The sky, despite the early morning hour, was under the absolute hegemony of the summer sun. This heat, which scorched every corner of Japan like a tyrant, seemed not to bother the four people inside a purple car. On the contrary, as the wheels beat against the asphalt, the faces of the three women held a cheerful anticipation.
The woman at the wheel had gathered her orange-colored hair at the nape of her neck. The fine lines by her cheeks, rather than diminishing her beauty, added a mature elegance, like the brushstrokes of a master painter. Her full figure, apparent under her light purple shirt, swayed noticeably with even the slightest turn of the wheel. This woman was Kyouka, the mother of the Tachibana family, and a mysterious smile played on her lips. Perhaps she was the one who most keenly felt the lust awakened by recent events.
Her daughter Yuka, sitting in the passenger seat, was busy with her phone as she brushed back her olive-black hair, a trait from probably her father. The front of her short, black crop jacket was open, and she tugged at the collar, complaining that it was too tight on her chest. "I'm getting a bigger size next time," she muttered, glancing in the rearview mirror at her sister and the young man in the back. A flash of jealousy sparked in her eyes.
"I did warn you," giggled the girl in the back, Koharu. She was perhaps the one who resembled her mother the most. As she adjusted her glasses, her gaze kept drifting to the young man beside her. Despite her understanding older-sister demeanor, the desire in her eyes was unmistakable.
And like everyone else in the car, her gaze eventually returned to the same person: Yuu.
The handsome, black-haired young man was watching the world go by, his muscular arms visible beneath a blue, palm-tree-patterned t-shirt. Behind his sunglasses, he seemed detached from everything. The girls attributed his distracted state to puberty and the recent events they had all been through, but it was something much deeper. Yuu no longer felt like himself.
Something inside him had been changing ever since his grandfather was hospitalized. He used to be shorter than the average for Japan, but now he had shot up in height as if he'd undergone surgery. Though the doctors said it was normal, Yuu was suspicious. Especially since the visions the ones he hadn't told anyone about.
For the past few months, he had been seeing memories forcibly etched into his mind. He was experiencing another person's life, their pain, their emotions. Although this other person's personality was completely different from his own, their fates were similar: both had lost loved ones, both had suffered.
Just as he was beginning to accept this strange condition, the moment that changed everything occurred. One night, while trying to relieve himself, he was caught by Kyouka, the woman he saw as a mother, the woman he admired. The unexpected 'help' he received instead of the scolding he expected completely derailed his life. First Kyouka, then Yuka, and finally Koharu... Their relationship had transformed into an arena of silent competition and complex glances.
Yuu knew the visions were changing him. His thoughts, his personality, were metamorphosing. But he didn't see it as a bad thing. A voice inside him whispered that this was how it was meant to be. So he set his fear aside. Today's vacation was an opportunity to resolve this hidden tension between them and to speak honestly about everything.
***
Upon arriving at their lodgings, a familiar yet unsettling feeling washed over Yuu. Yuka had mentioned they'd been here before, so perhaps that was why. After changing into their swimwear, the negative feeling intensified, but he forced an excited expression onto his face. After all, he was with the people he loved. What was the worst that could happen?
Their time at the beach was fun. Yuu struggled to endure Yuka's deliberate provocations and the 'accidental' brushes of the three women's bodies against his, his cheeks flushing pink. After coming out of the sea and finding a spot on the sand, he left them at Yuka's request to get drinks.
When he returned, the scene that greeted him made his blood run cold.
Three tan-skinned youths had surrounded the Tachibana family. Their intentions were written all over their faces: they were clearly harassing the women. But that wasn't what made Yuu's brow furrow. It was the dark particles seeping from the young men's bodies, hanging in the air like a sticky mucus.
It was a repulsive aura, invisible to the eye but suffocating to the soul. Every single particle radiated an energy of pure malevolence that polluted the air around them. Yuu had a name for this sight: "The Incarnation of Malice." He always saw this aura on ill-intentioned people, but he had never witnessed it this intense, this disgusting.
He felt sick to his stomach, his blood boiling. Malice this dense was a sign of how dangerous its owners could be. He had to intervene. Clutching the bag in his hand tightly, he walked toward them. The veins in his arms bulged with a pure, inexplicable rage.
Seeing Yuu approach, Kyouka's face lit up with relief. "You're finally here!"
Yuka, in turn, addressed the men surrounding them. "See? I told you we're a family. Please leave us alone."
The three men paused as they looked at the approaching Yuu. The young man before them was no longer the frail boy he once was; with his sharp features and aesthetic muscles, he looked like a statue. They felt inadequate in comparison. Yuu ignored their surprise, pushed past them, and reached the women's side.
"Sorry, it was a bit hard to find the way," he said, then turned to the men. His tone was colder and sharper than even he expected.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourselves, bothering a family?"
The atmosphere instantly turned icy. The look in Yuu's eyes was no longer that of the shy boy he used to be. It was the gaze of someone who had seen death—unbreakable and resolute. Faced with this threatening demeanor, the three men could resist no longer.
"O-Our mistake... We're sorry," they said, bowing, and after a weary "Just go already," from Yuka, they quickly departed.
Yuu watched them go for a moment longer before the rage inside him subsided. He relaxed and handed out the drinks. "There was no trouble, was there?"
"They were just hitting on us," Koharu said, taking a sip of her drink. "Thanks for coming, Yuu-kun."
"You shouldn't leave our side for so long," Yuka added, a faint smile on her face. She hadn't expected Yuu to be so cool.
Yuu smiled too, but that bad feeling hadn't completely disappeared. A strong sense of unease gnawed at his mind, a feeling that things weren't over this easily.
***
The wooden doors of the traditional Japanese inn where they were staying slid open silently, revealing an elegant tatami room. Despite the room's tranquility, Yuu's restlessness couldn't be quelled, even after they had all bathed and changed into comfortable robes.
To distract himself, he turned his gaze to the women, and his breath caught in his throat. Each one was more captivating than the last, and they were all waiting to be with him. Noticing his gaze, Yuka smiled slightly and shifted her body into a pose that accentuated her curves. The gesture instantly intensified the atmosphere in the room.
The fuse was about to be lit. Kyouka, knowing the fires of youth were about to take over, intervened. "Let's have our meal first," she said, gesturing to the table.
A feast of various Japanese delicacies was laid out on the table. Impatient for what was to come after the meal, Yuu raised his glass. Just as he was about to take the first sip, he froze.
His pupils contracted in fear. He could see them the black particles, the "Incarnation of Malice" seeping from the drink in his glass like a sinister snake. His heart began to pound. But that wasn't what truly terrified him.
In that instant, a vision, clearer than any he'd had all month, struck his mind like a lightning bolt.
It wasn't a memory. It wasn't an emotion or a personality. It was information, presented in the vivid colors of doujinshi panels, materializing in his mind; it was the future itself.
The images clearly showed the catastrophe that awaited them. The poison in this glass was only the beginning. In the future he saw, everyone he loved, including himself, would face a tragic fate.