It's been always like this around December. The chilly wind enters through the small openings at the windows and roams around the house. Here I am wrapped in a blanket while watching the late night news. The only noise in this house are the voices of the tense reporters at the television. I can't really sleep unless Pacific gets home. She makes me more... comfortable. That's why I take these now.

“We haven’t got a nuclear shelter here at Marina, so this is all we can do. The government says you have a much higher survival rate if you crouch rather than stand up.”  

All this talk about the end of the damned world is starting to make me sick. False alarm or not, I didn’t even bother getting out of this house. I'm too exhausted to do that. Right now, I can't really sleep unless Pacific gets home. I need to know she’s safe. For that, I’ll stay awake. I must stay awake. Ah yeah.. I forgot I took pills. I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. I can't....

So much has happened in a day... when today was supposed to be the last. Raziel... Those two girls... Then the missile thing and Hozumi... Thoughts run in my head as I slide the door open. I flicked the lights and walked towards the living room. I saw the TV still running static (Probably because it's midnight and no shows run in this channel around this time) and my mom sleeping on the couch with Catsuragi sleeping on top of her too. She's drooling like hell. Sleeping pills are found all over the place. I picked them up and returned all of them to her drawers. I get a blanket and cover her. She needs this, especially in this crippling cold weather. I turned off the TV and went to my room. 

"Took you long enough." I heard nothing and just laid on my bed.

"I've been wondering, why do you care about your mom?" I thought he said he has immense knowledge about this world? No matter. It's such a simple reason.

"Pretty sure you know this already."

"Whatever." 

Is it possible that he doesn't know?

Weekends. I woke up in the early morning. Mom is still fast asleep. I cooked breakfast for the both of us. Eggs, hams, toasts, and some salad. I finished eating but Mom is still asleep so I covered her meal. And then... I wentback to my room and checked whether I have any assignments due. None. Upcoming tests? None. I guess I'm free today. I prepared to leave the house but then I see some sleeping pills near the couch. I swear I cleaned these up yesterday...

I went out and strolled around the village. I've been living here my whole life and nothing really changed that much. This is quite a hilly place so most houses have a great view over the ocean. There are a few establishments here and there like that fast food restaurant but most of the places here are bland. The only places worth are those near the train station, the lifeblood of this village in my opinion. Without it, this village is just another backwater. 

"Pacific-chan?" Without realizing it, I am eating at the fast food restaurant again for lunch. It seems that Aunt Miyuki has spotted me. She's always been there for our family, especially to my mom back when she just arrived here.

"Miyuki-san." She sat in the chair in front of me and just stays there silent for a while. She's indeed very mysterious for people when first met, but I've gotten used to it.

"About yesterday..."

"Yeah. That was crazy."

We continue eating for another few minutes with silence until she's done eating.

"Here. For dinner." She hands over leftover stuff since she bought one to many. Refusing doesn't seem to be logical so I took it.

"Thank you." She then proceeded to leave before I was even done. This, too, is normal behavior for her.

"You are very lucky, Aku-chan. You are one step closer to your plan."

Raziel has been sitting beside me this whole time. I have no idea what he's talking about. I just ignored him and finished my meal. I finallly went out of the restaurant and it seems like the left pocket in my pants is a bit baggy... H-huh? A little bottle of sleeping pills?! I don't remember putting one of these in my pocket...

"Before you blame me, you put it there yourself." He said with an unusual sincere smile in his face. I must be going crazy.

I found myself going towards my favorite spot, passing again under the tunnel. The hobo is nowhere to be found though. Must be scavenging food or something. As I near the peak of the cliff, I see the hobo.

"Mister."
"Ahhh! Young Miss!"

The afternoon sun burns through our skin. This makes his already disgusting smell worse. Now it smells like fucking rotten eggs. Holy shit.

"Is this where you always go? This is the only part on the other side of the tunnel worth visiting by young people like you." 
"Yeah. This place is just really, really beautiful." says I with a stupid angelic smile while doing a sideway nod. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm also disgusting.
"Haruto. You can call me Haruto." Wow, even his name belongs in a trash. No offense to other Harutos there.

"I have to agree. I always go here when the sun is at its peak... Ahhh it reminds me of the warmth my father when-"

He drags on about his story, I never bothered listening properly and just said standard words like "Ahhh, I see." or "Yeah, I agree." I didn't ask for this convuluted nonsense. I just wanted to enjoy the scenery alone.
"Ummmm. Haruto..san. I'm Pacific." Very unnecessary. Maybe I can make him shut up with this...

"I brought food for you again." Obviously not. It's just a coincidence. But I suppose this is a good thing to do. Unexpectedly, tears flow from his eyes like last time. He weeps with bits of his voice saying "Thank you" and "Why" all mixed up.
"My life is a daily struggle. I have to scavenge for food to eat and I go out on the streets to beg and..." he goes on and on and somehow bits of a different dialect pop up.

"I... I'm-" then I find myself hugging him. Bloody hell was that feeling of grease spreading on my clothes and my arms and I must be drenched of that smell. It's unbelievable. The lengths I'd go through to appear as an angel like holy shit. Raziel wouldn't do this and he's literally an angel.

Both of us watched the sea. There are some boats that pass by from time to time. The clouds near the horizon drifts from the sky. I look at the hobo beside me and he's... sleeping. Finally. Peace... and quiet-

W-What's going o-

My head... it hurts....

STOP-

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!  My body moves on its own. I grab the old man and drag him near the cliff. Even with scars and bruises from my dragging, his eyes doesn't open. Seagulls are flying over us in circles. The wind grows stronger and the sun intensifies. More and more thoughts enter my head. His body. His smell. His voice. His everyday greetings to me. I hated it. I hated all of it. He is a disgusting waste of breath. I lift my leg and then-

He falls. Down to the rocky shores. His figure grows smaller and smaller to the point where it matches his importance in this town. In a brief moment, I heard a whisper.

"Thank you."

And it's over. I... I did this. My whole body suddenly feels weak... I feel nauseous... but everything feels so light, like a burden has been lifted over me.

"Poor old man. Kicked out of his wife's house. Lost all his money to gambling. Ended up living under the tunnel of the train tracks. Just barely living up to the point where he has lost all hope... and jumped in this very cliff. And now...

HE'S GOING TO BURN FOR ETERNITY FOR BEING A SINNER.

A job well done, Aku-chan. You even killed a sinner."

Strangely enough, I didn't feel guilt. In fact, a sliver  of pride took over me. I just killed someone. Raziel suddenly laughs. His aura becomes more intense, as if he's empowered by what's happening. "I am being empowered. Each time you kill makes my power from heaven return. And because you also killed a sinner..."

A bright light appears beside him and there. Another angel appears. He looks similar Raziel except that his robe is more of a rosy-red and he looks much younger.

"Pravuil. It seems you failed at making your human help end this world."
"I did my best, Raziel. But he just wouldn't budge. He remained his integrity even at my current power."
"Aku. Pravuil is the angel who keeps all the records of heaven. His power his yours." A blinding blue light appears in front of me.

This is the start of how I destroyed the world.