The trio left the house and arrived at the place, alighting from the car and heading towards the entrance of the building. It was a traditional Japanese home, mainly used for such events.
A man stood at the door bowed solemnly, handing the trio a set of prayer beads since it was a Buddhist ceremony.
"Please head around the side of the house." He said, gesturing with his hand.
Chris, Ken and Daichi did as they were told, heading in the direction he pointed. Soon enough they saw a gathering of a few people, all unfamiliar faces.
As they got closer, there was a modest flower arrangement inside the house, along with a portrait of Daichi's mother sitting atop it.
Seeing his mother's face, everything started to feel real for the first time. The young and vibrant woman in the portrait was nothing like the person he'd remembered throughout his life.
Perhaps at one point she was like this, yet after he was born, she became nothing more than a monster.
Daichi balled his fists and felt an intense hatred well up from within him. Without him noticing, he began to grind his teeth, seemingly about to burst.
"Hey, it's okay man. Dad and I are here." Ken said, wrapping his arm around his brother.
At his words, Daichi felt his anger diminish considerably. It was as if he was drenched with cold water all of a sudden, putting a stop to his bubbling emotions.
"Please take a seat for the ceremony." A woman said, gesturing for the guests to come inside.
Daichi, Ken and Chris were the only people who took a seat in the front row, a spot usually reserved for direct family members of the deceased. The 10 or so others sat in their own groups and waited for the ceremony to begin.
A Buddhist priest stood in front of the arrangement and began to chant a sutra.
Soon enough, Daichi was invited up to burn an incense for his deceased mother, something that he had been dreading. Initially he had refused, but after some support from both his father and brother, he decided to do so.
Since he was the only family member, Daichi was the only one who ended up burning incense in front of the arrangement.
The rest of the guests had another area where they offered incense, right behind the seats of the family members, or in this case, Daichi.
Once this had been completed, the guests moved forward and said their goodbyes. Many were carrying a black or silver envelope, handing it to the host before returning to their seats.
These were the opposite of the red envelopes which were used for celebrations.
Tap Tap Tap
The sound of expensive leather shoes stepping towards the altar sounded out. As the man walked past the front row, Daichi was only able to see the perfectly tailored suit and wide shoulders.
He leaned forward towards the wake and said something inaudible before putting his hands together in prayer.
The figure produced a thick black envelope and handed it to the host of the ceremony. As he turned around, he flashed a brief look to Daichi, his gaze lingering for a few moments before he walked away.
A sense of familiarity filled Daichi as he saw the man, yet his mind was blank.
He turned around and was about to call out to the figure, but the Buddhist priest began to chant his sutra once more, not giving him the opportunity.
"What's wrong?" Ken asked, seeing his brother so agitated.
Daichi was pale, yet his face quickly began to turn red.
"That was him…" He spat out between his teeth, barely controlling himself.
"What? Who!?"
"Tetsuhiro…"
At his words, Chris's face darkened. There was a large part of him that wanted to track the man down and teach him a lesson, but he knew that now was not the time.
Not only was it incredibly dangerous, they were currently at a wake. His actions could disturb the spirit and cause grave consequences for everyone present.
Although he may not believe in such things, he did not want to trample on the ceremony.
He placed a heavy hand on Daichi's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.
"Not now son. There will be another time." He stated, his words containing his suppressed anger.
Only after hearing this from his father was Daichi able to collect himself and reign in his emotions. Seeing the likely mastermind behind the demise of his mother had almost caused him to lose his composure.
However, even though he had settled down outwardly, he was still seething on the inside.
'How dare you come to my mother's wake…'
The ceremony continued for a while longer until the Buddhist Priest finished chanting the remaining sutra. All of the guests were given gifts on their way out which was worth around half of what they had given as a condolence gift.
Once everyone else left, the host approached the trio who were still seated.
"Would you like to stay overnight and keep vigil with the deceased?" She asked, her tone respectful.
Both Ken and Chris looked at Daichi, awaiting his answer.
"No, it's fine." He stated simply.
"Very well."
She turned around and grabbed the black and silver envelopes from the table in front of the arrangement and handed it to Daichi directly.
He received them and bowed to the host before giving them to his father.
Since he was the one who paid for the wake and funeral arrangements, it made sense for him to receive the gifts. To do such a thing for him, even when he didn't have a job, it truly meant the world to Daichi.
Just as Chris was about to say he couldn't accept them, Ken sent him a stern look. This was not the time to reject such a thing, especially since doing so could make his brother feel worse.
Chris nodded, taking the envelopes from his son before leaving the venue with his boys.