All six campers sighed softly as they beheld the bright gradations of autumn color that spilled from the mountain peaks to the foothills below. The October air was already quite cool, and even the pleasant warmth of sunlight was at times overpowered by a cold breeze. Shin Asakura zipped his windbreaker up to his neck, its lime-green fabric setting off his blond hair nicely. I made a good choice, he thought. He had bought it just for today, with money saved up from his job at Sakamoto’s, a small, family-owned grocery store. He was confident that his purchase would make this trip a pleasant one.

As he gazed at the blue skies above, his heart raced with excitement. “I’ll unload the car, Mr. Sakamoto,” he offered, turning to Taro Sakamoto, who owned the store.

His employer’s silhouette was a far cry from what it had been when he had worked as a hired killer. A jiggling belly now spilled out over his belt, and a soft, bulbous mass of chin made it all but impossible to tell where his face ended and his neck began.

“Roger that.” Shin nodded, and both men got to work. Shin was clairvoyant, a skill that allowed him to read his employer’s thoughts. In the past, he’d used his telepathy to succeed in his work as an assassin.

Despite their unusual backgrounds, the two ex-killers now seemed like normal, everyday people. Taro Sakamoto appeared to be an average middle-aged father, and Shin’s youth bubbled through in his excitement for the weekend camping trip.