Unfair, Sudden, Painful

Chiyoko's POV

​[Saturday, September 10, 1993. 19:43 PM]

​“Onee-chan, come on, where are you?”

​“I'm on my way. Just be patient.”

​“Okay.”

​I ended the call as I placed the landline down. Today is the big day. Naoki is going to be celebrating her 9th birthday, and I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees the gift I bought her.

I was already dressed in my pink yukata with a blossom pattern, and I was ready to go, but there was just one issue. Tanaka-san wasn't home, along with Mother and Father. I was always told never to walk to any place, whether it was a convenience store run or hanging out with friends.

​I was specifically not allowed to walk to any destination, which irritated me deeply. It felt like they were not giving me the freedom I deserved. But I was so wrong. They knew from the start. That is why they never wanted me to go out alone.

​Without anyone noticing, I grabbed the gift and sneaked out of the front door while my older sisters (the maids) did their jobs. I ran out of the mansion as the night sky was lit up by the many stars that crowded the heavens in a beautiful visual flare.

​Since our house was the one at the top of a hill near Tokiwa Forest, I had to walk down to the south part of town. As I walked, I noticed something—something I had noticed for over an entire year now. Someone had been stalking me. Everywhere I went, I would see them wearing the same hoodie, staring, as if they wanted to rip me apart.

​When I was at school, I saw them waiting. When I was at Naoki's house, he was there, observing from the bushes. In short, I felt like I was being watched. And it turns out I was right. I walked faster as he also increased his pace. Before I could run, he took out his gun and aimed for my leg.

Bang! 

​He fired as the bullet pierced my leg, and I fell. My gift to Naoki fell as it got ruined. It was a chocolate cake. I held my bleeding leg as I cried in pain. He simply looked at me with contempt as he lifted me up and placed me on his shoulder.

​He had a tired-looking face as he sneered while chuckling bitterly. He sauntered through the trees as he headed for the sacred tree. I tried freeing myself, but there was no use. I was simply too weak to take down a grown man. He stopped right in front of the tree as he threw me to the ground and muttered:

​“Finally… after waiting for so long… I get to make you suffer too… kekekeke!” The man cackled with a dry, crow-like sound as he tilted his head back while a flush crept up his cheeks.

​What's wrong with him? He's… gone insane.

​“Why are you… doing this to me? Who are you? And what have I ever done to you?”

​“Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, I like that question. I like, like, like… like it a lot, keke!” He crouched right in front of me as I leaned against the tree. His face was only inches from mine.

​“The name's Tendo Kenji. You see, brat, your Daddy fucked up my life! Do you know what it's like to dedicate your entire life to your job, only to get fired for someone else's mistake, leaving you with nothing but hunger and poverty? Oh wait, you wouldn't know that… because you're rich. You don't need to work a day in your life since you'll end up inheriting the billion-yen fortune your parents have built.”

​“I don't understand. What does any of this have to do with me?”

​“How naive. Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm going to get my revenge on your father… by killing you!”

​I gasped loudly as my shoulders hunched, my hands trembling. “No, please… don't do it. I'm begging you, I don't want to die…”

​“Look, kid. It's nothing personal. Don't blame me; blame your father. He's the reason you're in this mess. Maybe next time he'll actually be considerate of other people's livelihoods.”

​He rose as he leaned on the left side of the tree while I remained there, my leg bleeding out slowly. He then muttered with a cracking voice:

​“You see, this is how I got fired. As I'm sure you're aware… your mother and father own the biggest gaming company in Japan. Watanabe Games. As a kid who grew up playing video games, it only made sense that one day I'd like to make my own, or at least work with a company on making one.”

​His voice lowered, his fist clenched, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the sky while folding his arms.

​“I wanted to work for the biggest gaming company of the century, which so happens to be your family's company. But now I realize I would've been better off working a simple job. You see, your father gave me a pretty crucial task, and that was supervising the editing process that comes with creating a game. Of course, among our team, there was an idiot who didn't know what he was doing.”

​He ambled around the tree slowly as he continued with an even more intense tone:

​“He messed up the game, and because of that screw-up, your father lost two million yen. Who did he blame first? Me. What about my team? Surely they'll testify? They didn't. I was fired because of a mistake I didn't make. I wasn't even given a chance to explain. And if that wasn't enough, your father decided that I owed him that two million. And thanks to him, I've been living off of food scraps and I've been sleeping under bridges for five years!!!”

Then he stopped right in front of me as he lowered his upper body toward me.

​“I HATE YOUR FATHER WITH ALL OF MY BEING! BUT THEN, IT CAME TO ME. IF I WANTED TO MAKE HIM SUFFER, THEN I SHOULD TAKE WHAT'S MOST PRECIOUS TO HIM. AND WHAT COULD BE MORE PRECIOUS THAN HIS ONLY DAUGHTER, WHO WAS THE FACE OF THE COMPANY AT SOME POINT? OR RATHER, THE PAWN THAT BROUGHT IN CUSTOMERS, KEKEKEKE… AND THAT'S HOW YOU ENDED UP HERE. PRETTY MESSED UP, HUH! LIKE I SAID BEFORE, BLAME YOUR FATHER! HE'S THE ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU TO YOUR DEMISE!!!!”

​With all the strength I could muster, I propped myself up as I limped, trying my best to escape. But when your time comes, there is no running away from it.

​Bang!! 

The gunshot echoed in the quiet, lifeless, dark forest. He had shot me again—this time through the heart. I halted as I turned to face him. I touched my chest, and when I raised my hand to my eyes, there was crimson. I coughed out the crimson liquid as my knees buckled and I fell forward.

​“You're probably wondering why I'm so good with this pistol. Well, that's thanks to my sheer skill and burning rage. They say revenge can drive you to do crazy things and learn stuff you never took interest in—like brutally murdering a child, for example. Kekekekekekeke…”

​My eyesight blurred. Three parts of my body were bleeding, which meant I was really meeting my end. Same as Lyrien when he jumped in front of Martha and got pierced by a spear. The difference between our deaths is that he died noble, while I'm dying for another's mistake. Is this what the world has become? An endless cycle of pain and misery? I believe so.

​Tears welled up in my eyes as the blur became more prominent. My sight, smell, sound, and taste—all of it ceased functioning. The salty liquid watered down my face all the way to the grass as I thought:

​Is this really it? Is this… the end of… the road… for me… I… I didn't get… to see the look… on Naoki-chan's… face… Mother, Father… I'm sorry… but I have no regrets… wait… there is just one… I wish… I got to meet… my soulmate… hehe… how foolish of me… there is no such thing… as soulmates… it was all just… a lie… a fool’s… errand… and yet… even so… I still wanted… to believe… in that lie…

As I drew my last breath, I saw Takahashi holding a shovel as he hovered over me—the last thing I heard him say was:

​“Rest in peace, you poor, unfortunate child… may your father suffer a fate worse than yours… so that he can atone for killing my future, and yours too. You poor child, rest now.”

​My eyes were only half-opened as the remaining embers of life in them died out. Only a hollow, lifeless glare remained. My breaths went quiet. My train of thought flat lining along with my bleeding heart. I was dying. I was fading. I was hurting. And everything… was over.

[To be Continued...]