Combustion

He looked at the pill, then at the recorder. Ito stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking in a hoarse voice. "Are you here to sell me a regret-erasing pill?"

"How could there be such a thing as a regret-erasing pill in this world?"

Kurishimoro shook his head in a strangely awkward way. His smile grew wider as he stared into Ito's eyes.

"This is a pill that makes other people regret."

Ito didn't understand what he meant. How could taking a pill make other people regret something?

But his mind was in a muddle, and even thinking had become difficult.

"I'll be going now." Kurishimoro said no more. He stood up and left without hesitation.

"Wait! You gave me all this. What do you want?" Ito didn't believe anyone acted without a motive.

Kurishimoro didn't answer. He only glanced back at Ito before leaving.

"The Faker." After watching him go, Ito closed the door. He stared blankly at the recorder for a while, then took out his phone, opened his contacts, and found Mr. Tanaka from the news agency. His finger hovered over the call button for a long time before slowly pressing it.

After a few rings, Tanaka answered.

"Hello, is this Mr. Ito? What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Mr. Tanaka. Have you been in touch with the Fujiwara family lately?"

There was no response from the other end. A few seconds later, Tanaka spoke. "Yes, I have. But I found the story too similar to the previous one, so I didn't use it. I thought we should focus our attention on the heroes."

He went on to explain.

After listening, Ito hung up in silence. He picked up the recorder and looked at it. Judging by the timestamps, there was another recording from that afternoon, after his hospital interview that morning.

Perhaps it was about the Fujiwara family.

He pressed play.

[Mr. Fujiwara, it's good to see you again.]

[Likewise, Mr. Tanaka.]

[How have things been lately? Are you doing all right?]

[Not bad. The child isn't having nightmares anymore, either.]

[Yes, it's been more than half a year now.]

The recording continued with small talk and meaningless pleasantries.

[Could I interview your child?]

[Uh, sure. Ayako, come over and say hello to Uncle Tanaka.]

[Hello, Uncle!]

Her voice had changed a little, but Ito recognized it as Fujiwara Ayako—the child he had saved.

Hearing her voice, Ito couldn't help smiling.

After some more small talk, Tanaka asked:

[Big Brother Ito is getting out of the hospital tomorrow. Would you like to go see him, Ayako-chan?]

[No, no! He's so scary!]

Ito's heart seemed to stop beating.

[Ayako! Don't say that!]

[But he was so scary when I went to see him last time! I had nightmares when I got home. I don't want to go! I want Mommy!]

[Ayako! Mr. Tanaka, I'm sorry. Children say things without thinking. Ayako is very grateful to Big Brother Ito. It's just... sigh.]

[...]

[Mr. Tanaka, this is a small token of our appreciation. Thank you for all your hard work.]

[What do you mean by this?]

[Sigh, I'll be frank with you. Our whole family is grateful to Ito for saving Ayako, but people have to move on. The child can't live forever in the shadow of the past. It would be bad for her future. I don't want her to keep having nightmares, and I don't want her to be blamed for forgetting the person who saved her. So the best thing is to forget. We forget, and the public forgets too. That's the best outcome for Ayako. Then she can move forward with her life.]

[...But what about Ito's life?]

[We never asked him to do that! We're grateful to him, but he can't use this to bind us to him for the rest of our lives. We have lives of our own, too! Do you know what we went through during those first two months? Everyone said we had to repay him—even take care of him for the rest of our lives. We were terrified.]

[But luckily, everyone forgot quickly. After Ayako transferred schools, nobody brought up what happened anymore. That's the only reason she gradually recovered and was able to sleep peacefully again without having to see a therapist. Mr. Tanaka, I've hardly ever begged anyone for anything in my life, but for my child's sake, please—just this once, do us a favor.]

Crack.

The recorder broke.

Ito slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. Thick smoke swirled everywhere.

Was this the old apartment building? Right, the house was on fire! Father! Mother!

"Cough, cough!" He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose and ran upstairs.

"Help! Sob, help!" He stopped and spotted a girl trapped by the flames.

He halted, deciding to save the child first.

Using his soaked coat to get past the flames, he scooped the little girl up.

"Hold on tight!" he shouted.

"Thank you, big brother! Cough, cough—Seigo, you still made the same choice."

His arms suddenly felt light. The scene shifted, and he realized he was standing at the door of his home in the old apartment building. Thick smoke still billowed all around him. His father was slumped against the wall in the corner.

With difficulty, his father pointed to his mother lying on the floor, then waved him over.

Ito came to his senses and quickly helped his mother up, struggling to get her out of the house.

"Big brother, big brother, help me!"

The apartment opposite shifted, and the girl appeared, surrounded by flames, holding a Cape Teddy Bear.

Ito didn't stop.

"Big brother! You're a hero! Please save me! It's so hot here. I don't want to burn to death. Sob—" The girl held the bear high. The words "hero" appeared in the soot on its belly, but why did the bear's smile look so eerie?

"Cough, cough. Seigo, save the child. Look how pitiful she is, and she has her whole life ahead of her. Go. I won't blame you." His mother let go of him and leaned against the doorway. She stroked Ito's face, her eyes full of sorrow. "Don't suffer because of me, my child."

Ito was completely lost.

He looked at his mother, then his father, then the girl.

"I... what should I do?"

The flames grew more and more fierce, as if urging him to choose.

"Ah—"

"Big brother! Big brother! Sob, it hurts so much!"

"I know your dream is to become a hero."

"Mr. Ito, forgive me for asking, but do you regret it?"

"Seigo, are you sure you want to send this? I don't think it's a good idea."

"Yeah. I don't regret it."

"..."

"Stop it! Stop it!" Tears streaming down his face, Ito Seigo fell to his knees, covered his ears, and screamed.

The fire vanished in an instant, and everything around him dissolved into a hazy cloud of dust.

A familiar figure stood before Ito Seigo, who was kneeling with his head in his hands.

"Seigo, do you regret it?"

Ito Seigo lifted his head, his face streaked with tears and regret.

"Father, I'm sorry! I regret it. I really regret it! Please, come back! Mother, I'm sorry! I don't want to be someone else's hero anymore. I should have been your hero. I really regret it. I regret it—"

His father patted him on the shoulder without saying a word.

Ito reached out, but grasped nothing. His hand only scattered a wisp of smoke.

Ito jolted awake on the sofa. The sofa and his clothes were already soaked through, and tears kept streaming from his eyes, never stopping.

"Dad—Mom—ah! Why did I save someone else? You bastard! You're a bastard!"

Through his sobs, beneath the dim light from the neighboring apartment, he saw the "pill" glinting faintly on the table.

As if grabbing a lifeline, he snatched it up and swallowed it whole.

He didn't know what kind of pill could make other people regret, but at that moment, he would rather face death.

In the dead of night, amid the bustle and silence of Tokyo, a dazzling pillar of fire shot into the sky.