Bokutachi wa Akuma: Chapter Seven (Haikara, Nino, Hongo)

“Hai, its all over the news, how do you not know about it?”

“I just don't pay attention to it. For the most part it is someone’s opinion, not an actual fact.”

“Really? You still think that way?” The lower voice raised a pitch. “Hongo, you are so right about him!”

“Told you didn't I?” Hongo replied, leaning back in the chair he sat in. “Don't you see the ads on the internet when you turn it on then, Haikara?”

He shook his head.

“I told you I don't pay attention to it.” He looked around the dark room he sat in. “Is it really happening though, Nino?”

“Of course it is.” He leaned forward, slapping his hands on the surface of the table. “They wouldn't be talking about it if it wasn't.” Even in the low light, the whites of his eyes were very apparent.

Haikara leaned back. “So what’s going on then?”

“People are dying all over the city, men, women, boys, girls.” Hongo paused leaning forward as well. “Even older people. And did you hear?”

It was silent.

“What?”

He continued after licking his lips. “Even that news reporter covering the story was killed.”

Both Haikara and Nino gasped, it was news to both of them.

“Do you think it’s…?” he stopped, looking around his dark cubical.

“No, it can’t be.” Were they both thinking the same thing perhaps?

“What? Who?”

“Hai, come on. There is only one person crazy enough to do this.”

He thought a moment. “Akira?”

“Yes!” Both Nino and Hongo said it together, looking into their cameras.

“Even if it is, we have no proof.” He flicked his desk lamp in. “Unless we ask.”

Both of them laughed at that.

“Ask? Yeah like that will happen.”

It was clear that these three were very close friends. As a matter of fact, they have been friends for almost two decades, and they only have gone days in a row without seeing or speaking to each other.

“Well, Nino, Hai, I'm going to go. I want some tea and I don't have any.”

Looking through some drawers in his desk, Haikara was barely visible in the camera. He waved up in the view of the camera. “See you Hongo.” He was looking for a pile of papers he had lost.

Leaning back in his chair, stretching long and hard. “Mm, see you Hon.” Nino’s fingers waved, still in partial paralysis of stretching.

His computer screen had turned black, leaving only each other on the other’s screen.

Haikara kept digging through various drawers in his computer desk, searching for something that seemed important.

“So what's gonna happen with these murders? What if they go national?”

Haikara was still out of sight on his camera.

“Hai!”

“What?” He looked up in his camera for just a moment before disappearing again.

“Did you hear me?”

“No sorry. You know Nino, I'm going to go too. I lost some documents and I need to find them.” Haikara didn't even wait for Nino to reply before he popped up into his screen too, waving and signing off, leaving Nino alone.

“Well fine, bye to you too.” He grumbled before slapping his laptop shut.