NOVEL NEXT Side-story: The Trial
"I'm home!"
"..."
"..."
Since when did my lovely house go quiet as the haunted house?
It had a deadly silent atmosphere without much noise.
Of course, no one gave back to me the answer. My supposed-to-be happy family had been broken apart for a long time. Since my beloved brother passed away, I have finally come to my senses as I realized the black and white of the world. Deception, framing others, betrayal... I have learned all these things. The world wasn't as pink as I'd imagined when I was a child in the past. Because of the overprotective shield that my brother gave me, I ignorantly stabbed him in the back and recognized his murderer as one of our family members.
Bitterness...It still lingered in my heart.
What to blame? I couldn't bring him back anymore...
Fu~
I took a sigh to release my depressive mood. Although sighing didn't cure my anxiety and stress away, it was better than doing nothing.
It seemed that there was no one at home now. My mom still couldn't extricate herself from my brother's death, so she quit being a housewife to find a job to distract herself from being sunk too deep in the past. Despite having inherited a huge sum from my brother's inheritance, she set a rule for our family not to touch it because we didn't have any qualifications or a face to use it wholeheartedly. Yeah, I agreed with her...
Therefore, that sum of money was all used for my brother's funeral, which we'd not done in time. My mom bought the rented piano of my brother to reminiscence and atone for her...our sins...
*Deng*
The sound of bottles colliding with each other broke this depressive state...
There was a strong smell of alcohol in the living room...Sure enough, my dad...he had fallen to this state...He was the person who loved his own face and dignity more than anyone else. When the truth about my brother's death was exposed to the light of justice, he had lost everything and become a loser like the current him. Everyone pointed their fingers at him to criticize his view and educational problems.
He was lying dead on the sofa and became a NEET without income. I and my mom went to work instead of him...
Ah...
Since when did everything go wrong? I, Minazuko Haruka, was once the little princess of the Minazuki family changing into a social slave with a little wage. My family had leveled down to the lower family. With the slap of social reality, I admired my brother more and more.
As part-time, yet, he had earned more than me. He was a gifted person and had the kindest heart that I've ever seen. It was just we had trampled on that kindness over and over again.
How could he earn enough to buy me an expensive cosmetic product? Even my wage now couldn't buy one of his gifts to me in the past. Such a privilege could only be once enjoyed by me without care to the world. However, I could no longer take it for granted ever again. His love for me was bigger and more sacred than any emotions of those unfamiliar strangers.
I regretted it. Humans could only know what was important to them until they lost it.
I missed my brother...I should've investigated clearly...I should've believed him...I shouldn't have stood on the side of those strangers...I shouldn't...What was the point of regretting it? The dead person couldn't come back to life! Ah...
My life was so ironic...In the first place, those strangers were all the culprits for causing my brother's death...It was like a domino effect. They blamed him first, and then we also followed as a result...What was the ending? It reversed instantly as they changed their face at the speed of light and stood on the opposite side to criticize us again! Were you all kidding me?!!
I cut off my contact with the current friends because of what they said during that period...I hated them. One of the reasons for my backstabbing...I didn't know who was easy to believe again!
I wanted to curse out loud and turn back time to strangle my past self...Love was blinding you!!
Speaking is always easier than doing...
Yes...It was true, though...After all, they didn't wear our shoes, so they could speak whatever they liked without feeling responsible. I blamed all of them...also myself...The person who loved you unconditionally was stabbed by your hand.
I was disgusted with myself...What a blame...Humans always seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. However, there was one thing that they were right. Because they were in the position of the outsiders, they could only see the tip of the whole picture, while we, the insiders, had completely ignored and failed to notice something wrong in the first place.
Guh...
I hated myself!!!!
I hated my current life. How many times did I wish to have the ability to turn back time to fix my mistakes? Alcoholic father, deceased brother, self-depressed mother...
"Another depressing year..."
"Hahaha~"
"..."
I smiled sarcastically toward life. How could God be so cruel? He arranged a vicious murderer as my brother's childhood friend and took away everything from my family!! Not only that, that murderer was my first love...
That guy made me sick to the point of losing trust in love. In my eyes, there hadn't been a good guy except for my brother.
I wanted to kill that guy!
His...I swiped away a teardrop that formed unknowingly under my eyes. Hot...It was so hot...My eyes were burning...I couldn't help but want to let it out...I lost everything!!
I wanted to kill that demon! Then, what's next? I would also come to prison for killing that dirty man. What's the point of killing him? It would make my life more miserable, wouldn't it?
Suppressing my anger, I gritted my teeth and began to clean up this battlefield of bottles and cans.
My dad...He was hopeless.
After cleaning up the mess of this alcoholic father, I went back to my room. Then, I passed by my brother's room and stopped unconsciously in front of this familiar space.
I missed his embrace...I missed his hot love~ But I wouldn't be able to enjoy his love again!
His...
I threw my bag and put my hand on the doorknob.
*Click*
"Welcome home, Haruka..."
As expected...Mom was still imprisoned in my brother's room. Her face had a lot of wrinkles and was haggard due to lack of sleep. Her long black hair was messy and her clothes were all plain...She was currently hugging my brother's portrait with his awkward smile in the past because we couldn't even have his decent and formal portrait before he died...It could be said that he didn't even have a formal funeral on time...
Her eyes were blank and expressionless like a madwoman...Seeing her like this, I couldn't bear to watch this anymore.
"Mom..."
"..."
I called out to her but it was no use...After greeting me, she came back to her own world and continued to indulge in her fantasy. I couldn't lose anymore!!
"Mom...It's New Year already..."
"Is that so?"
She heartlessly replied.
"Sorry, Haruka...I don't have the mood..."
"I have to accompany your brother"
"Mom...He is already dead..."
I hated to say it out loud but we had to admit the reality. You couldn't hide forever...
When I said that, she began to cry again. The room was full of sniffing sounds...Not only her, but I also did...Crying, crying, and sniffing...All were to release our regret...our missing to the deceased...
"I know...but he was too young!!! He had a bright future...His"
She yelled under a vast dark sky, not knowing who could catch her voice. However, her voice was dominated by the booming sound of the fireworks near our house.
*Wheeze*
*Boom*
*uh...his his*
My brother said fireworks represented happiness but they also represented human life...Why was his life not as good as a single firework in the sky? Why? Why? Why? Why, God?
My eyes were hurt...The image of those beautiful flowers in the sky gradually blurred under the hindrance of my liquid crystal.
Ah...
I sat down and hugged her to comfort our hearts.
Just that, we kept silent while listening to the melody of the flowers.
No one spoke at this moment.
Then...I suddenly remembered an important event...
"Mom...We have to move on...We have to punish that bastard in the next Court trial"
"Yes, you're right...That murderer hasn't been verdict yet"
"We have to revenge...make him pay the price!!"
Seeing my mom regaining her calm self, I was secretly relieved.
I was tired...
"Mom, I go back to my room...You have to take care of yourself"
She nodded her head and swiped away her tears...Then, I finally came out of my brother's room.
However, I heard a strange laugh...
"Hahaha~, Haruto...my baby, mom will never make you suffer ever again"
"..."
Her laugh contained an extreme hatred and I knew who was her target. Her mental state got worse and worse. No matter how many times I had a conversation with her, she didn't get better...She has too indulged herself in her world, ignoring the outside.
I was worried and stressed at the same time.
School life, social relationships, and part-time gave me enough stress and headaches.
Hah~ I couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh. I picked up the bag and walked back to my own room. Instead of lying down on the bed after working hard, I went to the balcony to continue to watch the fireworks blooming in front of my eyes.
From the bag, I took out something that my brother would definitely nag at me for a long time...
A bag of cigarettes...I couldn't help it...Because it was the only tool to help me release the adrenaline in my brain. My messy life needed it.
At first, I hated the smell of cigarettes but it was no longer the case. I was curious about adult keeping cigarette consumption despite knowing that it wasn't good for their health. However, I understood after trying it out.
It made me temporarily forget about everything...My emotions were released a little under the white smoke.
Everything was calm down.
Like now, I lighted up the cigarette and put it in my mouth. I took a deep breath and released a white smoke in my mouth. Peaceful...
Only me and the fireworks between the starry skies. I smoked...but my parents didn't even care...
I looked at the house next to me...Erika's house...It was too empty...After all, no one was living there.
"Coward"
I murmured.
*Fuu~*
*B*tch* would definitely suit that girl. She had run away...running to the place where everybody didn't know her deed and her identity...to establish a new life without involving the criminal like how she had abandoned my brother when he was framed as a plagiarist. I was no longer pure as many cursed words came out of my mouth naturally. Therefore, I had the right to call her a b*tch.
How she dealt with my brother was the same as she was with that murderer.
*Fuu~*
A girl didn't dare to face the consequences. How could my brother like her in the first place? His eyes toward people weren't good but his personality was too good to accept that b*tch as his first love.
My New Year was just like that. After the fireworks were extinguished, so my cigarette. There was only the silence surrounding my world.
So calm...
I clicked the cigarette in my hand to shake off the ash. And then, I went back to my room to lie down on my comfy bed...
My hands grasped something...
I held it and looked at the identity of this item...
A reborn novel...
Hahaha, no wonder this kind of genre was too famous, wasn't it? The main character regretted his life as GOD granted him a second chance to come back to the past to make up for his regret. What a good thing! I was so jealous...
Our life was sucked...so this kind of genre was born to satisfy our losers' hearts.
"God, come out...Let me return to the past"
"..."
"..."
No one answered me.
Hah~
What were I thinking? I had to pin my hope in the fictional existence...
Suck!
I extinguished the worn-out cigarette and closed my eyes to fall asleep.
Speaking of which, I was also curious about the person who uncovered the truth, which the police failed to detect. He or she could be able to produce such solid pieces of evidence. I was grateful to the other party.
I couldn't wait to meet that person at the Court's trial. By the way, the Court allowed our family to finish my brother's funeral before opening the official trial so the day had been transferred to the next year, I meant the current year now.
I...our family had a debt toward the other party. Without the help, we must've been kept in the dark and seen the murderer as my family member. Just thinking about that, I felt nauseous.
What was their relationship? Was the other party related to my brother?
I didn't have any ideas...
Fine...Just sleep...At the Court, I would know soon.
"All, Stand up!"
"Please, sit down and prepare for the trial"
"..."
I glared at a certain beast...My eyes were full of maliciousness. I couldn't help but want to smash his bones or throw him to the sea to suffer the same pain as my brother...F*ck you!
"Haruka-san...Haruka-san"
"..."
"Hey, Haruka-san, calm down!"
A hand shaking my shoulder to take me back to my senses. My eyes turned to look at Onee-san, who informed the truth to my family. Shimizu Kurumi...
"If you want to revenge, let the law punish him!"
Shimizu-san spoke...She was right...I shouldn't let my hand be dirty because of that beast.
I gradually released my fist...
"Thank you..."
"You're welcome...As long as you don't do anything stupid, I will fully support you"
She said with a gentle smile while patting my back. My mom didn't even get better but she was held back by the apprentice of Shimizu-san, Sousuke-san.
If we made a mess, we would be kicked out of the trial...Hence, my mom finally came back to her senses like me.
"Keep order, please"
"To maintain the Court, the seriousness, fairness, please, the auditors and attorneys follow the sacred rules"
"First, you can't use inappropriate language..."
"Second,..."
After the judge stated the rules of the Court, he used his gavel to strike down.
*Bang*
*bang*
The media also attended this trial to hunt the news for the music circle. Not only that, but their existence was the most important role in regaining my brother's false heinous reputation...A deceased 'Plagiarist'. They wanted to witness and hear the original 'Past Life' so they has occupied the last row of seats.
"Mom, we will get back what he deserves"
"Yes, my Haruto must be clean...He's a talented musician, not a thief"
My mom held her mouth and spoke in a low voice, enough for the two of us to hear.
"Now the prosecutor and the defendant move in place to begin the trial"
After many procedures, the case finally started. I changed the directions continuously to find an unfamiliar figure because I heard that the reported person was there. However, I couldn't find any strange but a familiar face...A woman with a delicate feature like a French doll...From the outfit, I could estimate that this girl came from a rich family with a western formal outfit. Not only that, but many black vest men were surrounding her like a bodyguard squad.
Could it be that she was the person helping my brother?
It seemed that after being verified, that girl's identity was Natsuhana Kaori...
Hey, didn't she go abroad?
"Prosecutor, please give your statements"
The judge spoke to our lawyer.
"Yes, judge"
"In September last year, there was a debate whether the deceased was a plagiarist or not. When our deceased was about to release his original, the perpetrator had one step ahead to release an imperfect piece to get the upper hand and the copyright before our deceased could produce it, leading to the tragedy. However, our deceased was the original creator so he understood and was able to come back by himself to turn the situation"
"The perpetrator was panicked so he planned out a perfect crime. Nevertheless, there was never a perfect crime in the world"
"He began to call out to our deceased to apologize to our deceased, but under that intention was the beginning to carry out his perfect crime"
"Please, Presiding Judge, we apply to replay the security near the pool, a.k.a the crime scene"
"Approve"
"..."
I and my mom turned our heads away immediately...Shimizu-san immediately hugged me to cover my eyes so as not to witness such a cruel scene. Although it was just a tiny spot, it was how Tetsu-beast killed my brother. He was pressed down despite constant struggling.
My eyes got wet and looked at the boy in the defendant's seat with hatred...Was he my first love?!
I complained to my brother that he was blinded to choose that b*tch but I was blinded as well...
"Defendant, do you have anything to speak?"
It was as obvious as the sun...How could you defend that beast? I looked at the lawyer in charge of defending this bastard. Fortunately, the police had collected all of the pieces of evidence so they could only fight back to reduce the sentence"
"I have nothing to say, Presiding Judge"
"Please, continue, Prosecutor"
Receiving the signal of the Judge, our prosecutor continued his performance by striking his gavel.
"Yes, Presiding Judge, next is the operation to deceive our law enforcement officers"
"An abandoned pool without use, the high of water is indeed low. There was an order from the water company to supply near the crime scene. However, we had inquired all the civilians nearby but they didn't get any use. Therefore, this is the magical operation, the low water after the cold weather strangely rose"
"However, this isn't the most important clue to deceive our law enforcement officer"
"I would like to invite the accomplice, the mole of our law enforcement"
"Okihara Anzu"
"..."
"Approve!"
*Bang*
Then, a haggard woman was dragged forcefully to the seat.
"Presiding Judge, I want to talk to this tainted officer"
The judge nodded.
"Okihara Anzu, you know that you're the forensic officer belonging to the criminal investigating office. Why do you craft a false report to protect the perpetrator Tetsuya Yuu?"
"No answer"
"..."
"Since you're a forensic officer, you must know the difference between suicidal drowning and homicide drowning, right?"
"Presiding Judge, I object to his statement"
"In the forensic field, Drowning is the most sensitive case to us. We can't determine whether it was suicide or homicide"
"But there is the difference between drowning in a shallow pool and a high pool..."
As soon as he said that, the woman immediately shut her mouth.
Deserve it.
The Judge nodded to agree. Shimizu-san next to me also shook her head in disappointment.
"A mole deceived and led us in the wrong direction...I'm sorry, Haruka-san, Shouko-san"
"We made your beloved one suffer injustice for a long time"
She and Sousuke-san bowed their head toward us...
Heh~ I couldn't believe that guy's connection. He even knew the person in the police officer. No wonder he felt confident enough to shut my brother's mouth down forever.
He even blatantly acted as if he was the wrong one like some hateful green-tea people.
"No sir, you all did your best"
My mom said politely because she understood the problem. I looked at the girl sitting behind the prosecutor's side...Her eyes were cold and murderous toward the defendant's side. If I remember correctly, she should be one of my brother's students.
She had gone abroad to cure her illness. Then, I glanced at Tetsuya's face. He also looked at Natsuhana-san in shock with a speechless face.
Did he know her? I had a chance to meet her when she visited my brother once last time before she parted.
Don't tell me that she is one of my brother's suitors?!!!
Only this reason explained why he could dig again into this case. It turned out that among us, only she paid attention and was willing to get justice for my brother...
Hahaha~, Life was so ironic....
Time passed by...
Our prosecutor had done the job seamlessly while giving the defendant no time to fight back.
"All, Stand up! The Court will be postponed to wait for our jury to make a final verdict"
*Bang*
The gavel went down as the auditors came out of the Courtroom to rest.
I ran to the Natsuhana girl to speak...
"Natsuhana-san, haven't you cured your illness?"
"..."
She didn't reply but looked at me with a disdainful expression, making me uncomfortable.
"You still have the nerve to speak with me?"
I could hear a disgusted feeling in her tone, lowering my head in shame.
"Joining forces with others to kill him? Hah? Are you kidding me?"
She spoke straightforwardly.
I saw that there were tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry"
"What's the point of apologizing? If you said that, could you bring him back?"
I shook my head like an elementary school student for doing something wrong.
"You should give your apology to him, not me"
"What I regret the most was leaving him to you guys!"
With that, she turned her back...Sure enough, she loved him...
"Wait a minute, Natsuhana-san!"
"What's wrong?"
"Are you a person who finds those pieces of evidence?"
"Yes"
She waved her hand and walked away with the bodyguards, leaving me alone.
The outsider could find the evidence that we didn't even find in the first place...What was this?
I felt so uncomfortable...As an insider, I...
Were you all playing with me, God?!!
She believed him so she could get back the justice for him. What about us? Just following the bandwagon effect, we didn't even believe him...
"Ah!!!!!"
I screamed out loud to release this uncomfortable feeling swelling inside my heart!!
It was too late!!!
--Third's POV--
Kaori went back together with her bodyguards, wearing a frustrated expression. After speaking with the idiot sister of her first love, she was even crazier than ever. She couldn't help but want to slap that pathetic face on the spot. That face contained endless regrets, but what was the use? Regretting your mistake, could you revive the dead person?
As for her direction, she came to a strange place to meet a mysterious person.
In fact, she couldn't find anything without the help of this mysterious person. With the outrageous connection of Tetsuya Yuu, he could even cover the sky with one hand. Fortunately, the mysterious person appeared to help her regain the justice of her first love.
"Good job, Natsuhana-san, you have completely had your revenge"
A teenage woman's voice spoke out.
"But I couldn't bring him back!!"
"What's the point of curing my illness when my world doesn't have him?!"
Kaori said in a desperate expression. I cured my illness because I wanted to be his healthy wife. However, what's now?
"..."
The mysterious woman didn't speak...
After a long time, she said.
"We still had the last mission...This is to expose the original piece of 'Past Life'"
A woman spoke with an enthusiastic smile.
"But hey, when the performance is over, you will go?"
Kaori regained her composed self and asked.
The woman under the hood nodded.
"I haven't known your name..."
Kaori was curious about the other party. She could even find the key clues of the case, and pinpoint exactly the motivation and the process. At first, she even thought that the other party was the accomplice of Tetsuya Yuu so she could know as if she was at the scene. However, she had excluded that theory because that girl didn't seem to be Japanese...It was like she appeared out of nowhere to represent justice to Haruto, her first love.
"You can call me, Hyouri"