Roku no Meiyaku (ロクの
Summary[]
One afternoon, Roku stands under a bridge, a pack of bread held in his left hand. He sighs and places a cigarette in his mouth, switching the bread to his right hand before taking out a lighter in his left hand. Before he can light his cigarette, however, Lucille extends a finger on their right hand, a fire appearing above the finger and lighting the cigarette. After staring for a moment, Roku coughs and takes out the cigarette, while Lucille comments on how hot the weather is, and Roku stares at them blankly. Lucille briefly notes they couldn't actually feel the heat and diverts the topic and states Roku has been chosen and only he can see Lucille, announcing themself as a person who acted as hell's messenger and guide, Lucille.
Roku nonchalantly pokes the burning end of the cigarette into Lucille's eye, who informs him that they can't feel pain either. As Roku realises that Lucille is not an illusion, Lucille catches on that Roku had been trying to burn their eyes out and tells him while physically he doesn't have an issue, he was going to be angered by such actions. Ire trickling into their tone, Lucille snarks that they are a far higher-dimension being than humans, and could even read their minds; as proven when Lucille realises Roku sees their appearance as similar to a child's drawing of a cat, annoying them.
Lucille then asks what Roku is doing under the bridge, and Roku neutrally responds that he had stopped going to work and had been living life noncommittally. He asks why Lucille had suddenly appeared, comments on their claim of being a person who was a 'guide to hell' despite clearly not being human and asks if Lucille can take him to hell. Lucille asks for the bread and Roku gives to him, as it is not his. Deciding to let Roku's insults towards them slide, Lucille takes the bread gleefully and raises it above their mouth, inserting it into their throat; Roku internally remarks Lucille had eaten it like a sword swallower. He tells Lucille that for some reason he doesn't despise idiots like them, even though his foolishness was like Machi's. Lucille asks about Machi and Roku adds that Machi was his colleague; they had always met up under the bridge.
In the past, Roku gives Machi a pack of bread, who smiles and thanks Roku, promptly digging into the bread and relishing the mix of flavours, regretting that he would have to expel it from his body eventually. Later, Machi asks if he can smoke and Roku comments he doesn't need to ask every time and it's fine, though Machi counters by saying despite their long friendship he wanted to maintain politeness. He then shows Roku he has learned how to blow smoke rings, blowing several into Roku's face before noticing Roku appears disgruntled and quickly apologising amidst laughter. Roku notices they should go, and Machi agrees, noting their boss had called for their appearance.
In the present, Roku and Lucille stare down at the ground, Lucille commenting their usual meeting had turned out far different than normal. Roku states his thinking was naive, and the day before their boss had uncovered a certain something he and Machi had done. Lucille reminds Roku that they can read minds, and he doesn't need to explain, as they already know all about him; including what had happened. The two continue to stare down at the body of Machi on the floor, two knives and a katana impaled in his bloodied body.
The scene shifts to Roku's past, where he and Machi as children had been scrummaging for food in dumpsters. Lucille recalls they had been friends even before the boss of the city's dominant yakuza force the Korokai had taken them in as hitmen; in fact, they had always been together: through training with swords with the Korokai boss, to going on shopping trips, to their usual meetings where Roku would give Machi bread, to their missions as hitmen sent to dispatch the Korokai's enemies.
Yesterday, after Roku and Machi had walked to the Korokai's headquarters, the Korokai boss reminded them that he had transformed them from street rats into top-class citizens with their own residences; everything they had was thanks to him. He commented that his word should be final, but last week he had discovered an individual the two were meant to kill two years ago was still alive, and after some digging the Korokai had found Roku and Machi had left 23 people alive who should have been killed. He then demanded they explain.
Roku admitted they had let their targets get away if they were children or honest individuals, but they had threatened them not to interfere with the Korokai's operations any longer. The boss narrowed his eyes, reminding them he had told them to kill. Machi then spoke up, saying the boss should tell them to do things other than 'kill', advising him that their threats had worked and the targets hadn't interfered anymore and that in future they should do the same thing in similar circumstances. He told the boss that they should stop killing people who weren't involved. The boss was silent before asking if Roku believed the same, which he agreed to. Pondering their perspective for a moment, the boss finally smiled slightly, admitting he was wrong and telling Roku and Machi they could head home, which they were thankful for.
In the present under the bridge, Roku intones that Machi's argument was correct, but their boss had only been concerned with them disobeying his orders. Lucille wonders why Roku is keeping himself calm instead of letting himself express his sadness, and Roku replies tears and the like would only get in the way of revenge, reaching for his katana and preparing to walk off. He tells Lucille to take him to hell after he deals with his mission.
Lucille promptly reintroduces themself as the entity who guides to hell, the change from 'person' to 'entity' noticed by Roku. Lucille goes on to explain their role isn't to take people to hell, but to find an agent. As Lucille couldn't interact with people directly in most cases, they needed an agent to carry out duties, and Lucille's last agent had recently finished his term. Roku asks about what he has to do with it and Lucille proposes the two form a contract: Roku would gain power from Lucille, live for a hundred more years and kill evil individuals who deserved to go to hell. With that power, Lucille proclaims, revenge would be a simple task.
Roku asks whether he himself should count as someone deserving to go to hell given the number of people he has killed, and Lucille comments he and Machi had let innocents live, and they viewed Roku as a lesser evil. Roku concedes that the idea was mainly Machi's and he just went along with it and Lucille maintains that the role of agent wasn't for any good person anyway, adding a promise that once his term finishes, Roku can go to hell as well. Roku considers the offer, but ultimately refuses, citing it would be unthinkable to live another hundred years without Machi. Lucille says that Machi likely wouldn't want him to perform such a life-endangering action and Roku counters that Lucille isn't Machi, to which Lucille is disappointed, thinking they had a connection.
Within Korokai headquarters, one yakuza member strolls by a table of four of his colleagues, all tied to their chairs and dead. He takes a seat where three of his alive colleagues are, asking what had happened. One member tells him they probably didn't follow the boss's orders, and the sitting man notes their similar circumstance to Roku and Machi. The yakuza begin discussing the two, noting they had let a kid get away without killing them and viewing them as disappointments. One member retells that he heard Machi had already been killed, the others laughing at how quickly it had happened and how Machi deserved to die for being weak-hearted.
A body then falls from above, landing on the table and coating the area in blood. The four look up to hear a nearby wounded yakuza shout that Roku is on the premises and they needed to kill him. One of the four is shocked and looks behind him only to see Roku has already slashed down his three colleagues, shortly before Roku slashes down himself as well. The various yakuza around begin to arm themselves in wariness, but the commotion is interrupted as the Korokai boss enters the area from a room atop a flight of stairs. The boss notes Roku must have come to exact revenge, and he assures Roku that the ones responsible have been killed; he has avenged Machi. The boss then drops the katana he is holding on the ground as he advances to the bottom of the stairs, an action that confuses Roku.
Once right in front of Roku, the boss apologises, grief overtaking his expression as he explains he had reflected and realised the two were right, but several Korokai members disagreed with him and killed Machi, the ones dead and tied to the nearby table. The boss laments how he had not made the message more clear to everyone and caused the death of someone he viewed like a son, placing his hand on Roku's katana-carrying left hand. Roku is shocked at the boss's unexpected actions and demands he explain shortly before a bang runs through the air and the nearby yakuza mumble and snigger.
A pained Roku realises the boss has shot him in the stomach, and the boss, grieving facade discarded, coldly states that the four corpses were of those who took out Machi but were unable to kill Roku himself, even though their orders were to take out both. The boss takes his strangling grip off of Roku's sword arm and steps back, tucking the gun into his robes as Roku collaspses to one knee. The boss notes he would be troubled if so many of his subordinates couldn't follow orders and commands the yakuza to kill him. The various yakuza charge at the downed Roku, over a dozen katana impaling his back, all the while insulting his belief of their boss's lie and deriding him.
On the verge of death, Roku suddenly hears Lucille speaking to him. Lucille themself sits on the roof of a nearby building, gigantic black wings present around them, and they ask if Roku is just willing to die as he is after being tricked. Within the building, the Korokai boss reveals that rather than reflect after his conversation with Roku and Machi, he had despaired at how their obedient nature as tools had been gone for so long. He insults the mere thought of considering them his 'sons', and as he walks away he states that they are no better than trash. Lying on the floor, Roku chokes out that he is fine with dying, but is adamant that the Korokai boss go to hell as well, which Lucille agrees to. They tell Roku that if he wishes to make the contract, he simply needs to raise his blood.
In the past, Roku and Machi as children sit in an alley, where Machi is suffering from stomach problems. Machi states it must be the bread or mantis he had eaten, and Roku tells him he shouldn't have eaten the mantis. Grimace on his face, Machi wonders if he might die for real, and tells Roku to live if he were to die. Roku scoffs at the thought of Machi dying at that moment and Machi agrees, but reveals he has had a thought.
He says that it would probably be boring for Roku if he were to die, and Roku reckons it would be something far worse than boring. As his digestive system continues grumbling in discontent, Machi muses that even if he dies, there will be days that aren't boring, and urges Roku not to give up on life in order to live through those days. Roku notes Machi's stomach noises are almost obscuring his speech and Machi groans, realising he needs to relieve himself and urging Roku to keep what he had said in mind.
Back in the present, Roku groans that he understands, before struggling as he raises his right arm, a drop of blood floating upwards off of his index finger. The yakuza watch in confusion, shortly before over half a dozen of them have their heads cut off at once. Within the upstairs room, the Korokai boss turns to see the entrance doors open and Roku walk in, the two outside guards falling in with their heads cut off. A storm of a tremendous amount of black feathers flood in from behind, emanating uncontrollably from Roku's person and katana. Shadows surround Roku's eyes and the sides of his head, and the ends of his hair have turned white. An array of spikes floating mid-air surround his neck, much like the spikes adorning Lucille's collar. As he walks in, Roku thanks Lucille for giving him a choice.
Sweat running down his brow, the Korokai boss orders for the yakuza to kill Roku. Roku internally tells Machi to watch him before surging forward in a burst of speed, feathers following his every movement as he slashes down a half-dozen yakuza in one movement. As he lands, another yakuza swings in from behind and fire begins emanating from Roku's back, igniting the yakuza and sending him to the floor. While the yakuza burns, Roku bisects another two in one slash, moving to systematically eliminate each and every yakuza in the room. The fire spreads, burning the bodies to nothing but cinders within the rooms, all while Roku stands amidst the carnage, feathers omnipresent in the air.
Two bullets fly through Roku's back to the other side, but deal no damage. Roku turns to see the Korokai boss standing panicked as he clicks the trigger his empty revolver, terrified. Roku brings up the boss's statement that Machi was trash and tells him to speak up if he didn't truly mean that statement. The boss frantically yells out that he didn't mean it and that he was sorry only to see Roku disappear before his eyes, feathers behind him. Having moved behind the boss, Roku slashes him down, a fatal blow heralding the end of the Korokai. The shadows around his face, the white in his eyes and the spikes around his neck disappear. Lucille, suddenly present in the room, comments on how blatant the boss's lie was. They ask if Roku is alright, and Roku replies he is fine, though saddened.
Later, Roku and Lucille stand in front of a headstone dedicated to Machi, flowers and his favourite bread set up before the headstone. Roku reminisces on how every time Machi had bread, he would wonder what foolish thing Machi would do today, and he thanks Machi for everything. Lucille tells Machi that while they weren't an idiot like he was, they promise to give Roku days that aren't boring as best he can, telling him to rest easy as they pat his headstone. The two stand and walk out of the cemetery, and Roku smiles as he looks back on Lucille, the expression surprising the latter. They quickly read Roku's mind and find he thinks Lucille making tapping noises as he walks to be amusing, and they light-heartedly state Roku really was trying to annoy him.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Gallery[]
