November 12th, 2018, Tokyo #1 colony

  The weak and their ugliness, he knew it so well. Day after day he saw it countless times. He had sworn to keep his eyes open and not avert his gaze. So he continued to see the true nature of humanity till the moment he reached his breaking point. All the while believing in a single universal truth that connected mankind.

  People are weak and ugly.

  Since awakening his ability as a sorcerer, he had killed twenty-two people. The first two had been his own mistake. The next twenty were slain after Judgemen had presented him evidence of their crimes, crimes he felt they deserved the death penalty for. Each and every time he saw the same thing when he fought them, and they realized their eventual defeat. Desperation, seeking to find some way to preserve their lives. Seeing this emotion fill those he had fought at the very end. He had a single thought about each one. They were weak and ugly.

  Having witnessed the final moments of over twenty lives. His self-imposed curse took even greater root in the man’s mind. He felt more assured than ever in his beliefs. Each time he heard a scream. Each time he saw a player die, each time he saw a cursed spirit end some poor soul's life. He heard it in his head, assuring him assistance was pointless.

  People are weak and ugly.

  Walking through the corridors of the theater he had claimed as his base, he grabbed the sunflower pin from his collar, tossing it aside and shedding it from his body. It was the thing that all defense lawyers were given, marking their role. He knew he should have tossed the pin when he first killed after his abilities had awakened. But he had kept it despite the fact, clinging onto a world he no longer had a place in. A world marked by justice and virtue. A world he could only see through a clouded lens.

  People are we—no

  He had realized it the moment he had met Yuji Itadori's eyes in their final clash. They were vibrant and full of life. The weakness and ugliness he had come to expect weren’t there. Despite his light, the boy proclaimed himself responsible for an event outside his control because he was too weak.

  Weak yet shining brightly... to think such a thing was possible. He had been naive. He had wanted to keep his eyes open to the world, and he had done so, but still only saw the things he expected to see.

  The curse he had let define his view of humanity withered away from the insight Yuji Itadori had provided. Now that it was gone, he was left with nowhere to gaze but the abyss within himself. As the abyss stared back, he came to but a single conclusion.

  Hiromi Higuruma was the only one who was weak and ugly.

  November 12th, 2018, Tokyo #1 colony

  While the battle between Yuji Itadori and Hiromi Higiruma was taking place. A lone soul was pacing back and forth outside the theater. He knew he should have left the moment Itadori entered; it was common sense after all.

  Yet here he was, nervously walking in circles outside the building. Conflicting feelings over whether he should do the right thing or the logical thing. He had spent his entire life doing the logical thing. Follow the crowd, blend in with the masses, do the bare minimum and never more. In the process he had enabled a social order where people were victimized and abused.

  He wasn’t coldhearted or unaware of the harm he did. In his own way he tried his best to help others while going with the flow. It was simply the only way someone weak like him could survive, living in the shadow of the strong. Following this guideline was how he had managed to last so long in the Culling Games despite having next to no aptitude for sorcery.

  He had broken this guideline to repay a favor. No, what he held for Yuji Itadori wasn’t a favor. He simply respected him. Back before his life became the mess it currently was. Yuji Itadori was by far the strongest being he had ever met. It didn’t matter that he was only a child. He knew it from the moment they had met. The way he effortlessly dismantled the people he had been following at the time. All the while, a calm confidence on his face.

  Despite this strength he didn’t use it to pick on those less fortunate like so many others did. He simply lived his life the way he wanted to, helping people all the while. He had the courage to stand up for what he thought was right, regardless of what might happen to him—he respected and envied Yuji for being so brave.

  “A new rule has been added to the Culling Games. Players may now transfer points to another player.”

  The boy gulped upon hearing the game master's proclamation. He turned his gaze towards the theater's entrance. The respect he held for Itadori was why Amani had led him here. The fear he held for what might befall him if he had told Itadori about Higiruma’s cursed technique was what kept him from doing any more.

  Even if he went in there and told Itadori about deadly sentencing. It was likely too late to change anything. But if he told him about the cursed techniques flaws that Haba had figured out… It would both assist Itadori in defeating Higiruma and make Higiruma sure to want to kill him in the case he won.

  He had committed himself to turn tail and run after leading Itadori here. But he had stayed out of a pointless self-sacrificial desire. Every time he took a step back, he felt himself take a step forward on instinct. Out of a pitiful notion to do something “good.”.

  It was ridiculous. Keep your head down and go with the flow. That’s what he should be doing; it’s how he had managed so long. So why? Why was he still here? Why was he trying to help him knowing it was in all likelihood too late? Why was he trying so hard to be something he knew he never could?

  As these questions reared their heads inside the boy's mind. A tall man exited the theater. It looked like Higuruma had won. He had his head down and was walking in a straight line, right towards the boy.

  The color drained from his face as his legs went stiff while he imagined the worst-case scenario of what had transpired inside the building. He desperately wanted to be anywhere but here, however his legs were not very compliant to his desires.

  Higiruma didn’t even notice the boy until he was 5 feet in front of him. Having kept his head down, lost in thought. The two met each other's gaze and held it for a dozen or so seconds, a time frame that felt like eternity.

  “Who are you?” Higiruma broke the deadlock after it had stretched out rather uncomfortably. Mild curiosity over whoever this child was and why he was here overtook his adrift state of mind.

  “I’m, uh... Rin Amani.”

  “I see… Take care then, Rin Amani.”

  Not caring for this strange boy, Higiruma walked past him and intended to continue on. He had no destination in mind, but aimless walking while he waited for the barriers to go down. It beat sitting around.

  Amani, regaining control of his lower limbs. Turned to watch as the well-dressed man walked away. He had been lucky; Higiruma hadn’t paid any attention to him or cared. If Higiruma wanted to, he could have killed Amani as easily as swatting a fly. Something Amani was more than well enough aware of. Having been so lucky, he should get as far away from here as possible and never look back. That is, of course, what Amani should have done and originally wanted to do.

  “Higiruma! Did you… Did you kill Yuji?” Amanai's mouth moved before he had the chance to think.

  “No, we just fought a little before I added the rule he wanted. Who’s Itadori to you?”

  Turning to face Amani, Higiruma looked at him puzzlingly. Amani took a nervous breath before responding, having lost his chance to flee.

  “He’s an… old classmate of mine.”

  “Did you come into the barrier together?”

  “No, I've been here since the game began. Yuji entered a few hours ago.”

  “You led him to me, then I take it.”

  Amani felt a bead of sweat roll down his face as he nervously responded in a quiet voice.

  “Yeah… I did.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell him about my technique?”

  “What… I…”

  “I’ve let people go after explaining to them how it worked. A few people who came to fight me knew how my domain worked before I explained it. So I assumed it was common knowledge amongst people in the colony. Yuji didn’t know about my domain, which surprised me.”

  At Higirumas, astute observation. Amani could only stare in silence at his questioning gaze.

  “I, um... I… I was scared of what you might do if you found out I told him.”

  Not sure how to respond to Higiruma seeing through him, the truth ended up spilling out. Taking a step back in preparation for the worst.

  ____________________________________

  What a spineless weakling.

  It was the first thought that crossed his mind at Amani’s answer to his question. He had neglected to inform Itadori of pivotal information all because of something that’s a one in a million chance of happening. His actions made Higiruma brand him the same way he had everyone. Such weakness and ugliness was something he had grown used to and wasn’t really surprised to see. Letting out a sigh, he realized the crux of his issue.

  He had spent so long seeing people the same way he didn’t bother to look any deeper after he saw what he wanted to. Content to let one single action or fault define his entire view of someone. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy; he had been seeing what he expected to see. Once he saw that, he stopped looking any deeper, already having branded that person pathetic.

  “Then why are you here?”

  If Amani was truly as weak as Higiruma thought, he would have left as soon as he brought Itadori here. But he stayed despite being scared the whole time… It was puzzling.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “... I was having second thoughts about whether I should tell Itadori about your domain…”

  “That so, huh?” Letting out a sigh, Higiruma turned away from the petrified boy and began walking away.

  “Have a good day.”

  Amani let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as Higiruma started walking away. Relief flooded him as a weight lifted From his shoulders. This sense of relief didn’t last long as he realized the situation he was in. With only one real option for getting out of it…

  “Uh, Higiruma sir… Do you mind if I follow you?”

  “...What?” Turning around, Higiruna raised an eyebrow at this kid's strange request.

  “Well, Itadori Kind of… beat up the people I was with previously. If I go back, they’ll probably take their anger out on me and kill me. I’m not a fighter, so if I go out alone, I’ll probably die as well. But, you're really strong, so if I stay with you, I should be fine...”

  Amani fiddled with his hands nervously as he explained his request. Trailing off as he finished. Higiruma listened intently as he spoke, realizing it made sense.

  “Kogane, how many points does he have?”

  “Zero.”

  “Give him one of mine then.”

  “Hiromi Higiruma has transferred one of his points.”

  Amani watched quietly as Higiruma consulted the game master before giving him his last remaining point. Before he could ask why Higiruma had done so, he went on to explain.

  “You won’t have to worry about your curse technique getting removed for another nineteen days now.”

  Higiruma started to walk away again. Amani was unsure if he should be following, or stay where he was. It was only until Higiruma turned and motioned with his hand that Amani ran up to Higuruma, and stood beside him so the two were shoulder to shoulder.

  “Thanks, Mr. Higiruma.”

  “Just Higirumas is fine, and don’t worry about it. I... I think you can help me see things from a new perspective.”

  “Ok… Higiruma.”

  Unsure what he meant Amani just responded affirmatively. Not wanting to draw his ire. Letting himself fall back, Amani stuck to Higiruma's rear while they walked. He felt quite fortunate to be able to stay behind someone as strong as him. As long as he was here, everything would be fine. Just stay behind him and keep his head down. That’s all he had to do.

  November 18th, 2018, Tokyo #1 colony

  “It’s all right, Snowball, we’ll find Mommy soon.”

  Clutching tightly to her stuffed bunny, the young girl tried her best to reassure it as well as herself. It was midday, and the sun shone brightly down upon her, serving the sole purpose of making it clear how alone she was.

  She had been wandering for what felt like hours. The city was so quiet, cars left abandoned in the middle of the road, buildings that had their windows smashed were more common than ones left untouched. In all her life living here, it had never been so quiet. It would have been unfathomable to her eighteen days ago that the busy city would become a ghost town… in more ways than one.

  She had lost sight of her mother yesterday when that bird Kaiju appeared. She had been petrified, but her strong mother had grabbed her and ran as far away from that thing as possible. First it was those weird black walls, then people with powers straight out of an anime, next came those military people from overseas, and finally that Kaiju. Each and every one seemed like fiction to the young girl; every time she tried to switch her worldview to accommodate this new knowledge, something even more unexpected and insane happened.

  All these insane things terrified her, but her mom had been right there with her, and so had Snowball. Her mom never cried like she had in the face of the impossible. Seeing her standing bravely gave her strength to continue on in these impossible times. Her dad was often away on business trips and should be on one now. It had always been just her and her mom.

  Her father’s absence from her life never made her sad; in fact, it was the contrary. It made the bond she shared with her mom all the more special. It was the two of them against the world. They had been inseparable—till now anyway.

  Reaching an intersection, the girl instinctively looked both ways. Wary of incoming traffic, all she saw were more empty streets and abandoned cars. Grabbing Snowball even tighter, the girl suppressed the urge to sob and continued on. Going across the sidewalk.

  She just had to find her mother; they had gotten separated after the Kaiju attacked. She had sobbed for some time after losing sight of her, but she realized her mother wouldn’t be sobbing and would look for her. Mustering up her determination, she clutched onto Snowball and set out to find her mom. Her efforts so far had been in vain... but if she just kept searching, she would find...

  “Hey kid, are you lost?”

  Turning in the direction of the voice. She saw it came from one of the abandoned buildings. More accurately, the man who had been resting in one. He was holding what looked like a sword, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The building he had stepped out of was across the street from her. The girl took a wary step back at this stranger's appearance; her mom always warned her about stranger danger.

  “I’m looking for my mom… Do you know where she is?”

  “... Yes, I do.” Waiting a hair's breadth before answering in the affirmative, the man put a smile on his face as he began to approach the girl. Walking across the street towards her.

  “Really! Where is she?” The girl couldn’t help but feel overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her mom again. Thoughts of suspicion about this stranger completely leaving her mind.

  Having closed the distance, the man stood a few feet in front of the little girl. Towering over her small size and eclipsing her in his shadow. With an eerie smile he raised his unsheathed blade above his head as he looked down on the unsuspecting girl.

  “Let me show you—”

  Suddenly he turned left and brought his blade up to shield his head. A split second later the reason why became apparent to the young girl. A massive hammer like the ones those fancy people in the show her mom watches used slammed into him.

  The head of the massive mallet slammed into him and sent him reeling dozens of feet back. As it started to lose momentum, the mallet vanished, leaving behind an unharmed stranger. He sighed before bringing his blade up while staring towards something in the direction the mallet had come from.

  Turning to see what he had been staring at, the girl found it to be a man in an all-black suit. He was holding another one of those hammer thingies and seemed to be scowling at the other stranger. The girl felt a little angry that this fancy-looking man had interrupted the person who was about to tell her where her mom was. Walking towards her, the fancy man’s scowl was replaced by a gentle smile as he knelt down to reach eye level with the girl.

  “Hi, my name's Higiruma. Is yours Sara?” Both introducing himself while posing, the fancy-looking man, Higiruma, looked at the young girl before him gently. Under his gaze, the girl wrapped her arms around Snowball in a hug and nodded meekly.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Your mom told me she’s been worried sick about you, Sara.” Reaching out his hand, he patted the head of the stuffed animal Sara was holding. Brushing off some dust.

  “So you know where my mom is too?”

  Sparing a glance at the person standing beyond Sara, Rage once again filled Higirumas's face before returning to a simple smile.

  “Sara I have a friend who’s a few blocks down that way. Do you think you can go meet up with him and wait for me? I’ll take you to your mom after; I promise.”

  “Ok,” The girl grumbled out her response while taking a few steps in the way Higiruma had pointed. “You better be there soon.” Turning around quickly, Sara put on the meanest stare she could muster before starting to run the way she was asked.

  “Ten minutes tops; I just have to do some grown-up stuff.”

  ____________________________________

  Higuruma watched with a smile as the girl ran away from him. She didn’t need to see what was about to happen, nor the kind of person he had become. Her eyes shone with light and innocence; there was no need to sully it.

  “I appreciate your patience.”

  Turning back, Higiruma looked towards the sword wielder who had been about to kill her. He hadn’t moved an inch from where he ended up after blocking Higiruma's blow. Waiting with a bored look on his face while Higiruma had talked with the girl. After Higiruma addressed him, a second sword identical to the first materialized out of thin air. Wielding both blades in either hand as a slight grin found itself on his face.

  “Nah, it’s nothing. I’m just glad to have found another player. I was afraid I’d have to get the 12 points I needed one whelpling at a time. But killing you will make things go quicker.”

  Higuruma Raised his gavel up in front of him, preparing to open his domain to combat his opponent. He took pause when his adversary dispelled one of his blades to put his hand palm forward towards him. A motion to pause.

  “Ah, one thing: before we fight, I wish for us to exchange names. I’m—

  “I don’t care.”

  Interrupting his opponent's speech, Higiruma refused his request with three short words. To which his opponent sighed before raising his own qualms.

  “Come now, It’s just a simple exchange of names and titles. It’s customary to do so before a duel.”

  “What good would knowing my name do you or vice versa? I don’t intend to show you any amount of respect, nor do I want to receive any from you. You’re a monster who’s killed others for the sake of whatever selfish ideals you hold.” Words dripping with venom, Higiruma explained the futility of the man's request. Keeping his voice low and frigid with expertly exercised control.

  “Your guilty of sin, so I’ll send you to where you belong.”

  With a sigh, the stranger reconjured the blade he had let vanish to his hand. Brandishing them in front of him as he prepared to do battle.

  “Very well then, let us commence our duel.”

  “Domain expa—”

  “I object.”

  Surprising both warriors who were about to engage in mortal combat came an unknown voice. Turning their heads, they looked across the street to find the source of the voice. It came from someone who didn’t look older than twenty. Sitting with his legs crossed over one another and his head resting in his palm. In his hand he was holding what looked like a volume of some manga.

  “Sorry, I’d just prefer it if you two didn’t fight. He seems like a good person, so I don’t Think he should sully his hands with your putrid blood.”

  Stating his take on the situation, he left both of them dumbfounded for a moment. Neither one had noticed when this young man had started watching them. The knowledge of his danger and the caution they needed to exercise was crystal clear.

  For one of them, however, anger clouded his judgement and he threw caution to the wind.

  “Listen here, you brat, who I fight and who spills my blood isn’t up to you. Now hurry up and leave, kid; I’m not interested in dealing with you or anyone else but him,”Pointing towards Higiruma, the blade wielder made his declaration. A declaration that left that young man rather annoyed.

  “Don’t call me ‘kid.’ I’m eighteen. Besides, a good lesson to learn is that no one is able to choose their death, or ‘who spills their blood.’” Sitting up off the sidewalk, the boy moved a few steps towards him.

  “I’m not really a fan of the second half, but Death Note's final volume did have a pretty good scene towards the end that shows what I mean. Here, take a peek.”

  Tossing the titular final volume towards him, the man merely clicked his tongue in annoyance and cut it in half at superhuman speeds when it got close. Shreds of paper flew through the air, panels of manga visible on them. These black and white panels were quickly dyed red a moment later.

  “You have earned five points.”

  Less than half a second after the volume had been cut by the sword. The sword conjuring sorcerer met his end—rather brutally. In the blink of an eye, his flesh had undergone the equivalent of being run through a shredder a thousandfold. The end result being his body had been reduced to nothing but a hazy mist.

  “Huh… that was easy… I guess I really am strong.”

  Scratching the back of his head, the young man expressed his surprise at how easy it was to put an end to the sorcerer's life. He regretted having to sacrifice the volume he had painstakingly searched for to do so, but he had already read it, so it didn’t really matter.

  Higiruma stood his ground at the vicious manslaughter that had occurred in front of him. He wasn't sure how he should be appraising this man. He could drag him into his domain, but was he even an enemy? He hadn’t attacked him… yet.

  “Hi… my um… I’m Shinji… Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

  ____________________________________

  “Hi… my um… I’m Shinji… Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

  Unsure on how to introduce himself to a stranger, Shinji tried his best to sound presentable, fiddling with his hands in front of him as he talked. He seemed to be only semi-aware that having killed a man so effortlessly was less than an ideal first impression.

  “... Hiromi Higiruma.”

  “Hiromi… Higiruma, Hiromi Higiruma. Which one do I call you by?”

  Repeating it once, then another time to be sure he understood it, Shinji sought to clarify which name he should address him with. Having only ever known one person with two names, she always insisted on just “Uro", saying something about formalities.

  “Just Higiruma’s fine… Why did you kill that man?” Seeking to address the elephant in the room, Higiruma brought it up rather bluntly. He kept his gavel drawn in case it was needed.

  “Well, you saved that kid, so I didn’t think you should lower yourself to take another life. You seemed good-hearted and I wanted to preserve it." Higiruma didn’t go out of his way to address the fact that Shinji had just done the very thing he seemed to brand such a sin. Either a massive hypocrite or...

  “How’d you know I saved her? Were you following me?”

  “No, I entered the colony like half an hour ago. I came across the kid a few seconds before you did.”

  It seemed unlikely but possible? Higiruma didn’t really doubt the probabilities of things happening given how unlikely this very game was in the first place.

  “What exactly do you want from me then?”

  “What do I want from you?”

  Shinji seemed surprised at the question and raised his eyebrow. Crossing his hands over his chest defensively.

  “Well, you're still here. So I presume you have some ulterior motive for preventing me from killing him other than what you said.”

  “Oh… well…”

  Eyes darting around nervously, Shinji collected himself and took a deep breath before answering.

  “I was wondering if we could be friends.”

  “Huh…”

  “Friends… we can talk about our issues… Talk about things together… play a tennis match… Ok, maybe not that last one since they weren’t really friends, but you know what I mean.”

  Shinji pumped his fist happily as he finished. Black eyes staring expectantly at Higiruma

  “Shouldn’t you make friends with someone your own age? Why me in particular anyway?”

  “Well, I only realized that I should probably try making some a few days ago. So I went here to do that. You're the first person I’ve come across, and you seem nice. I think being friends with you would make me happy.”

  Higiruma felt a cocktail of confusion and sadness as the boy explained his reasoning. He wasn’t familiar with him by any measure, but from their short dialogue, he could piece together he was lonely—and incredibly powerful.

  “How many people have you killed since the games began?”

  “Two… Well, three, I guess, if you count the monster. I don’t think it was human, but I’m not sure what else it could have been.”

  “Kogane, how many points does Shinji have?”

  “Shinji has fifteen points.”

  “I’m not lying,” Shinji frowned at Higiruma's confirmation of his point total. He supposed it was fair that he shouldn’t trust him completely on word alone, having just met. It still stung though.

  “Sorry… just wanted to be sure. All right then, come along. Let’s go meet up with Sara, then I’ll show you to my base.”

  Higuruma turned around and began walking the way Sara ran, Shinji following him close behind, completely unable to suppress the foolish grin that found itself on his face. Excitement surged through him at taking the first step towards friendship.

  Higuruma, for his part, wasn’t really sure what being Shinji’s ‘friend’ would entail. He was quite the unique individual, with ridiculous power to top it off. Whatever the case, doing anything to draw his ire was dumb.

  Higiruma would do whatever he could to help the boy find his way. It wasn’t too late for Shinji to find a new path. He could lead him off the road the two of them were on.

  Hiromi Higiruma was the only one who should be walking the road to hell.