Izawa cornered by Jikininkis crosses my mind. For a brief second. Enough to make me snap.

“That’s not possible! They didn’t report headless corpses lately! There was none in the news…”

“Mmm? You seem to be well-informed about them.” Poltergeist notes. “Often, any corpse a bit nibbled is associated with them. But Jikininkis only eat heads.”

    I avert my gaze.

“It’s Mr. Izawa who told me about them. He warned me. He taught me the only way to have a chance differentiating them from humans before they attack is to notice their empty gaze. If you notice it too late… they either kill or kidnap you.”

“Sometimes, indeed, they take their prey away with them.” Longwei adds, stepping forward. “They keep them alive to devour them later.”

    A speck of hope.

“Then, maybe-”

“When did that man disappear?” The white rabbit cuts me off.

“It’s been a week.”

“Abandon that idea.”

    My heart misses a beat at his dry statement. Who is he to decide that? I won’t allow anyone to blow my hopes away. Until the moment I’ll have a corpse before my very eyes, I won’t believe such words. I refuse to abandon the idea to find Mr. Izawa. Alive.

“Shut up!” I snarl. “You don’t even know if his disappearance is truly related to Jikininkis. Keep your venom, and poison yourself with it instead. Thank you very much.”

    Despite his silence, Poltergeist and Rubeus keep staring at me. The white rabbit slowly raises his front paw, but as he seems about to add something, the sound of a ringtone echoes.

    A pop song?

“Yes, Edward? How is going your pa-”

    Everyone turns their eyes at Longwei, his expression switching with a surprising ease from his peaceful attitude to a quite more serious one. His tone follows.

“…Count on me. I’ll transmit him the message.”

    Click.

“Rubeus,” Longwei lowers his phone. “you should take a look at your Line.”

    Without a word, Rubeus reaches with his free hand to his pocket, retrieving his phone. The twins follow the exchange with the same curiosity housewives watch their daily soap opera.

    As the blond boy begins to sweep his screen, Poltergeist leans in closer to take a look as well.

“What does he say?”

“Mmm… 49 missed calls. ‘Hey! I’ve found one of them. Gonna hole it with all my love!! Jealous?’ ‘A bunch of monsters popped up after I killed the first one. Jackpot!’” Rubeus answers the marionette, proceeding to read the texts with an apathetic tone. “‘I’m in trouble, send someone.’ ‘Help.’ ‘Hello?’ ‘Rubeus I’m going to stab your rabbit when I’m back.’ ‘Die! Die! Die! Just send someone you asshole.’ ‘I managed to hide but I think I just heard someth-’ ‘I’ll tell the director how mean you’re being to me.’”

    Rubeus pauses, the room silent.

“Some are fully in capital letters. Oh, and lots of stabbing emotes.” He concludes.

    A sigh. Longwei pinches the bridge of his nose.

“How did you not notice earlier that Edward was attempting to reach you?”

“He’s too noisy,” Poltergeist replies, “Rubeus always puts him in silent mode. Anyway.”

    The white rabbit turns his attention at me as I am trying to sneak away.

“That happens to be the perfect occasion for you. Megumi, you’re gonna come with me.”

“Me?” I turn to him in pure disbelief.

    Surprisingly, I find the idea of encountering a bunch of Jikininkis barely exciting. I’ve never agreed to be part of this.

“What I’m wondering is how it even happened. We’re supposed to go on patrols in pairs, never alone.” Longwei comments. “Who was supposed to go along with him tonight?”

    Less surprisingly, I’m getting totally ignored. Once again.

“Meeee.” The answer soon comes in a sleepy, feminine voice.

    Looking for the origin of the voice, I notice an arm raised in the distance, from a couch. Judging by the tone of her voice, the way she lazily waves her hand, whoever that girl is, is either worthy of a prize for her unmatched level of detachment, or stoned.

“Why did I even ask…” Longwei sighs. “Rubeus, allow me to come with you. I’m worried about Edward.”

    Rubeus nods in reply.

“Let us tag along with you!” The twins beg in the same voice.

“Not this time, I’d prefer you to stay there.” Longwei kneels in front of them, placing his hands against their shoulders. “Let’s not attract unwanted attention.”

    As they pout, the long-haired man adds in a whisper.

“Plus, someone needs to watch after Fujiko, or she’ll feel lonely. Can you do that?”

    The twins exchange a glance before agreeing with a naughty smile. Something tells me that they plan on more than simply observing that girl as she sleeps.

“Let’s not lose any more time.” Poltergeist concludes. “Edward is tough, but even he has his limits.”

⋆༺♱༻⋆

    Forcefully, Edward grabs the nearest chair and turns around, its back hitting in full force the monster following him a bit too closely.

    Splinters of wood soar like confetti.

    Not waiting to lose the advantage of his short-lived distraction, the boy turns away, jumping on a nearby table. Leaning on his hand as he lands, he barely has time to stand up before a hand jerks the table away, sending it flying through the room.

    Crash.

    It hasn’t survived its straightforward encounter with the counter.

“That won’t do.” Edward grits his teeth in annoyance, already landing on the next table. “That won’t do. You’re supposed to be the mouse, not me.”

    In a dash, he jumps from one table to another, risking a glance at the figure following him. A woman with long black hair, wearing a simple white dress. Her bestial expression, her mouth opening too widely,.. it couldn’t feel more out of place.

“Stupid Jikininkis.”

    Two more figures rush a few more steps behind, their gait almost comical due to their dislocated steps. As if they had forgotten how to walk.

    Such a shame he has no opportunity to pause and laugh at them from a place they can’t reach. He can picture the scene so well that it only angers him more to think they spoiled that occasion. These are the moments he needs, the only ones allowing him to find release.

    But, of course, they have to deny him even that.

    Wrath filling his odd-coloured eyes, Edward’s attention lingers on the windows bordering the side of the restaurant.

    A large smile darkens his expression.

    Reorienting his trajectory, he aims straight towards one of them. At the same moment, a thin layer of bluish light wraps his whole body, like an aura.

    While the Jikininki closely chasing him extends her hand, smashing the table he has just reached in a single blow, Edward’s foot leaves the shattering wood to propel him straight at the window. Arms crossed before his face.

    In a mess of glass shards lit by the orangey light, part of them get stuck into his white strands of hair, Edward’s figure barges into the fresh night. As he hovers over the platform, the boy reaches out to the crimson railing, catching the cold metal with both hands.

    A grunt, low and guttural.

    As Edward ascends over the railing, head upside down, the figure of the monster surges. Caught in her momentum, she’s about to reach the boy’s position when the latter aims his foot at the monster’s neck. Treated as a vulgar ball, she’s sent flying with a kick over the railing and straight to the ground.

    A faint glow fades away from his leg as Edward lands back on the platform with a spin.

    Turning around to approach and lean against the railing, it’s with a fascinated smile on his features that he gazes beneath, where a trail of blood taints the paving. The whole scene lit by the glowing cones.

“Waaah! You look like a bride!”

    But he has no time to gawk for any longer as the two remaining Jikininkis cross the hole left in the wall.

    Letting out a manic laugh, Edward abandons his position to run away, his footsteps echoing along the platform.

    Unfortunately, the more he runs, the more he can’t help but notice his pace slowing down. The thuds behind him growing closer.

    As he realises he won’t be able to escape them, Edward stops and turns around in a single impulse. Crossing his arms, he has drawn six daggers.

    Three in each hand held between his fingers, like a cat drawing its claws.