It was in a funeral that the reality had begun to set in. The body that was softly swinging like a pendulum was real. And now, it was being slowly put in a grave, right next to its fathers. A gentle smile, a funny personality, a fantastic work ethic. How is that fair? People like him can be taken away but monsters can stay?
That's a fact everyone has to expect, of course. Unfortunately, exits are not made equal. Some are beautiful and satisfying, others are clumsy. But the worst exits are those which are unexpected. There's no time to say goodbye. One day, they're there, the next, they aren't.
At that funeral, a man with a paper-thin smile and a navy-blue suit had informed me about something. The monster who was responsible for taking him away. I just can't forgive that. Maybe Eiichirou wanted me to forgive him, but he's gone.
Besides, that's just a maybe anyway. The dead don't have any more thoughts or feelings.
Whatever he wants doesn't exist, the only thing that's left is what I want. It's hard to keep going when you're shackled with guilt, and many keep it locked inside a box within their heart and never open it again. And if they do continue, they get revenge by putting it under a banner of 'justice'.
'If I don't do this, it'll happen to someone else in the future.'
Of course, that might be true. But if I were to be honest... I didn't care. Sure, it's an added bonus, a proxy effect of defeating Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. To me, though, all that mattered was one thing.
My real goal laid after defeating that monster.
But if I couldn't get that goal, if I was able to defeat Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, it would be enough of a consolation for me.
Eiichirou is dead. And that hanging body has been at the forefront of every thought. It's the first thing I think of each morning. And I don't think that it'll ever stop.
So, I did the only thing I could.
I told the man with the paper smile that I'd help him.
Author's note:
I didn't like nanase's boku mode, eichirou soul shifting crap in canon, so I'm removing it.
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COTE: Self-Preservation
FanfictionAyanokouji Kiyotaka's second year is upon him. There were a few words left to him by someone he trusted. It was something that wouldn't leave his mind. He wished, from his heart, to fulfill those words requested of him. 'Engrave your name into the s...
