Dead Man's Tales: HSOTD

Kozen and Rei sat on the front steps of the house, their clothes disheveled and stained dry blood, their expressions calm, though their appearance betrayed the chaos they'd just caused inside. Their hair was messy, and the occasional streak of blood on their hands that neither of them bothered to wipe off. Despite everything, they sat there quietly, sipping on juice like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"He deserved it, right?" Rei asked, her voice soft, but there was an edge of uncertainty in her words.

"I told you, you didn't have to watch," Kozen replied, his tone even. Truth be told, if Rei hadn't been there, things might have gone further. It was something he knew he still needed to work on—knowing when to stop. He had a tendency to lose control when anger got the better of him. But Rei's presence had kept him in check, at least this time.

"No," Rei said firmly, shaking her head. "I wanted my justice delivered."

They both knew the Japanese justice system wouldn't do much to a man like Koichi, not with the money and connections his father would try to pull for his own reputation. There was no way justice would've been served in any court.

"Think of it like this," Kozen said, glancing over at her. He could see the effect it was having on her, the weight of what they had just done settling in. "We didn't hurt a person—we brought justice to a monster."

Rei nodded, but he could tell the words didn't fully reach her. Maybe it was the anger that had pushed her through the torture, but once it wore off, he knew the trauma would start sinking in. As for him? Nothing phased him anymore, not after dying once. Or maybe it was just who he was—a part of his nature. He didn't care enough to figure it out. He took another sip of his juice, letting the cool liquid slide down his throat, keeping his focus on the present.

The police would have to get involved eventually, but that presented another problem. How could they explain the extent of what they'd done without incriminating themselves? Self-defense wouldn't cover this level of brutality.

"I need Rika to step in," he thought, pulling out his phone. Just as he was about to dial, the sound of a car approaching made him pause. Kozen and Rei shared a tense look before relaxing slightly as the car came to a stop. Rika burst out, rushing toward him, her face streaked with tears.

She hugged him tightly, her words spilling out in a jumbled rush—apologies, questions, and emotions all tangled together. Kozen stood there, somewhat stunned by the outpouring. Rika was rambling so fast he almost couldn't keep up, thinking, She could give Eminem a run for his money with this speed.

He let out a breath and rubbed circles into her back, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, it's okay," he murmured.

Rika finally pulled back, composing herself as she quickly fixed her disheveled purple hair. That's when she took a proper look at him—at the state of his clothes, his face, and the dried blood on his hands.

"What in God's name did you just do?" she asked, her voice full of shock and disbelief.

Kozen let out a sigh. "Okay, this is going to be a long explanation," he muttered, preparing himself for the conversation that was about to follow.

A few minutes later, Rika had been informed of everything. She had gone inside to see Koichi for herself and returned with a blank expression. Kozen wasn't sure if she was disturbed by what she saw or impressed—maybe a bit of both.

"Call the police," Rika ordered.

"Yes," Rei nodded, feeling somewhat intimidated by the older woman's commanding presence.

"I'm going to need a private moment with my son."

Kozen couldn't help it; a grin stretched across his face, making him look like an idiot, but he didn't care. Rika calling him her son hit differently, and it felt good. Rei, a little flustered, nodded and left them alone, heading back inside the house.

Rika leaned against the railings of the porch, the night air cool around them. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked, her tone casual, but there was a weight beneath her words.

Kozen shrugged. "What do you think?" He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to ask her opinion, to get some kind of validation or judgment.

"You went a little too far by cutting off Koichi's penis," Rika said plainly.

Kozen shrugged again. "And?"

"And leaving the balls behind," she added.

"That was Rei's idea," he replied, nonchalant.

Rika hummed thoughtfully, but there was no real judgment in her tone. Just observation.

"What did you think of my 'true self'?" Kozen asked, the words feeling heavier as he said them. He wasn't sure why he wanted to know, but it mattered.

In response, Rika's fist came down on his head, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to snap him out of his thoughts. "Stop talking like an edgy 14-year-old. 'Oh, my true self,'" she mocked, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Kozen blinked, confused by her reaction.

"Don't give me that look," Rika said, crossing her arms. "Tell me, would you do the same thing to me or to Rei that you did to Koichi?"

"Obviously not," Kozen replied, his tone serious.

"There you go," Rika said, leaning back with a small smirk. "That's not your 'true nature' then. Look, your true self is the one who experiences the world, its hardships, and everything in between. The Kozen that brought justice to Koichi is the same Kozen who endured my training. The same Kozen who is my son. Don't ever say that stupid crap about your 'true self' again."

"Okay, okay, you've made your point," Kozen said, and for once, Rika's words clicked in a way that made him see things differently. She wasn't wrong—he wasn't just one thing. He was all the things that had shaped him.

"And," Rika added, "I'm going to need to add a lot more self-control exercises."

Kozen sighed. "But Koichi deserved more."

"And what about your class?" Rika asked, her voice cutting through his excuses. Of course, she knew about that incident too. She knew everything.

"Yeah," Kozen admitted, surprised she hadn't brought it up sooner. "I'm going to need those self-control exercises."

Rika nodded, not dwelling on the class issue. It seemed like it wasn't her main concern right now.

"So," Kozen began, shifting the conversation, "are you going to tell me the truth about the training?"

Rika sighed and smiled. "Yeah, let's sit down. This is going to take a while."

Kozen grinned. "Try to be more original. Copying my lines now?"

Rika reached over and pinched his nose playfully, making him chuckle as they sat down on the porch together. Then, with the cool night air around them, Rika began explaining everything—the truth about the training, about the future.

[ 10 Minutes Later ] 

Holy shit. That was all Kozen could think after everything Rika had just told him. His mind spun, trying to process the flood of information. For years, he'd believed this world was normal—mundane, despite his own reincarnation. But now, with Rika's revelation about the apocalypse, nothing was off the table. So, this is real, he thought, still in disbelief, though it made a strange kind of sense considering everything he'd been through.

He had expected something fantastical when he first realized he'd been reincarnated, but nothing had ever materialized. Life had just… gone on. Now, though? Now it was going to come true. The end of the world. Monsters. Chaos. It was a lot to take in.

"I know it's hard to believe," Rika said, her tone soft but urgent, "but just think about it. I want you to know that I'm telling the truth."

The sound of police sirens in the distance interrupted their conversation, but Kozen nodded. He believed her. He didn't doubt her words, but even still, he needed a moment. What do I want to do now? He asked himself.

Training was obviously important—more than ever. But there were other things he wanted too. He thought about stocking up on the things that made life worthwhile—food, movies, games, drinks … Porn. Things that brought joy, even in a world that was about to go to hell. Why not enjoy life while I still can? He thought with a snort.

"Oh, and before I forget," Rika said, standing up quickly, "I decided that your little girlfriend is going to stay with us."

With that, she ran off to deal with the police, leaving Kozen alone with his thoughts. It took a second for her words to sink in. Rei is going to stay with us?!

He leaned back, looking up at the moon, a smile spreading across his face. Guess I need to change my perfect second-life plan… huh.

Author Note: More chapters on [email protected]/LordCampione.