Everyday Life with a Murderer

Chapter 20: Beach Episode

Hideaki woke up to find his arms and legs tied, his face immediately showing confusion.

"H-huh!?" he blurted out.

Looking over, he saw Seiji still sleeping beside him. Frustrated, he wriggled his way closer and poked the programmer to wake him up.

After a moment, Seiji slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the sight of Hideaki's irritated face. He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh... you're awake."

"Yeah! And why the hell am I tied up!?" Hideaki snapped.

Seiji sighed, his voice calm but with clear irritation. "Because last night, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Again."

"Huh? What are you talking about!?"

"Picture this," Seiji said, sitting up slowly. "You're asleep, minding your own business, and suddenly, you wake up to see a psycho hovering over you with a knife, grinning like he's about to carve you up. Sound familiar?"

Hideaki scoffed. "That kind of stuff only happens in movies."

Seiji shot him a skeptical look. "Right... Are you seriously trying to act like you didn't just try to kill me last night?"

A brief pause. Hideaki's face twitched. "Tch... M-maybe."

Seiji exhaled sharply, clearly unimpressed. He got out of bed and began dressing, leaving Hideaki still tied up.

"Oi! Aren't you going to untie me!?" Hideaki hissed, frustrated.

"Oh... right," Seiji muttered, walking back over. But before loosening the ropes, he slapped Hideaki across the face - hard. The sound echoed through the room.

Hideaki's eyes widened in shock. "W-What the hell was that for!?"

"For last night," Seiji replied coldly. "You've lost your mind. That's another time you've tried to kill me, and this time you did it while I was asleep. You really are a psychopath."

"Tch... I just wanted to play around," Hideaki mumbled, clearly not taking it seriously.

Seiji raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now you remember? Funny how that works."

"F-fuck..."

"Play? You call that playing? Waking someone up in the dead of night with a knife to their throat and laughing like a lunatic is your idea of fun?"

"Yeah..."

Seiji pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to suppress his growing frustration. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you. What kind of messed-up logic are you working with? Do you ever stop to think about what would happen if my sister walked in to find me dead?"

Hideaki stiffened, the words hitting him harder than expected. He didn't know how to respond, slipping into anxious silence.

Seiji's patience wore thinner. "So? Nothing to say? Or is running away from responsibility the only thing you're good at?"

"I... I..." Hideaki stammered before his voice turned defensive, "I don't know, okay!? Give me a break!"

Seiji's gaze hardened. "I'm not leaving you alone until you face this properly."

"No! I'm not telling you anything!" Hideaki snapped, attempting to flee the bed. His bound legs betrayed him, and he crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Seiji stood over him, his voice icy. "Of course, running. That's all you ever do. You can't even take responsibility when you're literally tied down. Pathetic."