HA1 11.1 - Natural Hunter

  Pine Abode was a small dojo of Ryusen Karate. It was located atop of a hill full of pine trees, and about 5 km away from Lake Hibino. Until two years ago Pine Abode was an active dojo, but now it was only used during summer training camp.

  The layout of the dojo was divided into a training hall, sandbag corner, sparring quarter, sleeping quarter, bathroom, and instructor quarter. In its center lay a 9x4 meter inner-yard, while on the front yard stood several hitting posts, handcrafted weight training equipment, and targeting blocks for archery practice.

  After checking out every corner of Pine Abode, Hide sat in the terrace and re-reading the info and maps Takeo had gathered.

  'A small road that connected to the highway and six hiking trails that connected to Lake Hibino. There are no houses or cottages in the vicinity. At dusk, some hikers saw Shizuka and Kuroki had some training in the front yard.'

  Hide took a deep breath before pondering. He was sure Shizuka killed Kuroki on the last day they were seen together. After that, she threw Kuroki's smartphone at Lake Hibino which was a famous spot for weekend date. She did it to give the impression that Kuroki had leaved the dojo first. Then, she dug a hole in a spot hidden from outside views to burry Kuroki’s cold body.

  'Well, I've already brought shovel, isotonic drink, and snacks. I better starts the work.'

  Without delay, Hide headed to inner yard and started the digging at some spot. Nichiko Metro Police already dug a few spots in the inner yard, down to 1.5 meters below the surface and found nothing, so Hide realized he had to dig deeper.

  ---

  Like any other Saturday, at noon Shizuka would go to Pine Abode for karate and archery practice. She instantly frowned when she found the door at the front yard was unlocked. Wasting no time she rushed to inner yard and found Hide was sitting in one corner. He only wore his boxers. His body was covered in sweat and dirt, while his right hand held a large bottle of isotonic drink.

  Shizuka then turned her gaze to three fresh mounds in the inner yard. She was not surprised that one of them was the spot where she buried Kuroki.

  "Three meters deep, you made me work so damn hard."

  "Are you going to report me?"

  Hide downed a mouthful of isotonic drink before replying, "A killer reports another killer, what a brilliant idea."

  "Then, why do you try so hard to find evidence of my crime?"

  "I want to ask ‘Why did you kill Kuroki?’, and the evidence will make sure you can't dodge my question by saying 'I didn't kill him.' or such."

  Shizuka took a deep breath before saying, "I never thought you have a hobby of prying into other people's private matter."

  "We're going to work together for a job that can get us killed. It's natural if I want to know my teammate with all my heart."

  "Fine."

  With casual steps Shizuka walked over to Hide, but she immediately stopped right away as Hide pointed his silenced Sieg P365 to her chest.

  "Sorry, I don't want to sit too close to someone who can break someone skull with the base of her palm. Especially, when I'm in a place where no one will hear my scream."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Curiosity instantly flashed in Shizuka's gaze. "How can you are so sure I used the base of my palm and not a brick or iron bat?"

  Hide smiled before answering, "I happen to see similar fatal injuries to Kuroki's skull a few times."

  "Well, I will tell you the reason." Shizuka sat down and leaned against the wall before continuing, "After I entered senior high, Kuroki asked me several times to go to love hotel but I always refused him.

  Then, during our last training he drugged my drink. While I couldn't move my body he raped me. It was disgusting to see his smile up close as he banged me. It's also damn painful when I thought that I just lost something precious without my consent, but I didn't have any intention to kill him. I just wanted to break his legs."

  “…”

  "In reflex, my right hand just hit him 1 cm above his left ear from the side. Then, he fell to the floor and stopped moving. Surprisingly, it didn't make me panic at all."

  "I absolutely agree. You should kill him." Hide took a deep breath before continuing, "I mean, there's a chance that one day he will come to see Takeo and say, 'Hey Dude, I already screwed your wife and took her first time. So, no matter how many times you do her, you would never beat me.' I believe it will be very painful for Takeo."

  "Yeah, that was what I thought at that time..." Shizuka softly muttered, but then her eyes widened. "Wait, why do you make an assumption I will marry Twig?"

  "Because your feeling for him is as clear as the sun in the high noon."

  Shizuka immediately lowered her head. "Please, don't tell Twig about any of this."

  "Consider it done." Hide then silent for a moment before asking, "Did Kuroki threaten you that he will tell Takeo if you refuse his lust to bang you again?"

  "How do you know?" Shizuka looked at Hide as deep curiosity filled her face.

  "Most of my targets are bastards lower than animals, so I know how they thought."

  After a deep sigh Shizuka said, "After the bastard put his dirty cum inside me, he even took pictures of my private area and my naked body as leverage for his threat."

  "Do you feel any guilt after killing Kuroki?"

  "Hell no!!"

  "Did he come to your dream?"

  "No."

  "Do you feel any sensation after you killed him, like a good feeling and you want to feel it again and again?"

  "No, the only things I feel is regret that I killed him right away and didn't beat him first." Shizuka took a deep breath before asking in a low voice, "Am I strange?"

  "Not in the slightest." Hide put together his words inwardly before continuing, "You just have a far stronger heart and mind compared to most people. Some people called it a natural hunter."

  "I see."

  "But I don't understand one thing. Kuroki is already dead, so why do you want to learn how to use firearms? You are even ready to pay the tuition fee using your body."

  "I need to kill a man. His name is Takeshi Torumada. He has a group of tough bodyguards."

  'Takeshi Torumada.' Hide instantly furrowed, "How in the wonder you get involved with the third son of Toruma Mafia's Leader?"

  Wasting no time Shizuka explained, "One night Takeshi was targeting me, but a friend who helped me get the job at Kenzo took my place. The next morning she was found dead with a swollen vagina."

  Hide nodded and said, "Takeshi killed your friend because he has necrophilia. Most of his victims are girls from human trafficking under Toruma’s management, but sometimes he wills targets normal girls."

  "Hide, Takeshi is still targeting me and quitting Kenzo won't stop him. My only option is to kill him using an arrow or go away as far as possible." In a pleading tone Shizuka continued, "I beg you, please teach me how to use firearms."

  "After we kill Toruma’s Elder, I will kill Takeshi. So don't worry about him."

  "Okay." In an instant relief appeared on Shizuka's face.

  "Can I use the bathroom? I need to take a shower."

  "You can."

  "Thank you."

  ---

  When he underwent Sniper Advance Course, Hide met with Texas Tower Syndrome for the first time. It was a condition where someone experienced ecstasy from taking someone life. It's a syndrome that often occurred in a natural shooter. At that time, Hide witnessed how dangerous a shooter with Texas Tower Syndrome was, as he became very creative at hunting and killing.

  In the Stalking Phase, after successfully infiltrating the objective, a cadet didn't shoot the targeting block. Instead, he shot one of Airborne Rangers who guarded the perimeter, and he couldn't stop his desire to kill. Two other Airborne Rangers became his victims before he retreated, and two instructors were killed when hunting the cadet.

  Unfortunately, Texas Tower Syndrome had no cure. The only way to treat the patient was by killing them. Therefore, if Shizuka had symptoms of Texas Tower Syndrome, Hide would kill her without hesitation and bury her body in Pine Abode's inner yard.

  'Fortunately, she is just a natural hunter,' Hide muttered as he washed his body.

  Somehow, he felt a tremendous relief when he knew he didn't have to kill Shizuka.

  *****