Here’s chapter 3
Hio’s POV
Equinox. A phenomenon when the world’s daytime and nighttime are equal. But within my knowledge, it only happened once in a while. It’s already incredible if it happens even once a year.
Since we became part of the band Equinox, Kape and I also started a new life.
Well for me, I just turned back into living a life where I have to be awake at night and asleep at day.
It’s just that our job is really weird. I feel that we’re being OVERPAID compared to the other real commissioned rockers. Oh well, Noir is rich, for sure he’s just bored and he merely has nothing to do with his money.
And what’s fun was, we finally had left the squatter’s area. We rented a much better apartment at a much better place.
Kape also broke up with Bakekang since there are now much more prettier gals pursuing us.
Me? I also had some girlfriends. But…
“BRO HEYOOO WAKEEEE UPPPP!”
SON OF A B*TCH! Did a fire break out?!
“—What?!” I elbowed him.
I’m still sleepy.
“CHERRY! The woman whose confession you accepted—” Yep, what he said was real. There’s a girl who courted me and I answered yes to her last night. I also brought her to our new home for some waka-waka* time.
“—Oh, so what?”
You want her?
“—-SHE’S DEAD!”
I almost fell out of the bed when I heard that from Kape. I sat upright and tugged at his shirt. “—Bro, I don’t like jokes like that!”
“I swear! I saw it on the TV! Here’s the newspaper!” He gave me the newspaper.
I read the article that he was talking about. He really was not lying!
A woman, twenty years of age, was found dead on an obscure lane near our house. Her body was covered with blood, with her heart stabbed.
My God… This is the 12th person!
At first I thought, maybe everything’s a mere coincidence. But over time, all women who became my girlfriend ended up dead. Killed.
But by who?!
It’s already a miracle how there’s no inspector coming around to interrogate me. Because if you would just connect all the crimes that happened, you would find out that all victims have a common denominator.
ALL OF THEM WERE MY GIRLFRIENDS!
F*cking shit. None of them even lasted two days in my arms.
Now I’m sure. THERE’S SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO DIDN’T WANT ME TO BE HAPPY!
Hrrgggh…What’s this? AM I TO BE FOREVER ALONE?!
NOOOOOOOO!
But if I continued to stick to women, this serial killing might not stop.
RIGHT! I need to shoulder this on and be a man. I have to bear this sacrifice!
The women’s safety is in my hands!
Nice!
Mother fcker Hio, are you high on drugs?!
F*ck. It’s so stressful. I need cigarettes!
I grabbed a cigarette and a lighter on the bedside.
And I did the suck&puff technique. The cigarette quickly turned half. I’m really this stressed.
“You demon, you’re smokin’ at a time like this! Aren’t you going to mourn for Cherry?”
“Mother fcker! She’s Chinese! Here, I lightened an incense for her!”
Kape doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at my response.
“By the way Kape, have you taken your vitamins?” I asked as I put away the cigarette on the ashtray.
Kape scratched his head in confusion. “Yes. But what is that vitamins for anyway?”
Kape’s accent has become better. His pronunciation of ‘vitamins’ was now correct. All of my sacrifices finally bear fruit.
“—Don’t ask. All you have to know is that it’s not a poison and most of all, it’s not a Viagra.”
I looked at the clock. It’s already 5 PM. For sure Noir is already up.
I stood up and took a shower.
After clothing myself, I grabbed the car’s key.
“—-Where are you going Heyo? It isn’t time yet for our live show.”
Are you my mother? ARE YOU MY MOTHER?
“I’ll leave the rest to you here.” I shortly answered to him.
I drove to the condominium where Noir and one of our band mate Nue currently stays.
Noir is not living in the mansion anymore. He’s living solo since he already turned 18 last month.
When I arrived, Noir opened the door for me. We stepped inside his room.
This last five months, we came to know each other and my sentiments for him lightened up.
I can’t troll him like how I always do to Kape.
If it’s just the two us, we talked about serious matters like mature people.
I sat on his bed.
“Do you have a problem, Hio?”
“You know, there is something I don’t understand.”
He sat on the armchair in front of me. “And what is it? May I know what it is?”
“—I think…I’m involved in a crime. I don’t know. I don’t really understand what’s happening.”
“Crime?”
“All women who became my girlfriends—got killed. And I don’t know why. Sometimes I think I have an alter-ego and—”
Noir suddenly laughed.
My mood immediately turned sour. I knew he will not take this seriously!
He stood up and sat beside me. ”If that’s what is really happening, shouldn’t you stop already? Will you wait until more lives perished?”
I was shocked at what he said. Of course I don’t want that. I’m the one who feel guilty here!
“—But how will the ladies leave me alone?”
“—Let’s pretend to have a relationship.” He suggested to me with no hesitation at all.
My jaw dropped and I almost drooled but fortunately I swallowed it at the last minute.
He’s gay? Seriously?!
Are you deaf, Hio? HE SAID TO PRETEND!
“Eh, uhm…aa…Ok, sure sure. Maybe.” I just agreed to what he said. I’m deeply indebted to Noir. Also, there should be nothing wrong with that, no?
He laughed at me again. Is there something funny?
“In the country where I came from, the relationship between two men is more truthful compared to that of man-woman relationship.”
Why are you explaining? I don’t practice discrimination.
I’m just new to such things.
“—You sure know a lot. You look like you have lived for a long time.”
He suddenly caught my chin with his cold hand…And brought his face near to mine.
Hey, what are you doing, dude?!
“Are you scared? Or are you a coward? Which one is it, Hio?”
Lintik! I’m not afraid and most of all, I’m not a coward.
Is a kiss what you want, Noir?!—IT’S EASY TO DO!
I think I’m the one who initiated it.
It felt so weird.
But I can’t say that it’s disgusting or nauseating. I even enjoyed it a little.
Now I know.
SHIT. I need to smoke!
I searched my pockets. There’s no cigarette there though.
There’s a Seven Stars on Noir’s bedside table.
I lit one. I also poured a glass of vodka. And when the glass was full, I drunk it straight like it’s water.
I sucked the cigarette and—-
OOH I’M OKAY NOW!
I tapped on his shoulder. “Well, I’ll be off then.”
I didn’t go home. I was dazedly wandering around like a fool.
Mother f*cker, I’M REALLY OKAY!
I’m now getting annoyed at myself. I’m acting like a woman who just got devirginized. The f*ck.
I looked at my Technomarine. It’s already 9 PM and I didn’t even notice it.
Ay stupid! I’m late for our live show!
I hurriedly rode the car and drove it fast. I spent 20 minutes driving before reaching the bar that Noir owns.
“Good evening!” I greeted the two bouncers at the entrance.
And I’m really going in through the ‘entrance’.
“Boss, there’s a riot going on inside. I think, you really shouldn’t go in there.”
WHAT DID HE SAY? A RIOT?!
THEN WHAT ARE THEY DOING OUTSIDE?! AREN’T THEY HIRED FOR THIS?
“If there’s a riot, then why aren’t you stopping it?” F*cker, your huge bodies were wasted.
The other bouncer glanced back inside the bar before whispering to me. “Sir, it’s a VIP. It’s difficult to mess with them.”
YOU MOTHER F*CKER! There’s no VIP – VIP to me!
I went inside the bar. There’s no one around apart from a group of people clustered at the middle.
Kape was lying on the floor, his lips busted. Meanwhile, Nue was sitting at a corner and it’s hard to tell if he’s trembling or what.
Meanwhile, Noir was sitting on a chair surrounded by a group of men. And there are five of them.
I could hear what they were talking about as I approached them.
“Please. Leave this place, Your Highness, The Count.”
What, why was Noir being polite to these morons?
Your Highness, The Count? WTF!
One of them hit Noir on the head. By the way he acted, it looks like he’s the leader of this group.”—Hey, you’re just a Baron. You have no right to order me around to leave this place. I can go wherever I want! We are here to celebrate my knight Italia’s promotion to an esquire.” He put his arm around the guy’s shoulder beside him.
“—But Count…” This was the first time I saw Noir this helpless. I suddenly felt pity for him. There should be a reason why he was being respectful to people who don’t deserve respect. But what? Why?
Well I’m used to seeing him as a prideful person but then, here he is—
WAIT! I remember, THEY HURT KAPE!
“Hey, you morons! Why did you hurt my friends?!”
I sure have nerves! But I still don’t know how will I fight them.
They all looked like they have seen a ghost when they saw me. All of them were speechless.
I walked towards them even more.
What now?
Four of them suddenly knelt before me. “Pardon us! We did not know that they are your friends! Please forgive us!”
Now I’m the one who’s speechless.
Coooool! I didn’t even do anything yet they’re already kneeling!
I glared at the arrogant leader. Count, huh?
He avoided my gaze. “Let’s leave and go to another bar to celebrate.”
He looks like he want to beat me but he can’t. They immediately left after that.
“Are you guys, okay?” I immediately asked.
“Just fine, bro!” answered Kape. For sure he’s the one who fought the outsiders first so he’s also the first to be beaten up.
I went to Noir and placed my hand on his shoulder. “You, are you okay?”
He took my hand and brought it to his mouth.
I don’t care what we both believe in anymore. I already move-on to any malicious thoughts.
I want to protect him because I saw a weakness in him.
I messed up with his hair. Just like what my brother used to do with me.
After that, Noir and I become boyfriends.
SERIOUSLY.
TN:
Waka-waka – Hio and Kape’s term for having sex.
Seven Stars- a brand of cigarette originated in Japan.
Lintik- It means lightning. When using for cursing people or an object, it’s like wishing that person/object to be struck by lightning. It is also often used to express annoyance and extreme agitation.
SHARRAMYCATS TRANSLATIONS 