Burning

Ito looked at the pill, then at the voice recorder. He remained silent for a long time before his voice rasped out: "Are you here to sell me a cure for regret?"

"How could there be such a thing as a cure for regret in this world?"

Kurishimoro shook his head in a strange, rhythmic way. With an even broader smile, he stared directly into Ito's eyes.

"This is a pill that makes others regret."

Ito didn't actually understand what he meant. Why would taking a pill himself make other people feel regret?

But his mind was a mess, and even thinking had become a difficult task.

"I shall take my leave now." Kurishimoro didn't say anything further; he stood up and turned to leave without a hint of hesitation.

"Wait! You gave me these—what do you want?" Ito didn't believe there was such a thing as a person without an agenda.

Kurishimoro didn't answer. He simply turned his head to glance at him before walking away.

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

After a few rings, Tanaka's voice came through.

"Hello, is this Mr. Ito? How can I help you?"

"Hello, Mr. Tanaka. Have you... have you had any contact with the Fujiwara family recently?"

There was silence on the other end. A few seconds later, Tanaka's voice returned: "Yes, I have. However, the content of our meeting was very repetitive compared to before, so I didn't use it. I believe we should focus our attention on the heroes instead."

What followed was a long-winded explanation.

Ito listened in silence, then hung up. He picked up the voice recorder and checked it. Judging by the timestamps, there was a recording from the afternoon of the same day he had been interviewed at the hospital that morning.

Perhaps it was the one with the Fujiwara family.

He pressed play.

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

[Likewise, Mr. Tanaka.]

[How has life been lately? Everything alright?]

[Not bad. The child hasn't been having nightmares anymore.]

[That's good. It's been over half a year now.]

In between were some pleasantries and meaningless chatter.

[May I interview the child?]

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

[Hello, Uncle!]

Although there were some changes, Ito could recognize the voice as Ayako Fujiwara's—the child he had saved.

Hearing her voice, the corners of Ito's mouth curled into a smile involuntarily.

After they exchanged some small talk, Tanaka asked.

[Big Brother Ito is being discharged tomorrow. Does little Ayako want to go see him?]

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

Ito's heart felt as if it had stopped beating.

[Ayako! Don't talk nonsense!]

[But it's true! Seeing him last time scared me to death. I had nightmares when I got back. I don't want to! I want my mommy!]

[Ayako! Mr. Tanaka, I'm so sorry. Children say the darndest things. Ayako is very grateful to Big Brother Ito, but, well, sigh.]

[...]

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

[What is this supposed to mean?]

[Sigh, let me be blunt with you. Our family is very grateful that Ito saved Ayako, but people have to look forward. A child cannot live in the shadows of the past forever; it's very detrimental to her future. I don't want the child to have nightmares again, nor do I want her to carry the burden of being called ungrateful. The best thing is for everyone to forget. We forget, and the public forgets. That is the best outcome for Ayako so she can continue on the path of life.]

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

[We didn't ask him to do that! We are grateful to him, but he cannot use this incident to bind us for the rest of our lives. We have to live, too! Do you know what we went through in the first two months? Everyone said we had to repay him, even take care of him for the rest of his life. We were terrified.]

[But luckily, everyone forgets quickly. After Ayako transferred schools, no one mentioned the past to her anymore. Because of that, she slowly recovered and can finally sleep soundly without needing to see a psychiatrist. Mr. Tanaka, I have never begged anyone in my life, but for the sake of my child, please, just do us this favor...]

Snap.

The voice recorder cracked.

Ito gently opened his eyes, looking around in a daze at a scene filled with billowing smoke.

Is this the old apartment? Right, the house is on fire—Father! Mother!

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

"Help! Waaah, help!" He stopped in his tracks, seeing a young girl trapped by the flames.

He paused, deciding to save the child first.

Using a soaked coat to cross the flames, he scooped up the little girl.

"Hold on tight!" he shouted.

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

His hands suddenly felt light, and the scene shifted. He was startled to find himself standing at the door of his old apartment. Thick smoke billowed from every direction, and his father sat slumped against the corner of the wall.

His father pointed with great difficulty at his mother lying on the floor, then waved his hand at him.

Ito snapped back to reality, hurriedly helping his mother up as he struggled to leave the home.

"Big brother, big brother, save me!"

The room across the hall shifted, and the figure of the girl appeared, surrounded by flames, clutching a Cape Teddy Bear in her hands.

Ito did not stop.

"Big brother! You're a hero! Save me, please, it's so hot here, I don't want to burn to death, sob, sob—" The girl held the bear high; the soot had traced the word "hero" onto the bear's belly, but why did the bear's smiling face look so eerie?

"Cough, cough, Seigo, save the child. Look, she's so pitiful, and she has a bright future ahead of her. Go, I don't blame you." His mother let go of him, leaned against the doorframe, and stroked Ito's face, her eyes filled with heartache. "Don't feel pained because of me, my child."

Ito fell into complete confusion.

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

"What—what should I do?"

The flames grew more intense, as if urging him to make a choice.

"Ah—"

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

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

"Mr. Ito, if I may be so bold as to ask. Do you regret it?"

"Seigo, are you really going to post this? I don't think it's a good idea."

"Yes, I don't regret it."

"."

"Don't force me, don't force me!" Ito Seigo's face was covered in tears as he knelt on the ground, covering his ears and roaring.

The scene of the fire vanished instantly, and the surroundings dissolved into a hazy mist of dust.

A familiar figure stood before the kneeling, head-clutching Ito Seigo.

"Seigo, do you regret it?"

Ito Seigo looked up, his face streaked with tears and regret.

"Father, I'm sorry! I regret it, I truly regret it! Please, come back! Mom, I'm sorry! I don't want to be anyone else's hero anymore; I should have been your hero. I really regret it, I regret it so much—"

His father patted him on the shoulder but said nothing.

Ito reached out, but he grasped nothing, only scattering a puff of smoke.

On the sofa, Ito jolted awake. The sofa beneath him and his clothes were already soaked through, and tears streamed from his eyes, unable to stop.

"Dad—Mom—ah! Why did I save someone else? You beast! You're nothing but a beast!"

Amidst his wailing, under the faint light of the neighbor's house, he saw the "pill" slightly reflecting light on the table.

He grabbed it as if it were a lifeline and swallowed it in one gulp.

He did not know what kind of medicine could make others regret, but at this moment, he would rather face death.

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