Shoji Akuma

Chapter One

(Cover by ναlкуяιє aka Hailey TAGLINE from the The Champion Graphic Shop on Quotev)

"Kaiya!"

"What?? I'm listening!!" Kaiya bolted upright. Her friend sighed. "Do you loose attention THAT easily?" "I try not to!!" She responded honestly. Her friend sighed again. "No wonder why you don't do too good in class..."

Hey, I try...

Kaiya Akiyama was your normal Japanese school girl. Except she wasn't exactly the best student. She was a bit of a problem student. It wasn't her fault, she couldn't pay attention at all. Sometimes not even to her friends. She just moved into her town, so everything was even harder. At least she had A friend. "What were you saying?"

"Ugh...I was SAYING, did you hear about that guy that went missing?" Kaiya's eyes widened with interest. "Someone went missing?" The friend nodded. "I think it was someone in one of my classes. No one really paid any attention to him..." "Wow, so nice," Kaiya mumbled. "I think he was new." "Now that one just hurt."

​​​​"Oops! I didn't mean-" "I know you didn't mean that, Rento." Her friend, Rento, gave a small laugh and adjusted his hair. "Sorry," he said anyway. Then he smirked. "Say, shouldn't you be at home by now?" "Wh-what!?" Rento gave a full smile. Kaiya cursed under her breath and stood up. "I-I gotta go!! Bye!" Kaiya ran off, leaving her friend laying down under the Sakura tree. "Tsk tsk, she's so disorganized..." he mumbled.

Kaiya ran into her house. "Tadaima! I'm home!!" "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" She heard from another room. "Uh oh...m-mama, I was just hanging out with Rento!!" "What would I have done if you went missing, too?" She sighed. "Mama, if someone took me Rento would be there to protect me or inform someone."

"What if he took you??" Her mom screamed. "Then I could yell for help!" "If he covers your mouth?" "Kick him or bite his hand! I'm not defenseless!!! I can fend for myself!" Her mom, like most of the parents, was paranoid. If you weren't home by the EXACT time you're told, even by a minute, something must have happened to you. It made no sense.

"Do we even know the kid's name?" "Yes, the boy's name is Tadao Ueno." Kaiya had to run the name through her head. "Isn't he that rich snotty jerk I saw this morning?"

"Kaiya!! Show some respect!!" Her mother demanded.

"But mama, he ran into me, almost knocking me down and he just kept walking!!" "Regardless, show some respect for Mr. Ueno!"

"Mr. Ueno? He's my age, not 30 years old!"

"Kaiyaaa!!!!!"

She then realized that she went too far. "S-sorry mama!! I'm gonna go clean my room now!!" She ran over to her room and closed the door. Her room was already clean-for the most part. She just went there to avoid being yelled at or punished. "Mr. Ueno..." she mumbled. "He is the best living being in this world. Better then your own daughter..."

Sometimes Kaiya thought that her mom cared more about other people and fitting in then her. She didn't know why. Probably the stress of having a daughter and then your husband ditching you. So now that she thought about it she couldn't blame her. And for the fact that they just moved to a brand new house.

Then Kaiya could never see the only friend she had so far, Rento. Sure that comment he said was rude but she knew he didn't mean it. He was the best in the class! If a train passed the school he'd still be able to pay attention to the teacher! Kaiya's mom never really met him, so...there was that...

She sighed and fell onto her bed.
Everything was just so confusing and stressful...why couldn't things just be easy? Simple?...or why couldn't she just be like a normal person? With a normal attention span? Instead she gets distracted by the slightest of things...
"Yo."
"Wh-what!?" Kaiya sat up and looked where the voice came from.

The voice was from the window. Standing outside of the window was none other Rento.

"Rento!? What're you doing here!? ​​ Puraibashī, please??"

"Sorry, I know you want privacy, but I think I know what took that kid."

​​​​"Did you say WHAT?"

Rento smirked. "Shoji Akuma." "Wh-what!?" "Shoji Akuma," he repeated. "...i-is that a gang?" "Hmhm, no, silly. It's a real thing. Um, can I come in first?"

Kaiya sighed. "Come in." Rento climbed through the window. "Thank you. Anyway," he continued, "Right around this time of year-or anytime, really, it shows up, and-"

"Dude, I'm way too old for Matsuri stories..."

"But this is true!!" She rolled her eyes and mimicked him. "Oh, it shows up and finds you in your house and murders you with a plastic spoon with spikes on it!"

Rento seemed pretty un-amused. "Not funny Kaiya."

"Your attempt at a scary story is not funny, either, Rento." Her friend sighed. "Baka...if you would just let me finish the story...or at least start!"

"Ugh...fine. But if I get bored you shut up. Oh, and don't be too loud, my mom might not be too happy about you being here..."

Rento nodded. "Okay...now, if there's isn't anymore interruptions from you...Shoji Akuma, like it's name says, takes over the body of any victim, but only at night time. At first, it will try to act like the person. Then, it hides their body away, taking the soul of the body and leaving the lifeless corpse."

"...okay, what???"

"What?"

"That's stupid. First, why only at nighttime?? Second, where would it even hide the body? In a volcano?"

"Heh, how would I know?"

"How would you know any of this!?"

...Rento just smirked.

"...if you would answer me, that would be great," Kaiya added.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have the answer to a 'fake' story." He stuck his tongue out.

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "Jāku..."

Her friend just laughed. "Anyways, I should be headed home now."

"Home, or are you just gonna go stalk someone else, kurīpu?"

"Ah ha ha ha. Call me what you will. A jerk, maybe, but NOT a creep. See you around, Kaiya." Rento jumped out of the window, leaving Kaiya to think on her own.

Heh...Shoji Akuma, how ridiculous...where did Rento even hear about this? Sooner or later he's going to tell me that Godzilla has been created by an evil scientist...

Still...he seems to believe in it...and he IS the smartest person I know...maybe he's just crazy...

Maybe...

"...mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I use the computer?"

Maybe research of the story would help...