Eighty-one days until your boyfriend, Kaoru Hoshitani, is stolen from you.
———
Day one without going to work at the Kawasaki Family Izakaya, alone at home, Kaoru Hoshitani was gripped by an invisible unease.
The sound of wind outside the window, the footsteps of neighbors upstairs and downstairs, even the distant honking of cars—all of it made him shudder like a startled deer, his slender shoulders jerking as his heart tightened in his chest.
He was jumpy, on edge, reacting to every minor noise, springing up from the sofa and staring toward the source, those clear, deer-like eyes still filled with lingering fear.
He was like a child left alone in an empty house after his Mother went away, filled with dread of unknown dangers.
He hardly dared approach the Door that connected him to the outside world, as if it were a boundary sealing in something dreadful.
Every time he had to pass the entrance, he unconsciously quickened his steps, avoiding eye contact, even softening his breathing.
Deep down, he was terribly afraid that he might suddenly hear a heavy or hurried knock at the Door, or worse—that, trembling and standing on tiptoe, he’d peer through the tiny, prison-like Door Viewer and see…
That woman with golden hair and gray eyes, standing outside with a hellish, predatory smile, her gaze piercing through the Door and pinning him in place like a demon returned from the underworld.
But fortunately, his worries on the first day seemed unnecessary.
As dusk fell and the familiar “click” of the Key turning in the lock echoed from afar, his girlfriend, Aina Saiten, returned home carrying exhaustion but also warmth.
None of the fears he’d imagined came true.
The tension that had been stretching Kaoru Hoshitani all day finally relaxed, like a taut rubber band slowly released.
His clenched fists loosened, and a sheen of cold sweat dampened his palms.
[Maybe… that woman really did give up? Someone like her probably never lacks men around her… Maybe her interest in me was just a passing whim…]
He nestled in his girlfriend’s arms, soaking in her comforting warmth and scent, cautiously letting this idea reassure his still-nervous heart.
After two nights had passed and the morning of the third day arrived, the skittish anxiety that haunted Kaoru Hoshitani had indeed eased quite a bit.
Gentle sunlight streamed through the clean window into the Living Room, casting mottled patterns across the wooden floor.
Tiny dust motes drifted in the air. Everything seemed calm and peaceful, as if the earlier terror had just been a fleeting nightmare.
His life seemed to be returning to those quiet, peaceful days before he’d started working at the Kawasaki Family Izakaya.
As usual, he put the two sets of worn clothes into the washing machine and listened to its rhythmic humming—a familiar sound that now felt especially comforting.
However, as he cradled a basin of freshly washed, soap-scented, damp laundry and walked onto the sunlit Balcony to hang it up on the drying rack—
A chill, like icy snake scales sliding down his spine, struck him out of nowhere.
He could clearly feel a scorching, penetrating gaze fixing tightly on him from somewhere unknown.
The sensation was so real that his hands froze midair, still clutching a pale, damp shirt that belonged to Aina.
Confused and wary, he lifted his head and looked outside the Balcony.
Below was the usual Street, opposite some quiet homes and a few shops that had opened early.
Occasionally, people and cars passed slowly by. Everything seemed perfectly normal; no one was standing and watching him.
Who could possibly be spying on him, when he was only on the second-floor Balcony of his own Apartment?
Kaoru Hoshitani shook his head, his black hair swaying slightly, blaming it on the frayed nerves he’d suffered lately.
He hurriedly finished hanging the rest of the laundry, the hangers clinking softly.
Then, nearly fleeing, he carried the empty Plastic Basin back inside, quickly sliding the glass Balcony door shut with a “whoosh,” instinctively checking if it was locked, as if this could truly shut out that disturbing, unseen gaze.
By noon, the sunlight grew brighter.
Kaoru Hoshitani tied on his floral cotton apron, getting ready to make lunch.
When he opened the fridge, cold air washed over him, and he realized supplies were running low.
Only a few lonely eggs sat on the rack, and the vegetable drawer was half empty.
He’d gotten used to picking up groceries on his way back from work at the Izakaya, stopping at his favorite Supermarket.
Now, suddenly staying home all the time, he found himself short of food.
Without hesitation, he took off his apron and carefully hung it up.
He changed into a simple white T-shirt and light jeans, slipped on comfortable white canvas shoes, and tidied his bangs in the oval mirror by the entrance to ensure he looked presentable.
Then he picked up a reusable Shopping Bag and his Keychain and went out.
His usual Supermarket wasn’t far away—just a five-hundred-meter walk along the Street.
Having lived in this Apartment with Aina Saiten for a year or two, Kaoru Hoshitani was familiar with the neighborhood and had met some of the neighbors.
On the way, he nodded and offered a polite smile to other men he saw walking dogs or carrying grocery baskets—fellow househusbands he often met.
But as he walked toward the Supermarket and passed a crossroad, that shadowy, ever-present sensation of being watched suddenly returned—this time, even stronger than on the Balcony.
It was as if a gaze, burning with heat, was pressed to his back.
He stopped abruptly, his slim frame tensing, and whipped around, brows furrowed with suspicion and caution as he scanned the bustling yet ordinary Street behind him.
His gaze swept past hurried passersby, parked cars, and the bright windows of shops.
[No one familiar or suspicious… Am I just being paranoid?]
Kaoru Hoshitani let out a gentle sigh, a trace of fatigue and helplessness flickering across his delicate face.
Even though the prickling sensation made him deeply uncomfortable, like cotton stuffed in his chest, he found no evidence of anything amiss.
He forced himself to shake off the odd feeling, quickening his pace and almost jogging into the Supermarket’s automatic glass doors, as if seeking refuge in a safe haven.
Once inside, he pushed his shopping cart between aisles, buying enough food for two people for two days—fresh vegetables, meat, and daily necessities that had run out.
Carrying two heavy Shopping Bags, he started home.
The plastic handles left faint red marks on his pale hands.
Even as he walked home, sunlight warming his back, the sticky sense of Surveillance didn’t leave, clinging to him like a shadow.
He glanced back more than once, but still saw nothing.
Still, thankfully, when Kaoru Hoshitani hurried to his familiar hallway, took out his jingling Keychain, and prepared to unlock the Door, everything around him was quiet—none of the strange events he’d feared had happened.
[Maybe I’m just overthinking… After all the scares, I must be getting a little neurotic. I really need to adjust myself…]
Leaning against the cold metal Door, Kaoru Hoshitani panted softly and shook his head, trying to clear away the uneasy thoughts.
Then he steadied himself, fitted the Key neatly into the lock, and turned it a few times with a “click, click.”
As the bolt slid back, he pushed the Door open.
With both hands full of heavy bags, he had to use his foot to close the Door as he entered.
But just as his heel nudged the Door and it was about to shut—leaving only a narrow strip of light from the hallway—a sudden resistance pressed against his foot.
The Door seemed to be blocked from outside, refusing to close…
Then, in his wide-eyed horror, a few fingers with healthy, wheat-colored skin and powerful, defined knuckles abruptly forced their way through the gap, gripping the Doorframe with irresistible strength!
The sight was so abrupt and terrifying, instantly overlapping with a certain dreadful memory in his mind…
———
The day after Rika Kawasaki learned that Kaoru Hoshitani wouldn’t be coming to work at the store anymore—and that, according to Grandfather Kawasaki, his reason was “preparing for pregnancy”—a blazing mix of anger and possessiveness began to burn in her chest.
She took action at once, staking out the cafe across from their home, picking a hidden seat by the window, and, like a patient hunter, started observing the daily routine of that weakling girlfriend of his.
It took her an entire day, but she soon figured out exactly when that enticing little man would be home alone.
But after learning the pattern, she found no suitable, inconspicuous chance to force her way in.
If she went and knocked on the Door, that timid, fearful little man—so terrified of her—would never open up.
He’d probably lock the Door, call the police in a panic, or run crying to his girlfriend for help.
That would only alert the enemy—not what she wanted.
So Rika Kawasaki had to suppress her agitation and impatience, continuing to squat in the cafe across the Street.
She ordered cup after cup of coffee, sipping mechanically, her eyes never leaving the exit of the Apartment building across the way.
Her constant presence had already drawn a hint of curiosity and suspicion from the cafe Landlady.
In fact, the spot Rika Kawasaki chose by the window was just right. She could see clearly across the Street to the second-floor Balcony of Kaoru Hoshitani’s home—the one with a few potted plants.
That’s why, when Kaoru stepped onto the Balcony to hang out the laundry, he was suddenly seized by that feeling of being watched, as if a venomous snake lay hidden in the shadows—though he could never spot the eyes peering from behind the heat-reflective glass of the cafe, locked onto him like prey.
Watching him stand on the Balcony in loose, pale loungewear—his slender figure, his pale neck shining in the sunlight—Rika Kawasaki felt a tightness in her throat.
There was a taste to him that was both lovable and maddeningly in need of destruction.
She then saw the little man bowing his head, carefully and gently hanging up his girlfriend’s intimate underwear.
That timid care sent a nameless fire of jealousy and frustration burning through her, making her whole body ache.
She narrowed her gray eyes and unconsciously ground her teeth, imagining how, once she conquered and tamed this little man, she’d have him wait for her after the gym every day—force him to use those delicate hands to wash her sweat-soaked dirty clothes and socks!
She’d erase every trace left by that other woman!
Of course, for now, all Rika Kawasaki could do was sit there helplessly, like a beast chained and unable to pounce, scratching the table with frustration.
She gulped a mouthful of cold coffee, the bitter liquid failing to cool the heat burning inside her.
[I don’t believe you can hide at home forever! Sooner or later, you’ll have to go out alone!]
She seethed inside, her gaze hooked with venom on that distant window.
Sure enough, her patience paid off.
Rika Kawasaki soon caught Kaoru Hoshitani going out alone to buy groceries.
When she saw him finally step out of the Apartment hallway, she immediately paid her bill and followed, quiet and swift as a shark catching the scent of blood.
She kept a dangerous distance, neither too close to be spotted nor too far to lose him, ghosting behind him all the way.
After Kaoru finished shopping and returned home with two big bags, a little unsteady, Rika Kawasaki slipped like a stalking leopard into the corner of the stairwell, holding her breath and listening intently for the faint sounds of the Key in the lock and the tumblers turning.
When the “click” sounded—the symbol of safety undone—and the Door was pushed open, the rustle of plastic bags on the entryway floor, Rika Kawasaki knew her chance had come!
Her eyes flashed with hunger, and she shot from the stairwell like a predator finally freed.
As the heavy Door was about to close, leaving only a narrow strip of light, she grabbed the Door just in time…