NOVEL NEXT chapter 37
37 Peaceful Resolution
“Tell me. Why do you want to make me a champion of justice?”
Enka, a woman who harms others with extraordinary madness while carrying out acts of charity.
Where did her transgressions begin?
What was the cause?
How will they end?
The silence was so profound that the whirring of the air conditioner filled Ryugo with suffocating tension.
Enka chuckled and her eyes sparkled like a girl in love.
“Because Mr. Raccoon helped me that day.”
“No, I’m not talking about why you targeted me. I’m asking why you thought you could make me a champion of justice.”
“Well, you see,”
“Yes?”
“I was confined until the day before that.”
“Yes… huh?”
I doubted my ears, took a breath, and straightened my posture.
“Confined? In China?”
“That’s Nanjing. I was kind of a truant in middle school. Well, I was good at studying, though. And then, one day, this man my mother brought home… Oh, I come from a single-parent household. Did I mention that?”
“You did, a while ago.”
“I’m glad you remembered… Anyway, this man locked my mother and me in the house.”
She spoke of it as if it were something in the past, and a chill ran down my spine.
“As for me, all I got was a few beatings. My mother always protected me. Every day, I’d shut my eyes tight and try to sleep while listening to my mother being used as that man’s plaything. But then, one day , he tried to kill her. I thought I had to stop him somehow, and then I heard a voice…”
“Was that Double Suit?”
“Yes. He gave me an app. I used it to hypnotize the man and kill him while he was off guard. Double Suit disposed of the body, but my mother was traumatized. I mean, it’s understandable. Her daughter had just committed murder .”
Pocket Dimension.
If the Bunny Suit had one, it wouldn’t be strange for Double Suit to have one as well. He could have disposed of the body there.
Even so, the fact that she had already committed murder…
I didn’t care that the scumbag was dead, but my fear intensified when I realized that the person in front of me was a murderer.
Ryugo moistened his dry mouth with soda and managed to force out a voice.
“…So?”
“I can use the app to restore my mother’s sanity, so it’s okay. There’s no problem at all. What’s more, when I went back to school after a long absence to study for the entrance exams, neither my teachers nor my classmates seemed to notice the bruises on my face. Isn’t that strange?”
Did that mean everything she had told me before was a lie?
Enka’s smile, plastered over a foundation of lies, was starkly horrifying, unlike anything I had ever seen in a movie or drama.
I had touched something I shouldn’t have. No, I had touched it a long time ago.
I realized that the hairs on my arms were standing on end, and then I noticed that my fingers were numb.
I was being pressured.
“And so, I thought, ‘Oh dear, the hero didn’t come to my aid when I was in trouble.'”
“Wasn’t Double Suit a hero?”
“Hm? No… he was different. He was a devil who offered me a deal and encouraged me to kill. He also told me the price I would pay. There’s no such thing as justice without sacrifice, so he couldn’t have been a hero.”
“…”
“Come to think of it, when I was being hassled by delinquents, everyone just walked away with pitying looks.”
“That’s when we came along… right?”
“Tanuki was so cool. He attacked a delinquent from behind with a fallen brick, only to be stopped by Koki, who had him in a full nelson.”
“Hey, there goes the hero element.”
“That’s why Tanuki is my hero. He helps people without thought of gain or loss, putting himself on the line to fight. That’s the kind of person he is. That’s why I want him to become the champion of justice I envision.”
Enka’s overly enthusiastic storytelling could feel like nothing but lies at first glance, but whether it’s a lie or the truth doesn’t matter.
There’s only one thing to do.
Snatch the smartphone from her and erase the app.
As for the crimes committed, it’s pointless to think about judging this supernatural app with modern laws.
“Though it wasn’t fun, thanks for the long self-narrative.”
“Thank you too, for listening to me.”
“I understand what you want to say.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“It’s not good at all.”
Ryugo breathed deeply, painting over his fear with irritation.
He had been angry all along. During the entire conversation, fear had been lurking behind, but he had felt a perfectly natural rage.
So, he snapped quietly.
“Why did you start such a thing without consulting me?”
“…?”
Enka tilted her head, seemingly not expecting the question.
“Normally, if you’re going to take action, you consult the other person first, right? And only after getting their agreement do you start. If you were truant, you’d understand, wouldn’t you? It’s scary if a stranger cleans your room without permission, right?”
“Uh…well…”
“If there’s a reason, please do tell.”
“If I had consulted you, that wouldn’t be very heroic. I want you to fight evil and seek justice of your own accord. I was just secretly helping out.”
“Hmph, some help that is. In the end, it’s just a childish imposition, wanting to control others as you please.”
“That’s right. That’s how I feel. But that’s what I wanted to do. Even if I’m disliked, I wanted to make Tanuki the ideal being.”
Without making excuses, she seemed intent on sticking to her ego.
Dealing with this would surely drive anyone mad eventually.
“Ha… Shall we move on to the next question? What’s your actual end goal? You say you want to make me a champion of justice, but what exactly do you want?”
When asked, Enka answered with an innocent smile like a child talking about a dream.
“…Someone who rushes to help people in trouble. Someone stronger than anyone else, cool, and stays by my side.”
“And how far are you willing to compromise? For example, you wouldn’t tell me to charge into a place where a murderer is holed up, right?”
“If there are hostages, I want you to go help.”
“Leave it to the police.”
“A true champion of justice, you see. If someone calls for help, my body moves on its own, and I can
“You can’t save everyone you see, and if you go around picking fights with criminals, you’ll end up getting yourself arrested.”
“What the hell are you talking about!?”
Ryugo yelled as he smacked Enka on the head.
“That’s impossible, you idiot! If that were possible, we wouldn’t need the police! Think before you speak! Are you even using your brain? Is it sawdust? Is your head filled with sawdust? Are you a scarecrow!?”
She pushed Ryugo’s hand away and retorted with a determined tone.
“No! A champion of justice doesn’t choose who they save! If someone asks for help, you have to show up no matter where you are…”
“Listen up! If you do things your way, you’ll just end up creating more victims! If a normal person goes up against a villain with a gun or a knife, they’ll end up needing a funeral!”
“But then…!”
Enka stopped her voice, which was about to crack, and her face suddenly turned as if she was about to cry.
She was barely holding back the turbulent emotions welling up inside her with just a thin layer of skin on her face.
It was an expression of sorrow mixed with agony.
“That’s why everyone… That’s why no one would help me or my mom… Even though we asked for help…”
Was that her true intention?
If there was absolute justice in this world that she could blindly believe in, she thought they would have been saved much sooner.
She wouldn’t have had to become a murderer.
Her mother’s mind wouldn’t have been broken.
But deep down, she must have known that it was an impossible dream.
That’s why she didn’t take the long way and chose the forceful method using the app.
But then Ryugo got his hands on the app, and she was forced to change her strategy.
She had no choice but to reveal herself as the mastermind and start a full-scale confrontation.
…Well, even that, I didn’t allow.
“I sympathize with you. But don’t force your ideals on others. Before that, you should embody those ideals yourself.”
A dream that only burdens others is nothing but a nuisance.
If Enka wanted to talk about what justice was, she should have stood up for herself first.
Justice preached by someone who unjustly harms others is worth nothing more than ridicule.
Enka, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly became expressionless, like a mask.
“…What about a compromise?”
“No.”
“Me neither.”
“Then, the showdown continues.”
Ryugo stood up abruptly and finished the rest of his soda in one gulp.
“…I could just take your phone here and now. But that would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Are you really going to be able to beat me if you’re worried about something like that?”
“This isn’t a fight to the death. Our daily lives will continue after this match is over. It’s better for both of us if it ends in a way we can both accept.”
The condition of the game is to destroy the opponent’s hypnosis app, Experiments. There’s no need to resort to murder.
Even if I killed you and managed to hide the body, I would always live in fear of being found out. That’s not what I would call a healthy state of mind.
“So, let’s set the rules fairly.”
“Rules?”
“Actually, Ira asked me for a favor. She wants me to do something about her mother, who’s nagging her to enter the entertainment industry.”
“Is that the victory condition?”
“If this is accomplished, Aira has also said that she will stop her tyranny in the classroom. If it’s a lie, I won’t forgive her, but if it’s a success, it will kill two birds with one stone. The bullying will end, and the battle will be settled. Will you do it?”
When I asked, Madoka closed her eyes.
I don’t know if she will follow along.
If Aira reforms, there will be no villain. Then, there will be no place for a hero. Instead, I will get Ryuugo.
“Well, if you don’t accept, I just won’t talk to you ever again.”
“What!?”
“I will ignore you for the rest of my life.”
“Isn’t that like children breaking up or something…?”
“If we were to seriously fight each other, since the tool we’re using is a hypnosis app, there is no doubt that unrelated people will get caught up in it. Would a hero allow such a thing? I want a Bl00dless settlement, like a champion of justice!”
With a desperate cry, I point my finger.
I don’t have any thoughts of justice at all, but even if it’s a lie, I have to convince Madoka at this point.
As for her, she was staring fixedly at Ryuugo’s fingertips with a bitter face crumpled like crushed paper.
“…U, uh, okay…I don’t want to be ignored by Tanuki-kun……and it’s true that it’s not heroic to spread damage unnecessarily.”
“Well said. Good job.”
“So next…is the rules we impose on each other…”
“No attacks on each other. But let’s allow interference. Either way, if we try to do as we please, we will inevitably get in each other’s way.”
“What extent will be considered a foul…well, let’s say it’s within the range of common sense.”
“Yeah. Excessive attacks on Aira’s mother will also be a violation of the rules. Killing, erasing memories, etc….In that case, the outcome of the battle will be considered undecided.”
“When does the game start?”
“It starts now.”
At that moment, noisy footsteps echoed from downstairs. When they came up to the second floor, Kouki’s “Whoa!?” could be heard, and the door was opened violently with a bang.
“Tanuki!! You’re late!!”
At the same time as Aira yelled, I stood up with my smartphone in hand.
“The organizer of the game has arrived. Aira, lead the way to your mother’s location.”
“Why is this person here!?”
Aira pointed at Madoka, who smiled fearlessly.
“Was it no good?”
“No, it was rather good. I can kill her here.”
Ryuugo grabbed Aira’s arm as she tried to grab Madoka and twisted it behind her back.
“Owww!”
“If you’re going to fight, do it outside.”
“Shut up!”
“Anyway, how did you get into the house?”
“The door was unlocked!”
“Kouki, you left the door unlocked!?”
Kouki, who was peeking from the hallway, bowed his head and said, “Sorry.”