In the morning, Seiji was awakened by the sound of the alarm on his phone. He slowly opened his eyes, tapping on the bedside table to locate his phone and silence the annoying alarm sound.
Eventually, he managed to do so and after this, he sluggishly got out of bed.
He went to the closet to get his fresh work clothes, and made his way to the living room.
"Ugh... I feel like everything that happened yesterday was just one big dream..." he said with tiredness.
Suddenly, his doubts were dispelled by Hideaki's loud snoring, still sleeping on the couch.
"Buut it wasn't just a dream after all..."
Seiji let out a tired sigh and headed to the kitchen. He put the kettle on for coffee and turned to the fridge to gather ingredients for his breakfast.
Eggs, oil, soy sauce, sugar, sweet rice wine (mirin), and water.
He wanted to make Tamagoyaki.
He started by cracking eggs into a bowl, being careful to remove any stray shells. Into the mixing bowl with the eggs, he added soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Then he began gently beating everything together with a whisk until the ingredients were well combined and the sugar had dissolved. He then placed the tamagoyaki pan on the stove, reducing the heat to medium.
He added a small amount of oil to the pan, spreading it evenly with a paper towel to coat the surface.
After heating the pan, Seiji poured a thin layer of the egg mixture onto it, tilting it to evenly cover the bottom with egg.
When the edges of the egg started to set but the top remained slightly runny, Seiji began rolling the egg from one end of the pan to the other using chopsticks. Then he pushed the rolled egg to one side of the pan and greased the empty side with a bit of oil.
Next, he poured another thin layer of the egg mixture onto the pan, making sure it flowed underneath the rolled egg. He repeated the process of rolling and layering until he had used all of the egg mixture, creating several layers of rolled omelet.
Soon the tamagoyaki was ready. Seiji allowed it to cool slightly, then began cutting it into neat bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife.
Cooking was never a problem for him; in fact, he enjoyed it. His dishes were always delicious in taste and aesthetically pleasing in composition.
He began arranging the sliced pieces in a bento box, garnishing them with chopped green onions for extra flavor and visual appeal. After a moment, he took a coffee and went to the dining table, located in the space between the living room and the kitchen.
As he drank, his gaze shifted to Hideaki. Hideaki looked small, almost harmless now, his long hair a mess, still snoring. Yet the reality of who he was — what he was — didn't escape Seiji.
'They'll catch him eventually... unless I make it harder.' Seiji's eyes lingered on Hideaki's long, wavy hair. That was his most noticeable feature, one easily remembered by witnesses.
'If I called the police, we'd both end up at the station. They'd arrest him - and probably take me in too.' Seiji took a measured sip of coffee, his eyes narrowing in thought. 'If I want him to stay here long enough to finish the job, I'll need to make sure he's unrecognizable... at least for now.'
His gaze shifted to Hideaki's long, wavy hair, a noticeable trait. ' His face might be forgettable, but that hair... It's what people will remember.' He paused, calculating.
He thought... and thought... until finally, with taking the gulp of the coffee, he came to a conclusion.
"Yes! That's it! In that case, I'll come back home a little later today..."
YOU ARE READING
Everyday Life with a Murderer
ActionA adult Japanese man, Seiji Sekiguchi was devastated by his life. During one rainy evening, he went to the rooftop of a building to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, on his way he meets a man, who apparently wants to kill him. Prepared for certain death...
