Prey and Predator [Ranpo x Reader] + Bonus ✓

2. Letter from a menace

'Do you think they still do it?'

I cringed at my brother's question as to what he had alluded to; presently, it was only him and I who were looking after the store, Mother being upstairs assisting our bed-ridden father.

'They've been deadly quiet for hours.'

'Perhaps if you stopped thinking such dirty thoughts and had a pure heart you'd not question it and simply assume he's sleeping. And you wonder why you can't get a girlfriend - not with a nasty brain like yours you can't.'

He squeezed the receipt the previous customer had left behind into a ball and aimed towards my head, a single pang being felt before the ball fell by my feet. 'You haven't a boyfriend either.'

I did not revolt against his remark verbally but chose to launch the ball back towards his direction, having him sneering at my poor aim. I did not listen and chose to continue stocking up a shelf that had been left empty as a result of the order for the precise item having been delayed. He did not mock me any further and turned the small TV on instead, one which we often did not use due to having so little clientele to entertain. 'Hey, look! Here's something to appease your interest.'

The voice of the news channel's reporter filled the else quiet store; the corpse of a young male had been found washed up by the riverbank, no trace of any physical injuries being made evident on his body other than a single blow to the head believed to have occurred once his body hit the rocks resting beneath the water. A suicide, they assumed. But a further investigation was to be made.

'That's heartbreaking,' my mother's voice interrupted the attention which we provided the news report with, entering the store from the back door which led upstairs to their bedroom. 'Suicide is still one of the biggest causes of deaths nationally, but so little is done to save the poor souls. Bless,' she whispered, raising her hand to her chest as though paying tribute for the victim. 'May his soul rest peacefully.'

She proceeded to pick the paper ball which I had thrown at my brother a while back before she tossed it inside the bin by the counter, then coming towards my direction and kneeling beside me.

'No, it's fine, I don't need help, thank you,' I said as she took the stock which I shelved into her own hands, placing these neatly in their allocated spots.

She smiled and shook her head. 'I can handle this. Besides, I need a favour, dear.' She paused while assuring herself I was listening in to her request. 'Your father asked for a book to read. He says he often feels bored out of his mind whenever he doesn't escape into a new adventurous world.' She reached into the pocket of her cardigan which brushed the floor just slightly and took out an envelope that presumably contained the money needed to buy the requested item.

'Why can't he do it?' I whined as I pointed towards my brother who sat idly at the counter with his hands in his pockets.

'[Y/N], dear, you know their relationship isn't the best. He's not spoken a word to your father for months, I doubt he'd want to do such a task for him.' She pushed the envelope softly against my chest and smiled. 'And anyway, you're much more aware of what books he'd prefer; I have failed to find him a book he liked several times, I don't wish to do so again.'

In the end, I agreed to leave the store for a little while and head towards the nearest bookstore. It wasn't often I got to spend time outside alone to clear my head; my every commute consisted of travelling to school and back home, keeping up with my studies and alternating shifts with my brother while he rested. As part of his reward, however, I often took weekend shifts wholly while he was rewarded for the hard work to go out with friends - something I never found unfair even though I would've loved to do the same or just simply stay home and relax. But the convenience store was currently our only source of income.