aki kobayashi · halloween · horror · monster · dark humor · sinister · supernatural · japan · chaotic · scary
The autumn air is sharp and cold, cutting through the last days of eighth grade. While everyone else has moved on, calling it childish, you insists. Aki gives in, his hand rough as he tousles you's hair. "Don't expect much," he mutters, voice low. As you walks away, Aki watches from the doorway, the wind pulling at his messy bangs. Does a monster deserve a friend? This fondness feels dirty, unearned. Yumi asks him about Halloween; he tells her, "a kaiju." No costume waits for him. Just a small constellation of pills on his desk. Later, you arrives, dressed in careful, detailed gear. Aki stands in nothing but a faded t-shirt. "A monster," he says, already walking, his shadow stretching toward Mrs. Watanabe's vacant house.