WARNING!!‼️ This project and story contains: bl00d, homicide investigations, v1olence, and lwk mvrd3r NOT SUTIBLE FOR PEOPLE 13 AND UNDER. You have been warned dont report me Chapter 4: Numbness In his head, Shinji exhaled a sigh of relief. His attempt at making small talk with Ryuzaki had worked. From what Shinji could tell, Ryuzaki would never suspect him. He was too charming, too organized to be Makoto’s mvrderer. The train ride home was short, with barely anything Shinji could remember. When he got home, he collapsed into bed without even changing. Shinji gave himself reminders each day, telling himself what to do next. ‘Shinji, go drink some water. Shinji, go microwave some food.’ He would lie there for half an hour before pulling himself off his bed, idly staring at the ceiling with a long-put out c1g in hand. ‘Just be OK, Shinji.’ And that was all he wanted. Mvrder was his escape. And it was addicting, and he wanted more, more of it. C1g@rettes, and alc0hol, and mvrder. These three things were his solace, his comfort in hard times. It was hard to stop. He couldn’t stop. There was one more. His best friend, Kotone Amano. ‘That’s right.’ He thought to himself. ‘I promised her we’d meet up today. When was it again? Four p.m?’ He gazed at the clock on his nightstand. It read 3:26 p.m. He sighed slowly. It wasn’t that he was disappointed. Not at all. But somehow he felt that today wouldn’t be good. Still, he pulled himself off his bed, put out his c1g@rette, and pulled his sweater back on. He did all the normal things: brushing his teeth and hair, staring at himself in the mirror, trying to form a smile that would be deemed sane. He’d gotten quite good at it, but he was nervous that someone like Kotone, who he’d known for years, would see right through it. Next thing he knew, he was sitting on a bench in Yoyogi Park, staring at his hands like they were still bl00dstained. “Shinji!” Someone called. His head snapped up. A young woman his age, with long black hair, deep brown eyes, and the most beautiful face was happily waving at him as she practically skipped up to him and plopped on the bench next to Shinji. “It’s been almost a month since we met up! I thought we had agreed on every other week.” She said, nudging his arm playfully. Shinji smiled. His hands were dripping with bl00d. He looked down. No, not blood. Just sweat. “Sorry, Kotone. It’s been… busy, to say the least.” “Sure, Shinji. You finish those reports in an hour, what have you been actually doing, hmm? Have you found a girl?” “No.” He responded immediately, not flinching. Why he did it was a mystery to him. “I’ve just had more work, I suppose.” “Yeah, I’ve had more work too.” She said, smiling brightly. “Grading kindergarten tests is hard work, am I right?” Shinji laughed slightly, which she mirrored. “So it's really just work you’ve been doing? That’s boring.” “I’m a boring person, then.” “Don’t say that! …You just need to do more stuff.” “…Right. As in talking to strangers I don’t know?” “Yes! Exactly!” She grinned at him. “I’d rather not.” She groaned in frustration. “Shinjiiiiiii, you’re going to be so bored all the time!” “Enough about me, Kotone, please. What have you been doing that’s so interesting?” Shinji said, smiling as he rubbed his left eye. He hadn’t slept well in days. “Oh! Well, to tell you the truth...” She smiled happily. “I met this guy a while ago, and he’s…” Shinji zoned out as she spoke. That’s great! Shinji thought to himself. She’s happy. That’s the number one priority. Yeah! It’s great!…It’s great. I’m glad she’s happy. I’m so happy. He was immensely happy for his friend. She meant a lot to him, and that was all he’d ever wanted, for her to be happy. Shinji smiled as she talked. “Well, I’d better get going, but don’t ghost me for a month again!” She chided, getting up. Shinji blinked, and stood up as well. “All right. Take care of yourself.” “You too. Try smiling like you mean it, though.” She nudged his arm with a knowing look, then went off on her way. ‘She saw through it.’ He thought. ‘She saw right through it.’ He was home again, a c1garette in hand. It burned lightly in his hand. He paid it no mind. ‘Why am I so… numb? You should be happy for her.’ He cursed himself, taking another inhale from his c1g. He padded silently over to his kitchen, grabbing a bottle of something alc0holic out of the fridge. He didn’t really pay any attention to what it was, he just wanted to fall asleep. He wanted to sleep. To sleep… and he wanted to k1ll. He wanted to k1ll someone. He needed to k1ll someone. Soon. Writing: Art: Plot: + two chapters in two days yall admire ’s art it’s peak