Half the earth was shrouded in night's darkness. Usually, from outer space, points of light representing city lights would be visible. Unfortunately, the light of civilization had long since disappeared.
But...
In Shinjuku District, Tokyo, a house built on top of a skyscraper roof was illuminated by calm lamplight.
Inside, two men and one woman were enjoying dinner. Although snow was falling outside, the room felt warm thanks to the heater working to warm the air.
"Amazing! Akane-chan's cooking is equivalent to a five-star chef! I've never tasted anything this delicious!" Tomaru praised excessively.
Akane responded modestly, although joy was clearly visible on her face. No one dislikes being praised.
"Thank you, Sawagoe-san. This is just ordinary home cooking, don't exaggerate."
"..."
Meanwhile, Azlan ate in silence. He had already praised Akane's cooking yesterday, and in his opinion, didn't need to repeat it. At a glance, he looked like an outsider who had just arrived and wasn't familiar with the host. Conversely, Tomaru acted as if in his own home without the slightest awkwardness. He chatted fluently with Akane.
"Akane-chan, you said earlier you like acting? You must often perform in school plays?" Tomaru asked, trying to start a conversation.
"Yes, I've been in the theater club since elementary school." Akane answered while occasionally glancing at Azlan, hoping he would join the conversation. "Azlan-kun, the solar panel is working well, right?"
"Mm." Azlan answered briefly.
Akane wasn't offended. She understood Azlan's life experiences shaped him to be like this.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Dinner ended, Azlan and Akane washed the dishes. Meanwhile, Tomaru seemed to abandon his pretense from earlier that day. He didn't offer to help.
Sitting on the living room sofa, he picked up a magazine lying on the table, and flipped through its pages while crossing his legs.
"Azlan-kun, I found a chess set in the drawer cabinet earlier. How about we play to pass the time?" Akane asked while drying the last plate.
Azlan agreed. "Good idea."
They then sat at the living room table, starting a chess game. Tomaru continued sitting on the sofa, pretending to read a magazine, but occasionally glancing at Azlan as if waiting for something.
The first round was won by Akane.
"Checkmate!" She exclaimed happily. "I won, Azlan-kun! Your game has no strategy at all. You just move pieces according to the situation, without long-term planning. You're too focused on direct attacks!"
"Maybe." Azlan answered casually.
"Come on, round two! I'm sure you can play better!" Akane began arranging her chess pieces.
"Yawn..." Azlan yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sorry, Akane. I just want to sleep."
Akane immediately showed concern.
"Oh, Azlan-kun must be exhausted from assembling solar panels all day. Alright, don't push yourself." Standing up, she cleared away the chess pieces. "Rest well. Good night, Azlan-kun."
"Good night, Akane... and Tomaru." Azlan replied before entering the bedroom.
"Good night, kid. Sleep well." Tomaru replied with a voice that was too cheerful.
Not long after, Azlan was already fast asleep. Tomaru smiled thinly hearing the snoring from the room—everything was going according to his plan.
"Sawagoe-san, want to play chess?"
Akane offered politely after cleaning the table. She tried to eliminate the awkward silence.
Tomaru immediately put down the magazine. He rose from the sofa with a grin creeping across his face, a grin that now felt disgusting and different from his friendly smile earlier.
"Hey, Akane-chan~ instead of playing that boring game, let's play something fun. Uncle is sure you'll really like it."
"Sawagoe-san...?"
The man who now stood before her, approaching with a threatening aura, gave her a terrible bad premonition. Akane stepped back, then turned and ran to the bedroom to seek protection near Azlan, but her hand was held tightly by Tomaru.
"Where are you going, Akane-chan? The game hasn't started yet, don't rush off." Tomaru strengthened his hand's grip.
"Ouch, it hurts! Let me go, Sawagoe-san!"
Akane winced in pain. Following this drastic change, she realized Tomaru's true nature, realizing she was in great danger.
"Azlan-kun, help me!"
Tomaru laughed mockingly. His loud and evil laughter filled the living room, making Akane's hair stand on end.
"It's useless for you to scream, Akane-chan! That arrogant brat won't come. I already put special sleeping pills in his soup. This drug is very strong, it can even paralyze an elephant! I got it from the black market in Cambodia."
Hearing that, Akane froze, her eyes widening.
"Azlan-kun! Azlan! Wake up!"
She repeatedly called Azlan's name desperately, but there was no response from the room. The deadly silence from the bedroom was her worst confirmation.
"See? Come on, don't resist! I'm guessing Akane-chan is still a virgin. Don't ask how I know, it's a professional's intuition." Tomaru said, bringing his tobacco-smelling face closer.
"If so, I'll gladly change you from a girl to a woman."
With strength far greater than hers, Tomaru roughly pushed Akane to the floor. Akane's head hit the carpet hard.
Of course, Akane didn't give up. She struggled desperately, her legs and hands kicking and hitting in all directions. She scratched Tomaru's arm, tried to bite, did anything to break free.
However, there was a brutal physical strength gap between an adult man and a young woman. No matter how hard Akane tried to break free, his large hands gripped Akane's wrists, pinning her body to the floor.
Tomaru laughed again, his voice full of disgusting triumph.
"Give up. I've been through this many times. I know exactly how to handle rebellious girls like you. I can do it even with my eyes closed."
Although her hands were locked, Akane didn't give up. Her eyes glared sharply, filled with pure rage.
"You ungrateful bastard! Azlan-kun shouldn't have saved trash like you! You deserve to die eaten by Titans or zombies! You disgusting animal!"
"Hahaha... Thanks for the compliment, Akane-chan! I am indeed a bastard, and I'll enjoy every second of it!" Tomaru instead laughed uproariously. "Alright, for starters, I'll take your first kiss!"
Tomaru brought his bearded and oily face closer. Akane, whose both hands were held firmly above her head, mustered all her remaining strength, and headbutted Tomaru.
*BUGH!*
Tomaru groaned in pain, his nose receiving a hard impact. He immediately released one hand to cover his nose which now felt painful and might be bleeding.
"Fuck you! Damn bitch! You dare hurt my nose?!"
His emotions peaked. Without hesitation, he swung his free hand and slapped Akane's face hard. Her cheek immediately reddened, forming a clear and painful palm print.
*PLAK!*
Akane's head snapped to the side, her ears ringing, and a metallic taste spread in her mouth. However, behind that pain, her eyes still blazed with fire of anger and contempt. She turned her face back to stare at Tomaru, her gaze sharp as a razor.
"Is that all you can do, Sawagoe? You can only feel strong by abusing the weaker, hurting women? You truly are a pathetic and disgusting man!"
Hearing those demeaning words, the emotional Tomaru immediately became annoyed and lost control completely. Rage overtook him.
He strangled Akane's slender neck with both his large hands.
"You shut up! Women like you were only created to satisfy men's lust, to bear offspring! Shut your mouth and accept your fate!!"
"Ugh...!!!"
Akane choked, both her hands immediately gripped Tomaru's wrists, trying to scratch and pull them. Her legs kicked irregularly on the floor, searching for a foothold that didn't exist.
The oxygen in her lungs quickly ran out. Her face, initially red from the slap, turned pale, then began to turn blue. Black spots danced in her vision.
In the desperation of her dying body, control over her bladder was lost, and yellow liquid seeped through her pajama pants, forming a puddle on the floor beneath her.
As her consciousness was nearly lost, as the world began to fade to darkness, suddenly, the pressure on her neck disappeared.
"I almost killed you."
Tomaru released his hands, realizing he could kill her and damage his 'property'.
"Cough... Cough... Cough..."
Akane gasped, drawing deep painful breaths into her lungs. She coughed incessantly, her body trembling violently.
On her white neck, Tomaru's dark purple finger marks had begun to form, like a horrifying necklace marking his cruelty. Akane lay on the floor, weak and humiliated, with the remnants of her resistance scattered around her.