I Am All At Sea of Blood: Before Chainsaw Man

Chapter 7 : A Slow Day

"Ah, shit! Shit! Get out! Get out!"

Rushing out onto the apartment balcony, Izuki, with a sheet of cloth in his hand, began waving it in and out of the balcony doorway as he tried to fan out the wave of smoke puffing out of it. The black smoke trailed long, deep from his kitchen, from a frying pan half-hastily thrown into the sink within the moment of panic. In it, unrecognizable from what it once was, pieces of what was meant to be his breakfast turned char-black, emanating a strong burnt smell. Along with it was the sharp ringing sound of the fire alarm, repeatedly playing as if there were no tomorrow.

Hearing the chaos happening just next door, a woman too stormed out to her balcony with a concerned look on her face. "Kyoukawa-kun, Is everything alright there?" The woman called out. "Should I take the fire extinguisher or call for help?"

"Ah! Ma'am. It's alright. I just burned something a little bit, that's all. Hahaha." He nervously chuckled, shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" The woman reiterated.

Izuki nodded at the woman, putting on a smile that barely hid the cold sweat starting to drip from his face. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure! Sorry for bothering you, ma'am."

"Okay... just shout if you need any help, okay?"

"O-Okay. Alright! Thanks, ma'am!"

Eventually, the smoke stopped flowing out, and after the struggle that was standing to reach the height of the sounded alarm with the help of a chair and stacks of books, the morning was once again peaceful. Or, at least, it should have been that way. In momentary relief, Izuki let out a sigh and slouchingly walked back into his apartment. He crouched down as his legs grew weak from having to balance on his toes while on the chair when turning the alarm off.

"You've really done it this time, Izuki... "

After everything that happened just the day before, he found his head in complete shambles. Not only was he unable to calm his mind to put himself to sleep, but once the time for him to wake up finally came, he found himself going in and out of consciousness. Before he knew it, he nearly burned his uniform while ironing it, freezing from accidentally setting the bath water too cold, cutting his own finger, and now finally, almost burning the apartment down with him. All of it was things he happily thought of finally growing out of within the past year, and yet, it's all beginning to circle back to it again.

The voices in his head fought, but there was no time to dwell on them. Feeling a gust of cold wind flowing into his apartment, Izuki shook away his thoughts and glanced at the gaping balcony door. Beyond it, the flock of crows he saw every so often lined up together on the powerline nearby. Their black feathers were reminiscent of the contracted devil of a certain colleague he held dear.

"Ah... I wonder how he is doing now..." He lamented, slouchingly standing back up and closing the door shut.

He sighed, thinking of what sort of day would be waiting for him after the things he had gone through just the day before. With the morning time quickly passing by, he knew that he had no choice but to go to work on an empty stomach. After bidding his home goodbye, he persevered through the freezing winds. Thankfully for him, the amount of layers he wore regularly was enough to keep him warm through the weather.

***

Along his walk, he looked down on the concrete pathway, making sure to avoid tripping on the puddles that had formed from last night's rain, which visibly formed a thin layer of ice on its surface.

I must've looked like a fool back then... He thought, looking back at his impulsive actions the night before. Glancing at the other pedestrians passing by him, he quietly tucked himself in his collar like a turtle trying to hide in its shell, wishing nobody would recognize him.