Inma no hado

“Damn! Wh… What are you saying?! Such a thing, I can’t forgive you!!”

There weren’t many people in the cafe bar in the evening but still, a couple of guests were looking at something. The bartender was also surprised at first by the angry voice that suddenly raised and then looked annoyed.

“Don’t be Noisy… Calm down… People around us are watching…”

The man who screamed saw another man speaking in a calm voice and was about to raise his voice again but he confirmed his surroundings and finally endured. However, his temples were moving in an unsympathetic manner showing that he couldn’t suppress the anger rising inside him. It was the same as in middle school days, but Kenichi was slowly rolling the glass in his hand while drowning.

“Lend Keiko! You can do that!!”

Even while excited, the volume of the voice was dropping and Shioya was glaring. In the past, it would have been a bit tedious, but now it felt less scary than hair.

“So-so. Calm down… It is up to Ogawa-san whether it is okay or not. She may refuse my invitation if she wants…”

“So…what are you thinking about inviting someone else’s wife!”

“Didn’t I say that? Instead of me subrogation your debts you just have to tolerate me eating with Ogawa-san. Of course, I’m not obsessed with Ogawa-san. I don’t even know if it’s okay or not… If it’s not good, I’ll give up…”

In contrast to Kenichi who continued to talk calmly, Shioya still didn’t calm his anger. But on the other hand, he also understood that he couldn’t refuse it.

“You know that I loved Ogawa since I was in middle school, right? I always wanted to date her from that time. That’s why I want to make that dream come true”

Drinking his Laphroaig on the rocks while listening to Kenichi speaking, Shioya gradually cooled down.

“Aren’t you thinking of putting out your hands on another man’s wife?”

“I haven’t thought about that…but, do you think that it might be so? Do you think Ogawa will betray you?”

“That’s right! Keiko is in love with me. She won’t betray me!”

“So it won’t be a problem if Ogawa eats with me and I will instead pay your debt. Of course, I will pay even if Ogawa doesn’t agree to it”

“…Is, Is that so? If Keiko refuses, will you pay?”

“Yes, I’ll pay. I wish I could even acquiesce to my invitation but never say this to Ogawa. If you’re going to make a promise like this to me, I’ll make sure you don’t talk about it.

“I, I can’t say that. I guess… It seems like it was okay to lend him for debt.”

If Shioya kept calm and thought about it, it looked like an extremely convenient condition. Keiko didn’t have a good relationship with such an otaku because of the deep darkness surrounding him and she will never betray Shioya by any chance. Even if she accepted the invitation, it will be just a meal. She just has to shut up and miss it. That alone would eliminate the borrowing book written by the yakuza.

“But…why do you make such a condition? Even if you keep silent on me, you’ll be able to lure me in…”

“That’s easy. I don’t want you to mess with me later. If you don’t know me, I’ll invite you and Ogawa will be so poor, right? I don’t want to see her hurt by you…”

Shioya’s anger gradually calmed down to Kenichi´s answer.

“So much…did you like Keiko so much?”

“Oh, of course. Ogawa is my first love. I would change everything for her… If I can be with her a little, I will be so happy”

Kenichi, who sat on a quiet cafe-bar counter, smiled for the first time after coming to this store.

“Well then, dear… I will go. I will try not to do that, but I will contact you if it seems to be late…”

“Ah, I understand…”

“Then, please…”

Shioya´s wife left the entrance of the home. Her appearance in the bright sun shone brightly in the backlight. They have been dating since middle school and it had been nearly 20 years but Shioya still thought her as beautiful when he saw her dressed this way.

When we went through the corridors earlier there was a slight smell of colon. It should have been his wife’s favorite and a special one. Seeing his wife doing makeup and dressing up in a good mood, Shioya felt complicated since the morning.

“Ke, Keiko…”

“What…? Yes Yes, don’t drink too much during the daytime… Recently I´m really increasing the amount of alcohol……”

Shioya couldn’t feel any cloudiness or confusion from his wife’s expressions who answered as usual.

He also wanted to say something but the door shut in front of him. His wife, who wore makeup and dressed up beautifully, went out without turning around. At that time, Shioya noticed, what was he trying to say?

(I can’t say, “I love you so much…”)

As they have been together for 20 years, he couldn’t say such words. But today he wanted to confirm it and the words came to his throat. Still, Shioya couldn’t say it in the end and just stood alone in the corridor.

(She told a lie to me…)

The fact was stuck in his heart.

Today is Sunday. A call from Kenichi, his former classmate, announced that he would invite Keiko for a meal today. Then Keiko went out saying that she would go out shopping with her college friend on this day. Shioya didn’t know if Kenichi succeeded in inviting Keiko. However, if Keiko was okay with it, she would be lying. If so, why did Keiko go out lying to her husband?

(And…so happy…)

Before going out, Keiko took a bath and carefully dressed. Because she spent more time than usual, she was clean even if she looked at herself. Watching his wife preparing while singing fast eroded his heart by a dark feeling. If it was for Midou-san, why would she enjoy it so much?

(No way…no way Keiko…)

It was a fact that everyone in the class knew that Kenichi favored Keiko since middle school. Moreover, Keiko hated that and she should have hated that man to the point where it could be splintered. That was why Shioya couldn’t believe that Keiko was invited by this man and that she was even excited about it!

(After all, she really was only meeting a former classmate. But how much makeup does she need to wear to meet her friends? Taking a shower…but that’s it…)

The speculation called for distress and Shioya´s mind became full of jealousy and suspicion. Confidence that this should not happen was eroded by black doubts. It seemed that the bond between this couple, which had been built for 20 years, collapsed as if being attacked by a strong acid.

(Damnnn!!!)

Shioya was running right now, chasing, and being driven by the urge to bring back Keiko home. Or he could even call or email her to ask where she was going. Despite the absolute confidence that had supported him until now, Shioya was stunned as he realized that the basis of it was too weak.

Then he went to the kitchen with flat steps, opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. It was still 2 o’clock only. Shioya sat on the sofa lightly and felt completely exhausted as he drowned in alcohol during Sunday daytime.

(It’s late! What is she doing!!!)

Looking at the clock, it was around 11 o’clock in the night. While sitting on the sofa in the living room, Shioya was annoyed with red eyes. There were empty beer cans on the living room table and floor and the new whiskey bottle was half empty as well.

Because he drank without taking any food, he was drunk with alcohol. Still, he couldn’t get drunk completely because his wife had not come back home yet.

(What is Keiko thinking? Not sending a single email!!)

He heard that she might be late, but he didn’t expect it to be this much. Shioya got rid of the glass of whiskey without much help due to immense frustration.

(Today…with that guy…)

The front of Shioya´s eyes turned red with jealousy and hate as he imagined Keiko alone with Kenichi. His wife was playing around with another man, leaving her husband alone until such time.

(If it was such a thing, I wouldn’t have agreed to his conditions…)

In exchange for a debt of 8 million yen, Shioya promised to admit that his wife was invited. He thought that his wife, who should love him, would refuse and wouldn’t stay so long for the meal. It had been more than eight hours now and during that time no contact had been received from his wife or classmates. In the meantime, Shioya was annoyed and suffering from black doubts.

(Aaaa…Keiko…Keiko…)

And he knew it. He knew how much he loved his wife. They had been married for more than 10 years but her beauty was no different than in the past. Shioya had been fooling around with his wife but he has never been serious. It may be a selfish way of saying but his cheating partners were just for play.

At that time his smartphone vibrated with a characteristic pattern. Shioya raised his face and took it from the table. He stared at the mail text written there.

『Sorry for being late. I’ll be back a little later』

He felt a little relieved with that short and incoherent sentence. However, anger came out immediately and he sent back an email asking questions.

『Where are you? It’s too late! Come back soon!』

Shioya sent this mail and waited for a reply but nothing came back even after waiting for a while. Then he sent it three times in a row, but there was no reply or even the notice that she had read it. Shioya was getting more and more frustrated.

He drank up at a quicker pace for a while.

And when the time to frustrate had passed, a light beep sounded to let him know the arrival of a mail. Shioya, who once again drank more whiskey, quickly took up the smartphone. But what was displayed there was not from his wife. It was from that old man who was his former classmate and who used to be dark and dignified. Shioya read the text and his head became white at once.

『Thank you for the meal』

“Asshoollleee!!!”

Screaming so loudly that it could be heard in the neighborhood, Shioya knocked down all the things placed on the table. The sound of broken glass shattering could be heard in the quiet room. He was driven by a black impulse that couldn’t be suppressed and he ran wild in the living room. His hands and feet were injured with glass fragments and blood flowed from there and turned red. Shioya was like a demon in the valley of hell.

It was past twelve o’clock in the middle of the night when Keiko returned home. The paper bag held with both hands was full of clothes bought with her female friends. Among them weren’t only clothes for herself but also presents for her husband.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry I’m late…”

When she said that and opened the front door, Keiko came in from the back and a shadow appeared. Of course, it was her husband, Shioya, but the situation was strange. His face was pale and his whole body was somehow bloody and the corridor also had blood marks.

“De, Dear! What are you doing!!?”

“Shut uppp!! This fucking guuuuyyy!!!”

Suddenly, Shioya screamed, and she was scolded by the burn and sideways. Keiko who had a concussion for a moment shed blood from her nose and mouth and fell to the ground.

“Hiiiiiiii!!! Noooooo!!!”

“What have you done up to now? Aaaa!!! This bastard!!!”

Keiko was made to get on all fours in the hallway, which was a few steps from the entrance, and was scolded many times. Consciousness jumped to the violence of her husband and she was lying in the hallway in a huddle.

“Were you done like this!! Where and what did you do!! Aaaaaa!!!!!!”

Tearing up the elegant two-piece forcefully, the stylish lace underwear was also violently removed. Shioya breathed roughly while emitting the smell of alcohol and attacked his wife’s body.

Shioya got excited abnormally and rushed at his wife with the look of a demon. Since he penetrated into her vagina that wasn’t wet at all, the genitals of both were torn and fresh blood flowed out from there. The good thing for Keiko was that she was almost unaware at this time. If her consciousness was clear, she would have been screaming from too much pain.

“Uu…Uuuu!!”

The next morning when Shioya woke up, he was lying in the hallway. He was in a state of waste. The corridor and walls were full of blood. There were traces of crawling here and there and a number of paper bags were scattered and spit up the contents.

“Iiuuuuu!!!”

The pain in his hand was intense and his hands were swollen purple. When he looked closely, pieces of glass were also stuck in them.

(What…what happened…?)

He didn’t remember last night’s events so he only shook his head to the left and right. His memory was missing because of alcohol and he tried to understand the situation desperately.

(Ah! Ke, Keiko !!!)

At that time, he remembered suddenly. He woke up because his wife came home late at midnight and violently attacked her. His head became simmering with jealousy and anger and just as he saw her, he knocked her down, surprising her. And then…

(Keiko…where is Keiko…)

He attacked her with his own desires and remembered somehow when he let go of her. Since there was no memory from there onwards, he thought that he had completely lost consciousness at that point.

“Keiko…”

Shioya strongly regretted what he had done, but it is already late. Even though he was drunk, he couldn’t change what he did. He felt a sense of blackness as he looked for the figure of his loving wife wandering in the house.

(No…this…)

The corridor wasn’t in great condition, but the living room was even worse. The well-organized room was messy, the centrally placed glass table was broken into pieces and pieces of glass were scattered throughout the room.

“Hey…Keiko…. Where are you…”

Shioya searched all inside the house, but in the end, there was no Keiko.