Daichi's body shrank even more than before. He sagged helplessly in a crematorium waiting chair. Sometimes he stared blankly at the monitor screen, where it was clearly written that his father and mother were being cremated.
"Daichi."
Akira took a step in front of Daichi. He sat next to Daichi and patted his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Daichi didn't answer and just nodded.
Akira didn't mind. He realized the gravity of the current catastrophe his friend was facing. But questions began to bubble up in his heart.
"Can you tell me where you have been in the last two weeks?"
Daichi still refused to respond.
"You don't know how worried your parents were when you went missing that day. They looked everywhere for you and even took to the streets to distribute leaflets," Akira paused. The young man took something from his shirt pocket and handed it to Daichi.
Daichi accepts it. He unfolded the paper slowly until it was fully open. It was a missing person flyer with Daichi's entire name and photo on it.
Daichi's body trembled as he read the flyer's words, and his tears just came. He sobbed in silence.
"I am at home now, but they are not here." In between sobs, Daichi whispered.
Akira had some guilt. He attempted to soothe Daichi by giving him a back rub.
The two were interrupted by the crematorium officer, who announced that the Nishiyama couple's cremation had been completed.
After completing all the necessary arrangements, Daichi exited the crematorium with a box containing his parents' ashes. Akira followed behind.
Just looking at Daichi's gloomy back gave Akira mixed feelings. Nishiyama's once vibrant and upbeat youth has taken on a more gloomy tone. Akira, as a friend, wants to help Daichi but is at a loss for what to do.
Daichi came to a halt and inquired.
"Akiran, may I ask you a favor?"
•~•
Daichi basically has nothing and no one. So when he packed, he only brought a backpack containing his parents' ashes and some clothes he borrowed from Akira.
"Are you sure about this, Daichi?" Akira enquired.
Daichi nodded, answering the question. "Um."
"I don't understand why you wouldn't report to the police if you were kidnapped and tortured?"
"I can't. Ordinary people like us can't fight people like that."
"What do you mean? If you threaten him, he will be even more burdened, right? I will stand by you. I will stay with you until the problem is resolved." Akira persisted in his efforts to persuade Daichi.
Still, Daichi declines. Weakly, the young man shook his head, seemingly exhausted.
"You'd better not be careless. I don't want you to get involved with such people." Daichi made his way to the front door. "I appreciate you helping me. I will do my best to return this loan as quickly as I can."
"I don't care about the money, Dai—"
"Goodbye."
As the door shut, Akira's attempts at persuasion failed. Daichi hobbled off in the warm sunlight, experiencing something he had not felt in a while. The young man sighed, knowing that in order to protect himself, he had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
•~•
Daichi went to a location by the sea as his first destination. Daichi decided to scatter his parents' ashes into the water because they both had a deep love for it.
"With this, I can go to the sea and visit you two wherever I am. Because all seas are connected."
After getting his leg treated and purchasing crutches at a small clinic, Daichi resumed his travels. He couldn't stay still for long because he was afraid of Shuhei pursuing him.
•~•
Daichi has no specific plans. So he went to one city and then to another the next day, just to conceal his whereabouts.
"The money I borrowed from Akira was not much. Who knows how far I'll go with this." Daichi was staring out the train window, lost in thought.
The train came to a halt not long after.
Daichi steps down. He took a look around before walking away. When he was out in the open, his heart was always racing with fear of being apprehended again by Shuhei Yoshimoto. He was so worried that he walked too quickly, even with one injured leg, and collided with someone.
They both fell.
"Ah!" When he saw his belongings scattered, the guy appeared panicked and irritated. Daichi felt guilty and apologized several times while assisting in the collection of the scattered items.
"No need to help, just go," the guy said nervously.
"It is okay, it is my fault it turned out this way."
Daichi kept picking up things. He froze when he realized the items he had taken were identity cards. Daichi gave him a quick glance.
He wondered why there were so many ID cards.
Daichi remember a ridiculous conversation he had with his friends in the past, in which they claimed that people were selling fake identities, and that in some cases, this actually helped criminal suspects escape.
"Are you a fake identity seller?" Daichi inquired.
The guy was taken aback, then awkwardly laughed as he continued to pack his belongings. "How is that possible? Haha."
He was about to request the identity cards Daichi was holding, but Daichi was hesitant to return them. The man's face instantly turned cold.
"You better not mess with me, boy."
"I am not mess; I just want to know if you are selling false identities or not."
"What's your business? Do you want to report me to the police?"
"No, that's not it." Daichi touched the cards with both hands. "I need a new identity for myself. If it is true that you are a seller—"
Hearing Daichi's words, the guy smiled. "Ah, so you want to buy? Hehe, okay, let's find a quiet place to make the transaction. Come on."
Daichi agreed and followed the guy in front of him.
The quiet location mentioned was a small alley behind a random building not far from the station.
"So, what kind of identity criteria are you looking for? For example, age."
"I don't have any specific criteria," Daichi replied.
"Ha? You just want a random identity, huh?"
Daichi nodded.
"Well, if it's up to me to choose, then..."
The guy sorted through a stack of ID cards to find one that matched Daichi.
"By the way, where did you get so many ID cards?"
"Is this an interrogation?" the man inquired of Daichi.
"Uh, no, no. I was just curious..." Daichi was, as he said, curious.
Perhaps because of Daichi's innocent expression, or perhaps because of Daichi's disfigured appearance, the man relaxed his guard once more.
"I usually do it in three ways. The first option is to purchase it from homeless people in need of money, or to explore abandoned villages."
"What about the third?"
"The third step is to look for identity cards from the dead."
Daichi was astounded. This third one sounds a bit scary. "Can you explain what it means?"
"Most people who commit suicide in the wilderness or elsewhere bring a wallet or bag and its contents with them. So, yeah... you should get it now."
"Uh... Yes," Daichi said with a bitter smile. Daichi couldt accept this guy's job because it was too extreme. However, this could actually aid in his escape.
"Your expression changed after hearing that. Are you still interested in purchasing it?"
Daichi nodded. "Yes, I will purchase it."
"Well done. This one, I believe, is best for you. Look how similar this person is to you."
In front of Daichi, the fake identity seller displays one card.
Daichi silently agreed that the person in the photo resembled him.
"How much?"
The guy grinned. "I will give you a discount for you," he said, pointing to Daichi.
"¥20?"
"No, no,"
"200?"
He shook his head in response to Daichi's guess. "No, no. It's 200k."
"200k? How expensive..."
"This is already at a discount, you know. The standard price is higher."
"But it's still expensive..." an idea flashed through Daichi's mind. "How about we make a trade? I'll trade it for mine..."
Daichi was serious when he took his identity card.
For a brief moment, the guy appeared hesitant before finally agreeing.
"Okay. Since you mentioned a trade-in, you should add the cost."
"Eh, why should I add more?"
"Oh boy, this is a good identity. The previous owner looks like you, and the most important thing is that he is no longer alive. There is no way you will ever cross paths with him."
Daichi began to realize that there were certain aspects of an identity that made it more valuable in the eyes of sellers like this guy. As a result, he began to express the advantages of his identity.
"Both of my parents have passed away. Since I don't have any close families, it would not be an problem if someone used my identity."
The guy laughed. They bargained for some time before reaching an agreement. Daichi was able to switch identities without spending extra money.
Holding his new identity, the young man strolled back towards the train station.
"From now on, my name is Atsushi Kamagawa."
•~•