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Susumu, you always sat alone on a swing. The expression on your face was so serious and frightening, no one would come close to you. I could see it, and felt the vibe rolling off you. You resented the world for how you looked, and that resentment dictated how you treated others. Everyone around you thought you were a yakuza, but your soul was gentle. I studied you for days from afar. No matter how I looked at you, you didn’t move, nor did you make any trouble.

The bullies of the playground wouldn’t even approach you. Rumors spread early about your family being yakuza. Even though you never had a tattoo on your body. I didn’t believe the rumors and yet I didn’t think they were entirely groundless. I was always an investigator at heart, and fearless. So I decided to approach you.

You glared at me intensely as though you wanted to tear me to pieces. I felt nervous, but that violent core within me refused to back down. “Hello!” I smiled.

You blinked and to my surprise you managed a scary smile in return. It was even more frightening than your serious expression, but your eyes truly sparkled. “Nice to meet you! What’s your name?” you asked normally. It was so at odds with your expression, I was floored.

“Ah... Tanimura R-Reiko... Nice to meet you too,” I replied. Things got weirder when your expression intensified. Your eyes widened and your face started to express something like the bloodlust of a killer on the shows I’d seen.

“I’m Susumu!” You looked incredibly terrifying, yet you sounded so innocent and... cute. I was somehow disappointed.

“What kind of a yakuza kid are you?!” I thought I was cracking the case. In fact, I did, but the truth shocked me. My basic instincts took over. I drove my leg up to knock you out of your seat. You flipped out of it. Your heels went over your head as you planted headfirst into the sand. I stared at you, terrified by what I’d done to you.

Everyone drew away from us. I expected you would either be dead or you’d surge up with a bloody nose to run at me and thrash me.

.....

...............

Instead you broke into tears. Everyone ran away from the playground. Even after seeing you cry, everyone still expected you to go on a rampage. Even when you cried you still glared. Seeing you sitting like that solved the case. I felt guilty about what I’d done; it was as though I’d attacked one of my girlfriends. Thinking about what might fix the situation, I reached into my pocket and found a gacha keychain I’d gotten earlier that day. It was a Jetman mask I thought was pretty cool since it was a rare drop.

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Reiko-chan ... I remember Jetman... I think I still have the keychain in a box at home. Keeping it with me at all times was a way I could treasure our friendship. Every day, I carried it with me. When I forgot I had a friend, I only had to squeeze it. I always smiled to put everyone at ease, but everyone just ran faster. They thought I was fondling a weapon in my pocket. I didn’t understand it until you explained to me that my smile was frightening for others. I couldn’t stop smiling, because it was my nature.

Our friendship was born. You came to my home every day afterwards. I thought it was strange since I’d learned that a girl going to a boy’s house wasn’t proper, yet I couldn’t have been happier.

We watched videos on the internet together and played fighting games. Ever since I met you, I wanted to look cooler and stronger. A guy who a girl can kick down all the time isn’t the kind of guy someone would love, or so I thought. I probably should have learned martial arts instead of playing video games, but discovering that you enjoyed them even more than I did made me want to play them all the more. It was my goal to defeat you in those games.

My parents pressured me to approach you romantically since you were the only girl who could stand my company. They saw that you were a suitable girl and I was a boy who could never find love. They wouldn’t let me go anywhere near the types of girls who might be attracted to me: prostitutes, users, yakuza women and such. But the fact is, you meant more to me than anyone else ever could. Because of that fateful morning with my parents I made up my mind to try to claim your heart. There was a strong chance your feelings would be reciprocated, but you destroyed me with your rejection. Others might have moved on, but I could not.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

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I know, Susumu. You were always a crybaby. I was so furious with you that I didn’t want to face you. I threw myself into my work to forget you for a while.

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Reiko-chan! I’m so sorry I was always too weak! I didn’t mean to ruin our friendship! All I wanted was to be happy together with you forever. I know now you could never have been more than my best friend. After you destroyed my heart, I cried. I never told you. I couldn’t be that cool guy I thought you always wished I was. And after that, you wouldn’t even see me. I atrophied without my only friend to support me. My father was finally moved to talk to me about my behavior. He set my path for me by getting me hired. I decided I could still be the man you wanted. I threw myself into my work to forget you for...

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Susumu... I know you suffered. I know how hard you worked. I can see your memories, and you can see mine too, can’t you? I chased my dreams to become a reporter. One day, I would find you and apologize for how deeply I hurt you. By then we’d both be past the young love you felt for me. I started interning for a news network. Studying under a famous reporter was a dream come true. I knew my chance would come when I’d be able to report on television.

I learned about a series of murders that had been committed across Tokyo. No one in the studio had any leads on the cause of them. There were no forensics or clues to point the way. Even the police were stumped. This was my opportunity to prove my ability to the world.

I investigated and tried to convince others to join me, but they all were terrified by the mysterious murderer. The person could appear without warning. The only clues I found the murders had in common was the fact that they involved the theft of valuable objects. No matter how the businesses safeguarded their records, money, computers, papers and other valuable assets, the guards were killed and the security bypassed effortlessly.

My investigations led me to another curious investigator. I was surprised when I met Rui. She was the most unbelievably adorable-looking girl I’d ever seen. I was worried about her safety, thinking she was playing there with pretend tools. She showed me differently. Learning about her made me fall in love with her. Her bravery and fearless nature reminded me of my own. She shared her clues with me and I shared mine. One thing led to another and we ended up together in bed when I learned she wasn’t fourteen. She actually was eighteen! Oh, please don’t call me a lolicon. You know how she looks. She was so eager, though. The night we shared was magic. It gave me the courage to do what I needed to do. I’d experienced true love with another woman. No matter what I had to do to crack the case, it was fine.

I went through all the male suspects she’d lined up and eliminated them one by one. I learned that she had no spiritual abilities. And yet she was fearlessly facing these yokai threats. I decided that she was more at risk than I was since she didn’t have any formal martial arts training. I eventually took control of the investigation as we narrowed it down to a particularly evil-looking jerk. That was Tao Mitsuhiko. Despite how he looked, I thought he’d be a pushover, but investigating him took years of effort. The longer it went the harder it went to hide my true feelings, so I made the ultimate sacrifice. I slept with him, making sure I used the best contraceptive devices and creams.

It was scarring. I hated him for the night we shared. I hid it well, though. Even after that, he still didn’t let his guard down. So I agreed to marry him. I could always get him back by leaving him at the altar like a fool. I thought that would be the only hollow victory I could score, but he finally made a critical mistake. Thinking my heart was in his pocket, he completed one of his bloody rituals I suspected he was guilty of. I saw his scroll glowing. It was hard to wait for the right moment, but the moment came while blood was smeared all over his naked body.

I stole his scroll and ran for my life...

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I know this story from Mitsuhiko, that cold-eyed bastard. He told me about it as though he was proud of breaking you. Damn him!

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Damn him! It was true for the most part, except for the parts where he pretended to be a noble protector. He took relish in dismantling a proud woman. All he wanted was to shape me into what he wished. I fought fiercely, knowing his physical strength and condition were superior to mine. I couldn’t stand the idea that he was going to do what he wished with me. I snapped and something poured from me I couldn’t understand.

Noh-face prime was born from my own feelings. I’d worn a mask for a long time. I felt faceless. He demeaned me in ways I can’t describe. When it appeared, I felt a connection to it. It was a part of my heart. That core of violence and strength within me came to life on its own. Somehow, I sent it after that bastard. He did something I never had seen before. His shadow came alive and it started to battle the creature that I’d given birth to. I wasn’t sure how strong it was, so I ran with the scroll. If only I could get to safety, everything would be fine.

I got out of the tower without any issues. The staff knew me and let me go even though I was hurrying out. Mitsuhiko was too preoccupied with fighting Noh-face and wasn’t able to direct his security to bar my way. He trusted me entirely. I’d won!

I got to the train and boarded it. Oh, Susumu... it caught me on the train. It did to me what I did to you. It was the violence within me. I was taken apart by it in a car full of passengers. I was the first victim of the noh-face. The passengers fled. After breaking me apart, it stole my face.

What I’d become destroyed me. It’s truly amazing you survived this experience. As strong as you think I am, I was utterly crushed. I couldn’t go to Rui looking that way. If I had, I might have survived like you. I’d have had a showdown with it in time to reclaim my humanity, but I didn’t know I was on borrowed time...

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