Laila from Nowhere

Laila from Nowhere

“What a prick,” Katsuji sighed as he looked through his clear umbrella to the dark sky. “Your money won’t even save her.”

The person on the other end of the line remained silent for a few moments until, with a broken voice, he murmured, “What did the doctor tell you?”

“I mean, she’s dying. What do you think he told me?” This time, the other person didn’t even bother to answer, and Katsuji inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down. Glancing at the Glico runner, he tried to organize his thoughts and then apologized. “Hey, I know I shouldn’t be talking to you this way, but I really need some time alone. A lot has been going on recently, and I need to,” he paused for a second as he pinched the bridge of his nose, “think about some things. So, if you...”

Katsuji couldn’t even finish talking as Yūto, with a desperate tone, quickly interrupted him, “But, what did he specifically tell you? Is she dying soon? Will she die in the next few days or so? Or is she dying tonight?”

“Hey, man. What kind of questions are those?” Katsuji answered, feeling quite offended. “That’s... ”

But, interrupting him once again, the other person almost yelled, “This is really important, Katsuji. Don’t evade my questions. Please, just tell me.”

There was something in his voice besides the evident desperation, something that certainly resembled a kind of horror, and Katsuji, feeling somewhat confused by the other’s sudden alarm, finally answered, “He thinks she won’t be even able to make it through the night.”

“Where are you?” Yūto immediately snapped, and Katsuji frowned.

“Hey, why the hell are you…?”

“Katsuji, please. You won’t be able to understand many things as of now, but I promise I will explain everything to you later. Just tell me where you are.”

“Yūto…”

“No, don’t ask any questions.”

“Are you aware of the fact that you sound like a madman right now?”

“Katsuji, please,” Yūto begged, and Katsuji rolled his eyes.

“I’m in Dōtonbori. I came here looking for you, but... ”

"That doesn’t matter right now. Just stay there, and I’ll go pick you up in a few minutes,” and with that, he hung up.

Katsuji sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. 

“What the hell is going on with this guy?” he whispered to himself and looked at the people around him. 

Night had begun to fall, attracting more people to the famous tourist destination, and Katsuji felt a little melancholic. He remembered the first time he had been to Dōtonbori, the first time that his obaachan had introduced him to takoyaki. He was just a little boy back then, but the memory had always clung to his mind. To be honest, it was one of the few memories he had in which he and his grandmother were both equally happy to be by each other’s side. This didn’t mean they had a bad relationship, but there was definitely something going on that Katsuji would never understand.

Everything began in 1965 when the United States, seeking to amend some of its past behaviors, increased quotas for countries that had seen a notable reduction in them. It could be said that his parents lived a comfortable life in Japan, but still, motivated almost by an inexplicable force, they decided to leave the place that had seen them grow up and move to a country full of promises. Nakano Katsuji was born and lived the first years of his life in the Bay Area in a small community through which he captured several glimpses of his parents’ culture. Eventually, his parents decided that this was not enough and, following an old tradition, sent their young son to live with his grandmother in Osaka. 

His obaachan was a hard-working woman, despite the social restrictions that relegated women to a less conspicuous fort. Kamio-san grew up in a distant village, so from a young age, she learned to value her very own efforts, something that significantly helped her several years later when she moved to the city after her husband died. With difficulty, she opened a bakery and, while working, raised her only daughter until she married and moved to the United States. Kamio-san took this as a betrayal and, for a time, refused to respond to her daughter’s missives when the latter tried to contact her. 

However, things changed when Katsuji was born. Suddenly, his obaachan resumed communication with her daughter and happily agreed when the latter told her that Katsuji would be staying with her for a while. Kamio-san adored Katsuji and cared for him as if he were her own son, and, during his stay, taught the kid everything he needed to know about Japan. She certainly spoiled him, and Katsuji soon found himself feeling reluctant at the prospect of returning to the United States. The experiences of a kibei were certainly difficult, and Katsuji was a clear example of that. On the one hand, his parents awaited him in a country across the ocean, but, on the other, he had begun to appreciate Japan and his obaachan, a division that truly conflicted him

And then Katsuji’s parents died. 

Kamio-san was his only family member left in the world, so it was decided that he would stay with her in Osaka. For a time, things remained the same between the two of them, but, eventually, her attitude towards the little boy notably changed. She did not mistreat him, nor did she make him feel bad, for Kamio-san would never be capable of that, but something definitely happened. She was always busy, so Katsuji spent most of his free time in Takeru-san’s coffee shop, one of Kamio-san's neighbors. And when she was free, she would always have an excuse for not spending time with her grandson. It didn't take Katsuji long to understand that his grandmother was avoiding him. 

Unexpectedly, one day, a little before Katsuji finished high school, she told him he was going back to the United States for college. His inquiries were answered with a simple, “You do not belong here,” and he did not question her decision. 

He was finishing his master’s degree when, several years later, he suddenly received a call from Takeru-san informing him that his obaachan had fallen ill. Katsuji still had mixed feelings about Kamio-san for pushing him away, but he still returned to Japan. Upon his return, he learned that, in addition to her illness, his grandmother had also been facing a financial crisis that had resulted in the loss of her much-loved bakery. Determined, this time Katsuji ignored his obaachan’s pleas when she asked him to return to the United States, and he moved back to Osaka. 

Soon, his savings were significantly depleted by his obaachan’s expensive medications, and Katsuji then began to worry. He tried to look for work at several companies, but these, clearly noticing his prolonged stay in a foreign country, turned him down with the excuse that he did not have enough experience. Yūto, an acquaintance of his grandmother and one of Katsuji’s high school classmates, decided to help them for a while by paying for the medicines, until Katsuji himself, clearly uncomfortable, asked him to stop doing it.

Eventually, Katsuji was hired at a company that offered him a salary that could fairly cover his grandmother’s expenses and the rent, so financial concerns faded away for a while. Or at least until a new department head came to the company. The man did not seem to like him, so he discreetly did everything in his power to get Katsuji to leave. 

Ogawa Mitsuo’s efforts culminated with the alleged late delivery of a report that Katsuji clearly knew was part of a premeditated plan. Ogawa had asked him to deliver his report before nine o’clock in the evening, which Katsuji effectively accomplished. However, a call from his boss confirmed what he had feared the most: Ogawa had an unpleasant surprise in store for him. Ogawa insisted that the delivery time was actually four o’clock and, taking into account the young man’s previous mistakes in the company, fired him. 

Katsuji sighted his anger away, accepted Ogawa’s decision, and tried to think of a solution. A bit hesitant at first, he eventually called Yūto and, after telling him about his situation, the other promised to help him find a job. He should have known what would happen next because, when hours later he went to Takeru-san’s coffee shop to clear his mind, the owner of the place handed him a small white envelope that Yūto had supposedly left for Katsuji. 

Katsuji did not want to look like he was taking advantage of the situation, so, despite the financial problems he may encounter, he decided to go and return the money to Yūto personally. But, in the end, he didn’t find Yūto in Dōtonbori. 

With a deep sigh, Katsuji walked to one of the benches and sat down, waiting for Yūto to come. He tried to distract himself by looking at all of the illuminated neon signs, but he soon found himself remembering the doctor’s words.

He looked around, trying to clear his eyes, but it was impossible. Tears slipped from his eyes and, placing the umbrella aside, he buried his face into his hands. A deep sob left his throat, and then the rain began to fall heavily.

He didn’t mind getting wet; now he only cared about the current situation. His grandmother, the woman he had never understood and would never understand, was dying. 

And his phone rang again.

Katsuji wiped his tears aggressively and quickly pulled the phone out of his pocket, ready to answer, but then something strange happened. 

The wind suddenly died down, and Katsuji heard the distinguishable sound of bells in the distance. His body felt strangely light, but ignoring this sudden feeling, he began to search for the source of that singular sound. 

He didn’t realize he had answered his phone until Yūto’s concerned voice began to repeat his name insistently, but he could not answer due to the strange scene that unfolded before his eyes. 

Time seemed to have slowed down as a person of average height and shoulder-length hair walked slowly through the crowd just a few steps away from where Katsuji was sitting. Raindrops fell lightly and gracefully on what appeared to be a girl, visibly wetting her black hair. The most interesting thing was not the person herself or the aura she transmitted, but rather the artifacts she was carrying. From a belt on her hips, two large katanas stood out, and from their same hilts, two omamori swung swiftly through an absent breeze. Hanging on a sort of backpack, a variety of silvery bells transmitted a melodious tone as they tumbled and crashed against the heads of three red, strange creatures, from which thick red blood dripped to the ground. 

All of this was surprising, but the most fascinating thing was, without any doubt, that no one could see her. The girl was clearly walking through the endless crowd, but no single person turned to acknowledge her presence. She just kept walking, her eyes straight ahead, unperturbed. 

Katsuji thought he may be actually imagining her, so he blinked. He blinked a couple of times, but the girl never disappeared. 

In his ear, Yūto’s voice had begun to grow louder, but just as Katsuji prepared himself to answer, the girl suddenly turned her face to him and his body froze. It was a horrid feeling, nothing compared to the lightness he had felt seconds before. Instead, it was more like a sudden wave of tremendous fear and horror. The girl did not take her narrowed eyes from him nor Katsuji from hers, and then she began to walk towards him. 

His heart sank as the girl took one of the katanas by the hilt, and he tried to think of something. He couldn’t exactly ask Yūto for help and couldn't also rely on the people around him as they clearly did not know about the girl. But, Katsuji had read many books, and he knew what happened when someone saw something they should not have seen in the first place. So, as he hung up his phone, he looked at the people beyond the girl and, surprised by what he sighted, he thought.

“But what a coincidence.”

Faking a smile, he stood up and, determined, walked past the girl, whom he tried to ignore as much as possible despite his fear. 

“Ogawa-buchō!” he called, drawing the attention of his superior, who had recently fired him. 

Ogawa Mitsuo turned to him with sudden abruptness, and the strange surprise on his face made Katsuji wonder if he had made a good decision by calling him. But, then, Ogawa’s face went from surprise to confusion, and from confusion to recognition. 

“Nakano-kun, I didn’t think I’d see you around here,” he murmured with a slight smile. 

The encounter was somewhat awkward considering the current situation between the two, but, for the moment, Katsuji had to pretend that he was happy to see him. 

Smiling back, Katsuji replied, “I didn’t think so either, but I saw you and decided to come to say hello.” Out of the corner of his eye, Katsuji could see that the girl was dangerously approaching, and he began to tremble. He stepped closer to his ex-superior and spoke nervously, “Ogawa-buchō, I wanted to tell you that…”

A sudden flash of lightning lit up the sky and people screamed around him, both amazed and scared; but, the kind of surprise Katsuji felt was different. 

As the lighting lit up the sky, he thought he saw a katana on the back of his former superior, but then, as the thunder echoed in his ears, both the girl and the katana on Ogawa’s back disappeared. 

Katsuji gasped and ran his hand through his face. He checked his surroundings and, ready to leave that place as fast as he could, started to turn around. A hand on his shoulder stopped him, and Katsuji jumped. 

“Is something wrong, Nakano-kun?”

Katsuji looked at Ogawa and, trembling, shook his head. He tried to leave again, but Ogawa stopped him once more. 

With worried eyes, the other whispered, “Katsuji-kun, you look very pale. Let me invite you over to dinner.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to…”

“I insist.”

Katsuji tried to refuse, but Ogawa’s deep gaze confused him and, curiously, he found himself following the other to a kushikatsu restaurant.

He didn’t know what happened, but, feeling as if he had lost control of his body, Katsuji found himself calmly eating kushikatsu next to Ogawa, who asked Katsuji to tell him what had occurred out there. After Katsuji told him about his apparent hallucinations, Ogawa began to tell him a story.

“That reminds me of a tale my mother used to tell me when I was just a child. According to her, there was a young girl who, along with many other warriors like her, was in charge of eradicating the yōkai. Her name was Laila and she came from nowhere.”

Katsuji frowned and, feeling both sleepy and dizzy, asked, “And what would she be doing here?”

Ogawa sighed thoughtfully and straightened up in his seat, and he studied Katsuji as the latter lowered his body and rested his head on the countertop of the restaurant to stop his dizziness.

“You see, Katsuji-kun, many years ago, the souls of a group of powerful demons escaped and reincarnated as ordinary humans. They believed that this way they could save themselves from doom, but Laila never stopped looking for them,” he paused as he leaned forward and whispered in Katsuji’s ear. “She found them all except for their leader. It took her several years to track him down, but, in the end, he made a terrible mistake. Do you know what this means?”

Katsuji did not answer as an absurd weariness began to envelop him. Still, as he slowly began to lose consciousness, he heard Ogawa mutter with a mocking tone. 

“It means that a few moments ago, out there, you should not have seen my sister and me.”

Ogawa smiled when Katsuji didn’t answer, and, with a quick snap of his fingers, time stopped around him. He watched Katsuji’s sleeping figure as he placed some bills on the counter and made a phone call.

After the other person answered, he muttered a quick, “ I got him,” and hung up. He put his phone away and then picked up Katsuji, placing him on his back and carrying him like a child.

He walked through the frozen crowd towards a black car and, after getting inside, he broke the spell, and time resumed.

Inside the car, Ogawa unsheathed his katana and placed it against Katsuji’s soft neck, drawing some blood.

The girl, who sat in the driver’s seat, asked, “What are you doing?”

“He’s dangerous. We should get rid of him as fast as we can”

She shook her head, “Not yet. We still have to find out who helped him.”

Ogawa looked at her for a moment through the rearview mirror and then sighed, putting his katana away. 

“I think I have an idea about who it was.”

“It looks like he recognized you earlier.”

Ogawa nodded, “I fired him a few hours ago. A coincidence really. I never suspected him,” he paused. “From what I remember, his grandmother was ill. She was probably the one who did it and the protection spell slowly faded with her illness.”

The girl nodded, “yes, it's very likely.”

And with that, looking at both lanes, she accelerated. The rain intensified and delicately enveloped the black car as it drove into nothingness.