Orihata bought a huge swath of black cloth, almost like a theater curtain, at a do-it-yourself fabric shop, and fashioned a cloak and hat out of it. I was appalled when she showed it to me.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was hideous.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You want me to walk outside. . .in this?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“You will change before you ‘appear.’ Until then, it can remain hidden. . .in a sports bag or something.”
✦ ✦ ✦
She produced a big Nike bag from out of seemingly nowhere.
✦ ✦ ✦
“W-wait, I. . .I really have to put this stuff on?”
✦ ✦ ✦
This was like what a street performer would wear from some long forgotten decade.
✦ ✦ ✦
Despite my concerns, Orihata simply said,“That’s how it goes.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I took the cloak, the decorations clattering, thinking again that this was a step I shouldn’t be taking.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was well made. She’d sewn it carefully, and the fabric was doubled over. It was really thick. You would never think for a minute that it was handmade, which made it all the more serious. . .and more embarrassing to boot.
✦ ✦ ✦
“But what if someone I know sees me?” I asked, still underestimating my predicament.
✦ ✦ ✦
Orihata answered that one easily. “Don’t worry. You’ll be wearing make-up. No one will ever recognize you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The first thing we tried was to have Orihata walk down backroads at night and try to attract would-be molesters, which I would then proceed to beat the ever-loving crap out of. As heroic as it sounds, I felt like I was working some sort of con. Still, if someone tried to attack Orihata, I wasn’t about to just stand there and let them have their way with her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I thought you could do it. You’re really strong,” she said.
✦ ✦ ✦
I am a guy, after all, so I can’t say that hearing that didn’t make me happy.
✦ ✦ ✦
So, we kept it up, like today.
✦ ✦ ✦
Until I started doing this, I really had now idea how dangerous this town really is. Don’t believe what people tell you. Japan isn’t nearly as safe a place as the government and media leads you to believe. The proof was in how easy it was for Orihata-our
✦ ✦ ✦
“bait”-to lure in prey.
✦ ✦ ✦
If you must know, my karate master had been forced to leave Japan after an epic bout of violence, but a man with as powerful a sense of j ustice as he had could hardly have lived in Japan without getting mixed up in stuff. I was no different than my master at this very moment. Which is why if he only knew his student was following in his footsteps. . .he’d be furious!
✦ ✦ ✦
But why exactly Orihata wanted me to do this; that was something that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out. The most worrisome thing of all was the more that I did it, the more I found myself enjoying this little “game.” And not just because I was with Orihata...
✦ ✦ ✦
“School’s going to start up again pretty soon. What then?” I asked, as I stood there in a back alley, letting her apply my Boogiepop make-up.
✦ ✦ ✦
"........." She didn’t answer.
✦ ✦ ✦
After covering my face with skin cream, she began patting white foundation all over it.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Be honest, how long can we really keep this up?”
✦ ✦ ✦
"........." She said nothing, calmly applying my eyeliner.
✦ ✦ ✦
Her face was inches from mine. Her lips were slightly puckered, as if she were about to kiss me.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What do you say?”
✦ ✦ ✦
"........."
✦ ✦ ✦
Boogiepop’s face was apparently very, very pale. Below the eyes there were black lines, or blueish shadows. Then on top of that, he wore a hat that covers his eyes, making him look inhuman-like a ghost. If I met him on some darkened street at night, I’d probably wet myself.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Well?” I kept asking.
✦ ✦ ✦
She looked away, and then I heard her say, “Masaki.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yes?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“That came out of the blue...”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’ll do anything. Ask me anything at all. Anything you want to do, Masaki. . .we’ll do it.” She never looked at me, but the words burst out of her.
✦ ✦ ✦
I was stunned.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I know it won’t be enough. But if there’s anything I can do. . .I’ll do it. . .anything and everything you desire, Masaki. I’ll do everything you want from me...”
✦ ✦ ✦
I’d never seen her so desperate.
✦ ✦ ✦
Her profile trembled. She seemed so wretched. I felt a pain in my chest, like it was on fire. I felt a surge of misdirected emotions.
✦ ✦ ✦
“In that case, I’ll play Boogiepop as good as I can,” I said, shoulders slumping.
✦ ✦ ✦
Her head snapped up, and she stared at me. It was her usual response, “Why?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Well. . .to tell you the truth, it’s getting kinda fun.” It wasn’t a lie. I’d only recently come to that very revelation myself.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Masaki. . .” Her hands reached towards me. . .then stopped, flailed around in the air a bit, and dropped limply to her sides.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You’re an idiot, Masaki,” she whispered.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I know,” I grimaced.
✦ ✦ ✦
Call it irresponsible, but whatever happens, happens.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m a little relieved,” Masaki said. “If you got attacked every time, that’d be pretty crazy. Not to mention, scary.” He took off his outfit, and handed it to Aya, like always. It was her job to look after the outfit. She would patch up any rips or tears, but today there weren’t any.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Masaki, how do you...” Aya started to ask, standing on the darkened night street.
✦ ✦ ✦
But Masaki was busy wiping the make-up off his face, and didn’t hear her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Uh, what’d you say?” he asked, rubbing cleansing cream over his skin.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Nothing,” Aya said, letting the question remain unspoken.
✦ ✦ ✦
She had almost asked, ‘How do you feel about me?’ But no matter what the answer might’ve been, Aya could do nothing about it. . .because she was lying to him.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’ll take you home then.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No need.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t be silly. After all the times you’ve been attacked, I’m not letting you go anywhere without me,” Masaki smiled. They had this exchange every time.
✦ ✦ ✦
They went to the bus terminal near the station, got on a late night bus, and headed towards her apartment.
✦ ✦ ✦
They said nothing as they rode.
✦ ✦ ✦
Aya couldn’t figure out what to talk about, and Masaki felt no need to talk. Aya glanced over at him from time to time, and every time his eyes were always there looking at her with a smile on his face. It was as if just being with her was fun enough.
✦ ✦ ✦
Whenever Aya saw that carefree grin, her chest hurt.
✦ ✦ ✦
She didn’t know what to do.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m sorry...” she whispered, inaudible above the noise of the bus.
✦ ✦ ✦
He leaned in, “What?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.
✦ ✦ ✦
At length, the bus reached their stop.
✦ ✦ ✦
They got off, and Masaki walked her all the way to the elevator door.
✦ ✦ ✦
But that was all. He followed her no further.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Night.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Good night.” Aya could think of nothing else to say.
✦ ✦ ✦
With the Nike bag containing the Boogiepop outfit slung over her shoulder, the elevator doors closed, and headed upwards.
✦ ✦ ✦
She bit her lip.
✦ ✦ ✦
Something moved inside her jacket. Her phone was ringing.
✦ ✦ ✦
She jumped, and answered, “Orihata.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Camille?” This voice was always hostile.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Y-yes.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“You still haven’t caught him?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“At. . .at this point, there has been no contact,” Aya’s voice trembled slightly.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hmph. I thought a fake was too cheap a gambit for him. . .so we need to put a bullet in this plan.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Which means. . .?” Aya felt her backbone turn to ice.
✦ ✦ ✦
The malevolent voice continued, “We’ve got a different use for Taniguchi Masaki. Time for you to cut him loose.”
✦ ✦ ✦
"......!"
✦ ✦ ✦
“Soon enough, we’ll need to sterilize the area. I’ll have further instructions for you. Until then, keep things going.” He hung up.
✦ ✦ ✦
".........!" Aya stood frozen in horror.
✦ ✦ ✦
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened, but her legs were shaking so much that she was frozen in place. Seconds later, the doors closed again in front of her.
✦ ✦ ✦
When he first set eyes on the individual who had just transferred into his third year junior high class, Anou Shinjirou felt like someone had grabbed him by the heart. It was love at first sight.
✦ ✦ ✦
“My name’s Taniguchi Masaki. It’s nice to meet you all,” the new boy said, and gave a gentle smile. Shinjirou thought he was going to fall into those eyes. He could barely breathe; his throat was dry.
✦ ✦ ✦
But a moment later, all the girls in class shrieked, and he was jolted back to reality.
✦ ✦ ✦
(What am I thinking...?)
✦ ✦ ✦
Until that moment, Shinjirou had believed himself to be just a normal ordinary boy. No sirree, nothing particularly unusual about him, which is why he didn’t understand the feelings being born inside him at that very moment.
✦ ✦ ✦
“He’s not so great...” the guy behind him muttered, watching Taniguchi Masaki grin weakly back at the lovesick, squealing girls.
✦ ✦ ✦
Shinjirou quickly exclaimed, “Y-yeah, I hate him already.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The moment the words left his mouth, he was certain they were true. He hated the guy. That was all.
✦ ✦ ✦
And yet every time he looked at Masaki, his chest began to pound. What could that mean?