Hyakki Yagyou

Chapter Seventeen: Symmetry, Lurking

“That is not dead which can eternal lie,

And with strange aeons even death may die.” 

-        H.P. Lovecraft

January 8th, 9:10 am

It was an unusually early funeral rite.

Asuka had no immediate family coming to claim her body. Her parents must have forgotten they had a daughter, since no one called or checked to see who was going to perform the funeral service. Her apartment was too small for that, as well, so the body was cremated and the ashes taken to a small shrine where the wake was held.

It was the earliest funeral Emi had ever attended. Not that she attended many funerals but this was by far the earliest one. Usually, they took place in the afternoon when the invitees were rested enough to stay awake. 

But, how could one even be rested at such a service? Emi could not. Not today, not before.

Not ever.

Around 8 am, Abe and she prepared everything for the small event. Ryu came next, several of Asuka’s co-workers, students and students’ parents came after Ryu. Yui was the next one and surprisingly, that Aoyama guy was the last to enter the room.

What on earth was he doing here, Emi wondered?

The admin must have been there as well but none of the faces told her that their owner was possibly him, or her. The only strange attender was Aoyama. Could it be he? But, he was Keita’s friend.

Did Keita then know the admin before the website was launched? Or did he get a permission to break a rule of eremitis and become face-to-face friends with the admin?

Abe noticed Emi’s confusion, her browns furrowing softly as she stared at Aoyama, and she asked, whispering. “What’s wrong?”

Except the obvious, Emi thought and then spoke out loud “I think I know who the admin is.” It was just a guess but it was worth a shot.

“Who?” Abe asked, scanning the room. She barely knew anyone there so she could not take even a wildest guess. She could recognize Emi’s brother and Fujita, but others were mere strangers.

“Aoyama. He’s sitting next to my brother.”

“Aoyama?” Abe repeated and glanced at Keita, and then at the guy sitting quietly next to him.

Aoyama seemed the tall, dark and handsome type with thick black hair and a face that could melt any girl’s smile. That was her initial impression of the young male. However, upon closer inspection, Abe noticed other details as well.

His eyes were a cold dark that beamed through the entire room, all the day to her and she felt utterly uneasy about it. His face expression showed calculation and calmness and the skin, she imagined, would feel silky and smooth under the touch of one’s fingertips.

It seemed that he felt her staring at him so the next moment, his head moved in a swift motion and his eyes laid on hers, locking them in a gaze from which she would not break away. It was only then that she noticed his face was strangely attuned to symmetry. 

Now, now. No one face was symmetric, right? Like Emi. Her lower lip was significantly bigger than the upper one and her right eyebrow was ever so slightly lifted up more than the left one. Her own face featured her right ear being lower than the left one. She could go on with this forever.

But he was completely different. Maybe it was just the distance and her lack of focus to identify flaws on his visage, but so far, she only saw the lack of asymmetry. And it was plain disturbing. It was as if a deity had cracked a joke upon his birth and gave the child a perfect face but at the same time a face that would make everyone feel uncomfortable.