Kunio nodded deeply in response. He felt his back muscles tense up.
After graduating high school, he found a job at a nearby factory, but it didn’t fulfill him. He felt like he was just going through the motions of life.
The moment he saw Yukiko on TV, everything changed. For the first time, he felt complete. The transformation in his life was like a monochrome screen coming into full color.
His tedious job at the factory became easy when he thought of it as something he did for her. He was willing to give her everything—that was how valuable she was to him. Nearly every moment not spent at work was spent on supporting Yukiko and cheering her on. Without fail, he bought every new CD and photo book on the release date—not a day later. Whenever she had a local event or performance, nothing could prevent him from going to see her.
Why was he drawn to her with such intensity? Probably because she came off as sharing some of his negative qualities—in particular, timidity and introversion. Whatever the underlying reasons, his passion as a fan brought him into her fan club, got him invited into the inner circle, and now found him standing on guard outside her apartment.
Even within that inner circle, the hierarchy was firmly established, and good conduct was a must. As with such groups, simply being a member of the elite did not mean a fan would get any closer to the subject of their cause. In fact, they had to remain at a greater distance than the typical fan.
The very top management got to be on familiar conversational terms with her, but to new recruits like Kunio, even speaking to her would be like a dream within a dream.
But now here he was, keeping watch over her through the night. How could a fan be more blessed than that?
Kunio didn’t know why he was keeping watch. He hadn’t even the slightest idea. Yuji’s orders were to guard the area around Yukiko’s apartment building until morning. That was it. It wouldn’t have been in Kunio’s place to ask any questions, nor did he even entertain the thought.
He was happy to simply be near Yukiko, no matter what the circumstances might have been.
All that I must do, he thought, is stay on the alert so that Yukiko-san can sleep without worry. Even as his thoughts got carried away, romanticizing his role as her protector, his sense of duty burned inside him like an open flame. He kept a sharp eye on the darkened streets.
Maybe some deranged, malicious fan is stalking her around her neighborhood. My mission might be to protect her from him.
Kunio wondered what he would be like if he were that kind of fan instead. Wouldn’t he be around here somewhere, stalking her around her neighborhood, hoping to accomplish some sinister goal?
I won’t let him!
Even as he thought this, another part of him wrestled with the possibility that some twist of fate could have turned him into the very person he was out to stop.
And so, as he carried out his commander’s orders, and though he was fired up by his duty to protect Yukiko, his conflicting emotions swirled about inside him with no signs of stopping.
A rustle came from the bushes.
Someone was hiding in the shadows.
From what Kunio could see, the lurking figure was crouched over, completely still. The intruder appeared to be trying to get a look inside the apartments.
Kunio thought, Is this the bastard who’s stalking Yukiko-chan? Then, without any hesitation, he resolved himself. I’m going to chase him away!
On silent footsteps, Kunio approached the suspicious figure. He got a better angle through the bushes and saw that someone was indeed crouched there.
This wasn’t a normal person. He was gigantic. For a moment, Kunio’s resolve wavered, and he gulped down a breath of air.
The intruder must have sensed someone was near, because he swiftly arose. He had a furry body, denim overalls, and a round face twice as large as a man’s.
What? Kunio thought, feeling almost disappointed. It’s someone in a rabbit costume.
What potential threat did a person in a rabbit suit pose to Yukiko? Kunio had only known mascot characters to hand out balloons to kids, or flyers to passersby. They were friends to children.
Kunio was puzzled. He asked himself, What is someone in a rabbit costume doing here? Shouldn’t he be in some department store’s rooftop amusement park? And it’s the middle of the night, too.
Suddenly, the rabbit turned toward Kunio.
It was then that he saw the face. What he had assumed would be the lovable visage of a cartoon rabbit was instead a half-melted, monstrous thing.
Kunio held down a scream.
The rabbit’s ears stood up.
The would-be bodyguard understood instinctively what that meant—the rabbit was going to attack.
Kunio took one step back, and then another.
The rabbit swayed his way through a gap in the bushes, and then emerged.
Kunio’s legs froze as he looked up at the giant rabbit. I-I have to run. I have to run now.
That’s what he told himself, but his body refused to listen. His only movement was the fearful shaking in his face. For the first time in his life, Kunio knew true terror.
Slowly, the rabbit walked forward, stopping right in front of the young man. A piercing, repulsive smell came drifting from the suit.
In a hoarse, inhuman voice, the rabbit said, “You’re shaking.”
Kunio thought he glimpsed two evil eyes staring out at him from the rabbit’s mouth.
The rabbit raised a furry hand and grabbed Kunio by the shoulder. The hand felt soft and rubbery. In that instant, Kunio’s body came back into motion. He rocked his shoulder, pushing away the rabbit’s hand, and with a wordless battle cry, he threw himself at the creature.
Kunio’s terror powered him, and he found himself filled with a strength he had never known he possessed.
The rabbit fell over backward into the bushes, and Kunio went with him. The young man sat up, straddling the rabbit, and put his hands around the suit’s fat neck. On the other side of the scratchy fabric, he felt an unexpectedly slender human neck. All he had to do was squeeze. He put all his strength into the task, strangling the rabbit as hard as he could.
The rabbit flailed his arms and legs. Sweat rolled down Kunio’s forehead as he kept on squeezing.