The news of the police investigation into the hospital massacre had kept Seiji on edge. He constantly checked the TV and local news websites, looking for updates.
Fortunately, the latest report indicated that the case might take weeks, possibly even longer, to solve. Seiji sighed in relief. 'No need to stir panic around here.' If Hideaki knew about the police investigation, he'd spiral into paranoia.
Seiji decided to keep quiet.
The oppressive heat made the evening feel even longer. He lounged on the couch, letting the TV drone on in the background. Next to him, Hideaki lay sprawled, his eyes closed, showing signs of fatigue. Seiji cast him a few sidelong glances, his thoughts running through the recent events.
'He's been through hell. Maybe I'm overthinking it... but, he seems stable for now. Hm... Guess that he let that all stress out in Arata's house...'
Seiji sighed. 'Let's hope it stays that way.'
Suddenly, Hideaki snored softly, rolling over in his sleep, clearly restless. 'Even he's had enough of this heat,' Seiji mused, his mind wandering until a message notification buzzed on his phone.
It was from Ken.
Ken: "Hey! Seiji, huge news!!! Rika and I are officially dating! I'm so happy, man! I've always thought there was something between us, and now that she's back, we've been talking and meeting non-stop. It.. kinds clicked with us at some point, hehe. Anyways, we were thinking of celebrating with a camping trip this weekend. You in? Campfire, spooky stories - what do you say?"
Seiji's eyebrows raised slightly as he read the message. 'Ken... and Rika? Well, that's... interesting.' He typed back a quick congratulations and glanced at Hideaki, still sleeping next to him.
Seiji reached over and nudged him lightly. "Hey. Wake up."
Hideaki stirred, blinking groggily. "What is iiit?" He wasn't fond of being disturbed during his naps.
"Ken wants us to go camping this weekend. You in?"
Hideaki let out a low grumble, clearly annoyed at being disturbed. "Camping? Mhm... I guess... Why not." Hideaki mumbled before returning to his interrupted nap.
"Alright. I'll let him know." Seiji replied with a nod, pulling out his phone again.
Seiji: "We're in."
Ken responded with details about the trip. Seiji's eyes scanned the message, an idea forming in his mind. 'This could be a good chance for Hideaki to relax... And also a perfect opportunity for him to get to know Ken and Rika better and fade away the bad image he presented to them...'
He turned to Hideaki, who was already back to dozing off. "Ever been camping before?"
Hideaki's eyes opened slightly, 'Tch! That idiot won't let me nap anymore...' he muttered irritated and gave a half-hearted sigh,
"Once. When I was a kid. Hated it. They told ghost stories the entire time and because of that, I couldn't sleep for days."
"Did you tell them you didn't want to hear those stories?"
"I did! But they insisted they weren't that scary... even though I kept asking them to stop. They didn't listen."
"Sounds familiar. My last trip was a disaster too. Some of my classmates thought it would be funny to leave me behind in the middle of the forest."
"Did they dig a hole in the ground and put you there to pretend it's your grave?" Hideaki smiled viciously.
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...
