The birds sang loudly and carelessly in the morning bushes, their pure trills carried along the quiet street, as if mocking everything that was happening under this sky. Groups of schoolgirls in neat uniforms walked along the sidewalk, laughing, whispering, and swinging their bags. Their white blouses stood out brightly against the morning light, their short skirts swayed slightly in the warm wind. An ordinary day. An ordinary, almost idyllic world.
Genzo stood at the entrance to his house, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. His face was haggard, his eyes red. The elbow of his right arm was sore under a dirty bandage. Mom was locking the door with two turns, carefully checking the lock.
"Genzo, are you sure you took everything?" she asked without turning around. "Toothbrush, documents, charger?"
"I took everything, Mom," he answered tiredly.
He opened a bottle of mineral water and slowly drank almost half. The cold water cleared his head a little. Genzo looked around over the small wooden fence: the empty street, the neighbors' houses, the blooming cherry trees. Everything seemed unreal.
Mom finally turned to him, anxiety in her eyes.
"Well, son… shall we go? Let's not be late, the plane won't wait."
"Yes, let's go."
They got into the old family car. The suitcase was already in the trunk. Genzo leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes while Mom started the engine.
"You passed your exams excellently," Mom said as she pulled out of the yard. "I'm still proud of you. And now… these fights…"
Genzo opened his eyes and looked out the window.
"Mom, we've already discussed this a hundred times."
"I know. But I'm your mother. I have the right to worry," she smiled slightly. "You're my only one."
The car slowly rolled along the streets. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in rich orange, red, and purple tones. In the distance, a long bridge appeared, and beyond it, several small islets in the middle of a lake.
Genzo suddenly squinted, looking at one of them very tiny, almost empty. On it, an abandoned lookout post and a small, dilapidated house were visible.
"A strange place…" he muttered quietly. "As if no one ever lived there."
Mom raised the shade of the rearview mirror to see her son better.
"Aren't you tired? You don't look very well."
"Not really," Genzo replied. "My head just hurts a little."
Mom smiled, but the smile came out sad.
"Son… are you absolutely sure you want these particular fights? They're dangerous, you know. Remember the first day we fought so badly? I still can't think about it calmly."
Genzo waved it off, not taking his eyes off the river.
"Mom, everything's fair there. And the money is really good. I assure you, there's no reason to worry about trifles."
Mom sighed heavily, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
"Genzo, you know… it's going to be hard. All alone, in a strange city, without friends. No one will meet you there, no one will support you if something goes wrong."
Genzo looked out the window. The sunset was already dying out, painting the surface of the lake a bloody red.
"I understand. It's nothing. We'll get through it. I'm not a little kid anymore."
Mom was silent for a long time, then quietly added:
"If it gets really hard, call. Anytime. You hear me?"
"I hear you."
Night fell.
At sixteen years old, I became a killer, and I only have my grandmother left, with whom I live.
Thought Kaoru, and approached...
She stood at the entrance to an old, damp basement, leaning her shoulder against the cracked doorjamb. Downstairs, corpses had been lying for two days. The smell rose upwards, heavy, sweetish-putrid, thick.
"… It stinks so much," she muttered quietly, grimacing.
She went down the creaky steps, turned on a flashlight, and looked around. Flies circled in a thick black cloud. In the corner lay three large black bags, already noticeably swollen.
"Well then… time to say goodbye to you," Kaoru said indifferently.
She put on medical gloves and started moving the heavy bags into the yard. When she finished, she carefully looked around.
"No one… good."
With a heavy thud, she shoved the bags into the trunk, took off her gloves, and dialed a number.
"Hello?" answered Oota.
"Are you already there?"
"Yes, I'm standing by the concrete pillars. Waiting for you."
"Hm. Wait," Kaoru said curtly and hung up.
When she arrived, Oota was standing by her car, smoking.
"Oooh, Kaoru," she grinned. "You look as cute as always. Ready for work?"
"Ready. Let's hurry up, I don't want to stay here long."
The two of them pulled out the black bags. Kaoru took out a heavy cleaver, put on gloves and a rabbit mask.
"Pretty mask," Oota chuckled. "It suits you."
"Shut up and help instead."
Kaoru began chopping the first corpse. The cleaver heavily entered the decomposed flesh with a wet squelch.
"God, they already stink so much," Oota grimaced. "Two days, and already that smell."
"And you thought they would smell like roses?" Kaoru replied calmly, continuing to chop. "Shut your mouth and work."
"Okay, okay. What a nice jacket this one had… before. Too bad the blood got on it."
"Does it suit you?" asked Kaoru, not raising her head.
"Very much. Look how it fits."
Oota finally approached and helped in silence for a while. Then she suddenly asked, looking at the body parts:
"Listen… how did you kill them so fast? I mean, almost instantly. They barely even screamed."
Kaoru paused for a second, the cleaver frozen in the air. Under the rabbit mask, her voice sounded cold and even:
"In the temple. The most vulnerable spot. Even a strong punch causes a concussion. And if you hit it right… the person shuts off in a fraction of a second. Death comes almost immediately."
"Harsh," Oota said respectfully. "I couldn't do that."
"You could," Kaoru answered indifferently and continued chopping. "You just need to try it once."
They continued working. Arms, legs, heads, intestines, everything flew to the side. Kaoru's rabbit mask gradually became covered in dark stains.
"Listen," Oota spoke again, "maybe we should just throw them in the river? Faster and easier."
Kaoru straightened up, leaning on the shovel.
"If we throw them in the river, fishermen will find them in a couple of days. Think logically. We can't leave them to the wolves either, they'll drag the bones all over the forest."
"Got it… digging, then."
The two of them dug a deep hole. When they finished, Kaoru exhaled tiredly:
"Lower the ladder. I'm climbing out."
They threw the body parts into the hole, covered them with earth, dust, and sand, carefully leveling the surface.
"Why did you dismember them?" Oota asked, wiping her forehead. "You could have just thrown them in like that."
"They'll rot faster this way," Kaoru replied calmly. "Easier for the bacteria."
They finished the work, got into the car, and slowly drove off the construction site.
Deep night. A small, quiet rain began, softly tapping on the roof of the car, washing away the last traces of blood from the wheels.