Everyday Life with a Murderer

Chapter 32: Halloween Episode

[ October 31st ]

Halloween

For Native Americans, it is a holiday of the dead, sweets, dressing up, and going from house to house with a famous phrase "trick or treat". The spooky evening takes place under the dark veil of vampires, zombies and other scary monsters.

For the Japanese, this is an equally fun holiday because here in Japan, Halloween is considered the biggest party for all cosplay lovers. Every year in large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, are large cosplay festival takes place, where you can admire various costumes, more or less creative and original.

Seiji and Hideaki decided to go to such a costume festival this year.

While still at home in the living room, Hideaki was trying to attach felt bat wings to one of his hoodies. The black sweatshirt already had bat ears sewn onto the hood. Seeing the murderer struggling to sew the last element of the costume, Seiji sighed and walked over.

"Give it here," Seiji said, already taking the hoodie from Hideaki's hands. "I'll finish it - like I did with the ears."

Hideaki waited impatiently, watching as Seiji skillfully attached the wings. His eyes were fixated on the sewing needle, but he fidgeted, clearly eager to wear his finished creation.

When Seiji handed the hoodie back to him, Hideaki grinned widely. "Finally! My vampire costume is ready!" He pulled it on with enthusiasm.

Seiji raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And whose effort made that happen again?"

"Tch! Y-you..." Hideaki muttered, pulling the hood over his head, clearly not wanting to admit it.

"Aaaand?" Seiji pressed, his voice dry but expectant.

"And... t-thanks... for the wings. And the ears..." Hideaki grumbled, still reluctant.

"You're welcome," Seiji replied evenly. "Now get up. We're leaving."

Hideaki, surprisingly obedient this time, stood up from the couch, and the two of them left the apartment.

Unlike Hideaki, Seiji had chosen not to dress up, opting for his usual, neat casual clothes.

Hideaki, on the other hand, wore the black hoodie with bat wings and ears, burgundy pants with a hanging metal chain and cross, and fake fangs completing the look. It was a modern, minimalist take on a vampire - fitting for someone who didn't care for the traditional, fancy portrayal.

Soon, they were making their way to the center of Tokyo for the Halloween festivities.

Once they arrived at the festival, they were greeted by a sea of people dressed in all kinds of costumes. From anime, games, and movies to more unique concepts - like someone dressed as a person caught in a windy day, complete with a piece of paper flapping on their face.

Seiji glanced around, taking in the creativity of the crowd. "Looks like this year's crowd is... diverse," he remarked, his tone slightly dry but impressed.

Hideaki, on the other hand, seemed tense - his fear of crowds was on. He nodded, his posture rigid. "Y-yeah..." he stammered, gulping before adding, "I'm w-waiting for someone with sweets to show up.."

Seiji raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Good luck with that. Most of these people are just here to cosplay, not hand out candy."

"Well, it's Halloween!" Hideaki's tone suddenly shifted. He grumbled, sounding frustrated. "During this night SHOULD be candy picking!"

"It's Japan, Hideaki. That's not how it works here." Seiji's tone was blunt, clearly a bit exasperated by his roommate's naïveté. He shook his head, deciding not to pursue the conversation further, and went back to observing the crowd. The amount of effort people put into their costumes didn't escape his notice.