Voting

A new prompt appeared on the screen.

Please vote for the next video:

(Share this form by visiting this URL: shorturl.at/bsEGV)

Make your choice wisely:

1. Kiritaka Shiozawa; Male; March 9th, 1987; Dismemberment, Exsanguination (no specific request)

2. Iseo Kanamori; Male; August 26th, 1979; Shooting (at body repeatedly but slowly)

3. Akeshi Yamazato; Male; February 5th, 1999; Bone Crushing, Hanging (no specific request)

4. Kazusa Omori; Female; March 12th, 1985; Disfigurement, Crucifixion (no specific request)

5. Yuuna Hashimura; Female; June 8th, 2000; ****, Strangling (no specific request)

Email address (for the one-time link):

Huh? Shorturl?

"There are nobody I know by those names. What about you, Kouichi?"

"Same here. But as long as there exists the possibility that those are real people, I don't think we should do this."

"But aren't you curious what happens next?"

"What's wrong with you?? Don't tell me you're actually interested in seeing some poor girl getting raped or strangled to death again?? Should you do it, you ultimately become a part of this. Instead of spectators, we will become perpetrators. This is seriously sick, Kyougo."

Kyougo held up his hands towards me and said, "Hey hey! Quit being so worked up. I was just messing with you, alright? There is no way I would ever want to see something like that happen again. I'm not some pervert who gets off watching girls getting raped. I just want to know how far this goes. I am not a psychopath."

"Be serious for once, man. This is no joking matter. If all of these are real, the implication is huge. This... this.. it means everyone who has access to this site can practically order a hit on someone without any consequences. It doesn't matter if they are rich or poor. They can even kill their own family members. We can even order the killing of innocent people. We don't know how long this website has been operating. It gives me the chills just thinking about it," I could feel myself trembling as I spoke.

"Now, now. Of course I know that. That's why I said I was just kidding. I was just trying to freak you out. There." Kyougo exited the page and turned off his phone. "Now do you believe me?"

I sighed. I didn't think the matter was settled yet. I had a bad feeling about this. I could see Kyougo was still giddy about the whole thing. I couldn't place exactly what was bothering me but I felt uneasy.

I glanced at the clock in front of the classroom and it read 4:30 PM. Over two hours had passed since we watched the video. There were nobody else in the class now except for us.

"We will talk about this again later. Now I really need to get going and get the groceries." I stood up and left the room.

"Alright. Careful on your way home!"

***

I exited the classroom and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I had often heard that the deep web existed where all abominable things could be found, including despicable acts like what I had just witnessed. Though I never imagined that there were sites that allowed users to post requests to have others tortured and murdered. I guessed the world was a much scarier place than I thought.

I made my way home from school and bought the groceries my mother requested. The grocery store I usually frequented was close by, so it wasn't too hard of a walk. I decided to take the shortcut through the park instead of the main road. The weather was nice today, so I could smell the fresh air as I walked along the path. The trees in the park swayed gently in the wind, making the atmosphere more relaxing. It felt good to breathe in some fresh air after having spent so many hours cooped up inside the classroom.

I arrived at the grocery store and picked up the items my mother asked for. I also bought some snacks for myself. As I was walking towards the checkout counter, a familiar voice called out to me.

"Kouichi!"

A girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes greeted me with a smile. She was a girl from my class. Her name was Yumiko Takahashi. We never talked much but she always seemed to be cheerful and friendly whenever we met. She was a member of the track team and was a pretty good runner. She had a nice figure and an attractive face. She was popular among the boys in our class and was often approached by them during breaks.

"Hey Yumiko. How come you're not at the field? No practice today?" I asked.

"It just ended. I was getting some water and stretching before heading home."

Now that I actually looked at her, I noticed that her body was drenched in sweat. She was still wearing her running clothes, which consisted of a black t-shirt and white shorts. The clothes looked good on her as they accentuate her curves.

"I notice you are staring at me, Kouichi. Anybody ever tell you it is rude to stare?"

"Ah, I...I'm sorry. I don't mean to stare."

"Ha ha ha! Don't get so flustered. I was just teasing you."

She smiled. I couldn't help but look at her chest. Her cleavage was quite visible due to the way her shirt was tied. I could see the outline of her bra through the thin fabric. She caught me looking and did not seem to mind. I averted my gaze quickly.

"By the way, what are you buying?" she asked.

"Oh, I just bought some groceries for my mom."

"That's great. You must be a good son then."

"It's nothing special. Just doing my part as a family man."

"Ha ha ha! Family men sure have it tough. You guys always have to do the chores while the women get to relax."

I nodded. "Yes, yes we do."

Yumiko laughed. "Okay, I gotta go now. See ya later!"

"See you."

I waved goodbye to Yumiko and headed back home.

***

"I'm home!" I shouted.

Once I reached the front door, I noticed a package on the doorstep. I had ordered a new Gunpla kit online last week and it came today.

"Why are you just getting home this late? Didn't the school ended several hours ago?"

"C'mon Mom, I am not a child anymore. I can stay out past five o'clock. Anyway, here are your groceries." I entered the kitchen and put down the bag on the table.

"Thank you for the groceries. Wait a minute while I prepare dinner."

"Sure Mom."

My mother placed the groceries away in the refrigerator and started preparing the meal. Not long after, the sound of clanking dishes filled the air as she started cooking. I sat down at the dining table and opened the package. It was the latest MG 1/100 Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai kit I had purchased online. I checked the box for any sign of damage and saw that everything was fine. I nodded and brought it up to my room. I put it on the desk and decided I would assemble it later tonight.

I browsed through the internet for a bit and found a nice Gunpla related blog to read. It was a hobby site dedicated to Gunpla and other mecha models. I read through the articles and watched the videos posted on the site. The author of the blog was a guy named 'Kazehaya'. He was a college student who shared his thoughts about the latest news regarding Gunpla and mecha anime. He also had his own YouTube channel where he uploaded reviews and other Gunpla related content. The matters of 'Guropeji' was the furtherest thing from my mind right now.

***

Dad had just gotten home from work when I went downstairs. Mom helped him remove his suit and changed into casual wear. Dad was working as a lawyer in the city, so he always wore formal suits to work. My father was a quiet man, and rarely spoke unless spoken to. However, he was a kind and generous man. He always tried to help others and was a very reliable person. When I was younger, I often got scolded by him for being too lazy to help around the house. He was strict but fair.

"Kouichi, your dinner is ready!" Mom called out to me.

"Thanks, Mom."

I grabbed a plate and joined my parents at the dining table. Dinner consisted of miso soup, fried rice, chicken and vegetables. I finished eating and returned to my room. I started assembling the MG Astray Red Frame kit I bought earlier. I wanted to finish it before bedtime so I could start painting it tomorrow morning.

I kept at it until I finished building the kit. After cleaning up the parts, I removed the instruction sheet and took a closer look at the model. It was a beautiful piece of work. The detail on the model was amazing. The joints and the articulation were precise and well done. The colors of the paint job matched the official design. The details were also finely crafted, such as the rivets on the frame and the transparent canopy.

I spent about two hours putting together the kit. I didn't want to rush it because I knew how important each step was in the assembly process.

After finishing the model, I carefully placed it on top of my desk. I would continue tomorrow. Now it was time for bed. I switched off the lights and laid down on my bed. I closed my eyes but found myself unable to sleep. I felt restless. My mind kept turning to the video we watched earlier. As I lay there staring at the ceiling in silence, I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

The voting link!

Fuzzily I recalled the address in my mind. If I was not mistaken it was:

shorturl.at/bsEGV.

The site's URL was very short, so I could remember it easily. I took out my phone and typed in the link. I waited a second before the site finally loaded.

There it was.

On the screen was the same page we saw earlier:

Please vote for next video:

I remembered how Kyougo looked when he saw this page this afternoon. He was ecstatic, even though he didn't realized it. I had known him since childhood and I knew he was into these kind of things. He indeed closed the page but if he happened to remember this short URL, he might really try to access it again and this time, who knew what he would do?

Please, Kyougo. Don't vote!