Two male detectives are chatting at their desks in the detective division.

"That kid who was brought in earlier, I envy him, you know? Hanamiya-san is handling his case."

"Seriously! Hanamiya Sumire-san…as her name suggests, a single flower blooming in the harsh detective division! She heals my soul!"

"What are you saying at your age? You're just saying that because you failed at another mixer last night…"

"Shut up! I've had so few outside encounters recently that I'm starting to think about an office romance!"

"An office romance here? That's even more hopeless…More importantly, why did Hanamiya-san suddenly want to take on this case?"

"Oh, that's because she heard that the boy she'll be interrogating attends that prestigious private junior high. I don’t know if that's the reason, but she asked to handle it herself."

"Really? Does she know someone at that school? Hanamiya-san was recently assigned to this station, so we don’t know much about her."

In one of the interrogation rooms, Shuto and the female detective sit opposite each other on metal chairs. A middle-aged detective watches from near the doorway, ready to intervene if Shuto becomes violent. Shuto is neither handcuffed nor restrained, as a precaution in case he becomes violent.

It’s a fact that even two detectives might not be able to handle him if he gets violent, but at this point, they don’t know that.

"First, can you tell me your name and age? And your date of birth."

"…Mitsuki Shuto. Thirteen. Born August 31, 2006."

"Hmm…so, the same grade as ‘that child’…Eh? You look like a high school student or even a university student. Are you really thirteen, a junior high student?"

"Yes."

"R-right… (Kids grow up so fast these days). Oh, right, as I said earlier, let me introduce myself again.

I'm Hanamiya Sumire. I recently transferred to this station. The detective behind me is my superior, Oofuji-san. He’s just as grumpy as he looks."

The female detective, Hanamiya Sumire, introduces the other detective in a teasing tone. Oofuji coughs and looks away. Shuto was about to ignore the introduction, but reacts to her last name.

"…Hanamiya?"

"Hmm…? Did that name remind you of someone? Akemi, perhaps?"

"Are you her mother or something?"

"Fufufu, I'm Akemi's aunt—her mother's younger sister. I'm single, so I obviously don't have children."

Shuto looks at Hanamiya Sumire's face. If she says they're related, it seems plausible. Her demeanor and somewhat masculine tone remind him of Akemi.

"I only recently moved to this area, and I live in the police dormitory, so I haven't heard much about Akemi. You know Akemi, right?"

"Well, we're in the same class, so…"

"I see! Is Akemi doing well at school?"

"She's a diligent student council president, a model for her classmates, and has quite a few friends."

"Fufu, I see. Like my sister, Akemi’s father, and my mother, Akemi is a sincere and diligent child."

Shuto is bored by the endless questions about Akemi. Oofuji, seemingly sharing his sentiment, coughs to signal Sumire to move on. Of course, she isn't forgetting her duty; her aim is to build rapport, making Shuto comfortable enough to open up.

Sumire becomes serious, moving on to Shuto’s family structure. Then she finally gets to the main topic.

"Alright, enough with the introductions and small talk. Let's proceed with the interrogation regarding the assault at Tensho Private Junior High. First… are you Mitsuki-kun, the alleged perpetrator?"

"Yes. I rendered those scumbags incapable of ever doing anything again."

"Scumbags… It seems you injured nearly ten students. Five of them are seriously injured and have been sent to the hospital.

Why did you inflict such severe injuries on them?"

Sumire inwardly shudders as she asks. She’s already reviewed the details of the assault.

Four male students suffered multiple broken bones from the neck down, missing fingernails and teeth, and had an eye gouged out, resulting in blindness.

One female student had an abdominal injury (uterus), and her facial skin was severely peeled back, exposing muscle tissue.

Several other students had broken ribs, and the four seriously injured male students had injuries so severe that it could be classified as attempted murder.

It's unbelievable that one junior high school student caused this mass assault.

(What kind of eyes are those…? Like someone who has been through countless battles…or someone filled with rage at the world…)

Sumire stares intently at Shuto's eyes, which are as sharp as a raptor's, filled with a dark intensity, as if harboring hatred for the world. She also observes his posture, sensing the aura of a martial arts master. Sumire, who once won awards in Kendo at national competitions, instantly understands that Shuto isn’t ordinary.

Shuto calmly explains his motives: his prolonged bullying at the hands of Nakazato's gang, the additional bullying he experienced at the hands of classmates he'd tried to help, the false accusation and slander surrounding the fabricated stalker incident, and the classmates and teacher who ignored his pleas for help. Shuto, occasionally becoming emotional, explains how unjustly he was treated and framed. Sumire listens intently.

"I see…Mitsuki-kun was bullied by the leaders of a bullying ring after he tried to help some classmates. No one helped you during the bullying…You were also cruelly deceived by a female student, falsely accused of a crime…You wanted revenge, so you committed this crime?"

"Yes."

"But why today? I find it hard to believe, without having seen it myself, but you single-handedly wrecked the classroom and severely injured several classmates. If you had that kind of power, why didn't you use it from the day you started being bullied?"

"I didn’t have that power back then. I only recently became strong enough. So I took revenge today."

"You trained to become strong enough for this day?"

"Essentially."

"This might be a bit personal, but you said no one helped you during the bullying. Was Akemi the same?"

Shuto is silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"…She was the only one who spoke to me while I was being bullied. She noticed my soiled uniform and worried. She seemed to realize I was being bullied and tried to help, though she couldn't do much."

"I see… Thank you for answering."

Sumire thanks him and records Shuto's statement. After a long silence, Shuto speaks.

"If I had reported the bullying to you instead of those useless teachers who ignored everything, would I have been treated as a perpetrator?"

"Maybe. Regardless of the reason, you used violence, very serious violence."

"Would I have been better off simply reporting to you instead of doing what I did today? Should I have suppressed the urge for revenge and covered up what I truly wanted to do…?"

"…That's what it comes down to. But you didn’t report to the police or the hospital. Or rather, you couldn’t."

"…Because it was humiliating and shameful to expose my vulnerability. I didn't want others to know…"

"I see. That’s why you couldn't report here or to the hospital, and you tried to resolve things yourself.

But this is the result. Even if you hate them, taking revenge puts you on the same level as the bullies. You understood that, right?"

"I…didn’t care. That’s why I took revenge. To not return the pain and humiliation inflicted on me wouldn't have been justice. I couldn’t forgive myself for suppressing my urge for revenge."

"Justice…"

Sumire looks intently at Shuto as she writes in her notebook. Having a good grasp of his and his family’s background, she contemplates.

Shuto is healthy, has never been seriously ill, and has healthy parents who both work. His family is relatively well-off, so he hasn't faced any significant hardship.

In short, Mitsuki Shuto is a boy raised in a privileged environment, except for his recent distance from his parents.

This, however, doesn't justify enduring bullying. No child, regardless of their background, should endure unjust and unreasonable bullying.

"I have another question. What kind of justice do you believe in? What is right, in your opinion?"

Sumire asks seriously. Shuto smiles faintly before answering earnestly.

"First, that I'm not made unhappy, don't suffer a loss, am not harmed, benefit, and am happy.

And eliminating those who threaten even one of those things…those whom I believe are scum. That is my justice."

• Addendum: Sumire is Akemi’s aunt, but she is her mother’s sister, not her father’s. (2022.7.28)