Always calm—a man of faith devoted to the church—yet this time, he was shaken to his core.
A violent tremor surged up from the ground.Brick and stone screamed as the foundations buckled,and splinters of wood rained down from the ceiling.
Under the scorching sun,inside a church with no air conditioning,searing outside air forced its way through widening cracks.
The heat only sharpened his irritation,his clothes clinging to his body, soaked with sweat.
This was wrong.Everything about it was wrong.
As the situation spiraled beyond control,tremors and confusion took hold—and deep within Hayashi, frustration took root,
right in the midst of what felt disturbinglylike a double suicide.