A 1970s shojo manga by Chikako Kikukawa, titled *Suicide Wish: The Girl Without a Name*, left me with a really unsettling feeling. It was included in a tankobon collection called *Unseen Screams*—though, of course, it’s long out of print.
One rainy night, a brother and sister are walking home when they witness a young girl (hereafter referred to as "the girl") attempting to throw herself off a bridge into a river. The brother rushes over to stop her, but they struggle and both end up tumbling into the swollen river. Swept away by the current, the brother desperately pushes the girl up onto the riverbank, but he runs out of strength and is carried away himself.
Before long, an elderly couple living nearby finds the girl unconscious on the riverbank, takes her back to their home, and puts her to bed. Deciding that it’s too late to contact the police and that they’ll do it tomorrow, the old couple goes to sleep, but their house catches fire and burns down completely, killing them both. The girl wakes up, but it's already too late to save the couple, and she flees alone.
The next afternoon, as the girl is wandering aimlessly alone through town, two punky guys try to hit on her. "What are you doing barefoot? Your clothes are all ragged," they say, grabbing her hand and trying to drag her away. "Come hang out with us, we'll even buy you some shoes." A young man with a strong sense of justice happens to pass by and tries to stop them, saying, "Cut it out, can't you see she doesn't want to?" However, the enraged punk punches him so hard that his head hits a concrete block, killing him instantly. Amidst the surrounding commotion, the girl flees alone once again.
The scene shifts, and the girl is at the seaside. As she stands there alone with a sorrowful expression, the sister of the brother from before approaches her, saying, "I found you!"
"My brother died after that. His body was found downstream. I don't know why you tried to commit suicide, but don't you have something to say for yourself!?"
However, the girl keeps her sad expression and murmurs, "That's what you get for trying to save me."
"What kind of thing is that to say!" the sister says, incensed. But the girl picks up a shard of a glass bottle from her feet, says, "Watch closely," and suddenly slashes her own wrist. Blood splatters everywhere, but the wound immediately heals without a trace.
Left speechless, the sister watches as the girl begins to talk about herself.
"I don't know who I am. Ever since I became aware of myself, I've been like this, all alone. I can't remember my own name, my family, or where I was or what I was doing before. And no matter how many people try to be kind to me, they all inevitably die. Just like your brother. That's why I tried to kill myself over and over again. But I can't die. I don't age, I don't get sick, and even if I get injured, I heal instantly."
The sister cannot say a word. Having witnessed a wound heal right before her eyes, she has no choice but to believe it.
"I've done things to you and your brother that I can never sufficiently apologize for, but I can't even die to make amends," the girl says.
The sister replies, "Even if I ever see you trying to commit suicide again, I won't help you like my brother did. I'll let you die. That's my revenge against you," and she turns and walks away.
The girl bows to her receding back, expressing gratitude and apology...
Time passes. The sister grows up and finds a boyfriend. Her marriage is decided, and the two go to look at wedding dresses, walking arm-in-arm on their way home...
Right there, she spots the girl wandering aimlessly. The girl looks exactly the same as she did back then, and suddenly darts out toward the roadway.
Unable to just let her be, the sister instinctively leaps out, shoves the girl out of the way, and gets run over instead...
The girl laments: "That sister from back then... she said she wouldn't help me! It's always like this. I only ever let kind people die..."
The manga ends as the girl has a sudden realization. "Could my name be... 'Demon'?"