Unedited version~

Chapter 2

Daiki : “ I Love Him, But I Hate Him”

Rain fell heavily this evening. The sound of rain covered most of another sounds. The sky was very dark and cloudy. A sign that this rain will last for quite a long time. The students who usually played soccer outside, but now you couldn’t see any of them at the usual field. And this goes for a 7th grader, Daiki. He stayed quiet, with his arms grabbed his legs tightly. He sat on his bed, leaned his back on the wall. He kept looking at something near him. A white ring with a red love as the accessory and a blue straw doll.

“ What should I do….,” Daiki murmured in the middle of the heavy rain with some thunders.

***

The sun rose brightly, as if there was no heavy rain before it shone. People have started their daily activities by now. And so does Daiki. He tidied his tie and walked out from his room.

“ Ohayou, Dai-chan! (Good morning, Dai-chan!) “ said a boy, similar to Daiki with taller body and also with a longer hair than Daiki’s short one.

“ O..ohayou, onii-chan! (Good morning, big brother!) “ Daiki replied his brother’s greeting. “ Ichi-niichan, are you still mad? ( big brother Ichi, are you still mad?) “ asked Daiki again. Ichi smiled and patted Daiki’s head, “ Well, never mind about that. I’m sorry for what I did yesterday, I think I… just snapped. For my apology, let’s choose a watch for you! “

“ What? A watch, no it’s okay, Oniichan! “ Daiki took off his brother’s hand from his head, “ I don’t need it.”

“ You will need it, Daiki,” Ichi answered, “ when you are going out with your friends and there is no clock around, it’ll be very useful. Besides, I just got money from my part-time job, and I don’t have any girl friend, so let me spend it for my beloved little brother!” Ichi smiled.

“ Well… if you say so, Onii-chan,” Daiki didn’t resist anymore, “ for now, let’s eat our breakfast, we may be late for school if we don’t hurry.”

“ Oh? You are right, Daiki! Haha, thanks for reminding me, although I want to talk again about it,” Ichi started to walk downstairs.

“ You’re welcome. We can talk while we eat,” Daiki also walked downstairs.

They sat on the chairs, Daiki sat beside Ichi, while their parents also sat across them. Their father works for a factory, while their mother is opening a small bakery with their aunt. But they always gather during breakfast, dinner, and after-dinner until the next morning.

“ What’s the menu for today, Haha (mother-formal)? “ Ichi asked to his mother, who is in the kitchen right now.

“ Ah, Ichi, don’t expect much. It’s only a normal toasted breads.”

“ No, I expected it…. As expected from a bread maker,” Daiki added.

“ Pff….” Ichi couldn’t help but laugh.

***

Daiki P.O.V

“So, would you like to buy this watch? It looks cool, don’t ya think so?” Ichi pointed a round watch with black-white color. It looks cool, indeed. But the price is…

“ Ichi-niichan, it’s too expensive….,” I answered.

“ Well, no problem for me, so, what do you think? I think it suits you the best! “ Ichi-niichan coerced me to say yes… although I want it, but… no way onii-chan’s part-time job’s fee is this high… Or… did he do it again?

“ Okay? Let me purchase this for you, I’ve caused you problem by ruining your favorite and expensive book… I was really mad to Haha and Chichi (father-formal), so I didn’t even know it that I released my anger towards you, although you didn’t do anything wrong at all,” Ichi-niichan looked so persistent about it.

“ Well… if you say so, onii-chan,” and Ichi-niichan’s face looked better when I said so. Is this the right way?

***

Eventually, Ichi-niichan bought me that watch, although it’s expensive enough. He looked happy about it… So happy that he didn’t even recognize my guilty and unsure face. He’s really a good brother, actually… but….

“ Nee, Ichi… Daiki… do you know something about Haha and Chichi’s losing money?” Haha asked that suddenly.

“ That’s right, Ichi, Daiki. Do you know something about it? Just recently, we lost some money and the amount started to get higher… And yesterday, we just lost some money again,” Chichi added.

I put down my dinner and looked at them. Ichi-niichan put his dinner harshly.

“ So, is that how a good parents would do? So you are accussing your own children because of that?! “ He smacked the table and ran away to his room.

“ Nee, anata (can be darling),” Haha looked at Chichi, “ don’t you think that Ichi is starting to act strange since 3 months ago?” Chichi nodded. They stared at me, then.

“ I… have tried, Haha… Chichi… but Onii-chan….,” I answered awkwardly. I suddenly lost my appetite, “ I’m finished already.” I decided to go to my room, too.

“ My, my….” Haha looked worried.

I came into my room and lied down on my bed. So, Ichi-niichan did it again, eh? Yappari… (Just as I thought…)

Ichi-niichan was fine before 3 months ago. He was good in school. Suddenly, he became friends with some naughty boys in his grade. Although he knew it himself that it is bad, but he insisted on being friends with them. Once I tried to discuss it with him….

“ Ichi-niichan,” I said, “ you became friends with those people, right?”

“ Those people?”

“ Naughty boys at your age. It’s bad, right? You have never got along with them before, but why, after all of the sudden?”

“ Because being with them was very fun, it could be the best, you know… They are easy to talk and well, yeah… “

“Ichi-niichan, just stop this already… go away from them, okay?”

“ Okay, if you are the one who asked…”

***

Normal P.O.V

“ He fell asleep,” said Kikuri, who suddenly appeared near Daiki’s bed. She looked at her back, there were Enma Ai, the Hell Girl, Wanyuudo, Honne-onna and Yamawaro.

“ Yeah,” suddenly, Anju—the Heaven Girl appeared.

“ You are the Heaven Girl, Anju, isn’t it?” Kikuri stared at Anju.

“ Well, yes I am,” Anju didn’t even glanced at Kikuri, which made Kikuri upset.

“ So, he called you, too?” Honne-onna asked.

“ Yeah, he did.”

“ The target is…?”

“ His brother, obviously. He loved his brother, right? Can’t you see it?”

“ What? Impossible….” Honne-onna looked very surprised.

“ Eh? What is your problem here?” Finally, Anju looked toward Honne-onna.

“ Well, because our target is….” Yamawaro added, “…. his brother, too.”

“ What?” Now, Anju’s expression changed, “ how come? The target is the same… just what on earth is happening here?”

“ Ah, he woke up! “ Kikuri pointed at Daiki, who started to show movements, “ and it’s not time yet!”

Anju, Ai, and the others disappeared spontaneously, only Kikuri left behind.

“ Hime! (Princess) “ shouted Yamawaro.

“ Daijoubu (it’s okay), hehe,” Kikuri grinned.

Daiki finally opened his eyes.

“ Whoa… who are you?” He looked surprised.

“ I’m Kikuri. You accessed both of Hotline to Hell and Heaven Community, yes?” she smirked.

“ How could you know about it? A dream? “ Daiki slapped himself, “…no, it’s not a dream.”

“ I know. Kikuri knows everything, nyahaha! “ Kikuri ran in a round, “ So? The target is your own brother, right? How did you enter his name to both of hell and heaven communities?” Kikuri stopped and leaned her arms on the bed.

“ It’s because….”

“ Because?”

“ I.. love him, but I also hate him.”

“ Huh? Kikuri doesn’t understand! “ Kikuri scowled.

“ He… to put this simple… he’s a very great brother! Yet… he’s… he’s….” Daiki moaned.

“ Ah, it’s about time,” Kikuri looked at the clock before she ran and disappeared.

“Ugh….”

***

Daiki P.O.V

I went home alone again. Ichi-niichan went home first, of course, I was cleaning the class.

“ Tadaima! (I’m home) “ I shouted when I arrived home. But I didn’t hear Onii-chan’s ‘okaeri (welcome home)’. It’s weird.

“ Onii-chan? Where are you? “ I walked upstairs but I couldn’t find him in his own room nor my own room. I walked downstairs and checked the bathroom and diningroom. I passed through my parents’ room. “ Onii-…..” And there I saw him. He was searching for something, he messed up the drawers. I walked closer to the door and decided to watch over him. He found it—the one he was looking for. A wallet. My mother’s wallet. He smiled and was about to take the money…again.

“ Onii….chan? “ I opened the door and walked in.

“ Da…daiki? Oh, it’s just you…. What are you doing here? You startled me,” Ichi-niichan tried to hide the wallet behind him.

“ Onii-chan, did I tell you to not joining those pranksters? And did you stop from playing with them?”

“ W-well… yeah…. “

“ Then why did you still do the same thing over and over again? Don’t you understand that I’ve known about it, about everything all this time! But I stayed quiet… Do you know why?” I inhaled deeply, “ it’s because I believed that you’d turned back into a good brother, but you didn’t!”

“ What are you talking about, Daiki? I don’t understand at all,” Ichi-niichan pretended again.

“ You… stole Haha and Chichi’s money, didn’t you? And also, sometimes you stole books from bookstore, I saw you when I was home with my friends! You even scolded Haha.. Onii-chan, I couldn’t stand looking at you again! “ I took out a straw doll and a ring.

“ Wh-what are you gonna do with those things, Daiki?” he walked back several paces. He shivered a bit.

“ Decide.”

“ Eh?”

“ I’m going to decide your punishment. I could’ve sent you to heaven, Ichi-niichan… But… if I do something bad until the symbol is all black… then both of us will wander forever in the world, unable to go to heaven nor hell! No destination… bad, isn’t it? It’s better if we have a certain destination, right? So, I’m going to pull this red string.”

“ I don’t understand what are you talking about, Daiki….” he shivered.

“ Onii-chan, this is for everyone… for your sake… for my sake…. and for our parents’ sake….” I pulled the red string.

“… I heard and deliver this vengeance…” A wind blew so hard, and the blue straw doll disappeared, the red string stayed on my hand… while Ichi-niichan is gone, too.

“ With this… everything is over… It’s over, Onii-chan! It’s over! Hahahaha! It’s over! “ Tears poured from my eyes, “ I’ll see you soon, Onii-chan! Wait for me, okay? We’ll meet and be together again! Hahaha…, hahaha….”

Normal P.O.V

“…So it’s your choice….” said Ai, who is standing behind Daiki, who’s kneeling on the floor, laughing with flowing tears.

Ai’s group left the house. They watched Daiki from outside.

“ Heh, so we’re fair now?” Anju appeared.

“ Fair?… Maybe…” Ai answered.

“ See you again.”

“ What do you mean by ‘see you again’? “ asked Ichimokuren, who came back into his human form.

“ We’ll meet again, definitely… As long as the cycle of hatred and love still continues in humans’ world….” Anju also disappeared.

“ Aah, I know about it… Ojou, what do you think? “ Honne-onna answered after Anju disappeared.

“ Let’s go home for now,” Ai walked away. Honne-onna sighed, and then they followed Ai.

“ So.. the restitution is…?” Kikuri stopped Wanyuudo.

“ Oh, Heaven Girl’s? From what Daiki said, we can take a conclusion that the restitution is…” Wanyuudo stopped to think.

“ The restitution is…?” Kikuri repeated.

“ If you do something bad until the symbol is all dark, then you won’t be able to go to the heaven, but you won’t be able to go to hell, too. Apparently, the soul of your beloved one will also follow you to wander in the world for eternity.”

“ The symbol? How does it work?” Kikuri asked back.

“ Who knows…” Wanyuudo shrugged.

To be continued….