Vampire and His Pleasant Companions: Volume 1 - Part 4

Previous TOC Next

As the sun set, Al transformed from a bat back into a human. Standing before the man and the detective, who had returned to the house to witness the change, he puffed out his chest proudly.

[“See, just as I said, I am a vampire. You may not want to believe it, but you can't deny the reality of what’s happening right in front of you.”]

"As soon as he turns back into a human, he starts being loud again..." the man muttered in Japanese.

[“I’ve told you many times, speak in English. And lend me some clothes. I’m not a pervert; it’s embarrassing to stay naked all the time.”]

As requested, he was given underwear, jeans, and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Al happily put them on. The clothes fit him just right—not too big, not too small—perhaps because his build was similar to the man's. The T-shirt had an unusual illustration on the front, and he stared at it intently, wondering if this was the latest trend. The spare clothes he kept in the broken-down boathouse had been the same for the past eight years. He realized he had long lost touch with any sense of fashion in clothes or shoes.

“Akira, isn’t that T-shirt from your workplace?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s got the company name on it. Is that okay?”

“He probably can’t read Japanese anyway.”

The two whispered to each other, but when they noticed that Al had finished getting dressed, the detective addressed him.

[“We understand now that you transform from a bat into a human, but can you tell us a bit more about yourself?”]

[“Okay, I’ll answer anything you want to know.”]

Al spread his arms wide and smiled.

[“First, your name. The documents at the station list you as Albert Irving. Is that correct?”]

[“That’s right. Everyone called me Al.”]

[“Is your nationality American?”]

[“Yes, I’m American. I’m originally from Nebraska. I died once eight years ago, but I came back as a vampire. No one believed me, though.”]

[“Well, that’s understandable.”]

Al glared at the man, who interjected at the worst possible moment. This guy had a knack for saying things that grated on his nerves.

[“So, how did you become a vampire in the first place?”]

[“Eight years ago, I was with a girl I picked up at a club... We were, well, making love in a car when she bit me. We had parked in a forest, and while she was feeding on me, we got surrounded by some delinquents who kicked the car and broke the windows. The girl got scared and ran off. Because she stopped feeding just before I died, I didn’t die immediately but suffered for a week. The way she fed on me and the way I died were both incomplete, so I didn’t become a full-fledged vampire.”]

[“What exactly do you mean by that?”]

The detective urged him to continue.

[“I thought I was normal. But about two weeks later, after I became like this, I met another one of my kind for the first time.”]

[“You mean, you met another vampire?”]

[“Yes.”]

The man muttered, "This doesn’t make sense."

[“Everything you’re saying sounds so fake. Things like an incomplete feeding or another of your kind.”]

Before Al could respond, the detective reprimanded the man.

[“We’re trying to have a serious conversation, Akira. Can you please stay quiet? Al, go on.”]

[“He told me I was strange. Normal vampires can control their transformations between a bat and a human, but I can’t... By the way, do you guys actually know what vampires are really like?”]

The detective shook his head and replied, [“No...”]

[“I only knew about vampires from movies and TV shows too, but real vampires don’t turn to ash in sunlight. Garlic and crosses don’t bother them. However, getting stabbed in the heart with a silver stake can kill them. Uh, what was I talking about again...? Oh right, being different from normal vampires. When the sun rises, I turn into a bat, and when it sets, I become human again. I can’t control my form. I also didn’t grow fangs to suck blood, so I can’t bite people. All I can do is lick or sip.”]

[“So, you do drink blood, then.”]

[“Yes, I do. I can’t bite people, so I drink animal blood.”]

[“Animals?”]

[“Before I came to Japan, I lived near the house of a hunter named Gaddis, licking the blood of the animals he hunted.”]

[“I see. So why did you come all the way to Japan from America, where it was easier for you to live?”]

Al hesitated.

[“You don’t even speak Japanese, right? Wouldn’t it have been easier to stay in America?”]

[“I didn’t have a choice. It was beyond my control...”]

[“Beyond your control?”]

Though it was embarrassing, Al told them honestly about Gaddis’s death and how he ended up being “imported” to Japan.

[“So that’s how it happened. That explains why you were first found in a food factory.”]

As the detective nodded, the man, who had been silently listening, interrupted.

[“Problem solved, then. Let’s freeze you and ship you back to America right now. Give me your address over there.”]

Al pouted.

[“I can’t go back to my parents’ place. They kicked me out, calling me ‘possessed by a demon.’”]

[“Then give me the address of that hunter or whoever you were staying with. We’ll send you there.”]

[“Gaddis is already dead.”]

[“Then I’ll take you to the American embassy. Even if you died once and became a vampire, you still exist physically. If you explain your situation, they might be able to help.”]

[“If I’m taken to the embassy, who knows what will happen to me? I might end up locked in some shady lab and used as a research guinea pig.”]

[“Then what do you want?!”]

The man’s shout made Al flinch, his back trembling.

[“Your becoming a vampire and getting frozen and shipped to Japan have nothing to do with me. Not one bit.”]

Unable to argue back, Al clenched his teeth tightly.

[“You were unlucky. But that’s like an unpredictable car accident.”]

[“B-but...”]

[“If you go back to America, at least people will understand what you’re saying. That’s better, isn’t it? Or what? Do you expect us to support you? No way. I just happened to witness this accident. I might call an ambulance and give you first aid, but I’m not obligated to bring an injured person back home and take care of them.”]

He’s probably right. This man had no obligation to look after him. But still, wasn’t there a kinder way to put it?

After becoming a vampire, I lost all the friends I had made over my twenty-one years of life. Everyone thought I was dead, so I couldn't meet them. I tried to visit one friend, my best friend, but even he rejected me. If even my closest friend reacted like that, there was no way any of my other friends would accept me. With no other choice, I pinned my hopes on meeting new people, but everyone I met at night only formed shallow, short-term relationships. As soon as I started to look shabby or ran out of money, they wanted nothing to do with me.

Every day, I was desperate to find blood to survive. I was chased by vultures and had my arm bitten by a coyote… it was miserable. Even though it was miserable, I had started to get used to that life. I was getting comfortably numb to various sensations, so why did I have to end up in some corner of Asia, only to be tormented even more?

[“Don’t be so harsh with your words.”]

During a pause in the conversation, the detective intervened.

[“Becoming a vampire isn’t something that happens often, so of course, he’s confused. And if his family has abandoned him, going back home would be difficult.”]

[“Then are you going to take care of this stupid foreigner? You can’t do that, can you?”]

His eyes grew hot, and he felt tears start to form. It was frustrating, unbearably frustrating. He didn’t want to hear this. If he hadn’t become a vampire, he would have graduated from college and entered an acting school. He would train hard and land minor roles in movies. Then he would catch the eye of a big movie director and be chosen for a leading role. His debut film would be a huge hit, sweeping the Academy Awards, and he would become a regular on the red carpet... Those possibilities were open to anyone. Even if they seemed impossible, they stretched endlessly ahead.

[“That’s enough!”]

He couldn’t help but shout.

[“I don’t need your help! I’m leaving right now!”]

Al stood up, but the detective grabbed his arm.

[“Wait. Even if you leave here, you have nowhere to go. If you turn into a bat, you can’t take a long flight on a plane, so you can’t return to America. And even if you live in Japan, you can only work at night, and you only speak English. It’s obvious you’ll end up causing trouble for people around you.”]

The detective stated this plainly. His calm voice, devoid of sympathy and focused only on facts, cooled down Al’s head, which had been overwhelmed by his emotions.

[“But… what else am I supposed to do...?”]

The detective glanced in a direction, and the man frowned openly.

“I absolutely refuse.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Yeah, but I can guess what you’re going to say. You’re going to suggest that I let this dumb foreigner stay here, right?”

“Wow, how did you guess?”

The man slammed his hand on the table.

“I can see right through you. There’s no way I’m taking care of some arrogant foreigner.”

The detective lowered his eyes sadly.

“I’d like to help, but police dormitories don’t allow anyone to stay over except family. Just until he gets used to Japan and figures out what he’s going to do, could you let him stay with you, like a homestay?”

“This guy doesn’t even know his ABCs in Japanese, and he turns into a bat during the day. How long is it going to take for him to get his life together?”

The man kept ranting in Japanese. Al wiped away the tears that had gathered in his eyes with the sleeve of his T-shirt.

“Maybe getting his life together is a bit of a high bar. But I think he’s probably anxious about suddenly being in an unfamiliar place. His situation is unique, after all. If he stays here for a few days and realizes that Japan isn’t for him, he might decide to return to America on his own. There’s still time to send him by express mail.”

“Think about it rationally. He’s a vampire! What if he sucks my blood and kills me while I’m sleeping?”

“He said he doesn’t have fangs, so he won’t suck human blood.”

“But still…”

“And during the day, he turns into the bat you like so much, Akira. You can pamper him to your heart’s content.”

“No matter how much I like bats, knowing what’s inside, I don’t want to touch him.”

The detective crossed his arms and sighed.

“...Let me just say this while I have the chance, Akira. I think you need to interact with people more.”

“Now, that’s none of your business. I live the way I want to live. I don’t remember asking for your opinion. And besides, he’s not even a person; he’s a vampire!”

“What have you been watching? He is human. He just turns into a bat during the day, but he still cries and gets angry. He didn’t choose to become a vampire, yet you’re discriminating against him. That’s just prejudice.”

Judging by the tone, it seemed the two of them had started arguing. They were speaking in Japanese, so Al couldn’t tell if it was about him or not.

[“Albert,”] the detective called his name.

[“He’ll take care of you for a while, Akira will.”]

Turning around, Al saw that the man had a sour look on his face, like he had bitten into a lemon.

[“...It’s fine. I’ll manage on my own...”]

[“As I said earlier, don’t be optimistic about things working out in a country where you don’t understand the language. If you were in normal health, I wouldn’t interfere like this. Meeting us after coming to Japan must have been some kind of fate. Why don’t you stay here for a while, and take your time figuring out your next steps?”]

The detective spoke kindly, with a gentle voice and gaze, but the man behind him had a harsh expression, as cold as the Alaskan tundra.

[“I’m not going to leave it vague with “for a while.” Two weeks. In two weeks, decide whether you’re going back to America or staying here to work.”]

While he was grateful not to have to sleep outside, the man’s blatant “you’re a burden” attitude made Al wonder if it might be more comfortable to sleep outdoors.

Suddenly, a loud growling sound came from Al’s stomach, and he hurriedly held his belly.

[“Are you hungry?”] the detective asked.

[“I haven’t had any blood since before I came to Japan. Even if I get hungry, I won’t die, but I’ll lose strength and won’t be able to move. There don’t seem to be any hunters around here. When I was walking outside in the morning, I didn’t smell any, either. I don’t want to be picky, but do you have any fresh beef? A steak would be ideal.”]

The detective murmured, [“A steak…”]

[“They say human blood is the tastiest, though.”]

[“See what I mean?!”] the man shouted.

[“The moment you offer to take care of him, he asks for this. A steak, really? You’re kidding me. There’s barely any blood left in a steak because it’s been drained!”]

[“B-but it smells good...”]

The man's eyes moved diagonally upward, as if contemplating something.

[“……The liquid that comes from muscles isn’t entirely without components similar to blood, but still, if you want to eat, you should work first. Don’t think you can get away with this just because you’re a vampire.”]

Al pouted in annoyance.

[“I'm not saying I want to eat for free. If I could work, I’d pay you back for the food. But right now, I don’t have even a dollar...”]

[“I don't like the attitude of trying to mooch off others when you don’t have any money!”]

A ringtone echoed through the room. The man, holding a smartphone in one hand, walked over to the window. He spoke in Japanese, "Right now? Well, it’s not that I can’t do it," before sighing and placing the phone on the table.

"…I’ve got an urgent job. I have to go out now."

"What, you’re leaving now?"

The man took a thin black coat out of the closet. Although the conversation made no sense, the atmosphere suggested that he was about to leave.

[“What's going on with him?”] Al whispered to the detective standing beside him.

[“He got an urgent job, so he’s heading out now.”]

The smell of blood and medicine from the closet came back to Al's mind.

[“Is he a doctor?”]

The detective tilted his head slightly.

[“He’s not a doctor. But if you categorize him broadly, he might fall into a similar category.”]

Looking at Al's face, the detective suddenly clapped his hands.

[“Oh, that’s right! Not many people know about it in Japan, but it’s common in America… Akira is an embalmer.”]

The unexpected profession surprised Al, but it also made sense. An embalmer is someone qualified to perform embalming, a technique developed to protect corpses from decay. It involves sterilizing the body and injecting preservatives through the blood vessels. Depending on the condition of the body, they might also reconstruct faces, bodies, or limbs damaged in accidents. Although there are some differences from state to state, in Nebraska, it’s normal for embalmers to take care of the deceased. In fact, when his grandfather died in a car accident, his badly damaged body was beautifully restored by an embalmer, which brought tears of joy to his grandmother.

Embalming originated from the mummification practices of ancient Egypt and became widely popular in the United States during the Civil War. Al still remembers thinking that even though the dead can’t feel pain, making incisions to prepare the body for preservative injection seemed painful when he saw a documentary about embalmers on TV. And now...

Al ran up to the man who was about to leave.

[“Wait. Let me come with you.”]

The man turned back, looking puzzled.

[“You're an embalmer, right? Embalmers drain the blood from corpses, don't they? Could you share a little of that blood with me?”]

The man looked horrified.

[“I saw it on TV before. The blood you drain gets thrown away, right? If that’s the case, couldn’t you give me just a little? That way, it wouldn’t cost any money…”]

[“No. Don’t say something so foolish.”]

He was firmly rejected.

[“I’m not joking. Just a little bit would be enough.”]

[“The bodies that are brought to me aren’t your food.”]

The man’s voice was stern.

[“I know that, but if it’s just going to be discarded anyway…”]

[“It’s not that simple. If you want the blood, get permission from the families of the deceased first. If you can do that, then I won’t complain.”]

Al spread his arms wide. This man was crazy.

[“It’s impossible to get permission! It took you so long just to accept that I’m a vampire. And even after seeing it, you hardly believed me. There’s no way a family I’ve never met would agree to give me blood just because I say I’m a vampire.”]

[“Then give up.”]

The man’s voice was chillingly cold.

[“I’m hungry! I haven’t had any blood for so long. I won’t die from hunger, but it’s torture. It’s incredibly painful. You can’t possibly understand how I feel. You have it easy—you just need to eat something, anything, to fill your stomach.”]

[“It’s not my problem if you messed up and came to Japan hungry!”]

The man spat the words out and left, slamming the front door behind him. Al stood frozen, glaring at the door where the man had just disappeared.

It was true that his hunger had nothing to do with the man, but surely there was a kinder way to say it. The moment the man realized he was a vampire, Al felt like he was no longer treated as human, which made him sad. If he weren’t a vampire, if he were just a regular person who would die from hunger, maybe the man would have shown a little more kindness... Even though he was angry, he felt sad. Tears welled up in his eyes. Unable to hold them back, he crouched down and cried. A hand gently rubbed his back from behind.

[“Are you... okay?”]

Al looked up at the detective with tearful eyes and shook his head. He wasn’t okay at all. His chest ached, as if it would burst.

[“I’m sorry. Akira can be harsh with his words, but he’s really a kind and caring person.”]

Al couldn’t believe those words.

[“He just takes great pride in his work, which is why he spoke that way. He doesn’t actually want you to go hungry.”]

The detective’s attempt to comfort him didn’t fully sink in, but it did calm him down a little.

[“It’s late, so there might not be much left...”] the detective said as he took Al to a supermarket about fifteen minutes away by car. [“We’ve got thirty minutes before they close, so let’s hurry.”] Rushing to the meat section, Al found mostly old, processed meats that had been drained of blood, with no fresh beef in sight. He picked out two packs of chicken livers, which still seemed to have some blood in them, and the detective paid for them. It was Al’s first time in a Japanese supermarket, and it was so small it seemed more like a convenience store to him. Back home, supermarkets were huge, and it was normal to fill your cart to the brim. Everything in this country was so minimal.

Back in the room, the detective said, [“Actually, I have to get back to work. I slipped out in the middle of it.”] He shrugged apologetically. [“If you need anything, just call me. Whether it’s about food or Akira or anything else.”] He handed Al a note with his phone number and the name "Nukariya" written on it before leaving.

Al took a bite of the liver, which felt disappointingly meager for his first meal in a while, and chewed it slowly. Since there was no fresh beef, he had settled for chicken, but as expected, the taste was bland. Honestly, this wouldn't even come close to filling him up, but just chewing on something calmed him down a little.

The kind detective, Nukariya, had said, [“I’ll find something fresher and bloodier for you tomorrow.”] With that hope in mind, Al endured today’s meal.

He stretched out on the sofa across from the bed. Nukariya had mentioned, [“Think about what’s next.”] But it was a hard thing to ask. After becoming a vampire, Al had lost his family, friends, dreams, and hopes. He tried not to think about the future. His only strength was his optimism. He had always managed to get by, thinking everything would work out somehow, but now he was at a dead end.

A shiver ran through his body. The room was cold. He pulled the blanket he had wrapped around himself earlier and cocooned himself in it. What day was it today? Judging by the chill in the air, it felt like October, but he wasn’t sure about the seasons in this country.

It was past 10 p.m. His stomach growled loudly, unsatisfied with just the liver. He dreaded the thought of the man returning home, reeking of delicious blood.

He didn’t want to talk to that guy anymore. So, he closed his eyes. If he fell asleep, he wouldn’t notice when the man came back. By morning, he’d be a bat, and they couldn’t talk then. He tried to sleep, but despite tightly closing his eyes, his mind was too alert, perhaps because of the intense emotions of anger, sadness, and frustration he had experienced.

His restless mind, which he didn’t want to think about, kept returning to the future. How long would this "future" that Nukariya mentioned last?

As he tossed and turned, it was already past midnight. 1 a.m… 2 a.m. Just as sleep finally began to creep in, he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. The man had returned.

Al kept his eyes shut tightly, pretending to be asleep, but his keen sense of smell caught something. The scent of raw beef! And it seemed to be quite juicy. His throat involuntarily swallowed.

"…Are you asleep? I went out of my way to buy this, driving an hour to get it," the man muttered, dropping a plastic bag that reeked of tantalizing sweetness onto the table before heading into the bathroom. The sound of the shower started.

Unable to resist any longer, Al shot up and lunged for the plastic bag. Inside was a thick steak. As he shook the plastic case, red juices oozed through the packaging.

His whole body trembled. This was exactly what he had been craving. He wanted to lick it, to slurp it up. His hands shook as he tried to rip off the plastic wrapping, but then he paused. This steak had to have been bought for the vampire staying in the room—otherwise, why would anyone leave raw meat out at this hour without putting it in the fridge? But the man hadn’t explicitly said, "This is for you." If he ate it without permission, he’d surely get in trouble. There would be no excuse if the man claimed, "That’s mine."

If accused of stealing someone’s food, especially when he had no money, what could he possibly say?

[“Damn it!”]

Cursing under his breath, Al shoved the pack of raw meat back into the bag and jumped onto the sofa, wrapping himself in the blanket. The frustration of being hungry yet unable to eat the food right in front of him gnawed at him.

After a while, he sensed the man leaving the bathroom and coming closer. The rustling of the plastic bag filled the air.

"You didn’t eat it?"

The rustling grew louder, and the scent of blood and flesh surrounded Al, making his head spin despite lying down. He couldn’t hold back any longer and slowly peeked out from under the blanket. A piece of meat in a plastic bag dangled in front of his face.

[“You’re pretty sensitive to the smell, huh?”]

The man’s eyes were amused.

[“Want to eat? Go ahead.”]

Rage exploded like magma in Al’s head, and he slapped the man’s hand as hard as he could.

[“D-don’t mock me!”]

In his agitation, his voice cracked.

[“You… you don’t know how painful it is to be hungry!”]

Tears welled up as his emotions overwhelmed him. He didn’t want to cry over something like this. Crying would only make the man mock him more. But he couldn’t stop the tears from falling, so he clenched his teeth and glared at the man, determined not to let a sob escape. Even with his clothes in tatters, sleeping on the ground, and being chased with knives, he still had his pride.

After a long silence, it was the man, looking sullen, who broke eye contact first. He clicked his tongue and picked up the plastic bag from the floor.

[“…My bad.”]

He held out the meat, still in its plastic bag.

[“I was wrong. This is for you. I bought it for you.”]

Al snatched the bag and ran to the bathroom. The room was still steamy, the floor wet from the man’s shower. He closed the door and slumped down against it, tears still streaming as he tore off the plastic wrap and bit into the fresh steak. The rich, sweet flavor was incomparable to the liver. Though the juice didn’t taste exactly like blood, its deliciousness moved him, and he sobbed with joy as he devoured it. By the time he had sucked out all the juice, leaving the steak like dried jerky, he finally regained his composure. Though far from full, the crazy hunger had been sated enough.

Angry, frustrated, and wanting to be alone, he had run to the bathroom, but now he felt reluctant to come out. He couldn’t forgive the man’s teasing, but the fact that he had gone out of his way to buy the meat for him was undeniable.

I guess I should thank him… even though I don’t want to, he thought. It would have been better if he could have thrown the steak in the man’s face and said, "I don’t need this!" But in the end, he had sucked all the juices out of the meat. After a long time of moping around, he finally emerged from the bathroom, only to find the lights in the room turned off. The room was pitch black. It seemed the man was already asleep. No need to wake him up just to say thanks.

…Al flopped onto the sofa. If he fell asleep like this, by morning, he’d be a bat. Bats can’t say "thank you." So, he wouldn’t have to say it.

The bed across from him creaked. The man had turned over. Al’s heart skipped a beat, thinking the man was still awake, but the man didn’t say anything.

The next morning, as soon as Al transformed into a bat, he flew up to the top of the bookshelf. The man woke up a little after seven, glancing around the room, seemingly searching for something. Even though he noticed the bat on top of the bookshelf, he said nothing and instead went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. It seemed he wasn’t the type to eat breakfast, as he only made himself a cup of coffee. A little after eight, he put on a coat over his shirt, slipped his keys into his pocket, and got ready to leave for work.

Standing by the bookshelf, the man said, [“I’m heading to work now. I’ll be back around seven unless something urgent comes up.”] Al understood since the man was speaking in English, but he didn’t bother to respond.

[“How many times a day do you need to eat something like that?”] The man’s insensitivity in asking this while Al was in bat form was infuriating. Breathing heavily through his nose, Al screeched, "How do you expect me to answer like this?!"

[“Twice a day, huh?”]

Al was left speechless, his mouth hanging open. The man had taken the two screeches as a response indicating "two."

[“I’ll buy more food for you tonight. Just hold on until then.”] The man turned his back to Al and took three steps before pausing.

[“Sorry about last night.”] He tossed out the apology without turning around and left, leaving a surprised Al behind. The sound of the door closing echoed in his ears.

That rude, mean guy had actually apologized. His words were harsh, and he was an unpleasant person, but it seemed he had genuinely reflected on his actions. And it looked like he would buy food for Al tonight as well. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Al felt like he could start to believe, just a little, in the "kindness" that Detective Nukariya had mentioned.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Al’s faintly positive feelings toward the man vanished as soon as he saw the meal the man had brought as promised—eight packs of chicken liver with red discount stickers on them.

[“I talked to Nukariya. He said you’d be fine with chicken liver instead of steak.”]

It was true that liver could stave off hunger, but steak was tastier, more filling, and provided more strength.

[“Um...”]

[“It was getting tough on my wallet to buy that top-grade steak every night, but liver is cheap, so that’s a relief. Plus, today was a special sale. If you eat two packs per meal, twice a day, this should last you two days.”]

Hearing that his wallet was tight made it impossible for Al to ask for steak every day. Even if it wasn’t steak, he at least wanted blood from a cow. While chicken liver might keep him from starving, the hunger would persist.

[“Um, what about Nukariya...?”]

[“Oh, he had plans to visit today, didn’t he? He suddenly got busy with work and couldn’t come. He said to say hello to you. He’ll bring some meat for you next time.”]

The flame of hope flickered and died. Al stared at the liver, which looked slightly old. It was bland, but blood was still blood. As long as he ate this, he probably wouldn’t starve to the point of being unable to move.

The man started eating a bento he’d bought from outside, and Al, sitting in the corner of the room, peeled off the plastic wrap from his liver.

[“Hey, do you like sitting in the corner of the room?”] the man asked, making Al look up.

[“Not really...”]

[“Then why not eat over here at the table?”]

I don’t want to sit face-to-face with you! But he couldn’t say that, so he reluctantly moved closer to the table. The man had a bad attitude, and all he brought was liver, but Al would need to rely on him for the next few days. If he could flatter him well enough, maybe the man would eventually upgrade from chicken to pork or even beef. But how was he supposed to flatter someone when he couldn’t find anything nice about them? Al stumbled right from the start of his plan.

He tried to convince himself that liver was better than nothing, silently chewing the tasteless meat while the man ate his dinner, clearly enjoying it. Watching him eat made Al’s anger simmer, so he kept his head down the whole time.

After the meal, the man said, [“I need to talk to you.”] They cleared away the remnants of their meals and sat facing each other across the table. Al couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his gut.

[“Nukariya asked me to, so I’ve decided to let you stay here for a while.”]

The man’s unkind, condescending tone annoyed Al, but he nodded silently.

[“But just because you’re staying here doesn’t mean I’m going to let you lounge around. You should at least earn enough to cover your own food.”]

[“If I could work, I’d pay for my own food.”]

[“Get a part-time job.”]

The demand was unreasonable. Al furrowed his brow and pouted.

[“Even if you say that, look at me. I’m in this body, and I don’t even understand Japanese.”]

[“Of course you don’t understand it. You’ve never learned Japanese before, have you?”]

[“That’s true, but...”]

[“This might be personal, but I hate English.”]

Al couldn’t help but blurt out, [“Huh?”]

[“Ever since I started attending a mortuary school in America until I finished my internship, I was forced to hear and speak English constantly. Even after I returned to Japan, my colleagues told me I still talked in my sleep in English. But I’m in Japan now, and I don’t want to speak English. There’s a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." From now on, you’re going to speak Japanese.”]

[“That’s impossible!”]

In response to Al’s outburst, the man silently handed him a book. The title read "Joy Joy Japanese." Al flipped through it; it was a Japanese language textbook for English speakers.

[“Use this. I bought it a long time ago.”]

The man then handed Al an old electronic dictionary.

[“You have everything you need. Study Japanese intensely.”]

Al swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth: You’re just making me study because you don’t want to hear or speak English! The man had bought a book and prepared a dictionary for him. He wasn’t just paying lip service to the idea of studying. Since Al hadn’t decided to return to America, he would have to stay in Japan. It wasn’t realistic to live in the country without using the language. And it was true that without knowing the language, it would be difficult to find work. …He had taken a foreign language in college, but he was terrible at it.

[“Learning a language isn’t something you can do halfway. You’ll learn faster if you immerse yourself. So from now on, I’m only going to speak Japanese, and I’ll only listen to you if you speak Japanese.”]

[“That’s ridiculous.”]

[“Why do you think I gave you a dictionary? Just listen to as much Japanese as you can and try speaking it, even if you make mistakes.”]

[“But...”] Al began, but the man cut him off with [“See?”] and pointed at him.

[“I told you to speak in Japanese. On top of hating English, your weird regional accent makes it even more annoying to listen to.”]

Angry, Al snapped his mouth shut and opened the electronic dictionary. It was well-used, with the letters on the keys worn down. He turned it on and looked up a word, then glared up at the man.

“A... kuuma” (demon)

As the man had requested, Al spoke in Japanese, causing the man to furrow his brow.

“Did you just call me a demon?”

Al looked up another word in the dictionary.

“Ahou” (idiot)

The man’s forehead bulged with veins as he grabbed Al by the collar and dragged him out to the balcony. Al wasn’t allowed back inside until Nukariya arrived, holding a piece of beef and apologizing for not making it earlier, as he had promised.

Previous TOC Next