How To Eat Life:Chapter 2-2

#2-2_kawauso / I Didn't Know Anything About You

He awakened to the sound of his cellphone's alarm.

"Ugh..."

Chakachakachaka, what an irritating noise.

With that thought, the Otter reached for the phone beside his pillow and turned off the alarm. It was fine. The alarm would continue to ring several times. He had set multiple alarms. It was alright. As he made excuses in his mind, he curled up the comforter and embraced it like a body pillow.

Hmm?

Wasn't that a different sound from the alarm?

Oh well, whatever.

Good night.

At that moment, the phone rang with a chakachakachaka once again.

"What the hell?"

Should he just ignore it?

As soon as that insolent thought crossed his mind, pain shot through his left ear.

"Ow! Hey, Olver, you..."

He immediately recognized it as Olver's doing. The Otter lived alone in this one-room apartment. The only one who would bite the lonely man's ear could be none other than Olver.

"Alright, alright. I understand..."

He reached for the phone once again. As he lifted his heavy eyelids and stared at the screen, he saw the word 'senpai' displayed on it.

"Oh, whoa! It wasn't an alarm! It's a ph-ph-phone call... Crap..."

The Otter quickly got up and answered the phone.

"Y-yes, helloelloello. Good morning, this is the Otter..."

"Isn't that too many ellos?"

"U-um, I-I-I just woke up..."

"I'm not really criticizing you. Actually, stop apologizing for everything. You apologize too much."

"I-I'm sorry... Ah, I apologized again..."

"Maybe you won't understand until I stretch your tongue out and tie it into knots?"

"That's scary! Tying my tongue into knots, that's too horrifying!"

"I'm not actually going to do it."

"If it were senpai we were talking about, you'd do anything, wouldn't you..."

"What exactly do you think of me?"

"Of course, I think you're a great senpai. I respect you. Seriously, respect. This feeling might be to the extent of worship..." (He says respect in English)

"I'm not exactly the type of person who should be worshipped, but I won't engage in such enjoyable torture so casually."

"'Fun torture' is quite an extreme interpretation..."

"That's enough nonsense. We have another case today."

"Huh? Again?!"

"U-understood. I'll head out right away! As quickly as possible!"

The Otter dressed at a rapid pace—well, calling it "light speed" would be an exaggeration—sonic speed too—no, even sonic speed was an exaggeration. Regardless, he dressed as swiftly as he could.

It wasn't because his name contained the word 'grey' or anything, but somehow, most of the suits the Otter owned were grey. Once again, he opted for a grey suit today, paired with a navy blue shirt. Before the mirror, he tied a patterned tie that wasn't overly flashy.

"Nice, nice. Ah, socks. Where are my socks? Ah, my hair is sticking up..."

As he stepped into the parking lot with Olver perched on his shoulder, he noticed that dawn had not yet broken. Although he must have glanced at the time on his phone, he hadn't fully registered it.

"That's the kind of thing it is..."

The Otter drove his car out and along the way, he picked up senpai and Garm, heading towards the crime scene. Senpai was dressed in her usual black pantsuit and white pumps, her hair slightly damp. Had she just taken a shower? The thought involuntarily crossed his mind, sending a strange sensation through him.

Speaking of which, did senpai have a boyfriend?

If he asked, he would probably get scolded. He couldn't really bring himself to ask.

It was senpai, so he had a feeling she might unexpectedly answer.

Without hesitation, like saying, "Yeah, I do?"

He wondered if she had one. It wouldn't be unusual for her to have had one or two lovers. He could accept it if she didn't have one as well. She had a strong personality... that wasn't the right way to put it, but she was a spirited and intense person. There was also her work and Garm. Well, if the other person couldn't see Garm, that wouldn't be a problem.

The Otter himself had dated an ordinary girl who couldn't see Olver. Despite his current situation, he had quite the reputation in his youth. Not that he wasn't young now, but being in this line of work came with its own set of circumstances.

This wasn't the time to dwell on romance. He couldn't afford to waste time on such matters.

So senpai had to be single, right? No matter how you looked at it, she was a workaholic. She had to be single. She was a free spirit anyway. He wanted her to be single. That's it. He would prefer it if she was single.

Senpai was probably single.

After all, she was senpai.

If, for example, he found out that senpai had a partner living with her, the Otter would probably feel disappointed. He would definitely feel disappointed.

How should he put it? If an idol you supported suddenly got married, as a fan, you couldn't help but feel despair. Something like that? Was senpai his idol? Was the Otter a fan of senpai?

Senpai used her phone silently. Maybe she was contacting her lover. No, no. There was no way senpai would do something like that.

Or was there really no way?

The Otter only knew Dhole-senpai from Dahlia 4. He only knew the face she showed at work. She never talked about personal matters. He didn't even know where she was born or anything about her family. Some time ago, he casually asked about her birthday, and she snapped, "I'm not telling you." Did she snap?

He was curious about so many things. Once his curiosity was piqued, he couldn't help but feel incredibly curious.

As a result, his driving was a little sloppier than usual, but senpai didn't comment on it. He almost wished she would get angry.

This time, the crime scene was located under an overpass, less than 2 kilometers away from the apartment complex where the old woman had met her unnatural death. Police officers were present, and caution tape had been set up. The Otter parked the car in front of it.

Under this stretch of overpasses, there were parking lots, bicycle parking lots, and parks. The victim had been discovered on a pedestrian and bicycle lane between the parking lot and the bicycle parking lot. Apparently, a passing man had found the victim slouched against the graffitied concrete bridge pier and had called the police, sensing that something was amiss. Detective Kogure, wearing a blue jacket, was at the scene.

"There is one. That wound," Detective Kogure informed them as he scratched his hairline.

Upon seeing that gesture, the Otter involuntarily let out an "Ah."

"...Yes? What?"

"Oh, it's nothing," the Otter hastily brushed it off, and Detective Kogure didn't pursue it further.

The victim remained in the same position as when he was found. His head was shaved close. He wore a baggy hoodie and cargo pants. His sneakers were scuffed. He appeared to be in his twenties, around 20 years old. His hands and fingers, lying limply by his knees, were tattooed.

The shaven young man slouched with his head drooping. His head slightly tilted to the left, and on the right side of his neck was the aforementioned wound—a hole measuring two or three millimeters in diameter.

Senpai, along with Garm, crouched down to carefully examine the young man's body.

The air reeked of alcohol. An overturned can of alcohol lay beside the corpse's thigh. Some of its contents had spilled out, dampening the ground. Had the young man been drinking before his death?

"Just a moment ago," Senpai maintained her focus on the young man as she spoke.

"What was it?"

"Huh? 'Just a moment ago'—"

"Didn't you try to say something to Kogure-san?"

"Well, not exactly saying something, more like it crossed my mind..."

"Go ahead and say it."

"But it really doesn't matter, I mean, it's not a big deal..."

"Tell me. I'm curious."

"...I always felt like that detective reminded me of someone. I didn't know who, but it just came to me just now. It's Columbo."

"Columbo?"

"Wasn't there something like that? It's a bit old though. A drama? Or was it a movie? Detective Columbo. From America."

"Kogure-san doesn't look like a foreigner, does he?"

"He just gives off that vibe, somehow. The vibes? Yeah, the vibes. I've never really watched Columbo anyway..."

"So you've never seen it and you're saying they look alike..."

"That's why I didn't want to mention it... if it was a strong resemblance, I would have said it to him. I might even ask, 'Don't people tell you that you look like Detective Columbo?'"

"This is more pointless than I expected. Let's not bring it up again. Columbo or whatever."

"I'm sorry..."

He ended up apologizing once again.

Would there ever be a day when he wouldn't have to apologize to Senpai? It would probably never come. He would never be able to raise his head in front of her. She got angry at him at every opportunity, and each time he would apologize. No matter how many years or decades passed, until the Otter left this world. From the Otter's perspective, it felt like forever.

The young man's body didn't appear to have any wounds aside from the mentioned hole.

The victim had simply sat there until his heart stopped. There were few, if any, signs of struggle before his death.

The elderly woman in the apartment where she lived and this young man under the overpass had died silently.

On that note, six days ago, a 46-year-old male office worker had died slumped against a vending machine, less than 1 kilometer away from here.

Fifteen days ago, in an apartment not far from the building with the vending machines, a 32-year-old woman had died in an unnatural manner. She was crouched on the balcony of her home. The one who discovered her was a male acquaintance who was being investigated for involvement in her death.

All four of them had a hole with a diameter of two or three millimeters on their neck.

As of now, the cause of death was still unknown. However, the hole-like wounds showed signs of vital reaction. In other words, the wounds were inflicted while they were still alive, not after death. Consequently, there was little bleeding.

It was speculated that someone had pierced the victims with a thin tool. Afterward, something must have happened to stop their hearts. Naturally, when the heart stopped pumping, the bleeding ceased. After the victims died, someone removed the tool.

The police had not determined whether it was an intentional incident or an accident. The matter of the holes had not been made public, so there was limited press coverage.

For now.

If similar deaths continued to occur in the future, it was uncertain what would happen.

After examining the victim, Senpai questioned Detective Kogure about various details. Information about the initial discoverer of the body and the background of the victim. Many aspects remained unknown, so Detective Kogure promised to compile everything into a report later.

"Do you think it's one of your cases, after all?" Detective Kogure asked Senpai, scratching his hairline. Was that a habit? It seemed like a habit. The Otter didn't even know if Columbo was a movie or a drama series, but he had seen it countless times on TV. If he remembered correctly, the main character Columbo would press or scratch his forehead just like Detective Kogure. That wispy, slightly disheveled hairstyle was also reminiscent of Columbo.

"I hope not," Senpai replied curtly, and Detective Kogure shrugged with a wry smile. His face also bore some resemblance. Or maybe not.

As they returned to the car after leaving the scene, the day had begun. Senpai started talking to the boss on the phone, so the Otter went in search of a convenience store to buy coffee. Within three minutes of walking, he found one.

Senpai seemed like someone who would enjoy black coffee, yet she only drank chilled cups of cafe au lait or coffee milk in paper cartons. She insisted that it wasn't that she couldn't drink it, but he had his doubts. The Otter mostly preferred his coffee black. Even when he occasionally craved sweetened coffee, he opted for the more mature black coffee. Especially in front of Senpai.

In addition to the coffee, he quickly selected some sweet bread, onigiri, and packaged chocolate. He left the store and, even though the way back was to the right, for some reason, he looked to the left.

At that precise moment, had he not shifted his gaze to the left, he might have missed sight of his target. The Otter was in the midst of shopping, not searching, so this encounter was purely coincidental.

Approximately twenty meters ahead, a man walked. He had an average height, likely male, and was dressed in a military-style jacket with denim underneath. He had black hair and appeared to be young.

Despite the early morning hour, the man continued to walk without any apparent urgency. It would have been easy to ignore him. However, a cord-like object dangled from his sleeve, which he dragged along as he walked. What could it be?

The Otter glanced at his own left shoulder. Olver's face twisted with unease, revealing his tiny fangs. That cord-like object was far from ordinary. It seemed Olver sensed it too.

The man didn't turn around; he simply continued walking, seemingly oblivious to being observed by the Otter.

The Otter decided to follow the man. While he trailed behind, acting as if he were casually heading home after completing his shopping, he called Senpai on his phone. Since she was engaged in another call, he left her a message. He switched his phone to silent mode and placed it in his pocket, still holding onto it. Soon enough, a return call came through.

The Otter answered the phone.

"Are you tailing that suspicious man?"

"Yes."

The Otter covered his mouth with his hand and responded in a hushed voice. Senpai lowered her voice as well.

"Understood. I'll be there soon."

"If you can."

"If he notices you, apprehend him. Don't let him escape."

"Roger that."

The Otter ended the call and placed his phone back in his pocket.

The man continued walking along a street adjacent to the overpass. Eventually, he turned a corner, leading to a stretch of low-rise apartments and residential buildings.

The road ahead was straight, providing excellent visibility. The Otter maintained a safe distance as he trailed behind. He ducked into an alley and cautiously peeked out, monitoring the man's movements.

It appeared that the man was about to turn around, so the Otter quickly withdrew his head. Had he been spotted?

He waited for a moment, then carefully poked his head out again. The man had disappeared. Panic surged within the Otter. No, stay calm. Take a deep breath, walk out of the alley slowly, making sure not to make any noise, and proceed until you locate the man. To his left was a vacant lot where buildings had recently been demolished.

Beyond the vacant lot stood the apartment buildings, and there stood the man within the premises. He held his phone to his ear and glanced over.

Indeed, he was young, probably in his twenties, or even high school age.

The man took off running.

The Otter chased after him. Had he made a mistake? Senpai would surely be angry with him again.

The man ran out of the apartment grounds and onto the street, then turned right. He seemed to be engaged in a conversation on his phone, but the words were inaudible to the Otter.

The Otter entered the street as well. The man was about fifty meters ahead, running quite swiftly. However, he wasn't as fast as a sprinter in a short-distance race. If the Otter sprinted at full speed, he could catch up to him.

But he couldn't ignore the cord-like object the man was dragging along. What was it?

The man crossed a crosswalk, disregarding the red light. It was a wide, two-lane road. When the Otter reached it, the light was still red, and a truck was passing by. Despite the timing being tight, the Otter didn't stop and crossed the road. The truck honked at him, sending a chill down his spine.

The man darted into a narrow alley adjacent to the pedestrian traffic light. The Otter followed suit, entering the narrow alley just as the man rushed into the adjacent alley on the right. If he had waited for the truck earlier, he would have certainly lost sight of the man.

"Nice job, me...!" The Otter patted himself on the back, boosting his morale. The alley the man entered was lined with small workshops and old apartments, and it was cluttered with steel drums and trash bins, making it even narrower.

The man glanced back at the Otter and accidentally knocked over a steel drum, producing a shrill noise that obstructed the path. Had it come to this? The Otter widened his eyes.

"—Olver!"

Olver, who had been perched on his left shoulder, swiftly descended and coiled himself around the Otter's right leg, merging with it.

The Otter's right leg, now merged with Olver, stomped on the ground. Although it was a simple action, something extraordinary occurred.

The Otter soared.

It wasn't a matter of being flung away. It was a leap that surpassed the world record in high jump. The force was comparable to that of pole vaulting. Moreover, the Otter effortlessly soared to an unbelievable height, as if it were a joke.

"Ueeeh..."

The man stopped running, astounded.

The Otter had jumped up between the workshops and old apartments. The man gazed up at him, his mouth agape. As he watched, the Otter flew over him.

The Otter's right leg was now Olver's head, and Olver's mouth was positioned at the Otter's tiptoes. His left leg remained flesh and blood. By utilizing his left leg to absorb the impact of such a tremendous jump, the Otter avoided disastrous consequences. He landed behind the man, pivoted on his right leg, and spun around.

"It's useless to run...!"

The Otter seized the man's collar with his right hand.

"Guah—"

Gasping for air, the man stumbled backward.

That's when something touched the back of the Otter's neck. Was it that object? The Otter instinctively reached for his neck with his left hand and found it there. It was indeed the cord-like object that dangled from the man's sleeve. As he attempted to remove it, it slipped away, wrapping itself tightly around the Otter's left wrist.

"Wha-"

The Otter delivered a knee strike to the man's left side. He groaned in pain, but the object wrapped around the Otter's wrist remained unaffected.

"Take it easy...!"

This time, the Otter unleashed a kick to the man's right side with his right leg, fused with Olver.

"Agah...!" the man cried out.

The Otter felt the man's ribs break through his leg, and the cord-like object around his wrist finally loosened. Without hesitation, the Otter grabbed the man's hair with his now-free left hand. He pressed the man against the outer wall of an apartment and used his right hand to twist the man's right arm.

Inside the man's sleeve was emptiness. The cord-like object was nowhere to be found.

This was bad.

As soon as he realized this, the Otter released his grip on the man and propelled himself upwards. Without a running start, Olver's right leg could achieve a vertical leap of up to three meters.

The cord-like object launched itself into the air. It had detached from the man and attempted to attack the Otter but missed, swirling wildly.

But what on earth was that?

Rather than a snake, it resembled an excessively long earthworm. It even bore some resemblance to a tapeworm. However, neither an earthworm nor a tapeworm would move through the air in such a manner. Its astonishing vitality was repulsive and unsettling.

Above all, it was dangerous.

Could this be the work of the man? The Otter suspected as much.

In just half a month, four people had died under mysterious circumstances. Each victim had a hole-like wound. Perhaps this revolting, energetic creature, resembling an earthworm or tapeworm, was responsible. It seemed to enter the victims' bodies through the hole-like wounds, ceasing their hearts.

Guided by gravity, the Otter's body began its descent. He attempted to stomp on the man using Olver's right leg, but the man skillfully evaded the attack.

Upon landing on Olver's right leg, the Otter jumped again. However, this time, it was not a vertical leap but a forward one. As frustrating as it was, retreating seemed like the wiser option for now. It appeared that the earthworm or tapeworm creature was responsible for the murders. It possessed the power to kill people. The Otter had no desire to die, nor could he afford to be killed.

He dashed out of the alley and into a lane without a sidewalk. In that lane, a car raced toward him at high speed. A white minivan. It was dangerously close.

"Wait, don't run ov—"

His lower body erupted in pain. That was the sensation of impact. The Otter attempted to avoid the minivan, but his timing was off. The vehicle collided with him, sending him spinning through the air. Upon crashing onto the ground, his vision plunged into darkness.

Am I dead?

He genuinely contemplated this thought, but it seemed that he was still alive.

"Uuugh..."

This groan. Was it his own voice?

Indeed, it sounded like his own.

The Otter lay face down, his vision blurred and distorted. More than being in pain, the situation was dire. He could hardly feel his body. It wasn't entirely numb, but most of the sensation had faded away.

"He's moving, huh," a voice remarked.

Whose voice was it? It belonged to a man.

"We should carry him."

"Like this? He's still alive, though. What should we do?"

It wasn't just one person. There were several individuals present.

Shit.

This is bad. But what exactly?

What even is bad?

He doesn't know. It felt as though he was descending.

His consciousness was descending into utter darkness.

Senpai—