I was shaken. I went to the hospital to see her, but when I reached there, she was already dead. Her mother and sister were crying. Her father was shaken to the core. He looked like a dead man; he couldn't even cry. His face and soul wanted to cry their hearts out, but he couldn't. He held out until they took her body away, and he covered his face with his hands. Even he broke at last. Tears came down, but he didn't even make a sound.
That feeling of not even being able to cry out loud, and what he did to deserve that, made me feel that everything had happened because of me. That feeling made me uneasy, and I wanted to bring justice to that family, so I confronted him about her death. He replied without an ounce of sorrow or feeling bad for pushing someone to the brink where she would choose death.
You know what he said?
"Stop it! Why are you preaching to me? You were there that day, and so were the others. Not even one stopped me. You were able to do that, but didn't do so. You know what is more dangerous than committing a crime? It is to feign ignorance in the face of a crime. You could've stopped me, but you didn't. Maybe she would've lived if you had stopped me sooner. Don't go around saying that the reason why she died is me, okay? And the thing you did was a mistake. DON'T FEEL BAD OR SAD. IT WAS JUST A MISTAKE. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES, SO FORGET IT!"
After hearing what he said, I couldn't argue, as I felt what he said was right. But I didn't stop there. It made me feel even stronger about bringing justice to her, and to do that, I am still weak and need help. So, please help me with this. I will do whatever I can to repay you."
He bowed down, requesting our help.
"I don't know what you want to do in the name of justice, but I am not interested in that stuff. That's suicide. She did it of her own accord. If it was murder, we could do something, but not in this case. I'm sorry," I gave my reply to him.
Akiko shouted that we should help him, saying that everyone who has a human heart would do that.
I calmly said, "You don't know how this world works. We think everything is easy to do, but it's not. We are talking about going against a funder and renowned figure in Japan. Do you think our grandpas were incapable, weak, or that Kamoo Sumiko can't take on the funder herself? They are trying to run an organization here. If one funder gets hurt due to the JSA, it will make all the other funders back down. Let's say we went against them and went to kill them. The ones protecting them would be the soldiers from the JSA. We would need to kill our own men, shedding unnecessary blood for something that's not even in our sight. It's just ridiculous."
"You are saying that unless it is a murder, you can't help us, right? Then, I'm sorry for saying this now, but that was a murder. She was attacked on her way home, kidnapped, and raped by Zen'in and his friends. There is a witness and a medical report proving what I said is true," Saito said.
"Every time I think this can't go any further, it does. Rape, you say? Witness, you say? Medical report, you say? Sorry, but I don't plan on doing something that could disturb my peaceful life. I'm here just for the tourney. After it is over, I have a normal and peaceful life waiting for me. And if you wanted our help, you should've been honest from the start. This happened in your high school days, aren't you a little too late?" I said.
The three of them were silent. Akiko was controlling herself, though her face showed what she was thinking. Ishikawa was still silent, but a little anger showed on her face.
"Well, I wanted to keep it a secret, as that's what their family wanted. But you said you can't help even after hearing the truth. I am sorry for causing this here and for disturbing your mood. I will take my leave now. Come on, Karen, let's leave," he said, and left with her.
Now the four of us were left. The atmosphere was awkward. I didn't know what to say after refusing someone who wanted to serve justice. I left without saying anything, and Akiko shouted, "I hope you die, asshole!" which was more like her.
THE NEXT DAY
I didn't go home last night. I went to the HQ to train, and I didn't receive any calls from the three. Now I am headed to the stadium. My face is swollen, and my whole body aches. If that thing hadn't happened last night, my situation wouldn't be this horrible.
I reached the stadium. Almost all the selected ones were here, except for those three, Saito and Ishikawa. The person I wanted to meet the most was fucking Zen'in. He was nowhere to be found, so I asked Higashi Haruto, who was near me, and he replied that Zen'in had gone to the washroom.
So, I waited.
After a couple of minutes, he came back. I walked straight to him, face-to-face, and spoke.
"I received your gift yesterday. It was way too old-fashioned, and I didn't like it. You should've come yourself to give me that kind of gift. I was disappointed, Zen'in-san."
"I was thinking about why they didn't get back in touch with me, so you escaped and caught them, huh?" Zen'in said.
"Escaped and caught? Three died, and one was barely alive, just so I could find out why they came after me," I said.
"Very well. Is that all you've got to say? Came here to whine about that?" he said.
"No, I've come to kill you. As you started it, I am going to finish it. This evening, select the place. You can bring how many you want," I said.
"You killing me?" He scoffed. "Don't daydream and overestimate yourself. Do you think I am those from yesterday or your first-ever kill in your sophomore year of high school? Bring what? Men? I sent them yesterday as I felt like not getting your blood on my hands," he replied.
"How do you know about that?" I asked, shocked.
"About what? Your first-ever kill? It's not that hard to get info about you," he replied nonchalantly.
"Now I've got another reason not to let you live, so decide the place fast," I said, losing my composure.
"I would love to entertain you in your child's play, but I came here to serve my nation, so can you wait until my purpose is over? Can you?" he replied in a composed voice.
"Afraid of losing to me?" I asked.
"Tsk, I think you have a hearing problem. Wait until the tourney is over," he said.
"Fucker, do you think this is a game?" I asked him, catching his collar.
"You don't know the slightest bit of how I am feeling now. My grandpa always hated the Fujiwaras, and I think I understand why. Your eyes, that don't know fear—I hated them the moment I saw them," he replied, removing my hands from his collar and losing his composure.
"Me too. I didn't think you would be this twisted. I'll wait until this tourney is over. And you think you are better than me? You are unable to defeat Keiko and stooped so low as to ask others to defeat her. You don't need men to help you? Don't make me laugh. Don't overestimate yourself, and don't daydream," I answered.
He gave me a furious look that was about to burst with anger, but he controlled it, smiled, and left. That smile of his could fool anyone. Son of a bitch.
"Satoru, what are you doing there? Why didn't you come back home last night?" Kenji shouted from the entrance, along with Keiko and Akiko.
I went to them as they came in.
"What happened to your face?" Keiko asked with concern in her voice and on her face.
"I didn't literally mean for you to die when I said that yesterday," Akiko said, feeling bad for what she had said after seeing my face.
"What happened?" Kenji asked me with a serious look.
"Yesterday, after I left you, I headed to the HQ on foot, as I felt like the weather was nice. At six, with still a kilometer left to the HQ, it started to rain.
"I got bumped into by a man on the street. He looked drunk and all, so I apologized, as I didn't want to make an issue out of it. But he didn't leave me alone and took me to an alley.
"A single flickering streetlight hung above a rusted fire escape, barely illuminating the pavement. I stood at the center of the alley, while three others blocked the exit. All four took out knives. For a few seconds, nobody moved.
"Then, drip, a raindrop landed on my cheek. Then another. Within seconds, rain began pouring, and the four exchanged glances. One of them smiled and said, 'Nowhere to run.'
"I slowly raised my fists. The first attacker rushed me. The knife flashed through the rain, and I twisted to the side. The blade passed inches from my stomach.
"Before he could try another attack, my fist crashed into his wrist. The knife flew from his hand. He stared at his empty palm, and I stepped closer. Bam! My punch sent him stumbling backward, but there was no time to finish him.
"The second one was already there. A knife came towards my ribs. I turned my body, and the blade missed. I caught his arm and drove my elbow into his chest. He staggered, and I struck his wrist. The knife dropped onto the pavement with a metallic clang.
"The other two attacked together. One came from the front, and the other from behind. I turned to the first one. The knife came down, and I moved aside. The blade struck nothing but air. I seized his arm and shoved him into the wall.
"At the same moment, the fourth man lunged from behind. I heard his footsteps and ducked. The knife passed over my head. I spun around and struck his arm hard enough to make him lose his grip. The knife landed in a puddle.
"All four were unarmed. For a moment, the rain was the only sound. I stood between them. They looked at the knives lying across the alley and then at me.
"One of them charged anyway. I slammed my fist into his face, and he stumbled. Another attacked. Bam! A punch to the stomach. The third one tried to grab me, but I shoved him away.
"After that, my breathing became heavier. I lost my cool. The rain ran down my face, mixing with the blood from a cut above my eyebrow.
"I walked toward them slowly. The first man backed away and said, 'Wait—' but I grabbed him and punched him. He collapsed against the wall. I didn't stop there. Another punch, then another. The man slid down the wall and stopped moving.
"The second attacker rushed forward in desperation. I met him head-on and struck his jaw with a fist. Another hit to his ribs. He stumbled, and I grabbed his shirt and drove him into the wall. Thud. Again. Again. His body went limp, and I released him.
"Two remained. They stared at me, the fear in their eyes as clear as water. One of them turned and ran. I chased him. He glanced backward, and I caught him, pulled him around, and struck him. Once, twice. The third punch dropped him.
"The fourth man stood frozen at the other end of the alley. I slowly turned toward him. My fists were covered with blood, and the rainwater cleared it slightly.
"The fourth one tried to escape. There was a knife near me, so I simply picked it up and threw it at his leg, and it went and stabbed him.
"I called the HQ to have them arrested, only to find three dead and one barely alive. So, I interrogated the fourth man and found out that the one who gave them the order was your cousin. I gave him a warning just before you arrived," I gave my answer.